# ADB's Christmas Gift



## Lord of the Night (Nov 18, 2009)

ADB has decided to be generous this time of year and reveal the title of his next Horus Heresy novel.

http://www.facebook.com/aarondembskibowden

One word.... _Betrayer_. :biggrin:


LotN


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## Child-of-the-Emperor (Feb 22, 2009)

Khârn it is then.


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## Bane_of_Kings (Oct 28, 2009)

Awesome, can't wait for this .


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## Angel of Blood (Aug 18, 2010)

Khaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarn!!!!!!


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## ckcrawford (Feb 4, 2009)

I assume that would mean that Kharn would have taken that title, "The Betrayer," sometime during the heresy, instead of during the events on Skalathrax. I wonder how then.


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## Khorne's Fist (Jul 18, 2008)

ckcrawford said:


> I assume that would mean that Kharn would have taken that title, "The Betrayer," sometime during the heresy, instead of during the events on Skalathrax. I wonder how then.


Good old GW FlexiFluff(TM)

I'm hoping this is the story of the WE journey in the Heresy, told from Kharn's perspective. Considering the forthcoming _Butcher's Nails_ I'm sure ADB has been working on the WEs for a while.


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## mcmuffin (Mar 1, 2009)

My favourite character in the 40k universe is getting a book by the best suthor in the black library. My life is complete.


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## Baltar (Aug 16, 2008)

WIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIN!!!!!!!!!!

LOVE Kharn the Betrayer. I read a short story about him in one of the early 40k short story collections - The one that describes the kill counter in his helmet. It was awesome.

ADB is my favourite author. This is an awesome character. This book will be fantastic.


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## Lord of the Night (Nov 18, 2009)

mcmuffin said:


> My favourite character in the 40k universe is getting a book by the best suthor in the black library. My life is complete.


I feel similarly.

Khârn has since fallen a bit on my favourite characters list, but at the start he was one of my top 3 for his utterly brutal existence and simplistic madness. He's still one of my favourites though and I can't wait to see him in a book.

This has also convinced me that ADB is a psyker. He knows exactly what I want to see in novel form and is writing them.

*Thinks very hard about the Astral Knights and the World Engine* :grin:


LotN


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## Baltar (Aug 16, 2008)

*thinks very hard about ADB replacing Swallow for Fear to Tread*


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## forkmaster (Jan 2, 2010)

Yeah I saw it, this will be pretty sweet indeed.  Cant wait for either here.


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## darkreever (Apr 3, 2008)

Personally I'm hoping it will not be about Kharn, because as Lord of the Night's word drop is leading us to speculate on, the book may very well detail Kharn earning his infamous title during the Heresy rather than some time post Heresy.

For me, that notion rather robs the character himself of something special. Kharn is the betrayer because he willingly killed his own legion brothers on Skalathrax, directly leading to them breaking up into smaller warbands and only the most crazy or devoted followers of Khorne joining forces with him. I don't know, if thats what the book is about then I'll be doing into it with a measure of trepidation which is no fun.


Betrayer would also work for Calus Typhon to a lesser degree. Especially considering what he did to his legion during the Heresy. I'm actually hoping that we get a novel about him, and not Kharn.


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## Child-of-the-Emperor (Feb 22, 2009)

darkreever said:


> Betrayer would also work for Calus Typhon to a lesser degree. Especially considering what he did to his legion during the Heresy. I'm actually hoping that we get a novel about him, and not Kharn.


Its almost certainly about Khârn, given we know _AD-B_'s novel is about the World Eaters (with his audio _Butcher's Nails_ acting as a prelude to _Betrayer_).

As for Khârn not claiming the title _Betrayer_ until post-Heresy on Skalathrax, that still might not change. But I think it is a good title to work with if this novel will focus on Khârn's fall into Khornate dedication throughout the Age of Darkness, which in some ways then peaks with his actions at Skalathrax. He doesn't actually have to be labelled as the _"Betrayer"_ throughout the Heresy for the novel title to be appropriate, the goings-on in _Betrayer_ might just act as a prelude. 

(If that makes sense - I realise I havn't worded the above very well, but I am very hungover!)


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## Shadow Walker (Jun 10, 2010)

And maybe betrayer is a term used for describing Emperor. Angron always thought that his father betrayed him, first not allowing him to die with his fellow gladiators, second abandoning the crusade. Maybe then this novel is about what brought World Eaters to heresy and into Khorne arms?


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## mal310 (May 28, 2010)

No doubt this will be fantastic. ADB is a different standard altogether. Love his work. I hope Varren makes an apperance as well. Would be nice to learn some more about him as well.


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## Lord of the Night (Nov 18, 2009)

darkreever said:


> Personally I'm hoping it will not be about Kharn, because as Lord of the Night's word drop is leading us to speculate on, the book may very well detail Kharn earning his infamous title during the Heresy rather than some time post Heresy.
> 
> For me, that notion rather robs the character himself of something special. Kharn is the betrayer because he willingly killed his own legion brothers on Skalathrax, directly leading to them breaking up into smaller warbands and only the most crazy or devoted followers of Khorne joining forces with him. I don't know, if thats what the book is about then I'll be doing into it with a measure of trepidation which is no fun.
> 
> ...


Perhaps so, but I think that if Khârn does earn the title Betrayer it might be informal. I think it was on the Bolthole that somebody said that Khârn might have been called Betrayer in the past, maybe if he led the purging of the Librarians and Chaplains. He would refute it thinking that he is loyal and eventually, at Skalathrax, would accept that he is a traitor and would realise he doesn't care.


LotN


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## MontytheMighty (Jul 21, 2009)

Child-of-the-Emperor said:


> He doesn't actually have to be labelled as the _"Betrayer"_ throughout the Heresy for the novel title to be appropriate, the goings-on in _Betrayer_ might just act as a prelude


yes, his formal epithet doesn't have to be "Betrayer" for the title to be appropriate
it works as long as he behaves as a betrayer in the novel



Shadow Walker said:


> And maybe betrayer is a term used for describing Emperor. Angron always thought that his father betrayed him, first not allowing him to die with his fellow gladiators, second abandoning the crusade. Maybe then this novel is about what brought World Eaters to heresy and into Khorne arms?


nice insight 



Baltar said:


> *thinks very hard about ADB replacing Swallow for Fear to Tread*


if only...ADB is a great authour, I just wish he would write about some legions I care more about


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## Mossy Toes (Jun 8, 2009)

Khârn! Khârn! Khârnkhârnkhârn!


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## increaso (Jun 5, 2010)

It seems that it is almost certainly Kharn (although in CV there is a nice picture of Horus the Betrayer).

I was kinda 'meh' about the possibility of a WE novel covering Angron pre-discovery, so this is a good surprise.

I wonder whether we will see Kharn before After Desh'ea. Either way, it will certainly be interested to see how he develops between False Gods and Galaxy in Flames.


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## Child-of-the-Emperor (Feb 22, 2009)

increaso said:


> I wonder whether we will see Kharn before After Desh'ea.


I don't think thats very likely, the series has moved into the _Age of Darkness_ now, so I don't think we'll get any novels truly set before that now, certainly not as far back as pre-discovery.


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## forkmaster (Jan 2, 2010)

Well it could be hinting at it. Just look at FotE giving hints about Mortarion what he will become long before it has happened, or the title _The First Heretic_, since that title could refer to so many characters in the book.  I like the idea that he begins to be called Betrayer before hand, but doesnt fully accept it until Skalantrax.


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