# *Spoilers* Descent of Angels *Spoilers*



## Elchimpster (Jan 31, 2007)

Well...I finished _Descent of Angels_ and as promised here is the Summary and Review:

* Descent of Angels *

* (Horus Heresy)*

By Mitchel Scanlon *This Edition:* Mass Market Paperback 
*Publication Date:* October 30, 2007

*The Summary:*

The story obviously is about the Dark Angels...the First Legion of Astartes during the Great Crusade. The story is told from the perspective of Zahariel, an "Aspirant" to a knightly order on the planet Caliban. The story progresses through his youth, training, questing and knighthood...all set under the eye of the Primarch Lion'El Jonson. The tale details the beginnings of the Order and how cool the Primarch was, surpassing even the greatest living Legends of the Age, Luther, Ramiel and others and how impressive even the mere mortals were...much less the nigh-godlike Lion.

Early on you can see where tension would arise between The Lion and his Knights. One of the main characters is Luther. Easily the greatest hero of all time. A knight who had surpassed all who had come before in honor, fighting ability, sheer charisma. "A Perfect Knight" by any measure. Luther is the one who found the child Lion'El Jonson. The story details how The Lion was found, how he somehow survived alone on a deadly planet full of "Great Beasts" which were usually the object of numerous "Quests". Of course...with the arrival of The Lion, everything changed.

Being a Primarch, The Lion surpassed everyone rapidly and soon became a knight, created "The Order" and through this "Order" changed the shape of Caliban's politics and civilization forever. Being a world of Knightly Orders...the Lion's "Order" ...called "The Order" BTW, soon consumed or destroyed all competition and set about a quest to rid the planet Caliban of all Great Beasts. This of course was revolutionary.

In the end The Lion's quest was successful, the main characters, teenagers become knights and the last vestiges of the old regime were wiped away.

Soon after the completion of his Great Quest (and about 2/3 of the book) was the "Descent of Angels". The 1st Legion, Angels in Black, Astartes...coming to herald the coming of The Emperor of Mankind. The story fast forwards to the point where Zahariel, his best friend and cousin as well as several others are prepared for their transformation to astartes. 

As the reader may understand, only the young can become astartes, so many members of The Order are given surgical improvements, but cannot become astartes. This leaves out many, including the Great Hero Luther.

Fast forward again to the arrival of the Emperor. There is a plot hatching within The Order. Some members don't like what The Emperor and his Imperium mean...a loss of their identity, of their traditions, their religion...etc. Zahariel is brought in by his cousin to join this secretive cabal of rebels, but he won't be a party to it.

Zahariel foils the plot, and and the story fast forwards again to the Legion taking over the conversion towards compliance of a planet currently held by the White Scars. A brief interlude and the Dark Angels as they are now called relieve the White Scars so they can move to another area to continue the Great Crusade.

Of course, there is a plot and soon a nice, simple, peaceful transition becomes open warfare. The war goes quickly, and through the use of some psyker power and some of the newer astartes and older knights (non-astartes) the planet is certified "compliant". The Lion, seemingly uncomfortable with some of the members of the expedition and the way the campaign was concluded...sends some prominent members back to Caliban to gather more recruits and train them...including Luther, who at this point is starting to chafe in the shadow of The Lion as well as several older "Knights" as well as younger ones like Zahariel.
*
The Review:*

That's it. They introduce a new character and we see him grow to be a superhero...and then he becomes an Astartes. A latent psyker to boot.

The Lion isn't much more than a background superhero who instigates a conflict with the other orders in order to get what he wants, as well as easily alienates his best and brightest.

Although you can see how dissent could easily form, there is little of it. A few veiled glimpses from minor characters, and a few understandable questionings from characters such as Luther are it. The one threat came from the secret cabal and that was put down immediately.

I guess you can see how some turned away from The Lion, but the book doesn't really get in to it. No split in the ranks, no "Fallen" and "Unforgiven". None of that. Just the merest glimpse of how the dissent began...barely.

Honestly, I wanted to see less of Zahariel as a teenage wonderboy and more training as an Astartes. More Dark Angels as a Legion and more meat as far as why the split happened. 

In reading Descent of Angels, I kept wondering...when are we getting to him becoming an Astartes, and then wondering when the mutiny would happen. It never did.

Maybe the book was too subtle. Maybe I've been led down the primrose path by too many Black Library books that lay it out all nice and neat in four-color style. I kept thinking there just HAS to be a sequel in order to finish the story.

