Perturabo Hammer of Olympia by Guy Haley.
The next book from the Primarch series I'm covering is about Mr. Happy himself, Perturabo, Primarch of the Iron Warriors Legion. When the Primarchs' gestation capsules were cast into the Warp from the Emperor's genetic laboratory deep beneath the Imperial Palace of Holy Terra, the one containing the nascent Primarch Perturabo landed on the world of Olympia. This book deals with his youth on this planet and the events thereafter. There is a mix between the past of the Primarch and all of his stubborn tantrums and general moodiness, and a future plotline involving a campaign against the time-bending Hrud and a message he receives saying that his home world has fallen from the path of the Imperium, and a rebellion is beginning to take place. This novel was a good read, but it didn't reach the heights that some of the other books in this series do. The past segments feature many moments of his stubborn, bratty nature towards his adopted people and his adopted father, the Tyrant of Lochos Dammekos. There are also moments where you see the bright potential of Perturabo with his astounding innate grasp of engineering and his ability to see the flaw in any observed target.
Because the stubborn nature of the Primarch is such a big part of his nature, it is prevalent within the novel, but there really are some good parts to the plot that allow it to hold its own in the middle of the pack when it comes to this series. I've not read much when it comes to the Hrud, so I found those bits within the future plotline interesting. The novel again is short but well paced, so there are not many long periods of filler within the good points of the story. It's worth reading to find out more about Perturabo and how he sees the world, and any Iron Warrior fans will enjoy it. You see how a lot of Perturabo's nature is derived from his youth, but you do also see the part that is just a core aspect of his personality from birth.
For more Perturabo or Iron Warrior books to enjoy, I'd recommend -
- Iron Warriors omnibus
- Angel Exterminatus
- Black Oculus
- Slaves of Darkness
bottom image book cover of the version used in the review
