The Talon of Horus – First Edition

So this little darling gets released into the wild today, which makes today one of the scariest days in my life. Just when you think you’re used to your job, something like this comes along and throws you right back to the uneasy, eye-twitching madness that lurks on the border between hope and horror.

I’ve had three very specific questions about the First Edition, and about the story in general, which I’ll take a crack at answering now.

 

1. “What’s it about?” 

Good question. The Talon of Horus is the first of the Black Legion Series, and these are the characters that will – at Abaddon’s side – become the founders and ruling warlords of the Black Legion. It’s told from the point of view of Iskandar Khayon, the one Thousand Son in Ahriman’s cabal that tried to stop the Rubric. The first novel is set during the Legion Wars inside the Eye of Terror, when the Imperium has largely forgotten the Traitors, and as the Sons of Horus stand on the edge of extinction. Khayon and several warriors from various Legions come together to travel across the Eye of Terror for reasons I’m not telling you right now, and as you may well imagine, they cross paths with Abaddon in a place I’m also not telling you about yet.

Anything else would be spoilers, so… shush.

 

2. “If this is about Abaddon’s rise to power, why does he look like that on the cover?”

The narration is set in the Dark Millennium, at two minutes to midnight, so Abaddon does look like that when Khayon is telling his story. But seriously, it’s because he’s one of the major characters in a globally recognised IP and that’s just how marketing works. Plus, it makes for a breathtaking cover to start the series.

What, you wanted me to send that cover back? That’s funny. You’re a funny person.

 

3.  “What’s in it?”

 

The Author’s Note is only in the First Edition and it’s what you’d imagine: several pages of informal stuff about the process of writing this insane novel, and the chaos (little c) involved in this part of the lore. It was a crazy book to research, for really reals.


The Talon of Horus is, um, the book. Because of course.


There are four pieces of internal artwork - Paul Dainton’s interpretations of the main characters – all of which I actually have framed for my games room because I loved them so much. True story. You may recall me talking about artists’ interpretations of my characters before (in Point #3 of this post right here). These pieces pushed all the right buttons.

 

Extinction, Chosen of Chaos, and The Wonderworker are all short stories added to the First Edition.


Extinction was first published in a Games Day Anthology a few years ago, and was a slice of fiction showing how the Sons of Horus took their beatings in the Legion Wars – after the Horus Heresy but long before the First Black Crusade. It’s not part of the series, but it’s a related story and I thought it was a nice touch that they included that little curiosity.


Chosen of Chaos was first published as an eShort in Black Library’s advent calendar last year. It’s a flash forward for the series, showing Khayon, Abaddon, and several of the other characters a few centuries later. You’re safe, though. No spoilers involved.


The Wonderworker is where things get both more and less traditional. It’s set between The Talon of Horus and before the next novel, which will be called The Black Legion. It’s traditional in that sense: it’s a short story that bridges the gap between the first and second books. It’s a little less traditional in the fact it’s a special reward for the guys and girls that grab the First Edition – as far as I know, it won’t ever be printed again. With that in mind – much like when I wrote Aurelian – I wanted something interesting and worth the effort to get hold of, but nothing vital to the series’ narrative. If you miss it, you’re not going to be in the dark about anything. If you get hold of it, you’ll get a look at some of the fallout after the first book, an early glance at some new characters coming in the second novel, and see another step in the Black Legion’s ascension. It’s more of the story if you want more of it. No more, no less.

So, there you go.

If you want to pluck one of these lovely leatherbound beauties from the shelf, here’s the link. It goes live at 1pm GMT.

 

+ + + Thought for the Day: Imagine a movie trailer that begins with the words: “In a world of ninjas…” + + +