Lord Samper's Library

I’ve spent the week trying to cheer up a depressed cat (Cat 1) while trying to keep a hyperactive kitten (Cat 2) from wrecking my ex-wife’s place. Lets just say it’s easier said than done and my reading has taken a bit of a knock, just at the time when I wanted to finally finish some ‘long unfinished’ stuff before the year wraps up. Also, while I’m in a much better place than I was a couple of months ago, this year has still been one hell of a slog and I’m really (really) tired and still forgetting all sorts. Like, reading books for example :o) Oh well… I did manage to read a little yesterday and listened to a quick audio-book, both Warhammer 40K (to absolutely no-one’s surprise) Let me tell you all about it… ‘The Wrath of Kharn’ – William King (Black Library) Page Count: 15 Pages Of all the enemies that the Berzerkers of Khorne wage war against in the 41st Millennium, none are so hated by their blood-soaked god as the servants of his rival, Slaanesh. As Khârn, champion of the Blood Go...

I was going to say that I wasn’t sure how it happened but… I know exactly what happened :o) I returned to work, a few weeks ago, and then I had to sort myself out for Christmas. Nothing that I couldn’t handle but there was only room in my brain for so much so I totally forgot to keep on with my streak of buying single issue comics. Not the worst thing in the world and it ended up not really mattering anyway; I went to Forbidden Planet and found everything I needed anyway (still forgot to pick up ‘Conan the Barbarian #27’ though, stupid brain fog...) Sometimes it pays not to follow the ‘usual series’ too closely ;o) Anyway, a slightly different post from normal… With a couple of the titles, I’ll be doing ‘two issues in one’ (as it were). I’m still up to date with ‘Event Horizon: Dark Descent’ so, lets start there first… ‘Event Horizon: Dark Descent #4’ – Ward, Jones, Martin (ID Dark) ‘Event Horizon’ is a movie that just loves to get right in your face and shock; one of those moments (t...

Page Count: 139 Pages Ah… We meet again, that ‘strange time between Christmas and New Year’ :o) Those weird days where if you’re at work, no-one else is and if you’re not at work, you’re starting to grow weary of mince pies. Or if you’re me, you’re looking after the cats while your ex-wife and daughters are away. Luckily, Cat 1 hates Cat 2 more than me, at the moment so the best way to describe things is ‘an uneasy truce’ :o) I do Cat 1 a favour and get out for a couple of hours, each day, which is how I eventually found myself in Marchpane Books (the other day) and when I left, you guessed it… I had my own copy of ‘Doctor Who and the Sea-Devils’. That is what Christmas money is for, collecting old books that I used to read when I was a lot younger :o) Funnily enough, I can’t actually remember reading ‘The Sea Devils’, as a boy, but the law of averages would suggest that I more than likely did. Either way, I have read Malcolm Hulke’s ‘The Cave Monsters’ (and seen the TV serial, kind of...

There is nothing better in life (sorry Conan, it’s true…) than waking up late, and not having to jump straight out of bed, because it’s the first day of your Christmas Break. The rest of the day didn’t quite hit those heights but I’m a little bit closer to being sorted, for Christmas, so I’m taking it as a win :o) While I wasn’t out and about, doing Christmas stuff/picking up more tablets/eating a really nice burger, I took some time out to make a dent in my mini ‘ComicBook TBR Pile’ . Two books down now, one all apocalyptic and the other set in a franchise that I don’t normally read at all… ‘Crossed: Volume 1’ – Ennis, Burrows (Avatar) A world like this, it finds a way to damn us all… In the blink of an eye, humanity is lost. The Crossed are upon us. Men, women and children alike fall victim to the mystery infection that makes killers out of parents and rapists out of lovers. Ruthless, beserk and evil beyond measure, these cackling demons spread their plague across the Earth – until o...

  Page Count: 117 Pages We’ve all been there… You order a few Christmas presents, online, and because you’re feeling pleased with yourself for finally getting round to it, you order yourself a little something as well. It would be rude not to, you deserve it ;o) That was me the other day, after finally figuring out some tricky purchases. While I’d been doing that, I’d also been reading through Jim McLeod’s ‘Favourite Horror Books of 2025’ and the inevitable happened. Jim knows his horror and you’d be daft not to listen to his recommendations; that’s how a copy of ‘The Hamlet’ ended up on my doorstep yesterday. I had my daughters over so I wasn’t able to finish ‘The Hamlet’ in one sitting, there was never any doubt that I wouldn’t finish it before the day was out though, thanks Jim ;o) Screens go blank, radios go silent, and the government advises everyone to stay indoors. The residents of a rural Scottish community abandon their picnics and return home. Everyone can sense that som...

