"I didn't want to present anything... as any kind of definitive, objective truth. I don’t think anyone should, either... partly because, well, no answer will ever be satisfying enough for everybody. Nothing will match everyone’s massively varied perceptions of the setting... It’s Warhammer 40,000, after all." -Aaron Dembski-Bowden, “The Master of Mankind" (Afterword) ^ If you know anything about 40k, you should already be expecting as much. Go in with that mindset, and it's a solid read.

First, I really liked how it encapsulated the emperor's vision while making him the ultimate supporting character rather than the protagonist. Second, it really brought home how the battle of terra was really a two front war. The action was tense and well written and everyone was expendable. The ending was depressing but logical and consistent, to a certain extent. If humanity is cut off from the warp, there would be no evolutionary drive towards become a psykers species. I felt frustrated in how incompetently ppolitical the variou factions of the imperium pushed their own agendas ahead of the good of imperium. The center couldn hold because no one was in charge and everyone looked out for their own interests. I disagreed with Valdosta being used as a common assassin as well. Overall, a thought provoking book with good action that made me depressed at the end.

I'm starting to think the black library and iTunes need to change their pricing ...... a 200 page book costs 300 bucks and a Horus heresy 400 pg plus book costs 15 ....... makes no sense