Deliverance Lost: The Horus Heresy, Book 18

This may be Gav Thorpe's first Horus Heresy novel but he successfully brings his years of experience with other Black Library franchises to bear on what seems, at first glance, to be a side-story in the epic's history. 'Deliverance Lost' makes Corax and his legion interesting and believable characters with more back-story than most Legions in the universe. I really enjoyed seeing how Corvus the Primarch came to be Corax the Saviour and how a colony of slaves came to be a Legion in the Empire of Man.Where the Horus heresy series is great is when it tells you something about the history of a Primarch or a Legion you didn't know before and makes you want to see them again. Where it fails is when it just tells you about events that happened or fights that occurred. 'Deliverance Lost' has characters with motivations and desires making decisions that have consequences. Technically it may not be written with as much structure and elegance as other HH novels, and there is perhaps a little good old bolter-porn in there, but 'Deliverance Lost' has character and texture in spades. It even makes the Imperial Fists seem fun. The Alpha Legion are perhaps not so well drawn but they are of course by nature hard to pin down.As for background and teasers to the universe at large, well, there is plenty for lore-buffs to sink their teeth into; glimpses of the Emperor's work on the Golden Throne and the role of alien cultures in the Heresy, several mentions of the 'lost' Primarchs and clues as to their fate, and possibly even a few clues as to future releases in the Space Marine line of miniatures - spot the novel vehicles named herein :) (its my theory  Path of the Seer (Path of the Eldar)  also contains several items that will be in the next Eldar codex)Deliverance Lost is not just for fans of the Raven Guard - Corax's attempt to reconstitute his Legion with the aid of the Emperor is probably required reading for anyone watching the Horus heresy evolve.

I'd like to thank Gav Thorpe for yet again delivering one of the most entertaining and unusual stories published by the Black Library so far. Thorpe's Last Chancers trilogy has always been among my favourites because they introduce such likeable characters; considering their horrible natures and desperate situation, this is a big compliment to Thorpe's writing, and to his understanding of his fellow man.There are no long-winded descriptions here. Unlike Graham McNeill, Gav Thorpe can have a shuttle landing without spending EIGHT PAGES describing its journey. In fact Thorpe once again ditches wordy prose in favour of action and blunt, entertaining dialogue. This isn't to say this book is one long battle. Far from it, there isn't that much fighting here, the enemies are time, and those unseen forces who loom over the Raven Guard even though they never actually appear in the book. "Action" is probably not a good word as "direction". Thorpe is taking this story towards a conclusion and doesn't often stop to mess around.The story's direction springs from the needs, requirements and decisions of the Raven Guard characters; mainly Primarch Corus, although his commanders get a chance to shine as well. Fortunately there are no whining, attention-grabbing remembrancers here, they're all dead, along with SEVENTY-FIVE THOUSAND Raven Guard. When the story opens, only a few thousand traumatised and battle-weary Ravens are left to quit the field. They're rescued thanks to the psychic vision of an Imperial Guard commander who, frankly, brings nothing to this story, and whose every scene could have been cut. (Why do we care about how his servant relishes his status as some kind of high-faluting errand boy? What's that got to do with Horus heading for Earth and the Raven Guard all being dead?)I like Corus. While it's true he lacks some of the depth of Lorgar for example, Corus does not display the tortured anguish every other Primarch has so far - which is actually a breath of fresh air. He's practically destroyed inside by the death of his entire Legion, but he is a hero. He (usually) listens to the counsel of his subordinates and has plenty of time for the "mortals" who serve with his Legion, counting some of them as very close personal friends.Corus, nicknamed "Corax" which means "saviour", was found on a prison planet where he was adopted by the prisoners and raised not in hatred and fear, but in understanding that his people are being oppressed and he is the only man who can actually do something about it. He's taught about morality and friendship BY THE PRISONERS, he discovers innate abilities that make him a devastating killer, yet he is not a brutal or callous murderer and he uses his brains and his fledgling sense of morality to decide what to do. He's not shy of taking action, be it nuking the enemy cities or fighting hand-to-hand with TWO rebel Primarchs at the same time, but he is a good man who lives up to the nickname his fellow prisoners gave him, and destroys only the enemies of mankind and those who would harm the people he loves. So those who claim he is two dimensional are basically missing the point. Men like Corus are the men who held the Imperium together during the Heresy.The cast of Raven Guard are extremely likeable for the most part with funny, robust dialogue which separates them from the warrior-monks of 40K. Little touches, like the Imperial Fists being drawn up in rigid formation while the Ravens stand before them in a loose mob, distinguish the Legion's character from most of the others. The Raven Guard simply do not stand on ceremony, and they are allowed a fair degree of lateral thinking, which causes Corus some headaches towards the end but introduces tension and drama that simply couldn't happen with any other Legion.The dialogue is far better written than in McNeill's (apparently) more popular books, and while Thorpe simply does not have the verbal artistry of Dembski-Bowden (sp?) or James Swallow, he writes good, solid, entertaining stories that are damn well worth your time. Alpharius and Omegon are unfortunately pale shadows of the sinister and frightening creatures from Dan Abnett's "Legion", Alpharius in particular coming across as weak and rather pathetic, not the master of galactic destiny he actually is. However the Alpha Legion infiltrators who pose as Raven Guard bring a far more interesting level of intrigue. They don't know what their mission is and they don't even recognise each other, and at least one of them becomes more sympathetic to the Ravens as he shares death and fear with them.The plot involves Corvus' attempts to rebuild his annihilated Legion and becomes deeply enmeshed in some of the most primordial 40K mythos. The Ravens spend quite a while on Earth unravelling the Emperor's most formidable creation, the Labyrinth, but fortunately Hedgewart/Hogwart/Hoggle is standing outside having a p*ss... only kidding, it's not THAT Labyrinth, it's a damn sight tougher to get through alive. As usual this is a Heresy story that balances on a knife edge between hope and tragedy and while you suspect what's going to happen, you are never quite sure.The introduction of the mark 6 "beaky" power armour is handled well. It's known as the Corvus suit and the beaked helmet is an Imperial in-joke that the Primarch appreciates, even if his men don't. Oh, and Corvus' only surviving ship is called the Avenger... about time we had a Heresy-era ship with an awesome name!So yeah, I absolutely LOVED this despite its flaws. Reading this and Fulgrim back to back really shows the Thorpe's direct, minimalist style compared to the struggling, amateurish way McNeill writes. While Fulgrim is absolutely amazing and so much better-written than his other works it makes me suspicious, it would have been better if a skilled author had attempted it... but better Graham McNeill than Ben Counter.There's lots going on, I loved the dialogue, it's just a good solid book without Remembrancers and it's infinitely more relevant than the TWO Dark Angels books (come on, where are the World Eaters and Blood Angels?).Note: My apologies to McNeill fanboys, but come on, eight pages to describe a shuttle journey... :\

