2019 Steam Summer Sale: 11 Excellent Games For Under £5.00 - Wadjet Eye Games Edition

It's that time of year again! As people delve into their wallets and hunt around for games which they have had their eye on for a while, Steam becomes flooded with new discounts. It's a time for buying, searching and, in my case, to highlight overlooked modern gems.

While more than a few buyers tend to single out the big AAA games or major indie titles (sans Rimworld, because that will never need to drop its price) this blog focuses on the overlooked gems. These consist of classics which never quite got the chance they deserved, a few indie games which were buried under the storefront, and the few RPGMaker releases which actually live up to their promises.

However, today is a bit special. On the first of these articles for this year, we are not looking at a wide selection so much as a single publisher: Wadjet Eye Games. Wadjet is one of those publishers which has managed to hit a niche market so perfectly that they have a small but very dedicated fandom. Sticking to a specific style of point and click adventure, there has yet to be a single one I have found which has been a disappointment. The stories, settings, and puzzles - sans the occasional moon logic - all stand out excellently, and this is just a chance to promote an underrated publisher and the developers of these games.

If you want something a bit more detailed, the previous lists always apply. Really, every game on them is a winner, I suggest you just look through until you find a fun one:

• 2016- 10 Exemplary Games Buyers Overlook In Every Steam Sale
• 2017- Steam Summer Sale: 25 Excellent Indie Titles For Under £2.00
• 2017- 25 Fantastic Games You Probably Missed In 2017
• 2017- 2017 Steam Winter Sale: 25 Excellent Indie Titles For Under £2.00
• 2018- 2018 Steam Summer Sale: 14 Excellent Games For Under £5.00

With that done, here's a few modern classics which should interest you.

Technobabylon

Of all those here, Technobabylon is probably the one that you are most likely to have heard of. It's with good reason as well, as it features a creative setting, no third answer complex moral decisions, and great character driven storylines. 

The year is 2087, and the game is set in the far future city of Newton. After a hellish series of wars, the world has come to some degree of stability in certain areas, with Newton falling under the control of the benevolent A.I. Central. Unfortunately, all is far from well within the city. 

Latha, an unemployed and agoraphobic hacker with a VR addiction, is almost killed by a mysterious bombing effort which destroys her run-down apartment. At the same time, the technophobic and jaded police officer, Doctor Charlie Regis, finds himself blackmailed while following a case surrounding the mysterious serial killer known as the Mindjacker. His partner meanwhile, Doctor Max Lao, begins to uncover details behind Regis and the city which begins to break her optimistic outlook on Newton.

The story is complex, engaging and as cyberpunk as they come. If you have even a passing interest in the point and click genre, this is most definitely one for you.

Primordia

From one form of dystopia to another, Primordia is as post-apocalyptic as it comes. Set in the decaying remnants of a doomed civilization, the world is on the brink of complete annihilation. Some would argue that it has long gone past that point, with humans now little more than a distant memory and the few machines still working beginning to fail.

The story follows Horatio NullBuilt version 5, and Crispin Horatiobuilt version 1, two robots living in the remnants of an ancient flying battleship. However, their lives take a turn for the worse when a massive flying robot hacks its way into their home, shoots Horatio and steals the power source they need to stay alive. From there, things gradually take turns for the worse.

The game's grimy and decrepit locations would be well worth the price alone, having the sort of haunting beauty that all too many post-apocalyptic games lack these days. However, in addition to this, there is such a skewed and twisted sate of morality and culture among the robots that it influences the very logic of the puzzles. If you're after a game which will stay with you for months after you're done, Primordia is at the top of this list.

Shardlight

If somehow you felt that Primordia wasn't a dark enough game for you due to its science fiction trappings, Shardlight ups the ante. Where Primordia is the Matrix crossed with Fallout, this is very much a Mad Max meets Children of Men. It's as engagingly depressing as you would imagine on every level.

Following a World War III where no one was truly victorious, humanity has ruined itself almost beyond recognition. Millions live in shanty towns, while the Aristocracy attempts to both keep control and save off a growing plague, and the Acolytes of the Reaper death cult grows in strength. Amid all of this, Amy Wellard, a young girl who was barely five when the world ended, attempts to make a living from any junk which still works.

Saying anything more about the story would open it up to huge spoilers in terms of both thematics and narrative. However, I will say that the puzzles here are among the most creative out of all the games and the small scale immediate consequences of your actions are among the hardest hitting. It's not for everyone, but Shardlight remains a strong game on this list of greats.

Gemini Rue

A science fiction noir game set in a dark future (noticing a trend yet?), Gemini Rue follows the story of two people: Azriel Odin, a former assassin turned redemptionist killer, and a mind-wiped man by the name of Delta-Six or "Charlie" who seeks to escape from a prison facility when more underhanded acts become obvious. Oh, and this is set so far into the future that the Boryokudan - the space Yakuza - own their personal system in the Gemini galaxy. And you're right in the middle of it.

With many ideas, themes and key pointers being taken from Blade Runner among other places, this one leans more toward the noir side of things over outright science fiction. A key point within the tale hinges upon memories, identity and themes of how much each impacts the other. A key point in the endings focuses on how certain elements can be complete constructs, reshaping large swathes of our histories.

Even the very presence of the game's events is intended to play with the player's perception of the world, and this is before you get into the really mind breaking stuff. If you don't mind a bit of darkness for an engaging story and the need to earn your happy ending, give this one a look.

Resonance

Following an effort to find a new source of energy for the world named resonance, Professor Javier Morales' experiment blows up in his face. The destructive capacity of his creation is astounding, and it comes down to a rag-tag group of heroes to uncover the secret behind the Professor's creation before darker forces find it first.

This game follows a very broad ensemble of characters consisting of Ed, Dr. Morales' research assistant, Anna, a doctor and Morales's niece, Ray, a journalist and Bennett, a detective. The trick is just who you might end up with, if they survive the story, and how they work together. While there is a lot of generalizing throughout the tale, the impact of who dies and who lives still stays with you. It's the Until Dawn of point and click adventure games in that regard.

The Blackwell Bundle

This one is cheating a bit. Why? Because it's not one game for under £5.00. No, it's a series of five games for £5.81. Honestly, if you're after the one with the most content, this is it right here. The Blackwell series follows a few tropes you have seen up to this point, with noir stylings and an emphasis on a long term mystery. However, the twist comes in the form of its protagonist, Rosangela Blackwell. A jaded and bitter writer, she finds out that she is a spiritual medium and is driven to help the tormented souls of those long gone. This leaves her teaming up with Joey Mallone, a tailor turned spiritual guide.

