Steve B Fischer’s debut Black Library story, The Emperor’s Wrath is a story of three civilians caught between their world’s corrupt local militia and the vengeful Imperial Guard. As a child, Caius watched the Emperor’s Wrath murder his parents during a brutal rebellion. Growing up in the ruins of his world, trying to look after his younger siblings, he’s become embittered by what he sees as the Imperium’s abandonment of his world. When Imperial forces return he sees little distinction between them and the militia, but it’s not long before he finds himself forced to choose a side.
It’s nice to read something a little different to the usual 40k stories, with a non-military protagonist and a perspective that shows the reader a little of what the Imperium might look like from the outside. It all contributes to a rare sense of…weirdly…normality – despite the lasguns and the warriors wielding them, there’s enough real-world language and imagery to feel noticeably more grounded than usual. Given the protagonist’s viewpoint it pretty much works, and tonally there’s enough death and bleak darkness to also still feel just about appropriate to 40k. It’s skirting the edge of what fits in 40k, but ultimately is an enjoyable and nicely executed story.
