'Perfection and Pain' - Jude Reid, 'Magisterium' - Chris Wraight, 'Blood Games' - Dan Abnett (Black Library)

It has been one of those weeks but it's the start of a four day weekend so I'm happy :o) I'm posting a little later than normal today because I'll be honest, I slept in and when I woke up, proceeded to go back to sleep and then sleep in a little more. Just what the doctor ordered, that and some McDonalds ;o)

This week feels like it has been a little heavy on the Black Library short stories; I'll try and change it up a little, next week, but for now, we're going to round off this week with a little more of the same. I wasn't up for an awful lot this morning so polished off the following short stories while I woke up...

When Tamaris of the Blades, Legionary of the Emperor’s Children, has his treasury raided by Drukhari, he makes it a point of pride to reclaim his relics single-handedly. But as he boards their ship, it is revealed to be a trap, and he soon finds himself a spectacle to the cruel xenos in their fighting pits. However, there are bargains to be made with his scheming captors, and a slim chance of greater glory…

I wouldn't say I've read loads of Warhammer 40K stuff but I've read my fair share and one group that I've never really made the acquaintance of is the Emperor's Children traitor marines. Possibly because their reputation preceded them and I didn't want to be seen reading 'one of those books' on the train? Maybe ;o) All that to one side, I've thoroughly enjoyed reading Jude Reid's 40K stuff so when I saw that 'Fulgrim: The Perfect Son' is out soon, I thought I'd take a chance on 'Perfection and Pain' and...

It was a move that worked out :o) While I'm sure that the Emperor's Children have their, erm... moments, I actually preferred seeing these pushed to the side in favour of the pursuit of perfection that drives Tamaris. There's a nice mix here of what originally drove the Emperor's Children along with how it motivates them now in a quest for pure sensation. A little hint of tragedy then but enough evil in Tamaris that I was keen to see where he took it. And when you're up against the Drukhari... Nothing is ever certain and that was great for me. I couldn't put this one down until I was done and now I've got high hopes for 'The Perfect Son'.


The Webway War is over, the Custodian Guard devastated by the daemonic hordes that flooded the lower reaches of the Imperial Palace. Constantin Valdor, commander of the Emperor's Guard, stands at the head of his fellows, but in conflict with the Lord Commander of the Imperium, the primarch Rogal Dorn. And it is not the first time Valdor, the Emperor's magisterium, has found himself pitted against a primarch. His memories of Prospero are all too fresh…

This isn't so much a story as it is one of those 'gap fillers' that bridge the main events of the series. 'Magisterium' is no less interesting for that though as we see the aftermath of a battle that has shaken the Legio Custodes to its core and left the remainder of its force severely weakened and unable to leave the Palace. Watching the unflappable Constantin Valdor come to terms with his Legios new status is as compelling as you'd think.


Amon Tauromachian, one of the Emperor’s elite Custodian Guard, returns to the Imperial Palace after a year on one of the Blood Games by which these exalted heroes train. Tasked with a new mission, he is sent to the hives of Hy Brasil to check on the loyalty of a notorious troublemaker. With the galaxy at war and half the Imperium’s armies in rebellion, any hint of heresy on the Throneworld must be stamped out. Amon’s mission draws him into a web of deceit and betrayal, where no one can be trusted and nothing is at it seems. Can he unravel the truth and secure Terra for the Emperor?

I don't want to give too much away with this one as the mission into Hy Brasil is worth going into fresh. What I will say though is that the Blood Games piece was fantastic. The conclusion is never in doubt but Abnett really makes you think that it could be. I like 'Horus Heresy' and '40K' stories that take a step back from the eternal struggle and show you what is happening on Terra (an eternal struggle in itself); 'Blood Games' is a great example of this.

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