Published in 2015 (although subsequently removed from sale), Paul Kearney’s 40k short story The Blind King was intended to act as a prequel to his novel Dark Hunters: Umbra Sumus, which was sadly caught up in legal difficulties in quickly withdrawn from publication. Here we see the Dark Hunters chapter in its relative infancy, fighting for survival against an army of traitor Titans. With the future of the Dark Hunters at stake, the entire chapter goes to war, but against the might of Titans will even that be enough?
It’s a nice little story, cleverly introducing the Dark Hunters and showing a little of their character, and how they have diverged from their founding chapter, wrapped up in a wonderfully 40k-appropriate story of survival against the odds. After all, even Space Marines think twice about tangling with Titans. Paul Kearney clearly has a good handle on 40k, but he steers clear of too much jargon and explanation, preferring to let the story flow instead of constantly referencing 40k lore. The result is fast-paced and exciting, packed with plenty of brutal action and bleak heroism on an interesting and unusual scale. A very promising taste of what should have been to come had Umbra Sumus ever seen a wider release.
See also: my review of Dark Hunters: Umbra Sumus.
See also: my reviews of Paul Kearney’s other 40k novels, Calgar’s Siege and Calgar’s Fury.
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