Warhammer The End Times Book novel review: The Curse of Khaine by Gav Thorpe

So we get to the mid point in the End Times and it is the time of the Elves, or more accurately it is the Time of Malekith for this is ultimately his tale. The Curse of Khaine is also the end of his story, a journey that encompasses betrayal, defeat, victory and redemption. It is a story that Gav Thorpe began in his Time of Legends Sundering Trilogy so it seems apt that he should be the one to finish it in the End Times. This is the first End Times book to feel Epic. Its scope is such that the reader is left as to no illusion as to the stakes involved. This is the book that really FEELS like the End Times.

I've not read Khaine, the hardback campaign book that this novel accompanies, however i have to say that i don't really feel that i need to anymore. Gav does such a good job of squeezing events into this novel that i doubt there is a great deal that the campaign book will be able to add, except perhaps embellishing the fate of the Wood Elves somewhat as that aspect of the story is given lip service at best. The book doesn't really feel diminished in any way with its absence and although i will get round to Khaine at some point this was the first End Times novel where i felt i got a rounded feel of events.

What is contained is told entirely from the perspective of the Witch King Malekith as he tries once again to take his perceived rightful place as ruler of the Elves. In six thousand years Aenarion's heir has changed little and one of the only criticisms i would level at the book would be the lack of character development within. None of the figures featured really change much, and Gav's portrayal or Morathi is something i still have issues with. I felt it hindered Malekith (the first Sundering book) and it is probably best that she is reduced to barely a supporting character here.

The events within however far make up for any lack of character development. Gav manages to fit so much into this story and the pace rarely lets up. Realising that his brother Tyrion is lost to Khaine, Teclis has been colluding with the Witch King in order to bring Tyrion down and give Ulthuan a new ruler, and that ruler is Malekith. Unfortunately there is little time for embellishment of how all these machinations came to be. Gav is kept busy enough with frequent (and it must be said somewhat awkward at times) flashbacks to fill in any back story for those that have not read the Sundering Trilogy. That said i would recommend picking up Gav's previous Elf books as they really are rather good. Especially Shadow King, a character that through necessity takes something of a back seat this time round. 

And Alith Anar is not the only character to be given short shrift. Even the antagonist Tyrion is seen only as a distant threat (in fact i'm not sure he even has any dialogue). You get the feeling that Gav would have much rather embraced this tale with another trilogy, (certainly it feels like it warrants it) and is just constricted by time. It is therefore somewhat surprising that the book feels somewhat bloated then. Although the pace rarely lets up and remains exciting all the way through the writing is a little cumbersome in places. This sadly is just down to the author and his ability to storycraft. Rather than flowing the prose stumbles a bit. It's not a fatal flaw and i really do believe that Gav is a far better writer than many give him credit for but it is noticeable that Curse of Khaine lacks a certain elan, a certain effortless class. 

That said, overall the book just works. Between the focus on the twisted and tortured Malekith and the underlying study on the nature of the elves and the Curse of Khaine it just works. You do need to treat this as a Malekith book more than anything else, an addition and ending to the Sundering saga. But once you have done that then the book really does start to gel. With plenty of action and a fair amount of grimness (the Dark Elves are still DARK) its a rewarding read. Malekith is a fascinating individual, of noble blood but too twisted and embittered by the years to see the path. There is a moment in the book where it all catches up with him and he truly embraces his destiny in an epiphany six millennia in the making. You get the feeling that if Gav can just make a similar final leap in writing quality then he too could become regarded in the same circles as Abnett and McNeil and perhaps even take his place in the ranks of the Fantasy and Sci Fi greats. In fact with both of those authors having their input drastically reduced now (Graham has taken a full time gig with Riot Games and Abnett has been lured away by Marvel.. ) he may indeed be one of our last, best hopes. 

8/10

Horus Heresy Book Review: Blades of the Traitor

Another review another Anthology, the novels are coming but boy are they taking their time. Hopefully we'll be reading Crimson King, Angels of Caliban and Deathfire soon but for now these snippets are what we are receiving, so they will have to suffice.

And on the whole i'm OK with that, although once again all of this has been released before I long ago gave up trying to keep up with the myriad of e-books and Audio stories and shorts that are being doled out, ill quite happily wait for them to be released in compendiums like this one. But, i'm still jonesing for a REAL Horusey fix...