The series is notable for its sense of legacy along with the strength of its world-building elements. With the fantasy elements kept largely to a very controlled and focused level, it becomes far more of an urban fantasy outing than a full-fledged blend of the two genres. This means you need to keep guessing what you are going to get next, and half the time its puzzles require you to think in terms of which genre conventions apply at the time. This makes it a highly engaging outing, even without discounting its advantage on this list.

The Shivah

Rabbi Russell Stone is a conservative Jew who is slowly losing his way in life. With the loss of many of his congregation, a dwindling faith in God and having fallen heavily into depth, he is on the brink of death when fortune seems to throw him a bone. A deceased member of his faith leaves him a substantial fortune in his will, allowing Stone to rapidly resolve a multitude of monetary problems overnight. However, things just do not add up. The dead man, Jack Lauder, had been estranged from Stone for years and had shown him little love. As things make gradually less sense the more he thinks about them. Stone decides to delve into the matter in person.

This one is an interesting take largely due to its protagonist. Stone is as well rounded and developed a character as you would expect for a game of this nature, but his role as a Rabbi plays into the story multiple times, in both mechanics and dialogue. While you won't be throwing the Star of David as a giant shuriken or calling down lightning, the questions posed and knowledge of its basic teachings can help to give you an edge. These are worked brilliantly into the game, and it adds a surprisingly nuanced layer to what would have easily been heavy-handed nonsense.


So, there's eleven games to think about. You can expect more in the weeks to come, but each of these is a great starting point if you're looking for something new to sink your teeth into.

The Most Underrated British Tank of World War II

Historical articles on this website are few and far between at the moment, but this one really needed to be made. Why? Because for some reason everyone I bump into keeps thinking that this tank was a failure. It might be due to its design, or perhaps even the fact it lacked so glorious a history as some of its competitors. However, the scorn surrounding it is alarming, when it had one of the highest success ratings of the entire war

When you think of British tanks in this era, you typically think of a lot of failures. Like most nations, Britain experimented a lot with its builds, starting badly and improving dramatically toward the end of the conflict. There was, after all, a good reason why the UK benefitted from the likes of the Chieftain and the Centurion during the Cold War. So, there were many to choose from but this is the one which keeps getting the bizarre amount of hate:

One of Hobart's Funnies - an informal name for Major-General Percy Hobart's experimental builds - this tank was a modified Churchill Mk. VII. Reworked and rebuilt, the VII was in mass production at the time and a limited number of them were set aside for special projects like this one. The tank was reworked to fit a hull-mounted flame projector onto its hull along with a fuel trailer, and thus was born the Churchill Crocodile.

Various nations had been experimenting with various flamethrower tanks for some time now, usually with mixed results. This might be the source of some of the derision this vehicle gets, as its role has it listed along with disasters like the Italian L6 Lf flame tank, or the modified Type 95 Ha-Go. However, they proved to be highly effective in their own right for a multitude of reasons, least of all being the sheer terror that the Crocodiles could inspire in enemy troops.

Rather than going in firing, the Crocodiles needed only the implication of their use to win fights. They could advance toward an enemy target with all the benefits of a Churchill's heavy armour, and spray an enemy position with fuel from the flamethrower itself. Note that I said fuel rather than fire, as the petrol in this thing could be shot without igniting it. When approaching a bunker or fortified position, it could soak the entire thing in highly flammable substances, and then wait, just threatening to set it on fire.

The brilliance of this is that it effectively left the enemy soldiers with only two options - Run or surrender. After all, what were they going to do? Shoot back? They get burned to death without inflicting much damage. Manage to blow up the Crocodile? Even a stray spark from it would likely ignite the fuel leading to the bunker. Make a desperate charge against it? The Crocodile was made with anti-infantry use in mind, they're playing into its hands.

Given that the flamethrower had a spraying capability of between 120 and 150 yards depending upon sources, it could get them from a relatively decent range for a weapon of its type. This made them very effective siege breakers, and more than a few bunkers tended to surrender within the first one or two ranging shots. As such, it basically showed up and won its fights when used properly. Even without being used against those targets, however, it was a highly effective terror weapon and it could send troops running at a moment's notice.

Yet there was an even greater strength to the vehicle atop of all of this. The Crocodile was still a Churchill Mk. VII at the end of the day, with all the advantages that offered. Even if its flamethrower ran out of fuel or it was jammed un some way, it still had both its main turret and machine gun to fall back on. If needed, it could even use all three at once. As such, it could still serve in its intended role as an infantry tank with few to no problems. This gave it a level of versatility that a number of its contemporaries lacked, thanks in part due to the Churchill's design, but also retained its overall combat effectiveness against a broad range of targets.

This is, admittedly, the cliff notes version of what it was capable of, but it's also most of what you need to know. The Crocodile was a good, generally effective, tank built for a specific role that it more than excelled at. Perhaps its only sin was falling behind technologically so that it was phased out before the next war, but that happened to most tanks of this era. 

Reviews Delayed Due to Battlefront II Shenanigans

So, I don't have a review for today, but I do have content. After managing to find others very interested in the original Battlefront II, we engaged in madness. Also, the Star Wars version of the Battle of the Somme.

Star Trek Discovery - A Flawed Journey

Despite being a long time fan of Trek, Discovery is a series which I have yet to properly discussed on here. In truth, part of that was to try and avoid the controversy surrounding the series given how it had split the fandom, and part of it was to just give it a chance to spread its wings. Outside of Deep Space Nine and the original series, every Star Trek incarnation has typically suffered from a horrible start, and it's rarely anything besides its weakest episodes which show up first. With that in mind, Discovery was no exception in this regard. It fell squarely into the middle, but that was only due to the horrible beginnings of The Next Generation, Voyager, and Enterprise, which isn't a high bar.

So, by the end of the second season, my opinion has come down to this - It's a series that I like bits of, but I desperately want to be given a reason to love it.

Let's get into why to start with.

Now, a big point of controversy at the time were major changes done throughout Discovery. This was evident in the level of technology present and even the very designs of the aliens they meet. Some could be excused for a variety of reasons (and to a degree they were) given the nature of how dated the original Enterprise looked. I might be a big fan of In a Mirror, Darkly, but I will freely admit it would be very difficult to film an entire series on a ship with that look these days. Others were sadly much more difficult to stomach. The Klingons turning into a hybrid of Middle-Earth Orcs and Warhammer 40,000's Dark Eldar was the big one, with little of their original identity remaining. Plus, Klingon was a rather frustrating language to listen to for minutes at a time.

