It always rains in Nuln

The Imperium recieved a major beating in the "Last Son of Dorn", but it's not out of the game yet. The Imperial Fists have been reformed, and mankind travels to Ullanor for one, final battle with the Orks. Rob Sanders penned the 11th title in "The Beast Arises" series - "Shadow of Ullanor". Looks like this poor planet just can't take a break! There's a lot going on in this book, and it was sometimes hard for me to keep track of all the action. Sanders makes a solid job of tying all the loose plots together, however there is one problem - we've seen this all before. Is it still worth a read, though? Humanity once again reaches Ullanor, the Deathwatch capture more Ork psykers (off-screen, I might add), Thane shows the High Lords their place, as Koorland did before him. Even the final engagement with the Beast(s) is very similar to the previous one. We've all seen this before, and that's why this book doesn't really offe...

Grimvember 2019 came to an end, and I need a small break from the Warhammer Fantasy... at least for a while. Since I'm in a huge Warhammer 40,000 drive lately, I've decided to return to "The Beast Arises" series, and review another one of its many tomes - "The Last Son of Dorn". David Guymer returns to the series, and tells the story of a final (hopefully), desperate attempt by the Imperium to defeat the titular Beast and free the galaxy from its menace. There's a lot, and I do mean A LOT, going on in this book. We have the newly-formed Deathwatch, finally being shown to include members from the latter foundings, taking the fight to the orks. We have Valhallans, one of my favorite Imperial Guard regiments, selling their lives dearly against their arch-foes. The newly returned Sisters of Silence are also active during the war, and there's a palpable sense of tension and desperation, right from the very first page of "The Last Son of Dorn"...

Do you want Deathwatch? Cause that's how we got Deathwatch! In the 9th entry in "The Beast Arises" series, David Annandale explains how the iconic, elite, xeno-fighting force was originally established. At the end of the previous book, "The Beast Must Die", the forces of the Imperium have been devastated. The Orks turned out to be a much bigger threat than originally anticipated, and so Lord Commander Koorland decided to level the odds a bit. He knows that to fight the greenskin menace head on is basically a suicide, so he orders the formation of elite kill-teams. Clad in the black of mourning, these strike squads prove to be very effective against the Orks, but will their expertise be sufficent enough in defeating the xenos once and for all? Slaying xenos never looked this good! That said these iconic shoulderpads are not yet in service, as of this books' timeline. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, "Watchers in Death" finally gives us the orig...

The ploth thickens. The Imperium finally takes the fight to the greenskins, but the Beast has more than one surprise in its armored sleeve. Mankind has enough of Ork's tomfoolery and decided that it's time to strike back. With Vulkan on board, and the High Lords pacified, at least for some time, the brave defenders of the Imperium set out towards Ullanor, the seat of Beast's power, to slay the vile fiend once and for all. These series' covers are some of the best that I've ever seen. Seriously! This is Gav Thorpe's second entry in "The Beast Arises" series, and I gotta say - it's really solid. There's almost zero politics. Instead we get a non-stop action with humanity finally getting tired of the greenskins, and deciding to take the fight to their world, which was once the same planet upon which Horus became the Warmaster. From the very first chapter we see that the main hero of the book will be Vulkan himself. He's not his ...

After almost three years I've decided to finish my review of "The Beast Arises" series. I've finally managed to complete it earlier this years, and I'd love to share my opinions on the whole thing with you lot. After ""Echoes of the Long War" comes "The Hunt for Vulkan" by David Annandale. This book is almost non-stop action, as it concentrates on the last loyal Primarch who's still active in the Imperium. Koorland wants to find him to give the humans a fighting chance against the greenskins. The Lord of Drakes is kicking fungi ass on the planet Caldera, last seen in the "Promethean Sun" by Nick Kyme. Here we see that he's not holding back anymore, slaying hundreds of greenskins by himslef, like they're nothing. Annadale's portrayal of XVIIIth Legion's Primarch is primal and full of righteous fury. Fury at what happened during the Heresy of Horus. Fury at the death of his beloved brothers, and the corruptio...

