Garro: Knight of Grey

The Siege of Terra #Novella

by James Swallow

A Siege of Terra Novella

Nathaniel Garro, the loyalist who betrayed his father Mortarion to warn the Emperor of the horrors of Isstvan, is brought face to face with the hideously changed Primarch.

READ IT BECAUSE
It’s the conclusion of a story that began long ago in Flight of the Eisenstein. A loyalist son confronts his traitorous father.

THE STORY
As the epic battle for Terra rages and the future of mankind hangs in the balance, former Knight Errant Nathaniel Garro fights among the ashes and fire of the embattled Imperial Palace as the shadow of Horus Lupercal's triumph looms. From the brutal betrayal at Isstvan to the desperate flight of the Eisenstein, through his missions as Malcador the Sigillite's Agentia Primus, Garro's path has drawn him inexorably towards a destiny that can only end in bloodshed.

As he struggles to protect Euphrati Keeler, the first Saint of the Imperial Church, from the horrors of this titanic war, Garro must face his greatest enemy – his father, Mortarion, his former master, and the monstrous liege-lord of the traitorous Death Guard – in a final, shattering confrontation.

Genres: Science Fiction, 40k, Audiobook, Fiction, Novella, Action, Fantasy

144 pages, Hardcover

First published January 21, 2023

About the author

James Swallow is a New York Times, Sunday Times and Amazon #1 bestselling author and scriptwriter, a BAFTA nominee, a former journalist and the award-winning writer of over sixty-five books, along with scripts for video games, comics, radio and television.

DARK HORIZON, his latest stand-alone thriller, is out now from Mountain Leopard Press, and OUTLAW, the 6th action-packed Marc Dane novel, is published by Bonnier.

Along with the Marc Dane thrillers, his writing includes, the Sundowners steampunk Westerns and fiction from the worlds of Star Trek, Tom Clancy, 24, Warhammer 40000, Doctor Who, Deus Ex, Stargate, 2000AD and many more.

For information on new releases & more, sign up to the Readers’ Club here: www.bit.ly/JamesSwallow

Visit James's website at http://www.jswallow.com/ for more, including ROUGH AIR, a free eBook novella in the Marc Dane series.

You can also follow James on Bluesky at @jmswallow.bsky.social, Twitter at @jmswallow, Mastodon at @jmswallow@mstdn.social and jmswallow.tumblr.com at Tumblr.

Reviews

[Andy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mercifully short.

A total non-event of a novella, released 18 months too late, that reads like a cover version of the end of a far better novel.

[RatGrrrl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great stuff!

So very much better than the doldrums of the worst of the Siege, not quite ADB and The End and the Death so far, but still very good.

I think if I were completely honest, I would have wanted to feel a little more and have had my little heart broken, but that's me.

Very happy to have caught up with Nate, Jim, and Toby before the end!

[Jacob · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good story. A little short for my liking, for something that is by intention Garro’s last tale.

James Swallow writes another fantastic story that sits nicely as one front page story in a battle that is full of them.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Garro - The man, the myth, the legend

Spoilers - beware!

What can I say about a man in the 30th Millennium, far in the future who we have followed through fire and death, rebirth and something more, apart from this: his story will be remembered.

I found this novella to be one of my favourite parts of the whole Horus Heresy/ Siege of Terra stories. Having followed Nathaniel Garro from the early days of the Heresy, through his journey reaching Terra and his faith. Now to his end, I have loved every part of it. Garro's story arc has been a highlight of the journey of Heresy and Siege. The ending when it came was bittersweet. It was never going to end happily with everyone riding off into the sunset.

The way this novella did bring an ending, hit me hard. It was perfect. James Swallow you sir, are a genius and brought about the perfect ending for the first martyr. I will read this narrative for Garro again and again. It shall never be forgotten. Thank you.

[Rory OMullane · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really excellent send off for a character that became a mainstay throughout the Horus Heresy. The shorter format helped keep me engaged the whole time, with the focus of the story kept on Garro. Couldn't put this one down, especially throughout the entire second half.

[Ed Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fitting end to the Nathaniel Garro saga.

[Michael Dodd · Rating 4 out of 5]

An appropriate way to sign off on this arc for a character I’ve grown rather fond of. I don’t think it's exactly essential reading unless you really love this character arc, and it doesn’t offer up any big surprises or fundamentally change anything in the broader narrative of the Siege; if you haven’t particularly enjoyed this arc before then I don’t think it will change your opinion. Despite the short page count though, there’s plenty of little details and character moments here for Garro fans to enjoy.

