Marc Collins makes his Black Library debut with Ghosts of Iron, a tale of duty, faith and sacrifice for the servants of the Omnissiah. On the forge world of Sareme, as the forges are overrun by hereteks and the Great Rift sears the skies, Magos Domina Calliope Vartothex seeks out the silent bulk of the Warlord Titan Fury of Mars. Accompanied by the last failing remnants of her skitarii allies, Calliope holds the final, faint chance of survival for the Adeptus Mechanicus on Sareme, which rests upon her ability to connect with the Fury of Mars’ ancient Machine Spirit.
A classic tale of a few desperate Imperial souls searching for survival – or at least the chance to strike back – against the overwhelming forces of Chaos, this also deals with the duality at the core of the Mechanicus. For all her Omnissiah-forged gifts and strength, Calliope is still human, still beholden to faith and susceptible to doubt and fear, but perhaps it’s that humanity which will allow her to succeed. Collins gives character and personality to Calliope and her unfortunate skitarii followers, and a grim sense of unease to the once-glorious Titan, bound up in a lingering feeling of sadness at what’s been lost. This is only a snapshot of what’s happening on Sareme, but as a standalone story it’s powerful, even poignant, and entirely satisfying.
