[Imperium Anthology
Virginie Fayad
Dark Imperium is an anthology of short stories by various authors, edited by Marc Gascoigne and Andy Jones. It was first published in 2001 and is currently out of print, although several short stories were re-published in the anthologies Let the Galaxy Burn and There Is Only War.
by Barrington J. Bayley
Ferag Lion-Wolf, Champion of Tzeentch details his rise to glory as a servant of the capricious Changer of Ways. For Ferag, life is good: gifted with sorcerous powers, beautiful mutations, and military genius, he has crushed enemies throughout the Eye of Terror and risen to rule eight Daemon Worlds. While entertaining a lesser lord in his palace, Ferag confides that his rise to greatness began even before his turn to Chaos: as a primitive on his native Feral World, he became a renowned warrior after slaying a ferocious beast; recruited by the Purple Stars, he became an equally renowed Space Marine, valued for his tactical genius and ferociousness in combat alike; after he turned his allegiance to Tzeentch, his patron gifted him with even greater success, routing rival daemon armies of much greater size. The only place higher for him to go is true Daemonhood, and that apotheosis cannot be far away...
As he nears the end of his tale, a stray brick falls from one side of his palace and hits Ferag on the head - and suddenly he is back on his feral world, a lowly savage who has never been a Chaos Champion, a Space Marine, or even an ordinary warrior; he is simply a cultist in a minor Tzeentchian cabal on his planet, who has just botched a simple job of stealthy murder - and as punishment, his cult is about to perform the ritual that will transform him into a Chaos Spawn. As further punishment, his lord - known with good reason as "The Great Betrayer" - has tormented him with heady visions of a completely different life. Just before the ritual is completed, Ferag's mind snaps as he tries to decide which of his two lives was the one he truly lived.
by Neil Rutledge
Colonel Soth of the Ulbaran 8th regiment of the Imperial Guard finds himself ordered to hold a position against Eldar raiders. His regiment, turned out for ceremonial duties and therefore under-equipped and impractically dressed, must prove themselves as combat capable, physically and mentally. A small group of scouts infiltrate the Imperial lines and Colonel Soth and a small group of loyal Guardsmen must stop them before they reach a temple crucial to the world's defence.
The unidentified Space Marine Chapter is described as having blue and green livery. To date, the only known Chapter with these colours is the Warmongers; as such the astartes in this story may have been from the Warmongers Chapter.
by Ben Counter
Commissar Von Klas is a numbered man. When the Dark Eldar came for his regiment, they decreed that ten percent of the humans be kept for entertainment. Von Klas is the last of them, the one in a million, and he intends to give his Dark Eldar captors the greatest show they'll ever see.
He is marched, unarmed, into a grand arena inside Commorragh, and matched with a Wych. Much to the surprise of the crowd, he defeats his opponent. His captor, the Archon Kypselon, is displeased, and sends von Klas to his favoured haemonculus to be tortured to death. The haemonculus relies more on fear and hypnotic suggestion than on shackles or guards, which would be enough for a lesser man than von Klas, who turns the tables on his captor and escapes his prison, freeing a number of other Imperial Guard captives along the way.
von Klas says his plan is to occupy the "temple" at the center of Kypselon's quarter, a monument to his Kabal's success, in order to draw the Dark Eldar forces away from the nearest spaceport, allowing them to escape the planet. But in private, von Klas knows they have no hope of escape, so he has another objective in mind.
Infiltrating a mobile factory belonging to the Kabal, von Klas and his men kill the Eldar overseers and liberate an "army" of several thousand human slaves, which allows them to occupy the temple. Kypselon is enraged and sends his entire might against them. The human defenders are slaughtered, but von Klas triggers explosives, collapsing the temple on top of human and Eldar alike, depriving Kypselon of the lion's share of his military forces.
When von Klas regains consciousness, he is sharing a cell with Kypselon, who was overthrown by a rival Archon. Von Klas is satisfied; he knows that they are both marked for death, but he is a mere "mon-keigh," and his end is certain to be far quicker than Kypselon's will be.