[Stefan · Rating 4 out of 5]

3:5*, I think.
The final Garro story, and one in which the author does the character justice. It was maybe a bit slow, but enjoyed it overall.

[Gordon Ross · Rating 3 out of 5]

60 or so books into the Horus Heresy/Siege of Terra novel series and with the end firmly in sight each novel is forced to spin what feels like at least a dozen plates as it progresses or concludes a raft of tenuously linked storylines. James Swallow should be honoured, then, that his early-Heresy hero Nathaniel Garro is the one character to be granted his very own novella-length adventure just as the whole conflict is coming to a head.

Everything comes full circle for Garro here - including a reunion with his gene-father Mortarion and the obligatory flashbacks to fill in some of the blanks surrounding their pre-rebellion relationship. Euphrati Keeler, famously rescued from Mortarion's forces by Garro some 60 books ago, also plays a key role and the whole thing is as bleak, horrifying, believable and exciting as one could hope for. Difficult to recommend too highly for anyone not intimately familiar with the setting and much of the content from all those other books, and the story is kept relatively straightforward to fit the shorter page count. Swallow though, achieves everything he sets out to very capably and deserves recognition as one of the best writers to have contributed to the Heresy.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

James Swallow finishes what he started a decade and a half ago: the story of Death Guard Legionary Nathaniel Garro. It is perhaps only fitting that Swallow be the one to write the final chapter in this wonderful character's story.

Although brevity is a virtue rarely seen in the Horus Heresy series, I do feel that actually, this is one of the few stories that could have benefitted from being a little longer. At 126 pages, this one sits firmly in the novella bracket.

As one might expect, Nathaniel Garro is the protagonist. We follow his final hours alongside Euphrati Keeler, the living saint, another mainstay of the Horus Heresy series. As the cover artwork suggests, the main attraction of the book is Garro's showdown with his gene father, the fallen Primarch of the Death Guard Legion, Mortarion. Every word of this encounter is superbly written, a delight to read.

The author writes a short but very poignant afterword (in the hardcover version, at least) encapsulating his thoughts on the character Garro, and what his importance has been to his career and the entire Horus Heresy multimedia project.

A short, but powerful and very enjoyable novella, matching the impressive works by messrs Abnett and Dembski-Bowden in the Siege of Terra series for quality.

[Shaun Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an ending to a storied character's arc. Garro has been an important character in the Horus Heresy lore. You could easily argue that, had the events of the Flight of the Eisenstein not happened all those years ago, Horus' plot would have succeeded and the traitor legions would have marched on to an easy victory.

Indeed, it's easy to see why Garro became such a fan favorite character over the years, and while my time with him as been relatively recent during my last few reads, I have come to like him as well. He exemplifies everything "correct" about the ideal astartes, and it's hard not to root for him while he marches toward his inevitable fate as he challenges Mortarion to one final duel of blades and ideologies.

Is it a perfect ending for Garro? Debatable. Is it the only way it could have ended? Definitely.

[Horus Lupercal Online · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novella was excellent. It brings the storyline of one of the heroes of the Horus Heresy to a close, and it did so in a very satisfying way. I finished this book in one day, and I simply could not put it down. Not too long and not too short, for me it was simply a perfect read. I might even go so far as to say this one might have become one of my favorite tales from the Horus Heresy saga. Definitely well worth seeking out, that’s for sure :)

[Paul Sparks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good book. Left me with more questions than answers but that is a good thing

[Andrew Peel · Rating 4 out of 5]

There was no other way for Garro

[M.R. Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good book but even smaller than sons of the selenar and more expensive

I gave it 5 stars for the story but the price of 10.99 for 142 pages and only 123 pages are the actual story which leaves a sour taste in my mouth

They padded the end with fluff and an extract from another book

[Maria Ludwika · Rating 5 out of 5]

rip bozo, rest in piss, nathaniel garro, you won't be missed
gtfo of my siege of terra, I'll be fortnite dancing on your grave

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poor one out for my man Garro.

[Luke Costin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I skipped over this in the rush to get to The End and the Death and thought I’d go back to finish off all of the Siege books, honestly I don’t think I’d have missed anything by skipping this. It has some cool battle scenes and an interesting showdown at the end between Garro and Mortarion but I wasn’t blown away. If you love the character then it’s a fitting end, if you haven’t really kept up with Garro, you aren’t missing much

[Michael Knolla · Rating 1 out of 5]

These smaller novellas continue tying up loose ends and while Garro is not a Primarch like Magnus given how prominent he is pre-Siege feels equally strange to see him similarly categorized as such. Admittedly he was never a personal favorite but even so given the time invested makes this rush to provide closure still feels forced. The primary issue though is the best bits of that closure at best undermine the perspectives of “Warhawk” and at worst seem to actively contradict them.

