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A review by xonrad
The End and the Death: Volume I by Dan Abnett
4.0
4 stars for the value of the good stuff... but really 3 stars because this still suffers from filler/fluff like the rest of the Horus era in the franchise.
Unfortunately elements of the filler characters from the rest of the Siege of Terra series are still included here, which does make it feel somewhat tedious to finally... FINALLY... get some actual value story time with Horus, the Emperor, etc... to then get slung back to some meat fodder conscripts. It is nowhere near as bad as most of the previous Siege books, but it still happens, and it makes you feel like things are getting dumbed down during those moments.
As some others have said, this book could have used a little extra editing to trim the fat. There are some descriptions of things that go on a little too much. You get the point of a "thing," and then it reinforces it several more times. Some of those are battle related descriptions that do feel like they are just starting to get away from the writer before he gets back to the plot. It happens to every writer, and much of it clearly should have been edited/trimmed.
BUT, this installment has enough interesting and intriguing concepts for the real power players involved that I was glad I made the effort to pick it up rather than stick to the "I'm done with this era of the franchise" aftertaste that the last few books left in me.
The "good bits" also serve as a fairly decent primer for what everyone has been holding out for... the ultimate encounter between Horus and the Emperor, and all of the complex influences and "consequences to come" that that battle will (hopefully) explore in depth.
Unfortunately elements of the filler characters from the rest of the Siege of Terra series are still included here, which does make it feel somewhat tedious to finally... FINALLY... get some actual value story time with Horus, the Emperor, etc... to then get slung back to some meat fodder conscripts. It is nowhere near as bad as most of the previous Siege books, but it still happens, and it makes you feel like things are getting dumbed down during those moments.
As some others have said, this book could have used a little extra editing to trim the fat. There are some descriptions of things that go on a little too much. You get the point of a "thing," and then it reinforces it several more times. Some of those are battle related descriptions that do feel like they are just starting to get away from the writer before he gets back to the plot. It happens to every writer, and much of it clearly should have been edited/trimmed.
BUT, this installment has enough interesting and intriguing concepts for the real power players involved that I was glad I made the effort to pick it up rather than stick to the "I'm done with this era of the franchise" aftertaste that the last few books left in me.
The "good bits" also serve as a fairly decent primer for what everyone has been holding out for... the ultimate encounter between Horus and the Emperor, and all of the complex influences and "consequences to come" that that battle will (hopefully) explore in depth.