  Page Count: 123 Pages I know… Yesterday, I absolutely said that there might not be that many posts this side of Christmas but then I spent the rest of the day reading. What can I say (other than that I’m really enjoying my reading at the moment)? ;o) Anyway, it felt like it had been a while since I’d picked a read from the ‘Classic Doctor Who’ novelization TBR pile so I did something about that yesterday afternoon. One of my earliest memories of ‘Doctor Who’ is watching ‘Full Circle’ and being scared to death by the marsh-men (I was five, that’s the whole point of ‘Doctor Who’ when you’re five…); I’ll be honest, I can’t remember if I’ve read the book (prior to yesterday) so it felt like a good time to (finally?) give it a go… Romana has been recalled to Gallifrey by the Time Lords – a summons that cannot be ignored, despite her extreme reluctance to give up the freedom and excitement that life as the Doctor’s companion has brought. The time travellers’ course is set, the flight p...

I’m not quite sure where yesterday went but there wasn’t a lot of time left for reading by the end of it; and even then, I kept falling asleep in my chair. Oh well :o) It’s at times like this when I’m glad that my Kindle app is always handily stocked with some short reads. I’ll always be a ‘paperback guy’ (especially since I finally got my glasses sorted out…) but the Kindle is a nice little backup. And reading is like exercise, do a little bit every day and it keeps your brain healthy ;o) A couple of Black Library ‘short reads’ then because, of course they were. It’s the end of a hard year, I’m really tired and more than ever, I’m after reads that will entertain. Did I get that this time? I think so... ‘Sarcophagus’ (David Annandale) Page Count: 26 Pages Trapped in an overturned tank after being caught in a bombing run on Armageddon, Commissar Sebastian Yarrick fights to escape and return to his forces, but as he emerges, he finds himself surrounded by greenskin foes. Can the Old Man ...

I’ve had a good run of books that entertained and made me want to keep turning those pages but, it had to end at some point :o) It happens and because I want this blog to be about all the books I read (not just the ones I enjoy), it’s time for another ‘DNF’ post. This time, it’s a book that I packed for a bus ride to Bromley but couldn’t continue with on the way back. They were caught in the ultimate trap. They faced the ultimate terror. Five men and one beautiful woman. Marooned on a floating island of arctic ice. Together they had the equipment and skills to fight the freezing cold, the violently savage storms. Then suddenly from the angry seas the jaws of horror opened wide as nature's deadliest creature rose from the depths — a huge killer whale of enormous intelligence, incredible power, indestructible endurance, ravenous for human prey.… Maybe I’m spending too much time in my own head right now (entirely possible) but just recently, I’ve been wondering if there is such a t...

It’s a quick post today… Yesterday, I went out for a spot of Christmas Shopping, in Bromley, and not only did I find nothing (nine days to go...) but the book I took with me (to read on the bus) really didn’t work out, not for a ‘bus read’ anyway. Not sure if it’s a ‘DNF’ or not, I might pick it up again, but it left me looking at a trip home with nothing to read so… Just before I caught the bus home, I popped into ‘Piranha Comics’, just on the off-chance that the latest instalment of ‘Event Horizon: Dark Descent’ was out. It wasn’t but I did find a couple of comics to read on the way home. And here is where I tell you about them… :o) ‘The Terminator: Santa Claus Is Coming To Town’ – Ganucheau, Goode (Dynamite) Because look at that cover, I just had to buy it. Don’t tell me you wouldn’t have done the same ;o) I love that there was a meeting, presumably, where Paulina Ganucheau pitched the idea ‘What if it’s Christmas Eve and a Terminator materializes outside a fancy-dress store where o...

