Review: Scorched Earth by Nick Kyme

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Title Scorched Earth
Author Nick Kyme
Year 2013
Stand Alone or Series Horus Heresy 
Pages 123
Reading Time 27/07/2015

 Synopsis
Nearly a quarter of a million loyal Space Marines lost their lives on Isstvan V – the Dropsite Massacre lasted only a few hours, and yet the Iron Hands, Raven Guard and Salamanders were slaughtered by those they had once called kin. With the disappearance of their primarch weighing heavily upon their hearts, Ra'stan and Usabius of the XVIIIth Legion leave behind their fellow survivors and strike out into the Urgall Depression. Their mission: to find what, if anything, remains of mighty Vulkan... 

 Review
This is a incomplete book. Bear in mind that if you don't have Vulkan Lives, this book will make you feel cheated for paying 30 or 4

0€ for it. I'm talking the limited edition novella.

 Why? Let's start from the beginning.
This book we follow a group of survivors after the Isstvan - Salamanders, Raven Guard and Iron Hands.

 This book is very dark. Basically it's how space marines deal with PostTraumatic Stress Dysorder. After all, almost all of their brothers were killed, their primarchs either dead or missing. Bear in mind thar Ferrus Manus was killed by Fulgrim and Corax and Vulkan were missing.

So, we've got a bunch of space marines (three and/or four) who are trying to regroup and then search for Vulkan. The story ends and we are left with an incomplete story. For what I know (I haven't read it yet) Vulkan Lives continues this story (and at the same time the HH Novel Fulgrim).

 To me a dissapointing reading because I paid a lot of money for this novella and it felt incompleted. 
It's a self containted novel? 
Yes. Is it an interesting worthwhile novel? 
No. Is it worth the money of the Premium edition?
No way.

 But not all things are bad. The lack of hope that envelops everyone, the bleak place they are in. Ah the landscape... perfect. 
BUT it all ends with the same question.. Is it worth 35€? 
No. Not even with the art inside. Not even the beautiful cover. Sorry.

Comments

Anonymous said…
It's a terrible story all around, very inconsistent with established lore. For instance, at the time of Istvaan the traitors weren't outright worshiping chaos yet. Despite that, the author makes mention of piles of skulls and feelings of rage looking at it. He describes the sons of Horus as having spiked armor and crucifying a Raven Guard on an 8-point cross. It makes zero sense. Ra'stan trying not to dwell on the gore on his vambrace also isn't something an Astartes, certainly not a captain, would dwell on. I feel like the author was entirely too desperate to saturate the story in Peril and despair. This is one of the only stories in the Heresy series that I was immediately turned off by.
05 November, 2021 08:33
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