charliebk_2's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
l0rdtim865's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
This book had it's moments. However this didn't last across the 4 novellas. Not the best in the series.
itcamefromthepage's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
reflective
relaxing
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Hard to rate this collection of novellas because the first and last were OUTSTANDING, while the middle two were just fine.
f4ustu5's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
drwilko's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
simonmee's review against another edition
2.0
The Primarchs is bad.
'That strikes me as sentimental,' Omegon replied. 'Which truly is a waste.'
I infer from the Afterword that time pressures loomed large in the drafting and compilation of the four stories. I would suggest there were editorial failures. The second part of the The Reflection Crack'd is hot garbage while Feat of Iron is simply incomprehensible in parts. I guess at least The Lion is simply boring and unfocused. Ironically, the biggest rush job, The Serpent Beneath works, for which credit probably solely goes to Sanders.
I believe the aim of The Primarchs was to illustrate that these gods of the Warp have an Olympian indifference to the wellbeing of even their own followers. And, look, the four stories do manage that. It's just that three of them are awful.
Ferrus, we hardly knew ye, but we're going to keep trying anyway
'I doubt this victory will satisfy him, brother.'
Ferrus Manus dies early in the Horus Heresy, having achieved little of note. This is not great from a merchandising perspective.
So here we are with Feat of Iron, trying to fill Ferrus' back story with a sliding doors moment of aliens warning a primarch about Horus' imminent betrayal, something which isn't even [b:original|1678745|Legion (The Horus Heresy, #7)|Dan Abnett|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1280756821l/1678745._SY75_.jpg|1673863] to the series. Or even [b:semi original|957931|Fulgrim (The Horus Heresy, #5)|Graham McNeill|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1403985069l/957931._SY75_.jpg|942841].
Plot aside, Ferrus in Feat of Iron radiates tremendous loser energy. His personality trait is that he is a prick, which differs only from virtually every other Primarch in that it is all he is. And there's just not that much you can do with pricks, other than look at it and say:
"That's a prick."
Feat of Iron makes you wonder why Fulgrim had any trouble at all with Ferrus, a guy who fails to navigate a theme park maze.
Diamond in the rough
'You would ask us to just sit here on this rock and die?' Setebos spat back.
'I ask nothing of you,' Ranko told them honestly. Then he repeated, 'What does your primarch ask of you?'
Setebos and the legionnaires looked at one another. The sergeant nodded.
'Everything.'
The Serpent Beneath is bonkers, with Alpha Legion infiltrating its own base to blow it up. But that's fine.
The Serpent Beneath is careful. It takes its time to explain what it is happening, and why relationships between characters are important. The twist fits the the ethos of the Alpha Legion. The conclusion adds a new twist in the dual Primarch relationship. It manages this despite a literal "Blood of Christ" moment.
It fits the theme of the book - Omegon is a bad guy, sacrificing even the most loyal to him... ...but it makes sense. You don't have to like him, but it's not frustrating like the other portrayals.
Once again, the Alpha Legion are the [b:best|10838911|Deliverance Lost (The Horus Heresy, #18)|Gav Thorpe|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1332438857l/10838911._SY75_.jpg|15753131] part of a book.
'That strikes me as sentimental,' Omegon replied. 'Which truly is a waste.'
I infer from the Afterword that time pressures loomed large in the drafting and compilation of the four stories. I would suggest there were editorial failures. The second part of the The Reflection Crack'd is hot garbage while Feat of Iron is simply incomprehensible in parts. I guess at least The Lion is simply boring and unfocused. Ironically, the biggest rush job, The Serpent Beneath works, for which credit probably solely goes to Sanders.
I believe the aim of The Primarchs was to illustrate that these gods of the Warp have an Olympian indifference to the wellbeing of even their own followers. And, look, the four stories do manage that. It's just that three of them are awful.
Ferrus, we hardly knew ye, but we're going to keep trying anyway
'I doubt this victory will satisfy him, brother.'
Ferrus Manus dies early in the Horus Heresy, having achieved little of note. This is not great from a merchandising perspective.
