Established fantasy author Cameron Johnston’s first Black Library short story, Faith in Iron is a grim tale of the Iron Hands – or rather an Iron Hand – seen through human eyes. The agri-world of Dundas II has become a breeding ground for a terrifying plague which affects both flesh and machine equally, and threatens an entire sector if not stopped. Responding to a distress call from Magos Biologis Viridan Shale, who believes she has a cure, the lone Iron Father Rathkugan must rally support from Imperial Guard survivors and brave the plague itself to enact a dangerous rescue.
It’s a straightforward story offering an external perspective on the Iron Hands rather than seeing through Rathkugan’s eyes, as shaken but determined Imperial Guard Captain Winters allows Johnston to explore the range of human responses to these most inhuman of Space Marines. As the guardsmen struggle to keep pace, Winters gradually shifts from awestruck to appalled as he realises that to Rathkugan, he and his men are just resources to be expended as efficiently as possible in pursuit of victory. It could maybe have benefited from either an extra narrative twist or two to incorporate Shale a bit more into the story, or stripping things back to provide more of an in-depth exploration of the Iron Hands’ psyche instead, but overall Winters makes for an engaging protagonist and there’s enough pace and action for this to entertain.
