Author Archives: Michael

Monthly Highlights – January 2020

Welcome to my first Monthly Highlights article of 2020, looking back at my reading highlights and book-related news for the first month of a brand new decade! It’s been a great month, I’ve had a blast reading eight books (and counting), and I’m trying something a little bit different this time around, with a mixture of my usual highlights posts and the weekly roundups I used to write. As well as picking out the usual highlight, I’m also going to talk more widely about what I’ve been reading and what’s been going on in general. Maybe I should call this a Monthly Roundup instead…perhaps next time, but for now let’s crack on with a little bit about the book I’ve enjoyed the most this month.

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QUICK REVIEW: Faith in Iron – Cameron Johnston

Established fantasy author Cameron Johnston’s first Black Library short story, Faith in Iron is a grim tale of the Iron Hands – or rather an Iron Hand – seen through human eyes. The agri-world of Dundas II has become a breeding ground for a terrifying plague which affects both flesh and machine equally, and threatens an entire sector if not stopped. Responding to a distress call from Magos Biologis Viridan Shale, who believes she has a cure, the lone Iron Father Rathkugan must rally support from Imperial Guard survivors and brave the plague itself to enact a dangerous rescue.

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QUICK REVIEW: Where Dere’s da Warp Dere’s a Way – Mike Brooks

In case the title doesn’t give it away, Mike Brooks’ Warhammer 40,000 short story Where Dere’s da Warp Dere’s a Way is a rare story told from an ork perspective…and it’s just as much fun as it sounds. Ufthak Blackhawk joins his Bad Moon mates, under the command of Badgit Snazzhammer, in a gleeful boarding action against a ship crewed by humie mekboyz. The boyz happily get stuck into the fight in typically boisterous fashion, but when things don’t all go their way Ufthak is forced to think quickly in order to prove his status in the mob.

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Fist of the Imperium – Andy Clark

The sixth instalment in Black Library’s Space Marine Conquests series, Andy Clark’s Fist of the Imperium gives the boys in yellow their moment in the post-Dark Imperium spotlight. The mining world of Ghyre is protected by an Imperial Fists honour guard, but when rising unrest prompts a call for reinforcements from the Chapter, a cult worshipping the mysterious ‘Father’ rises up in planet-wide rebellion. Forced by circumstance into taking command of the Imperial forces, Primaris Librarian Aster Lydorran has to contend with not just a coordinated and well-equipped insurgency driven by a prodigious psychic presence, but also Ghyre’s pampered, dithering, divided ruling elite. Moving quickly to take control of the situation, he rapidly realises that there’s more to this uprising than just initial appearances suggested.

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AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Danny Tobey Talks The God Game

Welcome to this Track of Words Author Interview, my ongoing series of quick interviews with authors talking about their new or upcoming books. 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.

In this instalment I spoke to Danny Tobey about his new novel The God Game, which is out now in the UK from Gollancz and in the US from St. Martin’s Press. If you’re in the market for a character-driven technical thriller taking in artificial intelligence, online privacy and the interplay between religion and technology – all shown through the lens of a group of high school friends – this should be right up your street! Here’s Danny to tell us more…

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QUICK REVIEW: Green and Grey – Edoardo Albert

Edoardo Albert’s Imperial Guard short story Green and Grey is an emotional gut-punch of a war story, a tale of a young tanker on his first mission which has gone horribly wrong. Waking to darkness and pain, Lucius Stilo finds himself trapped alone inside the Leman Russ Sancta Fide, the rest of the crew dead and a greenskin horde pressing ever closer in. As he waits for help to arrive, the distant voice of his commanding officer calls for him to remember his training and keep the orks at bay, and to do his duty despite the risks.

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Support Track of Words (If You Can)

I’ve been planning on writing this post for a while, but a reminder about my upcoming hosting/domain fees has brought it to the forefront of my mind. I’ve been running Track of Words for over six years now, and I’ve finally reached the point where I feel like I need to start asking readers of the site if they – you – are able to help support Track of Words. To that end, I’ve added a new page to the site, called (appropriately enough) Support Track of Words. I wanted to take a moment in this article to explain what I’m asking and why.

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Iron Resolve – Steve Lyons

Steve Lyons’ Imperial Guard novella Iron Resolve is a gripping tale of duty and bravery as the proud, disciplined Mordian Iron Guard battle feral orks on the forest world of Kallash. Young trooper Lucius Myer, fighting in his first campaign since leaving Mordian, arrives wounded at an understaffed, overworked command post turned medical facility believing it offers safety away from the horrors of war, only to find himself defending it against endless waves of ferocious xenos. As the Mordians mount a hasty but fierce defence, Myer has to face his fears after all if he has any hope of surviving.

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Where to Start With Black Library: Sisters of Battle

Welcome to the first in a new series of Where to Start With Black Library articles on Track of Words, in which I’m going to try and demystify the process of getting into reading Warhammer fiction. With literally hundreds of Black Library books, short stories and audio dramas available, and new stories being released every week, it can be hard to know where to start, whether you’re brand new to Warhammer or you want to find out more about certain series, factions or characters. Hopefully I can help with that!

In this article I’m going to look at the Sisters of Battle, one of my favourite Warhammer 40,000 factions, and offer up some suggestions of great stories you might want to check out. The best place to start with these stories will depend on various factors, far too many for me to cover succinctly, so I’m going to suggest a few different lengths and mediums to give you options to choose from. Where possible I’ll stick to stories I’ve read and enjoyed myself, and link out to reviews where they’re available.

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QUICK REVIEW: The Last Voyage of Elissa Harrow – Denny Flowers

Denny Flowers’ Necromunda short story The Last Voyage of Elissa Harrow does what it says on the tin…and a bit more. SPOILERS abound in both the story and (to a lesser extent) this review for those who haven’t read at least Low Lives (YOU’VE BEEN WARNED!), as this picks up after the novella’s denouement to find Elissa horribly injured, possibly delusional, attempting to cross the sump on a makeshift raft. Land, and safety, seem a long way off, there are dangers beneath the surface of the toxic lake, and Elissa knows she can never really go home…but something drives her to keep moving forward.

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