# The Damnation of Pythos



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

Having read the book recently, and definitely enjoyed it the most of all the David Annandale pieces I have read, I thought I would answer questions about the book if anyone has any.

The most important thing you should be aware of about the 30th Horus Heresy novel if you are a Heresy reader is this. It is NOT part of the main series in the sense that it doesn't have any Primarchs, it doesn't advance the galactic war any further, it doesn't feature the machinations of the Traitor Legions, no revelations about the lost truth in the Heresy, and the storyline started in the book ends in the book.

That said I do strongly feel this is a book that Heresy fans will enjoy. It's well written, lots of strong and memorable action scenes, interesting characters and comparison of character aspects through the book, and it has a spooky horror feel to it which gives it a sense of uniqueness in the series thus far. How many of the books have actually gone for spooky rather than just gory? So while Book 30 may not deal with the main plot I still think it is worth reading, especially since it is Annandale's first real foray into the Heresy and I think that he has done a damn good job. Hopefully he'll be doing a lot more, a fresh face in the Heresy will add more variety to the books.


LotN


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## Kalamoj (Nov 8, 2013)

Do we know the release date?

LotN: Thanks for the review, sounds very good even if it's just a 'spinoff'.


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

I think the release date is July, August at the latest. That is just a guess going off some side-information, nothing official.


LotN


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

Is it a novella, or fully fledged novel? Any chance of a brief idea of the plot?


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

Khorne's Fist said:


> Is it a novella, or fully fledged novel? Any chance of a brief idea of the plot?


It is a full novel.

As for the plot; The book is about the 111th Clan-Company of Iron Hands that are fleeing Istvaan and travel to the planet Pythos to explore a warp anomaly and end up as part of a series of events that could result in something very dark occurring. The story is about them trying to survive both the wounds Istvaan has left them with, and trying to survive the horrors that Pythos begins to inflict.


LotN


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

Iron Hands. Nice. My interest in them has been piqued after reading that short story the name of which escapes me atm in which 

they are bringing their dead back to life to carry on the fight against the Warmaster.


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

Khorne's Fist said:


> Iron Hands. Nice. My interest in them has been piqued after reading that short story the name of which escapes me atm in which
> 
> they are bringing their dead back to life to carry on the fight against the Warmaster.


You mean _Riven_ by John French.

One of the key aspects of the book is looking at how the Iron Hands are dealing with Istvaan, what they think of what happened and who they blame, and what the events of Istvaan are leading them to become; the last one in the form of Captain Durun Atticus who is probably the closest thing to a 40k Iron Hand that we've seen in 30k thus far.


LotN


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## Malus Darkblade (Jan 8, 2010)

I need massive spoilers.

What 'dark anomaly' do they face on this backwaters planet?


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

Malus Darkblade said:


> I need massive spoilers.
> 
> What 'dark anomaly' do they face on this backwaters planet?


That would be;




The Damnation Cache from Pandorax. A structure that contains portals that lead directly into the Warp, and allow things to get out of the Warp.



Just so you know. The above is the ONLY link that _The Damnation of Pythos_ shares with the book mentioned above, and it doesn't even give a name to the cache. It's obvious if you've read the other book but if not it will not affect your reading of TDoP even slightly.

If you want really massive spoilers I can post a summary of the plot.


LotN


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## Malus Darkblade (Jan 8, 2010)

meh. an overglorified tear in reality that summons daemonz that ties to a book where a traitor inquisitor spits through a stasis field, destroying everything we've come to know about stasis fields in one disgusting act. RIP Gullyman.


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

Malus Darkblade said:


> meh. an overglorified tear in reality that summons daemonz that ties to a book where a traitor inquisitor spits through a stasis field, destroying everything we've come to know about stasis fields in one disgusting act. RIP Gullyman.


Well regardless of how you feel about Pandorax and it's depiction of technology, Damnation of Pythos's only link to it is that they are set on the same planet, and you see the Cache before the tear was made.


LotN


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

I probably won't buy this book.


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## Malus Darkblade (Jan 8, 2010)

Child-of-the-Emperor said:


> I won't buy this book.


Fixed.


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

Child-of-the-Emperor said:


> I probably won't buy this book.


There a reason or you just don't feel like getting it?


LotN


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## Roninman (Jul 23, 2010)

Lord of the Night said:


> There a reason or you just don't feel like getting it?
> 
> 
> LotN


Maybe because it seems rather pointless? Series have gone way too much off ite course and reading yet again anothe istvaan survivor story is too much. Leave those survivor stories to shortstory collections, move along. I like HH era books as much as many here, but enough is enough. 

