A Pair of Upcoming Black Library Novels

It feels like quite some time since I read a Black Library novel. Nevertheless, they keep publishing (or announcing) more that I would like to read. There’s more Gotrek & Felix on the way and also plenty more Horus Heresy fiction coming. Below are new novels in two other series that maybe don’t get as much attention as they deserve…

AHRIMAN: SORCEROR by John French

I recently read and reviewed the second Ahriman short story, The Dead Oracle. This despite still not having read the first novel, Ahriman: Exile. Nevertheless, I think French has done a great job of bringing this character to life on the page – at least, this post-Horus Heresy iteration of this character.*

Ahriman, greatest sorcerer of the Thousand Sons and architect of the Rubric that laid his Legion low, continues to walk the path towards salvation, or damnation. Searching for a cure for his Legion, he is forced to consider – was the great ritual somehow flawed from the very beginning? The answer may lie within the mysterious artefact known as the Athenaeum of Kallimakus, a grimoire of forgotten lore which is reputed to contain the exact words of the lost Book of Magnus… or, perhaps, even a transcription of the primarch’s deepest and most secret thoughts.

Ahriman: Sorceror is due to be published in early 2015.

* He first appeared in Graham McNeill’s excellent, New York Times-bestselling A Thousand Sons.

***

DEATHBLADE: A TALE OF MALUS DARKBLADE by C.L. Werner

Malus Darkblade made his first appearance in the pages of Inferno!, Black Library’s once-bi-monthly magazine of short fiction and comic strips. It was a comic series written by Dan Abnett. Abnett later adapted the comic into prose, which was later taken on by Mike Lee. Now, C.L. Werner, one of BL’s best writers of horror-tinged Warhammer fantasy fiction, has stepped up to the plate. I’m quite looking forward to this novel, despite not reading many of the Darkblade novels. Maybe this is a good excuse to catch up with them…?

Darkblade must decide where his loyalties lie – will he follow Malekith to the death, or will he finally rise up and try to claim the throne of Naggaroth for himself? And either way, will he survive?

It has taken decades, but Malus Darkblade has finally plotted, schemed and murdered his way to power, as the ruler of the city of Hag Graef and general of the Witch King Malekith’s armies. But his position is imperilled when Malekith orders an all-out assault on Ulthuan – with Darkblade in the vanguard. As he wages war on the high elves, Darkblade must decide where his loyalties lie – will he follow Malekith to the death, or will he finally rise up and try to claim the throne of Naggaroth for himself? And either way, will he survive?

Deathblade is due to be published in February 2015.

Short Story Reviews: “Riven” & “Hand of Dust” by John French (Black Library)

Two short stories by one of Black Library’s up-and-comers

RIVEN (Horus Heresy)

As one of the vaunted Crusader Host, Brother Crius stood as the representative of the X Legion upon the soil of Holy Terra, but when he learns of the death of his beloved primarch Ferrus Manus at the hands of the traitors, his stoic, mechanical grief imbues him with the strength and resolve to undertake a special mission on behalf of Rogal Dorn himself. Striking out into the stars, he searches for any signs of his lost Iron Hands brethren, hoping to bring them back to Terra to aid in the final defence of the Palace. The question remains – just who has survived the slaughter on Isstvan V, and what yet remains of them?

I’m always happy when a new piece of Horus Heresy fiction is released, and this one is by an author I have not read much by, before. The story follows Brother Crius, a member of the Iron Hands, struggling with the loss of his Primarch, Ferrus Manus. He is tasked by Sigismund, the First Captain of the Imperial Fists to seek out any other survivors of the Isstvan V massacre, and bring them back to Terra to bolster the defence against the eventual attack by Horus’s forces. Heading out, with the support of an Imperial Fists captain, what Crius and his companions discover is not at all what they were expecting – nor, actually, what I was expecting.

