Tag Archives: Warhammer 40k

War of Secrets – Phil Kelly

The third instalment of the Space Marine Conquests series, War of Secrets sees Phil Kelly explore the integration of Primaris Marines into the ever-secretive, antagonistic Dark Angels Chapter. In battle against the t’au on the industrial world of Saltire Vex, Lieutenant Xedro Farren and his Primaris brothers find the Dark Angels under Interrogator-Chaplain Zaeroph to be less than welcoming. It’s not long before Farren sees hints of an ulterior mission and another shadowy enemy, whom Zaeroph will do anything to catch. Meanwhile within the ranks of the t’au a separate conflict is brewing, and loyalties on both sides are questioned.

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RAPID FIRE: Darius Hinks Talks Mephiston: Revenant Crusade

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 Darius Hinks about his latest 40k novel Mephiston: Revenant Crusade, his second to feature the Blood Angels Chief Librarian. It’s available to order right now!

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QUICK REVIEW: Exhumed – Steve Parker

The second of Steve Parker’s Deathwatch short stories following the exploits of Talon Squad, Exhumed sees Karras and his adopted brothers – accompanied by the Dreadnought Chyron – sent to an abandoned Exodite world where the Adeptus Mechanicus are on the brink of unearthing something ancient from deep beneath the surface. Inevitably that turns out to be something horrifyingly dangerous, and Talon Squad are called upon to protect the interests of their mysterious inquisitorial handler, Sigma. Quickly embroiled in a battle it seems impossible for them to win, Karras fears this might be the day he finally loses one of his squad.

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QUICK REVIEW: Headhunted – Steve Parker

Featuring the first appearance of fan-favourite Talon Squad, Steve Parker’s short story Headhunted is a pacy, action-packed story of the Deathwatch doing what they do best. Under instructions from the shadowy inquisitor known only as Sigma, Codicier Lyandro Karras of the Death Spectres leads his squad through the bowels of an ork spaceship in a race against time to complete their mission and fight their way back out again. Facing countless thousands of orks to fight through, the five members of the squad must work together as a seamless unit if they are to succeed, and survive.

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Martyrs of Elysia – Chris Dows

Chris Dows’ audio drama Martyrs of Elysia is the third and final instalment in the series that began with Scions of Elysia and continued with Renegades of Elysia, detailing the dangerous accusations levelled against Veteran Sergeant Zachariah and his efforts to clear his name. As he’s questioned by the relentless Commissar Mastroval, Zachariah relives a frenetic, fateful assault on the rebel-held world of Veyland Sinestre and the culmination of his ongoing feud with a senior officer, whose murder he’s been accused of. All the while Mastroval keeps digging – into Zachariah’s actions, his loyalties, and his history.

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RAPID FIRE: Chris Dows Talks Martyrs of Elysia

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 Chris Dows about his latest 40k audio drama Martyrs of Elysia, the third and final instalment of his Elysian Drop Troops audio drama series. It’s available to order as of tomorrow, so get ready to pick it up very soon!

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QUICK REVIEW: By Your Command – Gav Thorpe

A stylised but brilliantly effective short story, Gav Thorpe’s By Your Command ties into his novel Imperator: Wrath of the Omnissiah (it’s included in the special edition hardback) by virtue of its setting, but works very well as a standalone. Deep within the Imperator Titan Casus Belli, a maniple of Kastelan battle robots is awakened and tasked with defending the Titan against invading Heretic Astartes. Told from the perspective of the Kastelan Alpha-6-Terror, it’s a story which delves into the inner workings and thought processes of the robot even as the bolt shells are flying.

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QUICK REVIEW: Defiant – Andy Clark

A short story in his Imperial Knights series, Andy Clark’s Defiant sits somewhere between Kingsblade and Knightsblade and sees Lady Jennika Tan Draconis still coming to terms with her role as First Knight of Adrastapol. The darkly pious Imperial world of Pyrodiah burns under the assault of endless waves of necrons, but the Knights of Adrastapol walk in its defence. Tasked with retrieving the planetary governor before the capital city is overrun, Jennika leads several lances of Knights into battle, however she faces not only the soulless necrons but the prejudices of her own warriors.

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QUICK REVIEW: Baphomet By Night – Peter McLean

A dark, uncomfortable Black Library debut from Peter McLean, Baphomet By Night is an Astra Militarum short story which takes place after the dust has settled on the Imperial campaign to cleanse the world of Baphomet of a Chaos cult. The Reslian 45th are sent in to garrison the world once the fighting is over, which to Corporal Cully and Sergeant Rachain seems like an easy duty after their last action, despite the inexperience of their new platoon. When unexpected resistance breaks out and the green troopers start dying around them, it becomes clear that Baphomet isn’t the break they expected.

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Peter Fehervari Talks 40k and the Dark Coil – Part One

While not one of the best-known Black Library authors, Peter Fehervari has been quietly building a reputation for complex, dark and brilliantly-constructed stories for some years now. With two novels to his name so far – Fire Caste and Cult of the Spiral Dawn – as well as a novella and a range of short stories, all of which are connected in some way to one another, Fehervari is a unique voice within the Black Library. [Note: since publishing, Peter’s third novel – Requiem Infernal – has been released…and it’s fantastic! Check out my review here.]

Here on Track of Words I’ve been a fan of Peter’s writing for a long time, and recently I’ve been catching up on writing reviews of as many of his stories as I can. I’m delighted that Peter has agreed to an interview about his work, in which we discuss a wide range of topics all revolving around the intricate, interconnected worlds he’s gradually unveiling. As usual I wanted to cover lots of different topics, so the questions range from his early influences that informed his strong, uncompromising style, to joined-up storytelling carrying similar themes across multiple stories, and lots more.

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