Only from out of great conflict can true heroes arise. With the galaxy aflame and war on an unimaginable scale tearing the Imperium apart, champions venture onto countless fields of battle in service to their masters. Years following the devastating Yuuzahn-Vong War, the galaxy once again is in a state of turmoil. The Galactic Alliance is dealing with a planetary uprising that could come to full-scale conflict and everyone, including the Skywalker and Solo families are caught in the middle. Very intriguing from the beginning, it turned out way too short. It felt like a piece of a longer story, not whole. Whereas the Dark Nest trilogy focused heavily on Han, Leia, and Luke, Betrayal was more focused on Han and Leia's story, Jacen and Ben's story, and then to a lesser extent Wedge Antilles and his oldest daughter Syal. In particular, Luke and Mara played much smaller roles than I expected, but perhaps the authors will cycle through different main characters in these books. The first entry in the anthology is Chris Wraight’s Brotherhood of the Storm here. I have previously reviewed the novel , so you may read that review of it to get my thoughts on the novella. It was a fantastic read, even better than I remembered and with the help of hindsight I see also how it stands as one of the best examples of the relationships between mortals and Astartes depicted in the Heresy. And of course, the bonds forged in battle between different brothers of a Legion, before those bonds are sundered by treason and mistrust. And if you ever want to see Jaghatai Khan in action, then this should be your first stop for sure.

Comparing this turn to others in the franchise makes it come off even worse. Episode III establishes Palpatine has pretty much been working on turning Anakin to the dark side ever since he met him as a child. Befriending him, acting as a kind of paternal figure and confident, isolating and alienating him from his friends and loved ones, filling his mind with half truths, and leveraging the belief that Anakin's wife will die without Palpatine's help. Say what you will about the prequels but Anakin becoming Vader was completely believable. A Horus Heresy anthology Only from out of great conflict can true heroes arise. With the galaxy aflame and war on an unimaginable scale tearing the Imperium apart, champions of light and darkness venture onto countless fields of battle in service to their masters.Chris Wraight is the author of the Horus Heresy novel Scars, the novella Brotherhood of the Storm and the audio drama The Sigillite. For Warhammer 40,000 he has written the Space Wolves novels Blood of Asaheim and Stormcaller, and the short story collection Wolves of Fenris, as well as the Space Marine Battles novels Wrath of Iron and Battle of the Fang. Additionally, he has many Warhammer novels to his name, including the Time of Legends novel Master of Dragons, which forms part of the War of Vengeance series. Chris lives and works near Bristol, in south-west England. We discover that Bagley was once a star agent turned mole suspect amongst the agency. Ultimately his name was cleared but the damage was done. Years later he is determined to uncover what happened to the deceased agent while at the same time clearing his own tarnished reputation and rekindling his relationship with his estranged daughter as well. That is certainly An Interpretation. I’m just not sure it’s an interpretation I buy. While Vergere did terrible, morally dubious things, she’s always felt more like a Gray figure to me—neither Jedi nor Sith. I’m not sure that this is what Matthew Stover intended, or even James Luceno and Walter Jon Williams intended, but stories always evolve over time. I may not like this retcon—I think it makes more sense that Lumiya is lying to Jacen and giving him events “from a certain point of view” to push him towards her desired outcome—but that’s definitely not the official LotF explanation. Yet again I realize that anthologies are not my thing. This one had some real gems and some fillers squeezed together in a book, seemingly chosen at random. I tried to give a short, spoiler-free review to each of the short stories. Not sure if I’m gonna ever go that again, some seem pretty pointless.

