Siege of Terra Book VI - Warhawk (by Chris Wraight)

Review by Dawfydd Kelly

Oh. Oh my. Now this was a book of multiple delights for a long-time grognard like myself who can remember the original snippets of lore that described the events around the Siege of The Imperial Palace.

Ostensibly focused on Jaghatai Khans decision to lead his Legion out to fight a battle more suited to their strengths, with the goal of retaking the Lions Gate Spaceport so that there is a way for any Loyalist reinforcements that arrive to make planetfall, this book is filled to bursting with moments that some of us have been waiting to see written about since Horus Rising was first published. Indeed we all were deeply curious as to whether they would be told at all, given the HH’s penchant for recontextualising long held truths. Pleasingly things have been changed for the better; The last flight of the Sky Fortress? In the original lore it transported the White Scars to the space port and was shot out of the sky as it returned to the Imperial Palace. Here in Warhawk we instead have the bittersweet tale of the captain of the last of the great Orbital Plates that had once covered the skies of Terra but by Dorn’s order had been decommissioned to prevent them being used by the Traitors, with the last of them being docked to the Palace and integrated into its defences.

Jaghatai sends one of his men to entreat the ca[tain of his vessel to provide cover for his forces breakout from the Palace and run for the Lions Gate. And my word does Chris Wraight nail the scale of such a vessel as it causes atmospheric disturbances ahead of it, the firepower that Horus’ forces have to bring to bear to down it, and the grim satisfaction of the crew as they steer their crippled ship into a concentration of the enemy formation, wiping out thousands as the ships reactors go up. It’s grippingly cinematic heroics against all odds,

which is kinda my jam….

And I’ve been remiss in not mentioning that the reason for the Warhawk finally being unleashed to fight his way, is that this is the moment where all Dorn’s strategies and defences have begun to fail, where the defenders must fall back on sheer grit and determination to push back the attackers, which leads not just to Jaghatai’s assembling a ragtag force of his own legion as well as elements of the Imperial Army for his breakout, but to Dorn reconciling somewhat with Sigismund, freeing him to hunt down the Captains of the Traitor Legions, which means we get Siggy’s Righteous Rampage as he takes up the mantle of Emperors Champion, receives the Black Sword, and just goes to TOWN on the various champions who get in his way. It’s during this rampage we get an epiphany from Kharn of the World Eaters, as he engages Sigismund and, even in his Nails-driven madness, can recognise his old brother-in-arms. But even empowered by Khorne as the rest of the Eighth Legion have become, Kharne’s rage and skill at arms is nothing compared to the cold, focused fury that Sigismund has armoured himself with. And as his former friend cuts him down and throws him from the Palace walls without recognising him, his last thoughts are that this is what the Imperium will become