Book Review 218 // Eisenhorn #3: Hereticus by Dan Abnett

And now the end is near. The final Eisenhorn tale from the trilogy is to be read. Before anyone chirps me, I know there is a four-book full of the shorts and, of course, the spin-off novels, but this is it as far as the original Eisenhorns go.

Title: Hereticus (Eisenhorn #3)

Author: Dan Abnett

Blurb: Part three of the epic Eisenhorn trilogy returns Inquisitor Eisenhorn, and this time he’s on the edge of treachery. How far can he go before he crosses the line and becomes what he is sworn to hunt?

Eisenhorn seeks the truth behind a string of disappearances centred around a travelling carnival and a pictographer whose images are more than they seem. Inquisitor Eisenhorn has saved worlds and beaten bad guys galore, in short, he's a hero. But he's also done some dodgy things, and they're coming back to haunt him... His struggle to justify his actions (especially the daemon summoning) make this an incredibly compelling read and rounds off the trilogy perfectly.

Format: 416 pages, Paperback

Buy now on Amazon

Review

Let's get something straight right away. The back cover story description needs to be corrected. It basically talks about the plot of the other books, not this one; someone must have really F'd up at Black Library. But let us move into the review properly.

Wow, knock-out way to end the series. It builds off the last two stories and then adds an emotional edge. There are many emotional parts which are rather painful to read as we see the Eisenhorn team ripped apart by warfare, intrigue and moral high-grounding. Unfortunately, I can't say too much without ruining the plot. The action is incredible throughout, with, in my opinion, some of the greatest scenes in the series. The ending felt rushed, though, which is a shame. This should have been given the extra page time it deserved and split into two longer books.

As for the characters themselves, we had a lot of camos, some I recognized from Gaunts Ghost, which was an incredible easter egg! It was also lovely to see how Abnett set us up for his spin-off series, and I can wait to get into them.

Ultimately a great way to finish the series, and I am sad to see it go. But it was once again amazing to leap back into a series I have enjoyed for almost 15 years.

Book Review 213 // Eisenhorn: Malleus by Dan Abnett

My reading has slowed a little late, primarily due to my own fault, as I attempted a beast of a book for me! Lesson learnt. I've now finished that book, and a review will soon follow, but I found myself craving some Dan Abnett, so I knew I had to grab Malleus off the shelf and dive in.

Title: Eisenhorn: Malleus

Author: Dan Abnett

Blurb: Part two of the epic Eisenhorn trilogy returns

A century after his recovery of the alien Necroteuch, Gregor Eisenhorn is one of the Imperial Inquisition’s most celebrated agents. But when a face from his past returns to haunt him, and he is implicated in a great tragedy that devastates the world of Thracian Primaris, Eisenhorn’s universe crumbles around him. The daemon Cherubael is back, and seeks to bring the inquisitor to ruin – either by his death, or by turning him to the service of the Dark Gods.

Review

Damn, do I love a Dan Abnett spun tale. This was just as fun and epic as the first novel and did so well at keeping some of the loose threads active. The opening chapters are some of my favourites from any Black Library book, with the attention to detail and characters so well worked out.

Also, the introduction to Ravenor is just perfect, along with the over-arcing villain of this title. This book, for me, also takes us from the sandbox of a couple planets to actually travelling the galaxy, with a rarely done trip to Cadia (RIP). And though it was galaxy-spanning with its travelling, it did a great job of keeping you focused on the prize and key characters, whilst hinting enough about the secondary cast to make you super intrigued.

Ah, I hate sounding like an Abnett fanboy, but damn does he know how to hook me to a story, great job and I highly recommend reading it. As I type this I have the next title on my desk and I feel my slowdown has come to end.

Book Review 209 // Missing in Action Dan Abnett

 

Back on the Dan Abnett train. For me, Abnett is 40k from a human viewpoint. He is very good at keeping us grounded in a galaxy of vengeful gods and superhuman soldiers. I hope this will kick off my reading once more, as I have been struggling on that front of late.

Title: Missing in Action (Eisenhorn #1.5)

Author: Dan Abnett

Blurb: Investigating a series of murders leads Inquisitor Eisenhorn into the clutches of a Chaos cult in this short story set between Xenos and Malleus, previously available in the Eisenhorn Omnibus.

Style: Ebook (buy the whole trio of novels on Kindle)

Review

The refresher to get us from Xenos into Malleus. We join Inquisitor Gregor Eisenhorn as he recovers from injuries dealt out in Xenos. To get back to work, the Inquisitor and his team head to the planet of Sameter to deal with a low-threat, straightforward case. Which seems to go off without any issues. Unfortunately, that wasn't the only case on the planet, and soon he is involved in a ritual mutilation case that seems to be centred around a Chaos Cult.

Ultimately an Arbite (police) style adventure, we soon get some gun-blazing action as the Cult will have to be purged. Overall classic Abnett with Characters I love reading about. Highly recommend this!

Book Review 203 // Gaunt's Ghosts: Necropolis

Back at the Dan Abnett stories, people! Dan Abnett, for me, has been creating some of the best lore books for Black Library. No other author has managed to take a short story from a magazine and grow it into such a collection of books that are now official lore within the setting. With much excitement, we dive into book 3 - Necropolis.

Title: Gaunt's Ghosts: Necropolis (Book 3)

Author: Dan Abnett

Buy on Amazon.ca - first three novels collected.

Blurb: On the shattered world of Verghast, Gaunt and his Ghosts find themselves embroiled in an ancient and deadly civil war as a mighty hive city is besieged by an unrelenting foe.

