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Shadow of the past
Unknown Binding
Published January 1, 2018
11 people want to read
About the author
Gav Thorpe
379 books585 followersGav spent 14 years as a developer for Games Workshop, and started writing novels and short stories in the worlds of Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000 when the Black Library imprint was launched in 1997.
He continues to write for Black Library, and his first 'homegrown' novel series The Crown of the Blood has been released via Angry Robot.
Currently living in Nottingham, Gav shares his home with his loving and very understanding partner - Kez, and their beautiful little boy - Sammy.
He continues to write for Black Library, and his first 'homegrown' novel series The Crown of the Blood has been released via Angry Robot.
Currently living in Nottingham, Gav shares his home with his loving and very understanding partner - Kez, and their beautiful little boy - Sammy.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 24, 2024
May 2024 Re-Read Read using the Horus Heresy Omnibus Project Reading Order (https://www.heresyomnibus.com) as part of my Oath of Moment to complete the Horus Heresy series and extras - Now in Immaterium of everything outside the Horus Heresy Omnibus Project working on the Primarchs and other stories, beige the Siege of Terra.
So, I went away and came back to this, and it still doesn't do a great deal for me.
Something dark and monstrous is eviscerating Word Bearers, but not harming a hair their captives' heads...
I've talked a lot about depth and tone and vibes with stories in the Sons of the Emperor anthology. Obviously all those things and more are matters of personal taste and subjective perspective. For me, this is a perfect contrast and example, not of the opposite of that, but the absolute centre between the rich, creamy flavour I want and the shallow, blandness that leaves me cold.
Yes, this is damming with faint praise.
Look, I've read a lot of Thorpe's work and when he is on fire I love his writing, so I think it's fair to say this isn't his best.
I think the biggest problem can be conveyed with one of my patented overly wordy and unnecessarily somehow simultaneously overcomplicated and very obvious examples: Reading can be like watching a great movie, both can absorb you to another world, perspective, or influence. Ideally, Stories, regardless of medium, are like a portal into the world of what they're about and/ or the imagination of the creator/s. Ideally. But if you were to step through the screen into movie, or rather, the sets and soundstage upon which the movie was filmed, it would be a very different and far less immersive experience.
I realised this was just a long winded way of saying that this story feels like it takes place of sets and the characters in it are feel like characters playing out the story on those sets, rather this feeling grounded or engaging.
I can't put my finger on it exactly, but there's something almost liminal and computer generated about it all. There's a lack of tangible blood and grime, but it's not so heightened that it feels like a ridiculous cartoon or anime situation or setting in which you would just go with it and the lack of grounding is all part of it. Unfortunately, for me, it sits in this uncanny valley of not being actually bad, dull, or entirely shallow, but it's not not enough of those things to actually be good, if that makes sense?
I feel like this review is absolutely more brutal than I mean it to be, but I have to be honest and say this doesn't feel like Thorpe or the Horus Heresy, and it's also not what I want from 40K either. The bones and beats are fine, it just needs to decide on a tone because it's a bit of a camel tight now.
Dark Beast Corax is sick as hell though, and I hope we see more of him in more visceral and nightmarish, and ludicrous and wild situations.
Through the Horus Heresy Omnibus Project and my own additions, I have currently read* all 54 Horus Heresy main series novels (+1 repeat), 25 novellas (+2 repeats), as well as the Macragge's Honour graphic novel, all 17 Primarchs novels, 3 Characters novels, and 164 short stories/ audio dramas across the Horus Heresy (inc. 11+ repeats and Cthonia's Reckoning). Plus, 2 Warhammer 40K further reading novels and 1 short story...this run, as well as writing 1 short story myself.
I couldn't be more appreciative of the phenomenal work of the Horus Heresy Omnibus Project, which has made this ridiculous endeavour all the better and has inspired me to create and collate a collection of Horus Heresy and Warhammer 40,000 documents and checklists (http://tiny.cc/im00yz). There are now too many items to list here, but there is a contents and explainer document here (http://tiny.cc/nj00yz).
*My tracking consistently proves shoddy, but I'm doing my best
***
Initial Review
April 2024 Read using the Horus Heresy Omnibus Project Reading Order Omnibus XVII Shadow of the Warmaster III Jaws of Defeat (https://www.heresyomnibus.com/omnibus...) as part of my Oath of Moment to complete the Horus Heresy series and extras.
