Currently only available within the ‘Mega Edition’ boxed set of Ahriman: Eternal, as its own beautifully bound little book, John French’s short story Daemonologie: A Question Asked of Darkness is a typically dark and richly detailed addition to the ongoing Ahriman series. Told from the bitter, brutally honest perspective of the daemonologist Ctesias, it represents a written record of the rituals he undertook – at Ahriman’s request – in order to learn more about the doom bearing down on the Thousand Sons, consuming the Rubricae and remaking the living sorcerers. In his attempt to draw knowledge from the warp, Ctesias calls upon his skills as a summoner, binding and questioning daemons…and worse.
It’s a story that ties in closely with Ahriman: Eternal, exploring a central element of the novel – the idea of this new (or is it?) danger stalking the Thousand Sons – from a particular perspective in the sort of detail that a focused short story like this allows. As he lays out his intentions and describes his experiences, Ctesias really goes into detail of his perspective on the warp, the Chaos gods and the dangers of his craft; French is one of the best at depicting the strange ambiguities of the warp, and this is as intriguing an exploration as any you’ll find in Black Library fiction. It doesn’t really tell the reader anything factual that they can’t learn from Eternal, but adds wonderful texture to both the wider narrative and in particular Ctesias as a character, and while it’s really not aimed at the casual reader, it’s a fascinating addition for fans of the Ahriman series as a whole.
As ever with this sort of ‘bonus’ short story, while this is great for those lucky enough to get the Mega Edition it’s a genuine shame it isn’t more widely available. For readers who have followed the Tale of Ctesias short stories (collected in Ahriman: Exodus) in particular, this really does deserve a general release – it isn’t essential, but it is very good, the sort of darkly satisfying story that French writes so well. That notwithstanding, as one of the extras included in the Eternal Mega Edition set, the way it’s presented is genuinely brilliant: nicely bound in faux-leather, beautifully (and creepily) illustrated both on the cover and inside, cleverly laid out and even featuring a fun little section of backwards writing (there’s a little mirror conveniently included in the boxed set). Even more than the mini Codex included with Spear of the Emperor, this is probably the best extra included in a BL Mega Edition yet, with an ideal balance between in-universe aesthetic and practical utility for the reader.
See also: my review of Ahriman: Eternal
If you haven’t already, check out my guide to the Ahriman series for the author’s reading order, and links to all of my Ahriman reviews.
I’ve said it before, but I’m very grateful to my friends who bought me the Ahriman: Eternal boxed set for my birthday!
If you enjoyed this review and would like to support Track of Words, you can leave a tip on my Ko-Fi page.
