Battle for the Aybss: Ben Counter

Ben Counter: Battle for the Aybss

NEWS OF HORUS'S treachery is in the open, and a time of testing has come. As Horus deploys his forces, loyalist Astartes learn that the Wordbearers are sending a fleet to Ultramar, home of the Ultramarines. Unless they can intercept and destroy it, the Ultramarines may suffer a blow from which they will never recover.

Battle for the Aybss continues the epic tale of the Horus Heresy, a galactic civil war that threatened to bring about the extinction of humanty.

Right, Battle for the Aybss. The eight novel in the Horus Heresy series, and the first featuring the Ultramarines, and follows brother captain and fleet commander Cestus of the seventh company, as he tries to bring down the Furious Aybss, a ship enhanced by the dark powers of the warp before it can reach Ultramar, and reduce the worlds of the Ultramarines to ashes. Side from Cestus and his Honour Guard, we also get a ragtag bunch of Space Marines from three other legions, Brynngar, a captain of the Space Wolves, Mhotep, a sergeant and the only Thousand Son on board, and Skraal of the World Eaters. Needless to say, when Thousand Sons and Space Wolves meet, this won't be pretty.

This book also contains some decent ship-to-ship warfare, which helped me as I am currently writing a book (non 40K), which contains a small space battle at the beginning. However, I felt that it was very action packed, with hardly and slow parts. Also, like Descent of Angels and it's sequel, I felt that it strayed from the original layout featuring Horus and his Legion, but we got them back in Nemesis, so I am content.

High Point: The Ultramarines getting killed, (always good to see some smurfs getting killed) and the honour duel between two of the loyal space marines.

Low Point: Too much action, and it didn't feel like a Horus Heresy novel, similar to the Dark Angels ones.

Rating: 6 / 10

Seeya next time, when I'll be reviewing my first Imperial Guard novel, not including Emperor's Mercy. I would've picked up Gaunt's Ghosts, but the Waterstones I was in didn't have them, so I brought Cadian Blood. That's what I'll be reviewing next time.