A blackly funny tale of betrayal and manipulation, Darius Hinks’ Necromunda short story Burned sees a long-dead Goliath ganger return to haunt his former partners. Told in first person by an unnamed narrator, it takes place many years after three Goliaths’ attempt to steal a priceless artifact led to their partnership ending in betrayal and the death of one of their number at our narrator’s hands. Now Thornax has returned out of the blue, so the narrator sets out to locate the third of their group and find a way to not just survive but profit from the unexpected situation.
There’s a great sense of dark, violent humour running through this story, the first person viewpoint giving Hinks free rein to imbue the narrator with endless scorn and the sort of casual violence that’s deeply appropriate for a Goliath. It largely works well, although there’s a little suspension of disbelief required to fully accept that some of the internal voice is actually coming from a Goliath. Plot-wise it’s all good fun, nicely paced and entertaining, albeit a little predictable. Perhaps the central conceit isn’t quite explained enough upon reflection, but that’s a minor quibble in what’s otherwise a solid, enjoyable story.
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