Gav Thorpe's Blog, page 20
June 23, 2016
The Art of Heresy – Interview with Neil Roberts
There are only so many times I can use the word awesome when it comes to Neil Roberts’ artwork, so to avoid repeating myself, I’ve asked the great man to speak for himself.
You can click on any of the images to see them in all their glory (apologies if the page is a bit slow to load, I’ve tried to keep the images as high-res as possible).
To see Neil’s other work, check out his website (www.skinnyelbows.com), or you can follow him on Twitter @SkinnyElbows. Limited edition prints and wallpapers of Neil’s artwork are available over at the Black Library website.
Gav: You’ve created covers for all but one of the Horus Heresy novels. Your art has become synonymous with the series, and I am sure the look on the shelves has contributed to its success. It must be quite rare as an illustrator to get the opportunity to create so many covers on one subject, how have you found the experience?
Thank you, I think the success of the books is obviously very much a team effort, but I am certainly pleased to play my part.
While it is quite rare for an illustrator to cover so many books in one series; in terms of brand continuity, uniqueness and consistency it does makes sense. Especially considering I was so green at the beginning of the series (I’d only done two non-Heresy covers prior) and, purely as an old-school fan-boy, I was just thrilled to be exploring the Horus Heresy. But throughout the whole series I’ve worked with a great team of people: the editors, designers, writers and everyone at Black Library/ Games Workshop.
Neil’s artwork for Deliverance Lost (Book 18 in The Horus Heresy)
Gav: At the start of the series most of the visuals were determined by concepts and art created for the Sabertooth collectable card game. In recent years Forge World have started creating miniatures based on the events of the 31st millennium. How have you dealt with the shifting reference materials and managed to keep a consistent style?
The great thing with working on these covers is the freedom we are given within the existing confines of the world.
I mean, working on any intellectual property has its restrictions, but if you know the rules and how to work with editors it can be extremely rewarding. Not least because you have a chance to progress the IP in some way. With Sabertooth the imagery was already there to build on and, since the success of the novels, Forge World are developing and expanding the setting even further.
What’s cool about miniatures being developed and released is that a lot of the initial thinking (with regards to the design of the characters) is done. I don’t need to concept so many variants of helmets, armour or symbols – because Forge World have done most of the heavy lifting. In many ways it’s freed me to concentrate on composition and overall feel of the covers.
Gav: The series has just passed ten years and is going strong. How do you think your approach has changed from that first cover?
Wow – ten years is a long time!
Personally, the first cover was very much intended as a statement of intent – literally, “this is my vision of the Horus Heresy”. Anything after that was a bonus. Luckily, that was ten years ago and we’re still going strong (but the end is coming…!)
Looking back I’ve noticed subtle shifts in style, uses of colours and choice of compositions as I’ve developed in technique and confidence.
Certainly now, more so than all those years ago, I feel far more confident in producing a piece of art that also functions as a cover.
Neil’s first artwork for the Horus Heresy – Horus Rising
Gav: Black Library offer a range of gallery prints based on your art, and I always see plenty of them doing the rounds at signings. You always have a queue to look at your portfolio. How cool is it to meet fans who like the covers as much as the words between them (sometimes more!)?
I love meeting all the good people who buy the posters, read the books and are generally passionate about the series. It vindicates all those long hours in the studio working on the covers. Also, how they respond to each piece – it’s always with passion and certainly never dull.
It’s always great to see familiar and new faces at the shows, as this series has been such a big part of peoples lives!
Gav: As an author I occasionally see the art briefs passed to the cover illustrators, and they can vary from very specific to quite broad. Regarding the Angels of Caliban cover, how much scope were you given?
With Angels of Caliban, the setting was broadly described – basically, a woodland on fire, whereas the Lion’s look was quite vague but with clear descriptions of his armour. Curze was based purely on the Forge World miniature. So that’s touching on all the things I mentioned – using pre-existing art as reference with some made-up stuff.
Having produced so many covers we often have a template of the book with the title, spine and blurb boxes already in place, so it’s a question of moving elements around to both fit the layout and satisfy the remit of the brief.
Neil’s original thumbnail sketch for Angels of Caliban (final artwork below)
Gav: Could you summarise the basic stages of getting a cover commissioned and finished?
So, the usual stages of producing any cover, albeit book or audio CD, are:
1) Receive a brief from the Commissioning Editor
2) Draw up a thumbnail to scale (taking into account cover design)
3) Get approval on the thumbnail (or revise, if necessary)
4) Sit down at my desk for 1 week, painting the final piece
5) Send off a work-in-progress image for interim approval
6) Revise again if necessary, finishing the painting (another week)
7) Email in the final piece
8) Send on the invoice and paperwork
…and then we do it all again for the next cover!
