Category Archives: Reviews

QUICK REVIEW: Knight of Corruption – David Annandale (Call of Archaon part 4)

The fourth of Black Library’s Call of Archaon short stories, Knight of Corruption sees David Annandale take over the reins of Copsys Bule’s tale from David Guymer, continuing the story from Beneath the Black Thumb. Forging on through a new realm, Bule and what’s left of his warband stumble across a newly-raised temple to Sigmar, built atop the ruins of an older age. Hopeful at first of a quick, satisfying victory to raise the morale of his men, Bule finds himself battling a foe previously thought to be a myth, but now standing between him and his new path.

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QUICK REVIEW: The Solace of Rage – Guy Haley (Call of Archaon part 3)

Part three of Black Library’s Call of Archaon eight-part short story arc, The Solace of Rage by Guy Haley introduces the third of Archaon’s prospective champions, Ushkar Mir. One of many Khornate champions vying for the leadership of his tribe, Mir has…unusual reasons for following the path of the Blood God. Driven by a furious determination, he faces off against his main rival, before the appearance of a rampaging hordes of ogors sees the warring elements of the tribe put their enmity temporarily aside at the prospect of the greater bloodshed to come.

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QUICK REVIEW: Eye of the Storm – Rob Sanders (Call of Archaon part 2)

The second story in Black Library’s eight-part The Call of Archaon, Rob Sanders’ Eye of the Storm follows Tzeentchian champion Orphaeo Zuvius, the Prince of Embers, on his quest to reach Archaon. Guided by a daemonic familiar, Zuvius leads his warband across the Blasted Plain, determined to prove his worth to Archaon. When he’s forced to ally with the warband of a powerful Khornate champion, he has to use his cunning as well as his strength in order to succeed in his quest and walk the Beaten Path.

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QUICK REVIEW: Beneath the Black Thumb – David Guymer (Call of Archaon part 1)

The first of eight short stories making up The Call of Archaon, book four in Black Library’s Realmgate Wars series for Age of Sigmar, David Guymer’s Beneath the Black Thumb introduces Copsys Bule, Lord of Plagues. After years tending his garden in Nurgle’s name, he knows his work is looked on with favour by Grandfather Nurgle, and he keeps to his path despite the machinations of his allies. When the great ritual to open a realmgate is disrupted by forces of Light, however, he begins to hear the pull of another call.

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QUICK REVIEW: The Hack Attack – Matt Forbeck

Ten years after the last book in his Blood Bowl series (Rumble in the Jungle) was published, Matt Forbeck returns to Black Library with a brand new Blood Bowl short story, The Hack Attack. Joined by ageing team captain Dirk Hoffnung, the legendary Jim and Bob take us on a retrospective journey through the recent history of the Bad Bay Hackers, focusing mostly on Dirk and his brother, Dunk. Along the way they relive key moments from famous matches, and post the question to Dirk of what he plans to do when he finally hangs his boots up.

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Scions of Elysia – Chris Dows

Scions of Elysia is Chris Dows’ first audio drama for Black Library, and returns to his Elysian Drop Droops characters previously covered in the short stories The Mouth of Chaos and Monolith. This time around the action takes place in the Elysia system itself, as Sergeant Zachariah and what remains of his squad are recalled to aid in a campaign to rid the system of dangerous pirates. Under the erratic leadership of the rash and inexperienced Captain Bandrac, the first mission goes horribly wrong, leaving Zachariah to find a way to salvage some kind of success from the ensuing chaos.

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The Crimson King – Graham McNeill

Black Library’s Horus Heresy series reaches book forty-four with The Crimson King by Graham McNeill, the long-awaited follow up to 2010’s A Thousand Sons. With Prospero sundered by the Wolves, the Thousand Sons are adjusting to life on the Planet of the Sorcerers, and their new status as outcasts. Magnus mourns the loss of so much knowledge from Prospero, but his sons fear for his fractured soul – while Ahriman seeks out ways to help his father, Amon remains at Magnus’ side, ever the faithful son. Meanwhile Malcador sends his own warriors to deny Ahriman and the Thousand Sons their prizes.

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Exile – James Swallow

The second book in the Marc Dane series, James Swallow’s Exile returns to the story of Marc Dane after the success of his bestselling Nomad. Set six months or so after the events of Nomad, it sees Dane working for the UN’s Division of Nuclear Security in Croatia as an analyst and chafing at the restrictions of his desk-bound role. After his superiors refuse to act on intelligence he’s gathered and he unsuccessfully takes things into his own hands, he turns to his contacts in the Rubicon Group to follow the trail of a piratical African warlord with a portable nuclear device.

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Magnus The Red: Master of Prospero – Graham McNeill

In the third of Black Library’s Horus Heresy Primarchs series, Graham McNeill’s Magnus The Red: Master of Prospero, we’re transported to a time not long after Magnus and his sons were first brought together on Prospero. On the doomed Imperial world of Morningstar, Magnus and his brother Perturabo lead their Legions in an attempt to rescue as many civilians as possible before the planet tears itself apart. While Perturabo and the Iron Warriors focus on the logistics of the mission, Magnus and his Thousand Sons are more concerned with searching for answers as to what’s happening on Morningstar, and why.

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Sons of the Forge – Nick Kyme

A short Horus Heresy novel that sits outside of the main numbered series, Nick Kyme’s Sons of the Forge carries on his work with the Salamanders Legion but sits separate from the Vulkan Lives/Deathfire arc. Set just prior to the Dropsite Massacre, it sees Forgemaster N’Kell tasked by Vulkan to choose seven of his most potent artefacts to preserve, and destroy the rest. With word having arrived of Vulkan’s death, N’Kell gathers those Salamanders who had stayed behind and not reached Isstvan, setting out to hide the remaining relics, only to find unexpected foes barring their path.

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