Most of this could have been fixed as it went on, but many of those fixes felt as if they were very begrudgingly written into the later stories. The Klingons were largely fixed, but their designs were limited to glimpses compared to what we had before. We see a ship with a very nice balance between Discovery and Star Trek: The Original Series' aesthetics, but it only crops up in the final episode. Plus, when it did need to address a major plot hole or huge inconsistency, the writing typically went for the fastest and laziest route possible. This is most evident in how the series tried to wrap up all of Discovery's problems at once in the finale, but it did so in a way which largely resolved very little.

While going into the exact details behind this would be problematic bordering upon spoiling most of Discovery, consider this for a moment: During Voyager's return journey and the entire Dominion War, what was to stop Starfleet using a drive which was a hundred times more efficient than their current FLT? The answer: Because they agreed never to talk about it again, and a flaw came up which they didn't bother to investigate further. Really, that's it. The rest of the plot holes in the big story are typically no better.

This is to say nothing of how it undermined itself. Discovery often treated itself as a science show, but used the worst possible science. The use of mushrooms as a god-entity was so facepalming that I honestly gave up on the series almost as soon as it was introduced. The problem was, it only became worse as it went on, and became progressively dumber. From describing mushrooms as the only lifeform which links life with death to giving it a better FTL than Warp travel, it just kept doubling down on its stupidity. This ended up with the Mycelial Network, as it became known, making it seem like the multiverse was one spill of Greenclear away from total destruction. Say what you will about Star Wars' Force, but that at least treated itself as a largely magical entity with some link to microscopic lifeforms. The Mycelial Network came with a message of "mushrooms are both heaven and the walls of reality".

Now, this might sound like I am harping on the series' flaws, and it admittedly is that case. However, it highlights the broader problem within its stories. The macro elements of the arcs often overshadow the better ideas evident in its smaller parts, or when characters are given a chance to properly grow. Even when they are poorly written, the parts themselves are very well acted, and the actors visibly jump onto any chance to give scenes more life. This results in scenes like this being a beautiful representation of what Star Trek is about, but they are often buried within large stories or ideas which are boneheaded or downright stupid. In that episode's case, the ideas behind it only became more problematic as answers were offered as to the mystery behind it.

This isn't to say that Discovery has not improved in some ways, however. While still very flawed, the second season was a notable improvement over its first for many reasons, chief among them being a better focus. In the first season, the entire series was treated as being a war story with the ship on the frontlines. The problem was that this made it joyless and we had nothing to be happy about. It then kept dodging around showing the frontlines themselves, and diverted itself into a Mirror Universe story arc which resulted in an extremely truncated overarching plot. Equally, a number of decisions were made for the sake of plot rather than making sense, which led to some facepalming decisions on the part of many characters. These are ones which could be argued were mistakes made in the heat of the moment and during heightened emotions. However, the story so very rarely frames them that way. It also didn't help that the finale just didn't offer enough to engage the watcher, and felt like a push just to wrap up things ASAP over a more dynamic character piece.

When the second season rolled around, there was a better focus on a single broader story idea. It wasn't nearly so dominating as the war idea, and there was a mystery to it which was engaging. It allowed for more room to explore other themes and to give a few characters some much needed time for growth and focus which the original episodes had lacked. Combined with a better sense of humour and humanity, it felt as if Discovery was not trying to be a Battlestar Galactic knock-off so much as a proper Star Trek show again. It had problems, certainly, but it there was much more of a sense of direction behind it. Plus, there was room to have some more episodic content among the broader stories which did not feel out of place against the major arc. Or, for that matter, so utterly joyless.

To give a comparison between the two seasons: In the first season, there were only three characters I cared about: Tilly, Georgiou and Lorca. Tilly felt like a Wesly Crusher done well, with the awkwardness and uncertainty needed to balance out her brilliance. She was given time to shine and - even with a few irritating points relating to learning disabilities - Mary Wiseman's performance gave it a direction which reflected both fantastically. For a character who could have easily been the Neelix of the ship, she instead became the Data in my eyes. Lorca, meanwhile, showed far more of a depth that previous characters of his nature had lacked. Jason Isaacs is a brilliant actor no matter his role, but even the writing gave him less of an out-and-out "bad boss, oh, and I am really bad" direction. Instead of simply being evil and cruel, he seemed more like a driven and desperate man who would not suffer insufferable geniuses lightly. It's saying something when he so easily fitted into Starfleet during its desperate war. It's just a shame that his story ended how it did.

By comparison, the second season introduced more developments which helped to flesh out the crew as a whole. Saru (played by the ever-awesome Doug Jones) was well acted and had a fantastic design, but lacked staying power within the story. Getting both his own arc, more of a say within how events went and shedding light on his species went a long way to making him far more engaging as a character. He became a sort of "reverse Worf" which helped to make it all the more surprising when he underwent a very different character arc than would be associated with his role. Stamets, meanwhile, went for being "the arsehole" to someone with more of a grounding in terms of the universe's mysteries and a sense of loss which helped to give him a level of focus he so desperately needed. This made him much more likable and engaging than most of his first season material.

Atop of these, the inclusion of Christopher Pike as a contrast to Lorca helped to round out the group and their dynamic. He felt much more distinct in his role and his more upbeat presence helped change the atmosphere of Discovery for the better. It was a much better indication of what Starfleet's Captains should be than most of what Discovery had offered to that point, and he honestly became a high point within the series. Especially given the revelations he undergoes which adds a lot more depth to his character's eventual fate. It's also a damn shame we did not get more of Number One - really, we don't even get her proper name - than just a couple of episodes, as Rebecca Romijn proved to be a huge upgrade over the more tertiary characters who were never fleshed out.

The reason this was so fleshed out here is that it showed probably the biggest change within the series: Michael Burnham. Michael is a point of contention among watchers, and it's not without good reason. It's also not down to Sonequa Martin-Green's performance, as I would honestly say that it would have been far worse with a less capable actress in the role. Really, her talents are mostly what makes the character work over the writing in many places. However, the real problem lies in two elements here - Firstly, it was clear that the writers were in love with the character, and the overall story suffered as a result. Secondly, Discovery often ended up overexposing her to the detriment of other characters.