(that looks quite intense having written it down, it’s actually a lot more fun than it sounds!)
Gav: Were you aware of how excited fans would be for the first cover featuring the Lion, and how did you find it illustrating the Dark Angels Primarch for the first time?
If I’m honest, I wasn’t aware of the impact it would have, a lot of people have spoken to me about it and already dissected his look and his armour – I love that dedication to the Heresy. The Dark Angels are super-cool to draw, their aesthetic is so defined and unique and yet there’s always an interesting angle that can be found when designing them. They’re very cool. And the Lion? He’s so noble and dramatic, an artist’s dream.
Angels of Caliban Full Artwork by Neil Roberts
Gav: What other questions do folks ask at shows? What else have you worked on?
Well, I’ve done the covers for the ‘Path of…’ books – I love talking about those at shows, because I used to collect Eldar and I really get a chance to nerd out over them. I’ve worked on 2000AD, which has given me the chance to draw Judge Dredd, Sinister Dexter and Johnny Alpha amongst others. I’ve worked on video games. I’ve drawn Doctor Who for the BBC and robots for Battletech. I’ve sculpted miniatures for games companies.
Wait a minute, I’m just listing stuff now!
Oh, actually, there is one final thing – at shows people often ask me, “Oh, you draw the Horus Heresy covers? Cool! Which ones…?”
…and my answer is always “All of them”
(except one)
Still one of my favourite covers from Neil – artwork for Path of the Seer
A big thanks to Neil for taking the time to answer my questions. To see Neil’s other work, check out his website (www.skinnyelbows.com), or you can follow him on Twitter @SkinnyElbows. Limited edition prints and wallpapers of Neil’s artwork are available over at the Black Library website.
I’m going to publish an Angels of Caliban specific Q&A blog in a couple of weeks, after people have had a chance to read the book. If you have any questions, comments or observations, just get in touch. I’ll reply to you directly, and combine all responses into one blog post.
**To make sure you don’t miss out on any blog posts, you can keep up-to-date with everything Gav by signing up to my monthly newsletter. As a bonus, every other month I randomly pick a newsletter subscriber to receive a free signed copy of one of my books.**
June 21, 2016
Can’t Get Enough Dark Angels?
Angels of Caliban, my new Horus Heresy novel, went up for sale at Black Library on Saturday. If you’re waiting patiently for it to be delivered, or intend to pick it up when it hits the stores this coming Saturday, why not get in the mood by listening to these podcasts where I discuss the Dark Angels in some detail, amongst various other topics.
If you enjoy these podcasts, keep an eye on my social media accounts over the next week or so, as I have several interviews lined up to talk specifically about Angels of Caliban.
For even more background make sure you take a look at my ‘Story so Far’ blog post, for a quick(ish!) re-cap on events leading up to Angels of Caliban, and you can find out more about the actual story of Angels of Caliban in this blog post. There are lots of other resources for Angels of Caliban on my website, with more still to come, so check back regularly to make sure you don’t miss anything!
Listen to the interview with 40k Theories – June 2016
Listen to the interview with The Independent Chracters – June 2016
Listen to the interview with Combat Phase – February 2016
Listen to the interview with The Overlords – December 2014
I’m going to publish an Angels of Caliban specific Q&A blog in a couple of weeks, after people have had a chance to read the book. If you have any questions, comments or observations, just get in touch. I’ll reply to you directly, and combine all responses into one blog post.
**To make sure you don’t miss out on any blog posts, you can keep up-to-date with everything Gav by signing up to my monthly newsletter. As a bonus, every other month I randomly pick a newsletter subscriber to receive a free signed copy of one of my books.**
June 20, 2016
Age of Darkness – Hardback Release
In all the flurry for Angels of Caliban you may have missed that the hardback of Book 16 in The Horus Heresy series, the Age of Darkness anthology, was also released for online ordering on Saturday, and will be in shops this Saturday 25th June. It’s already available in eBook and mp3.
Age of Darkness contains my short story The Face of Treachery. You can watch a trailer for the book here.
