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Horus Rising (Novel)

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Horus Rising
Horusrising.jpg
Author Dan Abnett
Performed by Martyn Ellis
Publisher Black Library
Series Horus Heresy Series
Followed by False Gods (Novel)
Released April 2006
Pages 320 (hardcover)
416 (softcover)
Editions 2006 hardcover (collector's edition):
ISBN 9781844164981

2006 softcover:
ISBN 9781844162949

2010 ebook:
ISBN 9780857870216

2010 abridged audiobook:
ISBN 9780857871114

2011 abridged audiobook:
ISBN 9781849700153

2011 softcover (anniversary edition):
ISBN 9781849701112

Horus Rising, written by Dan Abnett, is the first novel in the Horus Heresy series. It also forms the first part of a narrative trilogy, along with False Gods by Graham McNeill and Galaxy in Flames by Ben Counter, focuses directly on Horus's fall to Chaos.

Horus Rising was first published in April 2006, and as of July 2006 is in its third print run. An anniversary edition was released in April 2011[1]. Each print run has a different colour for the titles: First was gold, Second was silver, Third was bronze, and the anniversary edition was platinum[1].

Plot Summary

Part One: The Deceived

It is the two hundred and third year of the Great Crusade, and Horus, the primarch of the Luna Wolves Legio Astartes, has been Warmaster for barely a year, after the Emperor of Mankind retired from the Crusade and returned to Terra.

Under Horus, the 63rd Expedition Fleet's first major engagement since his elevation to Warmaster is the pacification of the planet Sixty-Three-Nineteen, a human civilization whose sovereign identifies himself as "The Emperor of Mankind". For daring to suggest the existence of "another" Emperor, Horus's envoy, Captain Hastur Sejanus, is murdered by the "Emperor"'s bodyguards, the so-called "Invisibles". There is nothing for it but to make war.

The four Companies, chosen at random to spearhead the assault on the Emperor's palace, are led by Captains Abaddon, Torgaddon, Aximand, and Loken. They are victorious when Horus arrives in person and slays the "false" Emperor.

One of the changes introduced by the newly-formed Council of Terra is to send remembrancers - historians, poets, artists, and pictmakers - to accompany the Expedition Fleets and document the glories of the Crusade. One of them assigned to the Sixty-Third, Mersadie Oliton, develops a rapport with Captain Loken and becomes something of a confidante to him.

Garviel Loken is surprised when Abaddon, Torgaddon, and Aximand invite him to replace Sejanus as the fourth member of the Mournival, an informal council of advisors to the Warmaster. In private, he consults with his mentor, Iterator Kyril Sindermann, and confesses his doubts about the morality of the war on Sixty-Three Nineteen, and his own fitness for the post. Sindermann tells him this humanity is exactly why the Mournival needs him.

While touring the recently-conquered capital city, another remembrancer, poet Ignace Karkasy, finds inspiration in seeing the ruins of the planet's older civilization. His verses flow freely, but under the influence of alcohol, they become increasingly morbid and defeatist. Soon he is declaiming aloud how all empires, even the mighty Imperium, are destined to collapse, and he is beaten nearly to death by an enraged squad of the Imperial Army that happens to overhear him.

Loken's first experience of his place in the Mournival is not only to advise the Warmaster, but to play his part in a political show orchestrated by Horus and his equerry, Maloghurst. A final pocket of resistance on Sixty-Three-Nineteen remains in the Whisperhead Mountains. The Imperial Army has been unable to crack the rebel stronghold. Loken volunteers the 10th Company to finish the war, and Horus agrees. In private, Rogal Dorn, the primarch of the Imperial Fists, who is in council with Horus before his Legion's withdrawal to Terra, takes Loken aside and confides that he also recommended Loken for the place on the Mournival; his humanity is a necessary counter to Abaddon's bellicosity and Aximand's "lofty disdain." But at the same time, the Mournival has a part to play: Horus wanted to unleash the Luna Wolves on the rebels, but wanted someone else to be the one to suggest it.

During their approach to the mountain stronghold, the 10th Company and the accompanying units of the Imperial Army hear strange whispers: "Samus. That's the only name you'll hear. I'm Samus. Samus is all around you. Samus is the man beside you. Samus will gnaw upon your bones". Loken dismisses it as vox distortion, or a useless scare-tactic by the rebels.

With an assault spearheaded by a squad in the recently-issued Terminator armour, the Luna Wolves crack the rebel stronghold with little effort. But at the conclusion of the battle, Loken is contacted by one of his Sergeants, Jubal, claiming he sees Samus. Confused, Loken confronts Jubal in a cave inside the stronghold, talking nonsense. With a smile, Jubal raises his bolter and guns down the marines accompanying Loken, crowing, "Samus is here!" He then attacks Loken, who is forced to kill him.

