A Blood Ravens short story featuring Captain Gabriel Angelos, Lucien Soulban’s Altar of Cyrene was first published in Inferno! magazine before getting a digital release under the ‘Tales From the Archive’ label. As the once-loyal world of Cyrene reels beneath an Imperial bombardment, and the Blood Ravens do their duty in stamping out heresy where they find it, Gabriel Angels hunts for a single man. Accompanied only by a trusted brother, he searches for answers in the dust and ash of the dying world, even as the bombardments creep ever closer.
Tackling questions of loyalty and faith alongside the brutality of the Imperium’s zero-tolerance policies, there’s plenty to enjoy here even if it is showing its age a little. It’s strongest when pulled back in god’s-eye view of the warzone, as Soulban’s evocative prose sets the scene and paints a strangely beautiful picture of the horror that’s taking place. The detail of Angelos’ actions and dialogue is a little more clunky and feels a touch dated when held up against more modern Space Marine depictions, but it’s still interesting to see his personal, visceral reaction to what’s happening. A little more depth to the discussion at its heart wouldn’t go amiss, but overall it’s an enjoyable, if not exactly essential, read.
Is Inferno still around these days?
Not in magazine form (finished MANY years ago) but it’s being revisited as a short story anthology at some point this year. There’s some info about it here: https://www.warhammer-community.com/2018/03/14/all-new-all-different-inferno/
Thank you kind sir👍🏻