It always rains in Nuln

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...

After reviewing the dreadful "Mordheim: Warband Skirmish" mobile game, I've decided to go for something that actually brings me joy. Something which I hold in high esteem. Something written by one of Black Library's best authors. First of all - welcome to the new "It always rains in Nuln". At least to the new layout, as it is still the same, old blog, run by the same, old geezer. I hope that you'll find this new look better and easier on the eyes (something that quite a lot of people complained about, when it came to the old layout). As for this post's main topic: "Templar" by John French is one of the best Horus Heresy stories ever written. I've listened to it at least half a dozen times (I'm a huge audiobook enthusiast and the Heresy saga really gains a lot in audio format), and it was always a pure pleasure. What's the secret behind this title? A kickass cover, for starters! Sigismund, First Captain of the Impe...

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...

Oh look, there was supposed to be a movie review here. About "Black Death". With Sean Bean. What happened? Well, since my unfortunate abduction by the strange, green-armored warriors, I was forced to write everything there is about the enigmatic XXth Legion Astartes. I already knew most of this stuff (I play them, for Throne's sake!), but there are always new things to discover, when it comes to the Sons of the Hydra. My second listen to the excellent "The Seventh Serpent" by Graham McNeill, is a great example of that. WHAT IN THE THRONE'S NAME IS HAPPENING HERE AND WHY DOES IT LOOK SO AWESOME! After the massacre at Istvaan V, the "Shattered Legions" continue their fight against the arch-traitor Horus, harassing his supply lines and causing havoc. When Cadmus Tyro, commander of the Strike Cruiser "Sisypheum", discovers a piece of intel which could potentialy lead to the downfall of one of the traitor primarchs, he decides to ac...

This post was supposed to be about the awesome "Black Death" movie with Sean Bean, but a small band of sea green-armored space marines has kidnapped me, and forced me to write a book review! Well, not a book per se. It's actually a novella, and one of my favorite Horus Heresy novellas at that! It's one of the reason why I currently have a 6000 points Alpha Legion army for Warhammer 30K, and why I love the XXth Legion so much. Without further ado, here's the review of "The Serpent Beneath" by Rob Sanders. A simple, unassuming cover. Just as planned... The story has apparently a pretty simple premise - the top secret Tenebrae 9-50 installation has been compromised and it's up to the Alpha Legion to save the day! Omegon (the lesser known Hydra twin) assembles a crack team of operatives, both from the Legion and the vast network of operatives, which the XXth cultivates for its own, nefarious use. Both the Legionaires and normal humans are a bu...

I can safely say that 2018 was very for me. Although the full summary will be written soon, I'd just like to say that I'm most happy for the bunch of interviews that I've managed to secure this year. Now it's time to present you to the last one - with David Guymer. Mr. Guymer has written a bunch of fantastic stories. He's the man who has finished the Slayer saga and pushed it into the Age of Sigmar with the "Realmslayer" audiobook, in which Gotrek is voiced by Brian Blessed himself! He's also a real Skaven aficionado and his portrayal of the Iron Warriors in "The Beast Arises" series is simply awesome. On top of all of that, he also penned the "Ferrus Manus: Gorgon of Medusa" book for the "Horus Heresy: Primarchs" series! I was very lucky to have Mr. Guymer answer a couple of my questions and so here they are, for all of you to enjoy. This is one, fine-looking cover! Xathrodox86:  I will start with a rather ob...

It's no big secret that I'm a huge audiobook fan. They've helped me escape the boredom of a long bus drive and the tedium of long house chores. However I would gladly take a year of non-stop toilet cleaning, than listen to "The Thirteenth Wolf" one more time. This is it ladies and gentlemen - the absolute worst audiobook, ever produced by the Black Library. The cover's pretty nice, tough I'm not even kidding, this thing fucking sucks. There is not a single, redeeming thing about this book, not one! You may think that I'm biased, because of who the author is but I can assure you that I'm not. Sure, Gav Thorpe single handedly made me quit collecting the Raven Guard with "Deliverance Lost", but I honestly don't think that he's a bad author. Even tough his first Raven Guard book was medicore at best, the latter titles, especially "Weregeld", were really enjoyable and he does Dark Angels exceptionally well. So I wa...

It's no big secret that I don't exactly enjoy the current iteration of WH40K. The rules are overbloated, needlessly convoluted and are favoring certain factions to the point of absurdity. Fortunately Games Workshop has announced that the 8th edition will soon hit the stores. Not only that, but a huge ammount of info has been released to the general public, including new rules and the contents of starter box. I must commend GW on their social media skills, they've really made a huge improvement in their online marketing department. Warhammer Community, answering people's questions on Facebook, Duncan's painting tips - all of these and more, are good indicators that our favorite plastic (and resin) crack dealer finally made a leap in the right direction. You magnificent bastard! Anyway, the 8th is coming and I'm super hyped for the complete rules overhaul, that it'll bring to the table. Not only they'll be easier to use, but from what we've...

Would you look at the time? It's rant-o-clock and now I'm going to speak about one of the most popular wargaming franchise ever made - Warhammer 40,000. I love WH40K. For me it's one of the most ineresting fictional settings out there. The right ammount of miliatry fiction, sci-fi, mysticism and humor, make it so goddamn awesome. It also has a major presence in popular media, like video games, which actually means that even non-players usually know what 40K is. Robbie MacNiven written in one of his blog posts that 40K is probably the biggest, fictional science fiction franchise aside from Star Wars, and I tend to agree. It's simply huge and fantastic. The world, the lore, the mythology, the endless possibilities for creating new stories and fantastic tales - Warhammer 40,000 has it all and more. I used to hate Dark Heresy with a passion, but only lately did I realised that with the ammount of background information, and the presentation of everyday life in the Imperi...

"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...