‘The Devouring Void’ – Danie Ware (Black Library)


Page Count: 30 Pages

Well thank goodness that the week is over, except… it isn’t, not yet ☹ I’ve still got a few bits to do and then the weekend can properly start. In the meantime, one quick break and then I’m back into it so… Lets make good use of that time then and talk ‘The Devouring Void’. Quick thoughts, this time round, as this is a quick read.

I had some fun with Adrian Tchaikovsky’s ‘The Long and Hungry Road’, last week, so when I saw more Tyranid short stories popping up here and there, I knew I had to dive back in. Danie Ware has good form for 40K short stories so I figured I’d check out ‘The Devouring Void’ and see what Ware made of the Tyranids…

The infamous Black Ships ferry imprisoned psykers to Terra from across the Imperium, to feed the astronomican. When one Black Ship drifts too close to the edge of a hive fleet's warp-shadow, it finds itself stranded in realspace and under alien assault. With the situation dire, a dangerous imprisoned psyker offers to help their Inquisitorial captors – but dare they release the witch? And if so, will they willingly go back under lock and key?

Damn that was a fun read 😊 A tale of self-doubt and betrayal, set against a backdrop of wall to wall Tyranids with the occasional bulkhead, just to remind you that you’re actually on a Black Ship, and a hail of bullets to top things off. You can’t ask for a lot more than that, especially when your reading time is at a real premium. Okay, I feel like a bit of a dick saying it but the Inquisitor/Rogue Psyker plot didn’t quite hold its own against the relentless menace of the Tyranid invasion (and to be fair, maybe that's the whole point?) I liked the idea of an Inquisitor wracked by self-doubt (those types are normally pretty full of themselves) but the rogue psyker bit was signposted a little too clearly for me. Although, having said that… There is still room for a sweet little twist and the sheer spectacle of the finale was just awesome (would look amazing in one of those shows on Warhammer Plus).

It's the Tyranids though that drive the plot at such a frantic pace. They just don’t stop and that’s what kept me turning the pages, a heady dose of fear and adrenaline which I’m guessing is the whole point of a Tyranid story. I’m cool with that.

There’s a lot to recommend ‘The Devouring Void’ then (slightly tired grumblings to one side, it's been a long week…) I’m going to have to take a financially imposed short break from this line of stories but once payday happens, I’ll have to see if any of the other tales hold up against this one.

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