Shattered Legions kicks off with “Meduson” by Dan Abnett, aka the orgin story of the famed Iron Hands captain, Shadrak Meduson. In the aftermath of Isstvan V, the Iron Hands attempt to deal with the loss of their primarch. One outspoken captain, Meduson, argues with clan lord's about the necessities of battle. Dialogue in this story is superb, and the overall story introduces the anthology well. (Meduson plays a role in a number of the selections.) “Unforged” by Guy Haley is the improbable but brief story of a group of untested Salamander marines investigating a suspicious homing beacon deep in a planetary ravine. A homing beacon of a ship supposedly of their own kind, they learn the truth behind it and the meaning of fate in battle.
Almost
a piece of Vietnam war fiction, “Immortal Duty” by Nick Kyme
describes an in
situ battle
on Isstvan V between World Eaters and Iron Hands as one marine loses
his mind during the fighting. Great premise but lacking true
substance. “Grey
Talon” by Chris Wraight
starts as a Twenty
Bucks story
(a $20 bill acts as the “main character”, and the story follows
its exchange of ownership). But inexplicably it switches gears
mid-mission to focus on people. Then it devolves further still into
run-of-the-mill bolter porn. Simply inconsistent. What about the
ship? “The
Keys of Hel” by John French is, apparently, a continuation
of the story "Riven", which helps me understand why I
didn't understand. Iron Hand code at its most nuanced, this is
“Warhammer Lore” in fully regalia. The rest is Astartes vs
Astartes. 2.5
A
cat
and mouse game between space ships of Iron Hands and Emperor's
Children, “The
Noose” by David Annandale is a nicely balanced
tale of interstellar battle. No telling who is fooling who, it
remains until the final pages to resolve who is winning. If
anything, this story breaks the monotony of the anthology.
“Unspoken”
by Guy Haley is the
story of a Salamander who, due to events on Isstvan V, must switch
legions. Appropriately told
in first-person, I wish the transition had not been handled as
hyper-generic as it was from an emotional perspective. A little
nuance would have gone a long way.
Perhaps more Horus Heresy glue than actual story, “The
Either” by Graham McNeill is the story of Tybalt Marr and his
return to the Sons of Horus after a successful mission killing a
captain of the Iron Hands. Seeming to act more as segue than end
piece, it tells of Marr's unnerving path to his next mission from
Horus.
“The Seventh Serpent” by Graham McNeill is the best piece of fiction in the collection. It tells of a plot by Meduson to infiltrate an Alpha Legion hideout and assassinate Alpharius. Involving members of other legions, including the famed Raven Guard assassin Sharrowkyn, McNeil tells a twisty tale that pays off. Big names appearances and meaning beyond the story, it's a good piece of special ops fiction in the Warhammer universe.
In the end, Scattered Legions, forty-third book in the Horus Heresy, did not win me over. I still do not feel like reading every anthology and collection published in the series. A couple stand out, but not Shattered Legions. Too often it becomes a broken record of Iron Hands, wallowing in loss, and taking their grief out on the battlefield. I started to wonder if this was an Iron Hands anthology considering how little relative page time is given the Salamanders and Raven Guard. If I were to do it over again, I'd read “The Seventh Serpent” then be on my way. Lovers of the Iron Hands, and Salamanders and Raven Guard to some degree, may be interested, however.
The following are the eleven stories contained in Shattered Legions:
“Meduson” by Dan Abnett
“Unforged” by Guy Haley
“Immortal Duty” by Nick Kyme
“Grey Talon” by Chris Wraight
“The Keys of Hel” by John French
“The Noose” by David Annandale
“Deeds Endure” by Gav Thorpe
“Unspoken” by Guy Haley
“The Either” by Graham McNeill
“The Hand Elect” by Chris Wraight
“The Seventh Serpent” by Graham McNeill
No comments:
Post a Comment