There also the Firewing, who make their appearance in the Caliban plotline above but get no mention otherwise. All things considered, I think Gav's grip on the Primarchs involved was very solid and satisfying, taking all the right cues from previous depictions. Asurmen – Hand of Asuryan was the first novel in a new Phoenix Lords series, and has an accompanying audio drama, Asurmen – The Darker Road. After all the end of the series read more like a Star Trek episode than anything based in the 41st Millennium. But when word comes of the Night Lords’ attack on Sotha, the Lion’s brutal actions bring Imperium Secundus once again to the brink of civil war.

It is that sort of ambiguity and lies wrapped in truths that make the Dark Angels so appealing to read about. Large portions of Caliban were covered with dense forests, which in turn were inhabited by many dangerous forms of wildlife. If you want to hear me voice my opinions on The Beast Arises in a podcast format, that's the ticket. Horus’s appreciation for the efforts of even the least consequential mortal auxiliaries is a firm reminder of why people are so willing and eager to follow his lead. The similarities aren’t 100% though, and I definitely sympathize with Luther and his cabal at times.There has been a lot of speculation about where The Lion’s true loyalties lie during the Heresy for quite some time, and this novel does nothing to endear him to me. It solved some problems while creating numerous others for the Legion, and hammers home the sense of tragedy and misunderstandings that is so central to the Dark Angels.

It juggles two quite different plotlines, Imperium Secundus and the growing revolt on Caliban, and does so well.

His brothers are rivals in some ways, and his gene-sons are wary of upsetting him, especially after learning of Nemiel's fate. Unsurprisingly, however, it’s the character development that holds the greatest draw, and with the odd exception – Zahariel’s arc, for example, which makes sense narratively but feels a bit underdone – Gav handles these really well. There was no way Imperium Secundus was going to last (or we'd know about it in the 41st millennium, wouldn't we? This is definitely my favorite Heresy novel/story from Gav Thorpe and probably up there near the top of my favorite Heresy stories all together.