Category Archives: Short Stories

QUICK REVIEW: Shiprats – CL Werner

A prequel to Overlords of the Iron Dragon, CL Werner’s Kharadron Overlords short story Shiprats sees Captain Brokrin Ullissonn and the crew of the Iron Dragon battling an infestation of rats that threatens their cargo and even – to their horror – their beer. Desperate for a solution for their rodent problem they seek the assistance of the Kheitar lamasery, where they hope the lamas (monks, not cute animals) will be persuaded to offer both their help and, because these are duardin we’re talking about, their goods to trade. When the lamas prove willing, something in their eagerness seems a little strange…

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QUICK REVIEW: The Path to Glory – Evan Dicken

For his Black Library debut, Evan Dicken takes us to the end of the Lantic Empire in The Path of Glory, a pre-Age of Sigmar short story that’s set just prior to the Age of Chaos beginning. In the realm of Chamon, a great human empire is crumbling under the weight of Chaos invasion, and it falls to three champions to try and wrest some kind of victory from the jaws of defeat. Between Captain Sulla of the Lantic Legions, the mage Kaslon of the Gilded Order, and de-facto Emperor Livius, a little hope still remains for victory or vengeance.

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QUICK REVIEW: Veil of Darkness – Nick Kyme

Following on from his Space Marine Battles novel Fall of Damnos, Nick Kyme’s short story Veil of Darkness sees Captain Cato Sicarius of the Ultramarines return to Macragge in defeat after his humbling by the necrons. Waking from a sus-an coma to find he’s been summoned before the Chapter Master to account for his actions, he wrestles with both his anger at having been defeated, and a strange sense of darkness that lingers on the edge of his perception. Preparing for his audience with Marneus Calgar, he begins to wonder whether anything else returned from Damnos with him.

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QUICK REVIEW: Four Thousand Days – David Guymer

In David Guymer’s Age of Sigmar short story Four Thousand Days, a Fyreslayer lodge sets off on an epic quest in search of war, and a return to their ancestral lands, in a journey that will take – as the title suggests – a really long time. Among their number is Dunnegar who, having survived the Trial of Wrath to become a Grimwrath Berserker, hurls himself into the thickest fighting in their numerous battles. As the years pass and their numbers dwindle, the lodge’s identity and purpose is slowly worn away.

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QUICK REVIEW: The Infinite Tableau – Anthony Reynolds

A necron-tinged Deathwatch short story from Anthony Reynolds, available as a standalone e-short or within the Deathwatch: Xenos Hunters anthology (or indeed Deathwatch: The Omnibus), The Infinite Tableau sees a small Deathwatch squad investigating the disappearance of an Adeptus Mechanicus mission on a remote, ice-locked moon. Cassiel of the Blood Angels leads brothers from the White Scars and Mortifactors chapters, first exploring their frozen surroundings before finding themselves fighting for their lives as the fate of the Adeptus Mechanicus explorers becomes unpleasantly clear.

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QUICK REVIEW: Light of a Crystal Sun – Josh Reynolds

Set somewhere between the novels Primogenitor and Clonelord, Josh Reynolds’ short story Light of a Crystal Sun sees Fabius engaged in one of his experiments, this time attempting to prise vital knowledge from the crystallised fragments of long-dead eldar that he recovered from Craftworld Lugganath. Searching, as ever, for a way to prolong his existence and halt the advancement of the blight that haunts him, he pits his own ironclad mind against the residual spirits held within the crystal. The ghostly eldar seem unsurprisingly unwilling to part with their knowledge, however.

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QUICK REVIEW: The Atonement of Fire – David Annandale

Warning: there may be spoilers in this review, and the story itself, if you haven’t read Ruinstorm.

Originally available only in the Black Library Events Anthology 2017/18, David Annandale’s An Atonement in Fire is billed as a Primarchs short story, although it’s a pretty direct follow-on from Ruinstorm. With the Blood Angels making for Terra, Guilliman launches an all-out attack on a World Eaters fleet threatening both Sanguinius’ path and a loyal Imperial system. Never one to make it easy on himself, Guilliman is determined to protect Diavanos, allow the Blood Angels safe passage, and atone for the sin he feels he committed in creating Imperium Secundus.

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QUICK REVIEW: The Blessing of Saints – John French

Included in the limited edition hardback of The Horusian Wars: Resurrection, John French’s short story The Blessing of Saints takes a closer look at Idris, one of the most important characters from the novel. Back before they were full inquisitors in their own right, Idris and Covenant both studied under the same mentor, inquisitor Argento. Here we see the three of them searching for a manifesting saint among the cog-yards on Frell, though what they hope to do when they find it remains to be seen.

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QUICK REVIEW: The Board is Set – Gav Thorpe

A smart, cleverly-told tale, Gav Thorpe’s Horus Heresy short story The Board is Set shows an unusually open side to Malcador, in the final moments before Horus’s forces arrive and the Siege of Terra begins. Looking for guidance and insight, Malcador sits down at an unusual game board with the Emperor to discuss what has been, what might have been, and what might yet be. With the last act approaching, he looks to the Emperor for a hint of what His final plan might be, and how they might survive what’s to come.

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QUICK REVIEW: The Dance of the Skulls – David Annandale

The first Age of Sigmar story featuring the vampire Neferata, David Annandale’s The Dance of the Skulls sees the Mortarch of Blood waging war on her enemies on a battlefield suited to her specific skills. Attending a grand ball held in her honour by the scheming rulers of two rival kingdoms, Neferata uses all of her guile and experience to spring the obvious trap, confident in her ability to turn the situation to her favour. To the ancient vampire, navigating such political currents is second nature, though she knows she will need to be on her guard throughout.

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