[Anibal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hardcover Edition of this Novella features interior black-and-white illustrations by Mickail Savier, depicting the tenderness and friendship between Keeler and Garro, as well as the fight between Garro and Mortarion. The cover art is created by Neil Roberts.

This was undeniably a challenging book for Swallow to write. Since his initial contribution to the Horus Heresy series with "Flight of the Eisenstein" (2007), the author has been the primary contributor to the development of both Mortarion and Nathaniel Garro as fully-fledged, believable, and realistic characters. As the heresy reaches its final stages, this becomes a momentous event not only for the aforementioned characters but also for Euphrati Keeler.

Well-written and emotionally charged, Swallow presents another valuable moment in the Warhammer 30,000 lore, leaving enthusiasts discussing it for a long time.

Spoiler Alert:
Every story must reach an end, and this novella marks the final stretch of Garro's journey, the Grey Knight. Engaging in a desperate fight with Mortarion, achieving his goals, saving Keeler, encountering the Emperor, witnessing his faith well rewarded, and denying Mortarion of his body and soul – it's a powerful and exciting narrative. However, it is not without its continuity errors, which detract from an otherwise excellent tale.

This book is positioned after "Saturnine" and before "Warhawk." During the events in "Mortis," Keeler was in prison, released by Sindermann, and accompanied. Yet, after that book, Mortarion faces Jaghatai Khan! So, when does this novella take place? The characters were nowhere near the location in this book, and Keeler wouldn't be with the same companions. Gallor wasn't with Keeler when, "next," we see her with her army of faithful.

Another concern is the way Garro heavily injures Mortarion, mirroring exactly how Jaghatai Khan banishes him. While foreshadowing is understandable, this is too much, too obvious, and repetitive. Moreover, this novella was published after "Warhawk," despite being chronologically before it. It seems there was a lack of coordination between James Swallow and Chris Wraight when writing their fights with Mortarion. Coordinating such a massive endeavor as the Horus Heresy is undoubtedly challenging, but for the farewell of such a well-loved character, more attention to detail should have been given.


In conclusion, this is a must-read for Garro fans and those delving into the lore of the Imperial faith. James Swallow doesn't disappoint, although there are considerable issues that shouldn't have been overlooked.

[Rev · Rating 4 out of 5]

Garro:Knight of Grey is a powerful and more introspective addition to the Siege of Terra series, offering a deeply personal and philosophical exploration of Nathaniel Garro, the former Death Guard who has become a wandering knight of faith and duty. While Garro has been a prominent figure throughout the Horus Heresy, this novella serves as both a culmination and a reaffirmation of his journey from loyal Astartes to a man defined by his unshakable belief in the Emperor's vision. This story really stands out to me though for how it reframes Garro's character within the backdrop of the apocalyptic Siege of Terra. Here, Garro isn't just a warrior but a figure defined by his choices and convictions. We see him grappling with the nature of loyalty, faith, and purpose, especially as the walls of the Imperial Palace tremble under Warmaster Horus’s assault. Ultimately his path is a lonely one, stripped of his Legion, heraldry, and even of certainty, yet his determination is unwaveringly resolute. Furthermore Garro's interactions with both allies and enemies here are laced with a sense of weariness, but also with the clarity of someone who knows that his final fight transcends the simplicity of the battlefield—as it is for the soul of mankind itself. Additionally, the novella provides a rich sense of atmosphere as it tactically captures the desperation and chaos within the Siege of Terra whilst keeping its focus tight on Garro's personal odyssey. The battles are fierce, the stakes are high, but it is in the quieter, more introspective moments that the story truly shines with and prides itself on.

[George Swirsky · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fitting end to the journey for my favourite Heresy character. It is clear how much James cares about the character and wants to give him both a grand ending while staying true to Garro's modest and stoic personality, which he achieves magnificently.

I think all the characters are done justice and show the great weight the war is putting on everyone. Keeler showing that even her divine belief in hope can't falter. Mortarion despite wanting desperately to destroy Garro when he finally gets this opportunity has to face a much harder foe in his own mind than on the battlefield, which leaves him forever changed.