I like what French has done with this story. While I wasn’t entirely clear as to why Crius was incarcerated at the start of the story, the author nevertheless has written a pretty great story. We see a little bit more of what makes the Iron Hands tick, and also a little bit of the psychological damage that the death of Ferrus has caused. True, it’s still a relatively short story, so there isn’t too much of this, but I would certainly like to read more about the Legion pre- and post-Ferrus’s death. The final battle is pretty intense, and not over-described (which was certainly welcome to me). Overall, this is a recommended addition to the growing Heresy story.

*

AHRIMAN: HAND OF DUST

On Prospero, a solitary living soul walks across the shattered world. Beneath the ruined spires, Ahriman, exiled son of Magnus the Red and destroyer of his Legion, contemplates what once was, what is, and what may yet be. And amidst the dust of the long-lost paradise world, the sorcerer faces his mistakes and decides his destiny.

This (very) short story is part of Black Library’s Advent Calendar series of eBooks. It is also the second by French featuring the Thousand Sons (All is Dust, another micro-story, was released early last year). Hand of Dust follows one of the greatest sorcerers of the Thousand Sons traitor legion – Ahriam, the architect of the Rubric that ‘froze’ his fellow legionaries, in an attempt to rescue them from the fate that has plagued the sons of Magnus for centuries.

Hand of Dust is perhaps too short to really have much to write about it. The premise is interesting, and I think it could (and, perhaps, should) have been extended. It’s like a teaser for French’s writing and also his Ahriman fiction. It’s a good one, too. As with Riven, above, French’s writing is pretty solid and well-crafted. It is perhaps not as streamlined and fluid as some of the other, more-established Black Library authors, but it’s still very good. It will certainly be interesting to see how he develops over time.

French also wrote the first Ahriman novel, Ahriman: Exile (below), which is out now, and has now been bumped up my tottering TBR mountain. Ahriman also features in Rob Sanders’s Atlas Infernal and Graham McNeill’s superb A Thousand Sons (and a handful of other Horus Heresy novels). French will also be writing a follow-up to Exile, Sorcerer, which is due for publication in 2014.

Upcoming: “Abaddon: The Talon of Horus” by Aaron Dembski-Bowden (Black Library)

I had no idea this cover had been released, yet, but while on Goodreads adding my latest read to my Currently Reading shelf (Aaron Dembski-Bowden’s Helsreach), I saw this listed among his novels. Complete with a cover. So I did some more digging/Googling, and this post is the result.

Abaddon: Talon of Horus is the first in a new series of novels focussing on the Black Legion and their leader – former first captain of the Luna Wolves/Sons of Horus (who will be familiar to readers of the Horus Heresy series). Naturally, I’m extremely excited about reading this. The author is one of my favourites, period. (Although, that being said, I’m struggling a bit with Helsreach…) Also, as a more personal aside, Abaddon was my favourite model from the Warhammer 40,000 range, when I was younger and paid more attention.

Can’t wait for this. I’m ready for it to be April 2014, now!

Here’s an early synopsis, which I found on Simon & Schuster Canada’s catalogue…

The rise of Abaddon, successor to Horus and Warmaster of the Black Legion.

When Horus fell, his Sons fell with him. A broken Legion, beset by rivalries and hunted by their erstwhile allies, the former Luna Wolves have scattered across the tortured realm of the Eye of Terror. And of Abaddon, greatest of the Warmaster’s followers, nothing has been heard for many years. But when Horus’s body is taken from its resting place, a confederation of legionaries seek out the former First Captain, to convince him to embrace his destiny and continue what Horus began.

Aaron is also the author of brilliant The First Heretic (Horus Heresy), and the superb Night Lords trilogy (Soul Hunter, Blood Reaver, and Void Stalker), among others.

“Blood Blessing” & “Reaper” by Sarah Cawkwell (Black Library)

I have been woefully slow about reading Sarah Cawkwell’s full-length fiction for Black Library. I therefore decided to address this and, to get me in the mood for Valkia the Bloody, I thought I’d read the latest two (of three) short stories that feature Valkia, daemon princess and consort of the blood god Khorne (the third I have already read and reviewed). Both of these stories were considerable improvements on what I’ve read by Cawkwell in the past, and I really enjoyed both.

