John French

On a distant world of the Imperium, an agent of Rogal Dorn finds himself the prisoner of a Legion whose loyalties may be divided. Shackled and bound, the former Luna Wolf must fight a battle of wits with his captor, lest the course of the Horus Heresy take an unexpected turn. Will his very presence drive his erstwhile allies into the arms of the Warmaster or will maintaining the status quo prevent another Legion from turning traitor? And just who is the mysterious Space Marine aiding him from the shadows? A Horus Heresy audio drama written by John French. Performed by John Banks, Toby Longworth and Ramon Tikaram. Running time approx 35 mins.

In the immediate aftermath of the Iron Warriors' attack, the loyalist forces on Tallarn mount a desperate mission to locate the last surviving astropath on the planet, so that they can send a distress call to the rest of the Imperium. Read it because It's a tense, desperate mission that shows another (somewhat less tank-y) side to the war for Tallarn.

As the Warmaster's campaign of galactic domination continues, his generals seek out fresh battlefields to conquer. After leaving the Crone World of Iydris behind, Perturabo strikes for Tallarn. A bitter, vengeful primarch, the lord of the Iron Warriors unleashes a deadly bombardment against the world, killing millions but entrenching the survivors. A brutal, all-consuming armoured conflict ensues, the greatest of the war, and one that grinds down all combatants over more than a year of relentless battles. But Perturabo's reasons for the attack are about more than unleashing punitive destruction against the Imperium - he has an entirely darker purpose in mind. The contents of this novel were previously published separately as the novella Tallarn: Executioner, the novel Tallarn: Ironclad, and the short stories 'Tallarn: Siren' and 'Tallarn: Witness'.

After a long and grueling conflict, the traitors at last close upon Terra. But time is dwindling for an attack. Both Guilliman and the Lion are returning with all haste, and their armies could turn the tide. The hosts of the Warmaster must unite, for only then can they attack the Throneworld itself. While Mortarion is sent on ahead as the fleet’s vanguard, it falls to Lorgar and Perturabo to marshal Fulgrim and Angron, both now elevated to daemonhood and perhaps beyond even the will of the Warmaster to command. But Horus lies wounded and as the greatest battle the galaxy has ever know looms, it is up to Maloghurst to hold his fractious Legion together and to wrench Horus himself from the edge of oblivion.

As one of the Imperium's many staging grounds for the forces serving in the Great Crusade, the verdant world of Tallarn has long served as a transfer point for vast numbers of military personnel and their war machines. Now, destroyed by a deadly virus-bomb attack launched by the battered Iron Warriors fleet, the entire world is reduced to a toxic wasteland where the survivors must fight to defend what little remains of their home. The remnants of the once mighty Jurnian 701st armoured regiment emerge from their underground shelters, and the opening movements of the Battle of Tallarn begin...

Becalmed in the backwater Phall system, the Imperial Fists’ relief fleet originally headed for Isstvan III has been waiting out the warp storms that waylaid them so many months ago. Under the assumed command of Captain Alexis Polux and seemingly forgotten by the rest of the Imperium, they hope yet to complete their mission and report back to their primarch Rogal Dorn, so that they might return to the greater conflict. But destiny calls as old rivalries are rekindled, and the treacherous Iron Warriors await their moment to strike – the feud between Dorn and his wayward brother Perturabo promises now to erupt into open war. Read it because It pits the Imperial Fists against the Iron Warriors – and that's always a classic match-up that guarantees a brutal and bloody fight to the finish.