Hardback: 978-1784964870
eBook: 978-0857871855
MP3: 978-0857871947
“After the betrayal at Isstvan, Horus begins his campaign against the Emperor, a galaxy-wide war that can lead only to Terra. But the road to the final confrontation between father and son is a long one – seven years filled with secrecy and silence, plans and foundations being formed across distant stars. An unknown history is about to be unveiled as light is shed on the darkest years of the Horus Heresy, and revelations will surface that will shake the Imperium to its very foundation…”
ABOUT AGE OF DARKNESS
The Isstvan massacres are over, and the Age of Darkness begins in these nine short stories:
Rules of Engagement by Graham McNeill
Liar’s Due by James Swallow
Forgotten Sons by Nick Kyme
The Last Remembrancer by John French
Rebirth by Chris Wraight
The Face of Treachery by Gav Thorpe
Little Horus by Dan Abnett
The Iron Within by Rob Sanders
Savage Weapons by Aaron Dembski-Bowden
**To make sure you don’t miss out on any blog posts, you can keep up-to-date with everything Gav by signing up to my monthly newsletter. As a bonus, every other month I randomly pick a newsletter subscriber to receive a free signed copy of one of my books.**
June 19, 2016
Angels of Caliban – Extract
If you’re still undecided whether to pick up my new Horus Heresy novel, Angels of Caliban, you can read a short extract below.
You can read the full extract over at the Black Library website in either ePub or mobi.
“The lord of the First Legion sat as he so often sat, leaning back in his ornate throne of ivory and obsidian. The chair was part of him, a relic of Caliban that kept him connected to his home world, but also a statement of continuity. Even here, aboard the battle-barge Honoured Deeds, the throne assured his subordinates, and the Lion himself, that all was in order and as the primarch intended. His elbows rested upon the throne’s sculpted arms, while his fingers were steepled before his face, just barely touching his lips. Unblinking eyes, the brutal green of Caliban’s forests, stared dead ahead, watched a flickering hololith depicting the Five Hundred Worlds.
The great realm of Ultramar. The Kingdom of Guilliman. Bastion of the East. The Outer Wall. There were names to spare for the confederacy of worlds created by Roboute Guilliman and his Ultramarines of the XIII Legion. Now it had another.
Imperium Secundus.
A second chance at mankind’s survival or an act of treachery that rivalled the rebellion of Horus? The Lion was still not sure, but he had sworn oaths upon his blade to act as its Lord Protector.
Sanguinius, the new emperor, the leader that Horus was meant to have been. A brother worthy of such oaths, perhaps the only one. The figurehead. If not for him, the Lion would have ended Imperium Secundus before it had begun as the act of heresy it could so easily have been.
Guilliman, the architect of the great project, statesman and administrator. The Lion could not argue against the achievements of Macragge’s son; they were unparalleled except by the Imperium itself, possessed of grand vision, attention to detail and relentless energy.
For all his qualities, Guilliman lacked the steel to wield the empire he had created. Too prone to diplomacy, too eager to compromise. Too pragmatic, on occasion. Of all the primarchs, only Guilliman could have conceived of Imperium Secundus, and made it happen in so short a time. In others, such planning might be seen as cynical, but Guilliman’s doctrine of the theoretical and the practical was an ideal, a principle he held dear.
Five Hundred Worlds. Lost among them was the Lion’s prey. Konrad Curze, the Night Haunter, another of his demigod brothers. A madman in a superhuman body. A present danger to everything that they hoped to achieve with Imperium Secundus.
More than that, the matter between Curze and the Lion had become personal the moment the Night Haunter had tried to kill him at Tsagualsa. The shame of losing the primarch on Macragge still gnawed at the Lion. Death and anarchy had followed. Humbled him before his brothers, shown up his weakness.
Somewhere in the Five Hundred Worlds, Curze hid. The Lion would find him. He had grown up hunting down the worst beasts Caliban had harboured, with nothing more than his guile and strength. This was no different.
This time he would not let the Night Haunter escape.”
I’m going to publish an Angels of Caliban specific Q&A blog in a couple of weeks, after people have had a chance to read the book. If you have any questions, comments or observations, just get in touch. I’ll reply to you directly, and combine all responses into one blog post.
**To make sure you don’t miss out on any blog posts, you can keep up-to-date with everything Gav by signing up to my monthly newsletter. As a bonus, every other month I randomly pick a newsletter subscriber to receive a free signed copy of one of my books.**
June 18, 2016
Angels of Caliban – Order Now!
You’ve been asking me for months when Angels of Caliban is being released, and today’s the day! It will hit the shops next Saturday 25th June, but you can order it now in hardback, eBook, and mp3, over on the Black Library website.
Hardback: 978-1784961404
eBook: 978-1785720789
MP3: 978-1785721304
“With the Dark Angels spread across a hundred systems, primarch Lion El’Jonson stands as Lord Protector of Ultramar – though his true motives are known to few indeed, and old rivalries on the home world threaten to tear the Legion in half. But when word comes of the Night Lords’ attack on Sotha, the Lion’s brutal actions bring Imperium Secundus once again to the brink of civil war. Not even the most fearsome warriors of the Dreadwing, nor any arcane secret of the Order, can guarantee victory if he sets himself against his loyal brothers.”