Meanwhile, a small group of remembrancers has finally been allowed to accompany an Astartes expedition on a combat mission, though they have been kept well away from the actual fighting. Loken calls for Sindermann, desperately seeking an explanation for Jubal's behavior. Sindermann theorizes that Jubal was afflicted by some kind of disease which caused him to become delusional; in his delusion, he started repeating the nonsense words broadcast by the rebels. To Loken, this makes much more sense than Jubal claiming to be a daemon... then Jubal rises up with another smile, and his body bloats, becoming monstrous and grotesque, snapping out of his armour.

Unknown to Loken, the remembrancers, led by Euphrati Keeler, have decided to give their Army escort the slip and view the carnage at the stronghold for themselves. When the daemon charges out of the shadows, it kills two of them, and is about to kill Keeler, when Loken intervenes and finally kills the daemon.

Afterwards, Abaddon debriefs Loken in secret, warning him to keep silent about the events in the Whisperheads. Then Horus arrives in person, ordering his "son" not to reproach himself: placed in an unthinkable situation, Loken fought back and won, and his commander is very proud of him. To ease Loken's mind, Horus confides his understanding of what happened: Jubal was possessed by an entity of the Warp - they may be called daemons, but in reality they are xenos like any other, just more insidious. Loken is disbelieving, since they are all taught that only psykers, such as Librarians, are vulnerable to warp-entities, but Horus explains that there are places in the galaxy - the Whisperheads are apparently one of them - where the barrier between the Materium and the warp are unusually thin. Part of the reason Horus became Warmaster, he confides, is because the Emperor has withdrawn from the Crusade in an attempt to master the warp; if He fails, then all that the Crusade has accomplished will be for naught.

Part Two: Brotherhood in Spiderland

As the Crusade rolls on through the sector, a distress call is received from the Blood Angels' force on One-Forty Twenty, the planet grimly dubbed "Murder" by the last transmission of Captain Khitas Frome, before contact with the Angels' force stopped altogether. Both the 63rd Expedition Fleet under Horus and a task force from the Emperor's Children respond. The latter arrives first, and its leader, Lord Commander Eidolon, refuses to wait and orders his Space Marines to drop immediately.

Soon, two companies of the Emperor's Children, commanded by Captains Saul Tarvitz and Lucius are fighting for their lives against the Megarachnids, the planet's insectile inhabitants. Electromagnetic storms have scattered the Space Marines all over the planet and block vox communication, making it virtually impossible for them to coordinate their forces.

Part Three: The Dreadful Sagittary

Meanwhile the fleet tries to decrypt a strange signal that is broadcasted around Murder. Finally, the Interex make contact with the fleet, reprimanding them for disturbing the captive Megarachnids and not heading to the broadcast around the planet. They however inviting Horus to open diplomatic negotiations for peaceful co-existence. The Warmaster is pleased to accept their terms. First Captain Abaddon does not agree and argues that they should wage war on them for not accepting the light of the Emperor but Horus made up his mind and starts diplomatic relations with the Interex. During a diplomatic meeting where Garviel Loken acts as a bodyguard for Horus, the Interex accuse Horus of the theft of a treasured anathame sword and attack the diplomatic party. This sparks a brutal battle between the Interex and the Imperium even though Horus claims not to know anything of the theft.

Eventually it is revealed that Chaplain Erebus of the Word Bearers committed the theft without the knowledge of the Warmaster and intends to use the weapon for some secretive plot in the near future.