A Primarchs anthologyThe primarchs, nigh-immortal sons of the Emperor of Mankind, are laid bare in a series of short stories that showcase great deeds and hideous acts they performed, from the Great Crusade and the Horus Heresy.READ IT BECAUSEWhether you see them as heroes, villains or victims of the Emperor's machinations, these tales will give you new perspective on a host of primarchs, including Angron, Vulkan, Magnus the Red and Horus himself.DESCRIPTIONFrom their shadowed origins to the desperate battles that ensued when half of them rebelled against their father, the Sons of the Emperor – the vaunted primarchs – were among the greatest of humanity's champions, warriors without peer and heroes whose deeds became legend. From the Angel Sanguinius, who took the sole brunt of his Legion's most brutal acts, to Vulkan, whose humanity made him unique amongst his brothers, and from dour Perturabo, architect, inventor and murderous warlord, to Horus, whose shining light was eclipsed only by the darkness that grew within his soul, this anthology covers eight of the primarchs and their greatest – or darkest – deeds.CONTENTS The Passing of Angels by John French The Abyssal Edge by Aaron Dembski-Bowden Mercy of the Dragon by Nick Kyme Shadow of the Past by Gav Thorpe The Emperor’s Architect by Guy Haley Prince of Blood by L J Goulding The Ancient Awaits by Graham McNeill Misbegotten by Dan Abnett

A Horus Heresy Character Series novel Sigismund, First Captain... Emperor's Champion. The Eternal Crusader! The founder of the Black Templars was many things, and this novel brings him to life as never before. READ IT BECAUSE Get a rare glimpse into the mortal life of one of the greatest champions of the Space Marines, before they were recruited. Sigismund’s beliefs would light a fire that still rages 10,000 years later. THE STORY The Great Crusade is ending. The Emperor has returned to Terra, while Horus remains among the stars to complete the unification of humanity. As the Imperial armies fight the final battles of the age, Remembrancer Solomon Voss seeks the answer to one question: why does Sigismund, First Captain of the Imperial Fists and greatest champion of the Legions, believe that war will not end? Granted a rare audience with the master of the Templars, the answer takes Voss on a revelatory journey to a time before Sigismund became a Space Marine, through his first battles and oaths, to the bitterest duels between Legions.

An Inquisition audio drama. When a mission goes badly wrong, Inquisitorial agent Ianthe and her associates are forced into an alliance with a dangerous and unscrupulous figure that could have dire consequences for them all. Listen to it because: It's the third act in John French's Scribe award-winning audio drama series, and it sees Ianthe make her most difficult decisions yet, in the name of her mission and her Inquisitorial masters. The story: Subterfuge and compromise walk hand in hand for an agent of the Throne. On the blighted world of Dustcorn, an assault on an Inquisitorial target goes badly awry, forcing Ianthe and her associates into a pact with an unscrupulous ally, the mysterious Zand. With her mission in tatters, Ianthe has little choice but to agree to Zand's terms, the assassination of a perfidious traitor. But nothing is simple where Zand is concerned, and Ianthe soon finds herself in a situation that will have far-reaching consequences for her and her team. Written by John French. Running time 74 minutes. Performed by Beth Chalmers, Cliff Chapman, Steve Conlin, Gesella Ohaka, Colleen Prendergast & Richard Reed.

THE STORY As an agent of the Throne, former soldier Ianthe serves Inquisitor Covenant and faces some of the most dangerous and insidious threats the galaxy has to offer. On the hunt for the rogue psyker Silas Norn, Ianthe and her associates run afoul of the Imperial authorities and are imprisoned. Norn too is captured and incarcerated, but with the ability to manipulate the minds of his victims he is far from easy quarry. To stop him, Ianthe must not only find him, she must overcome the buried ghosts of her hidden past.

For Ianthe, war is all too familiar. A former soldier in the Astra Militarum, she now serves Inquisitor Covenant as an agent of the Throne. Her first mission sees her investigating a cult called the Children of Eternity. Falling foul of the local Enforcers, Ianthe soon learns that war in the shadows is seldom straightforward and that the local, angry law-keepers are the least of her troubles.