In case you missed it, this week I published the story so far, an overview of what you can expect from Angels of Caliban, and the music playlist I used while writing it.
In the next couple of weeks I’ll also be publishing my Author’s Notes, an interview with Neil Roberts about the artwork, and a writing advice post discussing writing series fiction, amongst others. I’ll also be doing an Angels of Caliban specific Q&A blog, so if you have any questions or comments once you’ve read the book, do get in touch!
**To make sure you don’t miss out on any blog posts, you can keep up-to-date with everything Gav by signing up to my monthly newsletter. As a bonus, every other month I randomly pick a newsletter subscriber to receive a free signed copy of one of my books.**
June 17, 2016
Gav On The Road – Games Workshop Oxford & Derby
I’m of an age where I talk to myself anyway, but to stop me doing so in public, come and chat with me when I visit Games Workshop Derby and Oxford. I’ll be signing copies of Angels of Caliban, but feel free to bring any of my other books if you want those signed too.
If I’m in the area, and have an hour of two free, I’m always happy to have an excuse to come to a GW store. If you’d like me to visit your local store, ask the store manager to get in touch.
**To make sure you don’t miss out on any blog posts, you can keep up-to-date with everything Gav by signing up to my monthly newsletter. As a bonus, every other month I randomly pick a newsletter subscriber to receive a free signed copy of one of my books.**
June 16, 2016
Toons of Caliban – My Music Playlist
As has become customary around the release of a new work, I present to you the playlist I had on my iTunes whilst I was writing Angels of Caliban.
If you want to really immerse yourself in Angels of Caliban, you might like to get this playlist set up before the book is available to order on Saturday. I can’t guarantee you’ll be listening to the same tracks at the same moments in the story, but the general vibe will be the same! You may also find it helpful during your own writing, if you need some inspiration (you can find all my published playlists here).
The main plot of Angels of Caliban is split between two locations – Macragge in the Five Hundred Worlds and the homeworld of the Dark Angels, titular Caliban. These necessitated two different approaches, with Caliban being more medieval and knightly and orchestral, the action and drama on Macragge more military sci-fi in tone.
The playlist includes my go-to action tracks like the Aliens, Mad Max and Dredd soundtracks. The intensity of Fury Road accounted for a lot of the first Dreadwing attack we see… I also wanted some more orchestral and introspective moments. Le Nom de le Rose is great for medieval gothic atmosphere, as is the original Nosferatu soundtrack (recommended to me many years ago by Marc Gascoigne – editors can be useful is so many ways!). Ironclad is an interesting step between the two, quite bombastic in places, more period-sounding in others.
The Batman soundtracks are very good for drama – not just action, but an undercurrent of conflict and hard percussion that lends tension to any scene. You can’t beat Verdi’s Messiah or The Ring Without Words (Wagner is always better without words!) for grand processionals and arching battle, nicely counterpointed with the more contemporary ‘heroics’ of Prince of Darkness and the Conan soundtrack.
Aliens: The Deluxe Edition, James Horner & London Symphony Orchestra
Conan the Barbarian, Basil Poledouris
The Dark Knight, Hans Zimmer & James Newton Howard
Dredd, Paul Leonard-Morgan
Ironclad, Lorne Balfe
Mad Max: Fury Road, Junkie XL
Percussion Power: Intense, Cinematic & Explosive, Tyler Lee Bates
Prince of Darkness, John Carpenter & Alan Howarth
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, James Horner
Vendetta – Position Music Orchestral Series Vol. 6, Jo Blankenburg
Amon: Divinus, City of the Fallen
Monastic Chant – 12th & 13th Century European Sacred Music, Theatre of Voices & Paul Hillier
Messa da Requiem, Giuseppe Verdi
The “Ring” Without Words, Richard Wagner performed by Berliner Philharmoniker & Lorin Maazel
Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horrors, James Bernard performed by The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra
You can also see this playlist on the iTunes store. As always I’d love to know if you’ve listened to this playlist while reading the book, and whether it’s added to your enjoyment of it. Let me know in the comments.
Enjoy!
I’m going to do an Angels of Caliban specific Q&A a couple of weeks after release, so if you have any questions about the music, or any other aspect of the book, just get in touch. I’ll reply to you directly, and then combine all the questions into a blog post.
**To make sure you don’t miss out on any blog posts, you can keep up-to-date with everything Gav by signing up to my monthly newsletter. As a bonus, every other month I randomly pick a newsletter subscriber to receive a free signed copy of one of my books.**
June 15, 2016
Interview with The Independent Characters – June ’16
You can hear me on the latest edition of The Independent Characters podcast, talking about Angels of Caliban, Dark Angels, and a smidgeon of other 40K related stuff.
