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As a loyalist it’s easy for me to see the Chaos Space Marines as a united front, so I always appreciate reminders that that just isn’t the case, especially before Abaddon’s rise to power. I found this glimpse of infighting really interesting and I could really feel the anger and vengeance from the other legions, even though we barely get a glimpse at them.
I quite enjoyed the story of Zarhean Sharack (please excuse my spelling I’ve only ever listened to this story) who lets daemons possess him in order to gain knowledge and favourable mutation before using his willpower to cast them out. And I liked how he loses control and the daemon takes control of him, saying “Not all pain can be controlled. And not all enemies can be beaten.”
This scene turns this guy from a wise wanderer and paragon of willpower to an arrogant fool who thought he could master daemons. It reminds me of what Malcador says to Dorn in ‘The Lightning Tower’, the less you understand about the Warp, the safer you are. This story was a cool display of that fact. That even the strongest and the wisest cannot comprehend, let alone master the Immaterium.
Now each of these short stories within a short story were pretty good but the really stand out for me was the POV of the Vengeful Spirit herself. I didn’t know that the Vengeful Spirit was sentient, and I wonder if it’s a well-known fact among Sons of Horus fans. Certainly, it’s implied that Abaddon knew, and I wonder how he felt about leaving the closest thing he had to a mother. I just think it raises a lot of intriguing questions and creates an awesome dynamic between Abaddon and the Vengeful Spirit.
And speaking of Abaddon, I found his POV strangely moving. It really hit home how close the Sons of Horus came to extinction before the rise of the Black Legion. As Abaddon watched his former brothers die in the distance, I couldn’t help feeling melancholy about how far Abaddon has come since the Great Crusade and how he feels no remorse as the men he once called brothers die in what he perceives as a petty squabble. I thought referring to him as “Ezekyle the Brotherless” was particularly poignant.
Despite my not really caring about the traitorous Sons of Horus, or Abaddon, his POV brought out some emotions for me, and I think that’s the mark of a great writer.
The Emperor Protects