Know No Fear (Novel)
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This article is about the Novel; for the Rulebook supplement, see Deathwatch: Know No Fear. |
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| Author | Dan Abnett | |
| Performer | Gareth Armstrong | |
| Publisher | Black Library | |
| Series | Horus Heresy Series | |
| Preceded by | Deliverance Lost | |
| Followed by | The Primarchs | |
| Released | February 28, 2012 | |
| Pages | 416 | |
| Length | 11 hours | |
| Editions | February 2012 softcover ISBN 99781849701358 April 2012 audiobook April 2013 hardback | |
'They are dead, they will not live;
they are shades, they will not arise;
to that end you have visited
them with destruction and
wiped out all remembrance of them.'
Know No Fear is the 19th novel in the Horus Heresy Series, written by Dan Abnett. It was released on February 28, 2012. It was also released as an installment in the Warhammer 40k Legend Series, as book 2 of the 80. It documents the beginning of the battle for the planet Calth between the Ultramarines and the Word Bearers, now turned traitor after the massacre at Istvaan V.
The novel made the New York Times bestseller list in March 2012, making it the sixth volume in the Horus Heresy series to make the list (after Graham McNeill's A Thousand Sons, James Swallow's Nemesis, Aaron Dembski-Bowden's The First Heretic, Abnett's own Prospero Burns, and the anthology Age of Darkness). It was later included in "The Novels: Volume 4" eBook collection.
Abnett stated that Know No Fear was "only the beginning" and the subsequent phases of the battle would be revealed in future stories.[1]
In October 2016, it was chosen by L.J. Goulding for Black Library's Hall of Fame collection.
Contents
Cover Description
Unaware of the wider Heresy and following the Warmaster's increasingly cryptic orders, Roboute Guilliman returns to Ultramar to muster his Legion for war against the orks massing in the Veridia System. Without warning, their supposed allies in the Word Bearers Legion launch a devastating invasion of Calth, scattering the Ultramarines' fleet and slaughtering all who stand in their way. This confirms the worst scenario Guilliman can imagine – Lorgar means to settle their bitter rivalry once and for all. As the traitors summon foul daemonic hosts and all the forces of Chaos, the Ultramarines are drawn into a grim and deadly struggle in which neither side can prevail.[2]
Plot Summary
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The following paragraphs contain spoilers for: | Know No Fear (Novel) |
TARGET//ACQUISITION
[mark: -136.57.07] The fleet tender Campanile is taken over by Word Bearers forces. [mark: -124.24.03] Honorius Luciel welcomes Sorot Tchure aboard the Cruiser Samothrace.[3c] [mark: -116.50.32] Aeonid Thiel waits for an officer to discipline him. [mark: -111.02.36] The Numinus 61st Imperial Army regiment is mustering against the purported Ork threat. [mark: -111.05.12] Dogent Krank tutors Bale Rane on proper Army etiquette. [mark: unspecified] The two meanings of the Mark of Calth are explained.[3d]
[mark: -109.08.22] Remus Ventanus oversees the Erud Province muster. [mark: -108.56.13] Ultramarines of the 6th Company discuss the theoretical and practical of ork-killing. [mark: -99.12.02] Oll Persson ponders his life on Calth. [mark: -68.56.14] Ultramarines of the 111th and 112th discuss the merits and demerits of wishing for battle. [mark: -61.20.31] Roboute Guilliman is taking notes on the conduct of war. [mark: -61.25.22] Commanding officers of the XIII debate the reasons behind the conjunction with the XVII. [mark: -61.39.12] The first symptoms of psychic phenomena appear. [mark: -50.11.11] Tylos Rubio of the 21st Company refrains from linking them to his own abilities.[3e]