Think of the pilot for a moment. Michael is the key focus in all of this and the story is squarely set upon following her above all others. The problem is that she contributed not only to a weak opening, but it meant that the entire first season was "orbiting" her. Every plot development was associated with her relationship to her, most characters were (at least initially) heavily defined by how she related to them, and the big twists were concentrated on her own histories. The problem was that she wasn't so much a part of the series as being the series in its whole. You could remove Kirk from the original Star Trek and, while you would lose a key part of it, the series could keep going on the strengths of its other characters. Equally, you could watch The Next Generation while hating Riker but still enjoy most episodes. Discovery's first season lacked that benefit, and this was only somewhat rectified during its second season.

Equally, Michael's story ended up being equal parts frustrating and facepalming. The decision to make her Sarek's foster daughter was a bold but ultimately poor one. An apprentice or disciple would have worked, by this is such a fan-fic of an idea that I am amazed they went with this. It was less making her important and more of the "Look, my new character is special!" you see with bad DeviantArt OCs or the like. This only paid off somewhat with her relationship with Spock in the second season, but it was only then made worse by the whole Red Angel reveal. It just took up scenes at a time. The ideas behind her tale became overwhelming until the audience could end up disengaged by it, where her backstory was repeated so often it was white noise. By the time it resolved her character journey in the first season finale, I just did not care anymore.

It honestly seems like a good deal of the initial hate for Discovery was linked to a dislike for Michael, as she seemed to just take over everything. It was a more extreme version of what we ended up with of Seven of Nine on Voyager, and then ramped up to eleven. I make no apologies for that pun. The attention given to her exceeded what the series needed, until it was eclipsing other characters, resulting in the much-needed change of the second season.

As a result of all of this, Discovery seems like a program which started awkwardly but keeps trying to take one step forward only to stumble back again. I truly hope that the lessons learned here make for a much stronger third season, and there are individual bits which certainly benefit the series overall. With that said, it still keeps fumbling with many essential ideas and it can't strike a proper balance needed to properly stand out on its own. With the loss of Pike, Spock and Number One, it will be losing a major benefit that helped the second season, so it remains to be seen just how this will play out.

At the moment, Discovery really seems like a series where you need to force yourself through a lot of bad to get to the individual good moments, or great performances. But, as the intro to this article said, that was true of most of its predecessors as well.

Spear of the Emperor by Aaron Dembski-Bowden (Warhammer 40,000 Book Review)

Dembski-Bowden is someone who favours the past. Really, the chances are that if you have read any of his more famous series, they are situated firmly before the end of M42. There's a good reason for this, as he favours tragedies and dark endings where there is little to no hope for tomorrow. That and, well, his use of previously established history is one of his more common storytelling elements. So, to see him writing a book which is set in the modern age of the Imperium Nihilus was a remarkable break from his typical tends. As was his choice of an otherwise unknown, and seemingly unnoteworthy, chapter without any established history to them.

So, does this pay off? That depends heavily on how much you enjoy his usual themes, in all honesty.

The Synopsis

On the fringes of Imperial space, the Emperor's Spears stand vigil over the Emperor's domain. As the last of three once mighty chapters tasked with guarding their territory against the outer dark, their numbers are stretched thin beyond measure. Yet as the Imperium Nihilus spews forth ever greater numbers of heretics, daemons and rebels, they continue to hold the line.

The Spears' isolation is broken only by the arrival of a heavily damaged frigate, bearing a representation of the Mentor Legion. Tasked with judging the Spears and the state of their territories by Guilliman himself, Amadeus Kalus Incarius is given the duty of deciding their future. As war continues to grip the sector, Amadeus finds himself facing animosity for not only his duty, but his very origins...

The Good

This is very much both a narrative and a lore story in one. Much like Brothers of the Snake before it, the book seeks to both offer a chapter to flesh out and highlight the very nature of space marines. Yet where Abnett focused upon elements of nobility and what separated them from humans, Dembski-Bowden went in the opposite direction. This one yangs for every time that book yinged, but it does so with an obvious goal behind it. We see how the Spears are both extremely atypical of both Ultramarines successors and chapters as a whole, giving new dimension to the Adeptus Astartes. This is especially noteworthy as they retain a much closer relationship to their citizenry, but they are almost scorned because of it.

Many essential details within the story are easily established and developed as you might expect, through the plot itself. While this is commonly commented upon and praised when an author does it well, Dembski-Bowden should be highlighted as a master of this style. There is never a single moment where the story drags itself to a halt in order to explore things or even feels the need to divert everything to focus on one idea. Even in those few moments where it is diverted to explore an idea through a scene, both character development and greater narrative impact more than excuses it.

What might also be surprising to many readers - especially after that introduction - is that the viewpoint character himself is not an astartes. Instead of Amadeus or even a member of the Spears, it is instead one of Amadeus' accompanying humans who we follow throughout this. Anuradha Daaz, a heavily augmented helot, serves as the viewpoint character. We see events through her eyes, and gain a better impression of both chapters because of this. Along with a commentary on how the Mentors act through both her upgrades and relationship with her master, we see how the Spears subvert ideas. Her predictions and attitudes towards the astartes emulate common views both in and out of the universe. This helps to more easily display just how the Spears differ from conventional chapters, and to make their personalities more distinct. This is evident not only in how they treat humans, but also in how they regard themselves or other groups.

Lastly, however, the book also takes full advantage of the setting's desperation. A problem with the new edition is how it seemed to so often treat the latest development in the setting as a new stage in a bigger battle, with each side gaining new toys. It lacked that "oomph!" factor in a few key areas, and never quite gained the edge that the new developments needed. However, Spear of the Emperor manages to fully convey it for what it is: Hell burst open. The galaxy itself was split by a wound of unreality down the middle, splitting the Imperium in two and engulfing whole worlds in the Warp. This is a time of miracles, but it also drew in far more infernal forces as well, which relentlessly taxes the Imperium at every turn. This is the best example of how an isolated world on the frontlines would be rocked by this revelation, and how the Imperium would struggle to support them. It's a bleak outlook within the story itself, but there is an odd beauty and engagement in their relentless fighting.

Unfortunately, Dembski-Bowden goes a bit too far with this...

The Bad

Now, before we get into the criticisms, let's make one thing clear: Aaron Dembski-Bowden has made two things evident in his writings - In his mind the Imperium would fail, and the Emperor was a monstrosity along with no redeeming qualities. He tends to beat this message into his stories repeatedly, and even in personal commentaries his idea that the Imperium would die at the dawn of M42 was something he held as an ultimate truth. This was often taken further and further, to the degree where it constantly seemed like he saw the Imperium as enduring thanks to the momentum of the Great Crusade, and never having any real successes or glories past that point. The reason this is worth mentioning is that Spear of the Emperor is set well after the time he felt it should fail, and he seems to use it as an opportunity to say "No, I am right, and here is why!"

