Category Archives: Reviews

QUICK REVIEW: The Mutant Master – William King

One of several Gotrek & Felix short stories which were bundled together to form Trollslayer, the first in the LONG series of ‘nounslayer’ books, The Mutant Master was first published in issue one of Inferno! magazine all the way back in 1997. After having been waylaid by mutants on the route between Altdorf and Middenheim, Gotrek and Felix take their rest in an inn ominously called The Hanged Man. There they hear tell of an evil sorcerer who’s taken the locals’ children hostage, while talk of the sorcerer’s monster piques the doom-seeking slayer’s interest even further.

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The Geld – George Mann

George Man continues his exploration of the Raven Guard in 40k with The Geld, a 70-minute audio drama which sees a small group of elite Space Marines infiltrate the besieged fortress of Chaos warlord Mazik the Unfixed. Desperate to find a way to eliminate Mazik, Chapter Master Strike draws four Shadowmasters – rare genetic throwbacks to the Mor Deythan of the old Legion – away from their usual companies and tasks them with this vital mission. Putting their unusual gifts to the test, Shadow Captain Qeld and his brothers soon find themselves hard pressed to survive the trials before them.

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Assault on Black Reach – Nick Kyme

Released in 2008 to tie in with the Warhammer 40,000 starter set of the same name, Nick Kyme’s novella Assault on Black Reach tells the story of the epic conflict between the Ultramarines 2nd Company and the vast ork Waaagh! of warlord Zanzog on the ravaged world of Black Reach. Led by Captain Cato Sicarius, the Ultramarines launch a blistering drop assault to strike at the head of the ork horde, intending to kill Zanzag and cripple the orks in a single devastating blow. Some among the Ultramarines, however, fear that Sicarius risks too much in his thirst for glory.

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QUICK REVIEW: The Zheng Cipher – Josh Reynolds

A standalone short story, available as an e-short or within the Servants of the Machine God anthology, Josh Reynolds’ The Zheng Cipher tells the tale of a maniple of Vanguard skitarii sent to save a vital artefact from destruction at the talons of a tyranid invasion. Alpha 6-Friest directs her troops in battle against the xenos hordes as they race to reach the last remaining Mechanicus outpost before it’s overwhelmed, putting their rad-soaked weapons and bodies to good use. Despite appalling odds, 6-Friest and her warriors drive relentlessly towards their goal, laying down their lives in the Omnissiah’s name.

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Ciaphas Cain: Choose Your Enemies – Sandy Mitchell

The tenth novel in the Ciaphas Cain series, and first since The Greater Good back in 2013, Choose Your Enemies is a welcome return for Sandy Mitchell and the much-loved Commissar Cain. Set as usual at an indeterminate date (but definitely pre-Dark Imperium) it sees Cain and the Valhallan 597th deployed to the ice world Drechia, bolstering the defences against eldar pirates. In the depths of the mines beneath the surface Cain unexpectedly finds yet more enemies – Chaos cultists, whose appearance threatens the nearby forge world of Ironfound – but also find himself reacquainted with an old ally as well.

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QUICK REVIEW: Sanguis Irae – Gav Thorpe

First published in 2014, Gav Thorpe’s Blood Angels short story Sanguis Irae acts as a companion piece to the novella Sin of Damnation, and is available either bundled with the novella or as a standalone e-short. It follows the exploits of Librarian Calistarius as, many years after the Sin of Damnation mission, he boards another space hulk and uses his powers to search for answers within the mind of a dying Blood Angel. What he finds there, amongst the fractured recollections of Sanguinius brought on by the Black Rage, shows him the grave danger he and his brothers are in.

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Sin of Damnation – Gav Thorpe

Gav Thorpe’s classic Space Hulk novella was first published in 2009 under the (ever so slightly misleading) title Space Hulk: The Novel, before being re-released in 2014 as Sin of Damnation, bundled with the short story Sanguis Irae. It’s the story of the Space Hulk game played through to its conclusion, detailing the Blood Angels 1st Company’s perilous mission to board the titular Space Hulk and cleanse it of the genestealer menace. Sergeants Lorenzo and Gideon lead their Terminator squads into battle in the claustrophobic confines of the Hulk, desperate to atone in alien blood for the shame of a six hundred year-old tragedy.

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QUICK REVIEW: Of Gods and Men – Andy Smillie

Originally released as a companion piece to the audio drama Blood in the Machine, Andy Smillie’s short story Of Gods and Men is a tight, compact tale of the final moments of a crippled God-Machine and its princeps. Out in the wastes of Armageddon, the Imperator Titan Validus is dying. As his life – and that of his Titan – nears its inevitable end, Princeps Niall Cathalan muses on the nature of power, even as he desperately attempts to prevent the desecration of Validus’ corpse by the orks that brought him low.

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The Lords of Silence – Chris Wraight

Chris Wraight’s first ever ‘bad guy’ Black Library novel, The Lords of Silence takes a close look at the actions and outlook of the Death Guard in post-Cicatrix Maledictum 40k. As the galaxy reels in the wake of Abaddon’s successes and the changes they’ve caused, the old Legions – including Mortarion’s Death Guard – are faced with different challenges to overcome. When the Lords of Silence, led by the strangely philosophical Siegemaster Vorx, are knocked off course they find themselves deep in Imperial territory and faced with the unexpected decision of what they ought to do next.

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QUICK REVIEW: The Twisted Runes – Matt Smith

Matt Smith’s second Black Library short story, The Twisted Runes is a tale of the Silver Skulls and the unusual way in which they rely on and revere their powerful psykers. Having received a forceful vision promising dire portents for the entire Chapter, young and proud Prognosticator Beynan Rhondus petitions his masters for permission to track down the location seen in his vision and prevent a tragedy from occurring. Casting the runes once owned by his mentor, Rhondus interprets their meaning and leads his men into grave danger, always confident in the truth of the runes and his manifest destiny.

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