hard work

After the brilliance of the first 4 books, this was a slog. 500 pages, and only the last 80 or so really got going.
It’s not dreadful, but where I read the first 4 in a couple of days each, this took me more than two weeks to wade through. ( )

An interesting read to learn about Fulgrim and the Emperor's Children. I felt as though I was reading a story about a Roman Emperor slowly losing grips with reality. We also get some backstory on Fulgrim and his legion, as well as some intriguing interactions with Xenos during Fulgrim's prosecution of the Great Crusade. All in all, it kind of reminds of the first three Horus Heresy books in one, with Fulgrim as the focus instead of Horus. ( )

http://speculiction.blogspot.com/2023/08/review-of-fulgrim-by-graham-mcneill.htm... ( )

This is my favourite Horus heresy book and I’m going to have to read the rest of the series to see if it holds up to any of the rest of them.

It swiftly made the original trilogy make more sense and gave Erebus an actual good reason to be at Horus side.

Fulgrims fall from grace and his eventual demise is what I wished happened to Horus because it has so much emotional impact and you could see the tiny flaw made to break down the whole man. Absolutely loved it ( )

One of my favourite Horus Heresy novels, it depicts Fulgrim's fall from perfection to becoming trapped in his own body by a demon, helpless and eternally damned. On the way there are some fantastic battles and the grotesqueries of chaos are depicted gruesomely! ( )

The fall of Fulgrim, the Primarch of the Emperor's Children legion, is tragic and quite dramatic. It is a descent into madness driven by dark forces for a figure that was brilliant and good for starters. And like a good tragedy, you know that there is no stopping the fates once they get going.

Fulgrim is the Primarch of the Emperor's Children, one of the legions of the Emperor of Mankind fighting in the Great Crusade to unify the worlds of men. The Emperor's Children pride themselves in their pursuit of perfection. Unlike other legions, they seek the best and most perfect way to go into combat. They are also haughty and proud. We have met some of their members in previous novels. We met Lucius, the skilled but arrogant swordsman that, in my case, I keep waiting to see him get what is coming to him. Saul Tarvitz, the captain of the 10th Company of the Emperor's Children who is seen as nothing more than a line officer. We have seen Saul in previous novels, so if you have read those, you know of his gallant fate. There are also some new people, and naturally, this is Fulgrim's novel, so he stands larger than life. But the tale is not only about Fulgrim; it is also about his bonds of brotherhood. He is close to Ferrus Manus, the Primarch of the Iron Hands. They are so close that in fact they forged weapons for each other at one point. Fulgrim betrays his brother in arms in a truly tragic way full of pathos. This is probably one of the best passages in the book leading then to their inevitable confrontation. And there are confrontations in this book.

We get to see the battle of Isstvan III, but McNeill glosses over it, and if you have read the previous novels, then you know of how Horus betrayed and massacred so many Astartes and their military support units. Now a new battle is coming to Isstvan V as legions loyal to the Emperor come to bring reckoning to Horus. But will they succeed in defeating Horus? Or will the wily traitor have yet another trap at hand? I leave that to the readers to find out saying it will be worth reading.

I did not give the book that fifth star because the text is a bit drawn out at times. The book clocks in a bit over 500 pages, and I found it a bit too long. I think a little editing could have made for a leaner, and still good, book. The strength of the book lies in the strong tragic sense of the fall of Fulgrim into darkness and his betrayal of Ferrus Manus. This is almost as good as any Shakespearean tragedy. But madness and darkness do not come to Fulgrim alone. His whole fleet, including the remembrancers are affected as well and fall as well into the darkness of Chaos (Chaos still something that we are gradually learning about in the setting of the 31st Millennium). Adding to this, McNeill does use some very good descriptive detail in the passages about the artists which reinforce the impending doom.

