A Black Library debut for Nate Crowley, The Enemy of My Enemy is a classic pairing of Imperial Guard versus orks, albeit turned on its head. For ten years the Mystras VIII, the Golden Eighth, have been locked in battle with orks on the nowhere world of Cavernam Tertius, with General Pyrrhus unable to break the deadlock and salvage his career. When word arrives of a tyranid hive fleet heading in-system, the only option appears to be to evacuate and flee, until Pyrrhus conceives of a desperate plan to salvage victory. Can a human and ork alliance ever succeed, though?
It’s the sort of story that could be absolutely ridiculous, but in Crowley’s hands is powerful, entertaining and entirely in keeping with 40k. The actual fighting is kept to a minimum, with the emphasis on Pyrrhus and his wily opposite number, the greenskin ‘Colonel Taktikus’, as they first come to an unsettling agreement and then slowly, strangely, start to bond. There’s some really interesting ideas here about the bureaucracy of the Imperium and the indoctrinated xenophobia of the Guard, but ultimately it’s a story of a man driven to desperate measures by his ambition, arrogance and paranoia. It’s a little unconventional, but very well done!
Click here to buy The Enemy of My Enemy.
