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The original was posted on /r/40klore by /u/Kristian1805 on 2023-10-06 13:52:40.

Greetings. And Some Spoilers!

Do you want to understand The 14th Primarch? Is Mortarion a bit unclear in your minds eye?

Well, Black Library got just 1 book for You!

If James Swallows Mortarion felt mediocre, Graham McNeil’s confused and Chris Wraight’s great-but-always-the-antogonist…

David Annandale comes in clutch with Mortarions Primarchs novel.

This book is fundamentally an examination and argument over Mortarions first campaign as leader of the 14th Legion, Death Guard. Established lore has it as a too brutal, too destructive campaign. Clearly meant to foreshadow the Legions downwards path…

Annandale said: Fuck That! Mortarion has taken fare too many L’s in arguments and wars, so we are writing him a W!

Two “Glory” Primarchs are sent to judge him, and we learn along with them. Horus and Sanguinius.

Annandale makes 3 big decisions, that collectively vindicates Morty;

  1. The enemy is The Order… the single most inhumanly evil abomination of a human Government ever depicted in 30k and easily rivaling the worst of 40k! This instantly gives the Death Guard the moral high-ground.

  2. The planet Mortarion fights on is a devastated shithole… which means the 14th use of Rad, chemes and other fun stuff isn’t damaging the environment.

  3. The Death Guard fights to liberate the civilians from inhuman slavery. They are remarkably careful about not killing the people and Morty is adamant in this. (They are careful by spacesmarine standards… civilians still die… but fare less than expected)

Taken together this makes Mortarions brilliantly fast, brutal and precise War a masterclass on Great Crusade compliance-wars.

But the best comes in the form of Sanguinius… Who is shown as a gigantic Hypocrite!

If you want perspective read “The Passing of Angels” by John French… where the “noble 9th” commits a fare worse, fare more indiscriminate and genocidal war for less reason against less deserving enemies.

Via the perspective of the liberated humans on the planet, the narrative ultimately (imo) vindicates Mortarion.

Yes, this one novella has Mortarion as in the right and badass and Sanguinius as the Hypocrite! A true one of a kind story ;).

So to Death Guard fans, potential Death Guard fans and enjoyers of “alternative Primarchs”…

This is a damm fine read.