On the world of Verghast, a grinding war between two hive cities - one loyal to the Imperium, the other fallen to the worship of the Dark Gods - is bolstered by the forces of the Astra Militarum, spearheaded by the Colonel-Commissar Gaunt and the Tanith First and Only. But bitter rivalries and treachery threaten to derail the defence of Vervunhive, and it falls to Gaunt to take command of the Imperial forces and forge victory from an almost certain defeat.

Format: Out of Print Hardback Omnibus:320 pages.

Review

This book holds a particular spot in my heart. I remember when I first read it being blown away by the scale of the city and the war itself, and every time since, I have been taken back to that feeling of awe and wonder. This is possibly the 7th or 8th time reading this, and I am still absorbed into the setting like I was then. I love this book. But it does have its faults.

The setting of Necropolis is a hive world, a city the size of a mountain. Meaning we have such a prominent location to cover. It is full of life; it is rough, poor, rich, and everything else. We have miners, guilders and merchants, dock workers, gangers, nobles and everything between. This setting alone could be a series of stories. You then throw into this the military, and the off-world forces and the environment gets bogged down. Abnett does a good job narrowing the information and focusing on the main aspects. This allows the reader to not get lost in the chaos but does lead to less focus on the heroes of Tanith.

The combat is fear-inducing as the build-up to an attack has the tension set to 1001%, then it hits like a battering ram and is a brutal and close quarter. Leaving you reeling from the intensity, for it all to start building again. At times it feels like the city is lost, and Abnett does a great job at keeping you hanging on for that next page.

Overall an excellent sci-fi war action book. Lots of action, politics, backstabbing and good honest Ghost action. This, for me, will also be a standout novel and one of the best alongside Horus Rising in the entire Black Library collection.

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Comic Review 159 // 2000 AD Comic Prog 1323

Welcome back. I am in the process of reading the Complete Case files 16. It is an enormous ass tome, so it is taking a bit of time to get through. What that does mean is that we have time for another Prog review. Issue 1323 was released on 15th January in 2003, and the cover is dominated by a stunning, horrific face image of Moloch (the villain of the Slaine strip). Honestly, this cover creeps me out 100 fold. But time to compose me and get into the stories. Up first, Judge Dredd vs. Alien: Incubus (part 3). 

Judge Dredd has to lead a search team into City Bottom to discover where the strange unknown parasite came from. As the team searches an abandoned warehouse, they soon find another body and some corpses of weird spider-like aliens. Soon the shit is hitting the fan, and we have Judge downed by a facehugger, another suffering horrific acid wounds to her hands and a Xenomorph in the rafters! I loved this story the first time around, and I still love it. The artwork of Henry Flint is bright, clean and bold, while still giving the story a creepy edge. Genuinely love this series.

Up next comes Caballistics Inc. Going Underground Part 3. I'm still extremely new to Caballistics, and playing catch-up is hard. So far, I am enjoying the character progression, and I am at least getting a handle on the characters. It does seem London is under threat from Cthulhu-style monsters and not for the first time as it is mentioned that the SAS team had once faced off against Robotic Yetis!! This story is growing on me, and based on the last panel, we have a lot of action coming our way.

Then a favourite of mine is Sinister Dexter - Relode Part 2. The duo has time-shifted with Billy Octavo into their own pass by 15 years. The issue spends most of the time watching Octavo attempting to explain time travel and the dangers that come with it. Of course, the pair don't fully understand and royally mess up everything, killing an enforcer of the Crime lord Holy Moses. Not yet knowing who they are, Holy Moses gets ready to send out his enforcers to track down the pair. This is great. I am a long-time Sinister Dexter fan, and travelling back in time is an epic way to refresh the series. I am excited to see where Dan Abnett takes it.

Nikolai Dante in Hell and High Water Part 3 is next. The loveable rogue has seemingly had some adventures since I last read a tale, but we seem to have him facing off with a creepy pirate lord in this story. The artwork on this is stunning, and the story seems simple enough. I need to revisit some of Dante's earlier pieces to get into this tale, but I am definitely interested in seeing where it is heading.

Then finally, Slaine in the cover story Moloch Part 3. Those who have read a few of my blog posts know I have a love-hate relationship with Slaine. Pat Mills is a fantastic writer, and when his stories hit, they hit well. This is one of those stories. Ireland is slowly being overrun by Lizard/Fish monsters, and Slaine, at the head of an army, drives hard into their heart to kill the leadership. Slaine and Balor's epic fight scene happens, full of body horror and gore (great for the season). As the victorious forces of Slaine burn the dead, a new creature appears and seems to suck the spirit of Moloch into itself. This is a creepy, crazy story and an epic way to finish this issue.

This is an excellent issue; I really enjoyed all the stories and feel there were no duds. I will have one more prog review up before the next Complete Case Files is completed, so expect more next week. Until then, as always, I hugely appreciate you joining me. Want to chat comics? Comment below or seek me out on one of the many social platforms I hang out on. Here is a quick LINK (Solo bio link) to my details.

Cheers to reading this.

Comic Review 154 // 2000 AD Prog 1322

Welcome to something a little new. I was feeling in need of a little pick me up, so I treated myself to some 2000 AD. As I was looking at my options I felt it may be fun to do some quick and dirty 2000 AD reviews so I purchased the 2003 Digital bundle. The earliest set I could get, hopefully, they will keep releasing more, but the series for me begins with Prog 1322. Hope you are ready let's go!

