I’ve been eagerly awaiting this novel, since Vulkan literally vanished under a mushroom cloud on the black sands of Isstvan V, courtesy of an epic barrage from the Iron Warriors, as they cruelly betrayed the warriors of Nocturne. We’ve been teased with a couple of hints that he may have survived, and as the synopsis confirms, he’s become a plaything of Konrad Curze, and as the story pans out, we’re treated to a fascinating insight into both Primarch’s minds. With any book review, it’s difficult to get into details without spoiling the plot twists, but as a general view the book is split intotwo main stories, each with its own flashbacks and points of view from various characters.

The main thrust is obviously the imprisonment of Vulkan at the hands of his cruel brother, as he undergoes a series of trials designed to break his body and spirit, somewhat literally at times. Through this ordeal you get an insight into the two polar opposites at play here and their views on freedom. Vulkan of the Salamanders, the humanitariun of great faith who strives to see the good in people, and Konrad Curze of the Night Lords, who view humans as nothing more than cattle that need the threat of extreme violence and destruction to keep them on the narrow path of obedience. Flashbacks to a compliance involving both legions during the Great Crusade hammers this home, and how they both deal with their respective actions.

As a side story, we’re treated to some action on a planet where a dig team are in search of an ancient artefact of incredible power that, that also attracts the attention of some zealous enemies, an old friend, and a band of brothers forged from the ashes of Isstvan V. The flashbacks on this side of the story, and also through Vulkan’s thoughts, bring us back to the battle on Isstvan V, and we’re treated to a first-person point of view to the sheer scale of betrayal and action. Which is great, as only parts of two novels (Fulgrim & The First Heretic) tell the story of Isstvan V in great detail, so this fills in a lot of gaps of a huge event that deserved more page time. You’ll be treated to the clear effect it has on the Astartes involved, who you’d assume to be immune to certain human desires and failings, as they are torn between the thirst for short-term revenge, as opposed to playing the long game and looking at the bigger picture. The selfish nature of our favourite moustache-twirling villains keeps the tension and drama ratcheted up high as the story navigates its way though several twists.

As an aside, with recent Horus Heresy novels, the timeline is getting somewhat confusing.  This book refers to recent events at Signus Prime (Fear To Tread) and Calth (Mark Of Calth & Betrayer), but is also set before the Thramas Crusade (Savage Weapons, and Prince Of Crows), and at no point during Konrad Curze’s battles with the Dark Angels in said short stories we’ve been treated to so far during the Thramas Crusade, does he reflect on the happenings or outcome of what takes place in this novel. Again, this comes across as vague, due to the nature of spoilers, but it will leave you scratching your head if you dig deep.

This will have no bearing on the casual reader though, so nitpicking aside, this Black Library novel is a fascinating part of the arc, as the traitors march towards Terra, and Nick Kyme really drives the Horus Heresy story forward.