The book's very introduction establishes that things have become far worse in the decade or two past the book's events, to the point of Chaos holding total dominion over the book's setting. When there's a chance to establish that the Imperium will fail, the writing will emphasise it in every way possible, and it even goes out of its way to add in more failings. Entire batches of Primaris marines dying, exaggerating the malice of the Inquisition to the point of stupidity, denying prior victories; it's all in here. The problem is that this colours the entire book, to the point where it goes from being bittersweet to downright nihilistic. Hell, it almost revels in its nihilism at multiple points, and how the Imperium is falling to bits in this version. While viewpoints like this are welcome in order to balance out more pro-Imperial ones, with the benefit of unreliable narrators on both sides, Dembski-Bowden keeps writing it in a manner of only his one being fact set in stone. This makes it, even given his exceptional talent as an author, very difficult to enjoy at points.

On a more specific book note, the bittersweet angle means that many scenes are robbed of anything to offset the more dour tones of the work. There's nothing like the benefits of the Night Lords trilogy or Word Bearers books to keep things going, and unless you're grabbed by the ideas behind it, it just isn't fun after a while. It's certainly engaging, but it can reach the point of being overwhelming. It's a problem only made worse by how, in the case of most characters, there's little to get you fully invested in them. Looking through Daaz's eyes means that she is not on the same level as the astartes, and as such it's far more difficult to depict them in the same overall manner. Unfortunately, this means that she is unable to get inside their minds or judge their personalities in the same way as another space marine, making them distant and unengaging. The same is true of her fellow helots, and as a result, it's difficult to fully care about the characters within the book so much as the events surrounding them.

Daaz herself is also not a very engaging protagonist. While, much like the above point, there are ideas which certainly benefit her, she lacks the backstory or qualities to help her stand out. Say what you will about Prospero Burns' flaws, but Kasper Hawser's personality and history made him quite memorable. I cannot say the same about Daaz, who seems far too much like a blank slate. I can comment upon her bionics more than her personality, even with all the moments where her thoughts come across clearly to the reader. It's a damn shame, as she simply lacks the benefits which made Dembski-Bowden's other first-person tales work so well.

The Verdict

Spear of the Emperor isn't a bad book, but it's a very hard one to like unless you enjoy this author's personal view on the setting. While I personally don't regret reading it, and will likely re-read it again, it lacks the enjoyment or investment that I would typically associate with a novel so well crafted. If you are curious about this one, reading a preview or renting it from a library is highly advised prior to purchase it, but don't ignore it entirely by any means.

Verdict: 6.7 out of 10

Liber Chaotica by Marijan von Staufer and Richard Williams (Warhammer Book Review)

Among the Warhammer fandom there are a small number of long out-of-print books which have become almost treasured relics. There are certainly novels among these, but the big ones were often the sourcebooks. Things like the Imperial Infantryman's Uplifting Primer, Xenology and Tactica Imperialis were among the big ones. Most were excellently written, but the one which seems prized above almost all of them was the Liber Chaotica.

So, you might be wondering just why we have never covered it before now given how much of a fan I am of this stuff. Well, there's a very good reason for that: I could never get my hands on any of the volumes. Honestly, they always cost an arm and a leg (proverbially, Chaos did not require a flesh sacrifice for once) on eBay and most were difficult to get hold of. However, Black Library's thankful change of heart in reprinting older works has paid off, so now I have a full copy in front of me.

So, does the book live up to its reputation:

Short answer: Yes.

Long answer: ... Well, let's dive into it.

The Synopsis:

The Liber Chaotica is the Necronomicon of the Warhammer Fantasy world. Containing the knowledge gathered by Richter Kless, it retains four volumes on each of the primary Chaos Gods. Examining their natures, forms, and champions, it combines the madness of a man gaining knowledge of beings beyond his comprehension with glimpses into aspects of Chaos which are often glossed over. Yet with all things involving Chaos, madness and half-truths dominate the pages, and you can never be wholly certain just what information can be relied upon.


The Good:

To cite the obvious first: The book has stunning art. While it reuses many elements from other past armybooks, codicies and the like, it also has a plethora of its own designs. Each of these follows in the John Blanche style of sketchy stylised horror, and it fits in perfectly with the madness of the book in question. Atop of this, even when you are skimming through, the various displays of papers layered upon one another gives it a great visual distinction. Honestly, it's a fantastic combination of parchment, layers of scraps and aged documents with handwriting between older linkwork. You could easily skim through the pages and still find engagement just in the visuals.

Of course, even without the visuals themselves, the content would still more than justify the book's price. Liber Chaotica delves headlong into both the lesser known elements of Chaos and the symbolism behind it. While all of this has a "By the way, this guy is insane" escape clause hanging over it, the details present are both broad and deep. We see everything from outlines of the early Chaos groups which form up most of Khorne's marauders to the underlying corruption of Nurgle. It explores and outlines how the very nature of Chaos has a grip on varied societies across the Old World and other regions, but it also goes further. Even without these, the tomes also explore how Chaos feeds upon actions of mortals, and utilises both positive and negative emotions to feed themselves. It's a great depiction of each element, and it shows just why there has never been some final victory against the gods.

Yet perhaps the best factor within the book is how it tries to be vague on so many points. While it outlines a great deal of lore from many viewpoints, and covers familiar territory, it nevertheless avoids pinning down Chaos to a few distinct elements. It reintroduces the purely chaotic side of Chaos itself, and build upon that to some degree. You can clearly see how broadly applied many defining aspects of each god truly are, and how everyday life can so easily fuel them. This is then further exemplified by the listings of individuals and champions who assist each god's cause, showing how anyone can easily fall prey to their wills.

Saying more would sadly end up spoiling the book but, even when Liber Chaotica does cover obvious points, it still goes into great detail over them. Even the most basic of ideas can emerge in here with a new perspective or idea, and it's something helped by how the in-universe writer garners visions of these beings. It also further solidifies a link that was thought to have been long abandoned, as he starts to see increasingly less vague visions of (what looks very much like) the Horus Heresy.