[mark: -28.27.50] Tchure and Luciel note the symbolic importance of their friendship. [mark: -26.43.57] Still waiting, Thiel avails himself of the Primarch's weapon collection. [mark: -25.15.19] Bowe Hellock expresses his disdain for the XVII's auxiliaries.[3f] [mark: -20.44.50] Ventanus heads towards Numinus City. [mark: -19.12.36] At the Holophusikon, he meets with some of the planet's seneschals.[3g]
[mark: -16.44.12] Server of Instrumentation Uhl Kehal Hesst engages in scrapcode cleaning. [mark: -15.02.48] Criol Fowst leads one of the rituals corrupting the local communications network. [mark: -14.22.39] The Campanile approaches Calth.[3h] [mark: -13.00.01] The Erud Province muster's backlog increases. [mark: -11.16.21] Guilliman addresses the scrapcode issue. [mark: -9.32.40] Telemechrus accidentally awakens. [mark: -8.11.47] Guilliman speaks with Lorgar Aurelian, who denies having anything to do with the scrapcode. [mark: -7.55.09] The scrapcode's final iteration, the Octed, is implanted.[3i]
[mark: -4.44.10] Thiel hears Guilliman's musing about his brother. [mark: -3.01.10] Persson senses something important is brewing. [mark: -1.43.32] Ventanus watches Seneschal Arbute solve the backlog issue. [mark: -1.01.20] The Campanile passes the system picket. [mark: -0.55.37] Erebus teleports onto Calth to prepare a ritual. [mark: -0.40.20] Tchure and Luciel discuss the significance of betrayal. [mark: -0.20.20] The Campanile accelerates. [mark: -0.19.45] Tchure murders Luciel.[3j]
ABSOLUTE//OVERWHELM
[mark: -0.18.43] The crew of the Samothrace react to a weapons discharge alarm at the same time Calth System Control launches a primary orbital traffic alert. [mark: -0.18.34] The Campanile engages its main thrust. [mark: -0.18.32] She streaks through the fleet orbiting Calth, destroying ships and killing tens of thousands. [mark: -0.18.30] Marius Gage registers the event, as do Ventanus, Persson, Hellock, 6th Company, and 111th Company. [mark: -0.18.30] Hesst is mortally hurt by the datashock; Telemechrus plummets from low orbit; The Brotherhood of the Knife celebrate; Erebus anticipates the change to come.[3k]
[mark: -0.18.20] The Word Bearers ships open fire on the loyalists. [mark: -0.17.32] Shipmaster Ouon Hommed of the Sanctity of Saramanth understands the XVII knew of the disaster in advance, just before they turn their guns on his ship. [mark: -0.17.01] Magos Meer Edv Tawren prepares to take over Hesst as the Grand Cruiser Antrodamicus falls towards Calth. [mark: -0.16.11] Guilliman realizes the XVII are shooting at his forces. [mark: -0.16.05] Persson's farm is subjected to debris falling and tidal waves crashing in. [mark: -0.16.03] Ventranus looks for ways to coordinate a response.[3l]
[mark: -0.15.50] Debris falls on and around 6th Company. [mark: -0.15.48] Tawren, Hesst and Arook Serotid barely escape as the Antrodamicus hits Kalkas Fortalice. [mark: -0.14.20] The 111th and 112th are massacred by the XVII. [mark: -0.11.21] The Brotherhood of the Knife attack the Numinus 61st, Fowst capturing Hellock for a sacrifice. [mark: -0.09.39] Ventanus reaches an operational vox station, but it is destroyed by Word Bearers. [mark: -0.03.59] Guilliman voxes Lorgar, who refuses to cease hostilities, and authorizes the XIII to return fire; Ultramarines battle counter is started.[3m]
SYSTEM//KILL
