Mechanicum - has the Horus Heresy series got back on track?

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**Chimera_Calvin**

So, finished reading Mechanicum and I have to say thank God.

Graham McNeill's writing has been poor on occasion but this is spot on. Its well paced, the characters are well defined (hardly Dickensian masterpieces, but hey, this is pulp fiction...) and the action sequences blow satisfyingly large amounts of stuff up.

Its main advantage, of course, is that its a story about the Horus Heresy.

Descent of Angels had nothing to do with heresy, neither did Legion apart from the last chapter. Battle for the Abyss was, technically, to do with the heresy, but a) didn't tell us anything we didn't already know and b) was appaling garbage that did nothing except waste trees.

Mechanicum, on the other hand, has story by the truckfull. Titan Legions, Knights (please FW, make models of these...

) and Skitarii all get in on the action. There is a subplot involving the Imperial Fists. The origin of the Dark Mechanicum is explained and the funky spoilers -

Spoiler:

For the first time since Fulgrim, I'm looking forward to the next installment.

Mr. McNeill, take a bow

**reds8n**

Whilst i disagree with regards to Legion-- enjoyed it immensely myself and did tie into the Heresy with regards to the motivation of the Alpha Legion-- I concur with the sentiments expressed about Mechanicum. Top work, McNeill's strongest book to date. Loved all the little bits of new info and the depiction of skitari as more than just guardsmen with bionics.

If you enjoyed this I'd really recommend picking up Titanicus

**Flachzange**

Gah, I havent even gotten my copy ....

I have to agree with reds8n on Titanicus. I know its not that popular around here, but what I really enjoyed where the details about the skitarii, describing them as intelligent, loyal and trustworthy, but physical monsters of immense size and strength.

edit: and god knows we agree on the battle for the abyss issue.

**Ogiwan**

Which one was Battle for the Abyss? I know I have it, I know I read it, I know it sucked, but I can't remember it. Probably because it sucked.

**99MDeery**

the ultramarine novel, that had 1 squad of ultras, a squad of SW, squad of World Eaters (good ones mind) and 1 Thousand Son, it was one of the worst books i ever read

**BrotherAtrox**

I'm not sure it's fair to hate Descent of Angels yet. Perhaps the book had to be written as a precursor to more important events later in the series? At least that's what I'm hoping for.

**Anung Un Rama**

THe last bok from the serie I read was Flight of the Eisenstein. Can I read Mechanicum directy, or do I have to read the stuff about Alphas and the Marines in dresses to get the full picture?

**Lint**

Completely agree with you about mechanicus! I also enjoyed Titanicus immensly, I actually stopped painting my army because I got so sidetracked in my reading. I like Legion alot better the second time I read it, and although I have no desire to revisit Descent of Angels, I look forward to the next book in the series about the DA.
@anung I highly recommend picking up Fulgrim, then Legion if you are at all interested in Alpha fluff, but otherwise yeah, skip Descent, and Abyss - Decent stories that would have benefited from being written by competent writers. I dread picking up my copy of the Grey Knights omnibus, if only because it has Ben Counter's name on the front.

**warpcrafter**

I agree totally about Mechanicum. It started off sort of slow, but steadily gathered speed. This really makes me want to put together a dark mechanicus army, but there are so many fan-made army lists for the adeptus mechanicus out there and none are anywhere near official. Perhaps GW needs their own internal equivalent of the Horus Heresy.

**Ogiwan**

99MDeery wrote:the ultramarine novel, that had 1 squad of ultras, a squad of SW, squad of World Eaters (good ones mind) and 1 Thousand Son, it was one of the worst books i ever read

Oh yeah!

.......oh yeah, that was a wretched friggin' book.

**Delephont**

In fact the Skitarii come across as being almost the equal of Space Marines (fluff wise) which has never been the case in the past!

I'd love to get a more detailed look at the Skitarii legions now....I think they'd make an excellent alternative to a Space Marine army!!

**Xav**

Well i thought the Horus heresy books after the first three were about the indiviual activiates of the legions, that all ties into the Heresy?

**Lint**

Yeah but the DA book was written horribly, same for the abyss...