Audiobook: “Perfection” by Nick Kyme (Black Library)

Good story, usual performance niggles

Narration: Gareth Armstrong | Actors: Jane Collingwood, Chris Fairbank, Jonathan Keeble, and David Timson

On a world besieged by the forces of Chaos, the Emperor’s Children and the World Eaters are forced into an uneasy alliance when the bodies of the fallen start to go missing… Under siege from Chaos Space Marines of the Emperor’s Children, survival for the world of Vardask looks bleak. Matters worsen with the arrival of the World Eaters of Khorne, but when the Champions of Slaanesh are slowly murdered in mysterious circumstances the enmity of the rival warbands threatens to turn them on one another on a scale not seen since the aftermath of the Horus Heresy. Are there no depths to which the scions of Fulgrim will not stop in pursuit of true perfection?

I’m not going to spend too much time with this review. I really liked the story, as I fully expected to do (Kyme’s a great talent). But, as with many Black Library audiobooks, I struggled to get past some of the accents. Overall, though, if you enjoy other Black Library audiobooks, then the chances are high that you will like this. And the ending… Yeah, Kyme has written a pretty cool, horrifying ending.

“Sword of Caledor” by William King (Black Library)

The story of Tyrion & Teclis continues, as their enemies and Chaos gather

Tyrion – Unparalleled swordsman and tactician. Teclis – Greatest natural sorcerer of the age, his power rivaling that of fabled Caledor.

Together these twins are the greatest high elf heroes to still walk the earth. Tyrion and Teclis venture into the deadly jungles of Lustria on a desperate hunt for the lost sword of Caledor Dragontamer, the fabled Sunfang. While they search for this ancient artefact, the dark elves continue their assault on Ulthuan, sending the deadly assassin Urian Poisonblade to kill the Everqueen. And in the Realm of Chaos, the Witch King Malekith makes a pact with another enemy of Tyrion and Teclis – the sinister greater daemon N’Kari.

In this second installment of King’s High Elf trilogy, we start 100 years after the end of Blood of Aenarion. The High Elf twins have progressed in their respective fields – Tyrion has grown in stature and success, while Teclis’s studies into the arcane are starting to mark him as destined for greatness. Sword of Caledor moves the brothers’ story forwards, as a great evil finally executes its plan to dominate first the elves, and then the world. This is a great, classic-style Warhammer fantasy novel. One that is equally focused on action as it is the characters and society in which they operate.

“Dark Vengeance” by C.Z. Dunn (Black Library)

An introduction to the new game

The Dark Angels are among the foremost Space Marines, the First Legion of old. Devastated millennia ago by a dreadful schism, the Dark Angels are constantly on the hunt for the mysterious Fallen, former brothers who have turned from the light of the immortal God-Emperor and embraced the dread powers of Chaos.

Newly ordained Company Master Balthasar of the Dark Angels leads his forces to the world of Bane’s Landing, the resting place of the ancient and powerful Hellfire Stone, in pursuit of the Chaos Space Marines of the Crimson Slaughter. Kranon the Relentless, the evil lord of the Crimson Slaughter, seeks to use the stone to summon forth his daemonic masters and usher in an age of darkness. As the Dark Angels race to stop him, the scene is set for a mighty conflict between the loyal Balthasar and the traitor Kranon.

After finishing this novella, which is intended as an introduction to the new boxed game recently released by Games Workshop, there was a real risk that the review would end up shorter than the synopsis. It’s enjoyable, but also flawed as a work of general science fiction, which may bother some readers.

“Angel Exterminatus” by Graham McNeill (Black Library)

The Iron Warriors, the Emperor’s Children, and secrets between brothers

Perturabo – master of siegecraft, and the executioner of Olympia. Long has he lived in the shadow of his more favoured primarch brothers, frustrated by the mundane and ignominious duties which regularly fall to his Legion. When Fulgrim offers him the chance to lead an expedition in search of ancient and destructive xenos weaponry, the Iron Warriors and the Emperor’s Children unite and venture deep into the heart of the great star maelstrom that haunts Perturabo’s dreams. Pursued by vengeful survivors from Isstvan V and the revenants of a dead eldar world, they must work quickly if they are to unleash the devastating power of the Angel Exterminatus!

