Fulgrim (Horus Heresy)

by Graham McNeill

Book Overview

Book five in the New York Times bestselling series Under the command of the newly appointed Warmaster Horus, the Great Crusade continues. Fulgrim, Primarch of the Emperor's Children, leads his... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1844164764
• Release Date: July 2007
• Publisher: Games Workshop
• Length: 512 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 6.9" x 1.3" x 4.2"

Customer Reviews

Fulgrim

I really enjoyed this book. It continues the Horus Heresy series and develops the back story of Fulgrim and the Emperor's Children. This book is very well written and draws you into the fall of Fulgrim to treachery and corruption. Graham McNeil does a great job at weaving the Emperor's Children story lines from the previous novels into this one. He has a lot of action and very vivid scenes. This is a very good book. I am looking forward to the next chapter in the Horus Heresy series.

Setting the stage for the final conflict

Another fantastic book setting the stage for the next "chapter" in the formation of the Imperium. It seems many people arent seeing the pattern of this history of the Horus Heresy. Each book is based upon a particular primarch, legion, or very influential group of people that all interacted in the events that unfolded leading up to the heresy and after. Each book is told from a different viewpoint but set in the same simultaneous time frame, roughly the Isstvan massacre. For years fans of Warhammer 40k have begged,pleaded and threatened to hear the FULL-LENGTH story of this historical event--and finally it is coming to light. But be patient, it is not near complete as of yet, the "stage" is still being set and what might seem as an unimportant character, might possibly return to play an important role in the future. Personally I like how all the books are intertwined, it's a fantastic idea to write the books like this. For example, a meeting with the warmaster and several officers and primarchs in one book explains what certain members are thinking or feeling, another book describes what other characters are thinking and feeling. Instances like this had me flipping back to earlier books and re-reading what was said, I loved it! This book as well as the others are geared more towards the WH40k Fluff fan rather then a random sci-fi book to read without reading the other books. The Horus Heresy is a SERIES, covering many many years and will make more sense when all the books have finally been written and read in order. Personally I cannot wait for the invasion of Terra and the local system, but on the other hand I am trying to enjoy each book to learn about the legion it represents. The story of Fulgrim and the Emperor's Children Legion give me insight of how the desire to attain perfection became an obsession, and the taint of Slaanesh caused everyone to become influenced one way or another.

The Seduction of Chaos

The Horus Heresy continues and in Fulgrim we are given an excellent look at the seductive and ultimately destructive power of chaos. Hitherto, the reader has been given a vision of the Astartes as embodying the most perfect attributes of humanity. Much of this novel focuses on the pursuit of perfection both among the human artisans, remembrancers and of course the Astartes themselves. We watch as the central players follow their individual paths to perfection and ultimately to personal ruin. Ostian the sculptor, Serena the painter and of course Fulgrim the most perfect of Astartes seek to achieve a level of perfection, which is of course completely unattainable. Ahhh...but wait...enter the seeds of chaos and the whispers of true perfection. The key to chaos' infiltration is the Battle against the Laer which culminates in the final battle within the Laer Temple. It's other worldly music infects all that come into contact with it. McNeill does a terrific job of painting the chaos that inexorably infects, and finally overwhelms all those on Fulgrim's ship. The scenes described during the Maraviglia are unlike anything I have ever read. The Maraviglia depicts in microcoysm the truth of what will become the Horus Heresy. While the story does not end with the Maraviglia, everything that follows after seems anti-climatic. By the end of the Maraviglia we know that Chaos has achieved its victory over Fulgrim. Not wanting to spoil it, I will simply say that Fulgrim's fate is truly frightening and foreshadows Horus' future. So grab a copy of this outstanding novel and stick close to the likes of Saul Tarvitz and Gabriel Santor less the sweet, chaos laden chorus of the Laer deliver you into Chaos. The Emperor protects.

Finally! The Istvaan V Drop Site Massacres

Unlike some of the other reviews for this book, I thought it was fantastic. Seriously, if you don't want to read about dark and horrible goings on in the 31st Millennium, then why are you reading this series. We all know the way it goes, so why are people surprised when they read a book about a legion that falls to chaos, and find that the story is dark, sinister and violent. If you want something about the loyalist legions, Black library has produced a huge number of books to satisfy you. Being a World Eater fan, I love the series so far. We could do with a bit more of Angron, but I'm sure we'll see this crazy blood soaked legion get their debut in one of the future heresy novels. In fact, I found this book so good, it even nearly swayed me into starting to collect an Emperors Children army. Thank Khorne for that smack up the side of the head. Spoiler Alert My only problem with this story is the way that Fulgrim gets possessed at the end. I thought that Fulgrim was one of the primarchs who actually made it to daemonhood? If he is "possessed", he isn't going to ascend, is he? We'll have to wait and find out. Also, the sheer scale of the violence of the Drop Site Massacres was mind blowing. We all knew it was going to "go off." But this is crazy. I expected it at the end of Galaxy in Flames, but alas, it was not to be. Keep up the good work, Black Library. It feels to me that the 31st Millennium is even more brutal and violent that the 41st. I love it! These guys are the REAL space marines. Not the watered down ones that exist in 40,000. And you gotta love their fascism, even the loyalists: "You either join the Imperium, or you suffer the wrath of the Space Marines!" No wonder half the legions fell to Chaos!

Largest book of the series, yet not large enough?

I've given this book a 4 star rating (which is shown as a 5 star... I can't seem to edit it.) because, in spite of agreeing with some of the points made in the other reviews, I can say I was pleasantly suprised by this book. Perhaps part of it is due to the dissapointment I had in the way the Death Guard were treated in "Flight of the Eisenstein." It's a difficult thing to tell these stories which have been alluded to for so long in 40k lore. Some of us are long invested in the series and we expect the treatments to be believable and fullfilling. The 4th book accomplished some of that, but still left readers a bit empty. "Fulgrim" is a step in the right direction, though not having the luxury of 3 books like Horus' legion, it still feels like too much crammed into one tome. The addition of the remebrancers and the way that the corruption of the legion is shown in smaller scale I feel actually adds to the tale. In past lore we were told that Fulgrim and his captains were led to a meeting with Horus, whereupon they were "drugged and pleasured beyond endurance" until their resolve broke. This book shows that descent as far more subtle, and even suggests that the seeds were sewn long before Horus' betrayal, long before the encounter in the Laer temple. Indeed, they were inherant in the Legion's appreciation for perfection and artistic endeavor. The presence of the artists on board Fulgrim's ship and the corruption of many of their number just illustrates this in a way easier to grasp by "mere mortals." Most impressive to me was a scene during a musical performance that brought all of the buildup home for me. I won't ruin it, but it's one of the best moments in the series in my opinion. The best thing here is that very little of this book is repetition. "Eisenstein" suffered from being a retelling of events in the previous 3 books. "Fulgrim" takes us into the heart of the legion's history and tells stories only alluded to in the rest of the series. Look past the occasional annoyances (mentioned in other reviews)and you've got a very worthy addition to the series.