Gorilla Review - False Gods - (Book Two Of The Horus Heresy)

Caveat:

Don't let us ruin the story for you. The Horus Heresy Book Reviews contain a lot of information not normally carried a book review. If you are the kind of person who likes to discover the facts on their own we strongly suggest you just go and buy the books. They have our SciFi/Fantasy two thumbs up recommendation.

On the other hand, if you're the type who wants to know as much as they can and doesn't mind a full preview of the story we suggest you begin with the Preface To The Horus Heresy.

False Gods, by Graham McNeill

(Recommendation: Read Horus Rising first)

False Gods opens on Petronella Vivar, a non-Astarte Imperial, and one of the scions of the wealthy Terra House Carpinus, who is joining the sixty-third expedition which is on its way from its battles with the interex to the planet Davin. Davin has not been visited by the Warmaster, Horus, since before the planet Murder. Petronella is accompanied by her body guard, Maggard. She has been chosen to become Horus' personal remembrancer. She is a rich, pampered woman who views herself as royalty.

We watch Horus' landing on Davin through the eyes of Akshub, a primitive. Through Akshub's thoughts there is a foreshadowing of the critical events to come.

Horus and his Astartes warriors have been called back to Davin by the Word Bearers and their First Chaplin, Erebus. Horus has responded with the entire Sixty-third expedition including the Luna Wolfs, newly renamed the the Sons of Horus.

As Horus addresses the assembled forces on Davin's surface, Erebus interrupts his speech and explains that while enroute to Sardis and a rendezvous with the Two Hundred and Third fleet Erebus detoured to Davin at the request Lord Kor Phaeron to check on Commander Eugan Temba. Temba had been left by Horus himself to govern Davin.

According to Erebus, Temba is a traitor. Temba has succumbed to the sorcery of the master of Davin's moon and now serves him. Horus is enraged by the news and Erebus pushes him over the top by announcing that Temba has spat on his oath of loyalty to Horus' father, the Emperor, and is now calling Horus the lackey of a fallen god. Horus orders the Mournival to prepare a speartip for an attack on Temba's position on the moon.

News of Temba's treachery spreads like wildfire through the forces of the Sixty Third, especially the genhanced Astarte warriors. Despite his anger, Garviel Loken, Commander of the 10^th Company of the Sons of Horus, consults with Ignace Karkasy who was watching Erebus closely as he made his announcement. Karkasy believes Erebus gave a performance designed to provoke the Warmaster. There are no answers, only questions.

The speartip hits Davin's moon and the Astartes under the direct Horus' direct leadership drive toward the source of a radio transmission reminiscent of the Samos transmission in the Whisperheads of planet Sixty-Three Nineteen. Horus and the Mournival Captains are ambushed by the grisly putrefying corpses of Temba's Astartes warriors. Who is controlling the animated corpses? How is it being done if sorcery doesn't exist?

Horus catches up to Temba's corpse and manages to kill it, but not before he is wounded by a strange sword wielded by Temba. Horus' genhanced body seems to shrug off the injury and he begins his withdrawal from Davin's moon. But it's not to be. What follows will keep you riveted to the story.

Finitus:

Graham McNeill's False Gods easily maintains the page burning pace set by Dan Abnett's Horus Rising as it seamlessly carries forward the story of the Horus Heresy. The book gets two thumbs up and our highest recommendation. Fantasy/SciFi Readers will love it!