Black Library’s Warhammer 40,000 anthology Servants of the Imperium features a trio of novellas, all of which were first published as part of the ‘Black Library Novella Series 1’ back in 2018 – Auric Gods by Nick Kyme, Danie Ware’s The Bloodied Rose, and Steel Daemon by Ian St. Martin. As with its Age of Sigmar counterpart Champions of the Mortal Realms, this anthology has had a slightly strange release history, but it’s worth checking out for anyone interested in Imperium-focused stories a little different to the usual Space Marines fare. I’ll take a quick look at each novella and link out to my individual reviews, but before that I’ll talk a bit about the anthology as a whole and its unusual publication history.
I’m all for anthologies like this, as they’re a great way of highlighting stories that might otherwise get missed. While The Bloodied Rose is part of a wider series of Adepta Sororitas novellas from Danie Ware, the other two novellas featured here are standalone tales, the sort that probably don’t get as much attention as they should, and so re-releasing them in anthology form is a good way to give them a second lease of life. This definitely feels like an opportunity to just bundle together the three 40k novellas from the 2018 series rather than a genuine attempt to explore all the non-SM facets of the Imperium’s armies (an Adeptus Mechanicus tale in there too would have helped to really sell the theme), but I’m nitpicking here. These are all really good novellas, and if you don’t already have them then this is a good value way of picking them up (about £1 cheaper than buying them individually).
As with Champions of the Mortal Realms, I do find it weird that Servants of the Imperium was released in paperback exclusively via the book trade (Amazon, physical bookstores etc.) back in 2019, and that Black Library has neither promoted it in that format or offered it for sale directly. The January 2021 ebook is the first time this anthology has been available to buy directly from BL, and as far as I can see the paperback still isn’t available on the GW website. It’s a strange sales strategy that doesn’t seem to make much sense, but at least BL fans do now have the option of buying this in ebook, although the paperback is now sadly out of print in the book trade.
Anyway, BL’s lack of communication notwithstanding, here are a few quick thoughts on each novella, with links out to my full reviews.
Auric Gods by Nick Kyme
There still aren’t that many 40k stories about the Adeptus Custodes, which seems weird to me considering how cool this faction is, but if you’re on the lookout for more about these golden champions of the Imperium this is well worth checking out. It’s not a conventional 40k story, but I often think the tales set away from the battlefield tend to be the most fun.
Check out my review of Auric Gods.
The Bloodied Rose by Danie Ware
Danie Ware’s three-part Sister Augusta novella series (plus associated short stories) is bound to be bundled together into an omnibus of its own eventually, but until then this is as good a place as any to start. Technically it takes place after the short story Mercy, but it’s the first of the novellas and a great introduction to Ware’s badass Battle Sisters.
Check out my review of The Bloodied Rose.
Steel Daemon by Ian St. Martin
A dark, sometimes genuinely brutal view of life for the tank crews of the Imperial Guard (although actually shown through the eyes of a downed airman), this is in fact almost as much about the Crimson Slaughter as it is about the Cadians. Gritty, pacy and powerful, it’s quite an intense story and definitely channels a bit of old-school BL.
Check out my review of Steel Daemon.
All told, this is a decent addition to Black Library’s range of 40k anthologies – it might not quite hit the theme it’s aiming for (or be as good value as some anthologies) but each of the three featured novellas are good reads and definitely worth checking out. I can’t help thinking that one more novella might have helped it feel both more cohesive and better value, especially as fans who primarily want to just read about their favourite faction may instead choose to just buy one individual novella. Still, as it is I think this would make a decent starting point for someone who’s read a few Space Marines stories and wants to know more about the more human (ish) elements of 40k. Or just a reader who likes pacy, focused shorter fiction.
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