The cover is pretty epic, showing off Judge Dredd tackling a chestbuster, that can mean only one thing, Aliens vs. Dredd! I have already reviewed this series in the past but I am excited to get a reread of the series over the next few days. With this in mind, the opening tale is of course Judge Dredd Vs. Aliens: Incubus (Part 2), yep that's annoying, Part 1 was in 2002. Set in the Eisenhower hospital, a perps chest rips open revealing a chestbuster that flees into the vent system. Fearing a Cursed Earth pest, Dredd calls in the verminators an elite squad of pest control specialists. These guys seem to be heavily armed and equipped to deal with the Mega-City's pest problems. Sadly for them as they search for the creature they soon realize they have a much bigger problem! I love this tale, I enjoyed it the first time around and Love it more this time around, drawn by Henry Flint this is everything I enjoy about modern Dredd. I'm ready to read more.

Up next is sadly another part 2 tale, titled Caballistics Inc. Going Under. This is a new to me series, but the fact it is written by Gordon Rennie gives me hope. The artwork by Dom Reardon is classic, in stunning black and white, it helps to add a bit of classical horror to the storyline. From what I can gather they are a group who investigate the paranormal and it would seem something is going down in London town. Interested to see where it goes.

Then we get another Part 2 story (damn did I start an issue too early? Was Prog 1321 a jump-on issue?). Slaine Moloch - Part 2. Written of course by Pat Mills and drawn by Clint Langley. Having missed the opening arc, I am left assuming that Slaine's tribal home has been invaded by a hoard of monstrous creatures, that seem to be killing or raping everyone in their path. In this mix is the mutant form of Slaine fighting back. A very standard Slaine strip from my experience, with plenty of gore, body horror and over-the-top violence. Enjoyable for what it is but until I understand what is happening I am on the fence with this.

Finally a Part 1. Sinister Dexter - Relode, written by the fan favourite Dan Abnett and drawn by Ben Willsher. The last time I read a story about this duo was back when Demi Octavo was killed at her wedding (yep remember that far back ha). I have no idea what they have been up to in that period but it would seem a lot has happened. The duo seems to have got involved with a dimension-jumping character who has accidentally dropped the duo 15 years into the past! There is also a Miss Octavo? I would guess it is the younger sister of the ex-crime queen but I am not sure. I am happy to be reading about this duo again. I've missed them and their wit.

The final tale of this issue is Nikolai Dante - Hell and High Water. Once again a part two ( I know how to pick a starting point!). Similar to Sinister Dexter I haven't read a Dante tale in a long while, I think the last story would have been during the revolution series. I have no idea why Dante is on a boat, or who he is fighting, but I am excited to find out.

With that issue, 1322 finished. Sure I made an error not starting at 1321, but damn does it feel good to reading 2000 AD again, it is like welcoming an old friend back into life. Hope you enjoyed this quick and dirty review, expect more real soon.

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Comic Review 141 // Durham Red: Empty Suns by Dan Abnett

Just like that, I am on the final 162 pages of Durham Red! It's been a blast and I know there are some e-books for me to enjoy, but I am going to miss Red. Here are the details of the final comic of Durham Red:

Title: Durham Red - Empty Suns

Page Count: 162

Write up: Awakening after 1200 years in suspended animation Durham Red found herself worshipped by the mutants as Saint Scarlet. Persecuted by the human iconoclasts, the mutants entreated her to lead them in a galaxy-spanning holy war against mankind, but Red refused the responsibility.

Collects:

- The Empty Suns Book I (Prog #1362-#1368)
- The Empty Suns Book II (Prog #1382-#1386)
- Necrocultura (Meg #4.12)
- Semblance (Meg #4.13)
- The Spirit and the Gaki (Meg #4.14)
- Children of the Night 1 episode (Meg #4.15)
- Genegun SD (Meg #4.16)
- Red Menace (Meg #4.17)
- In the Flesh (Meg #4.18)

Review

The final chapter has come. Set further into the future the galaxy has now gone to pieces. After being tricked by the super mutant Offspring, Red watched as he used his powers to make the human race sterile. Now, only a few pockets of humanity survive, and where they no longer live, mutants now reign. Sadly now these planets seem to be falling into disrepair or entered weird feudal law systems. Watching the galaxy fall to pieces Matteus Godolkin and a group of the last humans seek out Durham Red in hopes of rescuing the human race.

Of course shit doesn't go to plan. They discover a crazy, feral Durham Red, who with Godolkin has had a son! After restoring her sanity they start tracking down the Offspring's chosen and killing them forcing the Offspring to hunt them down. Then Durham using a Time distortion faces off against the Offspring killing it, but not before the Humans completely die out. Now the galaxy belongs to the mutant!

A great final entry for Durham, it finished off everything very satisfactory, though it felt a little rushed. The artwork was stunning and I enjoyed the story for the space opera it was. Well worth reading if you can find it.

After this, we get seven one-shot stories of Durham Red throughout time. Some are great, some good and some miss the mark for me. But they all add in their unique ways and I hope there will be Durham Red from 2000 AD soon. A great spin-off series.

But what is next? I feel it is time to ease back into Judge Dredd or possibly Anderson. Who knows?

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Book Review 134 // Reaper by Dan Abnett

Got to be honest everyone, struggling to read long stories at the moment. Not sure if it is the weather or I am in a slump. But luckily for me, I had the Bug Hunt novel filled with eighteen short stories.

