Mechanicum

The Horus Heresy, Book 9

By: Graham McNeill

Narrated by: Toby Longworth

As the flames of treachery spread throughout the Imperium, Horus plots to subvert or destroy all those who would stand against him.

On Mars, home world of the Mechanicum priesthood, the great manufactory-cities have long produced much of the weaponry required for the expeditionary fleets across the galaxy - making the world invaluable to whoever controls it in the coming war.

Now, the Warmaster's agents begin to stoke the fires of rebellion, turning the loyalist forges and the mighty Titan Legions against one another. And, with whispers spreading of an ancient terror lurking beneath the Red Planet's surface, the Dark Mechanicum rises....

©2008 Games Workshop Limited (P)2015 Games Workshop Limited

Slow Burn

If you have listened to a lot of these books, you will know they sometimes take a minute to pick up. This one takes a minute before it’s firing on all cylinders but damn! What a great story. Loved it. Hung on the last words. Will listen to this one again I believe.

Love me some Titans!

Wooooooo! This "requires" fifteen words, but I submit to you that I said it in one.

Really fun view of Mars!

Toby Longworth did an excellent job giving voice to the battles and the characters in this book. That said, I admit, this book was a bit slow to start, and the Mechanicum can be a bit robotic so it can be hard to get into their story at first. This novel is a lot like Legion, when it picks up it really does pick up. This has everything, Titan Battles, a fun group of unlikely adventurers, an awesome Imperial Knight storyline, and a cool story of Mars' political situation during the opening days of the Horus Heresy.

The Legio Mortis and Legio Tempestus rivalry and Engine War was such a joy to to listen too, As well as all the fights taking place between the Adepts of the Mechanicum, it really painted the grisly picture of what was happening on Mars and how hard fought the campaign to claim the Mechanicum for Horus was. It certainly wasn't an easy fight

As for our adventurers, I won't give spoilers here, but I quite enjoyed Dalia's character, I thought her character arch was a good one and by the end of the book, I felt like she and her friends had come a long way, I hope to see more of them the future and hopefully more of Dalia in the Horus Heresy or the books that take place further down the timeline.

There was also a story of the House Taranis Knights on Mars that I really liked, It gave really interesting insight into how Knight and Titan Pilots view their machines and the bonds they make with them over their long years of working together, it was fun to have the Knights and Titan as their own characters, even if silent ones. The story of our Imperial Knights also intersects with Dalia and her crew of adventurers, I won't give spoilers, but I personally liked it a lot and I hope to see more of our Knight friends moving forward as well.

I consider this a must read in the Horus Heresy, mainly because it is the first book in the series I have come across that deals directly with the Mechanicum as the central entity and not the Space Marines, Imperium, or Expedition Fleets.

Better then I could have imagined.

I went into this book with low expectations because I was not big on the mechanicum now however I would consider it to be my favorite in the series so far. I found it to be a terrific story with relatable characters and a solid pace.

Great Book

Another great book in the Horus Heresy series. great voice acting and writing. it will keep you on the edge of your seat.