In Angel Exterminatus, McNeill gives us a story of a rebellion under strain. The novel follows two traitor legions that could not be more different: the stoic, methodical Iron Warriors; and the wild, arrogant Emperor’s Children, who have given themselves wholesale to the debaucheries of Chaos. The story maintains the high standards of the Horus Heresy series, and certainly justifies the new hardcover editions. This is a solid addition to the series.

“Eclipse of Hope” by David Annandale (Black Library)

A Blood Angels Short Story

When Mephiston and the Blood Angels discover a world slain in a massacre that defies reason, they must unearth the cause of this mass killing but risk their own sanity to do it.

I am of two minds about this story. First, it features the Blood Angels and their Chief Librarian, Mephiston (psyker, in case that needs clearing up for anyone), who also happens to be my favourite of the Legion heroes – at least, what I remember of him from years ago. Secondly, and this was a pity, I thought the prose-style Annandale chose was a little strange. I think I know what he was aiming to do, and it’s certainly a different voice to his previous fiction that I’ve read (a sign of a gifted author who’s willing to challenge himself). It’s a good story, but I’m not really sure what people will make of it.

“Angel of Fire” by Will King (Black Library)

King’s return to Warhammer 40,000

At the dawn of the forty-first millennium, Lord Commander Macharius and his forces embark upon the re-conquest of over a thousand worlds. A man of steel and fire, Macharius is the only one with the will to lead the massed armies of the Imperium to victory. As the crusade rolls onwards, it reaches the world of Karsk. In the city of Irongrad, the Imperial forces face the crusade’s end, unless Macharius and his army can defeat the dreaded Angel of Fire.

This is the first Warhammer 40,000 novel from King in quite some time – he took a hiatus from writing Black Library fiction, but has since returned with this and the Tyrion & Teclis series. Angel of Fire is a very good military sci-fi story. It’s not perfect, but it offers an alternative vision of a great Imperial hero that I hadn’t expected.

Interview with SARAH CAWKWELL

Sarah Cawkwell is one of Black Library’s new stable of writers, and one with a penchant for writing great stories about the most Chaotic of characters. With a few short stories and a couple of very-well-received novels (The Gildar Rift and Valkia the Bloody) now under her belt for Black Library, I thought it was high-time I pestered her with some questions about her writing and future plans…

“Void Stalker” by Aaron Dembski-Bowden (Black Library)

The Conclusion to the Night Lords Trilogy

The hunters have become the hunted. The Night Lords flee to the dark fringes of the Imperium to escape their relentless pursuers – the Eldar of Craftworld Ulthwé. Their flight takes them to the carrion world of Tsagualsa, where their Primarch died and their Legion was broken. There, history will repeat itself as a deadly assassin stalks the shadows, and the Night Lords are drawn into a battle they are destined to lose.

It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of Aaron Dembski-Bowden’s fiction. I think he is ridiculously talented, and his novels and short stories are all among my favourite sci-fi stories. In this final volume in his Night Lords series, in which he has managed once again to humanise what are effectively super-human terrorists, he ties up all the plot points into a very satisfying conclusion. Superb. Again.

Two Stories from “Hammer & Bolter 11” by Aaron Dembski-Bowden & David Annandale (Black Library)

Hammer & Bolter is Black Library’s monthly eBook, offering short stories, interviews and excerpts of upcoming Warhammer and WH40k fiction. It is also where new authors showcase their work. In Issue 11, there were two stories that really stood out for me, so I’ve decided to review them here.

The first is Aaron Dembski-Bowden’s Shadow Knight (a prequel to his Night Lords series), which showcases his exceptional skill as a writer once again. The second is a tale from newcomer David Annandale, which offers an original take on a popular Chaos trope, done very nicely indeed.

