Title: Flight of the Eisenstein
Author: James Swallow
Publisher: The Black Library
Release Date: 2007
Price: $7.99
Rating: Two thumbs up, 90/100, B+, **** out of five.
Pros: Quick pace with stronger writing than False Gods and Galaxy in Flames, gives a new view to the events of Horus’s betrayal, develops most of the major characters wonderfully
Cons: The writing a bit awkward in some points. It could do a better job developing all of the major characters equally.
Overall: It’s a good read. When the writing isn’t awkward it’s also a surprisingly quick read.
Flight of the Eisenstein is one of the better written parts of a truly epic series of game based fiction. Being the first book in The Horus Heresy that follows a legion other than Warmaster Horus Lupercal’s Luna Wolves, it is also one that manages to keep things fresh by adding a new perspective.
The Heresy Continues
In Flight of the Eisenstein, the legion in direct focus is the Death Guard. Much like the Luna Wolves, Horus’s betrayal of the Emperor will shape their fate in the coming war. The book still focuses heavily on some of the Luna Wolves, who have to still play an important role, but that’s in the latter half of the book. Some of the Emperor’s Children legion show up in this book as with the World Eaters legion. The people who play a major role in the book are predominantly in the Death Guard legion.
The Luna Wolves are lead specifically by the Warmaster and their tactics are to adapt to circumstance, in other words their art of war is to kill the enemy by learning from them. The Emperor’s Children are lead by Primarch Fulgrim and are obsessed with perfection in all things, including war. The World Eaters are lead by Primarch Angron, a former slave, and are generally looked down upon because of their brutal tactics. Their strategy is “if you can’t win with force, you’re not hitting hard enough.” The Death Guard are lead by Primarch Mortarion and just do their duty to the Emperor stoically, until they commit treason.
Nice Middleground
This is one of the richest books in the series in terms of action. It takes you from combat on xenos hive ships to planetary combat all the way up to naval battles. It’s still rich in detail and does a great job at character development. However, it doesn’t develop all characters equally like Horus Rising did. It doesn’t make the same mistakes as False Gods or Galaxy in Flames either. It’s a healthy middle ground between the problems.
Some of the major characters don’t get quite as well developed as you’d wish while others you may find yourself wishing for them to pull the description punch. Some of the times when descriptions should be helpful they can be awkwardly written so you need to read through some descriptions two or three times to put them into context. Then again even with these problems the story is well written, bordering on poetic.
A Flight Worth Taking
There’s a lot of good to this book. Since it’s a new view of on the events brought up in the first three books, it works as both a part of series but also a standalone storyline.
It’s also enjoyable while not falling to the same issue as some of Swallow’s past work for The Black Library. It’s worth the $7.99 cover price.
Site [Flight of the Eisenstein] Read [Lone Pilgrim] Also Read [LEXICANUM]
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