‘The Convocation’ – Tammy Nicholls (Black Library)


Yesterday was one of those days and it looks like today is shaping up for more of the same 😊 Oh well, only a few hours to go until it’s the weekend… It’s pretty clear then there hasn’t been a lot of time for reading (especially when I’m still trying to get through Duncan McGeary’s ‘Snowcastles’, that’s a story for another day though) so, in the short space of time between getting the bus home from work and falling asleep on that bus, I thought I’d give ‘The Convocation’ a go. The promise of a bulk freighter brimming over with Genestealers was all it took. Quick thoughts on a quick read…

When an Imperial Navy team uncovers a Genestealer infestation upon a bulk freighter, they must move quickly to cleanse the alien taint. As the struggle escalates, it soon becomes clear that the ship is completely compromised – a motherlode of xenos corruption, eager to spread to new worlds. With time running short, they'll need desperate measures to contain the nightmare aboard.

The whole point of WH40K fiction is to sell the games (at least, that’s what it feels like, doesn’t stop me reading the books though) so you have to expect that to come through a little bit. Having said that, ‘The Convocation’ does feel like a bit of a ‘Kill Team’ advert in the early stages. And you know what? That’s ok. When you’ve got a story that’s only 32 pages long, which has to deliver it’s plot quickly, it’s going to come across like a game that’s meant to be played out fairly quickly. It may also be that I’ve never read a ‘Navy Breacher’ 40K tale until now. Either way, it’s not a dealbreaker as things ramp up very quickly into a flurry of Genestealers, cultists and betrayal, all of which is delivered perfectly. That’s what I came for and that’s exactly what I got, made all the more intense by Nicholl’s great use of all those cramped spaces which may have nothing at all in them… Or may be full of claws and teeth.

I did fall asleep on the bus but not until I’d finished ‘The Convocation’, which I think would make a great animation on Warhammer+ and was just a fun read overall. It feels like it’s impossible to pick a bad Black Library short story, these days, but I think ‘The Convocation’ was particularly good.

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