Book: Warhammer 40k - The Horus Heresy Part 14

When I first know that The Unremembered Empire would be another Ultramarines Legion story, I didn't have a high hope. A couple of time I read about those battle of Calth, it was just plain boring and senseless. But this novel totally blew my mind. The Unremembered Empire actually took the continuation story from the previous novel, Vulkan Lives. At the end of the novel, Vulkan activated his warhammer, Dawnbringer, which equipped with a personal teleporter to escape from the Night Haunter. Which leads to the new novel, The Unremembered Empire. For some reason, I have no idea how Vulkan made that teleporter but it was quite potent as it teleported Vulkan across the galaxy all the way to Macragge, Roboute Guilliman's homeworld.

But he didn't appeared on Macragge's soil, nope, he materialized on the upper atmosphere of the planet, burning up as he fell. But then again, Vulkan is a perpetual like the Emperor. He can't die. While all of this happening, Guilliman was busy handling his empire, caught by surprise from the Word Bearer's pathetic sneaky attack had left the 13th Legion a little bit in disarray. They never thought that they would be betrayed, especially when they were mustering at Calth under the order of the Warmaster himself at the first place before they knew the betrayal.

Then more bad and worse news came through, Ferrus Manus was slain while Corax and Vulkan went missing during the Isstvan V Dropsite Massacre. That was bad news. The worse news was that the warp storm was raging so badly that the psychic light of the Astronomican were totally obscured. The astropaths and navigators alike reported the situation as the galaxy itself went dark as pitch black night. Guilliman feared the worst, with his fleet unable to sail to Terra, and the Astronomican went dark, he can only assume the worst. That the Emperor was slain and Terra had fallen.

Thus begin Roboute Guilliman's great work, Imperium Secundus. Using an ancient technology unearth from an Ultramar World, Guilliman managed to light up a poor substitute for the Astronomican's light in order to reconnect back communication and transportation. The light however proved to be useful as there were other Loyalist forces stuck inside of the warpstorm. Materializing at the edge of Macragge's star system, came the Blood Angels Legion, Dark Angels Legion, and a squad of Astarte from Space Wolves Legion.

Sanguinius and his Blood Angels Legion still traumatized with what happened at the Signus Prime, while Lion El'jonson and his Dark Angels Legion came by looking for a way to Terra, bringing along Konrad Curze with him as prisoner. And the Space Wolves small team? They were there under order from Terra. Specifically, to keep watch on the remaining Emperor's sons, the primarches.

So much things happened in Macragge right now, meanwhile on the other side of the galaxy, the White Scars Legion were prosecuting a cleansing campaign against the ork. They were actually stuck at the Chondax star system, but because warpstorm is technically a natural occuring phenomenon, so they just waited for the storm to subside. And while waiting, they had plenty of time cleansing the orks.

Hmm, the elusive and enigmatic White Scars Legion and their primarch, Jaghatai Khan. They didn't know about the betrayal until they were blockaded by the Alpha Legion. At the same time, the White Scars received continuous messages that were contradicting. One said that Space Wolves Legion have turned renegade and destroyed Thousand Sons Legion, while in another the message said that Horus have turned traitor against the Emperor's throne.

Confused, Jaghatai Khan waited until everything were made clear. Jaghatai knew about the animosity between the Space Wolves and the Thousand Sons Legion. But its hard to be believe that the Thousand Sons Legion could be brought low. Then again, its Horus, how could Horus turned traitor. Then, a single message strong and clear came from Terra send by Rogal Dorn, primarch of the Imperial Fists Legion, declaring Horus as traitor and calling a Loyalist forces to return back to Terra for its defenses.

Jaghatai Khan quickly destroyed the Alpha Legion's fleet, which turns out to be a bunch of troop transport ships disguised as warships, and set course straight to Prospero, Magnus's homeworld, base for the Thousand Sons Legion. Jaghatai refused to believe without seeing with his own eyes, if Prospero is indeed destroyed then it is true that Space Wolves Legion have turned renegade.

During all of this, Jaghatai Khan's advisor, Targutai Yesugei, were on Chogoris, White Scars Legion's homeworld. Sensing that something have turned terribly wrong, he set out to seek his primarch. In his journey, he met a ragtag band of survivors from the Isstvan's massacre, a learned the full weight of the treachery that is tearing apart the galaxy.

I like Targutai Yesugei. Very calm and very wise. But days not over yet and the White Scars is also tearing apart. It seems that the White Scars also have secret lodges inside of their structure, implanted by that stupid Word Bearer Legion. So half of the White Scars were supporting Horus, but Jaghatai Khan must make the decision because he is the lord of the ordu. What would Jaghatai Khan do?

Seriously both of these books were awesome.