Still, Blades of the Traitor is not half bad, five stories of indeterminate length loosely themed around a moment in time of the Heresy. We seem to be in no rush to get to Terra (and presumably the end of the series) and have settled into a holding pattern to flesh out the different legions and catch up on the repercussions of the events that have occurred. Both the aftermath of Istvaan and events in Ultramar have taken centre stage of late and i don't see this changing any time soon.

Still, on with the review! The first story is Daemonology: by Chris Wraight. I REALLY enjoyed this story though its true identity took a while to establish itself. It focuses mainly around the Death Guard Primarch Mortarion who, steadfast in his refusal to adopt the warp and psychics is rampaging across a system destroying worlds in his wake. Hurting from his defeat at the hands of Jagahati Kahn he is out for blood, and he finds it after a fashion as he captures a daemonhost in order to learn its secrets. Abhoring Psychic powers will the Daemon's revelations push him over the edge? This story really marks the tipping point of the Death Guards final fall to Nurgle and was a fantastic read. Mortarion is well portrayed and with pre-heresy flashbacks providing a glimpse to the being he was before he turned and he is very identifiable as we learn of his insecurities and frustrations. It's a great insight into Mortarion's psyche and rounds the Primarch out, giving depth to a figure that has rarely been featured. On top of that it is very well written as usual and overall a joy to read.  I'd quite welcome a full Death Guard book from Mr Wraight.

Next up is the extremely short but still very good Black Ocuulus by John French. Its one of those odd stories that isn't really about much, it's more of a theme piece, this time focusing on warp travel from the viewpoint of a corrupted navigator at the point the command to enter the Warp (presumably after the events of Angel Exterminatus) by Perturabo and the nature of what he can now see. other than that there is really not a great deal to say about it! it is very well written and the best short of its type i have read outside of perhaps 'The Warmaster' Very good very much enjoyed

The third story is Twisted by Guy Haley, i've not read a great deal by this author but thoroughly enjoyed this story about Horus Lupercal's equerry the crippled and 'twisted' Maloghurst. Functioning more or less in Horus' place in matters of State. Petitioned and barracked by the non Astartes and derided and scorned by his fellows his is an odd role. His injuries meaning he can never again lead forces in battle and consigning him to this bureaucratic role for which he will never earn his peers respect. There is a great deal to this story and many facets within but it is not hard to read at any point. I enjoyed this story for a number of reasons and felt it was well written.

For one thing it is very good to see Horus in his own Heresy again, though it is a supporting role at best. Secondly it is gratifying to get a feel for how the Vengeful spirit and those within are changing slowly corrupted and becoming as 'twisted' as the Equerry himself. The Davinites are heavily featured and without spoiling too much they are integral to a Daemonic plot to take over the Vengeful Spirit and put Horus on a leash. Its a great read and Maloghurst becomes an instant favourite. Plots and mystery abound and its a great read. At this point i was really enjoying Blades of the Traitor.

Next up was Chirurgeon by Nick Kyme. I've found Kyme a bit hit and miss in the Horusey, whilst i have enjoyed his shorts and novellas i struggled quite a bit with Vulkan Lives due to its clunky structure and flawless title character, thankfully this is a lot less unwieldy than that novel. Following on more or less immediately from 'Imperfect' from the previous novella of anthologies, rather than Fulgrim we get the perspective of Fabius as he heads back to his laboratory to continue his research . In fact this is easily one the most in depth analyses of the Emperors Children Apothecary we have seen yet. As well as present day the story liberally uses flashbacks and we find out that even back in the early days after the founding that Fulgrim's legion were beset by Geneseed degradation and blight. We find out about Fabius' attempts to curtail the spread of this throughout his legion and the lengths to which he has to go to to prevent its destruction.

Its a pretty good read from Nick and well written, the focus is kept solely in one place and as Fabius carries out a dissection on one fallen comrade in a hope of finding a cure for the new afflictions wracking the Emperors Children he idly reminiscences over the past. There is little to no action within, only lots of plot and character development and a rather nice little reveal at the end. Best viewed as an accompaniment to 'Imperfect' Chirurgeon
is good if not excellent, lessened only by the excellence of what has come before.