Notable Characters

Primarchs

Luna Wolves

Emperor's Children

Word Bearers

Imperial Army

Martian Mechanicum

Remembrancers

Related Publications

Sources


Horus Heresy Series
Novels I Horus RisingII False GodsIII Galaxy in FlamesIV The Flight of the EisensteinV FulgrimVI Descent of AngelsVII LegionVIII Battle for the AbyssIX MechanicumX Tales of HeresyXI Fallen AngelsXII A Thousand SonsXIII NemesisXIV The First HereticXV Prospero BurnsXVI Age of DarknessXVII The Outcast DeadXVIII Deliverance LostXIX Know No FearXX The PrimarchsXXI Fear to TreadXXII Shadows of TreacheryXXIII Angel ExterminatusXXIV BetrayerXXV Mark of CalthXXVI Vulkan LivesXXVII The Unremembered EmpireXXVIII ScarsXXIX Vengeful SpiritXXX The Damnation of PythosXXXI Legacies of BetrayalXXXII DeathfireXXXIII War Without EndXXXIV PharosXXXV Eye of TerraXXXVI The Path of HeavenXXXVII The Silent WarXXXVIII Angels of CalibanXXXIX Praetorian of DornXL CoraxXLI The Master of MankindXLII GarroXLIII Shattered LegionsXLIV The Crimson KingXLV TallarnXLVI RuinstormXLVII Old EarthXLVIII The Burden of LoyaltyXLIX WolfsbaneL Born of FlameLI Slaves to DarknessLII Heralds of the SiegeLIII TitandeathLIV The Buried Dagger
Siege of Terra I The Solar WarII The Lost and the DamnedIII The First WallSons of the SelenarIV SaturnineFury of MagnusV MortisVI WarhawkVII Echoes of EternityGarro: Knight of GreyVIII The End and the Death (Volume IVolume IIVolume III)
The Primarchs Roboute Guilliman: Lord of UltramarLeman Russ: The Great WolfMagnus the Red: Master of ProsperoPerturabo: The Hammer of OlympiaLorgar: Bearer of the WordFulgrim: The Palatine PhoenixFerrus Manus: Gorgon of MedusaGrandfather's GiftPerturabo: Stone and IronMalcador: First Lord of the ImperiumKonrad Curze: A Lesson in DarknessJaghatai Khan: Warhawk of ChogorisVulkan: Lord of DrakesSons of the EmperorCorax: Lord of ShadowsAngron: Slave of NuceriaScions of the Emperor Konrad Curze: The Night HaunterGhost of NuceriaThe Passing of AngelsThe Abyssal EdgeMercy of the DragonLion El'Jonson: Lord of the FirstIllyriumThe Revelation of the WordMorningstarWill of the LegionEmbers of ExtinctionAlpharius: Head of the HydraBlood of the EmperorLoyal SonsMortarion: The Pale KingRogal Dorn: The Emperor's CrusaderSanguinius: The Great AngelHeirs of The Emperor
Horus Heresy Characters Valdor: Birth of the ImperiumLuther: First of the FallenSigismund: The Eternal CrusaderEidolon: The Auric Hammer
Novellas Promethean SunAurelianBrotherhood of the StormThe Reflection Crack'dFeat of IronThe LionThe Serpent BeneathCorax: SoulforgeScorched EarthTallarn: ExecutionerPrince of CrowsThe Crimson FistThe PurgeRavenlordThe Seventh SerpentTallarn: IroncladCyberneticaWolf KingThe HonouredThe UnburdenedGarro: Vow of FaithSons of the ForgeDreadwingSpear of Ultramar
Collections AngronThe Imperial TruthSedition's GateEchoes of RuinDeath and DefianceBlades of the TraitorMedusonBetrayal at CalthEchoes of the ImperiumVirtues of the Sons/Sins of the FatherEchoes of RevelationLupercal's WarCthonia's Reckoning
Short Stories The Lightning TowerThe Dark KingArmy of OneKryptosDistant Echoes of Old NightLost SonsDeath of a SilversmithThe Divine WordThe Kaban ProjectThe Gates of TerraLord of the Red SandsSerpentLuna MendaxRivenBjorn: Lone WolfThe Wolf of Ash and FireHeart of the ConquerorChild of NightThe ShadowmastersThe Devine AdoratriceDaemonologySins of the FatherThe Final Compliance of Sixty-Three FourteenVoraxThe Value of FearBrotherhood of the MoonVirtues of the SonsImperfectHowl of the HearthworldA Safe and Shadowed PlaceGunsightBlack OculusWolf MotherTwistedChirurgeonTallarn: WitnessIronfireHands of the EmperorBy the Lion's CommandAll That RemainsThe PhoenicianArtefactsGhosts Speak NotPatienceInheritorTallarn: SirenBlackshieldMyriadInto ExileThe Grey RavenThe Painted CountExocytosisThe Last Son of ProsperoOrdo SinisterThe Ember WolvesRestorerThe Laurel of DefianceImmortal DutyDuty WaitsMagisteriumNow Peals MidnightDreams of UnityThe Board is SetThe Atonement of FireA Lesson in IronMassacreTwo Metaphysical BladesPrologue to NikaeaOld Wounds, New ScarsAbyssalThe Last CouncilA Rose Watered with BloodBringer of SorrowLantern's LightThe Serpent's DanceThe Lightning HallEater of DreamsBloodhowlAmor FatiThe Fields of AbundanceThe Shel'tain AffairPrimacyThe NineVisageThe Last Loyalist
Audio Dramas Raven's FlightGarro: Oath of MomentGarro: Legion of OneButcher's NailsGrey AngelBurden of DutyGarro: Sword of TruthWarmasterStrike and FadeVeritas FerrumThe SigilliteHonour to the DeadWolf HuntCensureThief of RevelationsKhârn: The Eightfold PathLucius: The Eternal BlademasterCypher: Guardian of OrderHunter's MoonWolf's ClawTemplarGarro: Shield of LiesMaster of the FirstThe Long NightStratagemHerald of SanguiniusThe WatcherThe Eagle's TalonIron CorpsesGarro: Ashes of FealtyRaptorGrey TalonRed-MarkedThe EitherThe Heart of the PharosThe Thirteenth WolfChildren of SicarusPerpetualThe Soul, SeveredValeriusThe Binary SuccessionDark ComplianceBlackshields: The False WarBlackshields: The Red FiefHubris of MonarchiaNightfaneBlackshields: The Broken Chain
Artbooks Visions of Heresy (2013)Visions of Heresy (2018)Art of the Horus Heresy
Script Books Horus Heresy: The Scripts: Volume IHorus Heresy: The Scripts: Volume II
Graphic Novels Macragge's Honour