However, not enough of the book is about the primarch himself, and it tells us little about him that we did not already know.

And that's the greatest tragedy about Angron and what’s left of the War Hounds, they really had no chance once the Nails were driven into the Primarch skull, making him slaughter in blind frenzy old gladiator Oenomaus, much more a father to Angron than the uncaring Emperor who left his comrades in arms dying without him, and unleash a bestial howl for days after coming back to senses. There are two main threads to the novel: flashbacks to Angron’s time as a slave on Nuceria, and a campaign during the Grand Crusade surrounding the time of the World Eaters’ adoption of the Butcher’s Nails. The best apart about this shism is that we get some insight in the warhounds legion that preceded the world eaters. It was interesting to learn of a sizable faction in the legion that had serious doubts about drilling spikes into their skulls designed to make you a non stop kill frenzy brute was a good idea.For me the best flashback was shortly after his discovery Angron decides to run away and die on a battlefield against a foe for a noble cause. Takes a look at the angriest of all the primarchs and really makes a effort to in a way humanise him. My main gripe with it is that I just didn’t feel overly excited throughout like I have in the past for other BL titles.

His disobedience in killing his mentor as instructed by the High Riders had caused the rage inducing Butchers Nail (think lobotomy) to be install within him, to result in the Angron we know. It also looks more into Khàrn and what is the start of his fall but also gain a respect as in later Horus heresy books he seems to have his tendencies for blood almost in check outside of battle. That the damnation of the World Eaters was an entirely human one, at least initially, and the angry god to adopt his legion later was really only formalizing what they'd been doing for decades. Essentially, the World Eaters’ tale is the chronicle of desperate ambitions and false choices, paternal indifference and filial mistakes, shattered brotherhoods and subsequent lies of the decaying Imperium too ashamed to remember the truth. And as that's going on, youve got the World Eaters split in those that desire the nails to be like their father, and those who fear what the nails will do to the legion.Like the rest of the Primarchs installments, this is a great story on its own, but would certainly feel even richer beside the other existing tales about Angron and his Legion. Novel portrays in great detail the fall of World Eaters legion, proud battle hardened warriors, under dominion of Chaos for a simple reason of trying to be accepted by their gene-father.

Having failed to capture the planet in 31 hours, the legionaries are subjected to Decimation upon declaration of Angron, at which the Centurion of one of the company objects, which throws Angron into a frenzy which require psychic intervention to calm him down.The Slave of Nuceria’s actual plot revolves around the question of Butcher’s Nails that Angron strongly wishes to see implanted in all of his warriors. This short novel delves deep into the origin of the traitor Primarch, although in a bit unorthodox way.