Shadows of Treachery

The Horus Heresy, Book 22

By: John French, Aaron Dembski-Bowden, Dan Abnett, Gav Thorpe, Graham McNeill

Narrated by: John Banks, Jonathan Keeble, David Timson

Length: 11 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's summary

From the battlefields of Phall and Isstvan to the haunted shadows of Terra itself - the greatest war in the history of mankind rages on.

While the traitor Legions continue their campaign of terror across the galaxy, preparations are made for the defence of the Imperial Palace and the final, inevitable reckoning that must yet come between Horus and the Emperor....

©2012 Games Workshop Limited (P)2016 Games Workshop Limited

A great anthology

The order of the stories only gets better. The plots all feel very important to the universe at large. The final two stories are hands-down the best.

Best anthology so far

I’m slogging my way through the HH in release order. This is the best anthology I’ve come across so far in the series. You’ll love it, ESPECIALLY if you like night lords and or imperial fists.

Great set of stories

I like all of the stories, though I felt like a few of the middle ones were to short. Until I realized how they all sort of meshed together and gave Illumination to previous books in the series. I specifically loved the last story with Sevatar, after listening to the Talos trilogy im so happy I got to hear something from his unique perspective

this book is worth it just for Sevatar

the rest of these stories are fine. but ADB rendition of the prince of crows is worth the money

Almost Perfect

This anthology collection is a standout among its peers, though not without is issues. The opening story , "The Crimson Fist" by John French is a bit of a chore to get through. The wooden dialogue and bizarre decision to flip between first and third-person perspectives make for a slow and jarring experience, but still manages to have its moments of quality during the more focused action sequences.

Coming off the heels of a rocky start, Graham McNeil sets the pace for the rest of the collection with "Dark King", a window into the fractured mind of Konrad Kurze and the enmity between the Night Lords and the Imperial Fists, a theme that serves as a through-line for the rest of the collection (with some Raven Guard to taste).

Dan Abnett and Gav Thorpe give a good showing with "The Lightning Tower" and "Raven's Flight" respectively. The former details Rogal Dorn's fortification of the Imperial Palace and further examines the rift between him and the Night Haunter, while the Latter sheds further light on the Plight of Corax and the Raven Guard on Istvaan V. After these, McNeil returns with a short prequel to his previous masterwork "Mechanicum" providing more on the origins of the Kaban Project for which it is named.

Shadows of Treachery goes out with two absolute bangers by Graham McNeil and the legend himself, Aaron Dembski-Bowden. The first, "Death of a Silversmith" is an intimate and tragic tale told from the perspective of a dying Remembrancer recalling the life that led to his end. The main event however, is ADB's triumph of a novella "Prince of Crows".

Bowden is well known for his fantastic work on the Night Lords and this is no exception. His portrayals of Sevatar and Kurze are positively dripping with personality and menace from start to finish. The use of dry and sinister humor to juxtapose the twisted brutality of the 8th Legion is brilliant and I cannot wait to continue their story in his later titles.

Overall this entry into the Heresy is a wonderful pallette cleanser after the disappointment that was "Fear to Tread" and shows off some of the best talents in the Black Library arsenal.

Great Read recommend

Gives the Night Lords a nice sense of character. good end to a great chapter of the story

Some hits, mostly misses

I am happy to see more of the night lords in here, particularly sevatar. Beyond that there are some full Imperial Fist stories. If you've read Deliverance Lost, you get to see the lead up to the rescue of the Raven guard so that was pretty neat and then there's a kind of precursor to the founding of the lodge.

Night Haunter

the last story was very good. we haven't heard anything about the Night Lords until now in the HH series.

In no particular order

2 novellas and 5 short stories. The Night Lord stories are very good (the Dark King and Prince of Crows). The Silversmith (Graham McNeill) is very intriguing. And the Lightning Tower by Dan Abnett can't be missed neither.

Love the Night Lords

fantastic story telling as always, loved the book and the insight into Sevatar and Konrad