Which brings us to the last installment, Wolf Mother by Graham McNeil. this is set more or less as a direct sequel to Vengeful spirit and i would say more than ANY other anthology thus far you really should have read the other books in the series before you read what is within Blades of the Traitor. Wolf Mother revolves  around Alivia the perpetual character from Vengeful Spirit and seemingly brings her arc to a close. Joining forces with Severian from the Knights Errant Alivia seeks to rescue her adopted children from Cultists on board the Molechs Enlightenment. Much of the book is told from the perspective of the children. Leading to some whimsical if slightly overreaching exposition revolving around the seemingly ubiquitous book of childrens stories from OUR time that Vivyen seems to cling to like a comfort blanket.

Still there is some good stuff later on as the action picks up. We find out exactly what the cultists have intended for the children and there is some wonderfully descriptive writing from Graham that puts you right in the children's places as their fate unfolds. There is also a fantastic passage featuring Severian which i wont spoil here but involves the very specific use of an Astartes implant. Its not perfect, i found some of the writing a bit clumsy which is very unusual for Mr McNeil but i like a lot of what he has done here and although you must have read Vengeful Spirit to really understand what is going on it is worth your time. Indeed, i feel that conversely this actually enhances that book and i shall have to go back to read it again. It feels like something that should have been in there but was perhaps removed to make room for the Knight house story arc. (something that chafed at me somewhat as you can see in my review here)

So overall Blades of the Traitor is a rather satisfying slice of Horusey action, filling in yet more gaps in the rich tapestry of the Horus Heresy.  I would remark that more than any other book so far this one relies on you having read linked novels and shorts and whether you have done so will directly affect your enjoyment of the stories within. That said i am hankering for another real slice of heresy action sooner rather than later. In the meantime this works as a stopgap nicely.

7/10

Warhammer End Times book review: The Fall of Altdorf by Chris Wraight

So after a fairly substantial disappointment in The Return of Nagash, I was rather hoping that things would improve with The Fall of Altdorf, penned by Chris Wright. The omens were good, like a twin tailed comet arcing across the Old World sky. Wraight is one of my favourite authors having disappointed me only a few times, and this book deals with a pretty major event that hopefully will be paid its dues. Less Vampiric meanderings and more actual events of consequence please!. It is also probably worth mentioning that unlike Nagash I have not read all of the End Times Glottkin book so will be approaching this novel from a reasonably fresh perspective, at least when it comes to the climax. One of my main reasons for picking these books up was from struggling with the format of the End Times campaign books and I was interested to see what I would get from this novel. 

Straight away things are extremely promising. The book starts with a major battle, and we are introduced to familiar characters, reassured immediately and in comfortable surroundings. Unfortunately this battle goes very badly for the Empire as heroes are laid low and the army is sundered and the remaining forces fall back to Altdorf to prepare the defnces for the final onslaught. Starting the book in such a dramatic fashion promotes interest from the reader. You want to read on to find out what happens. Without spoiling anything, multiple plot threads are also laid down at this point that will have serious repercussions later throughout the narrative. Straight away you are involved and in the thick of the story.

And this sense of involvement is carried on throughout the novel, leading to the reader’s attention never wavering, overall I found this a FAR more engaging read than the first book. Quite a few characters are deftly introduced and juggled with the perspective changing from protagonist to antagonist adeptly and smoothly. It must be said though that the sections from the view of the Glottkin are just a procession to Altdorf, adding little in character development or plot but plenty in action. However this works as a nice counterpoint to the more sedate (well relatively) pace of events back in the Imperial Capital.

And it is Hellborg who takes centre stage here as he tries to organize the cities meager defenses in the Emperor's absence. Those that have read Wraight’s superb Swords of the Emperor (review here) will be very familiar with this character as it featured both Hellborg and Schwarzhelm. Fall of Altdorf has the focus solely on Kurt this time as Ludwig Schwarzhelm looks to head North to find out more about the REAL chaos horde descending from the wastes. Between winning over the various Electors and dealing with the new Supreme Patriarch (unlike the campaign book there is no real mention of Balthasar Gelt’s fate), a likable if crude Amber Wizard named Martak. As they each fulfill their duties (there is a sub plot where Martak tries to get Hellborg to investigate the sewers of Altdorf for infected taint before resigning to fate and leaving on another equally important task) the inexorable march (pustulent crawl) of the Glottkin horde brings the invading army ever closer to the walls of Altdorf, the drama being maintained by the sections telling of the minor cities they grind to a pulp in their wake.