Betrayal” was published in 2006, and it probably goes without saying how impactful the tragic events of Sept.11 five years prior had on the SWEU and, specifically, this series. To wit, the first several books in the NJO series were written and published before 9/11/01. It has never been an exaggeration to say that the world changed dramatically after 9/11, and the same can be said for the SWEU. While we did see the deaths of Chewie -- who has more of presence in the movies than he ever did in the novels -- and Anakin Solo -- who had potential but suffered from be the literal third wheel of the Solo children --in the Vong series, the dark turn of Jacen Solo is, for me, a welcome turn of events. It makes the world dangerous while at the same time paralleling Darth Vader's own fall in a way that makes this book more relevant. Finally, this wouldn't be an Aaron Allston book without a fair bit of humor, but the humor didn’t always fit with the overall tone of the story. I liked the dynamic between Wedge and Han, where Wedge is in charge but Han is always trying to one-up him, but some of the humorous bits felt tonally off to me. I’m thinking especially of the situations engineered by Brisha Syo—Jacen had a tendency to deadpan and make snarky comments during some dark scenes, like the hostage situation in the aquarium. Again I realize that I prefer Guy Haley’s longer works compared to the short stories. Good thing about this one - human characters, they were interesting, but Astartes – not so much. My issue here is also the fact that I am rarely a fan of both Space Wolves and Alpha Legion stories, and here we have them both. Probably just not my cup of tea. Honour to the Dead (*****) I'd give it way more stars if I could. Titans, Calth, Ultramarines and civilians. It was amazing to get about four different perspectives especially those of the regular citizens of Calth. Well Done.There are literally innumerable works of great literature dealing with the serious matters of good and evil, predestination, personal responsibility and conflicted loyalties. The world does not need light entertainment masquerading as another extremely mediocre try at it. I'm writing this review immediately following my second read of this book, the first being in the late 00s upon original release. I felt compelled to do so as with the benefit of hindsight, and dare I say wisdom, this book (and hopefully the series) has a renewed purpose and interest for Star Wars fans such as I. This book is very clear when it comes to showing Jacen's character change throughout the story. At the beginning Jacen is very brave and selfless towards his use of the force. He also shows a huge understanding of the way the force works. After his meeting with Lumiya he sees the force as a tool for his rising to power. His views become very misshapen and this troubles Luke.

The novel tells a story of political intrigue, a murder mystery that leads the investigators into questionable territory, and a member of the G.A. about to split off into a potential mini-civil war. But it serves the purpose of prepping us for what feels like a massive epic that obviously will span 8 more books. Does it successfully achieve this goal? Yes and no. Not like we needed even more Calth stories, but this one I really enjoyed. The dynamic between a human and a space marine, being companions and brothers in arms, is fascinating. A good one, makes you like Ultramarines even if you’re normally not about their attitude. Enjoyed the ending. My main issue with Calth stories is the Word Bearers, they are mostly portrayed as very one-dimensional and not relatable in a slightest. Here it did not bother me, probably because it’s a short story and it has another, more important message. The tassel artifact that was found after that failed diplomatic mission is key to drawing Jacen to the planet of Lorrd, where Jacen and Ben meet up with Nelani Dinn, a Jedi Knight who definitely has a crush on Jacen, and the trio keep getting drawn into these dangerous scenarios that seem designed to judge how Jacen responds to situations. The tassel first caught his attention because one of its lines translates as “He will strengthen himself through pain,” and Jacen feels like that’s talking directly to what he experienced during his time in the Embrace of Pain. The meanings of the other tassel parts also seem to be prophecies that relate to Jacen, and one is in a Sith language.However, fast forward to the winter of 2022, some fifteen years after the original release. The landscape of Star Wars fandom is massively different. Countless novels, games, comics have been rendered as "Legends" tier canon following the Disney acquisition of George Lucas' franchise, including this very title. When The Force Awakens was released in cinemas, I thought the movie franchise might be in good hands, and I was pretty certain upon the release of Rogue One that it was worth sacrificing my beloved "Extended Universe" to see new Star Wars content on the big screen. Unfortunately, everything that followed has made me think otherwise. Narrated by: Ian Brooker, Jonathan Keeble, Toby Longworth, Penelope Rawlins and Windson Liong. Approx running time: 13h 18mins. A wonderful prequel to the Damnation of Pythos, intense and full of action. As short as it is, this story throws you onto the Veritas Ferrum ship and there is nowhere to run. The book’s plot reflects the current events of the world in 2006: The Yuuzhan Vong War is over, and the galaxy is beginning to rebuild. The Galactic Alliance has been formed, out of the ashes of the New Republic, as a way to unite the vastly different worlds. Sadly, only a few years in, and unrest and disunity is already starting to fracture the government.

