April has come and gone in a flash, so it’s time to look back at another month’s worth of novel, short story and audio drama reviews to pull together my Monthly Highlights. It’s been another excellent month in terms of the standard of stories I’ve been reading and reviewing, but one particular author – and one story especially – stands out as an absolute highlight. As usual I’ve also picked a couple of honourable mentions from among everything else I’ve read, and this month all three of my choices are Black Library stories. With that in mind, let’s crack straight on.
For my top pick I’ve gone with a novel that I first read (and loved) when it was originally released back in 2013, but decided to go back and re-read in April…and was reminded of just how special it is. That novel is Peter Fehervari’s Fire Caste, a book which probably isn’t going to be for everyone but which in my opinion is an absolute masterpiece. It features a decidedly atypical Imperial Guard commissar, a couple of wildly unusual Guard regiments, a damaged Fire Warrior, a frankly insane priest – the list goes on – all gradually going mad (or madder) in the depths of a death world that’s far more insidious than the usual specimens. Have a read of my review by clicking here, to see my thoughts immediately after re-reading it. Suffice to say this is a book that’s dark, complex, full of character (and lots of characters) and tinged with elements of horror, which takes a fairly simple premise down some creepy, weird but fascinating paths.
Let’s make one thing clear – this isn’t your typical Black Library book. All the usual components are there – familiar character archetypes, factions, technology, themes, and so on – but they’re just assembled into something that’s definitely 40k…but just feels different. It’s a book which gets completely under its characters’ skins and into their heads, that’s populated by ghosts both literal and metaphorical, that poses uncomfortable questions which don’t necessarily have easy answers. It’s 40k for those who want to see just how far down the dark, sinister rabbit hole they can go, and it’s a CRYING SHAME that it’s not more widely known.
The title doesn’t help – you could be forgiven for assuming that a book called Fire Caste would be about the T’au (I’m trying hard to remember the apostrophe these days), but while they’re in it, and an important part of it, this really, really isn’t a book about the T’au. I would absolutely love to see it reprinted with a short story or two (Vanguard would be a good choice) with a better name, something which reflects the subject matter and style of the book more accurately. Perhaps that way more people would take the plunge and give a chance to a book which opens the reader up to Fehervari’s vivid, complex The Dark Coil. These are stories which, if you pay attention, are as rich with detail and beautiful little connections as anything you could hope for. Fire Caste isn’t where it necessarily starts, but it’s a good way in.
I don’t want to say too much more about it, because that risks turning into an enormous, rambling dissection of the book (which isn’t really my style) and potentially spoiling it for anyone who hasn’t read it. Instead I’ll end this section of the article by saying that if you pick up a Black Library book looking for the simple pleasures in life – you know, Space Marines blowing stuff up, heroes dying honourably, villains who are definitely villains, and so on – then this might not be the book for you. It doesn’t really go in that direction. If, however, you like your 40k stories REALLY dark, if you love ambiguous characters, if you want to read something which makes you think and challenges you and makes you feel a little uncomfortable…I just can’t recommend this enough. This is the book for you.
As promised I’ve also picked out a couple of honourable mentions, beginning with another fantastic Black Library audio drama – Agent of the Throne: Truth and Dreams by John French. This is the second in an ongoing audio drama series, which links in with French’s wider The Horusian Wars series – the first instalment, Blood and Lies, was excellent, and this second instalment carries on in a familiar style, so if you enjoyed the first one I’m pretty confident you’ll enjoy this one. It sees Ianthe in a different sort of situation, battling a psyker who can get right into the minds of his victims, and as a result we get the chance to look a little deeper into who she really is. It’s classic John French. You can have a read of my review here, and a Rapid Fire interview with John here.
Lastly, I’ve picked an Age of Sigmar short story as my second honourable mention – The Sands of Grief by Guy Haley. This follows on from the frankly excellent short audio drama The Autumn Prince, which was very much a Shadespire story – this time Prince Maesa and Shattercap are exploring some rather different locations, although continuing Maesa’s quest to find a way to return his lost love to life. I keep coming back to how dark it is for this character – an honourable, upright soul – to be carrying the flensed skull of his dead lover around with him! So dark. Given that they’re exploring the Realm of Shyish, the rest of the story matches that darkness, but it doesn’t feel dour or heavy with it. In fact it’s fascinating to take a look at some of these locations, and spend time with slightly more grounded (compared to Stormcast) characters in the Mortal Realms. Off the back of this I REALLY can’t wait to read the next story to feature Maesa and Shattercap, which I believe is going to be in the new Inferno anthology. Have a read of my review of this story here.
So there you have it, my Monthly Highlights for April – the dark, creepy Fire Caste as my top pic, as well as honourable mentions for Agent of the Throne: Truth and Dreams and The Sands of Grief. I’d love to know what you thought of these stories if you’ve read any of them, so let me know in the comments below or on Facebook or Twitter. I’ll hopefully write another one of these posts at the start of June, looking back at what I’ve read and reviewed in May!