Interview starts at 1:43:40
**To make sure you don’t miss out on any blog posts, you can keep up-to-date with everything Gav by signing up to my monthly newsletter. As a bonus, every other month I randomly pick a newsletter subscriber to receive a free signed copy of one of my books.**
June 14, 2016
Angels of Caliban – What’s It All About?
The Story of Angels of Caliban
“With the Dark Angels spread across a hundred systems, primarch Lion El’Jonson stands as Lord Protector of Ultramar – though his true motives are known to a few indeed, and old rivalries on the home world threaten to tear the Legion in half. But when word comes of the Night Lords’ attack on Sotha, the Lion’s brutal actions bring Imperium Secundus once again to the brink of civil war. Not even the most fearsome warriors of the Dreadwing, nor any arcane secret of the Order, can guarantee victory if he sets himself against his loyal brothers.”
That is, in marketing-industry-speak, the back cover ‘blurb’ for Angels of Caliban, the next instalment of the New York Times bestselling Horus Heresy series.
Which is all fine, but what does it all actually mean? What is the story told in Angels of Caliban? Well, read on and (without spoilers for the novel itself) I shall give you an idea of things to come…
(And if you want a re-cap on the story so far, read this blog post first). Keep an eye on my blog over the next week or so, as I’ll be publishing lots of other resources.
The Dark Angels in the Horus Heresy
My ambition for the Dark Angels since getting involved with their storyline has been to make them, and what happens to the Legion, relevant to the wider Horus Heresy. Like many Legions, both loyalist and traitor, their story impacts hugely on the ‘present’ of the 41st millennium but until the novel range there was nothing that implied they were anything more significant than some space marines that took part in the fighting and, for various reasons, missed out on the Siege of Terra.
From The Lion onwards (see the previous reading list!) I and other authors in the series have endeavoured to make the actions of the Lion, and those he abandons on Caliban, part of the ‘Big Story’. In Angels of Caliban all of the various threads come together to demonstrate why the Dark Angels, as much as the Blood Angels or White Scars or Sons of Horus, were pivotal to the way the war and the Siege of Terra played out.
Imperium Secundus
The first front dealt with in Angels of Caliban is the ongoing story of Imperium Secundus – the Five Hundred Worlds of Roboute Guilliman and the Ultramarines. Here we see exactly what it means for the Lion to be ‘Lord Protector’ of Ultramar, the general of its armies and the guardian of the Five Hundred World. Having turned his back on the prospect of defending Terra, the Lion puts all his effort and belief into sustaining the new Imperium, and is determined to counter any and all threats to its survival.
Unremembered Empire Artwork by Neil Roberts
The first task, as presented to those outside the Dark Angels, is to clear away the remnants of the Shadow Crusade of the Word Bearers and World Eaters. This is how the story opens, with the Dark Angels confronting the remains of a conquering force from the Legions of Lorgar and Angron.However, there is a different goal to the Lion’s military activities, as cover for his ongoing to search for the traitor Konrad Curze. The hunt for Night Haunter consumes the Lion but he has been thwarted at every turn.
When the beacon at Sotha is interrupted by a Night Lords attack, the Lion believes Curze must be responsible. He has been chasing shadows across Imperium Secundus when his prey has been hiding almost in plain sight all the time. He returns to Macragge, and discovers that Curze is not responsible for Sotha, but has made his presence felt again at the heart of Macragge Civitas, daring as much to confront Sanguinius himself.
Out of guilt and anger at what he perceives to be his own and Guilliman’s failings to protect the Imperator Regis, the Lion embarks on a campaign to eliminate all enemies from Macragge and drive Curze into the open, no matter how brutal the suppression has to become.
As you can see from the cover of the book, he is successful, in a way, bringing out the Night Haunter for their final confrontation. The cost is high though, and the Lion’s actions have weakened the already tenuous bonds between him and his brothers. Has too much damage already been suffered for Imperium Secundus to survive? What does the future hold when the lords of Ultramar face the truth of what they have done?
Caliban
While the Lion’s single-mindedness starts to break apart Imperium Secundus, the seeds of his earlier actions begin to grow into full rebellion on Caliban. Having virtually shamed and disowned his own liege-father, Luther, and stripped his lieutenants of their commands away from the home world, the Lion allows resentment and division to fester while he pursues other goals.