In the future, I’ll do similar-style reviews for any other stories that strike me as particularly noteworthy.

“Wulfrik”, by C.L. Werner (Black Library)

The second Warhammer Heroes volume turns to Chaos…

Emerging from the mists, Wulfrik the Wanderer brings destruction and death everywhere he treads. Cursed by the Ruinous Powers, the champion must travel across the Old World and seek prizes to appease the forces of Chaos.

But now dark forces plot against Wulfrik, and he must discover the enemy within or else his soul will be lost to the Dark Gods forever.

In the second Warhammer Heroes novel, a champion of Chaos takes centre stage. This time, it is Wulfrik, a Norscan champion, who has attracted the attention of the capricious Chaos Gods. After loudly boasting that he was the superior of any foe, from the realm of the living or otherwise, the gods visited Wulfrik in a vision.

“The gods were displeased with his proud words. However, it amused them to allow Wulfrik the opportunity to prove his arrogant boast.”

Because of the curse, Wulfrik

“would wander the world, seeking battle to prove himself the equal of any warrior, mortal or spirit, living or undead. He would make offerings to the gods he had offended, offerings the gods themselves would choose.”

The gods, interested in any way they can toy with mortals’ fate, fully expect Wulfrik to fail, to be bested by their next chosen sacrifice. In order to facilitate his challenges, they have given him the Gift of Tongues – an ability to instantly know and speak any language he may need. Ultimately,

“The gods enjoy punishing hubris.”

But Wulfrik means to confound the gods’ expectations…

Wulfrik’s curse makes for a brilliant premise, as it has almost limitless potential. Each future novel (if there are any) could be set anywhere in the Warhammer world, as Wulfrik hunts any number of champions from the broad range of races that populate this world. With Werner’s writing, the novel is dark and brutal, while also retaining depth (this is not a mindless hack-a-thon) and being populated by interesting and complex characters. In this novel, Wulfrik’s curse takes him from the snowy northern peaks battling fearsome yhetees, to the land of men, elves and Chaos-corrupted dwarves.

Werner’s grim writing style is once again on top form – his novels about the Bounty Hunter Brunner were grittier and bloodier fare than Black Library released at that time; recent novels have become more ‘adult’ (not in that way!), unafraid of war-related taboos or enjoying a spot of gratuitous violence. That being said, the best authors are still those who can temper this obsession with violence, focussing more on character and plot. Werner is an author who finds a middle ground – he is able to write realistic battle-scenes that are grim and brutal, but without dispensing with character development. As the novel progresses, we get a more rounded, nuanced picture of the reavers who accompany Wulfrik on his quests – with a small number of whom Wulfrik forms a bond of brotherhood, while retaining a callous disregard for newcomers.

The context is brutal, but Werner is still telling a story about nuanced characters, not just mindless killing-machines (as the Empire’s propaganda machine might have us believe). They exist in a brutal realm – in between the land of the humans and other fair races, and the twisted Chaos Wastes. Their lives are martial and difficult, strength and toughness valued over other virtues. The Norscans’ home environment is harsh, the demands of their gods are frequently fatal and so any novel in this setting that didn’t have a darker, harsher feel to it wouldn’t be true to its subjects.

Matching the practices of the real-world inspiration for the Norscans, the novel is written in a rather saga-like fashion – or, at least, that’s the feel the novel has for me. Dialogue is spare and kept to a minimum, with more focus on narrative, atmosphere, action and what’s going on inside Wulfrik’s (still taciturn) mind. Werner’s very good at describing the locations he sends Wulfrik to. Be it the biting cold of snowy peaks, or the hot and oppressive land of the ‘fire dwarves’ (Chaos Dwarves of the game), we get a great sense of the settings and their atmospheres throughout the novel.

The saga-like style was certainly interesting, though it did make the novel slower to sink into. When the story got going, however, I found myself caught up in the Wulfrik’s saga. [Which, if we wanted to be authentic, would be known as “Wulfriksenna” in the Old Norse. Never thought that university elective would come in handy…] Like the best Black Library and Warhammer novels, this had me reading well into the wee hours of the morning.

