Author Archives: Michael Dodd

Who’d Be An Author?

Yesterday I posted my review of a Horus Heresy short story by Gav Thorpe – Inheritor. I thoroughly enjoyed the story, and gave it an appropriately positive review – to me it gave a nicely fresh view of part of the Heresy that’s been covered quite a lot, and did a good job of telling a fun little story within a story. It also highlighted the virtue of letting different authors tackle similar themes, as Gav’s take on the World Eaters and their Butcher’s Nails felt interestingly different to how they’re normally portrayed. While it wasn’t perfect, in my opinion it was definitely an entertaining read.
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QUICK REVIEW : Inheritor – Gav Thorpe

Set during the Shadow Crusade on the Imperial world of Kronus, Gav Thorpe’s short story Inheritor is the latest in the Heresy Series to return to the 500 Worlds, but this time the focus is on the fragile bond between the Word Bearers and the World Eaters. Under orders from their primarchs, Eliphas of the XVII and Eres of the XII Legion have forged a tenuous alliance in pursuit of a common goal, in spite of their clear differences. Despite its billing on the Black Library website, this isn’t a story of outright conflict between legions but rather an exercise in tension as the ties between them are tested.
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Dark Hunters : Umbra Sumus – Paul Kearney

Better known for his own epic fantasy series, Paul Kearney is a relatively new name in terms of Black Library, having just two short stories to his name before the ill-fated (more on this later) release of his novel Dark Hunters : Umbra Sumus. The first novel to feature the titular chapter of Space Marines it sees Captain of Third Company (or Mortai) Jonah Kerne sent to investigate reports of a raid on Imperial territory by the Hunters’ old enemy, the chaos Space Marines known as the Punishers. While Kerne and his men make haste to the planet of Ras Hanem to intervene, the local Imperial forces under the command of General Dietrich dig in against the brutal assault of the Punishers.

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Ahriman: Exodus – John French

A small but perfectly formed anthology collecting together eight short stories, most of which were previously available in one form or another, Ahriman: Exodus fits in and around the three novels in John French’s fantastic Ahriman series, extending the overall story and fleshing out some of the secondary characters. The stories are split into two sections – The Tale of Ctesias, containing five stories that introduce and add detail to the titular Ctesias, and Voices of Fate, which contains the remaining stories, three micro-shorts featuring Helio Isidorus, Ahriman and Magnus the Red.

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QUICK REVIEW : Grey Angel – John French

First released as an audio drama alongside James Swallow’s Burden of Duty, and now available in prose form, John French’s Grey Angel takes place on Caliban and sees Garviel Loken and Iacton Cruze infiltrating the Dark Angels’ fortress of Aldurukh. Sent by Malcador to determine the loyalty of Luther and his men, Loken has let himself be captured in order to engineer a meeting with Luther, while Cruze continues to make his way deeper into the fortress in search of answers.

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QUICK REVIEW : The Sigillite – Chris Wraight

2013 saw the release of Chris Wraight’s Horus Heresy audio drama The Sigillite, while 2016 sees its release in prose form as part of a week of Knights Errant short stories. Unlike the usual such stories this features not a Space Marine but a human – Captain Khalid Hassan of the Fourth Clandestine Orta, returned in shame from what he sees as the failure of his latest mission and brought before Malcador the Sigillite himself within the Imperial Palace on Terra. Unsettled by his opulent surroundings and the powerful presence of the Sigillite, Hassan gradually realises that he hasn’t been summoned for punishment, instead a different fate awaits him.
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QUICK REVIEW – Ahriman: King of Ashes – John French

The third and final part of Voices of Fate (collected together in Ahriman: Exodus), and the last of the accompanying short stories in the Ahriman series, King of Ashes sees John French take a look through the eyes of Magnus the Red, Primarch of the Thousand Sons and father to Ahriman. He relives his first steps into the warp and the first fateful meeting with the two powers that will shape his life, and he also recalls the moment of Ahriman’s failure, the fateful results of the Rubric and the damage done to his sons. The parallels are clear, he sees his own pride reflected in Ahriman, his own flaws inherited by his greatest son.
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QUICK REVIEW : Luna Mendax – Graham McNeill

NOTE : If you haven’t read Vengeful Spirit, this review will contain spoilers.

Originally only available in the event-only 2013/14 Black Library Anthology, Graham McNeill’s short story Luna Medax follows on from the Garro audios Legion of One and Grey Angel, and fits in before McNeill’s own novel Vengeful Spirit. It finds the former Luna Wolf Garviel Loken in sombre mood, having found a measure of peace in solitude away from Malcador and the war in which he no longer understands his role. Troubled by gaps in his memories, when he is visited by an uninvited guest Loken fails to recognise him at first, though when he does at last realise who his visitor is he struggles to understand how it could be possible.
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QUICK REVIEW: The Walker in Fire – Peter Fehervari

One of 11 Deathwatch short stories collected together into the anthology Deathwatch: Ignition, Peter Fehervari’s The Walker in Fire is the first in the series to feature a Salamander as the protagonist. Here we see the Terminator armour-clad Garran Branatar joining a disparate group of Deathwatch brothers from much lesser known chapters on a mission to a sinister, rebellious forge world in search of one Mechanicus adept among the masses. Haunted by events in his past and troubled by events spiralling out of his control, Branatar pushes on, trusting to his equipment and his moral compass to see him through.

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QUICK REVIEW – Ahriman: Hand Of Dust – John French

Hand of Dust, the second in John French’s Voices of Fate arc (collected together in Ahriman: Exodus), sits between the novels Sorcerer and Unchanged in the wider Ahriman series and sees the Thousand Sons sorcerer in reflective mood. Standing among the ashes of his Legion on long-dead Prospero, he reflects on memories of events that have seen him on the path to what he believes will be redemption. His first, horrifying glimpse of the flesh change, the moments immediately after his banishment at the hands of his father Magnus, these are the memories that he returns to before he bends his will to the next great stage in his plans.
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