After reading Deliverance Lost, Gav Thorpe’s first entry to the Horus Heresy published by the Black Library, I felt that perhaps I was a bit harsh in my review of Gav’s work. It was, after all, his first at bat and it wasn’t terrible. The biggest problem was that it was never a book that I really wanted to read. Sure, I was interested in Corax. I really like the Raven Guard. But the story was a bit muddled in places, the pacing uneven at times, and it contained more unresolved story lines (which I’m not convinced will be finished in other places) than I could deal with. I often picked up Deliverance Lost begrudgingly. Simply put, Dan Abnett’s Know No Fear could not have been more different.
Know No Fear is Abnett’s latest entry to the Horus Heresy, coming in with high expectations after his sublime Prospero Burns. Stemming directly from the aftermath of Dembski-Bowden’s The First Heretic and chronologically following the Dropsite Massacre at Istvaan, Know No Fear recounts the Battle of Calth, the devastating battle between the two largest Legio Astartes, the Ultramarines and the Word Bearers.
With still-wounded pride from their censure by Guilliman at Monarchia and their newfound ‘truth’ derived from the warp, the Word Bearers are tasked by the Warmaster Horus to eradicate the Ultramarines at Calth, one of the five great worlds of Ultramar. Through treachery and duplicitous means, the Legions of Lorgar are able to launch a devastating sneak attack against the Ultramarines, crippling their fleet and setting in motion an ‘extinction-level’ event that will test the mettle of the Warriors of Ultramar.
The plot only takes place over the matter of a few days, as the Word Bearers’ attack is devastating and unexpected, and Abnett made the choice to write the narrative as “a chronological account extracted and compiled from Ultima Operational Record[s],” or more specifically, a battle report; the entire narrative is in the present tense. This is a really ballsy move, one that had me completely disarmed at first, but it ends up being absolute correct decision, and one that would certainly have failed if tasked to a lesser writer. The pacing of Know No Fear is breakneck and wholly engrossing. In addition to the ‘battle report’ style which helps to drive the narrative, Abnett also ‘sections’ out the novel, cutting away from one scene to the next with very short paragraphs. The reader is never in one location for too long, and occasionally he sprinkles in these brilliant little vignettes regarding characters that only appear in a single paragraph. They’re simple, elegant touches that really expand the scope of the story and add a great deal of breadth to what is a much simpler story than Prospero Burns.
And though it is simpler, as Know No Fear is essentially an action movie, it is a Soderburgh and not aMichaelBay (though some of the devastation wrought upon Calth is certainly from aMichaelBay wet dream). Though not as intricately researched and meticulous as the aforementioned Space Wolves opus, Abnett’s work here is layered and detailed, with tons of clever nods to the 40k universe. Additionally, the characterization of his protagonists is engrossing and full of depth.
We see a lot of Guilliman in Know No Fear, but he is much more than the unflinching strategist we’d expect from the Ultramarines progenitor. Though he is clearly a measured pragmatist, it’s the small asides he shares with his commanders that really illuminate his character; the dry sense of humor he displays with them is an absolute joy to read.
If the Ultramarines were previously painted as unfeeling martial pragmatists, Know No Fear will change that a bit. Remus Ventanus, effectively the protagonist (though the Dramatis Personae for Know No Fear is five pages, so plenty of characters get their share of face time), is the epitome of what we’ve come to know of the Ultramarines. He is noble. He is intelligent. But more, he’s compassionate. He’s a full, rounded character, nothing less than what we’d expect from Abnett. Further, his depiction of Lorgar, though he has very little to do in the novel, is brilliant. Gone is the sniveling, unsure whelp from The First Heretic. Lorgar is menacing and maniacal, and his interactions with Guilliman are downright unnerving. It was perfect.
And finally, Abnett continues to be a master of his craft when it comes to the depictions of humans in the context of the Horus Heresy. There aren’t many in Know No Fear, but those few that are highlighted are really well done. The Ushmetar Kaul, led by the zealot Criol Fowst, is haunting. As our first depiction of the massive cults employed by the Word Bearers, the ‘Brotherhood of the Knife’ is an excellent entry point. Oll Persson, a simple inhabitant of Calth, is interesting and fleshed out and, despite the fact that he receives only a small fraction of the story, is far more than he initially seems. And Magos Meer Edv Tawren, the server that acts as a focal point for the Ultramarines retribution, is a surprisingly deep character that is granted what may be my favorite part of Know No Fear: a simple, tender scene between her and Vanatus that added more depth to both characters than any two lines of text should.
Dan Abnett is at the top of his game with Know No Fear. It is a fast-paced, page-turning epic that could easily be turned into a blockbuster movie. From an opening scene as disturbingly gripping as the beach scene in Saving Private Ryan, to heroic interventions that literally had me exclaiming “Yes!” out loud, Know No Fear is a compelling read. Though Prospero Burns may remain my favorite entry in the Horus Heresy saga, Know No Fear is the one I’ll find myself coming back to over and over again.
9.5/10 Masterful; A Must Read.
