2002’s classic Iron Warriors novel Storm of Iron was Graham McNeill’s second Black Library novel, and introduced us to Honsou, a villain who would go on to feature heavily in future books. On the barren world of Hydra Cordatus, the 383rd Jouran Dragoons man the defences of an Adeptus Mechanicus fortress. Nobody seems quite sure exactly what they’re defending, but a massive invasion force of Iron Warriors suggests it’s something important. The Imperial defenders believe themselves safe behind formidable fortress walls, but the Iron Warriors bring 10,000 years of guile and brutality as well as their mastery of siegecraft.
It’s a classic siege story combined with old school 40k stylings, so there’s saps and artillery barrages and undermining aplenty, but there’s also daemonic possession, Titan duels and some shocking, manipulative brutality from both sides. The mechanics of the siege itself are covered in rare (for Black Library) detail, as through the eyes of his characters McNeill illustrates the complex art of carefully orchestrated siegeworks. These specifics perfectly suit the nature of the story and the inclusion of the Iron Warriors, and while they might not be to everyone’s taste if you pay close attention they do (along with an excellent map – got to love a map) help visualise what’s going on. It’s not all digging trenches and grinding assaults…but there’s plenty of that.
Much of the story is told from an Iron Warrior perspective, largely focusing on the captains of the three Grand Companies in question – Forrix, Kroeger and Honsou – and their plans, subtle and otherwise, to accrue glory in the eyes of the unnamed but decidedly creepy Warsmith they serve. We see from the perspectives of various Imperial characters as well, not least the unexpectedly heroic Guardsman Hawke (no spoilers), but ultimately the half-breed Honsou feels like the main protagonist. The multiple viewpoints offer a varied perspective and help maintain both interest and pace, and while narratively it all boils down to a big old scrap over a dirty great fortress, at the same time this tackles interesting themes of lowly characters rising above their positions in order to succeed, and the varying degrees of monstrosity needed to achieve victory.
There’s no denying that this is a Black Library classic, and deservedly so, but it’s definitely a child of its time. For example the overall Iron Warriors depiction doesn’t have the layered complexity that you might expect in the modern era – they’re recognisably Iron Warriors, but there’s not a huge amount that differentiates them from generic Chaos Marines. Likewise McNeill’s prose isn’t as developed as it is today, unsurprisingly for his second ever novel, but his storytelling, plotting and pacing are all genuinely successful. What makes this still really work though, over fifteen years later, is how pleasingly tricky McNeill makes it to decide which side to really root for. The Iron Warriors aren’t exactly likeable, but Honsou is somehow still relatable despite it all, and while it’s hard not to want the Imperials to scrape to victory there’s something essentially 40k about watching the bad guys on the up.
