‘Tales of Heresy’ – Edited by Nick Kyme & Lindsey Priestley (Black Library)

After reading ‘The City & The City’ I found myself after something where the story was just as good but I wouldn’t have to think about what I was reading quite as much, a comfort read (albeit one I hadn’t read before) if you like :o)
A brief excursion into Jaye Wells’ ‘Red-Headed Stepchild’ didn’t go quite as planned (scroll down a little and see my thoughts) but I knew I’d be on safer ground with the Black Library’s collection of tales from the Horus Heresy. One of the problems that I’d started to have with Warhammer 40K tie-in books is that they very much run to a formula (especially the Space Marine books) and I was hoping that a collection of differing short stories would mean that this wasn’t so much of an issue...

As it turned out, war was once again the dominating theme but there was enough variation in the settings and plots to make the stories stand out in their own right. Just what I was looking for really! :o) Not all of the stories worked for me but the big picture, they combined to create, was worth sticking around for. The universe of Warhammer 40K is an unforgiving place and the stories in this collection do well to show the tragedies that can sometimes ensue because of this...

I’ve been awake since two this morning (a wisdom tooth is trying to make a belated appearance, ouch...) so what you’re going to get today are my thoughts on each short story rather than the book as a whole. It makes it easier for me to keep track of my extremely tired thoughts...!

‘Blood Games’ – Dan Abnett
I’ve seen battles on many planets but, up until now, I haven’t seen the future Earth of Warhammer 40K. ‘Blood Games’ shows us just exactly what lies at the heart of the Imperium; the mightiest palace you will ever see and the schemes that go on inside... A sense of forboding, over the coming war, adds an extra level of tension to a tale of espionage that’s a compelling read. ‘Blood Games’ was a good choice to open this collection.

‘Wolf at the Door’ – Mike Lee
A tale of planetary conquest that doesn’t add a lot to the Horus Heresy storyline but is a good example of the hard decisions that must be made in a time of conquest. I loved the ending (short, simple and brutal) but the story seemed to drag getting there. Sometimes you need to go straight in for the kill instead of detailing how you arrive... I can see myself re-reading the book, as a whole, but would probably give this one a miss.

‘Scions of the Storm’ – Anthony Reynolds
This tale of the Word Bearer’s Space Marine Chapter shows how the insidious taint of chaos can find cracks in the stoutest armour and seeds are sown for the calamitous events to follow... It’s also a tragic example of how the best intentions can be twisted into results that are the opposite of what was originally intended. ‘Scions’ is a powerful read that is spoilt by being slightly overbalanced in terms of the combat passages. I love a good fight scene but there were other things here that were just as worthy of further examination...

‘The Voice’ – James Swallow
I’m a sucker for ‘haunted space ship’ tales (I even liked ‘Event Horizon’!) and James Swallow comes up with the goods in a story of the unspeakable horror lurking in a ship becalmed in the warp... I liked this story in particular as its focus lies away from the Space Marines, concentrating instead on the Sisters of Silence (a military order that seems to talk an awful lot for people sworn to silence...) I appreciated the chance to get a look at another of the military forces of the Imperium and this look fleshed out the background that little bit more. I enjoyed the tense moments on board the ship and the ending is proof that blind obedience can do more harm than good...

‘Call of the Lion’ – Gav Thorpe
I have to say that I didn’t get what this was all about. ‘Call of the Lion’ is written well enough, and the divisions arising in Space Marine Chapters made very clear, but I didn’t get how it fitted into the Horus Heresy continuity. It was a good read but I couldn’t really work out what it’s purpose was...

‘The Last Church’ – Graham McNeill
In a universe where religion is being replaced by scientific thinking, the priest of the last church on Terra debates his faith with a stranger who is more than he appears... I’ve heard all the arguments before but ‘The Last Church’ does well in terms of concentrating on the story rather than becoming a platform for the author to bash readers with his views. I particularly enjoyed the twist in the tale which throws things into an entirely new light... One of my favourite stories in this collection.

‘After Desh’ea’ – Matthew Farrer
As is the case ‘Scions of the Storm’, ‘After Desh’ea’ shows how the seeds are sown for the events to come. This is a very raw and powerful story that suffers from the lead character (Angron) being so insane you don’t know what he’s on about half the time! A little bit more lucidity could have made all the difference here...

‘Tales of Heresy’ sometimes suffers through certain decisions and approaches, taken by contributing authors, but remains an entertaining read that I reckon has a little something for everyone. I’ll certainly be searching out books by Dan Abnett based on what I read here...

Eight out of Ten