Category Archives: Reviews

QUICK REVIEW: Battle of the Archaeosaurs – Barrington J. Bayley

Originally published back in 2000 in the pages of Inferno! Magazine issue 18, Barrington J. Bayley’s Warhammer 40,000 short story Battle of the Archaeosaurs pits the pride of the Adeptus Titanicus against the might of vast saurian war-beasts. It’s Titans vs. dinosaurs, in other words. With two prior forces having bafflingly failed to take control of a backwater world and its Stone Age-level population, Imperial commanders dispatch a battle-hardened Imperial Guard regiment accompanied by a pair of Warlord Titans to finally get the job done. The Princeps’ confidence of a quick resolution, however, is dented when they see the sheer scale of what they’re up against.

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A Few Thoughts On: Downdraught by Gareth L. Powell

I love a good novella, and I’m a big fan of Gareth L. Powell, so picking up his new novella Downdraught was a bit of a no-brainer. It’s set in the same world as his short stories The Last Reef, Hot Rain and Flotsam – all of which are collected in The Last Reef and Other Stories – although unlike those other stories, this one is for the most part rather more down to earth (literally and figuratively). It’s labelled as a ‘science fiction horror novella’, and while the book is as much a small-scale character drama as anything else, it proves to be a good example of how closely linked those two genres are – and how both SF and horror can sit comfortably in grounded, human stories.

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QUICK REVIEW: Death by a Thousand Gnaw-Bites – David Guymer

A typically devious tale of warring clans and dubious alliances, David Guymer’s Age of Sigmar short story Death by a Thousand Gnaw-Bites continues to demonstrate his skill at writing skaven. Forced out of their own holdings by the deadly war machines of Clan Zappitch, Things-Master Krowl and the tattered remnants of Clan Grench seek refuge with Clan Fetter and Under-Clawlord Thiskrule, agreeing upon a cunning plan that will benefit them both. Though clans Grench and Fetter have long been allies, the line between ally and enemy is paper-thin, but for Krowl the plan’s risks are outweighed by its potential rewards.

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Spark of Revolution – Gary Kloster

Part of the Black Library Novella Series 3, Spark of Revolution is Gary Kloster’s first Necromunda novella, and makes for an excellent introduction to his writing. Breaker Brass is an ogryn servitor, one of many toiling contentedly in a factorum owned by House Goliath and overseen by the Slag Krocs. When Goliaths start fighting Goliaths and a rival gang takes over the factorum, however, Breaker Brass soon finds himself used up, discarded and left for dead by the callous new gang leader. Against all odds Breaker survives his ordeal, and is reborn with his eyes opened and his mind expanded. Now able to see the world around him differently, he sets out to fight back against his oppressors, determined to find a better life for his fellow ogryns.

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Poison River – Josh Reynolds

Josh Reynolds kicks off his ‘Daidoji Shin Mysteries’ series of Legend of the Five Rings (L5R) stories with Poison River, his second novel for Aconyte Books. Sent by his family to the City of the Rich Frog to oversee the Crane Clan’s trade activities, Daidoji Shin relieves his boredom by spending his days drinking and gambling, much to the dismay of his bodyguard Kasami. All that changes, however, when the Imperial governor sets him the task of uncovering the culprit behind a plot that risks upsetting the balance of power in the city. Invigorated by the investigation, Shin throws himself (and Kasami) into his work, in spite of the danger posed by rival clans, court politics and hired assassins.

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QUICK REVIEW: Sacrifice – Danie Ware

Part of Danie Ware’s excellent series of Adepta Sororitas tales, short story Sacrifice sees Sister Augusta and her squad in dire straits when their shuttle is shot down over a toxic chem-planet. Cut off from Imperial forces in inhospitable terrain, the Sisters need to defend their position until they can be safely extracted, but they’re pinned down and vulnerable with an unarmoured Sister Hospitaller and an injured pilot in their midst. As enemies close in all around, Augusta and her Sisters look to their faith to not just protect them, but also guide them to survival.

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The Infinite and the Divine – Robert Rath

For his debut Black Library novel, Robert Rath goes big with The Infinite and the Divine, a grand tale spanning thousands of years of bitter rivalry between two virtually immortal Necrons. Trazyn the Infinite (archaeovist and Overlord of Solemnace) and Orikan the Diviner (Master Astromancer of the Sautekh Dynasty) have been rivals since their days of flesh and blood, opposites in both outlook and temperament. After Orikan steals the Astrarium Mysterios from Trazyn’s galleries on Solemnace, their enmity escalates into a deadly feud as, over the course of millennia, each attempts to outdo the other in pursuit of the ancient artifact and the power (or in Trazyn’s case, the collectible history) they hope it can unlock.

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QUICK REVIEW: Judge Dee and the Limits of the Law – Lavie Tidhar

The first in a new series of short stories from Lavie Tidhar, published by Tor.com, Judge Dee and the Limits of the Law is a delightful mix of gothic vampire story and Golden Age mystery. Accompanied by his slightly hesitant human assistant Jonathan, Judge Dee – a wise old vampire prone to long stares and thoughtful pauses – travels to the Castello d’oro to investigate a squabble between two vampire nobles. As the enforcer of vampiric law (the pax lamia) it’s within his power to be judge, jury and executioner, but first he needs to uncover the truth of what really happened.

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A Few Thoughts On: From A Certain Point of View

I’ve read very few Star Wars books, despite being a big fan of the IP, but I want to talk a bit about From A Certain Point Of View, published in 2017 to celebrate 40 years of A New Hope, which I read quite recently and absolutely loved. If you haven’t come across it before, this is a 40-strong short story anthology (from 43 authors – there are a few double-headers) in which each tale takes a character or a scene from the original film and expands upon it, providing fresh, unexpected and insightful new perspectives on otherwise familiar stories. From Imperial officers, stormtroopers, rebels and Jedi to Jawas, Tuskens, Bith and all manner of droids, on Tatooine, Alderaan, Star Destroyers and the Death Star, these stories explore the characters and locations of A New Hope like never before.

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Liberty & Justice For All – Carrie Harris

Carrie Harris’ Liberty & Justice For All kicks off the new series of Marvel: Xavier’s Institute novels with an action-packed adventure featuring a pair of young mutants determined to prove themselves as X-Men. For Tempus and Triage, otherwise known as Eva and Christopher, life as trainee X-Men isn’t quite what they expected. When they set out together in the X-Copter for their first solo flight, their delight at simply getting out of the school and away from their instructors quickly fades when they receive an SOS call from Sabretooth of all people. What they think will be a straightforward pickup, and a good opportunity to give their powers a quick workout, ends up becoming a battle that tests them beyond what they could have expected.

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