There is another element to the story and this is one of the few links to the previous book (there is practically no mention of Nagash in this book) Vlad, resurrected by the Great Necromancer, has a very unusual mission. To ally with the forces of the Empire. Be they living (preferable) or dead. In order to combat the all conquering forces from the Chaos wastes all the remaining forces of the Old World will need to stand together, they will just need to stand together under Nagashes banner. Vlad for his part wants electorship of Sylvannia and to be recognized and also to find out what has happened to his beloved wife Elizabeth. As you can imagine, his approach doesn’t go down all that well.

Wraight, for his part juggles these different elements of the story with much élan, proving to be quite masterful in handling multiple narratives as he has been in the past. However The Fall of Altdorf is far from perfect, the book feels a little hurried. Lip service is paid to certain aspects of the story and there are bits that are not as impactful or as grand as they should be giving what should be a major event in the Old World rather a low key feel. A lot of this is given the truncated nature of the narrative and once again a lack of exposition, although the book does better in that regard than its predecessor. The lack of a solid link to the previous book also hurts it somewhat and I would go as far to say you could skip The Return of Nagash entirely (not a terrible idea to be honest).



One thing that I have read about the book is a certain amount of disgruntlement with the ‘ease’ that the Empire is overcome by the Chaos forces. I can’t really agree with this, it is made quite obvious from the very start that the forces of the Empire are not at their best. A canker works at them from within and the cities are effectively laid low before the first blows are even made. The weakness is rife throughout the troops and many are described as unable to stand or hold their weapons, food and water supplies are poisoned and the Reik is described as a sludge. The very life of the Empire is being choked from within and it should be no surprise that the valiant defenders can muster little resistance.

Of course the end of the book is where things really heat up as once again in a mirror of the opening chapters the stakes are raised and once again the brave and bold are laid low. The very ending of the book does feel a little Duex ex machina though it avoids becoming ludicrous. Overall it is a satisfying climax and although much is left shattered you get the sense it is not the end, it is a shame then that the narrative is almost certainly not to be continued in the next book in the series The Curse of Khaine by Gav Thorpe.

So overall a much better book than The Return of Nagash. With a more tightly focused narrative and more competent wielding of multiple points and pacing it is both an easier and more satisfying read. The book does feel somewhat underplayed and lightweight and I would have appreciated more of an insight in general as to the wider state of the Empire but enough is imparted within the pages to give the reader a sense of the direness of the situation. The book does feel isolated, likely connected to both its predecessor and successor in only the most flimsy of ways. Knowing that the whole of the end times is only 5 books you can understand why but it would still be nice to have made a little more out of it (there are accompanying character novels but I feel it is an Old Worldwide perspective that is needed). As an accompaniment to Glottkin, the second End Times campaign book it seems to function quite well. On the whole it is recommended. Fans of Swords of the Emperor in particular will find much to enjoy….

Horus Heresy Novella Review: Corax: Soulforge by Gav Thorpe

There are a surprising number of the Limited Edition Novellas that are still to be released in a format obtainable to us mere mortals. Scorched Earth and The Imperial Truth are two that come to mind and two that i would really like to read. Corax: Soulforge by Gav Thorpe is another.

And Soulforge is the one i have finally got my mitts on. I was greatly looking forward to reading more Raven Guard from Gav who's Deliverance Lost i really rather enjoyed, particularly for its excellent portrayal of the XIX legion's Primarch Corax. Haunted by the events of the Dropsite Massacre but driven to conduct his guerrilla war best as he can with the remnants of his legion and the new warriors he has managed to create, including those that were affected by the Alpha Legions sabotage. These twisted unfortunates sadly only warrant only a very brief mention in the early stages of the book. Its a shame as i would like to see them more prominently featured. Hopefully the future will lend this opportunity. 

Instead, the focus of Corax: Soulforge is.. well Corax really. In this novella we get a great deal more on Corax's character and a view into how his mind works. There is some great stuff where he talks about his Primarch brothers and he comes across as very rounded and well written. I have always found Gav's character writing to be very strong, making his dramatis personae very identifiable and this is another example of that as Corax fairly flies off the pages, his compassion and determination very well realised. Sadly it does mean that in this novella there is not really any room for anyone else's character to be strongly developed but then it is the Ravenguard Primarch's name on the title after all.

Story wise, Corax: Soulforge deals with a Word Bearer alliance with a Heretic Mechanicum Magos, leading to the taking over of an entire Forge World. something that must be stopped at all costs. For some of the Ravenguard this represents nothing more than a chance to get revenge on the Word Bearers that have hurt them so badly. This often gets in the way, and presented is a wounded legion one that is damaged and divided with Corax being the only thing holding them together. Indeed the very first section of the book deals with a mission aboard a Word Bearers Vessel that is severely jeopardized when one of the Sergeants decides to pursue retribution rather than supporting his battle brothers in the mission objective.

