Day Nine of Black Library’s 2015 Advent Calendar returns to 40K and sees the first involvement of the Iron Warriors, with Siegemaster by Chris Wraight. Warsmith Bakulos journeys through the bleak, battle-wracked world of Harrowar in search of an absent lieutenant, seeking answers to why the war is still unfinished despite all the precious resources that have been expended. As he searches through endless siegeworks he reflects on his history with the absentee Iron Warrior, looking back at battles fought long ago.
Chris Wraight has an almost uncanny knack of getting beneath the skin of the characters he writes, in this case spinning a grim, purposeful story that fits perfectly with the character of the Iron Warriors as a legion. Bakulos carries himself with an anger held in check by iron willpower, tracking his quarry across landscapes that seem to reflect his temperament back at him, and all the while there’s a sense of sadness at what his legion has fallen to. It’s certainly not a cheerful tale, but what in other hands could have been unremittingly dark and depressing is instead a thoughtful, detailed story that does a fantastic job of showing just what the Iron Warriors are all about.
Click here to go to the main Black Library Advent Calendar post and see the other reviews.
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