As the first assault on the Solar System begins, the strength of the Imperial Fists and the seemingly impregnable fastness they have built is tested at last… Recalled from the Great Crusade after Ullanor, Rogal Dorn and the VIIth Legion were appointed as the Emperor’s praetorians – but only after the Warmaster’s treachery was revealed did the full extent of that sacred duty become apparent. Now, the Solar System comes under attack for the first time since the war began, and many of the seemingly impregnable defences wrought by the Imperial Fists prove inadequate. With all eyes fixed firmly upon this new threat beyond the gates of Terra, who in turn will protect Dorn from the enemy within? At last, Rogal Dorn and the VII Legion take centre stage in a Horus Heresy novel! And it's a doozy, as the assault on the Solar System begins. Or does it?

Siege of Terra Book 1 After years of devastating war, Horus and his forces have arrived at Terra. But before they can set foot on the Throneworld, they must first break the defences of the Sol System. Powerful fleets and cunning defences bar their path – but can anything hope to halt the advance of the Traitor armada? READ IT BECAUSE The final act of the long-running, bestselling series starts here, with a brutal and uncompromising look at the first stage of the Siege of Terra, the war to conquer the solar system. Armies will fall, heroes will rise and legends will be written… THE STORY After seven years of bitter war, the end has come at last for the conflict known infamously as the Horus Heresy. Terra now lies within the Warmaster’s sights, the Throneworld and the seat of his father’s rule. Horus’ desire is nothing less than the death of the Emperor of Mankind and the utter subjugation of the Imperium. He has become the ascendant vessel of Chaos, and amassed a terrible army with which to enact his will and vengeance. But the way to the Throne will be hard as the primarch Rogal Dorn, the Praetorian and protector of Terra, marshals the defences. First and foremost, Horus must challenge the might of the Sol System itself and the many fleets and bulwarks arrayed there. To gain even a foothold on Terran soil, he must first contend the Solar War. Thus the first stage of the greatest conflict in the history of all mankind begins.

A Cado Ezechiar Novel In his first full-length novel, the vampiric anti-hero Cado Ezechiar finds himself caught in a web of war and deceit in the city of Aventhis. READ IT BECAUSE The cold-hearted Cado Ezechiar is obsessed with revenge and keeping to his strict moral code – can he stay true to himself and avenge those who he has lost? THE STORY Cado Ezechiar is a wanderer who has outlived the memory of the age that made him. A Soulblight vampire who accepted the curse as his people and kingdom fell to Chaos, he now roams the Realm of Death and beyond seeking retribution and salvation for the ones he failed. Aided by the bound spirits of those he lost, Cado follows a path of revenge, hunting the servants of Chaos to slake his need for blood while seeking the Sorcerer of Change who destroyed his kingdom. When his hunt leads him to the free city of Aventhis, Cado becomes caught up in the machinations of greater powers – beings who see the city and its people as dust in the eyes of ambitious gods. Torn between his code of honour and his desire for vengeance, Cado must navigate a web of war and deceit, or lose everything.

A Primarchs storyWhen a non-compliant world unleashes heinous weapons, it falls to Sanguinius and his Destroyer Host to bring the planet into compliance – by any means necessary. READ IT BECAUSEIt's an insight into how the Blood Angels view the hideous acts they must perform in the name of the Imperium, and a look at the lengths to which Sanguinius will go to protect his sons.THE STORYWhen a world resistant to the nascent Imperium of Man unleashes weapons of heinous and proscribed provenance, it falls to the Blood Angels to bring the planet to compliance. Forced to fight fire with fire, Sanguinius gathers the Legion's Destroyer Host and their deadliest weapons. As his sons wage war behind their death masks, able to leave the taint of their bloody deeds behind them, Sanguinius alone must bear the burden of the souls he has reaped.This story is also available in the Sons of the Emperor anthology.

Printed in the Black Library's Horus Heresy Weekender 2013.