**Xav**

Oh.....Well has a iron warriors book been done? and how many HH books are there?

**Lint**

@ xav No iw book as of yet, so far just ec, lw, da, and alpha legion. I have heard a rumor on this site that this series will be at least 20 books, one to cover all the legions. The series at this point consits of 9 books.

**Xav**

Well i know da are getting another book, and ultramarines probaly too, (not sure havnt read the current ultramarines one), i just finished reading galaxy in flames, and you cant help feeling a little entained at how stupid horus got tricked by a chaplin.

**Altanis**

Battle of the Abyss, the only book (i am easily entertained) iv read from GW that has made me want to just not finish it. ( I did) I recomend that you stay away from it. It just isn't exciting, no real characters stand out (in a good way). I want to read mechanicum however. Hopefully my faith in the horus heresy will be restored.

**Xav**

I like the first three very much,(only ones ive read) does anyone know what happened to "little horus", he was so cool, it had a sad ending, but a good one.

**ArbitorIan**

I'm halfway through Mechanicum now, and it DOES seem like a return to form.

Although how ANYTHING can be worse than the Spazz Marienz pron that was Battle for The Abyss is beyond me...

I'd recommend all of the books except Abyss. They all add something interesting to the 40k backstory.

**Flachzange**

Finished it just now, and it was AWESOME.

**Xav**

That will probaly be next one i buy then.

**Noisy_Marine**

Ah, perhaps I'll get the new book. I swore off the series after BftA.

Are the villains in the new book at least competent?

**Flachzange**

Noisy_Marine wrote:Ah, perhaps I'll get the new book. I swore off the series after BftA.

Are the villains in the new book at least competent?

Very much so actually.
Obviously, its not a "the chaos takes it all" affair, but then again, we knew that before the heresy books.
In my oppinion, Mechanicum is exactly the right book to get the series back on track.

**Lucifer216**

My only real grip with Mechanicum, is that now the whole "How dare you suggest betraying the Emperor" angle is getting rather old. The series as a whole feels like its spent too many words covering the same time in the conflict, just through the perspective of different characters. I really hope after the rumored Thousand Sons v Space Wolves book, we'll shift to a more "the heresy has been going on for some time and heading towards its climax" feel.

**Xav**

Lucifer216 wrote:My only real grip with Mechanicum, is that now the whole "How dare you suggest betraying the Emperor" angle is getting rather old. The series as a whole feels like its spent too many words covering the same time in the conflict, just through the perspective of different characters. I really hope after the rumored Thousand Sons v Space Wolves book, we'll shift to a more "the heresy has been going on for some time and heading towards its climax" feel.

There were 18 legions they have to cover, them all of them, and the climax will be possibly 2-3 books.

**Lemartes**

Marines in dresses to get the full picture?

Not at all. Worst book in the series followed by Battle for the Assbyss.

**AgeOfEgos**

Lemartes wrote:
Marines in dresses to get the full picture?

Not at all. Worst book in the series followed by Battle for the Assbyss.

Abso-farking-lutely. Angels was awful....and Legion made me rage as well. So far, Horus Rising is the shining star of the group...albeit I haven't read Mechanicum yet.

**Flachzange**

dude, legion was the shat!!

**bryantsbears**

Holy crap.

Read Mechanicum.

GOOD.

**dante_121**

I loved Mechanicum, a friend of mine thought it did not have a great deal to do with the Heresy but I disagree entirely. I think it is the best Heresy book since Flight of the Eisenstein. Which I feel capped off the only real "storyline" so far in the Heresy.

Speaking to a GW employee I was told that GW plans to do two books for every chapter. I think that is a pretty average idea. The focus of the Heresy series seems a litle lost to me, it almost feels like writers are picking and choosing what subjects they write about with little focus on relevance or progression of a timeline or storyline. Like most people here I thought that Descent of Angels and Battle for the Abyss were fairly irrellevant stories, there are major parts of the Heresy that should be told above these two books and I really hope GW is able to refocus itself and make sure the rest of the books in the series (I hope there are many), are more relevant.

And thats my two cents