The Bad:

This might be surprising to some, but the trouble with madness is that it can be very hard to follow. The patchwork combinations of story elements, other documents and ideas scribbled down from half-seen dreams creates atmosphere. It also helps to evoke a far more alien and genuinely disturbing element to Chaos that the faction sometimes lacks due to overexposure. Yet, even with that said, you can find yourself re-reading certain bits to just try and confirm the information present. There's a very fine line between being unreadable due to being art, and just being unreadable.

The incoherent quality of certain bits is only further exaggerated by certain stylistic choices throughout the book. The font used for Kless' scribblings are difficult to read at the best of times, and the problem is only made worse by their small size. However, even without that, you then have bits where it is fitted between lines in books, or on backgrounds which make it genuinely unreadable. Thin red lettering simply does not work when it's against a stark black and white image.

Finally, the book is also irritatingly structured in how it combines its volumes. One after the next is fine, but they retain the weaknesses of the original individual ones as well. As such, the likes of Khorne and Nurgle both retain weak opening and middle parts respectively. It can make the quality seem to vary heavily if you are going from cover to cover and, even with the benefits of coloured pages, the lack of an index only exaggerates the problem.


The Verdict:

Even with its few issues Liber Chaotica still remains a very strong addition to the Black Library's volumes. The newly printed hardcover compilation is more than worth your time, and even just as a general reference book it offers an immense wealth of background knowledge. It's just a damn good book which is extremely well thought out, and even has a back-door "ignore me" clause in the form of insanity if you don't like its contents.

Given that this is likely to be a limited run, I would definitely suggest getting this one while it's still on shelves.

Verdict: 9.5 out of 10

The Secret Origins of Fallout

Fallout is one of those big franchises which has a divided in the middle. Aside from a few ill-fated releases, there's a big gap between where Fallout 2 ended and where Fallout 3 began. It's a gulf divided by mechanics, writing and direction, but unlike Mario or Legend of Zelda, the years absent of major hits created more of a barrier. As such, it's closer to Shadowrun or Starcraft in terms of how its fandom treats it. Ironically, there's also a link which connects it to both of those franchises. One which many fans rarely ever bring up.

Most people generally know that Starcraft was heavily inspired by Warhammer 40,000. Without getting into the whole can of worms surrounding it, or the issue of arguing "rip off!" you can clearly see the links between the factions and initial ideas. In much the same way that series had its origins spring forth from another franchise, Fallout's origins are intrinsically tied to Shadowrun's past. Its distant past, in more ways than one. You see, Shadowrun was planned as merely one half of a broader, one set in the cyberpunk future of 90s inspired technologies. There was another one, set chronologically long before it, which took place in a previous world of swords and sorcery: Earthdawn.

While Earthdawn sadly never gained quite the reputation that benefitted Shadowrun, it was built around the George RR Martin school of breaking with conventions. In this case, almost everything that Tolkein had set up or Gygax had used as inspiration was broken in an instant. Dwarves, not humans, ran the world, everyone is a spellcaster, the "gods" are insane beings called Passions and are hardly omnipotent, and you can ditch everything you know about Elves. Yet the one thing which linked Earthdawn and Shadowrun was the cosmic horror threat which loomed over it - the Horrors. While they have been staved off from Shadowrun for a time, in Earthdawn they hit in full force.

As the barriers holding out the Horrors grew thin with the rise of magic, the denizens of the world formed vast underground cities called kaers to ward off the creatures and hide throughout the centuries. Many were lost over the ages, watching and waiting for the "Scourge" of these Horrors to end and be driven away. Yet as magic diminished, it did not wholly dissipate as desired. This left the survivors attempting to rebuild their world and reclaim it among the hostile wastelands left behind by the Horrors, and the abominations created by the event.

You might already be seeing the links here. If you do not then let's outline it: 

A nation of a once powerful world hid its citizens away in underground shelters, hiding them from a great apocalyptic disaster. Many of these failed, with their populations dying out and being lost to time, each overrun by nightmarish beings but holding artifacts of a lost age within them. The survivors are left to pick up the pieces with whatever was left, reclaiming the land they barely recognise, and pilfering the ruins for valuables. This reaches a point where each becomes its own warring nation, and they end up fighting for supremacy as they expand.

Normally this is where this would be left to coincidence and that's it, but here's the really fun part in all of this. Earthdawn was made in 1993, a full four years before Fallout hit shelves. Yet, more importantly, was the fact that Brian Fargo had three properties he wanted to work on as the head of Interplay: One was GURPS, the other Vampire: The Masquerade, and the third? Earthdawn.

This isn't being brought up to declare one a rip-off or even just that Fallout owes Earthdawn something somehow. It's merely there to show how the general skeleton and framework of an idea can be twisted and changed by theme, convention, and genre into something notably different. It needs the right person behind it, but even heavy influence is sometimes not a terrible thing.

Well, there's that and you can take this as a message to look much more closely into Earthdawn.

Maledictions (Warhammer 40,000 & Age of Sigmar Novel Review)

It has been a point on this website for years that I will not review collection books. Short stories are essential to Warhammer 40,000 and Age of Sigmar, and I have tried to point out a fair few of the great ones in the past. However, when it came to these, I just ended up avoiding them. Part of it was due to sheer laziness, as there were often a dozen titles to cover rather than just one. Part of it was, however, also due to a concern that I wouldn't give the book a proper treatment. Unless they each had a good thousand to two thousand words, it felt as if I was doing it wrong. In addition to that, it's easier to pick apart minor flaws in a short tale than in a full novel.

So, this is an experiment to change that. This format will be a series of micro-reviews, largely offering very general ideas and a basic listing of its positives, negatives and the like. These will also be very spoiler free, so this won't be diving too deep into story synopsis or details within the narrative. Some of these do rely upon people going in cold for effective twists, and it would be wrong to ruin that quality.

So, let's get on with this one and start breaking them down one by one.


Nepenthe by Cassandra Khaw

The story follows an Adeptus Mechanics explorator group hunting a space hulk to grab the goodies inside. They soon realise that they have bitten off far more than they can chew and things start going wrong.

This was a pretty damn great one and an excellent opener to Warhammer Horror as a whole. It offers the sorts of terror and tension based drama that is often all too easily forgotten in some stories, and balances it with a sense of dread. While there is a good deal of action at the midway mark, it serves largely to help speed the story along and promote conflict among the protagonists. What's more, while this is admittedly delving a little closer to Aliens territory than some might like, it takes such a dramatic twist that it overcomes this fact.