It is up to Corax to bring all this under control as the Raven Guard use the captured vessel to travel to the Forge World that the Word Bearers have corrupted. Even here many of the Raven Guard look to pursue personal vendettas and it is Corax who must remind them that Victory is Vengeance and the best way to hurt the Word Bearers is to beat them. Thus the Ravenguard conduct war against the Dark Mechanicus in the way they know best. Though Corax: Soulforge is not exactly action all the way the latter half of the book in particular certainly is. A scene that involves Corax against 3 defilers sticks in the mind and overall the climax of the story is more than satisfying. It's not bolterporn but its not all character development and exposition either. In my opinion Gav strikes a fine balance between the two.

All in all i really liked Corax: Soulforge. Im not sure it is ever going to be revered as a classic but its a decent sized chunk of something a bit different. It's great seeing the Dark Mechanicus crop up in the Heresy more and Gav is great at characterisation, even working his magic on the numberous Magi in the book. Its a compelling portrayal of a wounded legion and there is plenty of action to go with it and a decent look at Corax's Psyche. Gav Thorpe's next book is Angels of Caliban but he has assured me ' there is always room for more Corax' so hopefully he'll pick this up a bit later and we will get another Ravenguard novel. For now we'll have to make do with this Novella and when it is finally rereleased, Ravenlord. Next up for me is Blades of the Traitor but i really enjoyed Corax: Soulforge Its not particularly ambitious or clever but it is fun to read and gets the job done. Reccomended.

7/10

Horus Heresy Book Review: Legacies of Betrayal

Man, Black Library love Audio books, and they love Limited Edition Novellas, and they REALLY love E-books. Therefore it stands to reason that they are head over heels with Legacies of Betrayal as it features all three. Yes that’s right, welcome to another Horus Heresy Anthology.

It seems that is all I have read recently. I can barely remember the excellence of Betrayer and Angel Exterminatus so long has it been since i had a PROPER slice of the Heresy to enjoy. Sadly this drought doesn’t seem likely to end anytime soon with no sign of the release date of the next full length novel to be seen. Therefore this is the best we can expect for now. The really sad thing about Legacies of Betrayal is how much of a betrayal it actually is to the most devoted Horus Heresy readers (which I do not count myself one of I must say - I had become jaded by the slew of E-books and Audio Dramas.) You see Legacies of Betrayal contains NO new material. Every single thing between its covers has already been released in one format or another. Therefore it is proportionally more worthwhile the less you have already read. Essentially it is a few E-books, a few Audio books (including one of short stories) and a novella.

And that novella is Brotherhood of the Storm, great. That’s the first 125 pages written off. Still, I don’t begrudge Black Library for doing this, we all knew the Novellas would make it to paperbased format eventually. It just means I wont have to review Chris Wraight's tale of divergent White Scars clans as it has already been done HERE

Even after Brotherhood of the Storm we still have 315 pages of material, so although nearly a third of the book is lost there is plenty to review. The remaining pages are split into 17 other stories of wildly different lengths, the shorts are sometimes barely half a dozen pages in length whilst the full length Audiobooks are a good 20-30 pages. Everything else is a bit of a mix. So there is bite size morsels and also more substantial fare on offer here. But how good is it all?

Well it varies, some entries are really rather short you see, like opener The Serpent By John French. Barely covering 4 pages it is very short indeed. There are a few of these in Legacies of Betrayal, some are delightful little snippets of exposition, others are pretty much pointless. Sadly this is the latter. It’s not that it is badly written, it is just little of real consequence happens. A Davinite ritual, is interrupted by something (Maybe Samus, it’s not really explained) and the reader gains little overall. On the other hand Heart of the Conqueror is another short story but none the poorer for it. The Conqueror, flagship of Angron, has undergone significant and horrific changes since the World Eaters betrayal. This very short tale shows what happens to one of those still loyal to the Emperor left onboard. It’s a great piece from ADB who delivers much within a very limited word count.

Loosely grouped together, there are three character studies that are also frustratingly short dealing with Lucius the Eternal, Kharn the Betrayer and Cypher. None of them really offer a great deal. The Kharn one is probably the best among them for the glimpse into the changing nature of the World Eaters. They make for an interesting but not essential reads, except the Cypher one from Gav Thorpe which just left me perplexed.