It wasn't a bad book. I did enjoy it. I was let down though. I expected more. Maybe that is on me. 

Of all the Horus Heresy series, I'm grading this one the Lowest thus far. That being said, on a scale of One to Five Stars, One meaning it Truly Sucked and Five being an All-Time Classic....*I'm giving Descent of Angels Three Stars. (***)*


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## Jacobite (Jan 26, 2007)

I realised about part way through that there wasn't going to be a big pay off at the end. It has to be a two parter. 

I however really enjoyed the parts before the Emporer arrived on Caliban. It was really interesting to be seeing what it was like before the Imperium had such a hold on the universe.

Overall I would rate it probably second or third lowest. Worst has still got to be False Gods. God that dragged. Fulgrim was kinda boring as well when compared to the others. Its a different take on the Horus Heresy that makes it stand a little apart from the others.

Overall I'd probably give it a high three or low four.


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## ArcAngels (Sep 19, 2007)

When I re-read most of the heresy series and come to descent of angels, i find that GW has been patching holes the whole time. The biggest questions are almost never awnsered but the little things are brought to light. who even had the slightest idea of what EL'johnson looked like before this novel? Who knew anything about Cypher other then the fact that hes a fallen with the lions sword. The same rings out for the other books to. Fulgrim closed alot of doors when it came to ferrus mannus, people thought his body was on mars before it was come to be known that fulgrim presented his head to the warmaster personaly. GW has an agenda with these books, and i have a hunch there only awnsering the little questions us fluff lovers have been asking for close to 10 years now. Hell the even have the balls to cut a few more holes for us to think about, like saul tarvits and the loyalists that survived the bombing of isstvan III, what was that whole underground hangarbay they were talking about? ideas anyone?


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## Elchimpster (Jan 31, 2007)

I'm still holding on to the hope that Garviel Loken survived as well. *sniff*


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## Words_of_Truth (Sep 20, 2007)

I don't think he did although i think Saul Tarvitz did


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## ArcAngels (Sep 19, 2007)

yeah, loken got flatened by the bombardment and abbadon, Tarvits saw it coming and barely had enough time to yell at everyone to take cover. If i remember correctly, Lucius was talking about how ancient rylanor was sent to check out a underground hangarbay, but that there was no way they survived the bombardment, but it clearly states in collected visions that malogurst tells horus, some loyalists will statisticaly survive the assault but there would be no way for them to leave the dead planet. soooooo in truth there could be loyalists alive there.


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## Bishop120 (Nov 7, 2007)

Well in theory a space marine could live forever if he has at least basic sustanance... all beit I dont think there was even that on the planet but it is possible that they found some shelter and that after time something started growing on the planet... hell if nothing else plants and bacteria might have grown on the dead bodies strewn every where. It would be hella funny.. an explorator fleet comes back to Istvaan III 10 thousand years later and finds a hand full of spacemarines camping out. Saul comes out and says "hey ... what took so long for our backup to arrive??"


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## Death Shroud (Mar 1, 2008)

It does explain who Cypher is and how he's such a bitch to capture though so there was that at least. 
The watchers in the dark bit was good too, it put paid to the suggestion that they were some sort of chaotic creature (personally I think they are members of the cabal)


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## Jacobite (Jan 26, 2007)

I'm sorry Death you've lost me, how does it explain who Cypher is? It explains the basis of what the Cypher character is about but doesn't name names. And considering what Jervus has just said its still as mysterious as before.


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## Death Shroud (Mar 1, 2008)

It's okay, I missed the clues at first (in fact I got told about this from a staffer who had been talking to the author).

Cypher is Zaraphiel, think about it, how easy is it to escape all the time when you have the ability to pass through solid objects.


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## Jacobite (Jan 26, 2007)

Thats what the general concineous was after Decent was published but Jervus has since dispelled that by saying that Cypher is not Astartes.


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## Death Shroud (Mar 1, 2008)

Jacobite said:


> Thats what the general concineous was after Decent was published but Jervus has since dispelled that by saying that Cypher is not Astartes.


Really? Intriguing. I wouldn't mind having a read of that, where was that from?


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## Pandawithissues... (Dec 2, 2007)

Personally jac mate, when jervis said cypher was not astartes, i interpreted that as meaning he was more than astartes, that he had 'ascended' (for want of a better word) to a higher state.


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## Jacobite (Jan 26, 2007)

Hmm interesting take on it Panda. As for the source, it was in one of the rundowns after a GW event. I'll see if I can find it again.


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