Following on from The Solar War and The Lost and the Damned, Gav Thorpe’s The First Wall tackles the next brutal stage of the Siege of Terra as the traitors push hard against Terra’s defences, both physical and metaphysical. Determined to prove himself to Horus and humble his loyalist brother Dorn, Perturabo tasks the blunt instrument of Warsmith Kroeger with taking the Lion’s Gate spaceport. As the Iron Warriors and Imperial Fists clash in their thousands, Custodian Amon Tauromachian investigates the growing influence of the Lectitio Divinitatus within the Palace, while in distant Afrik proud volunteers of Addaba Hive join the muster, and embark on an epic journey to Himalazia.
It’s good to see authors taking different approaches to the Siege – after Haley mostly used a single location as a lens through which to portray the early stages of the Siege, Thorpe zooms out for a broader view of what’s going on, still allowing the human element of the story to shine through but balancing that against the increasing involvement of the Legions. Of the three main story threads, the two Legions clashing over the Lion’s Gate is the key driver of the narrative, continuing to explore the bitterness of Perturabo and his sons – largely from the cynical perspective of Forrix. The Fists, meanwhile, might be on the back foot but they’re not willing to just sit back and take punishment, and led by Fafnir Rann they make the Iron Warriors pay for their gains, leading to some ferocious close-quarters action scenes.
Interspersed throughout, the other two threads offer different perspectives and locations to explore, and largely a slower, more gradual build up of pace. While Amon allows Thorpe to examine the implications of the Lectitio Divinitatus from a secular and deeply suspicious point of view, along the way revealing more of what’s happening away from the walls of the Palace, young Addaban volunteer Zenobi provides the book’s main human viewpoint. Unlike The Lost and the Damned’s Katsuhiro (who does make a couple of appearances here) she’s largely removed from the actual fighting, instead demonstrating the scale of Terra and the incredible impact the Heresy has had even on those far distant from the Palace. There’s an ongoing sense of mystery as to exactly how she and her regiment are involved and quite what’s driving her forward (knowing full well it’s to her death), but in contrast to Amon and the Space Marines she’s comfortably the most relatable character in the story.
There’s a lot for Thorpe to cover, moving the overarching narrative forward and introducing new characters while continuing (and in some cases reintroducing) many of the previously-established arcs and motifs. While the three story threads sometimes feel a little disassociated and there’s less of a clear theme running through everything this time (compared to its predecessor), this nevertheless manages the complex task of picking up the Siege’s momentum and turning the emphasis back onto the Legions without losing the important human element to the story. Some threads and individual scenes lose a little impact as a result of so much happening, including one which begins with Abaddon, Layak and Typhus that feels a little under-developed, but the majority of the key moments – whether epic set pieces or quieter character beats – have real weight and impact.
Three books into the series, the pace feels like it’s picked up even while everything is still balanced on a knife-edge, and there’s drama aplenty to be had in the details, despite the inevitability of it all. If there’s a sense that Thorpe has had to hold back on the full-on fireworks that later instalments will hopefully bring – and this does feel a little teasing at times – there’s still excitement and enjoyment to be had in all three satisfying arcs, along with the usual surprises, fist-pump thrills and hints at what’s still to come. This is, after all, still really the beginning of the Siege, with key players moving into place and most of the big known beats still to come. All told it’s a complex beast of a book, but one which succeeds in kicking the Siege up a notch and preparing the ground for what’s to come next.
Check out the main Horus Heresy reviews page on Track of Words.
Click this link to buy The First Wall, or this one for the audiobook version.