This is the second story in the line-up and is by everyone's favorite author and comic book writer: Dan Abnett. Love me some Sinister Dexter and Gaunt's Ghosts, so I have high hope for this one.

We join a group of Colonial Marines from the USS Montoro as they are sent to investigate LV-KR 115. It seems like this planet was once a giant farm, with colossal machines processing the world. But now it seems like a dust bowl. The force of Marines separates into two fighting forces, the first is led by Captain Broome and the second by Lieutenant Teller. The story then follows Teller's group and we discover that his group is heading the main target as the Marine Corps is testing Teller's leadership skills.

Soon Teller and his team are inside and discover the machine in complete disrepair. Following some investigation, they found the outer doors had been sealed shut, they also keep finding pieces of metal like belt buckles just laying around. The mystery deepens once Teller's team reaches the control room. Here they discover the viewing windows have been scratched opaqued by something, and that the machine lost control about three weeks ago. As the team digs further they discover the machine had hit a buried object, damaging it. Turns out it was some weird locust lifeform that once freed discovered a world full of life, and when on a reproduction/eating surge until all life was devoured.

At this stage, Teller attempts to abort the mission, but it is too late the outer doors are opening and a buzzing noise heads their way.

Overall a great story had a small team of easy-to-follow characters. With Teller being the important one to remember. It had some nerve-wracking moments, and a surprise by the lack of xenomorph. It did show off that there are other threats out there in the galaxy and that for once Humans aren't the apex predators.

Highly recommend.

As always, thanks for checking in and I hope you enjoyed my review?

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Comic Review 140 // Durham Red: The Vermin Stars

Continuing the Durham Red fun with The Vermin Stars. Set five years after the first comic Scarlet Cantos, Durham Red, and her crew have arrived back in normal space and are starting to cause trouble again. Here are the official details: 

Title: Durham Red: The Vermin Stars

Author: Dan Abnett

Illustrator: Mark Harrison

Starring vampire mutant Durham Red, this science fiction graphic novel from the pen of "Sinister Dexter" author, Dan Abnett, features a bold mixture of painted and computer-assisted artwork by Mark Harrison.

As far as the story goes, it is very similar to Cantos, in the idea of Mutant vs Mankind. This time though after her five-year adventure in the Vermin Stars, Red seems pro-fighting. She is seeking out mutant terrorist groups to team up with, she is also assassinating high-ranking humans. In her quest to reignite the war, she is destabilizing the galaxy and seems to be getting a following of enemies eager to take her out. But what has caused the change of heart? Well, it would seem that Red has discovered Earth, the original Earth that for some reason was moved and hidden away to be forgotten about during the Dark Age. She also seems to have picked up a new sidekick/mentor but who is this being?

 It is a very good sequel, it keeps up the grim, darkness of the first collection, but manages to keep itself entertaining. The ending to this tale is slightly depressing you have been warned. It shows just how willing Abnett is to sacrifice parts/characters/species to push the story in a new and exciting direction. I am excited to start book three to see where we go next.

Unsurprisingly Harrison continues the beautiful computer-assisted artwork, which is just inspiring. I just love how he makes realistic mutants. They aren't comical looking, they are just mutants, plain and simple, no heads of ducks or eyes from a fly, they are just straight up down on their luck mutants.

Well worth the read!

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Comic Review 139 // Durham Red: The Scarlet Cantos

What do you do when you run out of Strontium Dogs? Well here is the answer: Durham Red. For those who don't remember Red was a popular cameo character in the later issues. She has the mutant abilities of a Vampire and none of their weaknesses (apart from carving blood). Now lucky for me she got her spin-off series written by Dan Abnett and I just so happen to have the bundle!

Let us dive in.

Title: Durham Red: The Scarlet Cantos

Written by Dan Abnett and illustrated by Mark Harrison.

Durham Red is a mutant unlike any other. Radioactive fallout from atomic wars gave Durham a unique gift - vampirism. She must drink blood to survive, but her vampirism is metabolic, not supernatural. As a result, she is fearless in the face of crosses, not afraid of sunlight or running water, and just loves the taste of garlic.

Set way into the future of Strontium Dog, we are transported into a dark, grim future that you can't help but draw a 40k parallel with. Within this dark setting we a strange truce between Humans and mutants, but in this new society, the mutants are still deemed lower than the mutants. This has led to a terrorist group of mutants forming, creating an element of fear and distrust. This group called the Tenebrae also worships the Scarlet Cantos aka Durham Red. They see her as a figurehead to their cause, as she feasted on the blood of humans. It is believed she will return to mutant-kind, unite them, and lead them against their enemies.

Well, as it turns out Durham had put herself in stasis for 100 years to have a good sleep. The only problem is no one woke her up! She laid asleep for 1200 years instead. Waking from a long sleep is one thing, but to discover 1000's have died in your name must be a hard thing to swallow. Soon she is caught in the thick of the action and has to decide not only her destiny but that of all mutant kind.

The story was well written unsurprisingly as it Dan Abnett. The setting as mention is grim, dark with a lot of 40k vibes to it, genetically enhanced soldiers who fear the unclean. With hatred of the non-human species high on the agenda. The artwork is stunningly beautiful and Durham Red looks kickass in the comic panels. After reading this I am excited to delve further into the stories and I feel we will be completing this series rather quickly. 

Going to show a few more panels as the artwork is truly great. As always thanks for stopping by and reading. Use any of these links to help support the blog and thank you.

