Corax (Anthology)
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Corax by Gav Thorpe is book 40 of The Horus Heresy series, released on 1 October 2016. It contains the novellas Weregeld (see below), Soulforge, and Ravenlord and the short stories "The Shadowmasters," "The Value of Fear," and "Raptor." The audiobook has a running time 12 hours and 49 minutes, and it is narrated by Gareth Armstrong and John Banks.
Contents
Cover Description
As the Horus Heresy gathers pace, the Raven Guard primarch Corax and the remnants of his once mighty Legion now wage an entirely different kind of war – liberating worlds oppressed by the traitor forces.
After Isstvan, after Deliverance, the Raven Guard still endure. Their primarch Corvus Corax has rallied countless warriors to his banner, striking back at the forces of the Warmaster on every front – from the degenerate hereteks of the Mechanicum to the cruel legionaries of the Sons of Horus, none shall escape his wrath. But although Corax has managed to stall the physical corruption of his own Space Marines, what of their spirit? And what sinister end must await those who dwell forever in the darkness?
The Story So Far
In promoting the anthology, Black Library released teasing biography snippets regarding the primarch and his legion.
The Deliverer
"When the primarchs were scattered across the galaxy by the Dark Gods, the one who would become known as Corvus Corax landed on the industrial moon Lycaeus, orbiting the forge world of Kiavahr. Lycaeus was both mine and prison in one, a place the rulers of Kiavahr could send their enemies and use them for their own ends.
Corax, kept a secret from the moon’s overseers, grew quickly and became a legend to the prisoners of Lycaeus. He would be their Deliverer. Eventually, after years of planning, he led the prisoners in a revolt and captured the moon in a swift and bloody assault. When the Kiavahran tech-guilds responded, Corax was equally brutal, crushing their armies and devastating their five key cities with atomic mining charges.
Lycaeus was free, and the jubilant former prisoners renamed it ‘Deliverance’. The very day Corax had his victory, his entire universe changed, as the Emperor arrived and told his nineteenth son of the destiny that awaited him in the stars."
The Great Crusade
"Corax was given command of the Space Marine Legion formed from his gene-seed, his Raven Guard. With the Imperium’s help, he brought peace to Kiavahr and led his new Legion, bolstered by many of his comrades from the Lycaean resistance, out into the Great Crusade.
Corax was paired with Horus, the Emperor’s favoured son, to learn the ways of the Imperium. But Corax’s preference was to fight wars by stealth, the way he had learned in his youth, using rapid strikes, sabotage, infiltration and other covert means. This clashed with Horus’ preference for brutal, uncompromising shows of force, and the two were often at odds. Some sources say that the pair parted company after almost coming to blows.
As the Great Crusade progressed, it was suggested that Corax began to favour his fellow Lycaeans and Kiavahrans over the Terrans of the Legion. Whatever the truth, events overtook him and he found himself plunged into a war he never thought to fight..."
The Betrayal
"When news came that Horus, the first and seemingly greatest among the primarchs, had fallen into treachery, Corax was shocked but not entirely surprised, and he rallied his Legion to bring an end to the traitor.
Battle was joined on the killing fields of Isstvan V. A task force of seven Space Marine Legions faced Horus and his allies. Corax, with his brothers Vulkan and Ferrus Manus, led the first strikes. Battle went well, the traitors driven back – and then disaster struck.
The second wave of the Imperial retribution force were in league with Horus. Four Legions fell upon their supposed allies and all but destroyed them. Ferrus Manus fell and Vulkan vanished, but Corax survived. Rallying the pitifully few survivors of his once-mighty army, he retreated into the wilds of Isstvan to fight a campaign of vengeance and sell his life dearly..."
The Survivors
"For 98 days, Corax and his surviving Raven Guard fought a guerrilla war against the traitors who had devastated them on Isstvan. Scavenging supplies from fallen foes and operating in small bands, the Raven Guard put all the skills they had learned on Lycaeus and beyond to the test, and against the odds survived until a strike force of their brothers arrived to extract them from the embattled world.
Corax returned to Terra to seek guidance from his father. If any being knew how to rebuild his Legion so that they could revenge themselves upon Horus and his traitors, it was the Emperor.
After a long journey and many trials, Corax emerged from the vaults of Terra with the secrets of creating new Space Marines, and returned to Deliverance intent upon creating an army that would allow him to strike back."
The Weregeld
"Unbeknownst to Corax, not all those who had left Isstvan with him were who they seemed to be. Alpha Legion infiltrators, taking on the appearance and gene-print of dead legionaries, were in his midst and, as Corax worked to rebuild his forces, these traitors strived to stop him...
After much experimentation, Corax unlocked the secrets he had retrieved from Terra and created new legionaries in a fraction of the time it usually took. But something went wrong. Whether it was a flaw in the techniques he used or Alpha Legion manipulation, his new Space Marines were unstable and soon began to mutate into strange, twisted beasts.
Despite their monstrous appearance, these legionaries were loyal to their father and the Emperor and still wished to fight for the Raven Guard. And so they were organised into a new fighting force, the Raptors, and made part of Corax’s force for the guerrilla war he planned to wage against Horus’ armies..."
Content
- Corax: Soulforge (Novella)
- The Shadowmasters (Short Story)
- Ravenlord (Novella)
- The Value of Fear (Short Story)
- Raptor (Audio Drama)
- Weregeld (Novella)
Sources
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