Category Archives: Short Stories

QUICK (2nd) REVIEW – Ahriman: Gates of Ruin – John French

John French’s The Tale of Ctesias arc concludes with Ahriman: Gates of Ruin, in which Ctesias has been tasked with finding a way to reach the Antilline Abyss and leave the Eye of Terror. How else would he do this, other than torturing the information out of a daemon? When his mission succeeds he leads Ahriman and his brothers to the titular Gates of Ruin, but what they find there is not quite what they expect, and Ctesias finally understands just why Ahriman needs him and his particular talents. Continue reading →

QUICK REVIEW – Ahriman: The First Prince – John French

The fourth story in John French’s The Tale of Ctesias arc is Ahriman: The First Prince, originally released as an excellent audio drama (see review here) and now available in prose form within the Ahriman: Exodus anthology. Following on directly from Hounds of Wrath it sees Ahriman bargaining for Ctesias’ soul with Be’lakor, the first Daemon Prince of Chaos, while Ctesias lies on the verge of death. Ctesias bartered his soul long ago in his quest for power, but Ahriman is prepared to go to unusual lengths to save his brother.
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QUICK REVIEW – The Black Rift of Klaxus : Six Pillars – Josh Reynolds

Chapter four of The Black Rift of Klaxus mini-series by Josh Reynolds, Six Pillars takes us to the halfway point of the story. Carrying on from The Gnawing Gate it sees more of Anhur’s Gorechosen throw themselves and their followers into the fray while Orius and his Stormcast keep grinding onwards through the city towards their inevitable target. Battle is truly joined now with both sides almost fully committed, and losses mounting.
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QUICK REVIEW – The Black Rift of Klaxus : The Gnawing Gate – Josh Reynolds

The third chapter in Josh Reynolds’ The Black Rift of Klaxus mini-series, The Gnawing Gate sees Orius and his Stormcast steadily advancing as they continue their assault on the city of Klaxus. They soon find themselves tangling with not just skaven warbands but a monstrous guardian of the city, the horrific Gnawing Gate. Meanwhile the sorcerer Pazak continues his vile ritual, while Anhur sends his minions to delay the Stormcast until the time is right.
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QUICK REVIEW – The Black Rift of Klaxus : In the Walls of Uryx – Josh Reynolds

Part two of the Black Rift of Klaxus mini series, Josh Reynolds’ In the Walls of Uryx picks up where part one in the series left off and sees Orius leading his Stormcast Eternals further into the city in search of Anhur, The Scarlet Lord. As the Stormcast battle their way through endless enemies, Anhur sacrifices more and more of his own warriors in a gory ritual intended to bring ruin to Klaxus. It’s not yet clear exactly what he hopes to achieve, but Orius will need to be quick if he hopes to stop his hated enemy.
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QUICK REVIEW : Scent of a Traitor – CL Werner

Black Library’s multi-part Space Wolves serial moves into its final stages with Scent of a Traitor by CL Werner, the seventh instalment in the ongoing saga. Ulrik, Krom and their Dark Angel allies have pursued the traitor Marine Sathar the Undone across the city of Eyriax and brought him to heel once more, but Ulrik finds himself faced with an unappetising choice to make if he wants to learn all he can of Logan Grimnar’s whereabouts.
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QUICK REVIEW – The Black Rift of Klaxus : Assault on the Mandrake Bastion – Josh Reynolds

The first part in an Age of Sigmar mini-series entitled The Black Rift of Klaxus, Josh Reynolds’ Assault on the Mandrake Bastion plays out amidst a grim realm built into the sides of a vast crater, under assault by numerous warrior hosts of the Stormcast Eternals. Lord Celestant Orius Adamantine leads his warriors against the titular Mandrake Bastion and the Khornate forces occupying it, but all the while the chaos warlord known as The Scarlet Lord works to enact a mysterious (and probably fiendish) plan.
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QUICK REVIEW – Ahriman: Hounds of Wrath – John French

Part three of John French’s The Tale of Ctesias from Ahriman: Exodus, and set between Exile and Sorcerer, the short story Hounds of Wrath sees the uneasy pairing of Ctesias and Sanakht tasked with discovering what caused the destruction of one of their ships. As they go looking for answers in the bones and echoes of the ship they instead find daemons on the hunt for Ahriman. Fleeing from this newfound peril they are forced to put their differences aside and work together for once.
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QUICK REVIEW: How The Marquis Got His Coat Back – Neil Gaiman

First published in the Rogues anthology and now available as a pocket-sized little book in its own right, How The Marquis Got His Coat Back sees Neil Gaiman finally return to the London Below of his classic TV series and novel Neverwhere. Here we see the Marquis de Carabas talking his way in and out of trouble in search of his famed coat, along the way visiting the Floating Market and the notorious Shepherd’s Bush, and encountering all manner of dark and dangerous people.
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QUICK REVIEW : Within These Walls – CZ Dunn

Released in late 2015, CZ Dunn’s short story Within These Walls is the third in the ongoing tale of the Dialogus Sister Agentha, a sadly neglected series that seems out of place in the Black Library of today. Following on chronologically from the two previous tales, one of which can be found in the Legion of the Damned Collection (the other as yet only available in an event-only anthology), it finds Agentha called upon by the morally ambiguous Exorcists chapter to translate the text inscribed upon the walls of a daemon’s tomb, with (unsurprisingly) dire consequences.
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