They dont even feel like survivors anymore, as they are featured on everyother novel. Leave them be for awhile.


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

Roninman said:


> Maybe because it seems rather pointless? Series have gone way too much off ite course and reading yet again anothe istvaan survivor story is too much. Leave those survivor stories to shortstory collections, move along. I like HH era books as much as many here, but enough is enough.


:goodpost:


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

Lord of the Night said:


> There a reason or you just don't feel like getting it?
> 
> 
> LotN


Honestly, because I haven't enjoyed a single plot-line surrounding the survivors of Isstvan (despite there being great potential). I'm not particularly interested in the Pythos plot (concerning the Cache). I haven't read anything by David Annandale before, so I wouldn't read it for the author. It's now well-known that it adds nothing to the overall story-arch. The synopsis doesn't interest me in the slightest; survivors of Isstvan (again) and the 'darkness coming to consume them all' is obviously the Cache given that we know it's set on Pythos, effectively I already know the story without reading it.

And to be honest, it's ridiculous that the Shattered Legions are featuring more in the series than some of the key figures (Horus and the XVI Legion included). 

Considering this is Annandale's first novel contribution to the series (and assuming the authors still pitch their own novel ideas) this is an odd pitch. To be honest, I'm surprised this story warranted a whole novel when other key events (eg. The Battle of Phall) only got a novella, short story or less. With a bit of editing, this could have easily made a 40k novel rather than being book 31(?) of the Horus Heresy series - especially at a time when some people seem to be getting fatigued with the series.


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## Garviel loken. (Jun 8, 2014)

Does it show what the next title is on the inside flap?


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

Garviel loken. said:


> Does it show what the next title is on the inside flap?


No. But if the information we've seen about the HH series is correct it will either be the Fall of the Death Guard novel by James Swallow or _The Crimson King_ by Graham McNeill.


LotN


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## Garviel loken. (Jun 8, 2014)

Lord of the Night said:


> No. But if the information we've seen about the HH series is correct it will either be the Fall of the Death Guard novel by James Swallow or _The Crimson King_ by Graham McNeill.
> 
> 
> LotN


Any news on what the next ultramarines hh novel may look like?

Loken


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## forkmaster (Jan 2, 2010)

Yeah I'm afraid my interests just died for this novel as well! I have skipped LE novellas, but this feels like it is the new BFtA and might be the first fully fledge novel I skip as well.


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

forkmaster said:


> Yeah I'm afraid my interests just died for this novel as well! I have skipped LE novellas, but this feels like it is the new BFtA and might be the first fulkly fledge novel I skip as well.


I'm not assuming it will be a bad novel (like _BFtA_), just an uninteresting one in the context of the Heresy series. A little editing and I imagine it could well be a 40k novel. It just seems to be a very odd decision for this plot to warrant a full Heresy novel.


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## Anakwanar (Sep 26, 2011)

> A little editing and I imagine it could well be a 40k novel. It just seems to be a very odd decision for this plot to warrant a full Heresy novel.


Well - it's a filler in time of no solid HH books from prominent authors.

'Crimson King' from McNeil just started as a 'Master of Mankind' from Bowden. 'Dreadwing' from Abnett hasn't been even planned at all. Wright's new HH novel just only started too. Kyme HH novel in the future, etc.....

So - it is a filler book in a 'half a year absence' of solid HH releases. In truth - where is none new Horus Heresy releases till November anthology?


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

Well since I appear to be the only one who is/was willing to actually buy the book, here's a summary of the plot for those of you who don't want to get it;

http://www.warseer.com/forums/showt...us-Heresy-30&p=7182990&viewfull=1#post7182990




In context the novel does show what the Daemons of Chaos are doing. While Horus leads the war the Daemons are going to ravage the parts of the Imperium that nobody is defending, they have a free reign because the Legiones Astartes are too busy with Horus to notice what they are doing.




LotN


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

Lord of the Night said:


> Well since I appear to be the only one who is/was willing to actually buy the book, here's a summary of the plot for those of you who don't want to get it;
> 
> http://www.warseer.com/forums/showt...us-Heresy-30&p=7182990&viewfull=1#post7182990
> 
> ...


Thanks LotN.


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

Child-of-the-Emperor said:


> Thanks LotN.


Not a problem.

FTR while I admit that _The Damnation of Pythos_ has no impact on the wider context of the Horus Heresy, I still think it is a compelling story and without a doubt is David Annandale's best work to date.


LotN


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## MontytheMighty (Jul 21, 2009)

Child-of-the-Emperor said:


> I'm not assuming it will be a bad novel (like _BFtA_), just an uninteresting one in the context of the Heresy series. A little editing and I imagine it could well be a 40k novel.