The good people at the Horus Heresy Omnibus Project and I are in agreement that The Grey Angel is a lacklustre end to an epic omnibus, so I do appreciate this as a more pleasant night cap, before we nevermore, even if I didn't love it.
In this Primarchs story from Blood of the Emperor, the Great Work© of erecting unholy edifices in Sisiphyean endeavours for the Daemon Prince Primarch and the Darker Powers he serves, not to be confused with the Great Work™ of Belisarius Cawl of which I don't know the details, is interrupted by the unkindness of some kind of daemonic dervish murdering Bearers of the Word...
This is one I'm going to have to come back to on another day because I could see myself being more favourable to it, but I found the the majority of it, but especially the opening vaguely comic bickering of the Chaos Space Marine artisans and their ceramite moustaches twirling to be a bit...bland and mote I keeping with the tone and quality the fluff and lore on codices and accompanying video games, rather than a Horus Heresy/ Primarchs short story.
Once it got going with the Delivezanian Devil and some fun comicbook dialogue between warped brothers, I was more on board, but it was too little too late.
I think this would genuinely benefit from being much shorter and just doing away with the busy work that could be used for quality worldbuilding, but isn't, to make this more of a punchy Black Library Advent Calendar short story kind of thing.
Absolutely not bad and cool to see you know who acting very much like you know what but for the warptouched. It begs the question that if he did manage to wipe out all of those on the side of or enslaved by Chaos, dose that mean all Astartes, mutants, psykers, and even the Corpse Emperor would be on the hit list?
Through using the Horus Heresy Omnibus Project (www.heresyomnibus.com) and my own choices, I have currently read 38 Horus Heresy novels (including 1 repeat and 5 anthologies), 22 novellas (including 2 repeats), 113 short stories/ audio dramas (including 6 repeats), as well as the Macragge's Honour graphic novel, 16 Primarchs novels, 5 Primarchs short stories/ audio dramas, 2 Characters novels, and 2 Warhammer 40K further reading novels and 1 short story...this run, as well as writing 1 short story myself (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1t...). I can't say enough good about the way the Horus Heresy Omnibus Project suggestions. I'm loving it! Especially after originally reading to the releases and being so frustrated at having to wait so long for a narrative to continue.
So, I went away and came back to this, and it still doesn't do a great deal for me.
Something dark and monstrous is eviscerating Word Bearers, but not harming a hair their captives' heads...
I've talked a lot about depth and tone and vibes with stories in the Sons of the Emperor anthology. Obviously all those things and more are matters of personal taste and subjective perspective. For me, this is a perfect contrast and example, not of the opposite of that, but the absolute centre between the rich, creamy flavour I want and the shallow, blandness that leaves me cold.
Yes, this is damming with faint praise.
Look, I've read a lot of Thorpe's work and when he is on fire I love his writing, so I think it's fair to say this isn't his best.
I think the biggest problem can be conveyed with one of my patented overly wordy and unnecessarily somehow simultaneously overcomplicated and very obvious examples: Reading can be like watching a great movie, both can absorb you to another world, perspective, or influence. Ideally, Stories, regardless of medium, are like a portal into the world of what they're about and/ or the imagination of the creator/s. Ideally. But if you were to step through the screen into movie, or rather, the sets and soundstage upon which the movie was filmed, it would be a very different and far less immersive experience.
I realised this was just a long winded way of saying that this story feels like it takes place of sets and the characters in it are feel like characters playing out the story on those sets, rather this feeling grounded or engaging.
I can't put my finger on it exactly, but there's something almost liminal and computer generated about it all. There's a lack of tangible blood and grime, but it's not so heightened that it feels like a ridiculous cartoon or anime situation or setting in which you would just go with it and the lack of grounding is all part of it. Unfortunately, for me, it sits in this uncanny valley of not being actually bad, dull, or entirely shallow, but it's not not enough of those things to actually be good, if that makes sense?
I feel like this review is absolutely more brutal than I mean it to be, but I have to be honest and say this doesn't feel like Thorpe or the Horus Heresy, and it's also not what I want from 40K either. The bones and beats are fine, it just needs to decide on a tone because it's a bit of a camel tight now.
Dark Beast Corax is sick as hell though, and I hope we see more of him in more visceral and nightmarish, and ludicrous and wild situations.
Through the Horus Heresy Omnibus Project and my own additions, I have currently read* all 54 Horus Heresy main series novels (+1 repeat), 25 novellas (+2 repeats), as well as the Macragge's Honour graphic novel, all 17 Primarchs novels, 3 Characters novels, and 164 short stories/ audio dramas across the Horus Heresy (inc. 11+ repeats and Cthonia's Reckoning). Plus, 2 Warhammer 40K further reading novels and 1 short story...this run, as well as writing 1 short story myself.
