REVIEW: Horus Rising

 Horus Rising
Author: Dan Abnett
Narrator: Toby Longworth

My husband and son play Warhammer 40K. I love to paint the miniatures, but have never really gotten into miniature games. Too many rules -- when a game requires entire books filled with rules and complicated army configurations, I just sort of walk away quietly while they aren't paying attention. :) This year -- since 2020 is such a S-Show -- they talked me into making my own army. I chose Death Guard and have been happily painting my models and learning to talk the talk....and trying to learn the rules. Strangely enough....I actually like it. (But don't tell them I said that, or they will be after me to make a 2nd army, add tanks, etc. I'm putting that off as long as possible. All I can do to learn the rules for ONE faction...let alone add-ons.)

I do realize this is a book review and that I should talk about the book. I'm getting to that...I promise. 

When I found out there were books based in the Warhammer universe with action packed tales involving the very armies I'm trying to understand, I decided that the books might very well be my gateway to giving a crap about learning all those rules. So I went online to find out which series I should start with as a noob (because there are LOTS of Warhammer books). A lovely YouTuber pointed me in the direction of the Horus Heresy books....with the Eisenhorn series following a close second. 

I let my son listen first.....he is now on book 4. And I just finished book 1 -- OMG! I loved this book from start to finish. Action. A lot of descriptive battle scenes. Great characters. And intrigue, treachery.....just lots of great stuff! And, now I get it -- the lore is important! 

Not only was this a great listen, but it's also made for lots of great discussions with my teenager. We take a long walk each night....and usually we end up talking about what I think about the characters, what I think might happen next, who my favorite characters are, etc etc. This coming from a 16-year old who normally does not like to read (dyslexia issues). Audio books have really opened up the world of reading for my son who has difficulty tracking printed words...so usually avoids reading. Now he requests books....so I purchase extra credits to make sure I can provide the books he wants. And I purchase books assigned at school in audio so he can listen as he reads....it makes a HUGE difference for him!

But...back to this book. Now that I've finished book 1, my husband is going to listen to it. I'm moving on to book 2....and my son is continuing with book 4. I love it when we all have a series to discuss! It used to be television shows that we all watched...but our TV watching is way down. I think I prefer book discussions to the television anyway! 

Definitely full stars from me -- loved it! There are lot of books in the Horus Heresy series, and off-shoots. Upwards of 60 books in total. It will take some time, but I will listen to them all! And my son was correct.....the story really has motivated me to learn the rules and field my models!