Yeah...that's the vibe I'm getting as well

I mean some novels/novellas aren't essential to the main story of the Heresy. _Brotherhood of the Storm_ for example. BotS however still deals with pre=Heresy/Heresy-era WS, something we've never been privy to before. 

Pythos deals with Irons Hands, Raven Guard, and Salamanders. We've seen these guys before. Now they're stuck on a daemon world fighting a battle quite unrelated to the larger Heresy. It sounds more like a 40K novel than like a 30K novel. I think a short story would've sufficed.


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## Worldkiller (Jun 16, 2010)

I think I'll be getting this primarily because I haven't read anything by Annadale yet.


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## forkmaster (Jan 2, 2010)

Child-of-the-Emperor said:


> I'm not assuming it will be a bad novel (like _BFtA_), just an uninteresting one in the context of the Heresy series. A little editing and I imagine it could well be a 40k novel. It just seems to be a very odd decision for this plot to warrant a full Heresy novel.


Yes this was what I meant, but in less good described words!


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## evanswolves (Jun 16, 2013)

This is out on the 26th July for those that are interested


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## Freakytah (Nov 20, 2009)

evanswolves said:


> This is out on the 26th July for those that are interested


I can't seem to find that release date anywhere online, other than November on Amazon. Is this still coming out soon?


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## Stop Making Sense (Nov 4, 2012)

BL are releasing something tomorrow in regards to this (probably able to pre-order), according to them:

http://www.blacklibrary.com/new-at-bl/it-came-from-the-jungles.html


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## Freakytah (Nov 20, 2009)

Stop Making Sense said:


> BL are releasing something tomorrow in regards to this (probably able to pre-order), according to them:
> 
> http://www.blacklibrary.com/new-at-bl/it-came-from-the-jungles.html


Oh nice, thanks! I never seem to have any luck navigating through their site these days...


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## evanswolves (Jun 16, 2013)

Freakytah said:


> I can't seem to find that release date anywhere online, other than November on Amazon. Is this still coming out soon?


It was the date given in the new SFX magazine for the release on itunes


Preorder is up on black library


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## ckcrawford (Feb 4, 2009)

Yeah, unfortunately, I've had to be picky with what book I read from the Heresy due to finances. And I've never been a big fan of the survivor's stories. Every time another one of those survivor stories comes up, I can't help but think at how incompetent the traitor legions were at crushing the loyalists. I mean, they had them perfectly situated in a grind machine and outnumbered them pretty good. It kind of bothers me a bit, especially when we see how almost impossible it was for Garro to escape the skies. He obviously couldn't use brute strength. 



Roninman said:


> Maybe because it seems rather pointless? Series have gone way too much off ite course and reading yet again anothe istvaan survivor story is too much. Leave those survivor stories to shortstory collections, move along. I like HH era books as much as many here, but enough is enough.
> 
> They dont even feel like survivors anymore, as they are featured on everyother novel. Leave them be for awhile.


I agree, as CotE has said, there are many more important characters and plots that unfortunately haven't been distributed to the Heresy community very well. There are too many broad books off of pointless plots. 



Child-of-the-Emperor said:


> Honestly, because I haven't enjoyed a single plot-line surrounding the survivors of Isstvan (despite there being great potential). I'm not particularly interested in the Pythos plot (concerning the Cache). I haven't read anything by David Annandale before, so I wouldn't read it for the author. It's now well-known that it adds nothing to the overall story-arch. The synopsis doesn't interest me in the slightest; survivors of Isstvan (again) and the 'darkness coming to consume them all' is obviously the Cache given that we know it's set on Pythos, effectively I already know the story without reading it.
> 
> And to be honest, it's ridiculous that the Shattered Legions are featuring more in the series than some of the key figures (Horus and the XVI Legion included).
> 
> Considering this is Annandale's first novel contribution to the series (and assuming the authors still pitch their own novel ideas) this is an odd pitch. To be honest, I'm surprised this story warranted a whole novel when other key events (eg. The Battle of Phall) only got a novella, short story or less. With a bit of editing, this could have easily made a 40k novel rather than being book 31(?) of the Horus Heresy series - especially at a time when some people seem to be getting fatigued with the series.


I agree with this. Its interesting because I wouldn't say there is less Heresy stuff coming out every year. Thats totally false. They always have a Audio, or Novella coming out. But I wonder if BL is still managing to keep those interested. It could be a marketing tool to try and get more money. I just wish they could be more creative. And when they actually write a book, its like we hold our breath to see if its a hit or miss.


