Review of The Lost and the Damned by Guy Haley

Let's speak honestly. The Solar War, first novel in the Siege of Terra series, was essentially an extended prelude. When taken in context with the wider Horus Heresy story, it was a “necessary” kickoff to the final ten books in the series. But it was 90% perfunctory. Little of consequence or value was given the reader that could not have been summed up in a couple paragraphs. (Apologies John French for the cynicism; your effort was heroic to make something of nothing.) The Lost and the Damned (2019) by Guy Haley, second Siege of Terra novel, is when the series' rubber really hits the road.

The Lost and the Damned is Horus' opening assault on terra firma. The opening paragraph is a salvo of missiles landing on Himalaysia. Wide-angle, the book rotates through the points-of-view of primarchs on both sides, as well as the ordinary people running the palace's walls who must set aside their daily duties and take up weapons in defense. Their lives turned upside down by the attack, they are slaughtered by the millions. Overall, Haley does a nice job presenting the earth-level battles and the destruction leveled on both sides.

The Lost & the Damned is one of my favorite Siege of Terra books. Where most of the Horus Heresy books featured only one or two primarchs being bad-ass, this book has several. The villains flaunt their evil. Mortarion makes a fitting grand entrance. Angron growls, broods, and smashes people everywhere Horus lets him. Peturabo sulks and plots, all the while Horus leads him by an invisible chain. And Horus himself, recovering from his spear injury, exists in a fever dream that is by turns wholly lucid as he confronts the Emperor in the warp and subtly demonic as he interacts with his lost and damned hordes. On the loyal side, Dorn plans the Palace's defense, his sense of personal responsibility running deep. Jaghatai goes against the Emperor's wishes and does what Jaghatai wants. And Sanguinius takes breaks from pondering his fate to wreak swathes of destruction on the attacking hordes. Overall a fun mix of primarch personalities unleashed.

The Solar War was the kickoff of Horus' siege of Terra, but I can't help but feel The Lost and the Damned is the actual beginning. Traitor forces land on Terra and begin their assault on the Palace gates. Big name characters galore appear, as well as a few low levels guys to keep perspective. The book also features the death of a major character (or at least a lead character who has appeared several times and occupies a key role). Haley's prose I found better than his prior Horus Heresy books. He focuses on critical scene details rather than many details, which helps the chapters pop one after another, effectively shifting the assault on Terra from a campfire to a bonfire.