I will miss Garro dearly. At least he will likely be the only marine to ever truly kill a primarch even if the husk remains, yet no one will ever know, such is the way of his humble character

[Michael Botterill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Last weekend the latest Siege of Terra novella hit our desks, and this was the conclusion to the story of Garro, a fan favourite character first introduced in The Flight of the Eisenstein by James Swallow, and whose adventures continued in a well received series of audio dramas and the occasional appearance in the main and Siege of Terra series.

This book has been long awaited and brings a conclusion to his story, again written by the man who started his story, Jame Swallow, and this book doesn’t disaapoint!

Garros stories are ones I have always looked forward to, and I have been desperately waiting for this story, and it didn’t disappoint, it is a tad slow, and the book is rather short, but when it kicks off, it really goes all out.

I am gonna be honest, I think the publication timing didn’t work, and it really should have come out prior to Warhawk, as it did remove some of the tension knowing what happened in that story.

But this was a very appropriate end to Garro’s story, but it was a bit too short for the price, and I really think, it was priced a bit too hight especially the audio version.

I also would have loved for this to have been an audio drama, but in the afterword, James does explain why it didn’t happen that way.

The ending hits hard, and I really think that you ought to read this story if you have been following along with his story.

[Zare · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great conclusion of Garro's storyline.

Always loyal to the throne, always ready to do what is required, Nathaniel Garro, dismissed from the Malcadore's service, is roaming the battlefields of Terra and assisting where required. Suddenly he comes across the information that will put him in the direct path of his old Legion and his Primarch, now Chaos Daemon waging terrible war of destruction on one of the directions towards Emperor's Palace on Terra.

I wont say anything more to avoid spoilers. I will just say that all characters are wonderfully portrayed, and our hero, Garro, gets the conclusion on par with great heroic epics.

Excellent novella, highly recommended to all fans of Horus Heresy story arc and of W40K in general.

[TR4XY · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The God-Emperor knew his name"

Not much to say about this one. It somewhat satisfyingly concludes the story Nathaniel Garro and although it is short, it's good. The writing is not great, but not terrible. Swallow keeps true to himself and does Garro's character justice. I just wish he was more involved in Siege of Terra as a whole with the way his journey was set up. It's also dissapointing that we didn't see the Seventy Astartes in action at all. That seemed like an abandoned plot point.

All things considered, the final fight between Garro and Mortarion is as epic as it should be and I definitely recommend reading this if you followed Garro's journey through the Heresy.

[Vexation · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I have complained in the past about the use of filler material and repetitive themes in the HH / SoT series, I think this book truly serves the classic admonition of "be careful what you ask for, you might get it", as it is terribly bare-bones and short. Two mugs of coffee short, with a very predictable set of events chapters unfolding.

Granted, the hero needed a dramatic end to his journeym and the death at the hands of his gene-father is paid proper fan service, but getting 100 pages of unimaginative story for the price of a good hardback, well, bleh.

[Brannon Hughes · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this was a necessary end for the Garro story and not a bad one at that. Still, I wish it was longer, mostly because I think the characterization could have used more work. I think also I would have appreciated a little more on the rivalry between Garro and the Lord of the Flies, that whole section felt a little underdeveloped . Still, all in all I liked it and I liked what there was of Euphrati Keeler a lot. Overall a serviceable conclusion and I'm glad it was by the same author as Flight of the Eisenstein.

[AA_Logan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perhaps published out-of-sync, and therefore lessening it’s impact, Knight of Grey is still a worthwhile read. Garro has previously been served really well by audio dramas, and this feels like it had it’s origins in that format- it’s a shame that BL have pivoted away from these.

This novella is snappy, well-paced and has some cracking duels and wraps up one of the Heresy’s longest-running arcs quite nicely.

[Panzerkatzee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the book's content. Yet it is a bit... dissatisfying, as it does not feel like you get your money's worth. This story should have been a part of Warhawk (if it had been written by Swallow, which it hasn't... sadly..) Or it should at least have been referenced in Warhawk. As it is such a crucial piece of the puzzle, but feels a bit.. pushed aside.

Still an amazing Death Guard novel and a very fitting end to Garro! So don't be deterred from reading it on my account~

[M O · Rating 4 out of 5]

Look at how they massacred my boy 😭 The first of the loose ends gets tied up as the goodest of boys takes on Mortarion and brings to a close their epic journeys which took us through the corruption of the Death Guard and showed hints at the founding of the Grey Knights. Strange that this wasn't released before Warhawk but a fitting end. Ave Nathaniel. You were of purpose. 🫡