Historian Kasper Hawser, assigned to document the strange Space Marines of the feral Space Wolves legion, finds himself in the middle of events that lead to the struggle between the Wolves and the sorcerous Thousand Sons. Imperial historian Kasper Hawser has had a long and storied carrier, leading the Conservatory Project to preserve ancient Terran history. NOw, however, he faces a rather different challenge: joining the savage Space Wolves as a chronicler.
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Hawser lands on the Wolves' homeworld of Fenris, a frozen wasteland haunted by barbarians and fatal fauna. The historian meets with a small band of barbarians, and struggles to survive and contact the Wolves. After a battle with a tribe that considers him an ill-omened "bad star," a wounded Kasper, along with a couple of surviving barbarians, is rescued by the Space Marines and taken to their fortress-monastery, The Fang.
Initially Hawser, being repaired and rejuvinated by the advance technology of the 40th millennium, converses with the shrouded minds of the legion's sleeping Dreadnoughts. When Kasper finally regains consciousness, he discovers that the Wolves have left him in stasis for decades. The historian is appointed a Skjald for the legion, and accompanies the Wolves on several combat actions. He observes the savage close-combat prowess of the legion, which has caused them to be feared throughout the galaxy. He also finds out about the superstitious nature of the warriors, who claim that the excesses of their ferocity are intended to scare off the evil "malificarum" spirits. Hawser is troubled by dreams and visions seeming to indicate that the Space Wolves cannot be trusted.
Eventually, the Wolves and Hawser head to Terra to confer with the Emperor. There, they discover that Magnus the Red, leader of the Thousand Sons, has been performing forbidden sorcery to attempt to warn the Imperium of Horus' treason. Magnus has been warned repeatedly in the past to avoid such fell magical working, which open the mind to the power of the Warp. It is decided that the Wolves will travel to the homeworld of the Sons, Prospero, and punish them for their failings. Leman Russ, Primarch of the Wolves, seeks out Hawser and claims that the visions that have been plaguing him are the work of the Thousand Sons, who ensorcelled him during an archaeological dig and planted him as a sleeper agent amongst the Wolves.
On Prospero, the Wolves, after a bitter and brutal battle, destroy the planet and set the Sons to their heels. While Hawser wanders the burning world, he encounters the entity that has been manipulating him, which takes many forms. Hawser forces the creature to reveal its true form as a Daemon of Chaos. A band of Space Wolves, assisted by the anti-psychic powers of the Sisters of Silence, overcome the fell creature after a long fight. The warp-tainted Hawser is placed back into stasis with the Dreadnoughts of the legion, there to dream away the ages until he might be needed again.
Best part of story, including ending:
Another well-written Abnett Heresy book, Prospero distinguishes itself by staying within the all-too-human perspective of Hawser, which roots the action in a reality often missing in Space Marine books.
Best scene in story:
The climactic otherworldly visions of Hawser in the aftermath of the battle for Prospero add a great deal to the mythology of the Heresy series as a whole.
Opinion about the main character:
There is something very appealing to me about a book about superhuman warriors told through the eyes of an aging academic, and Hawser's arc is a wonderfully tragic tale.