Fallen Angels Artwork by Neil Roberts
In the absence of the primarch, others vie to fill the power vacuum. Luther, Grand Master of the Order, sets about restoring the greatness of Caliban’s military. Astelan, Terran of the First legion, dedicated to the Emperor and no other, manoeuvres for power within the cabal of the Grand Master.The Librarian, Zahariel, is confronted by the truth of Caliban’s otherworldly nature and becomes a vessel for its liberation from not only Imperial oppression, but the bonds placed upon it by the Order and the mysterious Watchers in the Dark. Through the maelstrom of personalities and politics, the Lord Cypher, Guardian of Order, weaves his own plans to protect against the machinations of Chaos.
When transports dispatched by Paladin Corswain arrive to take thirty thousand Calibanite recruits to the war, internal divisions are brought to the fore and loyalties are tested to the full. With the power not only to rule the world at stake but once again to reach out to the stars, the politics of Caliban are forced to a dramatic and murderous conclusion that will change the fate of the galaxy…
I’m going to publish an Angels of Caliban specific Q&A blog in a couple of weeks, after people have had a chance to read the book. If you have any questions, comments or observations, just get in touch. I’ll reply to you directly, and combine all responses into one blog post.
**To make sure you don’t miss out on any blog posts, you can keep up-to-date with everything Gav by signing up to my monthly newsletter. As a bonus, every other month I randomly pick a newsletter subscriber to receive a free signed copy of one of my books.**
June 11, 2016
Angels of Caliban – The Story So Far (Spoilers!)
Well the news is out – Angels of Caliban will be released on 18th June! I’m going to be publishing various resources over the next few weeks, so keep an eye on the blog, or sign up to my newsletter, to make sure you don’t miss anything.
If you saw my earlier blog post about the novels and stories that lead in to the events of Angels of Caliban, you’ll have seen that quite a lot of threads come together in my latest Horus Heresy novel.
For those who don’t have a great memory or the time for a read-through, I have summarised here the most pertinent points from Descent of Angels, Fallen Angels, Savage Weapons, The Lion, Prince of Crows, Cypher: Guardian of Order, Master of the First, Unremembered Empire, By the Lion’s Command and (take a breath) Pharos.
HERE BE SPOILERS!
No seriously, there’s a few biggies in here and if you haven’t read the titles listed above you will find out significant plot points. You have been warned.
Get a brew on, this will take a while.
The Beginnings and the Order
The story of the Dark Angels in the Horus Heresy kicks off in Descent of Angels, in which we are introduced to the world of Caliban – a techno-medieval planet covered with monster-infested forests, guarded by the Order. We meet Zahariel and Numiel, two cousins who are members of the Order, as well as their superiors including Grand Master Luther and their demigod lord, Lion El’Jonson. Zahariel evidences odd powers and encounters the strange beings known as the Watchers in the Dark.
Over the course of the novel, the Order brings war to the last remaining opposition to their rule – the tainted Knights of Lupus from the Northwilds. The enemy are defeated and Caliban belongs to the Lion and Luther. Yet in victory is sown the seeds of the future. The corrupted lore of the Knights of Lupus is not destroyed, but taken back to Aldurukh, citadel of the Order, where Luther begins to study the dark works.
The purging of the monsters from the forests is completed and an uneasy peace settles on Caliban, but not for long. Warriors from the stars arrive, heralding contact with the nascent Imperium of Man and the Space Marines of the Emperor. The Lion’s nature as a Primarch is revealed and the greatest warriors of the Order are inducted into the ranks of the Dark Angels Space Marine Legion. Those young enough – including Nemiel and Zahariel – become space marines, while Luther and the older knights are given gene-enhancements and augmetics to recreate them as superhuman fighters. Zahariel is identified as a psyker and is inducted into the Librarium of the Dark Angels to harness and hone his powers under the tutelage of Chief Librarian Israfael.
This all occurs more than one hundred and fifty years before the start of the Horus Heresy!
The Dark Angels
The arrival of the Imperium spells massive changes for Caliban. The forests are flattened and huge arcologies are built to house the burgeoning populace as workers and administrators from Earth are brought in to help process Caliban into a fully compliant member of the Imperium. This is not wholeheartedly accepted by some Calibanites…
As part of the mighty Dark Angels legion, the Lion, Luther, Nemiel and Zahariel join the Great Crusade of the Emperor – a supposedly standard relief mission on the world of Sarosh. Things go awry following a plot by Chaos-corrupted Saroshi and their attempt to summon a daemon of the Dark Powers.
During the uncovering of the plot, there is an assassination attempt on the Lion, averted by Luther but only at the last moment. During the confrontation with the Saroshi dissidents, Zahariel comes face to face with the perils of the warp. At the conclusion of the fighting Zahariel, Luther and a number of other Dark Angels are sent back to Caliban – ostensibly to aid with the recruiting of more space marines but there seems to be a darker reason behind their exile.
