Echoes of Eternity is the most powerful book in the Siege of Terra yet. The two most recent books, Mortis and Saturnine, have seen the fighting build and climactic events bigger than anything yet—at least in terms of character deaths. But these small compared to Echoes of Eternity. It takes the upward slope of the Siege of Terra story and converts it into a parabola. Things escalate.
But beyond just major plot and character inflection points, Echoes of Eternity ensures the surface story being told has multiple layers supporting it. He proves that ~60 books into a series it's possible to still be fresh.
Dembski-Bowden does this a few ways. One way is to feature a pair of Astartes, one Blood Angel and one World Eater, whose backstories begin as brothers in arms. By the end of the novel, however, they are anything but. Another successful tactic is the flipping of the script—the portrayal of one of the Loyalist legions as bestial, cannibalistic—something which the Traitor legions had been primarily known for to that point. Accomplishing two things, the loyalist legions lose some sheen and become “human” and the ideological showdown of Horus vs. Emperor accrues further shades of gray. And thirdly is the reveal of Sanguinius' history—how he became Primarch of the Blood Angels. The closest the series has to a knight in shining armor, if you didn't love him before, you will after. The cherry on the cake may be the handful of scenes from the point of view of thralls/servants as they look to support the Astates in their final days and moments. Which takes us to mood.
Dembski-Bowden's style has always been the most brooding of the HH authors. In Echoes of Eternity he turns it toward highlighting the end is near. The Siege is in its final stages. The vast numbers of Space Marines are dwindling. Chaos is truly starting to wreck havoc on the battlefield on all sides. And pointless death occurs all around. This latter point D-B handles with humanity intact. Rather than just grimdark for grimdark's sake (looking at you Abercrombie), D-B routinely finds realistic, mortal notes to describe characters finals minutes and moments. It could be WWII fiction if it weren't for, well you know, titans, demons, etc.
Echoes of Eternity is the first Siege of Terra novel that doesn't feel like the novel that came before it (save The Solar War, natch). Dembski-Bowden eschews endless blaster porn for a more character-centric story. It helps that the series' architects gave him not one but two key storylines to progress and resolve. That being said, the path he takes to these massive climaxes is through effective backstory with small numbers of supporting characters. It offers a break from the endless assault on the Emperor's Palace yet emphasizes the characters driving the series.
I have yet to read the three volumes of The End & the Death, the volumes which close the Siege of Terra and the Horus Heresy as a whole, but of the several dozen of those books I have read, Echoes of Eternity sits in the top two or three. It's that good. Dembski-Bowden does a superb job getting the most out of the scenes without overdoing them—a considerable possibility in blaster land at the end of all things. The body of the narrative excellently parallels the primary characters concerns with appropriate secondary character storylines. And perhaps most importantly, he doesn't wallow in foreshadowing Sanguinius' fate. Several books prior have done it, and Echoes avoids this navel gazing almost entirely.
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