Loved this book all the way through. Especially the labyrinth and raptors. Throughout I just can't get over how sneaky those alpha boys are.

We cannot help rooting for Corax and his men, though we fear their heroic efforts may be doomed. And the primarchs and legionaries of Alpha Legion are fascinating antagonists - surprising, mysterious, and even at times sympathetic.

awesome book.. pretty sad history but its ok

stupendo

Good oportunity to know about the Raven Guards chapter with a book really well writen and entertening. Specially interesting the primarch Corax, a strange character in the series.

'Deliverance Lost' ist non schon das 17.Band der 'Horus Heresy' Reihe, und konzentriert sich auf die Nachwirkungen des Istvaan V Massakers auf das Imperium. Autor des Romans ist der begabte Gav Thorpe, der bereits mit der 'Times Of Legends: The Sundering' Reihe betraut worden war.Die Handlung knüpft endlich wieder an die direkten Nachwirkungen des Istvaan V Massakers an: Primark Corvus Corax und seine Raven Guard sind nur knapp der totalen Vernichtung entkommen. Die Verluste sind so schwerwiegend dass die Raven Guard nicht mehr effektiv gegen Horus und seine Verbündeten vorgehen kann. Corax verspricht sich Hilfe vom Imperator und macht den langen Weg nach Terra. Dort erhält der Primark ein wertvolles Geschenk: das Wissen und die Technik das Primarken-Projekt auferstehen zu lassen. Mit diesem Wissen kann Corax in nur wenigen Wochen und Monaten nun seine Legion wieder aufbauen, wobei die traditionelle Erschaffung eines Space Marines ganzer Jahre bedarf. Leider weiß auch die Gegenseite um dieses Wissen, und die Alpha Legion wird alles daran setzten dieses Wissen im Namen Horuses zu ergattern. Infiltrierte Agente befinden sich schon in den Reihen der Raven Guard und warten nur auf den richtigen Augenblick um zuzuschlagen...'Deliverance Lost' ist höchst komplex, und wendet sich daher eher an erfahrene Leser die mit der Heresy schon vertraut sind. Um 'Deliverance Lost' zu verstehen muss man Dan Abnetts 'Legion' gelesen haben da man sonst die Motivation der Alpha Legion nicht verstehen kann. Kenntnisse von 'Mechanicum' und des Hörbuches 'Raven's Flight' sind nützlich, aber nicht unentbehrlich. 'Raven's Flight' bleibt dennoch lohnenswert da dadurch die Beziehungen zwischen Kommander Branne und Praefector Valerius in klarerem Licht erscheinen. Anderen empfanden Corax als nicht tiefgründig genug, was allerdings meiner Meinung nach eine Fehleinschätzung ist. Jeder Primark hat seine eigen Auffassung von was die Menschheit ist und wie man damit umgehen soll, Corax steht genau wie Lion El Johnson, der Primark der Dark Angels, als rationale Instanz dar die nur wenig durch menschliche Emotionen wie Mitleid oder Liebe gehemmt wird.Aus diesem Grund sind auch Corax aussagen über andere Primarken meiner Meinung nach im Mittelpunkt des Interessens zu stellen: der Roman mag in erster Linie um den Wiederaufbau der Raven Guard handeln, doch lernt man in diesem Roman am meisten über das Wesen der Primarken und wie sie zu dem geworden sind was sie sind. 'Deliverance Lost' zeigt auch dass auf beiden Seiten der Front die zwischenmenschlichen Beziehungen der Primarken -die ja eigentlich Brüder sein sollten- alles andere als reibungslos ablaufen. Wer allerdings epische Schlachten wie in 'Battle Of The Space Marines' sucht wird allerdings sein Glück woanders suchen müssen.