'Bloodhowl' – Chris Forrester (Black Library)


I thought the worst of the week was over but apparently, there was still time for added stress with a pet rabbit that absolutely refused to be in its cage. I don't often do this here but if you're reading this blog and you own a pet rabbit, drop me an email? I've got loads of questions for you... :o)

But anyway, back to the books.

I love to have a Black Library short story on hand for journeys to/from work as well as when I just want to take five minutes out and clear my head a little. It never fails to entertain and it's funny how reading about superhuman soldiers fighting Chaos can chill me out, just a little bit ;o) I thought I'd give 'Bloodhowl' a shot the other day as a I needed a quick read to get me down the rest of the Old Kent Road and into New Cross (plus, I never seem to read enough Space Wolves tales and there's a lot about this Marine Chapter to love). 'Bloodhowl' is only twenty nine pages long so don't expect a long post here, let me tell you about it...

Jorin Bloodhowl, Jarl of Dekk-Tra, goes in search of a pack of his wayward brothers. Seeking to bring them back to the fold of the Space Wolves or to execute them as traitors, he finds there is more than just blind obedience in the wyrd of the Rout.

For a story as short as 'Bloodhowl', there's a lot going on underneath the surface of what looks like a regular, run of the mill, scrap between Night Lords and Space Wolves. Possibly Alpha Legion as well, I wasn't sure (typical Alpha Legion...) Don't get me wrong, Forrester writes a mean scrap and you come away feeling like you've taken a few punches yourself. It is bone-crunching stuff when Astartes collide and Forrester doesn't hold back in the telling of it.

What's more interesting though is seeing the split in the Space Wolves Legion as their Primarch seems to have realised that blind obedience, and lack of thought, is part of what ultimately kicked off the Civil War with that obedience leading to resentment and ultimately... you know the rest. Astartes need to be managed a little differently if they're not going to end up traitors themselves. Russ can see this and acts accordingly, asking rather than telling his warriors to fight, relying on them to do the right thing.

What is the right thing though? This is the question that plays out between Jorin and Gunnar in a fight that is heavily signposted yet compelling none the less. And in it, we get a little hint of why the Space Wolves are the warriors they are today. Like I said, loads to think about and overall, a worthy entry to the annals of the Space Wolves. I need to read more Space Wolves stuff and if this is anything to go by, I'd like to see Chris Forrester try his hand at something longer.

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