Tag Archives: Severina Raine

QUICK REVIEW: The Darkling Hours – Rachel Harrison

This short story is available in the Black Library Events Anthology 2018/19 or as a standalone e-short.

A dark and folklore-tinged tale featuring Commissar Severina Raine and the 11th Antari Rifles, Rachel Harrison’s Scribe Award-nominated short story The Darkling Hours pits Raine, Captain Andren Fel and his Duskhounds against an unseen foe able to tap directly into their fears. Dispatched by aerial insertion into the sinister depths of a vast open-pit mine controlled by the Sighted, the small squad’s mission is clear – to infiltrate the mine complex, find the witch lurking at its heart, and kill it. Down in the cold darkness however, the witch’s power grows as they draw closer, and their strength is sorely tested.

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Honourbound – Rachel Harrison

Rachel Harrison’s debut Black Library novel, Honourbound follows on from several excellent short stories and features Commissar Severina Raine serving with the 11th Antari Rifles as part of the decades-long Bale Stars Crusade. As Raine and the Antari grind their way to hard-fought victories over the chaos cult known as the Sighted, the stress of constant attritional warfare starts to show – even on the resolute Commissar. With the Sighted changing tactics and darkness forming within the Crusade, Raine knows that her faith and determination will be tested like never before as she wrestles with the implications of her past and the dangers of the present.

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RAPID FIRE: Rachel Harrison Talks Honourbound

Welcome to this instalment of Rapid Fire, my ongoing series of quick interviews with Black Library 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 Rachel Harrison about Honourbound, her first 40k novel which follows on from a number of excellent short stories featuring the same characters. Honourbound is available to order this weekend, so check out the interview and then you can look forward to picking up copy of the book very soon!

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QUICK REVIEW: Trials – Rachel Harrison

The fourth of Rachel Harrison’s Severina Raine short stories to get a digital release, Trials keeps the ongoing narrative of the 11th Antari Rifles in the background and focuses on the relationship between the Commissar and Captain Andren Fel. The storm trooper captain is the only member of the regiment who Raine can truly trust, the two of them sharing similarities despite their different roles. Over the course of a quiet conversation, while the war rages on around them, they each tell the story of the final trial they faced at the end of their time in the Schola Progenium.

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QUICK REVIEW: Fire and Thunder – Rachel Harrison

One of several excellent 40k short stories featuring Commissar Severina Raine and the 11th Antari Rifles, Rachel Harrison’s Fire and Thunder is a bleak and powerful examination of the grubby, confused horror of war in the 41st millennium. Raine and the Antari are redeploying from the cathedral city of Whend when they find themselves under heavy fire and cut off from Imperial lines. With walking wounded and no chance of extraction, their only hope is a dangerous forced march through enemy-held territory, but with ammunition running low and enemies pressing in all around, the odds are heavily set against them.

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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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QUICK REVIEW: Execution – Rachel Harrison

The first Black Library short story published under the name Rachel Harrison, rather than Ray Harrison, Execution is a powerful depiction of the human cost of war for the Imperial Guard, and the burdens placed upon their political officers. Having executing the captain of the 11th Antari Rifles for refusing to follow orders, commissar Severina Raine takes command of a daring mission to break the siege of a rebel-held fortress. After her uncompromising show of authority, Raine has to maintain her grip on the morale of her troops while leading them into ferocious battle.

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