More Black Library Short Stories… ‘The Fields of Abundance’ and ‘The Dead Hours’.

Yep, I know, I did say that I’d probably be stopping the Black Library short story posts; the price of the eBooks was verging on the prohibitive and it wasn’t like I didn’t have plenty of other short story collections that I could dip in and out of. That was until yesterday though when I woke up late for work, dashed out of the house and was halfway to New Cross before I realised that I hadn’t packed a book… I do have the Kindle App though so a short browse through Amazon later, I managed to find a couple of short reads to get me to work. Let me tell you about them. Quick thoughts though because they’re (very) quick reads

 


‘The Dead Hours’ – David Guymer

In Shyish, the dread realm of Death, all must pay the Bone Tithe… but no one has told Gotrek Gurnisson that. When his aelven companion Maleneth is taken to pay Nagash his due, Gotrek swears to seek her captors and rescue her. Woe betide any – living, dead, or in-between – who dare stand in the path of his wrath.

You can’t go wrong with a bit of ‘Gotrek’ 😊 He may not do anything new but that’s kind of the whole point really isn’t it? You set him in the path of something monstrous and watch the sparks fly. And that’s what ‘The Dead Hours’ is in a nutshell. The landscape may still be new for Gotrek but getting through it still involves what he is best at. The conclusion to ‘The Dead Hours’ is very much a foregone one but it’s still fun reaching that point and I liked the thoughtful ending (what do Gotrek’s actions mean for those left behind…?) My future ‘Gotrek’ reading may have to include some more short stories if I can find them.

 


‘The Fields of Abundance’ – David Annandale

During the Horus Heresy, the warriors of the Death Guard Legion raze the cities of a Loyalist world. Throughout the devastation, First Captain Typhon mentors Legionary Nevak, opening his eyes to the glories of corruption and the exultation of massacre.

It’s been ages since I read a ‘Horus Heresy’ short story, and I have a bit of a soft spot for those lumbering plague ridden Death Guard, so ‘The Fields of Abundance’ pretty much sold itself. And it’s not a bad read either. It may look like not a lot is happening here but some pretty fundamental foundations are being laid here around the ethos of the Death Guard and how this ties in with the aims of Nurgle himself. The battle for the planet Iaspis may be done but it’s the battle for the soul of the Legion itself that is the important thing and that’s only just beginning. Annandale gradually lays this out for the reader, through Typhon’s arguments, and I couldn’t help but think that I’d like to see this argument laid out over a much longer piece. I know the Death Guard’s fall is already covered off, in ‘The Buried Dagger’ but I wouldn’t mind seeing more moments like this (leading up to that). Fingers crossed…

A decent couple of reads then that got me over the commute with the minimum of fuss and bother. Just what I was after 😊

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