Across the war-torn galaxy, those sworn to Horus’s cause shake the Imperium to its very foundations. Before the traitors’ relentless onslaught, the wisdom of ages past is lost and forgotten, daemons hide amongst the common people and the warp’s corrupting influence can be seen in almost every facet of the Heresy. For those who would become champions of the new order, there can surely be no redemption – only an eternity of carnage and slaughter, and the laughter of thirsting gods... Blades of the Traitor brings you five epic, action-packed tales that drive the Horus Heresy forward. Discover what the Warmaster’s allies are up to as they prepare to march on Terra: sacrifices in the bowels of Molech’s Enlightenment, Legion Navigators delving through the very Eye of Terror and horrific experiments in dark, secret labs. In this collection Daemonology by Chris Wraight Black Oculus by John French Twisted by Guy Haley Chirurgeon by Nick Kyme Wolf Mother by Graham McNeill

After a somewhat unexpected Imperial victory against the Iron Warriors upon the dead wastes of Tallarn, the world's new governor-militant Susada Syn takes to the battlefield. With the wreckage of a million tanks and war machines spread across the planetary surface, Syn and his allies in the Space Marine Legions and Imperial Army survey the carnage, and consider the price that they have paid in blood... Read it because We hardly ever get a look at the very end of war. I mean the very end, after everyone has packed up and gone home. Witness gives us a Titans-eye view of the total warped Titans, corroded tanks, and a sea of twisted metal. And this scene couldn't be more moving.

In a secret fortress on the dark side of Titan, Rogal Dorn and Iacton Qruze meet with a prisoner. That prisoner has a tale to tell, of heroes and monsters, of honour and treachery, of life and death. He has stood at the side of the Warmaster himself, and he has a message for the Imperial Fists primarch. But can he be trusted? And can he be allowed to live? Rogal Dorn must decide the fate of the last remembrancer. Read it because This is where the dream of Imperial Truth ends. Rogal Dorn and Iacton Qruze are forced to confront the truth that Horus is coming, and he has a plan...

As one of the vaunted Crusader Host, Brother Crius stood as the representative of the X Legion upon the soil of Holy Terra, but when he learns of the death of his beloved primarch Ferrus Manus at the hands of the traitors, his stoic, mechanical grief imbues him with the strength and resolve to undertake a special mission on behalf of Rogal Dorn himself. Striking out into the stars, he searches for any signs of his lost Iron Hands brethren, hoping to bring them back to Terra to aid in the final defence of the Palace. The question remains, just who has survived the slaughter on Isstvan V, and what yet remains of them? Read it because It gives a glimpse into the competing ideologies of a Legion struggling to come to terms with its defeat at Isstvan and the death of their wrathful primarch. Now more than ever, some within the Iron Hands fall back upon their Legion "The Flesh is Weak".

Sigismund, First Captain of the Imperial Fists features in this Horus Heresy audio drama Sigismund, First Captain of the Imperial Fists, is swordsman whose skill with a blade is renowned throughout the Imperium. Once a peerless duellist and champion of Rogal Dorn, he has of late earned his primarch's ire and seeks to atone. With treacherous Word Bearers abandoned by their brethren upon a comet-shrine within the Solar System itself, Sigismund calls his warriors to arms - such heretics cannot be allowed to remain upon the doorstep of holy Terra, while the Heresy rages across the galaxy...

The battle for Tallarn rages between the traitor Iron Warriors and the Imperial Army. A carpet of armour covers the surface of the toxic planet: Dreadnoughts versus tanks versus Titans. But what secret purpose drives the Iron Warriors onwards to war? This is the biggest armoured conflict in galactic history – there’s a million tanks! However, no one can leave the safety of their claustrophobic war machines for fear of melting into a toxic puddle. While this story supplies plenty of action, what brings the entire might of the Iron Warriors to battle is much more intriguing. Tallarn: Ironclad is presented as a luxurious hardback in a glossy wrap-around jacket. The cover is beautifully embossed with Slaaneshi daemonettes. Included in the pages are unique before-and-after schematics of the doomed world of Tallarn. This edition is signed by the author John French and is individually numbered from a print run of 3,000. It’s a must-have for any Horus Heresy fan.