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I've read up to the aftermath of the Istvaan V massacre. Along with several other books from the series, all taking place prior to or just after Istvaan. Books I have read from the HH. Horus Rising, Galaxy in Flames, Flight of Eisenstein, Thousand Sons, Prospero Burns, First Heretic, Fulgrim, Descent of Angels, Fallen Angels, Battle for the Abyss, Legion.

The Black Library's order goes off release date it seems and not necessarily the best reading order in my opinion. I'm really trying to avoid any spoilers for myself, and don't want to pry too much into researching what exactly each book in the series covers so you can see my dilemma. While I will very much appreciate any input, please try to avoid any spoilers.

-I just finished "Legion" and would like to read any other books on the Alpha Legion, specifically any books PRIOR to the content from "Legion"(ie founding, exploits, ect) similar to "Descent of Angels" and how it covers the founding of the Dark Angels, along with any books detailing exactly when and why the Alpha Legion decided to join the Heresy. Since I already know from the details of Istvaan V that Alpha Legion has joined with Horus, at the end of the "Legion" novel(spoiler alert!!) it's quite clear Alpharius and his bro are "for the Emperor" so there's obvious a missing link between their loyalties at that time up to Istvann V.

-I'm also getting quite tired of hearing tales of the massive battle at Ullanor(sp?), without actually reading of the battle itself. Are there any books totally dedicated to that specific battle?

-After searching for "alternative" reading orders for the HH, that go by the timeline of events, rather than release dates, Mechanicum is the next recommended book I intend to read. Is this a good recommendation, or is there another novel anyone can recommend that takes place in the time frame immediately after the Istvaan V massacre?

Many thanks!

Legion is the only one and the closest in relation to their founding you are going to get currently. It's also the best offering we have of them. The others dealing with the Alphas haven't been that great in my opinion.

Go with Mechanicum, it's one of the better reads and one of the better ones from McNeil.

It's doubtful that you'll get anything on Ullanor other than remarks about it and glimpses of the gathering of the Primarchs after it.

Wow on Ullanor... I thought surely there was a novel I hadn't found yet that fully covered that battle and events around it, since it's mentioned so often.

Bummer on Alpha Legion. Was hoping to gain more insight as to their background and core characters from the Chapter prior to and/or during the Heresy.

I have Mechanicum in hand, I suppose I'll fire it up tonight. Any recommendations on what to read after?

Thanks again!

 Psychopski wrote:
Wow on Ullanor... I thought surely there was a novel I hadn't found yet that fully covered that battle and events around it, since it's mentioned so often.

Bummer on Alpha Legion. Was hoping to gain more insight as to their background and core characters from the Chapter prior to and/or during the Heresy.

I have Mechanicum in hand, I suppose I'll fire it up tonight. Any recommendations on what to read after?

Thanks again!

I know the Heresy series has gone into battles and events that happened prior to the Heresy itself, but that's the reason why they haven't done Ullanor, because it's not really to do with the events of the Heresy, it's more to do with the Crusade. You can argue why do we have Fallen Angels or Legion then, but they are a set up for later events and give insight into the Legions themselves and to why they might go rogue.

My favourite of the ones you haven't read is probably Nemesis and I am currently re reading Scars, which is one of the best offerings.

Read them all is my recommendation, you'll have some you won't like that others will rave about and vice versa.

The closest you're going to find regarding Ullanor is the short story, Wolf of Ash and Fire. It details the taking of the world of Gorro from the Orks during the Ullanor crusade.

 Psychopski wrote:
Bummer on Alpha Legion. Was hoping to gain more insight as to their background and core characters from the Chapter prior to and/or during the Heresy.

The novels featuring the Alpha Legion in any meaningful quantity are:

Legion (obviously)

Raven's Flight/The Face of Treachery (short stories covering the Raven Guard's escape from Istvaan)

Deliverance Lost (covering what the Raven Guard did next)

The Serpent Beneath (a short story from Pirmarchs)

Scars (covering why the white scars haven't been involved in the war yet, and how they find out it's happening).



One thing worth making clear:

Since I already know from the details of Istvaan V that Alpha Legion has joined with Horus, at the end of the "Legion" novel(spoiler alert!!) it's quite clear Alpharius and his bro are "for the Emperor" so there's obvious a missing link between their loyalties at that time up to Istvann V.

Nowhere does it specifically suggest they've changed loyalties between Hydra Cordatus and Istvaan. Alpharius Omegon says "For the Emperor" whilst massacring an Imperial crusade fleet. Acting 'For the Emperor' does not necessarily mean in accordance with his orders as opposed to his goals (of which defeating chaos is definitely one), and definitely doesn't necessarily mean 'For the Imperium'. After all, the Cabal's position is that the best thing you can do if you want Chaos to fail is ensure Horus wins!

Whilst the Alpha Legion are clearly nominally 'on' the Traitor's side, they are at the very least pursuing their own agenda and possibly working actively against Horus' goals. More interestingly, it's increasingly possible (given The Serpent Beneath and Scars) that they're actually working against their own; that is, not all of the Alpha Legion are working off the same playbook...

jareddm wrote:
The closest you're going to find regarding Ullanor is the short story, Wolf of Ash and Fire. It details the taking of the world of Gorro from the Orks during the Ullanor crusade.

I wasn't going to mention The Wolf of Ash and Fire as I wasn't 100% sure if it was part of Ullanor or before that. But having a quick flick through and it appears to be part of the Ullanor Crusade. The older fluff seemed to suggest it was separate.

Thanks guys, great stuff!

I find most reads, even short stories, great for me at least. While some 40K novels are slower than others, I enjoy each and every one for the most part. The only exception thus far being the First Soul Drinkers novel, Redemption I think it is. There was so much in that novel I couldn't buy off on... the Mechanicus stealing their relic, nobody in the Imperium knowing about it other than SD's, SD's not pleading their case and the theft to the powers that be and to other Primarchs, how they got infected/corrupted without their Psykers seeing it coming and not being able to do anything about it. I just stopped reading it about 1/2 way through.

Anyway, back on topic, I'm excited about the short stories recommended about the aftermath of Istvaan V and the Raven Guard, and I'll also check out the book relative to Ullanor.

Thanks again!

If you're either an Alpha Legion or Raven Guard fan, I suggest going through Raven's Flight, Face of Treachery and Deliverance Lost in one go. It's a very impressive story.

Have there been any novels on the Paramar campaign with between the Alpha Legion vs Iron Warriors and Mechanicum?

Col. Dash wrote:
Have there been any novels on the Paramar campaign with between the Alpha Legion vs Iron Warriors and Mechanicum?

its an unimportant campaign, created by FW for the sole purpose of selling their junk


Automatically Appended Next Post:
ok, most GW stories fall into that category, but at least some try to introduce new ideas or expand a certain faction. not this one.