Yearly Archives: 2020

QUICK REVIEW: War In The Museum – Robert Rath

Featuring one of Warhammer 40,000’s most idiosyncratic characters, Robert Rath’s short story War In The Museum sees Trazyn the Infinite, necron overlord of dubious sanity but boundless curiosity, hard at work in his museum of living wonders. While rehydrating a tyranid Hive Tyrant ready for it to take pride of place in one of his installations, something seems amiss – and at first Trazyn approaches the problem with confidence, for what could possibly threaten him in his own galleries? When it becomes clear that a particularly dangerous specimen has got loose, however, he seeks out allies from amongst his exhibits.

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QUICK REVIEW: Extermination Examination – Robbie MacNiven

Robbie MacNiven’s first KeyForge short story, featured in the anthology Tales From the Crucible from Aconyte Books, Extermination Examination sees a pair of students embark on a research trip to the dangerous martian territory of the Borreal enclave. Earnest, enthusiastic krxix Nal’ai is desperate to impress her Martian Studies tutor – the 96.7% inorganic professor Longaard – while her roommate, the party-elf Kolli, just wants to get through her second year. Theirs is a simple task – just spend a few days interviewing the enclave’s members – but neither is really prepared for the paranoia and xenophobia of the notoriously insular martians.

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RAPID FIRE: Dan Abnett Talks Saturnine

Welcome to this instalment of Rapid Fire, my ongoing series of quick interviews with authors talking about their new releases. These are short and sweet interviews, with the idea being that each author will answer (more or less) the same questions – by the end of each interview I hope you will have a good idea of what the new book (or audio drama) is about, what inspired it and why you might want to read or listen to it.

For this interview I spoke to legendary Black Library author Dan Abnett about his novel Saturnine, book four in the epic Siege of Terra series which is forming the conclusion to the Horus Heresy. If you’ve been following the Horus Heresy series then you’re going to want to read Saturnine – so read on to find out a little bit more about what you can expect…

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Realm of Ash by Tasha Suri – via the British Fantasy Society

I’m pleased to say that my review of Realm of Ash by Tasha Suri is now live on the British Fantasy Society website – pleased not just to have another review available but because it’s for a book which I absolutely adored! I generally try to choose books I think I’m going to enjoy, but this one was something quite special. Feel free to head straight over there and check out the review, or alternatively you can stick around here and read a bit more about why this is such a great book in a less formal/more rambling fashion (and then pop over to the BFS site afterwards, of course).

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Monthly Highlights – February 2020

Welcome to February’s Monthly Highlights post here on Track of Words, where I look back at last month’s reading activities and book-related news. I’m a bit (by which I mean very) behind this time around, as I’m writing this in the middle of March, but the end of February was a busy time so I hope you’ll forgive me the tardiness just this once! Considering the lateness, I’m going to keep things fairly short and sweet (for me) and just pick out three great reads from last month – a novel, an anthology and a short story. Interestingly, all three of the authors of the stories I’ve gone for are known by their initials…I didn’t plan for this, I promise!

Anyway, let’s get straight onto the great reads…

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RAPID FIRE: CL Werner Talks Profit’s Ruin

Welcome to this instalment of Rapid Fire, my ongoing series of quick interviews with authors talking about their new releases. These are short and sweet interviews, with the idea being that each author will answer (more or less) the same questions – by the end of each interview I hope you will have a good idea of what the new book (or audio drama) is about, what inspired it and why you might want to read or listen to it.

This time around I spoke to Black Library author CL Werner about his latest Warhammer Age of Sigmar novel Profit’s Ruin, which is the sequel to the excellent Overlords of the Iron Dragon and (impressively) Clint’s sixth AoS novel. It’s available to order now in ebook and hardback, so without further ado let’s get straight to the questions and Clint’s answers…

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QUICK REVIEW: The Apprentice – Cath Lauria

One of nine KeyForge short stories featured in Aconyte Books’ anthology Tales From the Crucible, Cath Lauria’s The Apprentice is a story of gambling goblins, risky bets and family ties. Despite technically being Grizl Crustic’s apprentice, young human Roz is in fact the main mechanic in the lazy goblin’s workshop. When her boss guiltily explains that he may have lost her robot – TRIS, the last remaining link to Roz’s family – in a sure-fire bet gone wrong, she negotiates a dangerous new deal which sends her hunting within towering scrap piles in search of valuable technology to exchange for TRIS.

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The Oubliette – JC Stearns

Part of the growing Warhammer Horror range, The Oubliette is JC Stearns’ debut Black Library novel, a grim tale of bitter political rivalry on an isolated Imperial world. With her father and older brother dead in suspicious circumstances, Ashielle Matkosen takes up the mantle of Governor of Ceocan, trying to process her grief even as she fights to establish her reign with political enemies all around. When those enemies threaten her life, as well as her position, in desperation Ashielle turns to an ancient presence she encounters in the darkness under the palace; a creature with the power to protect her, but whose assistance comes with a high cost.

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RAPID FIRE: Nick Kyme Talks Sepulturum

Welcome to this instalment of Rapid Fire, my ongoing series of quick interviews with authors talking about their new releases. These are short and sweet interviews, with the idea being that each author will answer (more or less) the same questions – by the end of each interview I hope you will have a good idea of what the new book (or audio drama) is about, what inspired it and why you might want to read or listen to it.

For this interview I spoke to Black Library author Nick Kyme about his new 40k novel Sepulturum, his first full-length contribution to the burgeoning Warhammer Horror line. It’s available to order now in hardback, ebook and audiobook, so read on to find out more about this awesome-sounding 40k zombie story! Keep reading…

QUICK REVIEW: To Catch A Thief – Thomas Parrott

Featured in Aconyte Books’ first short story anthology, Tales From the Crucible, Thomas Parrot’s KeyForge story To Catch A Thief follows the daring, dangerous exploits of light-fingered elf Nalea Wysasandoral. After a particularly lucrative score from burgling the home of the Crucible’s High Councilor himself, Nalea is on the lookout for her next job, unaware that the investigation into her ongoing crimes has been supplemented by an outside investigator – the renowned sylicate detective Talus the Thief-Taker. As she prepares for a risky new endeavour, the jaws of a trap begin to close around her.

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