Xavier, a new Battle-Brother of the 4th Company of the Salamanders Space Marine Chapter discover that no matter how courageous, careful and experienced in combat you are, the most important factor in warfare is still intelligence.
by Andy Chambers
Press-ganged and made into a gunner on the Imperial ship Retribution, Nathan discovers that there are far, far worse things that can happen to you in the grim darkness of the galaxy than simple forced labour...
Chaplain De Haan of the Word Bearers has a vision; the exodite Eldar ground underfoot, his mighty towers piercing the sky and great sacrifice made to Chaos. And for it all to happen, all he has to do is set his eyes on the heart of Varantha...
This anthology includes an introduction by Benjamin Afer that reflects on what makes the English language such a marvelous vehicle for poetry, and the lessons our poetic tradition has to teach us today.
Ranging over some 1,200 years of poetic achievement, the Imperium Anthology of English Verse presents the greatest poems in our native tongue, "at once so earthy and so noble." Beginning with the Old English scops and ending in the 20th century, the volume you hold in your hands includes many dialect poems as well as long poems in their entirety, and is sure to delight the newcomer to poetry and to surprise the enthusiast.
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LISTEN TO IT BECAUSE
This collection of three audio dramas sheds light on the various ways that mankind is kept safe by its defenders and protectors, and shows that even the most valiant of heroes is vulnerable to the darkness of the galaxy.
DESCRIPTION
In the sprawling Imperium of Mankind, everyone serves the Emperor in their own way. From the inquisitors who hunt the hidden enemies of humanity in the dark places of the galaxy to the brave soldiers who stand on the front line, and the Imperial Assassins who can change the tides of war with a single shot, each has a part to play in preserving the Imperium. In this audio anthology, three of these disparate heroes are put to the test, each facing a personal crisis that will see them either fall to darkness, or rise to continue doing their duty in the Emperor's name.
CONTENTS
Judge of the Wastes by David Annandale
Kill Shot by Ben Counter
The Interrogation of Salvor Lermentov by Chris Wraight
Total running time 66 minutes. Performed by Tom Alexander, John Banks, Cliff Chapman, Emma Gregory, Matthew Hunt, Deeivya Meir, David Seddon and Joe Shire
Intergalactic civilization emerges from its war-torn ruins for the first time in generations to explore the galaxy, in this stunning new anthology from the bestselling world of Twilight Imperium
I used to recommend skipping Fulgrim (V) (you can read my review of Fulgrim on Goodreads to see why) but as people have pointed out in the comments there are some impactful events that take place in this book (someone loses a head). If you know the Heresy there are no surprises here and I still say skip and avoid having to slog through it.
The Outcast Dead (XVII) and Deliverance Lost (XVIII) can be skipped. Outcast Dead covers the exploits of the members of the traitor legions that were on Terra when the news of the Heresy broke. Deliverance Lost is about Corax and the Raven Guard in the aftermath of Isstvan V.
Shadows of Treachery (XXII) anthology **** Not required but there are some great short stories here. The Crimson Fist by John French, The Dark King by Graham McNeill, The Lightning Tower by Dan Abnett and Prince of Crows by Aaron Dembski-Bowden.
The Solar War (Siege of Terra I) by John French **** The return of some of the favorite characters from the first books was the highlight for me. Horus has entered the solar system and encloses Terra. A lot of void war fighting and some cool twists. This is my second favorite book in the SoT series so far.
I need to make a Siege of Terra books update soon. I am just starting Saturnine. So far I would rank Solar War as my favorite of the first three books, followed by The First Wall and then Lost and the Damned. They are all good, just to varying degrees.
Skip Fulgrim? You mean skip the dropsite massacre? Skip a primarch being killed? Or another being almost sliced in two? The whole heresy being out in the open? Not to mention all the really cool moments between Fulgrim and Manus.
Hey man. I just want to thank you for the guide, have been looking at it a dozen of times, its the best ressource on the internet for people who want to read the Heresy and I bet there are a lot of people who want. Still skipt almost nothing so far. Am now at Nemesis and have only skipt Abyss so far with not regrets.
I tried reading Horus Heresy a couple years ago and got bogged down in all of the filler side stories. I started over again just a month ago when I found this reading guide and have been absolutely burning through them. Now at Know No Fear which may be my new favorite. Abott is a beast, and you are a absolut legend for getting me to the good stuff!!
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