I couldn't be more appreciative of the phenomenal work of the Horus Heresy Omnibus Project, which has made this ridiculous endeavour all the better and has inspired me to create and collate a collection of Horus Heresy and Warhammer 40,000 documents and checklists (http://tiny.cc/im00yz). There are now too many items to list here, but there is a contents and explainer document here (http://tiny.cc/nj00yz).
*My tracking consistently proves shoddy, but I'm doing my best
***
Initial Review
April 2024 Read using the Horus Heresy Omnibus Project Reading Order Omnibus XVII Shadow of the Warmaster III Jaws of Defeat (https://www.heresyomnibus.com/omnibus...) as part of my Oath of Moment to complete the Horus Heresy series and extras.
The good people at the Horus Heresy Omnibus Project and I are in agreement that The Grey Angel is a lacklustre end to an epic omnibus, so I do appreciate this as a more pleasant night cap, before we nevermore, even if I didn't love it.
In this Primarchs story from Blood of the Emperor, the Great Work© of erecting unholy edifices in Sisiphyean endeavours for the Daemon Prince Primarch and the Darker Powers he serves, not to be confused with the Great Work™ of Belisarius Cawl of which I don't know the details, is interrupted by the unkindness of some kind of daemonic dervish murdering Bearers of the Word...
This is one I'm going to have to come back to on another day because I could see myself being more favourable to it, but I found the the majority of it, but especially the opening vaguely comic bickering of the Chaos Space Marine artisans and their ceramite moustaches twirling to be a bit...bland and mote I keeping with the tone and quality the fluff and lore on codices and accompanying video games, rather than a Horus Heresy/ Primarchs short story.
Once it got going with the Delivezanian Devil and some fun comicbook dialogue between warped brothers, I was more on board, but it was too little too late.
I think this would genuinely benefit from being much shorter and just doing away with the busy work that could be used for quality worldbuilding, but isn't, to make this more of a punchy Black Library Advent Calendar short story kind of thing.
Absolutely not bad and cool to see you know who acting very much like you know what but for the warptouched. It begs the question that if he did manage to wipe out all of those on the side of or enslaved by Chaos, dose that mean all Astartes, mutants, psykers, and even the Corpse Emperor would be on the hit list?
Through using the Horus Heresy Omnibus Project (www.heresyomnibus.com) and my own choices, I have currently read 38 Horus Heresy novels (including 1 repeat and 5 anthologies), 22 novellas (including 2 repeats), 113 short stories/ audio dramas (including 6 repeats), as well as the Macragge's Honour graphic novel, 16 Primarchs novels, 5 Primarchs short stories/ audio dramas, 2 Characters novels, and 2 Warhammer 40K further reading novels and 1 short story...this run, as well as writing 1 short story myself (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1t...). I can't say enough good about the way the Horus Heresy Omnibus Project suggestions. I'm loving it! Especially after originally reading to the releases and being so frustrated at having to wait so long for a narrative to continue.
December 30, 2022
A passably fun story about Corax and Lorgar being badass at one another. Raises and does not answer questions about how Corax could be in this form of vengeance revenant within the warp for 10k years without running out of rank and file Chaos Marines to merk. It seems like the only thing that could stop him (barely) was Lorgar (along with Marines running support). I guess you can say "the Warp fucks with time" but I mean, they can't reliably reproduce new Marines and he rips through the ones present in this story in no time.
The depiction of the Chaos slaves was interesting, so minor shoutout to that.
The depiction of the Chaos slaves was interesting, so minor shoutout to that.
July 31, 2025
It is difficult to explain the appeal of this story without spoiling it entirely, but suffice to say this is very very cool. Like bashing two action figures against each other but with a satisfying back-story to explain the emotional depth of the combat.
August 18, 2023
Very short, does not flesh out enough in characters. By the end you have diffrent people in place then who you orginslly started to feel
January 22, 2024
An interesting concept that I wish would be explored more.
November 14, 2024
Any story that has Lorgar getting slapped around is an instant 5 stars in my book.
January 11, 2025
Ethereal Corax fighting Lorgar, then Lorgar disappears behind a sealed door after almost being bested
An interesting insight, but not a super strong work
An interesting insight, but not a super strong work
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews