Slaves to Darkness picks up in the direct aftermath of Wolfsbane. Horus lies wounded following Leman Rus' spear attack. In the void of leadership, Malaghurst attempts to keep the Sons of Horus ship upright, and like it or not, is faced with the task of getting the traitor forces organized. This includes coralling the wild primarchs Angron and Fulgrim. But Malaghurst's task becomes all the more complicated as the forces of Chaos rear their head(s). The assembly of forces anything but certain, the traitor forces may devour themselves before ever setting foot on Terra.
Slaves to Darkness is a novel that had to happen perhaps more than it wanted to happen. The closer we draw to the end of the series, the closer we draw to known lore, and the books need to align. We know Horus and his cabal attack Terra, therefore they need to assemble before attacking. And assemble they do. Like herding cats (I would have written “demon cats” but everyone knows cats are already demonic), Horus needs all of the willpower of his Legion to bring together the twisted remains of Fulgrim and Angron, to coax Alpharius out of hiding long enough to declare allegiance, and to ensure Peturabo isn't playing his own game. No little blood is shed among “allies” in getting these cats into a box and throwing it toward the solar system.
Slaves to Darkness is a delightfully evil book. Featuring an all-star cost of bad guys, French does a great job sowing their assemblage with chaos. After all, one doesn't expect a herd of cats to suddenly form rank and file. And if anything, he assures the series is not based on a bilateral conflict of two opposing forces, but properly stirred by a third force, Chaos, thus leaving possible outcomes anything but black and white.
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