Category Archives: Reviews

Rise of the Ynnari: Ghost Warrior – Gav Thorpe

Gav Thorpe’s Ghost Warrior is the first book in the Rise of the Ynnari series detailing the exploits of Yvraine and her Ynnari, whose goal is to bring forth the aeldari god of the dead, Ynnead. When the Iyandeni are confronted with the return of the long-lost craftworld Zaisusthra, spiritseer Iyanna Arienal’s path intersects with Yvraine’s. Iyanden needs allies to survive, while the Ynnari see an opportunity to find and claim the last of the once-lost Croneswords, which they need to bring about the awakening of Ynnead. The question is, what does Zaisuthra want, and why has it returned now?

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QUICK REVIEW: At Gaius Point – Aaron Dembski-Bowden

Aaron Dembski-Bowden’s Flesh Tearers short story At Gaius Point was originally published in the Legends of the Space Marines anthology, and is one of his earliest Black Library contributions. In the aftermath of a Thunderhawk crash in which most of his squad is killed, Zavien sets off through the jungles of Armageddon in pursuit of one brother who’s lost not to injury but to the Black Rage. If he can’t find and stop his brother, there’s no telling what damage might be done to the human defenders of Armageddon, and the already tarnished name of his Chapter.

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QUICK REVIEW: Thorn Wishes Talon – Dan Abnett

Dan Abnett’s short story Thorn Wishes Talon was first released as an audio drama, as part of the Thorn and Talon collection, before subsequently getting the prose treatment. Fans of Abnett’s Inquisition stories may understand the title’s reference from the off, but suffice to say it’s a story which sees Ravenor and his warband responding to a cryptic message which draws them into conflict with a shadowy cabal of twisted seers. As a storm builds and enemies close in, Ravenor meets with the message’s author to learn of a terrible danger that clearly someone doesn’t want him to know about.

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QUICK REVIEW: Hidden Depths – Sandy Mitchell

A rare non-Ciaphas Cain short story from Sandy Mitchell, Hidden Depths is nevertheless linked to the Cain series by virtue of featuring the virtuous Commissar’s chronicler, Inquisitor Amberley Vail. On the hunt for smugglers in xenos technology on the hive world of Ironfound, Vail and her warband find a trail leading from the spire top to the deepest underhive. As their search takes them ever deeper they’re forced to contend with the many indigenous peoples and perils of the underhive, as a secret of Ironfound’s past is gradually revealed.

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Ravenor – Dan Abnett

The first book in Dan Abnett’s second Inquisition trilogy, Ravenor is another stone-cold Black Library classic, a smart and hugely enjoyable story in its own right but also a neat continuation of characters familiar to anyone who’s read the Eisenhorn trilogy. Set some time after his reappearance towards the end of Hereticus, it sees Gideon Ravenor – now a full inquisitor in his own right – and his entourage on Eustis Majoris, investigating the illicit trade of a strange narcotic. As they unravel the mystery of what this drug is and where it comes from, the scale of what’s really happening is revealed to be bigger than they could have possibly expected.

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QUICK REVIEW: Prologue to Nikaea – David Annandale

As you can probably tell from the rather ominous cover, David Annandale’s Horus Heresy short story Prologue to Nikaea focuses on Malcador the Sigillite, the perils of the warp, and psykers…lots of psykers. Set during the Great Crusade, it sees Malcador searching for the origin of a great storm in the immaterium, desperate to understand what it portends and whether its influence stretches to the physical plane as well. What he finds, on a world recently wracked by rebellion, promises to haunt him for long years to come and have a profound impact on the future of the Imperium.

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QUICK REVIEW: Lightning Run – Peter McLean

Peter McLean’s second Black Library short story, Lightning Run is an Imperial Navy (Aeronautica Imperialis in modern parlance) story which, while not quite as grim as Baphomet by Night, is still a powerful demonstration of the bleak realities of 40k life. On the corrupted world of Elijan III, Flight Officer Salvatoria Grant finds herself tasked with a mission vital to the flagging war effort. Piloting her Valkyrie towards a distant Imperial base and a faint glimmer of hope, she trusts to her own skills and her faith in the Emperor to see her through to survival and Imperial victory.

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QUICK REVIEW: The Learning – David Guymer

David Guymer’s second Idoneth Deepkin story, The Learning takes a look at the cold, pitiless way in which their nature forces them to behave. Born with a rare pure soul, Ubraich is removed from his family at an early age and taught to manipulate powerful magic to hunt down the monsters of the deep ocean. The work of an embailor offers great prestige within idoneth society, but it’s difficult and dangerous work. Aiding his master in the breaking of a particularly stubborn beast, Ubraich learns an important lesson in how to survive and thrive, but will it come back to haunt him?

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QUICK REVIEW: The Armour of Fate – Guy Haley

Set between the events of the Rise of the Primarch background book and his novel Dark Imperium, Guy Haley’s short story The Armour of Fate is a rare action-free 40k story, but an absence of fighting allows for plenty of insight. When he was restored to life by the combined skills and knowledge of Belisarius Cawl and Yvraine, Roboute Guilliman was told that if he ever removed the life-giving Armour of Fate, he would die. After years of confinement within the armour, and long study of its workings, Guilliman is determined to remove it anyway, and reclaim his own fate.

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QUICK REVIEW: A Company of Shadows – Rachel Harrison

Following on from the fantastic Execution, Rachel Harrison’s short story A Company of Shadows sees the 11th Antari Rifles evacuating a city besieged by the forces of Chaos. When the Valkyrie carrying Commissar Severina Raine, a handful of troopers and an important military advisor is shot down before they can reach safety, it’s up to Raine and the decidedly untrustworthy Antari Sergeant Wyck to find a way to survive. With all of them carrying injuries, enemies all around, and Wyck twitchy at having cheated death for a second time, things look bleak for Raine and the Antari.

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