Released in late 2015, CZ Dunn’s short story Within These Walls is the third in the ongoing tale of the Dialogus Sister Agentha, a sadly neglected series that seems out of place in the Black Library of today. Following on chronologically from the two previous tales, one of which can be found in the Legion of the Damned Collection (the other as yet only available in an event-only anthology), it finds Agentha called upon by the morally ambiguous Exorcists chapter to translate the text inscribed upon the walls of a daemon’s tomb, with (unsurprisingly) dire consequences.
Essentially this is a story out of time, one that belongs in an earlier era of Black Library when authors had greater freedom to introduce characters who don’t necessarily tie in with the models and games produced by Games Workshop. Agentha certainly doesn’t fit in with the games, but she is a damn good character, and one who provides a fascinating look at the less military side of the 40k universe. It’s always a pleasure to see a female lead in a Black Library story, especially one who’s as smart and capable as this, and who gives us the chance to see a genuinely interesting perspective on life in the Imperium. Here she takes centre stage in an entertaining and thoroughly gripping story, one that might not be the most innovative but is potentially the best thing Dunn has yet put his name to.
