Sci-Fi on Digital Pensieve

A Gripping Conclusion to One of the Shattered Legions Story Arcs

Mon, 23 Feb 2026 05:00:44 +0000

TL;DR

This novella expertly ties up loose ends from the main books in the series.
Jonathan Keeble’s narration is top-notch and a major contributor to the story’s emotional impact.
If you’re invested in the Horus Heresy series, this is a crucial conclusion that adds depth to the overall narrative.
Be prepared for a thrilling conclusion to a significant story arc that will leave you with a new perspective on the series.

Body

As I finished listening to the audiobook version of “Sons of Selenar” by Graham McNeill, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of satisfaction at having finally tied up a loose end that had been lingering in my mind since reading “Saturnine”. The novella is part of this larger universe, and it’s clear that McNeill has put a lot of thought into completing this narrative arc.

Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu

Sat, 20 Sep 2025 23:13:00 +0000

I picked up The Three-Body Problem. The premise, scientific ideas, and vast scope are intriguing: from the opening I was fascinated by the blend of history, physics, and alien contact.

Yet as I moved forward, the book became harder to finish. The pacing slowed significantly. The middle section felt dense: technical exposition, shifting timelines, and multiple characters so far removed that I struggled to keep invested in their arcs. There were stretches where the scientific framing overshadowed the emotional/motivational grounding of the characters. It often felt more like reading to understand ideas than to follow a story I cared about.

Fulgrim

Wed, 11 Jun 2025 20:58:00 +0000

Fulgrim is the next haunting and operatic tale in the Horus Heresy series. In this installment, Graham McNeill takes us deep into the psyche of the primarch Fulgrim and his III Legion, the Emperor’s Children, as they descend from noble warriors in pursuit of perfection to corrupted champions of excess under the sway of Chaos. The book vividly captures this transformation, weaving a narrative that spans stunning victories, eerie discoveries, and the fateful events at Isstvan V.

Flight of the Eisenstein

Mon, 24 Mar 2025 18:06:00 +0000

“Flight of the Eisenstein” by James Swallow

Catching up on some reviews… I mentioned this one back in January, and just saw, that I haven’t posted about it yet, so here it is. I’ve been working my way through the Horus Heresy series on audiobook lately and after wrapping up Galaxy in Flames, I jumped straight into Flight of the Eisenstein by James Swallow.

First off, new narrator for this book, Jonathan Keeble who was also very good, and brings that weight and gravity to the story that makes you feel like you’re right there in the chaos.

Galaxy in Flames

Fri, 31 Jan 2025 19:31:00 +0000

I was getting ready to post about several books and audio books, I finished in the last week, one being The Flight of the Eisenstein, when I realized that I had not posted anything about the preceding book, Galaxy in Flames.

Galaxy in Flames is the third book in the Horus Heresy series by Ben Counter. The book opens with Horus, Warmaster of the Imperium’s forces, seemingly leading an expedition to punish the rebellious Governor of Isstvan III. Four Legions of Space Marines are sent: the Sons of Horus (Horus’s own Legion), the World Eaters, the Emperor’s Children, and the Death Guard. These Legions, unbeknownst to the loyalist elements within them, have already been corrupted by Chaos and secretly pledged themselves to Horus’s rebellion.

Treacheries of the Space Marines

Tue, 31 Dec 2024 00:23:00 +0000

Finished reading the Warhammer 40k book, Treacheries of the Space Marines. The book is a collection of short stories, by a number of authors writing about the Chaos Space marines. Those marines that turned traitors, in the Horus Heresy. Now 10k in the future from those times, these traitor marines continue their fight against the imperium of man.

Overall, a good collection of stories, with obviously some better than others. My two favorites are:

False Gods

Wed, 27 Nov 2024 21:11:00 +0000

Continuing to listen to the Horus Heresy series. This time with the second book in the series “False Gods”. Again, this book is read by the English Actor Toby Longworth. Toby’s performance is top notch and bringing to life the characters and the grim future.

The novel continues the saga of Warmaster Horus and his legion, the Sons of Horus, as they navigate the complexities of loyalty, power, and the corrupting influence of Chaos. The story picks up a few months after the events of “Horus Rising,” with Horus battling both external enemies and his own inner demons

Ground Zero

Sun, 24 Nov 2024 02:51:00 +0000

Finished reading Ground Zero, the third book based in the X-File universe. It is a novel written by Kevin J. Anderson, based on the popular TV series “The X-Files.” The story follows FBI agents Mulder and Scully as they investigate a series of mysterious deaths involving radioactivity.

My Father and I started watching the X-Files, back in the early 90’s (1993 to be exact). It became our Friday night entertainment, until moving to Sunday night in 1996. I have now introduced my own son to the X-Files all these years later.

Horus Rising

Sat, 02 Nov 2024 01:35:00 +0000

I was introduced to the world of Warhammer 40k (from Games Workshop), as a freshman in college. I played the tabletop game and collected figurines. Many years later I stumbled upon the fiction published by Games Workshop, Black Library division. Their immersive fiction spanned the Warhammer universe which takes place 40k in the far future. Then in 2016, they started publishing some of the historical events that shaped that universe. The seminal event in this universe is the Horus Heresy which occurred 10k earlier. This is where the Warmaster Horus, one of the emperor’s sons, betrays him, leading to a brutal civil war between the loyalist and traitor factions

Nightfall

Sun, 06 Oct 2024 03:04:00 +0000

I read Nightfall and other stories by Isaac Asimov, back when I was a teenager (so 30 some years ago). This time around, I finished “reading” this book again, this time as an audio book, from Audible.

Nightfall and other stories is a collection of 20 stories, compiled by Asimov himself, who prefaced each story with an introduction. The first story is “Nightfall”, the tale of a world ordinarily illuminated by sunlight at all times. Darkness only happens once every 2000 years. This is the one story I remembered from the first time I read it, and it still one of the greatest science fiction stories of all time.