Nelani Dinn. Oh dear. I can almost hear the scissors at work. Cutting through the cardboard. She is... Jedi. Idealistic. Beautiful. In love with Jacen. When she was described I almost immediately envisioned her in the Trekkie red shirt. Modest yet form fitting, of course. And I gave her a generous 50% chance of surviving the end of the novel. She did not. And I was not sorry. I mean seriously, she was designed to die by Jacen's hand as a symbol for his rite of passage to Sith-hood and that was it. No reader with a decent sense of drama could avoid seeing it coming. Bagley was a man determined to know the truth and to make it known. His biggest enemy was not foreign countries but his own country. I especially enjoyed Honour to the Dead as it brought a human level of emotional toll that the incessant wars were having for inhabitants of the worlds as well as show a gentle and human side to the space marines. Whew! Half-way through now, I think. Let's get on with the second major development and the characters put through it. Corellia is Han Solo’s home planet. He is “technically” a retired war veteran and former smuggler who is married to a Jedi Knight who is sworn to uphold the laws of the Galactic Alliance. Corellia has a single central government that manages all 5 planets in its solar system, with Corellia proper being the primary seat of power. Corellian’s populace, like Han’s nature as a Corellian, are inherently independent. As a member of the G.A., they receive certain benefits and are expected to contribute to the G.A. as well. In exchange for doing certain things that benefit the G.A. and its member worlds, Corellia receives protection from outside threats via the G.A. military. But Corellia has been speaking out of both sides of its mouth and are building an army to prepare for a potential conflict in which they will seek to separate from that alliance... This is because they don’t want to lose the benefits of membership. Think Brexit, except with spaceships. And this was written in 2006. So Corellia would be like a stand-in for modern-day Britain wanting to break from the E.U. (in this case the G.A.).

Company Details

I Horus Rising • II False Gods • III Galaxy in Flames • IV The Flight of the Eisenstein • V Fulgrim • VI Descent of Angels • VII Legion • VIII Battle for the Abyss • IX Mechanicum • X Tales of Heresy • XI Fallen Angels • XII A Thousand Sons • XIII Nemesis • XIV The First Heretic • XV Prospero Burns • XVI Age of Darkness • XVII The Outcast Dead • XVIII Deliverance Lost • XIX Know No Fear • XX The Primarchs • XXI Fear to Tread • XXII Shadows of Treachery • XXIII Angel Exterminatus • XXIV Betrayer • XXV Mark of Calth • XXVI Vulkan Lives • XXVII The Unremembered Empire • XXVIII Scars • XXIX Vengeful Spirit • XXX The Damnation of Pythos • XXXI Legacies of Betrayal • XXXII Deathfire • XXXIII War Without End • XXXIV Pharos • XXXV Eye of Terra • XXXVI The Path of Heaven • XXXVII The Silent War • XXXVIII Angels of Caliban • XXXIX Praetorian of Dorn • XL Corax • XLI The Master of Mankind • XLII Garro • XLIII Shattered Legions • XLIV The Crimson King • XLV Tallarn • XLVI Ruinstorm • XLVII Old Earth • XLVIII The Burden of Loyalty • XLIX Wolfsbane • L Born of Flame • LI Slaves to Darkness • LII Heralds of the Siege • LIII Titandeath • LIV The Buried Dagger Bagley himself was unable to follow his brothers at Annapolis because of his “dodgy eyesight.” His career in the CIA was distinguished, involving him in some of the agency’s biggest wins over the years. Colleagues believed he would some day become Director of the CIA. This was not a man to himself betray his county, as some in the CIA maintained. When a mission to uncover an illegal missile factory on the planet Adumar ends in a violent ambush–from which Jedi Knight Jacen Solo and his protégé and cousin, Ben Skywalker, narrowly escape with their lives–it’s the most alarming evidence yet that sparks of political unrest are threatening to ignite into total rebellion. The governments of numerous worlds are chafing under the strict regulations of the Galactic Alliance, and diplomatic efforts to enforce compliance are failing. Fearing the worst, the Alliance readies a preemptive display of military might in a bid to bring the rogue worlds in line before an uprising erupts. The designated target of this planet Corellia–renowned for the brash independence and renegade spirit that have made its favorite son, Han Solo, a legend. This is a good example of the expanded universe, and a good example of author Allston's contributions, but nothing to write home about.