From the Publisher:

Book 1 in the Horus Heresy Saga

After centuries of expansion and conquest, the human Imperium is at its height. His dream for humanity accomplished, the Emperor hands over the reins of power to his Warmaster, Horus, and heads back to Terra.

Read it Because:
It all begins here. Witness Horus the hero, humanity's greatest champion and the Emperor's favoured son, before it all goes horribly, tragically wrong…

The Story:
It is the 31st Millennium. Under the benevolent leadership of the Immortal Emperor, the Imperium has stretched out across the galaxy. It is a golden age of discovery and conquest. But now, on the eve of victory, the Emperor leaves the front lines, entrusting the great crusade to his favourite son, Horus.

Promoted to Warmaster, can the idealistic Horus carry out the Emperor's grand plan, or will this promotion sow the seeds of heresy amongst his brothers? Horus Rising is the first chapter in the epic tale of the Horus Heresy, a galactic civil war that threatened to bring about the extinction of humanity.

Written by Dan Abnett.