Verghast was a quiet and calm place for every citizen till the day when the war began and everything perished within days in front of every eye. Gaunt didn’t lose hope and he decided to stand against the odds along with his team members who follow his every command. More and more attacks turned the empire into a complete ruin but there is hope for the survivors as long as Gaunt is out there fighting for them.
The commanding abilities of this one of a kind soldier get tested on the battlefield as he fights the enemy who is far superior to him. Those who worship the Dark Gods are marching forward to make their presence count at any cost. The plan is simple i.e destroy or kill those who are still loyal to the Imperium and form a new land that would bow down to the Dark Gods at the same time.
Dan Abnett does not talk about very complex or strange things rather the writer keeps his focus on painting excellent fight scenes. Horus Rising and First and Only had fight scenes that are incomparable till the present day because of the master stroke of Dan Abnett. Toby Longworth is another name that is linked to the novel as he is the narrator for the book.
Toby is a real champion in narrating wars and clashes between demonic forces. Here both sides are not of the same level but they have the same aggression which is increased as the war goes on. In this novel, the war can only end when one of the sides is evacuated completely.