Category Archives: Reviews

QUICK REVIEW: Precious Little Things – Adrian Tchaikovsky

A prequel to his novella Made Things, Adrian Tchaikovsky’s short story Precious Little Things is a brilliant little story that’s full of magic and imagination, but isn’t afraid to deal with real-world issues too. In the soaring halls of the Tower live the varied tribes of the Homunculi, tiny creatures of wood, metal, paper, wax and more, brought to life by the power of the Maker. Roughly made of crude wood, Tam risks much to seek out gold for his daughter so that she can exceed the limitations of her humble origins, unintentionally setting her on a path that will change their entire society.

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The Harrowing of Doom – David Annandale

For his first Marvel novel, The Harrowing of Doom – part of the Marvel: Untold range from Aconyte Books – David Annandale tells a tale of iron will and fierce obsession as Doctor Doom sets out to turn the tables on Hell itself. Each year at midsummer, Doom must battle a champion of Hell to try and free his mother’s soul, an impossible task that he’s fated to lose every time. Setting out to change the terms of the duel and weigh things in his favour at last, Doom enlists the help of the sorceress Maria von Helm and a reluctant Father Zargo and embarks on a bold but risky gamble. Even as he works feverishly on this new project, the security of Latveria is threatened by the deposed crown prince Rudolfo Fortunov.

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Rise of the Ynnari: Wild Rider – Gav Thorpe

Word is that 2019’s Wild Rider, Gav Thorpe’s second Rise of the Ynnari novel, is likely to be the final instalment in the series, which is a shame as it’s both an entertaining story in its own right and a fantastic exploration of the Ynnari and their role within Aeldari culture. After unintentionally awakening a Necron tomb complex on the maiden world of Agarimethea (see the events of short story Fireheart), Wild Lord Nuadhu Fireheart returns to Saim Hann to try and rouse his Craftworld into an alliance with the Ynnari of Yvraine. Nuadhu hopes to reclaim his honour by returning to Agarimethea in force to deal with the Necrons before they can fully awaken, but the council of Saim Hann are loath to commit their forces, wary of Yvraine’s motives.

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QUICK REVIEW: His Will – Guy Haley

Labelled as ‘a Dark Imperium prequel story’, Guy Haley’s short story His Will features Frater Mathieu aboard the captured Macragge’s Honour, tying this character – and the Dark Imperium series as a whole – in nicely with the earlier Gathering Storm-era narrative around the return of Roboute Guilliman. With the Ultramarines’ flagship under the control of the Red Corsairs, Mathieu and his flock – including young, nervous Brother Clydeus – share their faith in secret, despite the dangers. When they risk the ire of the traitors to help a crewmember in need, Clydeus finds himself exposed to truths that challenge his faith like never before, but somehow bring hope as well.

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Garen: First Shield – Anthony Reynolds

The first ever League of Legends novella from Riot Games, Anthony Reynolds’ Garen: First Shield is an action-packed tale of duty and determination that offers a glimpse into the life of the elite soldiery of Demacia. Still wracked with guilt for his inability to prevent the assassination of the Demacian King, Garen Crownguard leads a small force of the Dauntless Vanguard on a peace-time mission to a neighbouring, allied nation. Recent communications from Demacia’s ambassador to the Nockmirch have proven suspicious, and the mission is simply to check that all is still well, but when the Vanguard’s arrival reveals a plot that threatens the security of Demacia, Garen and his warriors find themselves vastly outnumbered by a ferocious enemy out for their blood.

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QUICK REVIEW: Live Wire – Robert Rath

With his third 40k Officio Assassinorum short story, Live Wire, Robert Rath returns to Callidus Assassin Sycorax (previously introduced in Divine Sanction) for a second instalment of stealthy, polymorphine-induced infiltration. At the frozen pole of Sanga Kappa, one of the twenty planets of the Meloc Worlds, the heretek Programmator Quavarian works to perfect a potentially deadly meme-virus. When engine-master Jezette Vaal is captured and brought to Quavarian’s base to be infected by the virus and ‘reformatted’ to serve the glory of Chaos, an unexpected chance to serve the Omnissiah one last time provides the cover that Sycorax needs to finally track down and deal with the heretek before he can do any more damage.

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QUICK REVIEW: There’s a Giant Trapdoor Spider Under Your Bed – Edgar Cantero

Part of the ‘Amazon Original’ Dark Corners collection of spooky short stories, Edgar Cantero’s superbly named There’s a Giant Trapdoor Spider Under Your Bed is a gleefully funny and beautifully observed tale of night-time terror at a children’s sleepover. Young bookworm Noah finds his evening derailed when his friend Ian calmly announces (from the top bunk) that there’s a giant trapdoor spider currently in residence beneath Noah’s bed (it dug a hole, so that it can fit). Thus begins a chain of bizarre events as Noah, Ian, Sam and Rina desperately try to keep clear of the giant spider, the antimatter shadows and various other hazards in the darkness of Noah’s bedroom.

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The Reverie – Peter Fehervari

Peter Fehervari’s fourth Black Library novel, and his first under the Warhammer Horror label, The Reverie is his most assured book yet, an understated masterclass in balancing complexity and readability. Three travellers make their way to shining Malpertuis, homeworld of the glorious Angels Resplendent, in search of answers, inspiration, judgement or clarity. Amongst the tiered galleries of the capital, Kanvolis, they begin to understand the truth of the world – that behind the veneer of enlightenment and artistic sophistication, an insidious darkness lurks within Malpertuis and the Chapter of Space Marines who call it home. Each of the three has a part to play as the boundaries between past, present and future blur and a shadow leaks from a wound at the heart of the world.

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QUICK REVIEW: A Coin for the Carrion Thieves – John French

Taking place after the events of Ahriman: Unchanged, John French’s Warhammer 40,000 short story A Coin for the Carrion Thieves sees Thousand Sons sorcerer Ctesias called upon to put his particular set of skills to use in service of Ahzek Ahriman. Their forces drastically reduced in number and resources, the ragged remnants of Ahriman’s followers find sanctuary in the Eye of Terror, to hide from their enemies and to regroup and resupply. In the currency of Eyespace, what Ahriman needs most carries a high cost, so he turns to Ctesias’s daemonology to pay the price demanded by the scavenger-traders known as the Carrion Thieves.

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QUICK REVIEW: The Shaper of Scars – Marc Collins

Introducing the character of Katja Helvintr, daughter of Fenris, queen of her Rogue Trader dynasty and jarl of the Wyrmslayer Queen, Marc Collins’ 40k short story The Shaper of Scars is an intriguing tale of a battle being fought on both the physical and spiritual planes, and a culture clash between the rituals of Fenris and the strictures of the Imperium. As she lies on death’s door in the cold apothecarion of her ship, Katja relives the moments leading up to her grievous wounding, while medicae thralls tend to her ravaged body and an old gothi sees to her still-strong soul.

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