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| Garro goes downstairs with a big hand. |
This book takes you through the open defection of the Death Guard at Isstvan III, as witnessed by Terran Death Guard and staunch loyalist Nathaniel Garro, and his subsequent attempt to bring the news of the Heresy to Terra, with the help of some of his still-loyal brothers and that motherfucker Iacton Qruze, the Half-Heard. While this isn't a 'scene-setting' book almost entirely about showing you the character and temperament of a legion, it does give you a bit of insight into the character of the Death Guard before they defected. There's a great (albeit brief) scene where we see that the Death Guard traditionally chug a 40 of mixed poisons in celebration of a victory - which, of course, their Astartes immune system neutralises very quickly, but not without discomfort. We also learn that Mortarion carries around globes of 'poisonous atmospheres' which he will sometimes 'sample (like) a fine wine'. Disgusting yet badass.
Of course, I don't feel like I know anywhere near the amount about them as the Night Lords, Sons Of Horus, Blood Angels, World Eaters etc... but the Death Guard are no longer just "The tough ones with a Grim Reaper for a Primarch, who - for some stupid fucking reason - chose Nurgle as their patron." I mean, is +1 Toughness worth it for your cock rotting off and your guts becoming an external organ...? But I now have a bit more character (and they really are tough). For one thing, there's a grime to this Legion that kind of foreshadows the muck and slime they'll soon be covered in when they all turn into Plaguemarines. Not exactly subtle, but cool. They also seem to have a keenness for trench warfare that one would think would be a little irrelevant by the 31st Millennium, but it's another fairly cool trait. Also, Mortarion - while not as unique and fascinating or exhaustively explored as some of the Primarchs - has some nice moments. Here's a quote:
"Praise from one's peers must be given when the moment is right. Without it, even the most steadfast man will eventually feel unvalued."
There was an edge of melancholy that flickered through the primarch's voice so quickly that Garro decided he had imagined it.
The Death Guard seem to be - like Iron Warriors - one of those 'stoic' legions who secretly feel they aren't getting enough recognition. As Horus preys on the insecurities of his brothers very well, it makes more sense to me now that Mortarion was corrupted pretty easily. Although I remember in my old Codex Chaos it implied he was corrupted because his entire legion was trapped in the Warp and got space-SARS, and he cut a deal with Nurgle to stop them from dying of plague (???). Anyway, we don't quite get as much as Mortarion and his Mortivations as I might like, but it's good to see him not just being a massive cardboard cutout of a glans just for plot's sake (koff koff THOUSAND SONS).
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| I knew I should have signed up with Slaanesh. |
Oh, we see Rogal Dorn as well, that gigantic golden asshole... but enough about him.
Swallow writes well. He's like a Graham McNeill with an even more terse, 'get to the point quickly' writing style, which suits the no-nonsense approach of the Death Guard. He also doesn't seem to fall into the McNeill trap of "Oh man, I guess I better have a load of non-combat scenes now where everyone talks about their feelings and thinks about the Primarch in order to build the plot, even though that's not my forte at all." I guess my main complaint is a common one with Horus Heresy books. As with previous entries in the HH series, (particularly 'Fulgrim') there are some JERKMARINES who very clearly have pencil moustaches and a lot of 'hair tonic' under their Terminator helms and are just itchin' to lay a hurtin' on their naive, trusting Loyalist brothers. Perhaps a little more ambiguity in the characterisation wouldn't hurt... the fuck am I saying? This is Horus Heresy... and Typhon IS a badass, for all my complaints...
All in all, Flight Of The Eisenstein is a great progression of the HH series. It does go over some scenes and events we've seen done before in the opening trilogy, but it adds dimension to them instead of providing eye-rolling repetition. (That came later.) It also gives some new events, including a tantalising look at Terra (still something I feel doesn't happen enough in the books, which is probably why I liked The Outcast Dead so much) and gives us a great, hard-ass character in Garro. The distinction may seem like a meaningless one, but it strikes me that Garro is a Space Marine, NOT an Adeptus Astartes. While he hasn't appeared much since in the book series, mainly preferring to keep it gangsta in eBook and audiobook form, I'm confident this isn't the last we'll see of him in print. It also nicely sets up Qruze's role in 'The Last Remembrancer' and beyond (he might be one of the only characters, save perhaps Lucius, who's got better since his Abnett debut).
I give 'Flight Of The Eisenstein' 7/10. It may rise to 8/10 in time, but reading this it's easy to see why people got so frustrated when the series lost momentum. The first four books, regardless of their relative merit, certainly didn't let up when it came to plotting.
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| Nathaniel Garro will return in 'Notapusy' |
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