Chris Wraight works in a couple of Bjorn stories: Wolfs Claw tells how he gets his infamous lightning claw, it’s a nice piece non combat orientated but giving a nice bit of character insight, Lone Wolf on the other hand (excuse the pun) is the complete opposite as Bjorn takes on a Khorne Bloodthirster in a throwaway combat piece.

The Divine Word is A nice short story from Gav Thorpe and his best work in this anthology. Refereshingly Astartes free, it tells of a planetary Governor plagued by visions, but are they a blessing or a curse? This was a nice piece about the Emperors divinity and a rewarding easy read from Gav, a highlight of the book although once again it is very short.

Hunters Moon, a Guy Haley Spacewolf story acts as a sort of follow on to Howl of the Hearthworld by ADB from Death and Defiance (review here). In this a group of natives come across a downed Alpha legion vessel, crashed after the Space Wolves that were sent by Russ to watch over the individual legions are betrayed. There is some good writing here, with the gulf between human and Astartes portrayed very well. Told from the mortals perspective it is a nice story though you feel it is probably only the precursor to something bigger.

Strike and Fade deals with Istvaan survivors, this time the Salamanders as they ambush a night lords patrol. Aside from the irritating use of bikes (not Jetbikes) this is an enjoyable enough action packed installment from Guy Haley, short but sweet.

Warmaster is a very nice short story, featuring a rare appearance from Horus in his own heresy! The Warmasters perspective is rarely gleaned these days so it is refreshing to get this insight, there isn’t much of it but in the few pages we are afforded we learn of the Primarchs chagrin that he has only managed to have the misfit primarchs join his cause and bemoaning the fact that he doesn’t have Sanguinius and Gulliman on his side. We see a very human side to the Primarch here that is not often displayed and it is really well written enabling us to see his motivations. Very much recommended although it is once again rather short.

David Annandale, grants us a prequel to his novel Damnation of Pythos, A lot of the short stories we are getting at the moment are set after the Dropsite Massacre, it seems to be either that or Calth. This is another good story, well paced and written without any of the unorthodoxies that proliferated The Damnation of Pythos. It follows Captain Atticus as he attempts to conduct a guerrilla void war on the traitors. It also tells of how the supporting cast from The Damnation of Pythos came to be with the Iron hands. I don’t think it will change people’s perceptions of that book but it is nice to get a little back story as Damnation of Pythos starts fairly abruptly.

Riven by John French is a much longer entry (though is still just an ebook) and perhaps suffers for it. It starts off superbly as an Iron Hand based upon Terra is committed to a new mission By Rogal Dorn. To seek out and recover as many survivors of the IStvaan Dropsite Massacre and get them back to Terra in preparation for Horuses inevitable assault. John really gets under the skin of the Iron Hand Cirrus as he attempts to deal with the revelation of his Primarchs murder. We gain a fascinating insight into what drives them in their quest for purification and purging of the flesh. Ciurus is accompanied on his quest by an Iron Fist captain and before long they come across an Iron Hands ship, but all is not as it seems. The plot twist is perhaps a little far fetched and I imagine without a writer as skilled as French behind it could easily have seemed silly. AS it is it works ok and although it doesn’t match the early promise of the story overall Riven is a good entry in this anthoglogy

Graham Mcneil gives us Kryptos, featuring one of the coolest Astartes of all time Narryn Shorrowkin, ninja assassin kickass Raven Guard supermarine, from anyone else this would come off as OTT fan fic but McNeil has the class to just make it awesome. Very action heavy it will never sit alongside Graham's greatest work but is a lot of fun nonetheless.

The rest of Legacies of Betrayal is made of audio dramas in print. There are Four in total:


Honour to the Dead

Gav Thorpe gives us Honour to the Dead. I was actually rather disappointed by this story, the tense and perspective is inconsistent, there are too many facets to it (although I can appreciate he is trying to add more dimension to the story) and he manages to make Titan combat quite boring with cartoonish protagonists (some of the dialogue is ‘Fear to Tread' bad). Presented both from the titan crews perspective and the perspective of hapless bystanders diminishes the impact of both. Prehaps it worked better as an audio book but in print it is certainly lacking. Its no Titanicus that’s for sure…

