Flesh of Cretacia Book review spoiler free...ish

 

Flesh of Cretacia by Andy Smillie.

The Flesh Tearers are fierce descendants of Sanguinius, and their story really kicks off when the Codex Astartes is enforced by Roboute Guilliman. That’s when they’re split from their parent legion, the Blood Angels, and handed over to their new Chapter Master, Nassir Amit. With only a thousand warriors and a single Battle Barge, the Victus, Amit suddenly finds himself leading a chapter that’s barely more than a fragment. Over the next three millennia, the Flesh Tearers would carve out a reputation for brutal efficiency, charging into battle with little concern for collateral damage. Constant crusading grinds them down before this time, and Amit eventually realises they need a homeworld of their own if they’re going to survive. That world turns out to be Cretacia, a savage planet that tests them from the moment they set foot on it. This novel follows their first battles there and how they come to understand that, harsh as it is, Cretacia is exactly the place they need. Before the split from the Blood Angels, Amit already carried the name “Flesh Tearer,” a title earned through his barely controlled bloodlust. He embarrassed Sanguinius more than once, even ending up in the World Eaters’ fighting pits whenever his primarch visited Angron. That same fury runs through the entire chapter. The Flesh Tearers don’t shy away from it; they embrace the rage and the flaws that come with bearing the gene-seed of Sanguinius.

The constant burning anger that runs through this chapter is the main emotion that drives this plot forward. At multiple points, it is extremely clear that the choices made are not the best for the situation, but they are the choices someone blinded by anger would make. Chapter Master Amit is quite an infuriating character himself. The way he leads is with white-hot rage and little interest in tactics, the complete opposite of Dante, the Blood Angels' Chapter Master. The plot doesn't have time to stagnate because this rage forces everything to speed up, and as the deadly fauna and flora of Cretacia slaughter his battle brothers one by one, this anger only intensifies. The plot itself is good and keeps your interest held throughout its length. This is more a tale of survival against nature than a survival during war plot, and it does a very good job of showing that. if you would like to read a origins story of a legion like the Flesh Tearers, then this is for you. You will see a chapter with similar flaws as the Blood Angels, but what would happen if in the hands of a Chapter Master less controlled than Dante.