Alan Bligh (1974–2017)

Horus Heresy event set in the Warhammer 40k universe is event that actually caused the highly dystopian W40K.

Rebellion of half of the superhuman (Space Marines) army against the Emperor brought the revival of human Empire to a halt and unleashed untold horrors on unsuspecting populace. It was always presented as battle of good vs evil but is the situation truly black and white as one is told?

This is book one in the magnificent Forgeworld's contribution to the lore. Told from the perspective of witness of Heresy (after the Horus is defeated) we are presented with the very beginning of Horus' rebellion against his father and his purging of traitor legions of any loyalist forces. We are given overview of Istvaan atrocities and detail lore on three main traitor legions and their Mechanicum cohorts.

Level of details, descriptions of these mighty armies and their leaders, Primarchs, is astounding. We can see that some of them were in conflict with the Emperor almost from the beginning and Horus' call just brought this emnity to the surface. Dioramas used as illustrations are done beautifully. Details on troops, armor, vehicles and weaponry are truly amazing.

Excellent book that contains a lot of lore information for W40K/HH enthusiast even if one is not tabletop player.

Highly recommended.… (mehr)

I first read this exceptional Warhammer 40k supplement back when it was first released around 2010-2011. Every time I come back to it I think the same thing. This is a well thought out, detailed, interesting and unique take on Warhammer 40k fictional history. In my humble opinion it is Alan Bligh's best work, even considering the excellent Horus Heresy books. well worth the read not just for the scenarios and rules, but for the attention to detail on every aspect of the Badab War from the battles and timeline to the uniforms, tactics and equipment. Exceptional.… (mehr)

This book is the Hegelian synthesis of the two prior volumes in its trilogy: Dance of the Damned which featured the Legion of Rapture cult, and The Lies of Solace with its kindred the Hand of Solace. Both cults continue on after metamorphoses in The Hungering God, and the rather similar structures of the earlier books are put to good use. In this strange little series, it appears that the authors wrote the earlier volumes in parallel, and then brought the two plot-lines together for a finale.

Despite the basis for these books in the settings and characters of the Arkham Horror gaming franchise (itself erected on the foundation of a Derlethian Cthulhu Mythos), neither place nor person is left as an unchanging piece of the story in this final segment. The telling is full of dreams, hallucinations, and disruptions of the continuity of space-time and personal identity, so that readers may be rather bewildered in efforts to follow the plot. Given the conceit (introduced forcefully in The Hand of Solace) that the External Powers at stake could rewrite a prior course of events, I began to suspect that the end of this trilogy would offer an "explanation" for the absence of Arkham and Miskatonic country from today's geography. I was wrong, but not as wrong as many of the book's characters become.

Strangely, while women investigators were central to both of the prior volumes, they are no longer center stage in this one. A new character Grace Ziolkowski (a physician at Arkham Sanitarium) takes their place to a minor extent, while the male characters of the previous books (Charles Raker, Professor Walters, Doctor Fields, Tony Morgan) provide the continuity.

On the whole, I am impressed with the work of Bligh and French in creating a multi-volume narrative out of Yog-Sothothery for which the paradigmatic form is the short story.… (mehr)