A review by trackofwords
Avenging Son by Guy Haley
4.0
Guy Haley’s novel Avenging Son kicks off the nine-part Dawn of Fire series, which promises to explore in detail the events of the Indomitus Crusade – the driving force behind the ‘current’ Warhammer 40,000 timeline. This first instalment features the first great battle of the Era Indomitus, as Fleetmistress VanLeskus leads Fleet Tertius against the Khornate Crusade of Slaughter for control of the Machorta Sound, determined to stop the forces of Chaos from claiming territory that would allow them to threaten Terra itself. Before the returned Primarch Roboute Guilliman can dispatch VanLeskus and Fleet Tertius, however, he has to navigate his way through the byzantine politics of an Imperium still reeling from the opening of the Great Rift, a task which even a Primarch can’t manage alone.
It’s testament to Haley’s talents that this feels like both a powerful, dramatic tale in its own right and an exciting start to a much grander story yet to be unveiled. If the first great engagement of Fleet Tertius doesn’t quite feel like a truly gargantuan conflict (and this is really nit-picking), the naval battle over the Machorta Sound is nevertheless portrayed brilliantly, and the wealth of rich 40k lore to absorb is worth the asking price alone. Comparisons to the Horus Heresy are inevitable for a series like this, and Haley drops in a few deliberate references to good effect, but this is clearly its own endeavour with a unique identity that’s already visible. It draws on Chris Wraight’s Terra-set series, Haley’s own (excellent and, arguably, definitive) Guilliman and Cawl stories and the wider events of the ‘new’ 40k narrative, but creates something unique in the process.
Read the full review at https://www.trackofwords.com/2021/01/07/avenging-son-guy-haley/
It’s testament to Haley’s talents that this feels like both a powerful, dramatic tale in its own right and an exciting start to a much grander story yet to be unveiled. If the first great engagement of Fleet Tertius doesn’t quite feel like a truly gargantuan conflict (and this is really nit-picking), the naval battle over the Machorta Sound is nevertheless portrayed brilliantly, and the wealth of rich 40k lore to absorb is worth the asking price alone. Comparisons to the Horus Heresy are inevitable for a series like this, and Haley drops in a few deliberate references to good effect, but this is clearly its own endeavour with a unique identity that’s already visible. It draws on Chris Wraight’s Terra-set series, Haley’s own (excellent and, arguably, definitive) Guilliman and Cawl stories and the wider events of the ‘new’ 40k narrative, but creates something unique in the process.
Read the full review at https://www.trackofwords.com/2021/01/07/avenging-son-guy-haley/