This is the sixth entry in "The Beast Arises" series, and the first 40K novel by David Guymer, a Warhammer Fantasy veteran. So how well does it hold, when compared to the rest of the series? Pretty well actually, but with some minor problems here and there. Finally we've reached the half of the series, and The Beast is still doing its thing - conquering the entire galaxy. The Imperium's forces are reeling, and with endless politicking and squabbling from the High Lords, the things are looking grim indeed. However "Echoes of the Long War" concentrate on an entirely different matter - the unlikely alliance between the Fists Exemplar and the traitorous Iron Warriors. Most of the book details the interactions between Captain Zerberyn, a lotal son of Dorn, and Kalkator, Warsmith from the IVth Legion. The unlikely duo is presented much better in this book, then Kalkator-Magneric in the Throneworld, since Zerberyn is a much better developed character than ...

There's no stopping Guy Haley. The man delivers one great book, after another and "Throneworld" is no exception. This one kicks off with a bang, as Eldrad Ulthran and a band of Harleqins infiltrate the Imperial Palace to speak with the Big-E himself. It is at this point that we are aware of just how awesome and hardcore the servants of Cegorach actually are in combat. Even against enemies like the Custodian Guard, the Clowns are outright murderous. The thing that always irked me in 40K tabletop game, was the actual discord between the rules and fluff. I know that some sacrifices have to be made to make the game playable (and God Emperor knows that the current meta needs it more than ever) but honestly - Eldar players should be writing petitions to Games Workshop, asking them to buff the Harleqins, even for a hefty point increase. They're that good. Respect the Elves! After a very solid beginning and a couple of interesting revelations (Eldrad and Emps use...

"The Beast Arises" series is in full swing, and "The Last Wall" does not dissapoint. It's another solid title for fans of good, old grimdark space opera. Being the 4th title in this, so far, excellent book series, "The Last Wall" starts with an Ork moon hanging over Terra, while the High Lords argue and bicker constantly. The Throneworld's citizens are terrified and worldwide riots spread like a wildfire. The Adeptus Arbites try to impose some sort of order, but it's a futile attempt, since the planet is in the grip of a total, and all-consuming, panic. Meanwhile the Sons of Dorn are still in the middle of formulating a battle plan, that would enable them to counter the Beast's unstopabble advance, while their arch-nemesis also have to fight for their lives, against a force of xenos so brutal and cunning, that even their experiences from the Great Crusade cannot be compared to the current situation... One of the most badass covers ...

"The Beast Arises" series is getting more intense, with each new installment. In "The Emperor Expects" by Gavin Thorpe, the Imperium finally takes the fight to the Xenos. How will they fare against galaxy's deadliest alien spieces? I've written before my feelings about Gav Thorpe. He's a big hit or miss, when it comes to Black Library fiction. On one hand his "Legacy of Caliban" and Eldar books are really good, on the other he's written the horrible "Deliverance Lost", a book which drove me away from collecting and playing Raven Guard, who were once my favorite Legion/Chapter. Still, I always believed that an author can improve himself, given enough time, and I'm happy to say, that "The Emperor expects" proved me right in that matter. They've even got Stephen Lang on board for this book! I'm going to point out one thing straight awat: this book is for all those, who love ships and space battles in th...

I'm not gonna lie - I have a big faith in the new Black Library series, "The Beast Arises". First part was decent enough and showed what the Imperium looked like, a mere thousand years after the Horus Heresy. But what about its next installments? Are they just as good? I don't know anything about Gav Thorpe's "The Emperor Expects", except for the thing that the title is pretty rad, but fortunately I did finished "Predator, Prey" by Rob Sanders. Now, I always considered Sanders to be kind of a mixed bag when it comes to Black Library writers. On one hand his AdMech fiction is extremely boring, at least to me. Too long, too overblown and too stale. On the other, he penned "The Serpent Beneath", a truly fantastic Alpha Legion story, in which the XXth are shown as competent and secretive, but not in the "we can do anything because we can do anything" sort of way, like most BL authors tend to portray them. He's also respon...

Some time ago Black Library anounced the start of a new series, spanning the entire year 2016. Apparently it will concentrate on the biggest WAAAGH!!! in the history of the Imperium, right until the invasion of Ghazghkul. Every good or bad thing eventually comes to an end. The execs at Games Workshop know that and even tough they wish that Horus Heresy would go on forever and ever, one day it will end. Despite my feelings about this overblown series, I agree that when it'll finally hit the end, Black Library will be left with no strong follow up. That's why I've met the news about "The Beast arises" series with enthusiasm. Not only is it set a thousand years after the apocalyptic civil war, responsible for the grim darkness of 41st millenium, but also presents xenos as a credible threat to the Imperium, something that is less than common in Warhammer 40, 000 media lately. However there were some... troubling signs as well. Only the first book was written by...