There’s more going on in this novel than just Wulfrik’s missions – in fact, his gods-delivered missions form a smaller part of the novel than one might expect. Our champion is presented with a tantalising offer by a wandering sorcerer, one that could have great consequences for his life and afterlife. This offer sends him off on a personal quest, which forms the majority of the novel. While dealing with his curse, Wulfrik must also navigate the local politics of his people, and the imperfect and time-bending nature of his travel arrangements. King Viglundr, the lord of Ormskaro, uses Wulfrik’s long absences to plot against him and manoeuvre around the promises that have been made to him for his service, leading to a tragic betrayal.

The battle scenes in Wulfrik are detailed and well paced, but not gratuitous or over-long – Werner gives us a good sense of the speed and confusion of the violence, not to mention the furious prowess of the Norscan reavers – particularly Wulfrik, although it’s important to point out that he is no mindless, Chaos-worshipping berzerker, either. The champion must always weigh the possibility that the gods would grow tired of his curse and let him die an ignoble death, he also has something to live for and that gives him a human fear of dying too soon. This vulnerability opens him up to temptation and exploitation by others with devious and evil agendas.

One could say that, just as the Horus Heresy novels have humanised the Chaos/‘evil’ side of the Warhammer 40,000 universe, Wulfrik offers a more humanised impression of the Chaos-effected Norscans (or an ‘evil’ race) of the Warhammer world.

I preferred this to Sword of Justice, although that was also a very good novel. Wulfrik is, however, quite different, and it appeals more to my taste in BL (and fantasy in general) fare: it’s a little darker, grittier and the characters are a little more interesting in their impurity and questionable morals. If you like your fantasy with a classic, darker hue, then Wulfrik should definitely appeal.

Adventure, glory, honour and betrayal are at the centre of the novel, and in classic saga-fashion, the love of a woman forms the root of the characters’ oh-so human failings. Wulfrik is a great addition to the series, written by a gifted author. Highly recommended for anyone who likes their fantasy a bit darker. This was a very enjoyable read.

Warhammer Heroes: Sword of Justice, Wulfrik, Sword of Vengeance (February 2011), Sigvald (July 2011)

For Fans of: Joe Abercrombie, Ari Marmell, Nathan Long, MD Lachlan, Alan Campbell

“Soul Hunter”, by Aaron Dembski-Bowden (Black Library)

Terror and Chaos in the 41st Millennium

The Night Lords form an uneasy allegiance with the Black Legion in order to assault the valuable planet of Crythe Primus. The Imperial world puts up a stern defence, but the biggest obstacle to success will be the disunity and mistrust between the two Traitor Legions.

Will their covenant last long enough for them to succeed in their mission?

This is the first novel by Dembski-Bowden that introduces us to the 10th Company of the Night Lords – a struggling Traitor Legion, specialists in terror-tactics and instilling fear in the enemy, the consummate trained killers. It is a tragic legion, coming to terms with the corruption that is spreading throughout its ranks, as more of their – already dwindling – numbers embrace the Chaos powers. Soul Hunter centres around First Claw (squad) of the 10th Company, informally led by Talos, an Astartes stubbornly holding on to the ideals set down by their Primarch back in the founding years of his Legion. He has to navigate not only the battlefields to which he is dispatched, the politics and alliances between Traitor Legions, and also the lack of trust within the Night Lords’ ranks.

What I like most about Aaron Dembski-Bowden’s (ADB) novels, and his portrayal of the Warhammer 40,000 universe, is that he manages to create multiple layers to the story, taking it far beyond what many would consider standard fare for “tie-in” fiction.

The main characters of Soul Hunter (and also, in fact, the peripheral characters) are a lot more complex and fully-realised than one would find in a lot of other science-fiction novels. The Night Lords, despite their anti-Imperial allegiance, are not just ravening beasts pledged to Chaos. True, a couple of them actually are, but they’re not cartoons, and ADB is able to keep the characters believable throughout the novel.