  Page Count: 237 Pages So I’m on a ‘phased return to work’ right now and what that means is that I spend half the day at my desk and the other half is spent in my comfy chair, sometimes watching a movie but more often than not, reading :o) It’s been lovely actually, definitely a good way to get back into the swing of it after some time out. Yesterday afternoon (and a small part of yesterday evening) was the result of another trip to my shelves to pick a book that I’d bought and really should have read by now. This time round, I went for ‘A Nest of Nightmares’; I don’t think I’ve come across a bad Valancourt Horror/’Paperbacks from Hell’ book yet so I had a feeling that reading this book would be time well spent :o) And… Not every short story, in this collection, found its mark but that was never going to happen to be fair (law of averages and all that); there was definitely plenty here to unsettle and disturb though. In Lisa Tuttle’s stories, the everyday domestic world of her fe...

  Page Count: 244 Pages (give or take a page or two, I read it in the ‘First Omnibus’ and my maths is never entirely trustworthy) I went through a phase of collecting the ‘Gotrek and Felix’ novels, a few years ago, and then, true to form, I popped a large number of them on the shelf and never picked them up. I can tell you’re surprised ;o) Well, Christmas is looming, and that is traditionally the time of relatively easy-going comfort reads, so I thought I’d dig out those books and add them into what currently passes for my TBR pile (lets just say that it’s in a constant state of flux…) I’ll read the first three in order, I have the ‘First Omnibus’ edition, and after that, it will go by the books that I was able to collect. Lets see how it goes :o) On that note, lets talk a little about ‘Trollslayer’… Gotrek and Felix: unsung heroes of the Empire or nothing more than common thieves and murderers? The truth perhaps lies somewhere in between and depends entirely upon who you ask… Afte...

  Page Count: 294 Pages You may have noticed (you may not, I don’t mind) but I’m trying to be a little better at actually reading the books I’ve picked up this year. I know, there’s also a whole load of books from last year (and before that…) but you know, baby steps ;o) I’m working half days at the moment (it’s a phased return to work) and it’s been really nice to just turn my work laptop off and spend the afternoon in the comfy chair with a book. ‘Broken Crusade’ caught my eye yesterday and once I’d got some ‘Christmas stuff’ sorted out, off I went… On the fringes of the Cicatrix Maledictum, the Black Templars of the Second Dorean Crusade tear through the void to join the crusade fleet on the sands of Tempest – an ancient, storied shrine world. Assailed by the murderous warbands of the Blood God, the crusade has come to burn the planet clean of the Ruinous Powers once and for all. But when a violent warp storm scatters the fleet, the Dauntless Honour is left battered and alone ...

  Page Count: 205 Pages In today’s episode of ‘Graeme knows less than he thought he did’… I’ve got vague memories of ‘Carnosaur’ being a movie from the nineties; I didn’t realise it was a book as well. I’m not a hundred percent sure what led me to the book, in the end, but I found it on Amazon and seeing as I’ve enjoyed other books by Harry Adam Knight, I couldn’t help but pick a copy up for myself. Sometimes that’s all the encouragement I need ;o) Before I get started on the book itself, thanks need to be directed to Valancourt Books for publishing this edition. I was too young to get my hands on this, as a kid, and now I’m (a lot) older, I find myself absolutely unable to afford an original copy. I still got to read it though so, thanks for that Valancourt ;o) Anyway… Nothing much ever happens in the sleepy English town of Warchester. So when a farmer is found savagely killed in some sort of animal attack, it’s a big story for local reporter David Pascal. The rich and eccentric S...

The first couple of days back have gone ok, can’t ask for a lot more than that really :o) Now I just need to get my Christmas Shopping in order and I think we’re all good (fingers crossed). When your twelve year old daughter has no idea what she wants though, there will be twists and turns to come… Anyway, this is another of those posts where I round up all the little bits and pieces I’ve read over the last few days. I wouldn’t be surprised if there are a few more of these to come as I fit blogging round my return to work. Lets see how it goes. For now then, lets take a quick look at what I mentioned in the title… ‘Honour to the Dead’ – Gav Thorpe (Black Library) Run Time: 1 Hour, 14 Minutes As Calth burns, the Battle Titans of the Fire Masters legion take to the streets of the city of Ithraca, ready to massacre the fleeing civilian population in the name of their new, dark masters. But the remaining loyalist engines of the Legio Praesagius - the True Messengers - still stand ready to...