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Audio Review 16 // Eisenhorn - Xeno By Dan Abnett

Feels nice to be listening to some Audiobooks once again. I feel this is something I need to start getting back into, so hopefully doing the odd blog post will help. If you have any recommendations for podcasts or audiobooks please do drop me a comment and let me know. This time we delve into the realms of Dan Abnett and his Eisenhorn series. A beloved character by many (including myself), I first read this novel when it came out. I have been meaning to re-read for so long but it deeps eluding my reading list but no more! After picking up the audible app I knew I had to pick a winner and what better than this.

Xenos - Book 1 in the Eisenhorn series

THE STORY

The Inquisition moves amongst mankind like an avenging shadow, striking down the enemies of humanity with uncompromising ruthlessness. When he finally corners an old foe, Inquisitor Gregor Eisenhorn is drawn into a sinister conspiracy. As events unfold and he gathers allies - and enemies - Eisenhorn faces a vast interstellar cabal and the dark power of daemons, all racing to recover an arcane text of abominable power: an ancient tome known as the Necroteuch.

Written by Dan Abnett

Audiobook running time 9 hours and 56 minutes. Narrated by Toby Longworth

Review

Best 10 hours of my life. I mainly enjoyed this reading whilst walking to and from work. Before we delve into the story aspect, I just want to be clear and state how much I enjoy a Toby Longworth read story. Anyone who has heard one of his audiobooks will attest to how good he is absorbing you into the tale. Very relaxing, very entertaining.

The book/story is amazing. What we have here in the first title in a series, is a well planned and thought-out galaxy-spanning web of intrigue. We start off on a hell hole of an ice-world experiencing first hand Eisenhorn and his team in action (a strong cast of characters), there is blood, gore, death aplenty. Pure 40k at it's best. What seems like a small localized case starts growing and developing into a more sinister plot. We get to travel worlds on a creepy rogue trader vessel, discover plots to undermine governments using military forces, religious power bases, forbidden lore and Xeno tech. A lot of info is thrown at the listener at a pace that keeps your attention without feeling rushed or overwhelmed, some knowledge of 40K is helpful but not needed. The descriptive use of first-person retelling is a great way to get you into the story as you do feel like you are in someone's memories rather than watching from afar. Got to admit I am hooked.

It was a completely enjoyable listen, made better by Toby Longworth and has me eyeing up the next in the series. As always drop me a comment, or sign up for email notifications of posts. Using any of these links provided also helps to support my blogging adventures. Cheers!

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Xenos by Dan Abnett

Audible Version

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Book Review 101 // Brothers of the Snake by Dan Abnett

Welcome back and we are now safely into the hundred reviews now eek! Following on from my short read from last week I knew I needed a longer tale to get my teeth into, so I turned to my trusty shelf of Abnett for inspiration and decided it was time to crack open Brothers of the Snake.

Written for Black Library this 320-page tome is set in the Warhammer 40k verse. Here is some commercial fluff:

THE STORY

Best-selling author Dan Abnett turns his hand to the mighty Space Marines! The war-torn far-future is laid bare as Brothers of the Snake follows the exploits of the Iron Snakes Space Marines as they battle against the enemies of mankind. First appearing in the pages of Inferno! magazine, the Iron Snakes Space Marines quickly gathered a loyal following and now they wage war in a full-blown adventure, battling aliens and heretics as they defend the Imperium.

So we can gather it is Abnett's first time writing solo for a Space Marine tale, but not his first story of Iron Snakes as I have fond memories of them being in the old Inferno magazine which came before this unless of course, that wasn't Abnett writing then?

What I really enjoyed was that Abnett brings his own style to this book, though one long story it is technically a series of short stories merged into one. The lead character Priad start's on an Imperial World alone fighting Dark Eldar, it is this starting point that shapes the future of this character and the region of space known as the Reef Stars. We follow Priad through the stories watching him rise through his chapters ranks to become the leaders of a Notable Squad (Elite Veterans) before being sent back once more to that original world to fix an error made in that mission so long before.

The Iron Snake Space Marines and Priad, in particular, are a rare bunch of Space Marines as they truly seem to care about the human race, which is sometimes forgotten in other novels and the bonds of Brotherhood between them make them seem almost human (making them more like Salamander successors than an Ultramarine). Overall it reads like Abnett had fun creating this chapter, from it's Ocean wrapped homeworld, to the unusual organization of the chapter or the creepy Dark Eldar and Brutal Orks, this was just a great book. I can easily see myself picking it up again in a year to give it another read-through, great solid reading that is a must for any 40k fan.

As always thanks for stopping by and remember to subscribe! 

Book review 85 // Lord of Ruin by Dan Abnett and Mike Lee

I failed so terribly at completing my Malus Darkblade story reviews. I had a lofty goal of reading these in order and blogging in a timely fashion. The first tale The Daemon's Curse was posted way back in Feb 2019, this was followed by Bloodstorm in March 2019, then Reaper of Souls in March 2019 and finally Warpsword also in March 2019. Then I got distracted for fifteen months and finally remembered during my Thousand Sons month that I had this unread book on my to-read shelf still. I couldn't believe it, I had completely forgotten about this book. I even searched the blog as there was no way I would have not posted about it. Well, I was wrong, I had forgotten so I curled up and read the story and delved back into the Malus Darkblade timeline and what an adventure.

