QUICK REVIEW: Miracles – Nicholas Wolf

For his second Black Library short story – Miracles – Nicholas Wolf ventures into Warhammer Horror territory with a bleak tale of a family man pushed to his limits. Jacen Hertz might not find it easy to pray to the Emperor, but he works hard and loves his wife and children. As tension rises within Praxis Hive amid talk of disappearances and mutilated bodies, Jacen’s past comes back to haunt him when he miraculously survives a terrible disaster only to fall under the suspicion of the enforcers. As the pressure upon him increases, Jacen must decide how far he’s prepared to go to find salvation.

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We Are the Dead – Mike Shackle

An intense, enthralling rollercoaster of a debut novel, We Are the Dead starts Mike Shackle’s The Last War series off with a bang and never lets up, a captivating book packed full of drama, violence and emotion in an East Asian-influenced fantasy world. The Shulka have always protected Jia against its enemies, but even their vaunted skill at arms isn’t enough when the Egril launch a blistering, magic-fuelled surprise assault. The Jian people soon find themselves enslaved by cruel new overlords in cities suffering under enemy occupation, but while some try to make the best of their new lives, others resist and strike back against the Egril.

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QUICK REVIEW: Born of the Storm – Edoardo Albert

Edoardo Albert makes his Black Library debut with Born of the Storm, a 40k short story offering a characterful view of the Fulminators Chapter’s recruitment process. Even at an early age, listening to his father read stories of angels, dragons, wolves and knights, Augustin knew he wanted to grow up to fight monsters. From battling ambushing gangers as a cadet in the Astra Militarum to surviving hardships under the storm-ridden skies of Mars, he must overcome challenge after challenge, endure brutal hardships and sacrifice much – even the last links to his family – for the chance to attain his dream.

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QUICK REVIEW: The Heart of the Fallen – Sarah Cawkwell

Sarah Cawkwell’s second Age of Sigmar/Warcry short story, The Heart of the Fallen takes place in the desolate plains of the Bloodwind Spoil as warriors from the Untamed Beasts hunt dangerous prey in search of honour for their tribe. While one young hunter stalks the ‘meat’ on his own, determined to prove himself and claim his prize, three further warriors follow his trail, a core of concern underlying their youthful bickering. They all know that the hunt will be dangerous but great prestige is on offer, and the opportunity for one of them to truly make their name.

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RAPID FIRE: Justin D Hill Talks Terminal Overkill

Welcome to this instalment of Rapid Fire, my ongoing series of quick interviews with authors talking about their new releases. These are short and sweet interviews, with the idea being that each author will answer (more or less) the same questions – by the end of each interview I hope you will have a good idea of what the new book (or audio drama) is about, what inspired it and why you might want to read or listen to it.

In this instalment I spoke to Justin D. Hill about his latest Black Library novel, Terminal Overkill – a Necromunda novel which is available to order now in paperback, ebook and audiobook formats.

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RAPID FIRE: Mike Brooks Talks Rites of Passage

Welcome to this instalment of Rapid Fire, my ongoing series of quick interviews with authors talking about their new releases. These are short and sweet interviews, with the idea being that each author will answer (more or less) the same questions – by the end of each interview I hope you will have a good idea of what the new book (or audio drama) is about, what inspired it and why you might want to read or listen to it.

In this instalment I spoke to Mike Brooks about his first Black Library novel, a Warhammer 40,000 book called Rites of Passage which delves into the murky world of the Navigator Houses. It’s available to order in ebook, hardback and audiobook formats right now.

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QUICK REVIEW: Dead Drop – Mike Brooks

Mike Brooks’ Necromunda short story Dead Drop continues his impressive run of Black Library stories featuring strong characters with powerful familial bonds. Danner Grimjack and his Road Dogs, a close-knit gang of Orlocks, launch a carefully timed ambush of a rival gang, the Steel Crescents. Their goal is to relieve the Van Saars of what they hope is a valuable piece of cargo, recently arrived on Necromunda through illicit channels, and sell it on for a tidy profit. As ever in the underhive it’s a case of risk versus reward, but the Road Dogs trust each other to get the job done.

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QUICK REVIEW: Forsaken – Danie Ware

Danie Ware’s third Black Library story featuring the Adepta Sororitas of the Order of the Bloody Rose, Forsaken features a younger version of Sister Augusta as she and her Sisters search for survivors in the darkness of a drifting Ecclesiarchy vessel. When the sepulchral quiet is shattered by alien ambush, Augusta finds herself cut off from her Sisters and lost deep in the bowels of the ship. Faced with endless emptiness stretching away all around, Augusta falls back on her faith to sustain her and drive her on, but what she finds down there in the darkness tests even that.

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QUICK REVIEW: Fangs of the Rustwood – Evan Dicken

Evan Dicken’s Age of Sigmar short story Fangs of the Rustwood continues his approach of exploring the lesser visited corners of the Mortal Realms, this time featuring the sinister dangers of Chamon’s grot-infested Rustwood. Seeing opportunities for advancement in his future, witch hunter Kantus Vallo escorts a trio of prisoners, each a suspect in a high-profile murder, to face the judgement of his superiors in the Order of Azyr. As the forest’s lethal flora and fauna take their toll, however, he’s forced to free the prisoners and put his trust in them in order to survive and escape the Rustwood.

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The Ruthless – Peter Newman

Book two in Peter Newman’s The Deathless series, The Ruthless takes place sixteen years after the events of the first book, as Lady Pari Tanzanite is finally reborn and Lord Vasin Sapphire is almost ready to make his play for power. In the years that Pari has been away, the demons of the Wild have grown bolder while the cracks have widened between the Deathless houses. In the castle of Lord Rochant Sapphire, young Satyendra searches for a way to avoid sacrificing himself for Rochant’s rebirth, while deep in the Wild the semi-feral Sa-at watches the human Gatherers and dreams of belonging.

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