In Soul Hunter, we get a look into the life and trials of this Traitor Legion, its fast-dwindling forces and archaic wargear, the logistical and infrastructure struggles they face without the vast resources of the Imperium or the Black Legion (the nominal ‘leader’ Traitor Legion, formed from the ashes of the Sons of Horus). The author never goes into too much detail, maintaining the narrative flow, but I thought it was an interesting addition to the narrative and the reader’s understanding of the Traitor Legions, and especially helps explain much of what Talos feels and thinks about his mission and purpose in the galaxy. Talos remains mostly sane, save the gene curse he shares with his Primarch, that of prophetic visions. Squad-mate Uzas, on the other hand – a transplant from another, depleted company – seems to have given in to battle addiction, and is quite uncontrollable when in combat, quite literally becoming a slavering butcher.

There is tension within the dwindling ranks of the 10th Company, between Talos’s squad (no doubt others, too) who cling to a masterless ethos, and those in the Legion who have succumbed (even if only a little) to Chaos. The tension is palpable between Talos and the Exalted, formerly Captain Vandred of the 10th Company, now... something else. The Exalted is an interesting character; in part because it’s not entirely clear what he is – Dembski-Bowden did address this in a post on his website, which mentions that the Exalted’s nature will be explained in greater detail in the second book in the series, Blood Reaver (published May 2011). The Exalted is the exact opposite of Talos: he is impure, mutated almost beyond recognition, simpering in his attempts to attract the attention of the new Warmaster, Abaddon the Despoiler, manipulative of his own forces, yet fearful of the forces that are changing him (physically & spiritually).

This is the second novel I’ve read of ADB’s, as well as a couple of short stories, and each time I read his work, I come away very impressed. The author manages to include a smattering of dark humour throughout the novel, and the dialogue and interactions between the Astartes and their brother warriors or, in the case of Talos, with his slaves, is brilliantly written. The rivalries and fragile alliances binding the Traitor Legions together are detailed, and it quickly becomes clear just how damaged the Night Lords are as a Legion – they lack a unifying leader, they are spread far and wide, and more and more of their number are succumbing to the enticements of Chaos. As a fan of the Horus Heresy series, Soul Hunter offered some great new material to telescope forward until 10,000 years after Horus’s defeat and more detail of the Night Lords’ part in the Heresy.

Dembski-Bowden manages to humanise Talos, despite the obvious distance he has from the human race, and the loyalty he engenders in his slaves Septimus and Octavia is entirely believable. The novel is often written from the two slaves’ perspectives, adding another viewpoint of the Night Lord’s mission and tragic descent – Octavia’s recent capture allows for Septimus to fill in some background for the reader, and this too is done very skilfully.

The author’s battle scenes are equally well-scripted: they are never over-long, always sparsely explained and quick. It never feels like violence for the sake of violence, which can sometimes be the case in Black Library novels, and always moves the story along – giving us deeper insight into the characters of, specifically, the members of First Claw and also the Exalted (who excels at void-war, and allows for a very good space-battle sequence that was genuinely gripping).

Delving into the vast wealth of lore and background information that Games Workshop has released over the decades, ADB has brought the Night Lords alive on the page, fully-realised, complex and tragic. If Blood Reaver continues the quality I’ve seen in Soul Hunter and The First Heretic, then fans of the books will be in for another absolute treat.

Anyone who’s read my reviews of ADB’s short fiction and The First Heretic will know just how much I enjoy his writing, but he really is damn good. Many of the same themes run through his novels – loss, disenchantment, betrayal, and the personal struggles of his protagonists. Dare I say it, but I think Aaron Dembski-Bowden is well on his way to becoming Black Library’s best author. If you haven’t read his work yet, then you’re missing out. To repeat a comment from my review of The First Heretic, I would still love to see what he can do outside of the Warhammer 40,000 setting.

Superbly written, utterly gripping, this is sci-fi writing at its very best. A must for all fans of Warhammer 40,000, Soul Hunter will also appeal to newcomers to the universe and sci-fi fans as a whole.

Very highly recommended.