Horus Lupercal, one of the Emperor's Primarchs, betrays the Imperium of Man and plunges the galaxy into a civil war. Back on Terra, the Officio Assassinorum decides to put together a team of assassins with various talents to kill Horus. They have tried before and failed, but this time they assemble a team rather than sending a single assassin. They hope to get strength in numbers. Meanwhile, Erebus, First Chaplain of the Word Bearers and one of Horus's advisors, decides they should send their own assassin to Terra to kill the Emperor. Erebus sends one man, but he is no ordinary man. This story premise sounds great, yet this book has weaknesses and strengths.
Let's start with the weaknesses. The opening scene sets up the novel well enough. However, the first half of the novel then gets seriously slow. Part of the plot is recruiting the members of the Execution Force, and this process is not consistent in terms of interest level. There are also some subplots that initially may not be clear how they connect to the main story. Some of this material may feel like filler. Some material does become clear as we get to the second part of the novel, but it can be a drag to get to that second part.
In addition, and no, this is not a spoiler, keep in mind that neither Horus nor the Emperor get killed in this novel. If that happened, the series would have ended, and this series goes to a bit over 50 books. The draw for readers of this novel is on this specific story and how events turn out. An issue is that the first half is just not that interesting. Add to the weaknesses the author's apparent love of flashbacks. Some of them were OK for character development, but they often disrupt the novel's pace, slowing down the action elements.
In terms of strengths, the best part of the novel is the second half. As things finally start coming to a head, the pace picks up. The second half has more action and tension in it. If you make it past the first half, you'll want to stay to the end. The good drama, action, and the key revelations come in the second half. As a reader, you may feel rewarded for the previous slog in part one. We also learn more about Erebus's assassin. In fact, we get to see Erebus more in part two, so if you are a fan of the scheming chaplain keep reading. In the end, we are not sure who gets out alive or not as the action moves along at a good pace.
Overall, I liked this book once I got got the second half. I admit that I considered dropping it, but I feel good overall about sticking with it. Once the plot gets going, the book is pretty good. This is not one of the better novels in the series, but it is not among the worst. I've read worse in the Horus Heresy prior to this one. So I'd say this one is middle of the road. If you are a completist, you'll want to read it. More casual readers might consider it as optional.
On a side note, another interesting element is the rise of the Imperial Cult. Fans of Warhammer 40,000 know the cult is a fact of life, but in the 31st Millennium it is barely emerging as an underground movement, and it is very illegal. The author explores this pretty well in the character of Lady Sinope and her followers.
I am willing to give this 2.5 out of 5 stars.
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