Review of The Unremembered Empire by Dan Abnett

Dan Abnett is proving to be my favorite flavor of Horus Heresy authors. He has more subtlety to his style than most of the others writing in the universe, best sets a scene, and perhaps most importantly, deviates furthest from the formula of what HH novels can be. Prospero Burns, Legion, Know No Fear—these are definitively singular books in the series. Which had me asking: what will he do with the continuation of the Ultramarines fight in The Unremembered Empire (2013)?

The Unremembered Empire is a critical juncture in the overarching HH storyline. Conflating a couple key sub-plots, it's unmissable for those sticking to the spine of the series. The story begins on Macragge, Robout Guillaume's Ultramarine powerhouse planetary system—the powerhouse system now that Calth has fallen to the surprise attack of the Word Bearers in Know No Fear. A massive fleet arrives at the doorstep of Macragge, that of Lion El'Johnson and his Dark Angels. Guillaume welcomes their presence, that is, until a couple of surprises occur that set all the balls in the Horus Heresy pinball machine bouncing around, triggering lights and bells that call for major decisions.

With a handful of primarchs front and center, including a massive showdown between two of them, The Unremembered Empire is atypical HH material. There is no slow build up, no faraway planets with space marines fighting xenos, all leading to the actual meat of the novel—the climactic moment salient to the overarching HH storyline. The entirety of The Unremembered Empire is salient. Abnett spends a little time setting the stage, but things pick quickly up, and the pedal stays on the metal all the way to the end.

Abnett handles the conflicts which arise well, including the interpersonal. The dialogue, circumstances, and situation between the Ultramarines and Dark Angels has an appropriate degree of tension—Guillaume's loyalty vs. the Lion's shattered trust in the post-Isstvan V universe. And the kinetic conflicts which occur, blasters to stealth, are likewise handled well.

For readers jumping around in the series, it's worth reading The Unremembered Empire directly after Vulkan Lives. Published back to back, they work seamlessly together despite the ostensible difference in setting/characters. Read and you will see. Potentially of value as a lead up to The Unremembered Empire is the novella “The Lion” contained in The Primarchs anthology. I say potentially as its criticality is nowhere near that of Vulkan Lives.

In the end, The Unremembered Empire is both one of the best novels in the HH series to this point and a critical novel to the overarching storyline. It also helps cement Abnett's place as one of the best writers in the universe. Pacing great, conflict salient, and scene setup excellent. Another un-, it is unmissable moment in the HH storyline.