The Horus Heresy: The Master of Mankind

I think my abiding memory of planning and writing it all comes down to one moment, though. John French and I spent a weekend in my office, painting minis and discussing the storylines for Praetorian of Dorn and The Master of Mankind, trading plot advice and characterisation suggestions. I have a lot to thank him for on this one, not least of which is the insane story map sketched on my chalkboard in his delirious hand. I like to hope (though I don’t dare pretend) that I was as useful to him as he was to me.

So what’s next? I gather there’s something about a throwdown on the Throneworld? Malice above the Palace?

I don’t know for sure, but I hope to have a few words to write about that, sometime before the last bell rings.

Aaron Dembski-Bowden

June 2016

Acknowledgements

Sincerest thanks to my brother John French, without whom this book would never have been finished. His whip-cracking and continual insight were as invaluable as they always are on every book. I only hope I’m at least half as useful to you, dude.

Thanks as well to Alan Merrett, for the various lore chats and his usual patience with questions that began with ‘But what about…’

Thank you to Laurie Goulding and Nick Kyme, who mixed encouragement and patience in an editorial blender and somehow managed never to nag.

Thanks, obviously, to Tony Cottrell, Alan Bligh and the whole Forge World team for the badass sourcebooks – and for making a mini of Sevatar. That’s one for the bucket list.

A special thanks to another brother, the peerless Rob Smith, for the time and effort he put into Phases II and III of the Aaronorium, and for saving the Dembski-Bowden clan’s collective skins ’roundabout January time.

Last but far from least, my gratitude to the readers. Thanks for your patience.

About the Author

Aaron Dembski-Bowden is the author of the Horus Heresy novels Betrayer and The First Heretic, as well as the novella Aurelian and the audio drama Butcher’s Nails, for the same series. He also wrote the popular Night Lords series, the Space Marine Battles book Helsreach, the Abaddon novel The Talon of Horus, the Grey Knights novel The Emperor’s Gift and numerous short stories. He lives and works in Northern Ireland.