The main limitation within this tale stems from the main characters, as most are either unlikable or serve to drive the story along. Until a very strong ending, I personally felt that their best quality stemmed from character chemistry than how well they stood out on their own. Furthermore, it did dabble in a few Mechanicus and technology tropes which have become irksome over the years. So, if you're not a fan of the constant "Mechanicus have no idea what they are doing, they just happen to press the right button while praying to people" this might cut a little close to your pet peeves.

Still, out of all the stories here, this is one of the two that I would show to anyone wanting to see the possibilities this range offers.

Verdict: 8.5 out of 10

The Widow Tide by Richard Strachan

Katalina, a woman making a life for herself on a small fishing village and haunted by the loss of her husband at sea, finds a wounded stranger on the shore. She soon finds that the greatest act of kindness can be rewarded by the worst act of betrayal.

While there's a good deal of predictability which can be forgiven in horror stories, this one missed its mark by a bit. If you even know the basics of the major races within the setting and their lifestyles, you know exactly how this is going to end. Sadly for the first Age of Sigmar tale, what we get is less horror and more a tragedy which would fit into most complications of short stories than a horror dedicated one. 

While it certainly has a few promising elements in showing life among the realms and helps with world building, it simply doesn't have enough scares. It's all hinging on one big ending twist, but you know exactly how this will go down. It's also not helped by the fact that outside of Katalina herself, most of the characters are easily forgettable.

On a more positive note, I will say that Strachan's writing style does partially save the story. His poetic descriptions, the emotion he crafts into the narrative and the vividness of his scenes are simply brilliant. Writing short tales such as this can often be a challenge in more mundane environments, but his ability to bring them to life shows serious skill on his part.

Overall, the story is worth reading once or twice, but it's not that great. However, I would definitely keep an eye open for this writer's other works.

Verdict: 4.0 out of 10

No Good Deed by Graham McNeill

In the lower reaches of a hive city, the young boy Cor manages to help drag a stranger free from certain death. Wounded and with no memory of his past life, he sets to work helping Cor's people survive a blight which has beset them. Unfortunately, none of them see the looming horror which follows in this man's wake until it is too late.

In contrast to the previous tale, No Good Deed serves as a perfect example of how predictability does not wholly undermine a story. In this case, you know things are going to be bad and who is the cause. However, even after counting that factor, it not only still offers a shocking swerve but has such a sense of quiet dread and human horror that it works brilliantly. Also, yes, your first guess as to who this man is will be wrong, trust me.

The environment of the hive city itself serves to show just how downtrodden and terrible life is for humans there. There is little joy, love or hope, and an ongoing sickness is only making life worse. It creates a sense of just how bad things are, which makes a later twist of the knife all the worse. Cor, his friends, the Sister who handles the local hospital and Oskyr, the man he rescues, all have very distinct personalities. Even when they have very short appearances, but McNeill's writing gives the moments to make seem like people in a much wider world. Combined with some of the conversations they have, it makes for a real gut punch when things go wrong.

If there is one major criticism to level against the story, it's that the horror part is once again reserved primarily for the ending. What's more, the story does dabble a little too deeply into old cliches when it comes to the nature of its horror. Both are somewhat justified with the direction. However, this could be a serious irritation if you're an hold hand when it comes to the genre.

Verdict: 7.0 out of 10

Crimson Snow by Lora Gray

A Sylvaneth Wargrove wages a war for survival in a frozen forgotten part of the realms. Beset by Chaos on all sides, their constant fighting against the enemy without leaves their numbers dwindling by the day. Unfortunately, few are ready to face the enemy within their ranks.

This is a rather difficult story to judge, as it seems to get one thing wrong for every two right. Plus, even with some of those successes, there is a "but" attached to the odd one or two of them. As the story follows the less human-like members of the Sylvaneth race, this was brimming with opportunities for stories, and Gray took full advantage of that fact. The Wargrove itself has many nonhuman details and inflections which helps both its protagonist, Kalyth, and other members stand out from their more typical counterparts. What's more, it offered an interesting example of how Chaos would react to such a species if it was bent upon fighting them.

However, the story's direction was somewhat muddled overall. It tried to juggle too many events at once and offered up an overly long timeframe for the story. Gray seems to work best when she is working with the mental state of her characters, and the story is easily at its strongest when it is delving into Kalyth's predicament. As such, the horror we get is good at those points, but it feels like a story with extraneous parts. Combined with a mixed ending and a few unclear details (which sadly clashes with the intentionally unclear ones) and it ends up as a middling story.

Overall, it's a solid one-and-done read, but it's probably going to be the one you'll only look at once or twice in this collection.

Verdict: 5.0 out of 10

Last of the Blood by CL Werner

Now, this was a difficult one to judge. CL Werner is one of those authors how is always willing to throw everything out of the window when it comes to setting conventions, for better or worse. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't, but this proved to be a bizarre turn which was nevertheless engaging.

A new suitor is brought to wed the daughter of a family, only to unwittingly stumble upon his own doom. The family is cursed, and the patriarch seeks a means to finally break it once and for all. Yet he will stop at nothing in order to achieve that very goal.

The big surprise which will stem from this one is its influence. Warhammer in every setting has always been western inspired, but this one goes full Japanese in every detail. It's a welcome surprise, but it might seem so distances from the rest of Age of Sigmar that it cane seem like it's a part of its own mythology. What's more, is that it's very "traditional" in a Hammer Horror sense, meaning your enjoyment of the tale will hinge heavily on that point. If you're not a fan of complex plots, skullduggery, and bizarre conventions when it comes to cultural standings, this can easily fray the nerves.

Another problem lies in one simple fact - It's certainly horror, but it's not exactly scary. The moments of tension, violence and plotting all work, but there's little here which makes it seem as if it fully fits into the horror label for this setting. It's not bad at all, and the entertainment factor helps to justify future re-reads, but it's difficult to shake the question of just why it's in here.

Verdict: 5.6 out of 10

Predation of the Eagle by Peter McClean

This is easily a personal favourite of the bunch, and it's probably the strongest story in this lot for justifying the Horror label. While it doesn't delve too deep into Chaos or the trippier angles of the setting, there's a sense raw dread and terror that benefits the story.

The world of Vardan IV is a death sentence to all Imperial Guard troops stationed there. As the Imperium tries to win the war by sending more meat into the grinder, their war against the Orks is ground to a bloody stalemate. Among the jungles only the strongest survive. Yet as men and women start to die mysterious deaths, some suspect a new faction has joined the war. The truth is far worse than anyone could imagine.

