Final Horus Hersey Book, “The End and the Death: Vol. 3” Announced

Games Workshop has just announced that the final book in their sprawling and long-running Horus Hersey series is finally coming to an end after almost two decades and over 50 novels.

The new book, entitled The End and the Death: Volume 3, is written by longtime Warhammer 40K author Dan Abnett and will be released in special edition, hardback, eBook and audiobook formats – all of which are currently available for pre-order from both Games Workshop and Amazon.

So just what can we expect in this conclusion to one of Warhammer 40K’s most epic historical conflicts? Below we break out all the details.

What is the End and the Death Book Series?

The End and the Death is a three-book series written by Dan Abnett that chronicles the end of the Horus Hersey, focusing in particular on the Siege of Terra during the 31st millennium.

In particular, the series explores the final showdown between the Emperor and his son, the traitorous Primarch Horus Lupercal, weaving together numerous plot points and following a variety of key characters, including Malcador the Sigillite, Rogal Dorn, Garviel Loken, Ezekyle Abaddon and Sanguinius. That being said, the series also follows several less powerful characters who are dealing with the fallout from the galaxy-shattering events.

Like many Black Library novels, the books blend horror, action, sci-fi and political intrigue, while also drawing on a massive amount of lore. Of course, longtime Warhammer 40K fans already know how the series ends, but, as with other books in the Horus Heresy series, it’s not so much about what happens, as it is how it happens.

Notably, while The End and the Death was written as a single, continuous narrative, the manuscript was so enormous that author Dan Abnett was forced to split it into three volumes before publication by Games Workshop.

What is the Horus Hersey?

The Horus Heresy is a pivotal event in the lore of the Warhammer 40K universe and takes place in the 31st millennium, during which time a galactic civil war occured between the Emperor and his favored son, Primarch Horus Lupercal.

Originally Horus had served his father faithfully as Warmaster of the Imperium of Man, but was eventually corrupted by the forces of Chaos, turning against the Emperor and leading half of the Space Marine Legions into open rebellion.

The conflict – which lasted for over seven years – cost billions of lives and ravaged thousands of planets across the galaxy, culminating in the Siege of Terra where Horus was ultimately defeated. During the battle, the Emperor was also mortally wounded and placed on the Golden Throne. 1,000 years later in the 41st millennium that makes up the current Warhammer 40K time period, the Emperor remains a lifeless husk of his former self, unable to move or communicate, with his body slowing dying and his faltering psychic energy barely holding the Imperium together.

How many Horus Hersey Books are there?

The first Horus Heresy book, Horus Rising, was released in 2006. As of January 2024, there are now 54 primary Horus Heresy novels (which includes a mix of novels and short story anthologies). Additionally, there is also a graphic novel, several e-book short stories, and a variety tie-in novels and novellas set in the same time period but that are not part of the primary Horus Hersey series.

Notably, there are also seventeen short novels and one anthology set in the parallel Black Library Primarchs series, which follows the exploits of the various sons of the Emperor during the time of the Hersey (this series continues to be published to this day, with more recent books like The Lion: Son of the Forest).

And while The End and the Death is broken out into three books, the third volume is also technically the tenth volume in the Siege of Terra series.

The end result is a somewhat tangled and complex series of books that can be daunting to new readers, but also offers a number of different entry points as it explores the deep lore and history of the Warhammer 40K universe.

FINAL THOUGHTS

If you’re new to the Horus Hersey books, chances are you’ll probably want to stay clear of this final chapter in the series. That being said, for long time fans and Imperium lore junkies it marks a dramatic conclusion to one of Warhammer 40K’s most pivotal periods.

You can pre-order the paperback version of The End and the Death Volume 3 now from Games Workshop and Amazon.

Below is also a video from a recent GW interview with Dan Abnett where he discusses the book in more detail.

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