‘Choke Point’ and ‘Grey Angel’ (Black Library)
Not a lot of reading happened yesterday; mostly because I had my daughters over, partly because I was trying to get work done but ultimately because it was too damn hot… This Graeme does not do well in the heat and we’re only half-way(ish) through June :o( Oh well, fingers crossed that things cool down a bit.
I did get a little reading done though, not much but it counts :o) I’ve always got at least a couple of Black Library short stories on standby and when everything finally calmed down last night, it seemed like the right time to read a couple. Let me tell you about them…
‘Choke Point’ – Mike Brooks
Page Count: 28 Pages
For three weeks, the battered remnants of the Kilgannor 27th Astra Militarum have held the line against the frenzied assaults of Waaagh! Zogreb. Now, deliverance arrives in the form of Commissar Dorin and his troopers, Militarum Tempestus of the famed Delphic Lions. But survival is not enough… When the commissar drafts Lieutenant Kaseen and his surviving soldiers into a dangerous mission that could change the tide of battle, the Kilgannor troopers face victory… or death.
I don’t generally tend to read ‘Ork Books’ as a rule. No idea why, just seems to be the direction that my Warhammer 40K reading takes me in. ‘Choke Point’ felt like an ideal detour then and I’m glad that I took it.
I know Warhammer 40K is heavy on the combat (for obvious reasons) but I don’t think I’ve ever read an example of warfare, in the forty first millennium, that is as brutal and relentless as ‘Choke Point’. It just doesn’t stop which is probably fair enough when you have two factions that absolutely will not quit until the other side are all dead. The end result is a high stakes tale that tears along at a ferocious pace and had me completely engaged the whole time, right up until the neatly done ‘double ending’. Maybe I should read more 40K with Orks in it.
‘Grey Angel’ – John French
Page Count: 22 Pages
On a distant world of the Imperium, an agent of Rogal Dorn finds himself the prisoner of a Legion whose loyalties may be divided. Shackled and bound, the former Luna Wolf must fight a battle of wits with his captor, lest the course of the Horus Heresy take an unexpected turn. Will his very presence drive his erstwhile allies into the arms of the Warmaster or will maintaining the status quo prevent another Legion from turning traitor? And just who is the mysterious Space Marine aiding him from the shadows?
Not a bad story but also clearly one of those ‘Horus Heresy’ tales that are there to plug in every single little gap, in the overall narrative, and as you know, I’m not a huge fan of those. Sometimes, it’s nice to have a little mystery at the edges of the plot, that might just be me though.
Also, ‘Grey Angel’ is very much a tale that Dark Angels fans will get the most out of and I haven’t read much ‘Dark Angels’ stuff at all. That’s not ‘Grey Angel’s’ fault but I felt like I was at a disadvantage. Your mileage will vary.
But like I said, not a bad tale though with the welcome return of a favourite character of mine doing what he does best. I’m just not sure that I was the intended audience.
I did get a little reading done though, not much but it counts :o) I’ve always got at least a couple of Black Library short stories on standby and when everything finally calmed down last night, it seemed like the right time to read a couple. Let me tell you about them…
Page Count: 28 Pages
For three weeks, the battered remnants of the Kilgannor 27th Astra Militarum have held the line against the frenzied assaults of Waaagh! Zogreb. Now, deliverance arrives in the form of Commissar Dorin and his troopers, Militarum Tempestus of the famed Delphic Lions. But survival is not enough… When the commissar drafts Lieutenant Kaseen and his surviving soldiers into a dangerous mission that could change the tide of battle, the Kilgannor troopers face victory… or death.
I don’t generally tend to read ‘Ork Books’ as a rule. No idea why, just seems to be the direction that my Warhammer 40K reading takes me in. ‘Choke Point’ felt like an ideal detour then and I’m glad that I took it.
I know Warhammer 40K is heavy on the combat (for obvious reasons) but I don’t think I’ve ever read an example of warfare, in the forty first millennium, that is as brutal and relentless as ‘Choke Point’. It just doesn’t stop which is probably fair enough when you have two factions that absolutely will not quit until the other side are all dead. The end result is a high stakes tale that tears along at a ferocious pace and had me completely engaged the whole time, right up until the neatly done ‘double ending’. Maybe I should read more 40K with Orks in it.
Page Count: 22 Pages
On a distant world of the Imperium, an agent of Rogal Dorn finds himself the prisoner of a Legion whose loyalties may be divided. Shackled and bound, the former Luna Wolf must fight a battle of wits with his captor, lest the course of the Horus Heresy take an unexpected turn. Will his very presence drive his erstwhile allies into the arms of the Warmaster or will maintaining the status quo prevent another Legion from turning traitor? And just who is the mysterious Space Marine aiding him from the shadows?
Not a bad story but also clearly one of those ‘Horus Heresy’ tales that are there to plug in every single little gap, in the overall narrative, and as you know, I’m not a huge fan of those. Sometimes, it’s nice to have a little mystery at the edges of the plot, that might just be me though.
Also, ‘Grey Angel’ is very much a tale that Dark Angels fans will get the most out of and I haven’t read much ‘Dark Angels’ stuff at all. That’s not ‘Grey Angel’s’ fault but I felt like I was at a disadvantage. Your mileage will vary.
But like I said, not a bad tale though with the welcome return of a favourite character of mine doing what he does best. I’m just not sure that I was the intended audience.
Comments
Post a Comment