So here we are with Feat of Iron, trying to fill Ferrus' back story with a sliding doors moment of aliens warning a primarch about Horus' imminent betrayal, something which isn't even [b:original|1678745|Legion (The Horus Heresy, #7)|Dan Abnett|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1280756821l/1678745._SY75_.jpg|1673863] to the series. Or even [b:semi original|957931|Fulgrim (The Horus Heresy, #5)|Graham McNeill|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1403985069l/957931._SY75_.jpg|942841].
Plot aside, Ferrus in Feat of Iron radiates tremendous loser energy. His personality trait is that he is a prick, which differs only from virtually every other Primarch in that it is all he is. And there's just not that much you can do with pricks, other than look at it and say:
"That's a prick."
Feat of Iron makes you wonder why Fulgrim had any trouble at all with Ferrus, a guy who fails to navigate a theme park maze.
Diamond in the rough
'You would ask us to just sit here on this rock and die?' Setebos spat back.
'I ask nothing of you,' Ranko told them honestly. Then he repeated, 'What does your primarch ask of you?'
Setebos and the legionnaires looked at one another. The sergeant nodded.
'Everything.'
The Serpent Beneath is bonkers, with Alpha Legion infiltrating its own base to blow it up. But that's fine.
The Serpent Beneath is careful. It takes its time to explain what it is happening, and why relationships between characters are important. The twist fits the the ethos of the Alpha Legion. The conclusion adds a new twist in the dual Primarch relationship. It manages this despite a literal "Blood of Christ" moment.
It fits the theme of the book - Omegon is a bad guy, sacrificing even the most loyal to him... ...but it makes sense. You don't have to like him, but it's not frustrating like the other portrayals.
Once again, the Alpha Legion are the [b:best|10838911|Deliverance Lost (The Horus Heresy, #18)|Gav Thorpe|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1332438857l/10838911._SY75_.jpg|15753131] part of a book.
garybake's review against another edition
3.0
The Reflection Crack’d:
Really good, yey Fulgrim! 5/5
Feat of Iron:
Pointless iron analogies and sand. 1/5
The Lion:
Not too bad, just felt a bit disjointed. 3.5/5
The Serpent Beneath:
Lots of really good plot twists 4/5
Overall: I still hated the iron story. 3/5
Really good, yey Fulgrim! 5/5
Feat of Iron:
Pointless iron analogies and sand. 1/5
The Lion:
Not too bad, just felt a bit disjointed. 3.5/5
The Serpent Beneath:
Lots of really good plot twists 4/5
Overall: I still hated the iron story. 3/5
utbw42's review against another edition
3.0
I had mixed feelings on this one. On one hand, it was fun reading about four of the primarchs involved in the Heresy. On the other hand, one of the stories was good, two were so-so, and one just bored me to tears.
The best was the last one concerning Omegon/Alpharius, although it took me a bit to realize that Sanders was jumping around in the story time-wise. The deception used by the Alpha Legion on both sides was very clever. The first and third stories concerning Fulgrim and Lion were ok to read, just not up to what I have experienced so far reading the Horus Heresy. I did enjoy how Fulgrim's Slaneeshi possessed body was dealt with and how Lion fought the forces of chaos in the warp as he fled the Night Lords.
The story concerning Ferrus Manus did nothing for me, did not advance any character in this portion at all. I've always read short stories with some trepidation as I feel that a lot of times there is simply not enough time to develop plot and characters to a sufficient degree as in a full length novel. This also seems to be the case here as all four authors in this collection seem very rushed or otherwise non-committal to the overall story. Here's to hoping that the next Heresy novel avoids this.
The best was the last one concerning Omegon/Alpharius, although it took me a bit to realize that Sanders was jumping around in the story time-wise. The deception used by the Alpha Legion on both sides was very clever. The first and third stories concerning Fulgrim and Lion were ok to read, just not up to what I have experienced so far reading the Horus Heresy. I did enjoy how Fulgrim's Slaneeshi possessed body was dealt with and how Lion fought the forces of chaos in the warp as he fled the Night Lords.
The story concerning Ferrus Manus did nothing for me, did not advance any character in this portion at all. I've always read short stories with some trepidation as I feel that a lot of times there is simply not enough time to develop plot and characters to a sufficient degree as in a full length novel. This also seems to be the case here as all four authors in this collection seem very rushed or otherwise non-committal to the overall story. Here's to hoping that the next Heresy novel avoids this.