Tag Archives: Eldar

QUICK REVIEW: Shadows of Heaven – Gav Thorpe

Day Three of 2017’s Black Library Summer of Reading campaign

Labelled as part of the Rise of the Ynnari series, Gav Thorpe’s short story Shadows of Heaven takes the character of Aradryan from the novel Path of the Outcast and brings him up to date in the new 40k setting. Now a Guardian of Alaitoc, he takes his place in the craftworld’s armies as they defend an Imperial world against a common enemy – the Black Legion. Troubled by memories of his previous paths and his fear of the eldar afterlife, he hopes to find clarity of purpose in the fires of battle.

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QUICK REVIEW: Dark Son – Gav Thorpe

Available as a standalone e-short or within the Path of the Eldar omnibus, Gav Thorpe’s short story Dark Son takes an interesting look at whether a warrior of Commorragh might be able to find peace and redemption through the Craftworlders’ concept of the Path. Dark Eldar incubus Kolidaran has spent his entire life fighting – to survive, to find the incubi shrine, to keep his soul safe from She Who Thirsts – but is there another option for survival, one that the Commorraghans have never considered? After joining a raid on an Alaitocii eldar ship, he has the chance to find out.

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Asurmen: The Darker Road – Gav Thorpe

Gav Thorpe’s 70-minute audio drama Asurmen: The Darker Road comes nearly two years after its predecessor in the fledgling Phoenix Lords series, the short novel Asurmen: Hand of Asuryan. This time we see the first of the Phoenix Lords arriving at Craftworld Ulthwé in time to join Eldrad Ulthran on an expedition to the Crone Worlds, to claim an artefact that could guarantee the safety of Ulthwé and its people. Accompanied by the head of Ulthwé’s Seer Council, Asurmen guides his fellows through their perilous journey, but his presence doesn’t necessarily denote success for the mission.

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QUICK REVIEW: Wraithbound – JC Stearns

The eldar arrive on day eight of Black Library’s 2016 Advent Calendar in Wraithbound by JC Stearns, in which a combined force of craftworld and corsair eldar make a daring webway assault onto an Imperial world that’s been overrun by orks. Among the first wave is Crimson Hunter pilot Seoci, firmly on the path of the hunter but not yet lost to it. Donning his war mask as he goes into battle, he pushes aside thoughts of his previous path until his past comes back to haunt him when his craftworld’s wraith constructs take to the field.
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Asurmen: Hand of Asuryan – Gav Thorpe

The first novel in what will, hopefully, eventually be a full Phoenix Lord series, Asurmen: Hand of Asuryan sees Gav Thorpe delve into the mythology of the eldar to tell the tale of the titular Asurmen, first and greatest of the fabled Phoenix Lords. Set in the midst of a conflict against the chaos forces of the Flesh Thieves, instigated by a Farseer of Anuiven craftworld in order to reclaim an artefact of great power, it sees Asurmen co-opting a peaceful eldar pilot to help him as he steps in to try and avert a disaster unforeseen by the reckless Farseer. Realising his warrior spirit is troubling the pilot, Neridiath, he talks to her of his path and the events which saw him take his first steps along it.
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Valedor – Guy Haley

With a few notable exceptions the Warhammer 40k universe is largely shown to us through the eyes of the Imperium, lending it (not inappropriately) a very human perspective. Occasionally though, Black Library releases something which shows a different side to 40k, in this instance Guy Haley’s Valedor which follows in the footsteps of Gav Thorpe’s Path of the Eldar series to look through the eyes of this ancient, dwindling race. We see the eldar of Iyanden, still reeling from the latest in their string of disasters, as they set out to prevent the merging of two tyranid hive fleets; in order to avert a disaster that would have terrible consequences for their entire race, they are forced to ally with not only the eldar of another craftworld but also their dark kin.

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QUICK REVIEW – Shield of Baal : Wraithflight – Guy Haley

On the fourth day of Christmas Black Library gave to us…a Shield of Baal short story by Guy Haley. Sitting within the wider Shield of Baal series but also tying in with Haley’s own novel Valedor, Wraithflight sees the eldar of Iyanden come to the aid of an embattled Imperial world against the might of Hive Fleet Leviathan. Spiritseer Iyanna leads a void attack, using the wrathful dead of the craftworld to combat the hive mind’s control over its fleet, but it remains to be seen exactly what the eldar are hoping to achieve with their intervention.

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