During the Great Crusade (as depicted in Call of the Lion), Chapter Master Astelan, a Terran veteran, is joined by Belath, a Chapter leader from Caliban, on the orders of the Lion. The two clash over how to bring a world to compliance, and Astelan’s attempts to salvage a peaceful solution to an escalating conflict are sabotaged by Belath’s interference. Belath vows that the Lion will hear of Astelan’s ‘failures’ and we later learn that Astelan, like many Terran commanders, is subsequently side-lined from the crusade and sent to Caliban.
The story continues in Fallen Angels, where the Lion, Nemiel and remaining Dark Angels continue to prosecute the Great Crusade until the virus bombing of Isstvan III by Horus alerts the Primarch to the treachery of the Warmaster. On the world of Diamat a task force battles with traitors for possession of powerful siege weapons the Sons of Horus intend to use against loyalist forces sent against them.
Meanwhile, on Caliban, Zahariel rises to a position of power within the inner circle of Luther. Suspected Chaos followers amongst the Terran immigrants attempt a ritual that will unleash corruption on Caliban, from their lairs in the Northwilds arcology. The Order thwarts the plotting, but not before Zahariel comes into contact with the being known as the Ouroborus – a Chaotic entity connected to Caliban itself.
In the closing confrontation Israfael attempts to attack Luther, but Astelan intervenes and the Chief Librarian is fatally wounded. Later, Zahariel is injured during the fighting, but is brought back from the abyss of death and emerges from a coma eight months later with the realisation that the Terrans were trying to banish the Ouroboros not summon it.
On Diamat the Dark Angels are victorious and secure the weapons for the forces loyal to the Emperor. Unknowing of the treachery to come, the Lion transports these weapons to one of his brothers – the Primarch of the Iron Warriors, Perturabo. Soon enough these immense guns will be fired to open the attack that will go down in infamy as the Dropsite Massacre on Isstvan V, signalling the start of the Horus Heresy proper.
The Thramas Crusade
For two years following the events of Isstvan V, the Dark Angels and Night Lords legions contest across the Thramas sector and neighbouring regions. Konrad Curze, known as the Night Haunter, has been sent by Horus to occupy the Dark Angels while more forces have turned on the other Legions not present at the Dropsite Massacre. Though the Lion continually seeks decisive battle, the hit-and-run and terrorist tactics of the Night Lords bleed Thramas.
In Savage Weapons we meet Paladin Corswain, one of two warriors sent as escorts for the Lion on the desolate world of Tsagualsa, where the Primarch has met to parley with Night Haunter. It is, unsurprisingly, unsuccessful and the Lion attacks Curze. While the two duel Corswain and his companions fight against the infamous Sevatar of the Night Lords and his companion, Sheng. Corswain’s captain Alajos holds off the Night Lords, giving Corswain time to intervene in the fight between the demigods, burying his sword in the back of the Night Haunter. The Primarchs part, the two groups willing to retreat and continue the war on a grander scale.
And so the campaign continues, until we reach the events of The Lion, in which the Primarch learns of two forces – Iron Hands and Death Guard – battling for an old archeotech device from before the Age of Imperium. The Dark Angels leave Thramas to intervene, denying the object to both sides. While in transit they are trapped by a Night Lords ship, their Gellar fields depleted to leave them vulnerable to daemonic attack. In the midst of the hellish fighting Nemiel, now a Brother-Redemptor responsible for upholding the loyalty of the legion and the anti-psyker Edict of Nikaea, directly confronts the Lion’s authority and in a heated exchange the Primarch reacts with violence, striking down the recalcitrant Dark Angel.
Forcing a peace on the world of Perditus, the Lion fakes the destruction of the warp-engine known as Tuchulcha and takes it with him. Its origins unknown, the engine/creature is a powerful navigational tool that can flatten the warp and translate a fleet of ships directly from and into orbit. Using this, the Lion ambushes the Night Lords during Prince of Crows, shattering Night Haunter’s fleet. During the fighting Sevatar and a number of ranking Night Lords are captured, and Curze himself comes aboard the Lion’s flagship, the Invincible Reason but eludes captivity and takes refuge out in the maze of the lower decks.
To Ultramar!
During the latter stages of the Thramas Crusade, the Lion becomes aware of movement in the East, beyond the massive warp disturbances known as the Ruinstorm. Through scattered signals he receives an invitation from Roboute Guilliman of the Ultramarines, requesting his aid in the creation of a new line of defence against Horus’s dominance.
