Review of Praetorian of Dorn by John French

Rogal Dorn is a primarch situated on Terra, a planet far from the loyalist vs. traitor battlefields happening across the universe as Horus attempts to take over the Imperium. He and his Imperial Fists are preparing defences, knowing Horus is coming. But as with any large scale assault, Horus knows shaping operations are necessary. Praetorian of Dorn by John French (2016) are precisely those operations.

In military parlance, shaping operations are covert military operations intended to destabilize defenders before a major frontal assault is launched. Typically performed by special ops, it's appropriate the Alpha Legion, led by its enigmatic primarch Alpharius, are the team sent secretly in to Sol to “soften the ground” at the outset of Praetorian of Dorn. Undercover agents appearing in the most unlikely of places with powerful psyker mind games being played internally and externally, the novel quickly escalates, turns on a dozen dimes, and still has room for surprise at the conclusion. The novel is a bit of controlled chaos, exactly as operations shaping Horus's assualt on Terra should be.

A secondary story thread weaves its way through Praetorian of Dorn in the form of extended interludes: the backstory of Archamus, Rogal Dorn's right hand man (right fist man?). From strong willed young man to space marine recruit, trusted soldier to effective general, French breaks up the semi-chaos of the main storyline with Archamus' linear tale. His actions and decisions playing a strong role of the defence of Sol as Alpharius and his legion spring trap after trap, French effectively situates the loyal man for his role in the novel's climactic scene.

Praetorian of Dorn is a novel that needs to be read twice to be fully appreciated, and will be most enjoyed by readers who enjoy postulating the reality behind the presentation. Wheels within wheels of plot as well as characters in disguise mean that not every scene can be taken at face value. With double agents, Astartes who have been brainwashed, and secret informants, subterfuge and small operations are the name of the game—at least most o the book. Things do open up at the end (no spoilers), making for a conclusion that will genuinely surprise given the major... event that occurs.

One question remains: is Praetorian of Dorn a critical read in the HH series? I would argue: partially, but not definitively. The novel does give readers the look at preparations in Sol for Horus, and it does put a primarch under the spotlight who has been almost time under it: Rogal Dorn. For readers interested in these bits, as well as the Alpha Legion's shenanigans, then it should be read. But for readers looking to stick to a strict series backbone, it's likely the novel can be skipped. There is one major thing that happens at the climax, but given how it ultimately resolves in the epilogue has minimal impact beyond the novel. A paragraph or two in later novels do sum up what happens.

In the end, Praetorian of Dorn is a novel for Horus Heresy readers who enjoyed Dan Abnett's Legion and want to see more of Alpha Legion in action. It may also be, for readers like me, the first relatively in-depth look at Rogal Dorn and his Imperial Fists thus far in the series. And in general, it's a look at the chaos and confusion special ops are intended to sow prior to launching a major frontal assault. French's prose is clean, direct, and strongly in the center of the mass that is the group of the Horus Heresy writers. His choice to break the novel up with interludes of Archamus' backstory is effective at keeping the chaos from becoming too chaotic, and results in imbuing the soldier's title with meaning. As to whether the book is “necessary reading” in the context of the series beyond, that will be up to individual reader expectation, as outlined above.