Alpharius: Head of the Hydra (The Horus Heresy: Primarchs) [Hardcover] Brooks, Mike

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I find Mike Brooks' writing style really enjoyable, especially the more pulpy action scenes which (while less gritty and grim-dark) really lean into the galactic adventure side of the Warhammer 40k/30k setting. He is one with his Legion, both its Astartes and human elements, and that makes him even more effective and interesting to read about. But Mike Brooks does deserve credit for his no bullshit, normalized representation of a same sex couple. He is so multifaceted: at one point he is calmly and efficiently destroying xenos creatures, and at another point he is musing on how it is often beneficial to be kind to humans.

Alpharius: Head of the Hydra: The Horus Heresy Primarchs Alpharius: Head of the Hydra: The Horus Heresy Primarchs

The End of Enlightenment pits the Realm-lords against the servants of Nagash, who dare to assault Hysh itself. Remember that feeling you got when reading the first few titles in the Horus Heresy series, when the setting felt fresh and exhilarating, how every few chapters you’d sit back, astounded by what you’d read and how cleverly the few scraps of fluff that existed prior to the series were knitted together? Liber Xenologis is an in-universe tome, written from the perspective of the intrepid Rogue Trader (and hero of Blackstone Fortress) Janus Draik. Gitslayer by Darius Hinks takes Gotrek into the Realm of Metal, but when grots interrupt his mission, he’s not going to turn down the opportunity to slay some greenskins. Mike Brooks can be a bit mixed I find, I really enjoyed Wanted: Dead as well, whereas Road To Redemption was decent enough but nothing amazing and Dead Drop was trying too hard to be clever and failed to be well written.Dan Abnett had done a fantastic job writing Legion, but that was told from an outsiders perspective, not someone within the legion, never mind the head of the hydra himself. We get a cameo from the navigator house seen in some of the authors other stories which was a fun wave.

Alpharius: head of the hydra, updated primarch [SPOILERS] Alpharius: head of the hydra, updated primarch

Alpharius: Head of the Hydra by Mike Brooks, tells the story of the Primarch Alpharius in his own words for the first time. Now this has always been true of 40k, with the “head cannon” story behind my army no less valid that which is laid out in a codex or Black Library novel.Off all the primarchs, Alpharius(Omgeon) has been the most difficult to pin down with exception of the two "lost" primarchs. The Alpha Legion and their Primarchs have often had some of the best stories and this novel delivers in spades. Whether this telling is Alpharius' one truthful confession or a complete fabrication does not matter, as it is still a banger. Alpharius, our narrator, constantly reminds the audience that he is an unreliable narrator, while describing how he misleads others adds a fantastic stroke of mystery to the story. Alpharius is a smug so-and-so, as I guess anyone born with his gifts would be, and that does get a little waring at times, but it’s *his* book and it would feel wrong for him to get his comeuppance in it’s pages.

The Horus Heresy: Primarchs Series by David Annandale - Goodreads

As an aside I’ve always enjoyed the fact that there are several in-universe official accounts of Alpharius’s death, leaving the reader guessing as to which, if any, are true.If you love the Alpha Legion and it's roots (like me) you'll probably fall head-over-heels for the subterfuge, the 4D hyper chess planning, the intense paranoia. Hit the official Black Library Facebook page and let us know which of these limited editions will be gracing your shelves in the near future.