While comparisons to 'Nam of 67 are easy to make, the tale uses the guerilla war in the jungle angle as a starting point. It serves to both reinforce certain mentalities while completely rejecting other predictions, which makes its second half all the more effective. Equally, it uses a variety of storytelling devices to quickly evoke a real sense of horror at the body count, even if they are often people who didn't even get a line.

The big complaint here is that this deserved more. You get to know a few core characters, and even the fodder rapidly bumped off stick in your mind due to the use of nicknames. However, what could have elevated an excellent story further would have been another fifty to a hundred pages to further flesh out the characters. Really though, what we get is nevertheless a brilliant short tale.

Verdict: 9 out of 10

The Last Ascension of Dominic Seroff by David Annandale

Following one of the minor characters from Annandale's Yarrick series, the story follows Seroff and his partners in crime as they are left facing a plague unlike any other. Unfortunately, neither fully realise just who and what is out to unleash this creation in the name of revenge.

While Annandale is an obvious choice for a horror writer in the Warhammer setting, this one proved to be a very odd story overall. Like a few other examples here, it never really managed to get across the horror angle properly. The subject matter, the ideas and vivid descriptions all work in its favour. However, it never really pushed far enough to feel as if it was taking full advantage of this new brand. Plus, it's difficult at the best of times to write up a story as a spin-off with another character at the helm or tying into broader works. This one felt as if it relied far, far too heavily on knowledge of the Yarrick books to get you invested.

The actual closing scenes and a few of the more terrifying moments of the plague taking effect really play towards Annandale's strengths. These points show why he is a great author in his own right, but there's just not enough of it here to really work. As a result, it's a story which is relatively forgettable overall.

Verdict: 4.0 out of 10

Triggers by Paul Kane

Tobias Grail is a wealthy man. Living in a life of opulence, his successes have afforded him a level of luxury that few people will ever see in their lives. Defended by his elite bodyguard Russart, he seems set in life. Yet constant dreams of doom and loss haunt his every night, and they seem to be slowly slipping into reality.

Dreams make up a major part of this tale, and this is very much a downfall story above all else. We see someone gradually slipping into growing insanity thanks to events surrounding their lives, and how they are gripped by paranoia because of them. This becomes the crucial horror factor within the tale, as you know something bad is coming, but just what it is remains in question. Combined with Grail's madness growing to dominate the prose, it makes for a brilliantly terrifying tale.

The main flaws here stem from how directionless the story becomes despite an obvious avenue to follow. Grail seems to have no real journey to follow or more method to his actions other than waiting for his end, and outside of the ending there isn't much to help better build upon this in some way. I certainly like the story, but it almost reads like something where the ending was decided first and the rest was built up later on.

Overall, it's a good one in its general execution. A quite unconventional take on these sorts of stories, but helps to show the sort of horror that haunts every part of this setting. Namely in how its tendrils latch onto any mind too weak to resist them.

Verdict: 6.0 out of 10

A Darksome Place by Josh Reynolds

Now, this is what we needed more of. The story is almost mundane in following the lives of people in the Age of Sigmar setting. They're everymen in some regards, rather than golden armoured sentinels or warlords, and they aren't even fighting a massed horde of Chaos followers. However, instead, it helps to show the high horror which accompanies the best kind of high fantasy settings.

The story rapidly drifts back and forth between lucid reality, the thoughts of beings about them and the minds of the mortal workers. You see each contrasting and conflicting against one another, to the point of seeming totally detached. Yet like in the best cases of this, you realise just what it was outlining at the very end, and how it works with the wider message of the narrative.

Another factor is that the story contrasts the epic fantasy elements with more mundane tasks. This might sound bizarre, and in some cases it does seem like something better suited to a Discworld book. However, it expresses the sheer danger and highlights how the fantastical so often intrudes upon the more basic parts of character lives, even in this setting.

If there is a major criticism to level at the story, it's that everyone outside of the main character, Tooms, is fairly superfluous. We learn little about them, and for the most part, Tooms himself is the only person with any significant depth to him beyond a basic archetype. Still, overall, it's a very engaging entry in the collection.

Verdict: 8.0 out of 10

The Marauder Lives by J C Stearns

The story here follows a former Dark Eldar captive, Sister Monika, held for years on a corsair raiding ship to be abused at every turn. Having finally made her way off of the vessel, she remains haunted by the experience. Yet the lord of this raiding kabal, the mysterious Marauder, rarely allows his prey to slip through his fingers. The question now remains if Monicka's fear of his return was justified or not.

Much like the previous story, this one uses a contrasting narrative to great effect. As Monicka's very psyche begins to disintegrate, you see more and more of how terror grips her. Worse still, is how it always leaves enough hints that her paranoia might be right. It's vague to be sure and you can see that she is certainly hallucinating at key moments, but nevertheless, there's a great deal left in question.

Another detail which works to the story's benefit is how it continually shows how close Monicka previously was to freedom in her time with the Marauder. You can see very easily how she reached this state, and just how even the more controlled torture inflicted by the Dark Eldar can wear down even the strongest person.

Overall, another great tale and a fantastic example of how deep psychological scars can run. It's a great example of how even the "victors" in such situations can still be left as little more than damaged survivors due to their experiences.

Verdict: 7.5 out of 10

The Nothings by Alex Worley

The world is small for Cade and Abi. Isolated within their small vale and with only a relative few huts to contain the small populace, it is as far from civilization as it is possible to be. Yet each of the youths question what lies beyond their small realm, and what the standing stones on each corner are keeping at bay.

Unfortunately, this one can barely be explored at all without ruining it. Honestly, the best you can know is this: It delves deep into a major question that people have asked for a long time, and uses both hope and curiosity as a means to explore horror. You can easily see how this would be an optimistic tale in any other setting, but the fact that this is M42 only shows how twisted the galaxy truly is.

The use of vague meanings, a lack of identifiable names and even familiar imagery all combine to make the world feel extremely alien. Because of this, it is far more unsettling to the most devoted Warhammer lore fanatic than many other examples in this list.

Really, this was an excellent closing tale overall, and a great way to explore a much discussed but rarely examined aspect of the setting.

Verdict: 7.0 out of 10

Final Verdict:

Overall, this was a good mix of stories for a first attempt. While most show definite flaws, they nevertheless express a great deal of promise when it comes to future books. If you're at all interested in tales which focus less on action than brief but focused character examinations with brutal endings, definitely take a look at this one.