  Page Count: 412 Pages It’s the time of year again (i.e. right at the end) where my thoughts turn towards a little re-reading. Look, this year has been a bit of a slog and I’m basically winding down a bit, I’ve earned it ;o) Anyway… I’ve been hovering around the end of the ‘Horus Heresy’ & ‘Siege of Terra’ series’ for a while and it felt like time to go back to the beginning and re-read at least the first few books (my collection has a few, expensive, gaps in it). This is definitely a series with more ‘hits’ than ‘misses’ for me, and it is a re-read, so you might want to bear that in mind as you go through this post, I’ll try and be objective :o) At the dawn of the 31st Millennium, the Imperium of Man has reasserted its dominance over the galaxy. It is a golden age of rediscovery and conquest, and the Emperor’s Great Crusade has placed his superhuman primarch sons at the head of the mighty Space Marine Legions – the most powerful military force ever assembled. Newly promoted t...

I’m not sure how this week is going to pan out on the blog, lets see what happens… After a couple of months out, I’m back at work (albeit on half days for the next couple of weeks) and my head needs to be all about getting back up to speed etc. I’ve been enjoying my blogging though and I don’t want to let that slide so… You probably won’t see as many books read, maybe more short stories and comics will creep back in? I don’t know; like I said, lets see what happens next ;o) It feels like a while since anything ‘Age of Sigmar’ has featured here, it has definitely been a while since I read any ‘Gotrek’ so I thought I’d kick off the week by combining the two and having a quick look at a couple of tales that have been lurking on my Kindle App for a little while. And both of them are from solid contributors to this particular branch of the ‘Age of Sigmar’ setting, can’t go wrong with that… Can you? Lets see... ‘One, Untended’ – David Guymer (Black Library) Page Count: 29 Pages When a child...

  This week has ended up being great for reading; not just the books I went for either (well, ‘The Star Beast’ to one side…), things seem to be settling down a bit and I can now actually focus on what’s on the page :o) To balance things out a little, I’m back at work next week (fingers crossed) and I suspect that won’t be such a good time for reading. Lets see how that pans out… Anyway! Horror has really worked for me this week and ‘The Captive’ has been popping out of various TBR piles in the flat (giving me those reproachful looks) so I put the two together and settled down for a read. Underground revolutionary group, The Nail, and their newest member, Luke have kidnapped 23-year-old heiress Adeline Woolsaw, whose wealthy parents run the Woolsaw Group, a vast outsourcing company. They run everything from prisons and hospitals to military bases – quietly suffocating the country with the help of powerful friends in government. The Nail’s plan: to use the kidnapping to draw attent...

  Page Count: 149 Pages A life-changing encounter. A fugitive from the stars. Wrathful warriors in pursuit. Landing on Earth, the Doctor finds a stranded alien in need of protection – and is dragged headlong into the life of his old friend Donna Noble, knowing that if she ever remembers their time together, she will die… Just a quick one today as I had my Covid vaccination yesterday and I’m feeling pretty rough with it right now. It’s worth it though :o) I will never say no to a ‘Doctor Who’ tie-in novelization, even if I wasn’t too keen on the original TV episode… And that is where I found myself with ‘The Star Beast’. The book works fine, I’m just not so keen on the story. Does that even make any sense? I’ll try and explain myself… As a tie-in novelization, ‘The Star Beast’ works just fine, laying out what happens and fleshing things out enough that you’re not left wondering why you didn’t just stick with watching it on TV. And that’s all you can ask for really, for the book n...

  Page Count: 393 Pages I’m not sure what happened to my TBR pile this week… I did have plans to keep working through it but somehow ended up travelling down the ‘Horror Road’ instead. That’s the way it goes sometimes, just remember to never take a road trip with me ;o) I’m half serious by the way, ask my ex-wife how good I am with a map. Anyway… My reading seems to be all about the Apocalypse this week ( humorous or otherwise ) so when I remembered that ‘Wake Up And Open Your Eyes’ was hidden in a pile of books, I dug it out and settled down for a quiet read. Let me tell you all about it… Noah Fairchild has been losing his formerly polite Southern parents to far-right cable news for years, so when his mother leaves him a voicemail warning him that the “Great Reckoning” is here, he assumes it’s related to one of the many conspiracy theories she believes in. But when his own phone calls go unanswered, Noah makes the long drive from Brooklyn to Richmond, Virginia. There, he discove...