Overall, the book is a good addition to the series. It has a good blend of intrigue and action, though the intrigue is not as good as previous novels. I think this is no fault of the author. We already know as readers much of what is to happen already; we are seeing it from a different point of view. This on the one hand is interesting, but I can see where some readers might find it repetitive over time. Fulgrim is quite the figure, and his fall is really a tale worth reading. The author does manage to continue the style and feel of previous books, which means there is good consistency. For fans, I think this is a very good book. For those like me discovering the Horus Heresy series, I think this is a good addition and a good read. It is one I recommend, and I will certainly go look for the next one. ( )

A brutal, horrifying, and magnificent story encompassing the primarch Fulgrim's journey from one of the Emperor's chosen ones to an agent of Chaos bent on assisting Horus' vision of all-out galactic war. Having read the previous four in this series, I was able to clearly place where Fulgrim fit in with the overall saga, and McNeill does a masterful job of furthering the saga while describing how elements of this novel mesh with events of the previous four. The civil war that occurs on Isstvan V between various Legions (some traitors, some loyalists where the Emperor is concerned) is nothing short of epic in scope, and the reader should easily pick up on how the galaxy will be grim and dark with war from this point on. That idea is driven home at the end, when it is revealed how the Warp's dark Chaos has infiltrated those traitorous to the Emperor, Fulgrim himself confronting Horus as one of these dark agents. This sets up well for the coming invasion of Terra. ( )

One of the problems I had with "The Horus Heresy" is with how easily it seamed some of the other Primarch's joined Horus's plans to overthrow the emperor. It was like they just said "ya ok I'm in" This book at least solves just how Fulgrim and the Emperor's Children lost their way and gives you an idea how it also could have happened with the other Primarch's. This edition also starts in the past but does a good job of moving the overall story forward. ( )

http://blogcritics.org/books/article/book-review-fulgrim-the-horus-heresy/ ( )

Fulgrim and his Emperors Children, Astartes Legion famous for their constant quest for perfection, are main characters in this chapter of Horus Heresy series.

Small incident during the war with strange alien Laer civilization will bring Fulgrim in contact with mysterious artifact – mighty sword that will use Fulgrims own insecurities and ever-going quest for glory for his own needs.
Very soon entire Legion will succumb to this irresistible temptation and Emperors Children will become a twisted group of demented warriors in service of Horus [and indirectly Chaos]. As a result old friends will become enemies and great tragedies will occur.

Slightly disturbing story (especially when it comes to indulgences and perversions made under the influence of Chaos) but nevertheless interesting one – more details are revealed regarding Istvaan massacres and Horus’s plans.

Hopefully next books in series will move on with the story and depict events during the assault on Terra itself.

Recommended. ( )

Fulgrim is entirely about one of the Primarchs – Fulgrim, hence the title. The story begins before the events we have experienced so far, but thankfully ends after them. The story of Fulgrim’s fall from grace into heresy is interesting, yet unfulfilling... http://icantstopreading.blogspot.com/2007/12/fulgrim-by-graham-mcneill.html ( )

I am compelled to admit that I scanned over a good piece of Fulgrim, chiefly part three after the defeat and annihilation of the Diasporex. The rest I read fully. In point of fact, I was a bit bored with Fulgrim’s fall. Maybe it was due to the obviousness of the inherent evil contained in the blade he captured from the Laer? Possibly? However, I don’t think the whole Daemon usurping control theme was pulled off to great effect. The battle scenes were scrumptious and full of pithy witticisms and full-blown action. With it all culminating in the massacre at Istvaan V. Yes it was cool and brutal, but it didn’t make up for the drawn out fall of Fulgrim. After the incredible Eisentstein novel, this one sadly seemed to fall short. ( )

It is the 31st millennium, and humanity is at the peak of its powers. As the Great Crusade, led by Warmaster Horus, continues to conquer the galaxy, Fulgrim, Primarch of the Emperor's Children, leads his warriors into the battle against a vile alien foe. From the blood of this campaign are sown the seeds that will lead this proud Legion to treachery, taking them down the darkest paths of corruption. Leading up to the carnage of the Dropsite Massacre on Isstvan V, Graham McNeill tells the tale of Fulgrim's tragic fall from grace in the next thrilling novel in the Horus Heresy series!

---(from the back cover). ( )