The second novel in the burgeoning Space Marine Conquests series, Gav Thorpe’s Ashes of Prospero sees the Space Wolves stretched thin in the wake of the Cicatrix Maledictum and Magnus’ assault on Fenris. When a weary Njal Stormcaller finds the spirit of a dead Thousand Sons sorcerer lodged within his mind, the revenant reveals that Bulveye and remnants of the 13th Grand Company still fight on, trapped within the Portal Maze. Though loathe to trust the ghostly presence, the prospect of retrieving Bulveye is enough for Njal to risk venturing to Prospero with what few battle brothers he can find.
It’s told across multiple viewpoints, with Njal joined by Arjac Rockfist in a strange role as part protector and part potential executioner (after all Njal does have an enemy psyker trapped inside his head), and Lukas the Trickster as…well, Lukas. Generally unwanted and annoying to his superiors. The multiple viewpoints provide some nice variety and help balance the story out, but while both Arjac and Lukas prove to be characterful and entertaining, Njal – as the primary viewpoint – is a bit dry. His dialogue with the spirit of Izzakar provides some amusing moments as the two natural enemies bicker inside his head, but it’s hard to really engage with him as a sympathetic character. Thankfully the other characters do make up for that, with Lukas and Izzakar rather stealing the show.
There’s a good concept at the core of the book, tackling the Space Wolves and Thousand Sons’ relationship from a fresh perspective with Njal and Izzakar at the heart of it, but the pacing doesn’t quite work for that. Almost half the book is spent first exploring the Fang and Fenris and then travelling to Prospero, so the most interesting and characterful elements – on Prospero and in the Portal Maze, where Njal and Izzakar are forced to work together, despite the snipes and jabs – only have half the book to develop. The problem is that there are lots of cool ideas here, but they don’t quite get enough room to develop. In the supporting cast of non-viewpoint characters, for example, much is made early on of their status as a ramshackle army of oddities and walking wounded, yet once the bullets start flying they largely slip back into generic background characters.
For all the gripes, there’s still lots of interest here, whether you’re after straight-up action or more thoughtful, character-based content. Gav’s overall depiction of the Wolves doesn’t go too hard on the Heresy-influenced trappings (they’re there, but not the focus), instead walking an interesting line between Fenrisian idiosyncrasies and more ‘normal’ Space Marine stylings. It might not appeal to everyone, but it’s an interesting approach. There’s also a welcome vein of humour (helped by Lukas, of course), which shows a side to Gav’s writing that’s not always evident. Overall it’s not quite as developed and sophisticated as much of Gav’s other recent work, but it’s still a solid – if not exceptional – Space Marine story in the old Space Marine Battles vein. Also, don’t look for in-depth exploration of the Wolves’ attitude towards Primaris Marines – that’s not a criticism, it simply isn’t what the book’s about.
