A Couple of Short Stories…
Because yesterday was a bit crazy and didn’t leave me with much time for reading in the evening. A couple of short stories and that was about it. Today looks very likely to go in the same direction (hospital appointment and a lot of work to catch up on all at the same time) so while I have a few minutes spare, let me tell you about last night’s reading. One good and one, erm… not so good, lets do the ‘not so good’ first. Here goes…
‘Embers of Extinction (The Horus Heresy Primarchs)’ – Brandon Easton (Black Library)
For many long years, Perturabo has harboured a grudge against his primarch brother Rogal Dorn. With the outset of the Horus Heresy, he has a chance to finally avenge himself against Dorn and his Imperial Fists – but the disastrous Battle of Phall has just embittered him further. Determined to slake his thirst for revenge, Perturabo sets his Iron Warriors on a mission to devastate Dorn's sons… at any cost.
I’ve only ever come across Perturabo as a supporting character (which is kind of ironic when you think about it, ‘story of his life’ and all that…) so the thought of him having a tale all to himself was definitely intriguing. And yes, the cover art definitely helped me make my mind up, it’s brilliant isn’t it? :o)
Getting into it though… ‘Embers of Extinction’ isn’t a bad tale but there isn’t a lot of point to it (Perturabo loses a space battle and takes it out on some Imperial Fist stragglers, okay...) and our Primarch is far too petulant to be interesting. Here, Perturabo shows his talent for war but the chip on his shoulder is so big that he can’t even deliver the motivational speech about ‘Iron’ to his Astartes without getting all wound up. And maybe that’s the whole point of ‘Embers’ but for me, it was a frustrating read that offered little insight into Perturabo (other than that he’s clearly trying to break a record for the Imperiums Longest Sulk…) but did leave me wondering just what the Emperor’s plan for Perturabo was, other than to send him to his room until he gets his head straight…
‘Empty Nest’ – Brian Keene (From 'Aliens: Bug Hunt', Titan Books)
I’m not sure if you can find this story anywhere else but it’s definitely in the ‘Aliens: Bug Hunt’ collection ;o) And one day, I really must stop buying anthologies just because they have one story in that I really want to read… Not today though ;o)
Anyway…
Lance Corporal Lombardo thinks that staring down the inhabitants of a xenomorph hive is the absolute worst that his day can throw at him. At least he’s still breathing, which is more than can be said for the rest of his squad. Things are about to get a lot worse though…
This was more like it, much more like it. Keene has a good track record of telling taut tales of terror and that is just the skill set a writer needs if they are going to write in the ‘Aliens’ universe. Keene sticks to what he is good at and ‘Empty Nest’ is all the better for it with some classic jump-scares (delivered in the best traditions of the movies) rounded off with a twist that is all Keene. Add some ‘Colonial Marine Firepower’ to the mix and the end result is just like watching this story in the cinema.
Maybe I should give the rest of the collection a go...
‘Embers of Extinction (The Horus Heresy Primarchs)’ – Brandon Easton (Black Library)
For many long years, Perturabo has harboured a grudge against his primarch brother Rogal Dorn. With the outset of the Horus Heresy, he has a chance to finally avenge himself against Dorn and his Imperial Fists – but the disastrous Battle of Phall has just embittered him further. Determined to slake his thirst for revenge, Perturabo sets his Iron Warriors on a mission to devastate Dorn's sons… at any cost.
I’ve only ever come across Perturabo as a supporting character (which is kind of ironic when you think about it, ‘story of his life’ and all that…) so the thought of him having a tale all to himself was definitely intriguing. And yes, the cover art definitely helped me make my mind up, it’s brilliant isn’t it? :o)
Getting into it though… ‘Embers of Extinction’ isn’t a bad tale but there isn’t a lot of point to it (Perturabo loses a space battle and takes it out on some Imperial Fist stragglers, okay...) and our Primarch is far too petulant to be interesting. Here, Perturabo shows his talent for war but the chip on his shoulder is so big that he can’t even deliver the motivational speech about ‘Iron’ to his Astartes without getting all wound up. And maybe that’s the whole point of ‘Embers’ but for me, it was a frustrating read that offered little insight into Perturabo (other than that he’s clearly trying to break a record for the Imperiums Longest Sulk…) but did leave me wondering just what the Emperor’s plan for Perturabo was, other than to send him to his room until he gets his head straight…
‘Empty Nest’ – Brian Keene (From 'Aliens: Bug Hunt', Titan Books)
I’m not sure if you can find this story anywhere else but it’s definitely in the ‘Aliens: Bug Hunt’ collection ;o) And one day, I really must stop buying anthologies just because they have one story in that I really want to read… Not today though ;o)
Anyway…
Lance Corporal Lombardo thinks that staring down the inhabitants of a xenomorph hive is the absolute worst that his day can throw at him. At least he’s still breathing, which is more than can be said for the rest of his squad. Things are about to get a lot worse though…
This was more like it, much more like it. Keene has a good track record of telling taut tales of terror and that is just the skill set a writer needs if they are going to write in the ‘Aliens’ universe. Keene sticks to what he is good at and ‘Empty Nest’ is all the better for it with some classic jump-scares (delivered in the best traditions of the movies) rounded off with a twist that is all Keene. Add some ‘Colonial Marine Firepower’ to the mix and the end result is just like watching this story in the cinema.
Maybe I should give the rest of the collection a go...
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