Book Details

Title: Lord of Ruin

Author: Dan Abnett & Mike Lee

Publisher: Black Library

Type: Paperback

Page Count: 413

Commercial Fluff: In the world of Warhammer, no race is as cruel and treacherous as the dark elves, and no member of this race is more infamous than Malus Darkblade. Now that he has retrieved the five missing artefacts, Darkblade must return them to the daemon before the year is up. But can Tz'arkan be trusted to honour his part of the bargain or will he try to trick Darkblade one last time?

Review

And here we hit the final epic tale of Malus (not counting Deathblade written by a different author). Malus is once again in the middle of trouble. He finds himself in the court of Malekith the Witch King and is appointed commander of his armies. Now Malus has to face his first true test as a commander and defeat his sister Nagaira now a full devotee to Slaanesh and her chaos hoard of beastmen and barbarians. All this whilst attempting to regain his soul from Tz'arkan!

This book took Warpsword and ramped up the action even more. We are treated to almost over the top bloody battles and otherworldly dark magic. Into this backdrop, we have surprising plot twists and unsurprising twists. This is the perfect Warhammer story and truly had me gripped to the end and sad this series had to end. Is this the true reason I hadn't read this book?

Do yourselves a favour and pick up the collection and have an enjoyable read.

Comic Review 79 // Insurrection Liberty

Welcome back to the first comic review of the isolation period. I hope everyone is do well, feel free to chat to me in the comments and say hi! In a rare turn of events I was actually able to read the two volumes of Insurrection comics, back to back which is quite nice. If you haven't read the first review please follow this LINK.

We left the team sparking rebellion in the outer rim and causing so much aggro for the SJS. Now we are to find out how it all concludes. I was pretty excited heading into this.

Insurrection: Liberty

Page Count: 96
Written By: Dan Abnett
Artist: Colin MacNeil
Commercial Fluff: MEGA-CITY COLONIAL SPACE, 2135 AD. Mining colony K Alpha 61 renamed itself Libertyafter cutting loose from the Big Meg. Furious at this dissent, and in a bid to stop the revolt spreading to other colonies, the SJS launched a blistering attack on Colonial Marshal Karel Luther’s forces. Now, the alien Zhind have stepped up their attacks on the colony worlds causing an uneasy alliance to form between the SJS and the insurrectionists...

This thrilling conclusion to Insurrection was written by Dan Abnett (Guardians of the Galaxy) with art by Colin MacNeil (Judge Dredd).

Review

We are introduced to Gateway a beautiful well protected colony world in the outer rim. Here we meet Colonel Judge Gallows, who is welcoming his family to the planet. Unfortunately the Zhind lead a surprise attack on the planet. Normally the stationed fleet would deal with the problem but due to Luther's uprising the fleet has been called away, leaving the planet open to attack. Gallow along with a large core of the fleet fail to follow commands and stay back in a failed attempt to save Gateway, in doing so they too become rebels.

After locating Luther's forces on an ice moon, Gallows reports the location to the SJS. Of course the SJS come with overwhelming fleet strength and it looks like the end for the Insurrectionist. That is until the Zhind once again invade Mega City Space, leading to a sixteen week long campaign. During this time the Insurrectionists join forces with the SJS and actually lead the last assault again the Zhind command bunker. Here I will leave the review as I hate to many spoilers the ending is pretty epic and heart breaking, so go read it yourselves.

Amazing tale, amazing art and left ultimately sad at the thought of no more. Great work by the entire team on this. 5 Star comic for sure.

Comic Review 78 // Insurrection 2000 AD

Welcome back to another comic review. This graphic novel I first read about three or four years ago and had completely forgotten to review it, so I now I am finally reading it again and correcting my errors with this review.

Let us dive into Insurrection.

Insurrection

Page Count: 131
Written By: Dan Abnett
Artist: Colin MacNeil
Commercial Fluff: Mega-City One mining colony K-Alpha 61 has declared independence from the ‘Big Meg’ and renamed itself Liberty. This act of defiance has angered the Justice Department’s Special Judicial Squad and in a bid to stop further colonies from rebelling, war is inevitable...

Set in the Judge Dredd universe, this high-octane space adventure is written by best-selling Warhammer author, Dan Abnett (Horus Rising, Legion, Prospero Burns) with art by 2000 AD stalwart Colin MacNeil (Chopper, Strontium Dog, Fiends of the Eastern Front).

Review

This comic is split into two parts the first is Insurrection, which is where we will start. Originally published in the Judge Dredd Megazines 279-284, this story lasted five issues. Our main character is one Karel Luther a Colonial Marshal on K-Alpha 61. For the last two years Luther and forces on K-Alpha 61 have been fighting an alien force called the Zhind, in order to defeat the alien forces Luther granted the mutant, droids and uplifts a citizenship status (ie. equal now in rights to humans). Once the threat of the Zhind had been dealt with MC-1 attempts to regain control of the world ordering Luther to revoke the offer of citizenship. This Luther can not do and instead claims Independence from MC-1 and names the world Liberty.

Of course MC-1 doesn't take it lightly and sends the SJS space fleet to deal with the issue and bring Liberty to heel. Soon Liberty is back on a war footing and fighting for their lives. It sadly becomes apparent they can't win and the hard choice is made to flee and continue to build a rebellion in the outer colonies.

Highlight

The C.A.T mounts. C.A.T stands for Combat All-Terrain Transport a four legged mount with built in anti tank weapons. Now these are bad ass and I seriously hope Warlord Games create one of these for their game.

This is an amazing opening story. With plenty of characters to enjoy and a classic underdog story arc. I am excited to see where it goes and for how long the group can survive the wrath of MC-1.

