Tag Archives: Inferno!

QUICK REVIEW: The Prince’s Tale (At the Sign of the Brazen Claw Part Three) – Guy Haley

This story is currently only available within Inferno! Volume 3.

The third instalment of At the Sign of the Brazen Claw, Guy Haley’s serialised story of a group of strangers swapping stories while waiting out a storm, The Prince’s Tale sees aelven Prince Maesa tell the tale of how he met Shattercap. As the storm rages, Maesa relives a time of heartache and loneliness as he wandered the Mortal Realms aimlessly, haunted by the loss of his beloved Ellamar. Only when he finally encountered a match for his own grief did the exiled prince find himself drawn back into the lives of mortals, and set against the pitiless sylvaneth.

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QUICK REVIEW: The Spirit of Cogs – John French

A short story in John French’s ongoing Horusian Wars series, The Spirit of Cogs is a sinister little ghost story told by Glavius-4-Rho to Severita while the ex-magos is working on a repair. Casting his machinic mind back to his first experience on a true forge world, Glavius-4-Rho tells a tale of his younger self being recruited into a mysterious project, swathed in secrecy, which requires his expertise. He and another magos throw themselves into their work, despite the strange phenomena plaguing their efforts, but before long they start to question the consequences of the Mechanicus’ thirst for knowledge at all costs.

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QUICK REVIEW: No Honour Among Vermin – CL Werner

This short story is available within Inferno! Volume 2 or as a standalone e-short.

CL Werner has history writing about skaven and it shows in his short story No Honour Among Vermin, a devious tale of brutality and back-stabbing. Fylch Tattertail might not be the biggest or strongest of skaven but what he lacks in physical prowess he makes up in sneakiness. As part of a ramshackle crew of untrustworthy skaven undertaking a daring mission to steal a worryingly dangerous artefact from under the noses of a Chaos cult, he needs all of his cunning in order to play his role in the heist, and live to reap the rewards…such as they are.

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QUICK REVIEW: Turn of the Adder – JC Stearns

This short story is featured in Inferno! Volume 2, which is out now.

For his second Black Library short story, Turn of the Adder, JC Stearns explores a little of the impact that the birth of Ynnead has had upon the drukhari. The wyches of the Jade Labyrinth have turned from the Kabal of the Bladed Lotus and sided with the Ynnari, much to the disgust of the Bladed Lotus’ Archon, K’Shaic, who leads an overwhelming assault against the Ynnari forces. Tasked with a key, if secondary, part of the attack, K’Shaic’s youngest son Naeddre sees an opportunity for advancement (in the drukhari fashion) but soon finds his entire worldview challenged by the Ynnari.

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QUICK REVIEW: Ties of Blood – Jamie Crisalli

This short story is featured in Inferno! Volume 2, which is out now.

The Black Library debut for Jamie Crisalli, Ties of Blood is an action-packed short story exploring the rivalry between the Chaos gods and their champions, and the fickle nature of loyalty for those who follow the dark gods. Slaanesh-worshipper Savrian’s devotion to his absent god(dess) is complete, and he risks his life to rescue his son, long thought lost, from the clutches of Khorne-worshipping warlord Chagorath. His plan is simple – infiltrate the Khornate fortress, find his son and leave with the savage warriors none the wiser. When things don’t quite go to plan, his faith is tested as much as his blade.

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QUICK REVIEW: Solace – Steve Lyons

This short story is featured in Inferno! Volume 2, which is out now.

Steve Lyons has written plenty about various Imperial Guard regiments over the years, and with his short story Solace he’s tackled the Mordian Iron Guard in a 40k equivalent of a Wild West tale. Guardsman Maximillian Stürm and the remnants of his squad are lost in the forests of Silva Proxima after a devastating aeldari ambush, wounded and weary, when they stumble upon a backwater village apparently untouched by the xenos. The villagers seem welcoming at first, but Stürm is suspicious of their reasons for living in the forest, how they’ve managed to survive, and what they might be hiding.

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QUICK REVIEW: What Wakes in the Dark – Miles A Drake

This short story is featured in Inferno! Volume 2, which is out now.

Miles A Drake’s second Black Library short story (after 2017’s The Flesh Tithe), What Wakes in the Dark is another dark and sinister story of the Death Spectres, set over a hundred years before the Great Rift opened. After receiving an ominous warning foreshadowing darkness and death, Sergeant Achairas joins his forces with those of radical Inquisitor Astolyev to investigate the sudden loss of contact with a secret Inquisitorial outpost. What they find beneath the surface of Thirsis 41-Alpha is worse than anything they could possibly have imagined, as an ancient alien menace comes to wakefulness…and the rest is pretty much history.

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QUICK REVIEW: Faith in Thunder – Robert Charles

This short story is featured in Inferno! Volume 2, which is out now.

The first Black Library contribution from Robert Charles, Faith in Thunder is an Age of Sigmar story dealing with questions of redemption, faith and how to maintain hope in the face of terrible odds. Niara Sydona battles for survival in an ogor fighting pit alongside a handful of other wounded and weary prisoners, including the last remaining Freeguild soldier under her ill-fated command. Each of them copes in their own way, as influenced by their upbringings and outlook, but if they’re to have any chance at not just survival but also escape, they’ll need to cooperate despite their differences. Keep reading…

Inferno! Volume 2 – in the Authors’ Words

After many years in the wilderness, September 2018 saw the return of Inferno! to Black Library, with a new format – a paperback anthology instead of the old magazine format – and a load of cool new stories. I celebrated this momentous occasion with an article in which I took a quick look at each of the stories in Inferno! Volume 1, and also asked the authors to give a little insight into their stories and how it felt to be included in this new anthology. Fast forward a few months and the second instalment of the new Inferno! is now available to order, so I felt it was only appropriate to put together something similar.

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QUICK REVIEW: Spiritus in Machina – Thomas Parrott

This short story is featured in Inferno! Volume 2, which is due out at the very end of 2018.

Thomas Parrott’s debut Black Library story, Spiritus in Machina is a smart story of obedience and loyalty among the Adeptus Mechanicus. Skitarius Alpha-Primus 7-Cyclae wakes from stasis aboard a Mechanicus Ark ship to find he’s the only survivor in his maniple after a rebellion amongst the ship’s crew. Guided by a servo-skull operated remotely by Magos Explorator Aionios, Cyclae braves the dangers of the damaged ship to try and restore power and allow the Magos to complete his mission. Despite an unsettling absence of data, Cyclae willingly obeys the Magos’ instructions, but gradually realises things aren’t quite what they seem.

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