Butchers nails

I have already listened to this audio drama but enjoyed it a lot more in print, mainly due to the absence of the comical portrayal of Angron. Story wise it is very solid, working well as a precursor to Betrayer, ADBs last full HH novel and easily one of the best. There is some fantastic interplay between Lorgar and Angron and the full nature of the World Eaters is laid bare. Tasked by Horus to support the assault on the 500 worlds of the UIltramarines they find their approaches to war wildly at odds as the World Eaters insist on slaughtering and destroying every planet they come across. Slowing the Word Bearers assault. When they are attacked by a Dark Eldar fleet they get a chance to join forces and find common ground, with Lorgar learning something about Angron that changes his perspective entirely. The story itself is well presented and everything feels within Character, it does sometimes feel that it functions as a prequel to events in Betrayer but I really have no issue with this and the foreshadowing doesn’t ruin either entry.

Thief of Revelations

Time for the Thousand Sons here, Ahriman is working on a cure for the myriad mutations that are affecting the legion. As he attempts to combat the flesh change machinations occur in the background that threaten to undermine his efforts. In the end he approaches his gene father Magnus the Red only to be stunned by what his primarch reveals when he presents his plans. It’s well written but a little short and feels more like an epilogue to Prospero Burns than anything else. Or maybe a Prologue to The Crimson King, Graham’s next HH book. Due out, eventually.

Censure

A much longer entry and another Audiobook conversion. Censure is bought to us by Nick Kyme and is on the whole, excellent. I have actually half heard it whilst dozing on a trip to GW HQ in Lenton and remember liking what I heard (certainly better than the other in car entertainment of Mortarians Heart) But appreciated it in print a lot more. Dealing with a disgraced Ultramarine hunting Word Bearers on the deadly surface of Calth accompanied by a surviving PDF trooper. Full of action and some surprisingly powerful character building and development it is highly recommended. Im not usually a massive fan of Nick Kymes work but this was outstanding.

Phew! That’s a lot of stories, some are worth your time, others, not so much. Of particular note are the Audio conversions which read very well, well except perhaps Honour to the Dead which I suspect may have worked better heard. The shorts vary in quality, some being great little bite sized snippets others being forgettable. Many of the stories link to another work elsewhere, those who have read these will nod appreciatively others may be missing out. Certainly I felt I gained a fair bit from this book. It was worth reading. Some gaps were filled and character facets not really explored previously were brought to the fore. Of course it is all going to depend on how much you have read previously. One thing I will say is that if you have not indulged in the myriad of side stories that already proliferate the Horusey range then there is certainly worth to be had here. However if you are one of the more ardent readers then Caveat Emptor would seem to apply.

Warhammer Book review: End Times I The Return of Nagash by Josh Reynolds

There is little question that the End times is the biggest thing ever to happen to the Warhammer world. An event of cataclysmic proportions sundering the entire realm and one which the after effects will echo for eons. Released as a series of campaign books the first installment was Nagash. Nagash had been absent for some time from the Warhammer game (though an excellent trilogy of novels by Mike Lee had been released in recent years). His return was a big thing but even back then we had no idea exactly what the End Times would entail. Accompanied by a frankly ridiculously oversized model The End Times gave people a reason to play again and the Limtited Edition books sold out quickly. The books came in a hardback slip case one book revolving around the story and the other covering rules. Even the story part of the book was interspersed with frequent battles however (it is a campaign book after all) which went some way to fracturing the overall narrative. The writing was also frequently not the best. Therefore when I saw that there was an accompanying series of black library novels I hoped that they would shed further light onto the story. Suffice to say with The Return of Nagash at least I was very disappointed.

Penned by Josh Reynolds (who’s Neferata I found particularly hard reading due to a meandering plot and complete indifference to events within) The Return of Nagash is a book that thoroughly forgets what it is actually about In the same way as Prospero Burns. Like the Thousand Sons home planet, Nagash actually only makes an appearance in the last dozen pages of the book. The rest of the novel is largely Vampires bickering and you wondering what else is going on in the wider world as this earth shattering event commences.

The main protagonist in the book is Mannfred Von Carstein, in itself that is not a major issue as he is a main character in the campaign book too but here we are also treated to several other vampires of varying importance, those of his get and other bit part players. We do get a general overview of what is going on in Sylvania and the plan to resurrect Nagash though the parties involved are dedicated to this cause for their own ends. Arkhan, Kemmler and Krell all feature to add a little variety but far too much of the book revolves around the vampires and their machinations and games. It’s just BORING. This is meant to be the End Times, it should have been easy to inject a sense of disaster and peril into the book worthy of the magnitude of events but he fails to do this. There is the odd chapter here and there that deigns to feature different characters and races but the way that the various plot threads are interwoven is very clumsy. The book is frankly a chore to read at times. Although the writing itself is not of particularly poor quality, the storytelling certainly is and the book doesn’t flow at all.

