Nick Kyme’s tongue-in-cheek Necromunda short story Scar Crossed borrows heavily, as you might have gathered from the title, from Romeo and Juliet, as a drunk named Bharde tells a tale of forbidden love in the underhive…to save his own skin. It follows two juves, Rom – a Goliath – and Juli – an Escher – as they make an ill-fated bid to forge a bright future together despite the ill-will of their respective Houses. When true love is at stake, what could stop them being together…aside from two gangs of violent, armed-to-the-teeth underhivers and an untrustworthy bounty hunter?
Tag Archives: Nick Kyme
Sons of the Emperor – Anthology
First released at the Horus Heresy & Necromunda Weekender in February 2018, Sons of the Emperor is a Horus Heresy Primarchs anthology comprising eight brand new short stories, one each from Dan Abnett, Aaron Dembski-Bowden, John French, LJ Goulding, Guy Haley, Nick Kyme, Graham McNeill and Gav Thorpe. These tales range from the earliest days of the Great Crusade to long after the end of the Heresy, each taking a different approach to representing one (or more) of the primarchs and their legionary sons. Featuring eleven primarchs and even the Emperor, chances are there’s a story here for every Heresy fan.
QUICK REVIEW: Mercy of the Dragon – Nick Kyme
In his Primarchs short story Mercy of the Dragon Nick Kyme tackles the introduction of Vulkan to the Great Crusade in a tale of two interwoven strands. In one we see the Emperor explain Vulkan’s place amongst the primarchs to his son, attempting to convince the lord of drakes to leave Nocturne and take his place alongside his brothers. In the other we’re offered glimpses of Vulkan’s first engagement as part of the Crusade, observed by the Emperor and Ferrus Manus. Between them, both strands demonstrate Vulkan’s character and his value to the burgeoning Imperium, and his primarch brothers.
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.
QUICK REVIEW: Dreams of Unity – Nick Kyme
Nick Kyme’s Horus Heresy story Dreams of Unity shines a bleak light on some forgotten heroes of the Imperium. In the poverty-stricken underbelly of the Imperial Palace, a handful of surviving Thunder Warriors – the tattered remnants of the proto-Astartes legions with whose help the Emperor unified Terra – eke out a brutal existence as gladiators despite their ageing bodies and troubled minds, forever defined by their loyalty to an old notion. As Horus nears the Throneworld, even these abandoned warriors are affected by the approaching conflict.
Old Earth – Nick Kyme
Nick Kyme’s third full-length Horus Heresy novel, Old Earth is book 47 (!) in the series, and the third and final book in the Salamanders arc that began with Vulkan Lives. If you haven’t yet read Deathfire, be warned – spoilers abound. The main thrust of the novel is the journey from Nocturne to Terra made by the reborn Vulkan, accompanied by just three Salamanders, his Draaksward. Meanwhile Shadrak Meduson tries to hold his Shattered Legions together in the fight against the Sons of Horus, while Eldrad Ulthran pulls strings (as usual) working towards his own hidden goals.
RAPID FIRE: Nick Kyme Talks Old Earth
Welcome to this instalment of Rapid Fire, my ongoing series of quick interviews with Black Library authors talking about their 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 it.
In this instalment I spoke to Nick Kyme about his new novel Old Earth, book 47 in the epic Horus Heresy series, which is available to buy now. I was lucky enough to pick up a copy at the Black Library Weekender – once you’ve read this interview, check out my review by clicking on the link at the bottom.
Nick Kyme Talks More Guts, More Glory
Towards the end of 2016, much to the delight of Games Workshop/Black Library fans and comic readers alike, Titan Comics began to publish a brand new series of comics based on Games Workshop properties. Beginning with the Warhammer 40,000 comic Will of Iron by George Mann, in the last few months they’ve extended the range to include Dawn of War III: The Hunt for Gabriel Angelos and also a Blood Bowl comic – More Guts, More Glory.
Written by Nick Kyme, author of countless Black Library books (not to mention Sherlock Holmes: The Legacy of Deeds, published by Titan Books) and editor of many more, More Guts, More Glory is a four-part series illustrated by Jack Jadson and set in the bonkers sort-of-Warhammer world of Blood Bowl.
Legends of the Dark Millennium: Ultramarines
Collecting together stories about the boys in blue from five different authors, Legends of the Dark Millennium: Ultramarines features two novellas, prose versions of two audio dramas, and five further short stories. The emphasis is on named characters, with such Ultramarines luminaries as Marneus Calgar, Chaplain Cassius, Cato Sicarius, Torias Telion and Varro Tigurius shared out across four stories by Graham McNeill, two by Nick Kyme, and one each from Steve Lyons, Josh Reynolds and Gav Thorpe. Lyons’ novella Knight of Talassar is exclusive to this collection, while the remaining stories are available elsewhere as well.
Sons of the Forge – Nick Kyme
A short Horus Heresy novel that sits outside of the main numbered series, Nick Kyme’s Sons of the Forge carries on his work with the Salamanders Legion but sits separate from the Vulkan Lives/Deathfire arc. Set just prior to the Dropsite Massacre, it sees Forgemaster N’Kell tasked by Vulkan to choose seven of his most potent artefacts to preserve, and destroy the rest. With word having arrived of Vulkan’s death, N’Kell gathers those Salamanders who had stayed behind and not reached Isstvan, setting out to hide the remaining relics, only to find unexpected foes barring their path.