The Space Wolves are an enduringly popular Chapter, but Josh Reynolds’ novel Lukas the Trickster is slightly different to their usual stories. With Fenris in the grip of Helwinter and the Space Wolves isolated, the dark eldar corsair Duke Sliscus launches a daring raid from out of the webway in an attempt to stave off his crippling ennui. Banished from the Fang along with a pack of Blood Claws after a prank played on the Wolf Lord Kjarl Grimblood, Lukas pits his cunning against the sly Sliscus, defending Fenris and its people in his own inimitable way.
Where the short story A Trick of the Light tackles Lukas’ induction into the Space Wolves, this novel deals with the biggest moment in Lukas’ background as described in various Codexes; to say more would spoil the fun if you’re not already familiar with the story. Lukas isn’t your usual Space Wolf; he’s an outsider (by choice as much as fate), a troublemaker and a clown, but while there are plenty of jokes both he and this book are more than just a rare helping of 40k humour. Beneath the Trickster facade he plays a unique role within the Space Wolves, serving an often unwelcome but necessary purpose within a culture that’s uneasy acknowledging its own shortcomings.
This is a very different depiction of the Space Wolves to usual, not so much in how characters are drawn but rather in the perspective it takes. Reynolds actually does a fantastic job of exploring Fenris and the relationship the Wolves have with their world and its people, but through Lukas’ interactions with his fellow Wolves – both superiors and peers, of sort – we see a rather less flattering perspective to usual. It isn’t a negative depiction of the Wolves as such, but it is brutally honest. Meanwhile a surprising amount of the story is told from a dark eldar viewpoint, with Sliscus proving to be a hugely entertaining antagonist. Lukas and Sliscus are essentially the opposite sides of the same coin, both driven by cunning and outcasts from their cultures. Where Lukas chooses to retain a lowly position within his brotherhood, however, Sliscus dominates his fellows and sees the universe from a very different viewpoint.
The broad sweep of the plot is pretty much what you’d expect, but the details are cleverly crafted and allow for a genuinely characterful story. It’s full of snark and dark humour, often laugh-out-loud funny, but this isn’t Ciaphas Cain – the humour complements the story, and sits comfortably alongside the expected 40k stylings and overall tone. It’s a balancing act that Reynolds seems to have perfected, and feels like an extension of his work with Fabius Bile as he gradually carves out his own black-humoured corner of the 40k universe. This is a book that might not sit quite right to dyed-in-the-wool Space Wolves fans who want an epic saga of bravery and sacrifice…those things are there, but you might not see them in the same light having read this. For a neutral, however – a general fan of 40k as a whole – it’s a deeply entertaining and satisfying read that offers some fantastic variety within the wider setting.
Check out Lukas the Trickster on Amazon, or the audiobook on Audible; if you buy through these links you’ll be helping support Track of Words.