In the closing novel of the first Horus Heresy trilogy, Captain Loken and others must struggle to survive as the traitor Horus makes his move. The fleet of Warmaster Horus, now secretly turned to the service of Chaos, approaches the rebellious Isstvan system. There they meet with the World Eater, Death Guard, and Eperor's Children Space Marine Legions, all of whom are loyal to Horus over the Emperor for various reasons. Meanwhile, aboard Horus' ships, a new cult worshiping the Emperor as a god gains ground, spreading into the fighting forces of the fleet. Horus' agents attempt to end the burgeoning religion by killing their saint, Euphrati Keller, who is rescued by the last-minute actions of believers.
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On the surface of Isstvan III, the forces of the legions muster. Their deployment is unusual, with squads separated from their customary order of battle; in fact, this is a deliberate plan by Horus and the Primarchs of the other Chaos-subverted legions, clustering units thought likely to remain loyal once the rebellion has begun. Saul Tarvitz of the Emperor's Children, a loyalist with ties to series protagonist Garviel Loken, sees through the plan and takes a landing craft to warn his fellows. Tarvitz communicates with Nathaniel Garro of the Death Guard, another loyalist aboard the space cruiser Eisenstein.
The loyal Marines and Guardsmen on the surface of Isstvan III lead the engagement with Isstvan's rebels. Horus plots to use powerful Virus Bombs to murder the loyalists, but Tarvitz, who has landed on the planet, is able to get a large portion of the forces into cover. On his flagship, Horus orchestrates a simultaneous massacre of the fleet's civilians, although Euphrati is again saved by members of her cult, taken to the Eisenstein. The loyal ship warps away, carrying word of Horus' treason to Terra and the Emperor.
The surviving loyalists on the surface are engaged by the brutal berserkers of the World Eater legion, preventing Horus from continuing his orbital bombardments. Tarvitz, Loken, and Torgaddon organize a fierce resistance, but are betrayed by another Emperor's Children Marine named Lucius. Loken and Trogaddon encounter and duel their fellow Sons of Horus leaders Aximand and Abaddon; the traitors manage to overcome the lopyalists and leave them to die on the planet's surface. With the resistance broken and scattered, Horus withdraws his troops and orders the bombing of Isstvan III, seemingly sealing the fate of the loyalist remnants.
Best part of story, including ending:
Counter is a very bland author, and his book is uninteresting at best. The battle sequences are okay and the pace is brisk, but nothing in this book recommends it more than any other mass market paperback.
Best scene in story:
Loken's last stand, though not much better-written than the rest of the book, at least gives the protagonist a heroic ending.
Opinion about the main character:
Again, Counter, like McNeill, drains all the life out of Abnett's Loken character, making him a hollow shell.
