Graham McNeill’s provocatively-titled short story The Death of Uriel Ventris, available in Warriors and Warlords or the Black Library Events Anthology 2018/19, revisits a much-loved Black Library hero in a thoughtful, action-light story of consequences and change. As Uriel Ventris lies dying, the Captain of the Ultramarines 4th Company finds his mind disassociating, and he relives – in a way – the pain and suffering that forged him into the Space Marine he would eventually become. Unaware of what’s happening to his physical body, he’s tested in spirit by not just physical and emotional pain but also the manifestation of his greatest fears.
Picking up some considerable time after 2010’s The Chapter’s Due, and even Ventris’ brief appearance in Guy Haley’s Dark Imperium, despite the title this feels very much like it’s setting him up for a new chapter in his story. It’s packed full of evocative callbacks to earlier moments in the series as Ventris interacts somewhat bemusedly with important characters from his life, torn between warmly reminiscing (or reacting violently, depending on circumstances) and trying to understand what’s happening to him. McNeill intertwines the physical and metaphysical elements of the story to good effect, and whether you grasp exactly what’s happening or not (which may depend on how well up you are on post-Dark Imperium Space Marine lore), if you’re a Ventris fan you’ll find plenty to enjoy here.
Check out quick reviews of other stories featured in the Warriors and Warlords anthology.
