Day seven in Black Library’s 2015 Advent Calendar gives us Jackalwolf by CZ Dunn, a Space Wolves micro-short story featuring Lukas the Trickster. With the Great Companies all absent from the Fang, Fenris’ defences are left in the dubious hands of Lukas, his undoubted skill enough to overcome his lowly status and grant him stewardship of the Fang. When Word Bearers appear in-system to threaten the realm of the Wolves, Lukas has to rely upon his wits to defend against an overwhelming force.
It’s a rapid-fire look at a specific piece of background lore, expanding upon a throwaway line in Lukas’ history, and maintains an irreverent, jocular tone that’s very much in keeping with Lukas’ character. It’s a good little story to cover in a micro-short, and does a fair job of providing a complete, entertaining tale. While it’s fun to see something that’s a little lighter than the normal Black Library fare though, it does feel a bit clunky throughout, and even for a micro-short there’s very little in the way of character. Lukas’ conflicting character traits get no real explanation, his fellow Wolves are painted as one-dimensional stereotypes and the Word Bearers lord is very much the pantomime villain. It’s not a bad story, just a little underwhelming.
Click here to go to the main Black Library Advent Calendar post and see the other reviews.
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