[mark: 0.00.01] Guilliman prepares a message calling for a ceasefire to be broadcast on a loop. [mark: 0.00.10] The XVII keep slaughtering the loyalist fleet. [mark: 0.00.20] Ventanus finds evidence of premeditation.[3n] [mark: 0.01.00] Tchure welcomes Kor Phaeron aboard the Samothrace. [mark: 0.20.34] Ekritus is captured and crucified on the armour of a traitor titan. [mark: 0.32.31] Hol Beloth leads the XVII's advance towards Lanshear. [mark: 0.45.17] The Brotherhood of the Knife rampages through Numinus City. [mark: 0.58.08] The Samothrace under Tchure and Phaeron boards the Zetsun Verid Yard.[3o]
[mark: 01.16.32] Ships of the XVII lay waste to the southern hemisphere of Calth. [mark: 01.37.26] Guilliman analyses the situation by hand. [mark: 01.40.41] Ventanus and Kiuz Selaton acquire a speeder. [mark: 01.57.42] Having found evidence of premeditation, Guilliman has another message broadcast, declaring all-out war on the XVII, and confronts Lorgar via lithocast; a Daemon materializes on the Macragge's Honour, destroying its bridge tower.[3p]
TARGET//ENGAGEMENT
[mark: 4.12.45] Persson is contacted by John Grammaticus. [mark: unspecified] He is shown the need for his presence at the end of the Heresy, aboard the Vengeful Spirit. [mark: 4.12.45] Persson gathers his kit and sets out, joined by Hebet Zybes, Katt, and Graft.[3q] [mark: 4.14.11] Ulmor Nul begins tracking Ventanus. [mark: 4.26.11] Phaeron's Magi recalibrate the yard's systems. [mark: 4.55.34] The Calth weapons grid is under traitor control, and annihilates Veridia Forge.[3r]
[mark: 5.46.19] Ventanus joins forces with Serotid's Skitarii. [mark: 6.12.33] With Tawren stating that the gubernatorial residence at Leptius Numinus has casters that may allow for widespread vox communication, Ventanus makes it his primary objective.[3s] [mark: 6.59.66] Thiel slays the daemon that has just bitten off Gage's hand, and assists him in coordinating efforts to retake the Macragge’s Honour. [mark: 7.44.02] On the run from traitor auxilia, Rane and Krank have to contend with a daemon. [mark: 8.10.32] Ventanus's force reaches Leptius Numinus, shortly before traitor troops. [mark: 8.19.27] Persson rescues Krank and Rane from knife brothers.[3t]
[mark: 8.55.49] Battle breaks out at Leptius Numinus. [mark: 9.07.32] Phaeron authorizes Morpal Cxir to proceed with the attack to deny the Ultramarines whatever objective they have there. [mark: 9.20.00] The fight intensifies as Tawren and her team are working on the vox system. [mark: 9.33.01] Klord Empion and Thiel's kill team purge the flagship daemon by daemon.[3u] [mark: 9.38.01] Word Bearers join the fight at Leptius Numinus, as word of 4th Company reaches Ventanus. [mark: 9.44.12] Thiel and Empion's force slays one of the larger entities.[3v] [mark: 10.00.01] 4th Company arrives to reinforce Ventanus and push back the traitors. [mark: 10.40.21] Tawren establishes a network that allows communication with other ground forces.[3w]
[mark: 11.06.41] 6th Company is defending an arcology's surface tower. [mark: 11.10.13] Anchise is leading the 111th and 112th's withdrawal. [mark: 11.16.39] Telemechrus is freed of his casket by Eikos Lamiad. [mark: 11.40.02] Gage reaches the flagship's auxiliary bridge, putting Hommed at the helm.[3x] [mark: 12.00.00] Ventanus makes contact with other officers, and they determine their main priority to be regaining control of the weapons grid. [mark: 12.07.21] Cxir has been taken prisoner and goads Teus Sullus into killing him, unleashing Samus.[3y]
USHKUL//THU
[mark: 12.17.46] Realizing the XVII aim to take the XIII's capital ships, Gage orders Empion to repel boarders. [mark: 12.20.59] Persson determines a heading, but the knife brothers have found the survivors. [mark: 12.39.22] Thiel's squad eliminate traitor boarders on the flagship's hull, only to be faced with overwhelming firepower. [mark: 12.40.22] Persson takes out the knife brothers and steals their Fowst's athame before leading his companions aboard a skiff; Fowst swears vengeance. [mark: 12.41.11] Samus rips through the loyalists before Ventanus drives Cxir's athame into its neck. [mark: 12.42.16] Thiel and his squad's survivors are reinforced by Guilliman and take their primarch back into the ship.[3z]
