Shattered Legions: The Horus Heresy, Book 43

Enjoyed most of the short stories that gave insight into the Iron Hands. Although there was not much on the lore of the Iron Tenth, their character and internal make up was interesting to follow.

Shattered Legions is a book best served with another book. If there was ever a slight need to get both the Black Library and Forge World version of things it is right here. These stories are good on their own and some of the characters are well fleshed out, for sure. However knowing the information in Horus Heresy Book Six Retribution will transform this book into one of your favorite short story collections in all of Warhammer. Truly good on it's own and AMAZING with additional material and context.

This a collection of short stories (Seventh Serpent is probably novella length) focusing on the Iron Hands after the Isstan V betrayal. The quality is mixed as you would expect, but I found the collection to be overall a good read.The Iron Hands are still handicapped by their training by the Gorgon. The treatment of the Immortals honestly makes me angry. What the Scars do to those who followed the Lodges, I get, but getting help means you have no honor?Meduson gets some prime time, sometimes in unexpected ways. Listen to your Raven ally, Iron Hands. Closes with a good look at the Sons.Glad I picked up.

Solid entry in the Horus Heresy series, but nothing groundbreaking in it from a story perspective and not a standout in writing either. Still worth the read for a fan.

Good book

husband loves these books

This is a collection of eleven (and not ten as advertised) short stories about the aftermath of the Isstvan V massacre and the efforts of the three shattered Legions of the Iron Hands, the Raven Guard and the Salamanders to regroup and to attempt to counter the progression of Horus and his traitorous Legions on Terra. The stories are from a range of authors with several (as Graham McNeill, Guy Haley and Chris Wraight) providing a couple each.As a matter of fact, it is the Iron Hands – and the warlord Meduson in particular – who occupies most of the stage, with Meduson having the foresight and will power to adapt and renounce the Iron Hands’ usual shock tactics that they can no longer afford. Instead, they adopt guerrilla warfare and hit and run tactics borrowed from the Raven Guard.As usual with collections of short stories, readers will prefer some titles over others. Interestingly, the collection is not only focused upon the “Shattered Legions”. It also includes a couple of stories where their enemies – the Alpha Legion and its cunning and deceiving Primarch but also Tybalt Marr (the Either), one of the Luna Wolves’ captains and the sworn enemy of Meduson.This last story is also an opportunity to meet the new Mournival following the Isstvan V massacre, including a certain Little Horus who has survived an assassination attempt that is the subject of Nemesis (book 13 of the Horus Heresy collection).Another merit of this collection is to span several years after Isstvan V and to give glimpses of what happened afterwards. In particular, the range of stories shows that the Imperials – whether shattered or not and despite being outnumbered – fought all the way and managed to delay, if not contain and hold back the rebels’ advance towards Terra, inflicting significant losses on them along the way and including some daring attempts to decapitate the Heresy’s leadership.Four strong stars for the whole collection.

No real spectacular stories in this book. The seventh serpent is good, but the rest are just kind of boring.