It must be said the last few chapters of the book really pick up and deliver but by then it is far too little too late, The final climatic battle is exciting but a lot of charity is required by the reader to get there. A little less focus on the vampires and more attention paid to what else is going on in the Warhammer world would have paid dividends, the book doesn’t feel overly long either, it’s not like more effort couldn’t have been made to include the missing narrative. It just seems that Reynolds has got carried away with the vampire arc to the detriment of all else. The fact that the titular character is included only at the very end of the book itself doesn’t help. Quite the misjudgment in my opinion especially as I feel his indominatable presence would have improved the book considerably. As an aside I felt a distinct melancholy when Nagash spoke as his dialogue is rendered in bold capitals much like Sir Terry Pratchett’s Death. (RIP)

It wouldn’t be so bad if this were not the ONLY book that is being published to cover the NAGASH campaign book. Reynolds has sold himself short here, by getting tunnel vision and delivering a book that feels like it will continue in the next in the series (it doesn’t) instead of this being all you get. Imagine if the First stage of the Horus Heresy was told ONLY by horus rising with a chapter each from False Gods, Galaxy in flames and Flight of the Eisenstein included and you will more or less get an idea of what The Return of Nagash is like. It is false advertisement and although not the worst thing I have read it reeks of missed opportunity.

So it’s a bit of a shame all round and certainly a disappointment given what could have been achieved. Perhaps if this had been treated differently it could have been of more worth. However, as it is I would find this book difficult to recommend. If you were enthralled (sic) by Neferata or Vampires in general then Return of Nagash may well prove to be worth your time, as it was I was bitterly disappointed by this book apart from the last fifty pages or so and can only hope the follow up, Fall of Altdorf by Chris Wraight is of more worth.





2/5

Warhammer 40,000 Conquest Card Game Review

Full disclosure, I don’t do card games. My personal opinion is they are a waste of money. All that cash on blind packed cards to find something of use and where the person with the deepest pockets will have the hardest deck. Money, not skill, is the deciding factor in victory. Apart from a brief dalliance with the Pokemon Trading Card Game in my teens I’ve steered well clear.

I understand that the games are popular and even fun but I am very much oriented towards things and would much prefer to spend my funds on plastic, particularly when I know exactly what my money is buying. Warhammer 40,000 Conquest is however a card game and I have bought it.

Firstly, I have not changed my opinion of card games such as Magic the Gathering. Secondly, it was something as simple as slapping 40K on the box that interested me enough to buy it though that was not the only reason. Fantasy Flight Games have a proven track record of producing quality games, even if they cannot get their distribution sorted out.

Being a living card game means that all the cards that you will need to play the game are included. No buying endless blind packs to find the best cards, you already have them. Because of this the game is tightly balanced as each deck is more or less pre-built so everyone has a chance regardless of the race they end up selecting. Also expansion packs that are released, there are already several out for Conquest, are complete and ready to use as well as being balanced to use against the existing decks. It is a finite game that can be as big or small as you want.



The game is set in the Traxis sector somewhere in the galactic east (it needs to be to include the Ultramarines and Tau) where seven forces are arrayed against one another for dominance. You select a deck and battle your opponent for control of seven planets, the first player to capture three planets with a similar resource which is split into three categories; materiel, strongpoint and tech.

Each force is led by a warlord who is one of the most powerful cards, able to deal out the pain and take a lot of damage in return. Each warlord also has a special ability to aid their side’s battles for control of the individual planets.


To play each player must create a hand which will contain cards which fall into the following categories:


* Unit cards represent squads, vehicles and unique characters or assets that will be your armies. They are used to conquer planets and will be the cards that will battle with your opponent.

* Attachment cards are either wargear or allies that improve the performance of your units.

* Support cards are generally locations that you can play during turns to influence the outcomes or help your units.

* Event cards are played to affect your or your enemies units and can range from healing your side, damaging the enemy or returning discarded cards to your deck amongst others.

* Token cards are not part of a player’s hand but are required when triggered by other cards. They represent additional forces or effects.