[mark: 12.53.09] Erebus has sacrificed Gene-seed to create daemons. [mark: 12.59.45] Phaeron turns the weapons grid on the system's star. [mark: 13.10.05] Guilliman assesses the situation.[3za] [mark: 13.30.31] Tawren has discovered a killcode left in a secure cogitator by Hesst before his death, and Ventanus prepares to lead his force towards it; voxed by Guilliman, he tells the primarch the enemy's grid command location in orbit must be destroyed. [mark: 14.01.01] Veridia is going nova. [mark: 14.01.59] Persson steers his companions north-north-west.[3zb]
RUIN//STORM
[mark: 19.22.22] Ventanus's force reach Lanshear. [mark: 19.29.37] Guilliman figures out the XVII have been using the Zetsun Verid Yard and leads a teleportation assault there. [mark: 19.39.12] Left at Leptius Numinus to maintain the vox network as long as possible, Sullus and Serotid prepare to face a new traitor assault.[3zc] [mark: 19.50.23] Ventanus strikes, allowing Tawren to access the cogitator's location, as Beloth arrives in force.[3zd]
[mark: 20.01.23] Guilliman leads the fight aboard the yard and faces Phaeron. [mark: 20.06.23] Ventanus's force is about to break. [mark: 20.09.41] Erebus contemplates the first tremors of the Ruinstorm. [mark: 20.10.04] Phaeron corners Guilliman and tries to stab him with an athame, hoping to turn him to Chaos.[3ze] [mark: 20.11.39] Loyalist reinforcements relieve Ventanus. [mark: 20.13.29] Guilliman impales Phaeron and orders Thiel to break the control link. [mark: 20.20.19] Tawren gains access to the grid. [mark: 20.21.22] Orbital strikes destroy Beloth's forces. [mark: 20.21.25] Tawren redirects other systems of the grid against the traitor fleet. [mark: 20.21.30] The Macragge's Honour engages enemy ships. [mark: 20.24.10] Guilliman orders Gage to go after the Infidus Imperator, aboard which Tchure and Phaeron have teleported. [mark: 20.27.17] The Macragge's Honour sets off in pursuit. [mark: 20.59.10] Erebus leaves Calth.[3zf]
[mark: 23.43.16] Guilliman's fleet is forced to leave the system before the storm traps them in, leaving the ground forces to seek shelter in the arcologies. [mark: 23.49.20] Ventanus prepares to keep fighting underground.[3zg] [mark: 23.59.01] Close to a place where the veil is thin, Persson has to kill Fowst and leads his companions through a rift he created with the athame.[3zh]
UN//DOING
[mark: 219,479.25.03] Ventanus plants an Ultramarines standard he rescued from Calth into the ground of Colchis, shortly before the planet is subjected to Exterminatus. [mark: unspecified] The Mark of Calth will run until all Word Bearers are dead.[3zi]
Dramatis Personae
- Roboute Guilliman — Primarch of the Ultramarines.[3a]
- Lorgar Aurelian — Primarch of the Word Bearers.[3a]
- Tauro Nicodemus — Tetrarch of Saramanth, Primarch’s Champion.[3a]
- Eikos Lamiad — Tetrarch of Konor, Primarch’s Champion.[3a]
- Marius Gage — Chapter Master, First Chapter.[3a]
- Remus Ventanus — Captain, Fourth Company.[3a]
- Lyros Sydance — Captain, Fourth Company.[3a]
- Saur Damocles — Captain, Sixth Company.[3a]
- Evexian — Captain, Seventh Company.[3a]
- Lorchas — Captain, Ninth Company.[3a]
- Aethon — Captain, 19th Company.[3a]
- Erikon Gaius — Captain, 21st Company.[3a]
- Honoria — Captain, 23rd Company.[3a]
- Teus Sullus — Captain, 39th Company.[3a]
- Kaen Atreus — Chapter Master, Sixth Chapter.[3a]
- Klord Empion — Chapter Master, Ninth Chapter.[3a]
- Vared — Chapter Master, 11th Chapter.[3a]
