Longshot – Rob Young

The fourth volume in Black Library’s multi-author Astra Militarum novel series, Longshot marks the long-form debut of Rob Young with an absolute bullseye. Set after the events of short stories Transplants and Memories of Broken Glass, it follows Sergeant Darya Nevic of the Cadian 217th as she leads her squad of snipers into battle against the t’au on the wintry manufactorum world of Attruso. When the Cadian advance is stymied by the stubborn, technologically-superior t’au, Darya finds herself in high demand for both her combat skills and the morale-boosting impact of her heroic reputation. With deadly enemy snipers on the prowl though, and facing the mistrust of some of her own for not being a ‘pureblood’ Cadian, Darya’s fight becomes more complex, not to mention dangerous, by the day.

Right from the off it’s clear that this is vintage Imperial Guard fiction, delivering breathless boots-on-the-ground action that portrays the horrors of war from a grounded, human perspective. Darya’s role as a sniper offers a slightly different feel to most Guard stories though – there are hints of the Tanith stealth work, but this is definitely its own thing, emphasising the patience and tense vulnerability of the sniper. Young maintains a rapid pace, zipping from set piece to set piece, rotating through character viewpoints to begin with (including a thrilling dirtcycle journey through the lines early on) before gradually settling down to focus on Darya. A handful of brief scenes from t’au perspectives add a little variation, but this is very much an Imperial Guard (or rather, Astra Militarum) story so don’t expect an even mix of viewpoints.

Darya makes for a classic, capable hero – she might not have been born on Cadia but she’s every bit the fearsome warrior, and there’s an interesting sense of darkness in her history, explored a little in the preceding short stories (which are well worth reading first). While her squadmates have their own roles to play, this isn’t really a full ensemble story; the focus is on Darya, and how her personal conflict – both physical in terms of the fighting and psychological in terms of her role and identity – represents the broader conflict between the Imperium and the t’au (who make genuinely fearsome antagonists here). There’s plenty to enjoy on the surface level, in terms of action and excitement, but Young really digs into the ideological contrast between the two factions, touching on both their differences and, in place, their bleak similarities.

As Guard stories go it doesn’t have quite the emotional heft of something like a Gaunt’s Ghosts novel (not many do, to be fair), but Young certainly takes a leaf out of Abnett’s playbook in that anyone is fair game, and no characters are safe. What it does offer, however, is a compelling examination of the impact that a single person can have, Darya’s choices proving to be the pivot on which the whole conflict on Attruso turns. Come for the gritty, brutal city fighting but stay for the interesting – and very 40k – themes on display, in particular the impact of propaganda (including on the subject, in this case Darya), and the various ways those in power lie to and manipulate those who serve (on both sides of this story). All told it’s a real page-turner of a novel, and one that’s going to please a lot of Imperial Guard fans.

Review copy provided by the author

See also: RAPID FIRE: Rob Young Talks Longshot

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