Insurrection II

Insurrection II orginally written and published in Megs 305 -310 we once again have a five part story. Unsurprisingly it follows on from the first tale with the leaders of the new formed Rebellion on the run. But before they can continue the good fight they have to save Freely from the hands of the SJS. A daring rescue is completed Simeon and his gang of Uplifts, but unknown to them they are assisted by the Sinister Judge Syren who hopes they will lead him straight to Luther.

Turns out Judge Syren was right and is lead straight to Luther! In the ensuring fire fight Luther is thrown out of a high rise factory window, horrifically burned and believed dead. In the lower factory levels the rebellion leaders retrain the droid populous to become a fighting force to strike back against the SJS. During this period of conflict the droid Handcog discovers a way to strike a blow to MC-1, if they do it they will set mankind back by ten years, if they don't it will disenfranchise the non-human elements of the rebellion.

Here ends part two, with Luther's finger resting on the button!


Highlight

Judge Syren - A SJS Psi Judge/ Psi Hunter. A completely eerie character, who doesn't verbally talk, has unknown powers and is always accompanied by a cyber dog that can fire flames from it mouth! I really hope this character is seen more in the follow up tales, there is something so sinister and evil about this character.

Final Thoughts

Great opening two stories. The idea of a disenchanted colony uprising is a great theme. I also like that it is set after Judge Dredd, into the future of MC-1. Meaning the writers and artists had some freedom and the ability to play with things like technology.

The characters are likeable, especially the villains. Who end up caring for all them but I feel Simeon could well be my favourite.

Have you read this comic? What are your thoughts on it all? Let me know in the comments below.

Book Review 44 // Reaper of Souls by Dan Abnett and Mike Lee

Coming in fast from last weeks Bloodstorm review comes Book three of the Malus Series. I can't believe how quickly I am devouring these books. They are so different and fun, maybe I should try reading more anti-hero books. Here is the review for Reaper of Souls.

Book Details

Title: Reaper of Souls
Author: Dan Abnett & Mike Lee
Publisher: Black Library
Type: Paperback
Page Count: 416
Commercial Fluff: A member of the dark elf race, Darkblade's reputation as a warrior is beyond compare and his cruelty is legendary - even by the standards of the dark elves. Having been possessed by the foul daemon Tz'arkan, Malus undertakes a perilous quest to regain five magical artefacts that will free his soul or damn him forever!

Review

We join Malus as he is heading home to the port of Kar Karond, here in the flesh houses Malus uncovers the location in the third relic. The Dagger of Torxus is located in the city's necropolis, this long black dagger is meant to have been forged from the Outer Darkness itself and seems to absorb a victims souls! The crypt of bearer is known as Eleuril the Damned - kin killer (sounds a bit like Malus).

Upon reaching the resting place Malus is shocked to discover another group of Elves plundering the tomb. Here everything starts going wrong and an evil spirit is awoken almost killing Malus! When Malus regains his wits he discovers the guardian dead and the dagger gone. Here the novel becomes a chase as Malus must discover who has taken the dagger and get it back before it enters the city of Hag Graef. Finally catching up Malus sneaks into the camp and confronts the enemies warlord. As plan commences Malus realises it is Lurhan his father!

Having slain his father and recovered the dagger Malus is now on the run for committing patricide. Being chased by Lurhan retainers Malus has to race to the Black Ark of Naggor and hope his Uncle Balneth Bale will protect him. As always nothing really goes to plan. Heavily wounded and weaken Malus is almost sold into slavery, before it is finally revealed who he is. Seemingly accepted into the Naggor court Malus is given a military title and joins an army headed to claim Hag Graef. Here we see more sibling rivalry and the return of Nigaira.

The rest of the book is one big military action, that sees Malus ultimately leading the army in a failed action to take the city. Malus also disrupts Nigaira's plans along with pissing off two cities (Hag Graef and Naggor) and has started blood fued with the Witch King. Surrounded by enemies and dangers Malus has to sneak off into the wildness in order to survive. This is a complete flip on how the last book ended. 

This is by far my favorite book of the series so far. I'm excited to see how Malus can regain his status from such a low standard. I'm also amazed how much Malus sucks at killing his siblings, so far only one has died and every time they reappear they seem stronger every time whilst Malus seems weaker. I am excited for the next book.

I am going to take a small break from the series and read Gav Thorpes Jain Zar story. Then I will go back to the series.

Book Review 43 // Bloodstorm by Dan Abnett and Mike Lee

Technically as I write this it is now March, but in truth this book falls under the February reading bracket. I've fallen slightly behind on blogging but not too far luckily. As mentioned in the last review (Daemon's Curse) I am working through Volume one of the Malus Darkblade the opening three books

I have to say I am loving the series. Malus is such a badass character and it is making me want to build a Druchii force; like I really need another army ha. With this in mind let's jump into the review.

Book Details

Title: Bloodstorm
Author: Dan Abnett & Mike Lee
Publisher: Black Library
Type: Paperback
Page Count: 413
Commercial Fluff: Possessed by the foul daemon Tz'arkan, the ruthless dark elf anti-hero Malus Darkblade is forced to seek a number of magic artefacts or his soul will be forfeit. He will have to call on all his cunning and dark wits to survive a magic labyrinth and defeat its fearsome guardian.

Review

The story unsurprisingly picks up straight from book one. With Malus returning to Hag Graef. For crimes against his own household, Malus is captured, beaten and tortured by his father. Taken almost to the brink death Malus with the help of the daemon manages to hold out, adding extra shame on his father. Released into his step sisters Nagaira care, Malus undergoes weeks off healing to recover from his ordeal. During this time Nagaira also manipulates Malus into joining her secret coven, though enjoyable at first Malus soon comes to realise all is not what it seems.