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## Angel of Blood (Aug 18, 2010)

I see novels like this as well, and realise that the Blood Aneks have still only had one book, and a shit one at that. The Night Lords and the Imperial Fists have only had shorts or essentially cameo appearences in novels, it's pretty annoying.

I'll inky be getting this because of my retarded OCD esque obsession with completing the series, I doubt I'll even read it for a few months.


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## Brother Lucian (Apr 22, 2011)

The Damnation of Pythos is now available for ebook download. Just bought it.
http://www.blacklibrary.com/horus-heresy/damnation-of-pythos-ebook.html


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## ckcrawford (Feb 4, 2009)

Angel of Blood said:


> I see novels like this as well, and realise that the Blood Aneks have still only had one book, and a shit one at that. The Night Lords and the Imperial Fists have only had shorts or essentially cameo appearences in novels, it's pretty annoying.
> 
> I'll inky be getting this because of my retarded OCD esque obsession with completing the series, I doubt I'll even read it for a few months.


That's actually one of things that has me bothered about the series. I have a lot of holes in my collection because it cost too much to buy the Novelas and audios. There have been some informative audios and Novelas, but not the majority. I would buy all of them if they had stronger stories, but its far from it. I sometimes feel that the series has become a hobby all on itself. Its interesting because part of me always feels like saying, "they don't write enough for the Heresy on a yearly basis." Thats not true at all, but the contributions to the plot is a different matter.


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## Brother Lucian (Apr 22, 2011)

The Damnation of Pythos was a decent read for a selfcontained sidestory, though as others have stated it could easilly have been set during 40k. But I think the main selling point was to showcase the reaction of Imperial Truth indoctrinated marines when first exposed to chaos.

I rate it 6.5/10. Decent writting and some good ideas, but it does not move the Horus Heresy narative at all and can easilly be skipped.


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## MontytheMighty (Jul 21, 2009)

Disregarding its relevance to the wider Heresy, how would you guys rate this novel on its own merits?


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## Stephen74 (Oct 1, 2010)

Lord of the Night said:


> Having read the book recently, and definitely enjoyed it the most of all the David Annandale pieces I have read, I thought I would answer questions about the book if anyone has any.
> 
> The most important thing you should be aware of about the 30th Horus Heresy novel if you are a Heresy reader is this. It is NOT part of the main series in the sense that it doesn't have any Primarchs, it doesn't advance the galactic war any further, it doesn't feature the machinations of the Traitor Legions, no revelations about the lost truth in the Heresy, and the storyline started in the book ends in the book.
> 
> ...


 I was on a 4 hour drive today so decided to download a new audio book. Choices were Legion, Vengeful Spirit or Damnation of Pythos. I went with Pythos specifically because it was about a group of survivors fighting the good fight. The other group that's popped up in several books now have been brilliant and I was hoping for more of that. 

I've not finished it yet, not even sure how far through it I am, and I've not read this thread, just the opening post. Well written? I disagree.

Why? Too descriptive and overloaded with unnecessary and often nonsensical metaphors. Quite often there will be two or more metaphors to describe the same thing - that's unnecessary and tedius. Worse, you'll have a metaphor you can understand like a loose hair over the eye - something the reader(listener) can relate to, followed by a claw tracing over the cerebral cortex. Yeah ok whatever, no one on the planet knows what that's like so it's just made up garbage. I hate that. 

The action sequences have been good so far. The dialogue between characters has been a bit predictable and they don't seem to HAVE character. I think this is down to the lack of dialogue, which only comes in short predictable spurts, and too much reliance on over done meaningless descriptions. 

I took to the survivors on the other ship very quickly. They had character. These guys, I can't see me taking to them at all. 

What is interesting is the parallel with the Emporers Children. I've not really picked up on it before, but it has been there under the surface. The two legions are largely the same in that they are both pursuing perfection, just looking for it in opposite directions. Got me thinking if other legions have a 'mirror' .


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## Sevatar (Aug 21, 2013)

As a side note, when did the eBook price for hardbacks drop to €13.49? Now there's really no reason anymore to continue my physical collection (firstworldproblems, yes).


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## Stephen74 (Oct 1, 2010)

Sevatar said:


> As a side note, when did the eBook price for hardbacks drop to €13.49? Now there's really no reason anymore to continue my physical collection (firstworldproblems, yes).


No idea but I am really unimpressed that Audio books have gone up to £30. That's £10 above the price most other Audio Books can be bought for and quite honestly, I'm not sure it's value for money. This could end my involvement with the HH series. It's under very serious consideration. :cray:


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