Author Archives: Michael Dodd

QUICK REVIEW – Shield of Baal : Wraithflight – Guy Haley

On the fourth day of Christmas Black Library gave to us…a Shield of Baal short story by Guy Haley. Sitting within the wider Shield of Baal series but also tying in with Haley’s own novel Valedor, Wraithflight sees the eldar of Iyanden come to the aid of an embattled Imperial world against the might of Hive Fleet Leviathan. Spiritseer Iyanna leads a void attack, using the wrathful dead of the craftworld to combat the hive mind’s control over its fleet, but it remains to be seen exactly what the eldar are hoping to achieve with their intervention.

Keep reading…

QUICK REVIEW – Fabius Bile : Repairer of Ruin – Josh Reynolds

On the third day of Christmas Black Library gave to us…a Fabius Bile audio drama by Josh Reynolds. Fabius Bile : Repairer of Ruin follows the self-styled Primogenitor as he leads his malformed minions on a mission to steal the preserved body of Horus. With the assault on Lupercalia carrying on around him, Fabius has his eyes set on a bigger prize than merely punishing the Sons of Horus for the sins of their father; once he has Horus’ body in his possession he can once again turn his attention to replicating the genetic code of the Primarchs.

Keep reading…

QUICK REVIEW : Cold Roads – Joe Parrino

On the second day of Christmas Black Library gave to us…a Brazen Claws story by Joe Parrino. Cold Roads, so named for the vessel on which the story takes place, offers a snapshot of the chapter’s Eighth Company, deep in the Eye of Terror, battling Emperor’s Children and suffering from their long exposure to the Eye. With this and its predecessor, No Worse Sin (from the Angels of Death collection), Parrino is introducing readers to the Brazen Claws as a chapter, hinting at their shadowed history and their organisation, while setting the scene for what’s to come next in their story.

Keep reading…

QUICK REVIEW : The Final Compliance of Sixty-Three Fourteen – Guy Haley

On the first day of Christmas Black Library gave to us…a Horus Heresy short story by Guy Haley. The Final Compliance of Sixty-Three Fourteen takes a look at how a compliant world might react to Horus as he returns to to demand its fealty, claiming the Imperial Truth to be a lie. As the Sons of Horus fleet hangs in orbit as a blunt threat, and their emissaries wait impatiently, the Imperial governor must choose whether to turn away from The Emperor or defy Horus.

Keep reading…

Black Library Advent Calendar 2014

As has become tradition in the run up to Christmas, Black Library have provided us, their devoted readers, with an advent calendar full of fictional fun. This year we it’s Warhammer 40k and Horus Heresy only, but according to today’s New@BL blog post we’re actually going to get ‘over 30 new stories’. Not only that but anyone who pays in advance for the ‘subscription’ will receive each day’s story/stories as well as a ‘free’ novel on Christmas Day. The advent calendar page on the Black Library website is showing an icon for each day, presumably representing the focus of each day’s story/stories.

Keep reading…

Mephiston : Lord of Death – David Annandale

In a relatively short space of time David Annandale has amassed a sizeable body of work for the Black Library, writing for the Imperial Guard, Black Dragons, Iron Hands and Grey Knights amongst others. One of his earliest contributions was a limited-edition Blood Angels novella in the Lords of the Space Marines series; soon to be re-released in non-limited format, Mephiston : Lord of Death takes a detailed look at the Chief Librarian of the Blood Angels, the only one of their number ever to overcome the Red Thirst. Following on directly from the short story Eclipse of Hope, this finds Mephiston accompanying 4th Company as they battle Chaos Space Marines, daemons and their very nature, drawn ever onwards towards the Pallevon system and whatever lies waiting for them there.

Keep reading…

The Girl With All The Gifts – M. R Carey

The Girl With All The Gifts by M. R. Carey is the kind of book that benefits from the reader knowing as little as possible beforehand; the blurb on the cover gives almost nothing away, save to hint at the protagonist’s plight and begin to build the reader’s sympathies. For those who don’t want anything that might spoil the story, suffice to say this is a tightly-plotted, compulsive read that’s at once a bleak look at how mankind might react under terrible circumstances and a compassionate tale of what makes us human. If you are a fan of Ray Bradbury, Richard Matheson or more modern writers like Justin Cronin (author of The Passage) then look no further; this should appeal. If you want to know a little more, without any actual spoilers, then read on.

Keep reading…

Blood and Fire – Aaron Dembski-Bowden

Helsreach, Aaron Dembski-Bowden’s novel set during the Third War for Armageddon, was the second ever Space Marine Battles book. A couple of years after its release it was repackaged in a new edition entitled Armageddon along with a companion novella, Blood and Fire. That novella is now available as a standalone volume for those who already have Helsreach, and it picks up just days after the events that concluded the previous story. Reclusiarch Grimaldus is once again front and centre, this time investigating claims by the Celestial Lions, a fellow successor chapter of the Imperial Fists, that the Inquisition is deliberately driving them to destruction. Only a handful of the chapter remain, and Grimaldus is faced with the difficult decision of whether to support them in a last, glorious charge or find a way to help them rebuild their shattered forces.

Keep reading…

Honour of the Space Marines – Black Library Anthology

Black Library tend to release a short story anthology to coincide with each of their events. The 2014 Weekender was no different, with Honour of the Space Marines available, a six-story anthology featuring everyone’s favourite 41st-millennium super soldiers. As with the other ‘…of the Space Marines’ collections (except perhaps ‘Treacheries of…’) the title is a bit misleading, as this only loosely a themed anthology. It’s more about showing the next steps in story arcs that the authors are already known for, from long-established characters to newer, less familiar faces.

Keep reading…

Sabbat Crusade – edited by Dan Abnett

From humble beginnings back in the 1990s, there are now eighteen books set within the Sabbat Worlds, a region of space originally invented by Dan Abnett to provide a suitable setting for a story about a Commissar who was also a Colonel, and the ragtag bunch of soldiers he commanded. Look how it’s grown! With anticipation as high as ever for Warmaster, the long-awaited next novel in the Gaunt’s Ghosts series, Black Library are whetting our appetite with Sabbat Crusade, the second anthology of stories set within the wider crusade. Edited once again by Abnett and including stories from eight authors (Abnett included) along with previously out of print background on the crusade, it covers both sides of the story, not only the Ghosts and their Imperial allies but also the forces of the Archenemy at play in the region.

Keep reading…