The walls have fallen. The defenders’ unity is broken. The Inner Palace lies in ruins. The Warmaster’s horde advances through the fire and ash of Terra’s dying breaths, forcing the Loyalists back to the Delphic Battlement, fighting upon the very walls of the Sanctum Imperialis.
The seventh chapter in the earth-shattering Siege of Terra series is nearly here – prepare to witness the Echoes of Eternity. It’s been written by the inimitable Aaron Dembski-Bowden – who let us in on his thoughts for the penultimate chapter of the Siege.
“There was a conscious choice to dial down the scale, to get more intimate,” explains Aaron. “We've had global conflict in several books now, so with Echoes of Eternity, the focus lasered in on what it was like to be part of the long retreat to the Delphic Battlement – the very battlements of the Sanctum Imperialis.”
Indeed, it seems the end has come for the Emperor’s beleaguered forces. The Khan lies on the edge of death. Rogal Dorn is encircled, fighting his own war at Bhab Bastion. Guilliman will not reach Terra in time. Bereft of his brothers, Sanguinius – the Angel of the Ninth Legion – waits on the final battlements, hoping to rally a desperate band of defenders and refugees.
“This is the tale of a few souls with their backs to the final wall”, Aaron says, “making their last stand at the Eternity Gate, at the very end of everything. The primary focus shifts between characters on both sides of the conflict as it rages through the burning districts of the Inner Palace. I did a mountain of research on things like geography, geology, meteorology, artillery, and even architecture to get a real idea what Terra would actually look and feel like at the very end of such a cataclysmic war, with the kinds of weapons being used. It's not a pretty picture – things are looking grim for the cradle of humankind.”
Terra faces more than mortal foes – the Great Angel and the Red Angel are ready to face each other at last. Angron, lord of the World Eaters, has achieved immortality through annihilation – now he leads the armies of the damned in a wrathful tide, destroying all before them as the warp begins its poisonous corruption of Terra’s very soil.
“Zephon, Amit, and Arkhan Land are on one side of the war, as Terra starts to curdle in the grip of Chaos. Zephon and Amit embody entirely different elements of the Blood Angels Legion – both leaning into the themes of certain future Successor Chapters – and have walked starkly different paths to reach the final battle. Land is, as always, caught up in things by virtue of doing everything he can to stay alive and get back to Mars. He's had a lot of bad days on Terra recently, and this is by far his worst.
“On the other side of the battle is Kargos and Lotarra Sarrin, both still reeling from the ‘death’ of Khârn – and although they're looking at an increasingly likely victory, it's a triumph tainted by the order and sanity of the Traitor Legions disintegrating around them.”
The penultimate chapter to this epic series will initially be available in two formats – a special edition hardback packed with gorgeous artwork, and a standard hardback.
Trust us, it’s been worth the wait.
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