'Runner' – Alan Bao (Black Library)



Because I can't actually remember the last time I picked up a book and read it for the blog... Ok, I just checked and it was only a few days go but there's so much going on right now that it feels like a lot longer. I need a holiday, I really need a holiday...
Right, self indulgent moan over, lets look at the book shall we...?

I've been keen to check out some Warhammer Horror (it's Warhammer and it's horror, what's not to like?) but I couldn't help but wonder whether the line is already redundant. I mean, surely the whole point of Warhammer ('Age of Sigmar' or 'Warhammer 40K') is that it's already all about the horror? There's horrifying stuff in the Mortal Realms and there's certainly horror in the realms of the Warp, you can't really get much more 'horror' than that so why is Warhammer trying to push it further. I don't know but as a fan of both Warhammer 40K and horror, I was interested to see where it would all end up.
What I'll say is that while there isn't much to suggest that 'Runner' is any more 'horror' than other Warhammer 40K books, it is very well written and well worth your time picking up (if you have a Kindle, it's eBook only here, anyway...)

The enemy are coming. A trooper of the Astra Militarum vanguard, his identity long since lost in the maelstrom of war, is sent to the main force with a message. He is chosen for his skills – he is the Runner, the best in the force. If anyone can bring aid to battle the warp-spawned contagions the unit faces, it is him. Yet as he runs, he is plagued by visions of friends and family long lost. As reality and memory blur into one, the Runner nears his goal – but does he carry the means of salvation, or death?
Wow, 'Runner' was good. I didn't have massive expectations, I was just after something to take my mind off things for a little bit. But I ended up tearing through it in one quick read (and at thrity four pages, it is a very quick read) because it was that well written. The ending is no surprise at all (it was the only way to round things off when Nurgle is involved) but that’s ok, this book is more about the journey than the destination and that journey is a great one to take if you’re a fan of the Plague God or just horror in general.
There, I said it, ‘Runner’ is a horror story. I still don’t know if ‘Warhammer Horror’ needs to be a thing but ‘Runner’ is a story that needs to be told.

‘Runner’ starts out as almost a ghost story and uses this to build the tension up; we know something horrible is coming and Bao hints at it just enough to make turning pages a little bit scary but really easy to do. As we find out more about our runner… Well, that makes page turning even easier. Our runner is a good man caught up in an evil situation and we all know what that means in any horror story… So yep, his fate is signposted a little too clearly (although his gradual deterioration is masterfully portrayed) but that’s almost besides the point here. The true horror lies with the glimpse that Bao gives us into the depths of Nurgle’s home in the warp and what really lies behind that friendly façade. It’s as horrifying as you’d expect but again, masterfully portrayed by Bao.

The final scenes are brilliant, exactly what you would expect for this setting but with a hint of tenderness that accentuates the horror of what is happening. ‘Runner’ is a story that suffers a little from the limitations of its setting but rises above this to give us a story of creeping dread that bursts (quite literally, I think) into moments of ‘body horror’ that this gore fan really enjoyed. I’m hoping to see more of Bao in future Black Library publications, I think he could be a really good fit here.

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