Galaxy in Flames (3) (The Horus Heresy) Paperback – November 25, 2014

Shipping 4/5The packaged arrived earlier than expected. Bubble wrapped. The book itself had nothing protecting it from the other books inside the package.Condition 4/5More dents and wrinkles than the other books in the package but good enough.Print 5/5It looks goodOverall 4/5Worth the purchase

While I did not enjoy this as much as the first two books in the series, this third entry by author Ben Counter continued the very addictive epic story of the Warmaster Horus putting his plans in place to remove the Emperor from power. This was not as emotional or as atmospheric as the first two books. I really wanted a scene between Horus and Loken, where Horus would try and convince Loken to join him. The fact that Horus did not even try to sway him was disappointing and, frankly, not consistent with his character. However, this book is certainly a recommended read, but only after reading the first two in the series, "Horus Rising" and "False Gods". I look forward to the next book, "Flight of the Eisenstein", by James Swallow.

Came in excellent condition great read!!!!

this books is just mind blowing, for every fan of WH40K universe, this is a must have. describe so well the battles in Istvaan system that you almost can see the epic battle images. a book full of action, maybe a little lack of gore and butchery since Angron, Kharn and his fellas make some appearances, but its ok. was almost so good as the first one.some guy complains about was not well written, the dramatis personae, etc, etc. well, If I want to read Shakespeare, I will buy Shakespeare. this book is something like the action part of the other two. Horus Rising and False God set all the context for this one which in fact must be longer and cover more battles, butchery, etc, you know what I mean, in the past everybody ask how could be those battles on Istvaan where the ubber marines become traitors, where the now Chaos marines used to be loyalist, how could be wear a super power armor and be bombarded by Melta Lances, Toxic Bombs and all the paraphernalia that now is know as Exterminatus. just so exciting.and of course, prepares you for the next book and the continuity of the story but for me at least, makes a good parallel story where some of the loyalist marines of the traitors legions could survive, and even find his way out of the planet. of course they will not fall in chaos but they will not be stupid so, no back home and be slaughtered for the imperium. perfect fluff for a renegade chapter, but oh well, those are ideas that I'm cooking for my minis.the thing is, until now this is the second best book from the saga until I read (I'm a little late, I'm reading Legion), I just can't wait when BL release the book of the battle on Terra. =D

This work is the third book in the growing series telling the tale of the Horus Heresy, a pivotal historical event in Games Workshop's Warhammer 40K fictional universe. Most of the characters from the first two novels carry through to this one: Garviel Lorken and Tarik Torgaddon of the Sons of Horus, Saul Tarvitz of the Emperor's Children, Nathanial Garro of the Death Guard, and Kyril Sindermann the remembrancer. In addition, we get appearances by a number of primarchs and other dramatis personae recognizable from the tabletop game.I have been critical of Ben Counter's work in the past, which has been short on plot even though he typically writes good action scenes. However, in this work he surpasses his earlier efforts, providing excellent character interaction worthy of Abnett along with solid action sequences throughout. Instead of writing bad, difficult to believe "seduction by the Warp" scenes, which tripped up Graham McNeill in the second book, he presents much of it after the fact as loyalist characters question how it all could have gone so wrong so fast - and does it well.The plot focuses on the few individuals who resist the growing tide of corruption with the Crusade, and does a credible job continuing the outstanding development started by Dan Abnett in Horus Rising. Counter follows them through the battles and conflicts that he writes so well, but still does a surprisingly solid job at depicting the creep of injustice and tyranny through Horus' forces.The weakest portion of the book is the ending, which ham-handedly forces things into position for the next author in the series (Flight of the Eisenstein by James Swallow), as well as inducing a cliffhanger of sorts.In short: generally well written and entertaining throughout, it's well worth a read for any fan of 40K novels. As an added bonus, it took away the bad taste left in my mouth after finishing False Gods.

A soul rending Death of Heroes. The shear visceral brutality leading to an inevitable tragedy. Full of suspense, heroic last stands, and horrific moments of heart wrenching loss. This story of the Ultimate Betrayal hits home harder than the final coffin nail into a stone sarcophagus. Leaving a sick and empty echo in your heart, like the loss of a longtime lover.

It is here Horus' plan is revealed and the depths to which he will sink to save the galaxy from the Emperor's madness.

After Horus Rising and False Gods, the trilogy arrives at it's grim conclusion. The irrevocable betrayal is made clear and the betrayed must stand against it in the face of overwhelming force. So few surprises here in the overall shape of events but again it's in the character work where this tale truly shines.No mean feat given the ensemble of characters here. From stoic loyalists to the treacherously corrupted, from sainted seers to silent killers and all the points in-between you get a vivid slice of this world as it sinks into all-consuming darkness.It's a bad time to be a good guy in the Imperium and the author brings this to life very well as the noose tightens and the plot is made clear. Factions and personalities go to war with each other and it speaks to the impressive balancing act here that little of it feels under-done.Special mention to the last third of the tale here. As the last bitter battle unfolds, the evocative scenes of devastation matched up with the grim resolve of it's survivors makes for a great read. Everything is laid to waste and you can almost taste the grit in the dry heat of ground zero. Suffice to say I was hooked all the way up to the last page.So, a solid recommendation from me all said and a must-read highlight of the series. I'll be proceeding to the next one shortly.

The Horus Heresy really gets going in this third book of the series. In it we have the first of the major battles of the Warmaster's rebellion against the Emperor. It loses some of the subtlety and nuance of the first two books. They focused more on the corruption and seduction of chaos, even amongst the mighty space marines, but this is a more predictable affair, with a little less philosophy, but balanced with a lot more action.On the positive side it does feel like a 40k story, and the grim reality of the universe is captured well. Unfortunately it feels a bit simplistic, and is really a novel length show down between the various legions. Many of the big players of the rebellion are present, and you can see how they start to form the characters in the histories of the heresy.While it lacked some of the strengths of the first two books, it did create enough excitement for me to purchase the next three books, although I do hope that they return some of the depth lacking in this story.

This is a good follow-on from the previous book, fitting in with the style of "False Gods" very smoothly. The characterisations are maintained from the previous book and taken to their logical conclusion very well. The action scenes are well-written and the interactions between the characters are quite reasonable.As with the previous book there's an unfortunate lack of the kind of emotional impact which I thought would come easily to a story containing the type of plot elements that this one does, but some of the most profound scenes, such as the final stand-off between the Mournival are quite weak.Overall however I think this is a reasonable end to the first trilogy which moves on nicely from the second book, and contains some truly exciting action sequences.

As a Horus Heresy fan, I never tire of reading these fantastic books. The torturous birth of the Grimdark future brought to life by perfectly honed writing

Horus rising had the searing characterisation and scene-setting that Dan Abnett is rightly known for.False Gods had the nuanced plot that McNiell has shown to be his forté.However, you get the impression that, as pointed out in a previous comment, that Ben Counter was brought in too early. Yes, he handles action with the panache typical of Black Library releases, but in terms of plot and character development, he seems to be far outclassed by Abnet and McNeill. Yes, it probably didn't help that he had to work with already established characters, and yes, I dont think that this means that he is a better or worse author, but the difference in style between the first two books and the third is pretty jarring.And what's with the guy making the seemingly unilateral decision to change 'Istvaan' to 'Isstvan' ?