Horus Rising by Dan Abnett (
ISFDB,
Wikipedia) is the 1st novel in the Horus Heresy series of tie-in novels to the popular Warhammer 40,000 (
Wikipedia) science fiction role-playing wargame set in a futuristic dystopia, this series apparently meant to fill in the backstory explaining just how it got dystopian in the first place, free courtesy of publisher The Black Library.
This is the iTunes Canada store's featured Free Book of the Week, but it seems to be free (almost) worldwide when I spot-check random countries like Denmark (but not Iceland, apparently).
Currently free, probably just through next Monday @
iTunes (available to Canadians and probably in most other local iTunes stores). Does not seem to exist at all in any of the other stores yet, so I'd consider it to be an iTunes early exclusive, though of course it may pop up elsewhere later.
And this has been the selected 3rd (non-repeat) free ebook thread of the day.
Because even though I don't game, I do appreciate it on general principle when RPG-makers try to fill in the backstory of their worlds and make them a richer experience for their players, and also end up offering the results free (almost) worldwide, for a limited time.
Enjoy!
Description
At the dawn of the 31st millennium, the Imperium of Man has reasserted its dominance over the galaxy. It is a golden age of rediscovery and conquest, and the Emperor’s Great Crusade has placed his superhuman primarch sons at the head of the mighty Space Marine Legions – the most powerful military force ever assembled.
Newly promoted to serve as the Emperor’s Warmaster, the idealistic Horus now stands above his brothers, even as the Crusade enters what must surely be its final stages and dark, cosmic truths begin to reveal themselves. Far beyond the alien threat of malignant xenos breeds or rogue human civilisations, a war now looms that could threaten the final extinction of mankind...
The first novel in the epic series, detailing the fall of mankind at the peak of the Great Crusade. Warmaster Horus leads his Legion in the name of the Emperor... but for how long?