I finished reading Know No Fear recently, and I thought I'd share a few quick thoughts.
Amongst all the Horus Heresy books, this one is easily in the top three, and could quite possibly be my favorite. I found the structure of the book itself to be entertaining. Dan Abnett creates a framework for the story by inventing a way in which the Ultramarines track engagements. This both builds a sense of tension and provides a chronological timeline.
I thought Abnett struck the right balance between story and action. There were all the things we read these books for. Starships blew up. Tanks fired giant shells. Chainswords crossed other chainswords. Yet I still wouldn't describe this as bolter porn. Despite a four page list of characters, which made me blink a few extra times when I first saw it, the author developed a lot of very interesting arcs that all tied together very nicely, while also creating distinctive, unique characters.
That said, the book wasn't entirely without flaws. A few of the engagements were a little unsatisfying. Whether they might have used a little more description, or the character's actions didn't make sense, a few of the resolutions felt imperfect. I hate to be vague, but let's just say one of these was climactic. Additionally, it was very "in." It was such a quality book, but I fear I can't recommend it to my non-40K friends because they'll have no idea what the larger storyline looks like or about the driving themes and nuances behind this confrontation.
These complaints are, for the most part, extremely minor. As I said before, I thought this book was fantastic and if you only have a limited amount of time for reading and enjoy Black Library books, this one is a page turner. It's definitely worth your time.
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