Released in 2008 to tie in with the Warhammer 40,000 starter set of the same name, Nick Kyme’s novella Assault on Black Reach tells the story of the epic conflict between the Ultramarines 2nd Company and the vast ork Waaagh! of warlord Zanzog on the ravaged world of Black Reach. Led by Captain Cato Sicarius, the Ultramarines launch a blistering drop assault to strike at the head of the ork horde, intending to kill Zanzag and cripple the orks in a single devastating blow. Some among the Ultramarines, however, fear that Sicarius risks too much in his thirst for glory.
On the one hand, as a tie-in story this is unsurprisingly action-heavy, presumably following the narrative set out in the boxed set’s campaign book. On the other hand, there’s actually quite a lot going on character-wise, and with Sicarius heavily involved – albeit not as a viewpoint character – there’s more to get stuck into than just battle after battle. While the overarching narrative follows Sicarius leading 2nd Company in search of glory in battle with Zanzag, at the same time there’s a rather more compelling arc taking place as three squad sergeants – Scipio, Iulus and Praxor – debate the motives and justifications behind Sicarius’ strategy. Kyme plays on Sicarius’ reputation for rashness and glory hunting, as the sergeants each find their opinions and perspectives challenged over the course of the campaign, but as readers we’re pretty much left to make up our own minds about it.
The short page count, combined with quite a lot of set-pieces as the Ultramarines tackle the orks time and again, means that there just isn’t the time for really in-depth exploration of characters or themes, but then that’s not really the point of the book. It’s clearly intended as an introduction to 40k as a setting, and it does a pretty good job of delivering exactly that. The plot has plenty of pace and momentum, and the multiple action scenes, delivered with a reasonable amount of variety considering the subject matter, don’t overstay their welcome. It’s not the most sophisticated plotting or writing, but it’s more than entertaining enough to demonstrate to a new reader what they can expect from the tone and style of 40k, while existing fans can enjoy making up their mind on exactly what they think about Sicarius. Oh, and it also features Torias Telion, who as always is bizarrely deadly, but very satisfying.
