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I Read: Horus Rising

KeresAcheron

Asocial Quasisocialist
Let's find out about the Interex, the Imperial Truth, the Morality of the Great Crusade, the ego of Magnus and the fall of Horus.

No Spoilers.

I am doing chapter by chapter blind and live. I also lack a an ebook so I can't really transcribe quotes. I've never really done a let's read or reaction video before, so this will be learning experience and give this site more content.



** The Seeds of Heresy are sown **

The opening screen on the Horus Heresy is very good reflection to that of the forty first millennium, showing the new age of hope and heroism.

It also boasts of legions of ten thousands of space marines, capable of besting "a hundred or more mortal men". Showing GW sense of scale.

Part One, Chapter One: The Decieved

The difference between god's and demons largely depends upon where one is standing at the time.
-Lorgar Aurelian being an idiot.

The chapter opens with a cheap fake out, with Loken talking about being there the day "Horus slew the Emperor". We then quickly find ourselves post-Ulanor with a system being brought into a compliance, ruled by a tyrant claiming to be the only emperor exists, who guided humanity through the long night, rules from a golden throne, calls his state the imperium of man, and kills diplomats for suggesting that other emperors exist.

The Sons of Horus take system, but do manage to take actual casualties even with the Mechanicus giving them Titan Support.

Also Astarte cannot be matched, unless "the stars went out, and madness ruled, and lawful sense turned upside down. For a Sedirae had once said, 'The only thing that can be an Astartes is another Astartes '". Such subtle foreshadowing. As is the comparison of the Justaerin with "some other, black legion." that takes place on the same page Abandon talks about fighting a false emperor.

** Chapter Two **

Opens describing Astartes and how they're inhuman. Also handshakes still exist in as a Terran custom in this time period when a reporter tries to shake Loken's hand.

Also Loken doesn't like it when non-Astartes call Horus by his first name. Despite he himself still barely adapting to Horus's new title.

The not-Imperium has invisibility tech for it's super-elites, the Invincibles. And power-armour and weapons equal to those used by the Astartes.

The not-emperor is an old man who speaks with an antique accent, calls all dissenting opinions blasphemous and criticises the Astartes as being inhuman and amoral. If he didn't want for his not-imperium to just be left alone, he'd be just like his counterpart.

There's an exchange between the Astarte's on wether to show magnanimity, which Loken wants to show as that's what the Emperor taught, while Ekkadon counters with the Emperor not being there, leading Loken to pity the future of this crusade. Because foreshadowing!

The not-emperor wants to surrender to Horus personally. Horus teleports into the throne room and instantly shoots him, triggering the golden thrones self destruct sequence. Horus is described as a god by secular imperials. And he says this is how he will with deal with "All tyrants and deceivers.".
 
** Chapter Three **

There was exposition on the the empire retiring from the great crusade, the formation of the council of terra and how post-ullamor having more remembrancers was such an important task for Malcador and the council of terra. And how the war council is losing power and how this and the emperors absence is negatively effecting moral, which the remberances are scapegoated for by the Astartes.

Also Rogal Dorn and two of his companies waste time at the not-emperor's funeral, so he hasn't been recalled to the Imperial Palace yet?

Iterators are more selectively recruited than space marines in this time period. "One man in a thousand might become a legion warrior, but only one in a hundred thousand is fit to be an integrator.". Because Iterators need to know how to think, while Astartes need to be "sturdy, fit, genetically receptive and ripe for enhancement.". Which shows Astartes standards have risen over the years.

And Sinderman, a iterator with a deep friendship with the warmaster, uses the word "memed" in dialogue. Who then introduces the audience to the creed of the Imperial Truth and the non-existence of daemons, spirits and an afterlife. He then talks to Loken about faith, ethics, Astartes being weapons and the morality of the great crusade.

Also, Dorn admires Lokens "phlegmatic humour". Which considers ITEHATTSD is amusing,.

"We are mighty because we are right. We are not right because we are mighty. Vile the hot when the reverse becomes our credo." - Sinderman.

In this time period, Astartes are supposed to be tools, not warriors.

We then find out about what the Mournival is. And Sinderman describes Abandon as choler and Aximund as melachanolic. Having the four humours theory be used by rationalistic intellectual is indeed strange, and it is impressive the concept has survived for long into the future.

And I believe that while a lot of this information was no doubt new to the fandom at the time, a lot of it's been sufficiently diffused into the fandom that I'm already aware of it. I wonder how much of the worldbuilding was new to someone reading it as it came out?
 
** Chapter Four **

The plant was named not earth. It has been renamed Sixty-three Nineteen after the nineteenth world captured by the sixty third expedition fleet.

A remembrancers photographs generate good PR, and everyone finally realises that having a propaganda network churning out good PR is useful.

There is a mournival initiation ritual for Loken, rife with ritual symbolism. The characters talk about the origins of the Lunar Wolves, the Sons of Horus, the mournival members, and the rejection of faith for reason and truth.

And Loken is sanguine. It's once again strange so many people this era buy into the superstition of humour personalities, while debating the existence of the far more universal concept of "luck".

The first Mournival was founded 200 years ago. If that event takes place after the conquest of Luna that should push back the great crusade timeline past the absurdly short 100 years figure.

Loken does not bow to spirits, and Abbado declares this a secular oath of brotherhood between men, not some "occult pact". Because dramatic irony.

Loken is the thirteenth person to ever be initiated into the Mournival. He thinks about the inevitably of death and gives a quote who's underlying claim is still debated within the fandom to this day: Are Astartes biologically immortal?

Death is the single expectation of each and every Astartes. Violent Death. It was not an if, it was a when. In the service of the Imperium, each of them would inevitably sacrifice his life. They were phlegmatic about this. It would happen, it was simple. One day, tomorrow, the next year. One day it would happen.
There was an irony, of course. To all intents and purposes, and by every measure known to gene-scientists and gerontologists, the Astartes, like the primarchs, were immortals. Age would not wither them, nor bring them down. They would live forever... five thousand years, ten thousand years, beyond even that into some unimaginable millennium. Except for the scythe of war.

Also Loken imagines how everyone of them will die, then has yet another ironic moment where Abandon will not fight forever, will no longer wage war across the territories of humanity, and how men would cry out for his return when this happens.

Interestingly Loken is able to imagine Horus death in battle, but not the Emperor's. So to him primarchs are not infallible or godlike, and just as mortal as the Astartes.

He also pledges allegiance to the Luna Wolves name, not the Sons of Horus, and to the Commander not the Warmaster. The oaths are indeed archaic.


There is a card game held by a remembrancer, who originates it to Merica and franc. The first of the Horus Heresies real world references. As usual, they break the immersion, this time for the plot point of explaining that Mournival is franc word for the four royal cards.
 
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