The Lion must decide whether to aid Guilliman – choosing to believe that the Emperor is lost and Earth cannot be saved – or to head to the Throneworld to fight against the inevitable attack of Horus’s forces. He chooses the former, yet not to support Guilliman but to prevent a treachery he believes as potentially threatening as that of Horus’s turn. He leaves Corswain with half of the remaining Legion and departs for the Five Hundred Worlds, using Tuchulcha to breach the ruinstorm.
Corswain is tasked with taking the fight to the traitors wherever possible, and to unite with Leman Russ of the Space Wolves if he can be found. Through various entanglements the Dark Angels contest with the elite Grave Wardens of Calas Typhon, a splinter of the Death Guard legion. Following several battles it becomes clear that the legion needs reinforcement. Opportunity presents itself at the world of ‘Terra Nullius’ when Corswain takes over a fleet of Imperial Army transports (By the Lion’s Command). He despatches them back to Caliban to fetch the recruits that Luther has been creating for several decades.
The Rise of Luther
While the Dark Angels legion has been fighting the Great Crusade and the Night Lords, Luther has been busy on Caliban. Isolated and abandoned, he and the other leaders including Zahariel and Astelan, start to think of independence for Caliban – and the restoration of the Order in place of the Dark Angels. Through Master of the First we see an attempted coup by forces loyal to the Lion, betrayed by Astelan in return for garnering favour from Luther to secure his place as a trusted counsellor. Poised between these forces is the mysterious Lord Cypher, a Calibanite trustee of the Order’s ancient traditions but also staunch opponent of Chaos. During a secret expedition into renewed activity at the runs of the Northwilds Arcology, Cypher: Guardian of Order sees the titular character and Zahariel come under attack from a resurgent Ouroboros. Cypher swiftly retreats, leaving Zahariel trapped in the collapsing arcology…
(Note – at some point we also have the events of Grey Angel by John French, in which operatives of Malcador the Sigilite attempt to infiltrate Caliban to discover where the loyalties of the Dark Angels lie – an infiltration that fails and from which the participants only escape through the aid of the Watchers in the Dark and an unidentified Dark Angel…)
Imperium Secundus
Events for the Lion come to a head in Unremembered Empire when the Primarch and thirty thousand of his Dark Angels arrive in the Five Hundred worlds, poised above the capital planet of Macragge. Unsure of Guilliman’s plans, the Lion prepares his warriors for assault should he think the Ultramarines are traitors. During his grand arrival, Night Haunter, carried to the Macragge in the darkest bowels of the Invincible Reason, manages to break the cordon and activates the drop cascades of the battleship to plummet to the world below – launching the whole assault in the process! Guilliman allows the drop to proceed at the last moment, but demands that the Lion is more forthcoming in his plans – a demand that the Lion blatantly ignores, feeding half-truth to his brother while the hunt for Curze continues.
Macragge Civitas is the scene for an epic battle between the Primarchs, including the rather unexpected arrival of Vulkan of the Salamanders, but the Night Haunter eventually evades death or capture. As the dust settles, yet more arrivals come to Macragge – Sanguinius and his Blood Angels, fresh from their battles against a horde of daemons on Baal Secundus.
With Sanguinius to unite them, the Lion and Roboute Guilliman are able to find a middle ground for command of Imperium Secundus. What the Lion came to destroy will now rely upon him for its survival.
The Night Lords and their Primarch are not quite done though, as we find out in Pharos. Independently of each other, a force of Night Lords attack the Pharos beacon on the world of Sotha while Curze returns to Macragge Civitas to waylay Sanguinius and confront his brother about the future. Sotha is saved from total destruction, but the beacon is damaged, perhaps permanently. Night Haunter again slips away into the shadows having sown doubts into the thoughts of the Emperor Regent, Sanguinius, and leaving behind further destruction and mayhem.
The Stage is Set…
Phew!
Thanks for sticking with me.
So there we have it. The Lion, Guilliman and Sanguinius have formed an uneasy alliance to rule Imperium Secundus, while Curze remains on the loose and the Pharos station that held the worlds together in the Ruinstorm has been almost destroyed.
On Caliban, Zahariel is missing, the Ouroboros resurgent, while factions form for control of the Order and, ultimately, to decide the fate of Caliban itself. Astelan and Lord Cypher vie for the ear of Luther, while the goals of the Grand Master himself remain known only to him.
All clear?
I’m going to publish an Angels of Caliban specific Q&A blog a couple of weeks after release, after people have had a chance to read the book. If you have any questions, comments or observations, just get in touch. I’ll reply to you directly, and combine all responses into one blog post.
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