‘Black Dawn’ & ‘The Wolf and the Rat’ – C.L. Werner (Black Library)
This should have been yesterday’s post but we all know what happened there… Right, lets have another go at writing this post… :o)
Just a couple of short stories for you today (because that’s all I was good for the other day). I’m trying to make inroads into some of the ‘non-Warhammer’ fiction on my shelves but I missed the good stuff and decided to compromise by dipping a toe into the setting. Not literally of course, dip a toe into some of those battlefields and you stand a good chance of losing your whole leg, and that’s if you’re lucky ;o)
C.L. Werner is always a safe bet for a good ‘Warhammer Fantasy’ or ‘Age of Sigmar’ read and this time, I thought I’d go for a ‘Warhammer 40K’ read of his as well. One ended up being a lot more enjoyable than the other; it’s not too hard to work out which one was which… ;o)
‘Black Dawn’ (Victories of the Space Marines)
Page Count: 31 Pages
An artefact from the Great Crusade - a bolt pistol used by Roboute Guilliman himself - is unearthed on the planet Vulscus. However, the relic may not be all that it appears, and the Inquisiton send the vicious Warbringers Space Marines to retrieve it.
Curse my inability to remember simple things. I bought ‘Black Dawn’ for a quick read on my phone, it never occurred to me that the cover looked so familiar because the ‘Victories of the Space Marines’ collection (in which it appears) is already on one of my shelves. Oh well, you can’t win em’ all and ‘Black Dawn’ wasn’t a bad read for a quick lunch break; short, sharp and full of action that kept my attention.
The problem was, it wasn’t a great read either. I enjoyed the twist, in the tale, but couldn’t help thinking… If you’re an Inquisitor backed up by a number of Space Marines, you just walk into the Governor’s Palace and take the pistol, ‘show of absolute power’ and all that. It all looked cool but was there any need for infiltration followed by a full on assault? Even Space Marines need to let loose sometimes but this just felt a bit forced.
I’ve read better tales, that I ended up sleeping through, so credit is due to ‘Black Dawn’ for doing just what I needed it to. It just felt a little disjointed though and that was a shame.
‘The Wolf and the Rat’
Page Count: 25 Pages
Radukar's tyrannical rule of Ulfenkarn does not go unopposed. Many wish to see the Wolf destroyed, and not all of his foes are found among the living.
From within his own Thirsting Court a conspiracy is hatched to draw him into a trap, where a tenacious enemy from his past lies in wait…
Now this was more like it :o) I’d enjoyed ‘Cursed City’ so had a good feeling about ‘The Wolf and the Rat’. I wasn’t disappointed.
Werner takes everything that was great about ‘Cursed City’ and distils into a tale that’s a fraction of the length. The City of Ulfenkarn is as grim and foreboding as ever and while Radukar leaves you in no doubt as to what he is, his presence is such that you can’t help but want him to win through anyway. The outcome may not be in doubt but the way it’s achieved (a mix of physical and mental power) makes for a gripping read. I’m very glad I made time for ‘The Wolf and the Rat’ and if this leads into more books set in Ulfenkarn, I wouldn’t say no ;o)
Just a couple of short stories for you today (because that’s all I was good for the other day). I’m trying to make inroads into some of the ‘non-Warhammer’ fiction on my shelves but I missed the good stuff and decided to compromise by dipping a toe into the setting. Not literally of course, dip a toe into some of those battlefields and you stand a good chance of losing your whole leg, and that’s if you’re lucky ;o)
C.L. Werner is always a safe bet for a good ‘Warhammer Fantasy’ or ‘Age of Sigmar’ read and this time, I thought I’d go for a ‘Warhammer 40K’ read of his as well. One ended up being a lot more enjoyable than the other; it’s not too hard to work out which one was which… ;o)
‘Black Dawn’ (Victories of the Space Marines)
Page Count: 31 Pages
An artefact from the Great Crusade - a bolt pistol used by Roboute Guilliman himself - is unearthed on the planet Vulscus. However, the relic may not be all that it appears, and the Inquisiton send the vicious Warbringers Space Marines to retrieve it.
Curse my inability to remember simple things. I bought ‘Black Dawn’ for a quick read on my phone, it never occurred to me that the cover looked so familiar because the ‘Victories of the Space Marines’ collection (in which it appears) is already on one of my shelves. Oh well, you can’t win em’ all and ‘Black Dawn’ wasn’t a bad read for a quick lunch break; short, sharp and full of action that kept my attention.
The problem was, it wasn’t a great read either. I enjoyed the twist, in the tale, but couldn’t help thinking… If you’re an Inquisitor backed up by a number of Space Marines, you just walk into the Governor’s Palace and take the pistol, ‘show of absolute power’ and all that. It all looked cool but was there any need for infiltration followed by a full on assault? Even Space Marines need to let loose sometimes but this just felt a bit forced.
I’ve read better tales, that I ended up sleeping through, so credit is due to ‘Black Dawn’ for doing just what I needed it to. It just felt a little disjointed though and that was a shame.
‘The Wolf and the Rat’
Page Count: 25 Pages
Radukar's tyrannical rule of Ulfenkarn does not go unopposed. Many wish to see the Wolf destroyed, and not all of his foes are found among the living.
From within his own Thirsting Court a conspiracy is hatched to draw him into a trap, where a tenacious enemy from his past lies in wait…
Now this was more like it :o) I’d enjoyed ‘Cursed City’ so had a good feeling about ‘The Wolf and the Rat’. I wasn’t disappointed.
Werner takes everything that was great about ‘Cursed City’ and distils into a tale that’s a fraction of the length. The City of Ulfenkarn is as grim and foreboding as ever and while Radukar leaves you in no doubt as to what he is, his presence is such that you can’t help but want him to win through anyway. The outcome may not be in doubt but the way it’s achieved (a mix of physical and mental power) makes for a gripping read. I’m very glad I made time for ‘The Wolf and the Rat’ and if this leads into more books set in Ulfenkarn, I wouldn’t say no ;o)
Comments
Post a Comment