Tag Archives: Imperial Guard

QUICK REVIEW: The Emperor’s Wrath – Steven B Fischer

Steve B Fischer’s debut Black Library story, The Emperor’s Wrath is a story of three civilians caught between their world’s corrupt local militia and the vengeful Imperial Guard. As a child, Caius watched the Emperor’s Wrath murder his parents during a brutal rebellion. Growing up in the ruins of his world, trying to look after his younger siblings, he’s become embittered by what he sees as the Imperium’s abandonment of his world. When Imperial forces return he sees little distinction between them and the militia, but it’s not long before he finds himself forced to choose a side.

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QUICK REVIEW: No Hero – Peter McLean

Peter McLean returns to the Reslian 45th for his third Black Library short story, No Hero. Abandoning the jungle world of Vardan IV to the rampaging orks, Imperial forces are pulling out and redeploying elsewhere. The troopers of One Section, D Company are finally on their way to being evacuated when their Valkyrie is hit, and the survivors must slog through the jungle on foot to try and reach the landing fields before the orks do. For one young Guardsman keeping a journal of events, it’s a journey that tests him body, mind and soul.

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QUICK REVIEW: Judge of the Wastes – David Annandale

David Annandale’s 22-minute audio drama Judge of the Wastes is at once a 40k ghost story, and a tale of a man whose rigid faith and fervour have left him ill-equipped to cope with doubt. Commissar Selander stands in judgement over the Imperial forces locked in a seemingly endless stalemate on Solennes, fighting and dying over a bleak wasteland. After the execution of an apparent deserter fails to provide sufficient motivation for a decisive advance, Selander begins to see the shade of the executed soldier, and finds doubt creeping in to undermine his certainty.

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Ciaphas Cain: Choose Your Enemies – Sandy Mitchell

The tenth novel in the Ciaphas Cain series, and first since The Greater Good back in 2013, Choose Your Enemies is a welcome return for Sandy Mitchell and the much-loved Commissar Cain. Set as usual at an indeterminate date (but definitely pre-Dark Imperium) it sees Cain and the Valhallan 597th deployed to the ice world Drechia, bolstering the defences against eldar pirates. In the depths of the mines beneath the surface Cain unexpectedly finds yet more enemies – Chaos cultists, whose appearance threatens the nearby forge world of Ironfound – but also find himself reacquainted with an old ally as well.

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QUICK REVIEW: A Company of Shadows – Rachel Harrison

Following on from the fantastic Execution, Rachel Harrison’s short story A Company of Shadows sees the 11th Antari Rifles evacuating a city besieged by the forces of Chaos. When the Valkyrie carrying Commissar Severina Raine, a handful of troopers and an important military advisor is shot down before they can reach safety, it’s up to Raine and the decidedly untrustworthy Antari Sergeant Wyck to find a way to survive. With all of them carrying injuries, enemies all around, and Wyck twitchy at having cheated death for a second time, things look bleak for Raine and the Antari.

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QUICK REVIEW: Choke Point – Mike Brooks

For Mike Brooks’ second Black Library story he’s turned to the Astra Militarum with Choke Point, which is billed as a Kill Team short story. Defending their homeworld from invading orks, the men and women of the Kilgannor 27th – led by Lieutenant Kaseen – are on the verge of being overrun when salvation appears in the shape of Commissar Dorin and his Tempestus Scions…who have a plan. With the Kilgannor 27th in support, the Scions will take the fight to the orks and strike a blow that will change the complexion of the war, but it’s a risky mission.

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Martyrs of Elysia – Chris Dows

Chris Dows’ audio drama Martyrs of Elysia is the third and final instalment in the series that began with Scions of Elysia and continued with Renegades of Elysia, detailing the dangerous accusations levelled against Veteran Sergeant Zachariah and his efforts to clear his name. As he’s questioned by the relentless Commissar Mastroval, Zachariah relives a frenetic, fateful assault on the rebel-held world of Veyland Sinestre and the culmination of his ongoing feud with a senior officer, whose murder he’s been accused of. All the while Mastroval keeps digging – into Zachariah’s actions, his loyalties, and his history.

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QUICK REVIEW: Baphomet By Night – Peter McLean

A dark, uncomfortable Black Library debut from Peter McLean, Baphomet By Night is an Astra Militarum short story which takes place after the dust has settled on the Imperial campaign to cleanse the world of Baphomet of a Chaos cult. The Reslian 45th are sent in to garrison the world once the fighting is over, which to Corporal Cully and Sergeant Rachain seems like an easy duty after their last action, despite the inexperience of their new platoon. When unexpected resistance breaks out and the green troopers start dying around them, it becomes clear that Baphomet isn’t the break they expected.

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Fire Caste – Peter Fehervari

Despite its bland, misleading title, Peter Fehervari’s debut Black Library novel Fire Caste is a captivating tale of damaged, haunted characters spiralling into hell. The Imperium and the T’au Empire are locked in an endless stalemate over the planet Phaedra, into which stumble the 19th Arkan Confederates, still haunted by the trauma of their world’s recent rebellion. Commissar Holt Iverson – twisted and troubled from years spent on Phaedra, sees in the Confederates the possibility of redemption. The Confederates, however, are soon suffering under the troubling influence of Phaedra and find themselves drawn ever deeper into the tangled conflict taking place.

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RAPID FIRE: Chris Dows Talks Titans’ Bane

Welcome to this instalment of Rapid Fire, my ongoing series of quick interviews with Black Library authors talking about their new releases. These are short and sweet interviews, with the idea being that each author will answer (more or less) the same questions – by the end of each interview I hope you will have a good idea of what the new book (or audio drama) is about, what inspired it and why you might want to read or listen to it.

In this instalment I spoke to Chris Dows about his latest 40k audio drama, Titans’ Bane, which is available to order right now. I picked this up at a Black Library event a while ago, and I’m really excited to see the response it gets once it’s released. You can have a read of my review as well – suffice to say I absolutely loved this!

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