Soon Malus is doing what Malus does best and starts betraying his siblings in twisting plots worthy of a master villain. Malus uses his siblings hatred of each other to slowly bring about all their downfalls, starting with step sister Nagaira.

Fearing the Slaanesh cult and not wanting to be a puppet to a cult, Malus turns to his crippled brother Urial and his temple allies to destroy the cult (which is a hard task considering Malus stole from him in book one). During this action Malus discovers the location of the next artifact the Idol of Kolkuth. Teaming up with Urial once more; Malus somehow manages to blackmail the Drachau of Hag Graef in order to gain the power and forces needed to search for the idol. With the writ of Iron and an ability to raise an army, Malus heads off back to sea once more.

Now trapped aboard a boat and stuck with three of his siblings, the backstabbing and political power plays increase to a murderous level. Throughout this part of the book it is hard to tell who will kill whom, sibling versus sibling versus Skinriders (Nurgle Pirates). This was also my favourite part of the book, I loved the plague ridden pirates and their secret base full of treasure and death. I can't help but imagine the Plague Lords GW has been creating of late. Full of maggots and loose skin hanging off bloated organs. Gross but so awe inspiring. Here on this island Malus discovers the relic, kills off one sibling and angers two other (who I can only assume will be back). With a ship full of treasure and an ego just as big, Malus is sitting pretty as we head into book three.

I was glad to see the introduction of the character Hauclir. An ex-city guard captain, Hauclir has seen an opportunity and is taking it. Rising from the military into Highborn society, now he just has to survive it. He enjoys mocking Malus and added some comically relief throughout the story. I just like him and hope we see more of him. I also enjoyed the Slaanesh Cult and how the the elven society reacts to it being hidden among so many of the highborn.

I am very excited to start Reaper of Souls. As it promises to add even more drama.

Book Review 42 // The Daemon's Curse by Dan Anett and Mike Lee

Welcome back to the bookshelf, here we are at book five of 2019. If you have been a follower of mine over my blogging attempts either on here, Instagram or Facebook, you would know I love Sci-fi, but especially 40k Sci-fi. Most of my readings have been in this dark, grim future so I have a treat for you all. This time we get to hangout in the World that was, Warhammer fantasy.

But were to start? The answer for me seemed quite simple in the end. I love Dan Abnett, I love Elves and I love an anti-hero. Here proudly steps in Malus Darkblade - the most infamous of the Dark Elves of the World that was. With about six titles to his name this will definitely become a series of reviews. I managed to pick the main books and so we will begin with Book 1- The Daemon's Curse.

Book Details

Title: The Daemon's Curse
Author: Dan Abnett & Mike Lee
Publisher: Black Library
Type: Paperback
Page Count: 414
Commercial Fluff: Ambitious dark elf warrior Malus Darkblade learns the location of a powerful relic and decides he wants it for himself. Malus leads an expedition into the dangerous Chaos Wastes in search of it but finds far more than he had bargained for. Possessed by a powerful daemon, he must undertake an epic quest to save his very soul.

Review

First up I remember the tale from my teenage years reading the short lived comic series. I remember an anti hero, processed by a Daemon and having to collect artifacts to free himself. I remember loving the artwork and having an evil character to enjoy in my comic reading. With such fond memories it is quite shocking it has took me this long to adventure into this series.

Let's cut to the chase this book involves the Druchii (aka Dark Elves), it is also set in the Warhammer Fantasy era. These are going to be dark, very dark books. This darkness is portrayed perfectly in this opening title as we follow the ruling highborns of the Hag through ambitious political plots, treacherous ploys and just plain torture!

The opening scene shows how yearly all the Highborns of the Hag must present the Lord of the Hag some form of gift. If they ultimately fail to prove loyalty or are lacking in the right gift, the Lord is allowed to torture them or in some cases kill them. Unlucky for Malus he has neither loyalty or gifts and is tortured to the extreme. The only thing saving him is the fact that he is a bastard son of the lord.

The character of Malus is a fun one to follow and is extremely easy to like, which is weird as he is an evil villain. Born as a bastard into the ruling household Malus got the nickname Darkblade as he is seen as a flaw. Barely viewed as a Highborn, Malus has struggled throughout life. Everytime something seems to be going well one of his older siblings betray him and take the glory for themselves or revel in Malus' failures.

Soon Malus is left with very few options socially and has to team up with one of his older siblings to raid one of his other siblings (Family intrigue). After a daring raid on one of his brothers towers, Malus is on the run and being chased by warriors filled with mystical powers. His goal lays in the Chaos Wastes, here Malus will search for treasure and unknown power. From here on it becomes a book of betrayal, brutal warfare, challenges and ultimately failure and the loss of his soul to a deamon.

I really enjoyed this book. I'm a big fan of Elves in general and haven't really explored Dark Elves or Wood Elves or any Elves outside of the 40k setting (something I will try to fix). A highlight of this book is feeling the conflict within Malus. His need to take big risks in attempt to gain bigger rewards and his pure stubbornness born for the hatred for his siblings. You can't help but wish Malus would succeed for once and when he does it still seems to go wrong for him. This makes Malus a very likeable character and you end up forgiving his faults as you end up hating those around him more.

I highly recommend reading this tale. As you read this I am now starting the second book so come and check back in a week or two for an update.