- Ekritus — Captain, 111th Company.[3a]
- Phrastorex — Captain, 112th Company.[3a]
- Sharad Antoli — Chapter Master, 13th Chapter.[3a]
- Taerone — Captain, 135th Company.[3a]
- Evido Banzor — Chapter Master, 16th Chapter.[3a]
- Heutonicus — Captain, 161st Company.[3a]
- Honorius Luciel — Captain, 209th Company.[3a]
- Kor Phaeron — The Black Cardinal.[3a]
- Erebus — Dark Apostle.[3a]
- Argel Tal — Gal Vorbak.[3a]
- Essember Zote — Gal Vorbak.[3a]
- Foedral Fell — Commander.[3a]
- Morpal Cxir — Commander.[3a]
- Hol Beloth — Commander.[3a]
- Maloq Kartho — Dark Apostle to Hol Beloth.[3a]
- Sorot Tchure — Captain.[3a]
- Ulmor Nul.[3a]
- The Ushmetar Kaul — The Brotherhood of the Knife.[3a]
- The Tzenvar Kaul — The Recursive Family.[3a]
- The Jeharwanate — The Ring.[3a]
- The Kaul Mandari — The Gene-kin.[3a]
Imperial Personae
- Uhl Kehal Hesst — Server of Instrumentation, Mechanicum.[3a]
- Arook Serotid — Master of Skitarii.[3a]
- Sazar Bohan Zedoff — Shipmaster, Macragge's Honour.[3a]
- Pelot — Mechanicum Representative, Macragge's Honour.[3a]
- Ouon Hommed — Shipmaster, Sanctity of Saramanth.[3a]
- Sparzi — Colonel, Neride 10th.[3a]
- Bowe Hellock — Sergeant, Numinus 61st.[3a]
- Seneschal Arbute — Citizen of Calth.[3a]
- Oll Persson — Citizen of Calth.[3a]
- Graft — Servitor Menial.[3a]
- Hebet Zybes — Citizen of Calth.[3a]
- Katt — Citizen of Calth.[3a]
- Neve Rane — Citizen of Calth.[3a]
Trivia
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- Unusually, the book is written almost entirely in the present tense, purporting to be the official Imperial action report on the events of the battle, interlineated with the personal notes of Primarch Roboute Guilliman.[3b] As such, an excerpt from the latter's "notes towards martial codification" is placed at the beginning of each part of the novel, except the last one which features a quotation of Remus Ventanus.
See also
Related Articles
Related Products
- Battle for the Abyss (Novel)
- Garro: Oath of Moment (Audio Book)
- Mark of Calth (Anthology)
- Censure (Audio Drama)
- Honour to the Dead (Audio Drama)
- The Chapter's Due (Novel)
- Betrayal at Calth (Anthology)
- Macragge's Honour (Graphic Novel)
Sources
- 1: Black Library Blog: Questions for the High Lords (saved archive page, dated 13 May 2012, last accessed 18 August 2024, original link (dead): http://www.blacklibrary.com/Blog/Questions-for-the-High-Lords_.html)
- 2: Black Library - Know No Fear (saved archive page, dated 21 February 2024, last accessed 18 August 2024, original link: https://www.blacklibrary.com/the-horus-heresy/novels/know-no-fear-ebook.html)
- 3: Know No Fear (Novel) (E-version):
- 3a: Dramatis Personae
- 3b: epigraphs
- 3c: TARGET//ACQUISITION, ch. 1
- 3d: TARGET//ACQUISITION, ch. 2
- 3e: TARGET//ACQUISITION, ch. 3
- 3f: TARGET//ACQUISITION, ch. 4
- 3g: TARGET//ACQUISITION, ch. 5
- 3h: TARGET//ACQUISITION, ch. 6
- 3i: TARGET//ACQUISITION, ch. 7
- 3j: TARGET//ACQUISITION, ch. 8
- 3k: ABSOLUTE//OVERWHELM, ch. 1
- 3l: ABSOLUTE//OVERWHELM, ch. 2
- 3m: ABSOLUTE//OVERWHELM, ch. 3
- 3n: SYSTEM//KILL, ch. 1
- 3o: SYSTEM//KILL, ch. 2
- 3p: SYSTEM//KILL, ch. 3
- 3q: TARGET//ENGAGEMENT, ch. 1
- 3r: TARGET//ENGAGEMENT, ch. 2
- 3s: TARGET//ENGAGEMENT, ch. 3
- 3t: TARGET//ENGAGEMENT, ch. 4
- 3u: TARGET//ENGAGEMENT, ch. 5
- 3v: TARGET//ENGAGEMENT, ch. 6
- 3w: TARGET//ENGAGEMENT, ch. 7
- 3x: TARGET//ENGAGEMENT, ch. 8
- 3y: TARGET//ENGAGEMENT, ch. 9
- 3z: USHKUL//THU, ch. 1
- 3za: USHKUL//THU, ch. 2
- 3zb: USHKUL//THU, ch. 3
- 3zc: RUIN//STORM, ch. 1
- 3zd: RUIN//STORM, ch. 2
- 3ze: RUIN//STORM, ch. 3
- 3zf: RUIN//STORM, ch. 4
- 3zg: RUIN//STORM, ch. 5
- 3zh: RUIN//STORM, ch. 6
- 3zi: UN//DOING, Epilogue
- 3zj: Enhanced edition illustraions
