The Flight of the Eisenstein (4) (The Horus Heresy) Paperback – August 28, 2018

My favorite book in the Horus Heresy series is Ben Counter's "Galaxy in Flames." The reason being that it gripped me and moved me. More often than not I have had a hard time identifying with the space marines. They seemed too god-like, too cold; just heart-less killing machines. Counter made me care about the marines.James Swallow's book "Flight of the Eisenstein" follows Counter's book and moves the plot forward. In many respects I found Swallow's book equal too and sometimes superior (a hard call)to "Galaxy in Flames."Some of the characters from the previous book re-appear and we see events from the earlier books played out from the point-of-view of members of the Death Guard.The protagonist of "Flight of Eisenstein is Battle-Captain of the 7th Company of the Death Guard--Nathaniel Garro. For the most part, we see the action through his pov, although Swallow breaks the unity from time to time to enter the minds of subordinate characters.The book begins with an attack on a Jorgall ship, where we see both the Death Guard and the Oblivion Knight, Amendera Kendel, in action. A psyker's warning of impending doom alerts the reader to treachery ahead and the action begins.The "Flight of the Eisenstein" shows us Horus's strategy becoming visible in the battles of the Isstvan sector. It also develops the rise of the new saint Euphrati Keeler.These plot points are important to the overall development of the series; however, Swallow has presented some interesting touches. The description of the ship's trip through the warp seemed particularly clear and cogent; the hatred of Grulgor was palpable and handled well;the infestation and contamination of Decius was logical and well-developed; the description of the Luna base was brilliant; and the conversion of Garro was believable.In summary, Swallow writes a clear serviceable prose that moves the story along. His fantastic descriptions are quite realistic. I found it a very satisfying novel.

This was the best one so far. Nathaniel Garo is awesome. Horus is a punk. Chaos is gross. Now I made the word quota for the review.

Pleasantly surpprised. Nathaniel Garro is a decent character, even if he is a bit of a cookie cutter marine.the pacing is good, compared to later entries. It suffers a bit from the same as the entire heresy series. it is so packed with characters that it get's hard to keep all of it together.

These books are entertaining quick reads if you enjoy the genre. Some books are printed in limited numbers so if you come across a book with a low or reasonable price — buy it. The highest price seen for this book was $600 +!!.

Book arrived in Great condition 👍

When I first read a Warhammer 40,000 story, it was "Cadian Blood" by Aaron Dembski-Bowden, the first story in the Honour Imperialis anthology. The bad guys in it were the XIV Legion, the Death Guard, plague-stricken Space Marines. I'm not much into rot and decay and grotesque things, but I thought the Death Guard were cool bad guys, and after reading the Warhammer 40,000 wikia's overview of the Horus Heresy, I decided I absolutely had to see the XIV as heroes before their fall to the service of the Chaos God Nurgle, Lord of Decay.This novel starts some time before the Horus Heresy kicks off, despite being fourth in that saga. Death Guard Battle-Captain Nathanial Garro, an Earth-born Space Marine of honor and courage, fights the Emperor's Great Crusade, killing aliens and securing space for the Imperium of Man. While doing so, he is given a chilling warning, a prophecy that all he holds dear will be destroyed. Dismissing it, he continues to follow orders until Horus and several Primarchs (super-warrior generals who command the various Legions) betray the Imperium and slaughter many loyalist Marines.Horrified, Garro and his frigate manage to barely escape from the battle, but in doing so they encounter a glimpse of their ultimate enemy, Chaos itself. Desperate to deliver news of Horus's betrayal to the Emperor, the captain and his allies take chance after chance, but the risks grow greater as the stakes rise, and their own fellow warriors may not be ready for the stunning truth Garro carries.If you are unfamiliar with Warhammer/40,000, the novels are lengthy but often well-written. They do not skirt violence, though, and you will often find yourself reading brutal fight scenes, wherein combatants are cut open, torn limb from limb, set ablaze, infested with plague and insects, and more. These are war stories, because as the saying goes, "In the 41st millennium, there is only war." While this novel takes place in the 31st, it is still fairly graphic, though you will find that the scenes depicting such are not outnumbering the more ordinary violence of gunfights or character introspection.The characters are very well done, and you can connect with both the factual and secular Garro, who does not have time for gods or superstition and his servant Kaleb, who believes that the Emperor is a living god and that worshiping him is the right thing to do. By the book's end, you see that there are false gods and real ones, and the consequences of losing faith in the genuine article and the rewards of holding true to your spirit.If you want a novel about space-faring super-soldiers who find out their leaders aren't all they thought they were and that true horror awaits them if they fail to fight the good fight, but who also find themselves stronger in the face of adversity, then this novel is for you.