A bit late, not just looking at the calendar, but also because I'm halfway through God King, the sequel, but I have to get this sorted now, at last. Yes, I know, I've been slacking off, but try to understand - I'm also a gamer, and the last many weeks were hardcore, both in terms of entertainment value, challenges and on my pocket. Wish me luck that I can get back on track without too much trouble! Either way, here's my review of Graham McNeill's Empire. I very much enjoyed reading this novel, and hope to convey the reasons well enough. The Story:"Having driven back the orc invaders, Sigmar unites the tribes of men and founds the Empire. The fledgling empire grows, but its prosperity is not assured. The lands are still wild and untamed, and many enemies lurk in the forests and the mountains.

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Architect of Fate is the first Space Marine Battles anthology. I am sure, it won't be the last we'll be seeing, since eShorts and audio dramas tend to end up in print rather sooner than later. However, AoF is special in one regard: all four novella-length stories are related to the anthology's core character, in one way or another. Kairos Fateweaver, the Oracle of Tzeentch, is shaping the Space Marine's fate in this anthology, and slowly the pieces fall into place, revealing just another grand scheme of the Lord of Change... The Story:"The Space Marines stand against the darkness, and yet on countless battlefields they play unwitting roles in the schemes of Fateweaver. From the doomed world of Ilissus, through the embattled corridors of the Endeavour of Will, to the borders of the Eye of

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While I'm typing this post, Germany is already good four and a half hours into this year's Towel Day - May 25. Some of you might be asking themselves what the hell that is supposed to be, and why you should care. First of all, Towel Day is a day where the world shows their appreciation and pays tribute to the famous author Douglas Adams. Adams died on May 11 in 2001, and two weeks after his death, the first ever annual Towel Day was celebrated. Douglas Adams? Maybe the name rings a bell already, but here it comes: He wrote The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which spans a radio comedy series, a 'trilogy of five books', a TV series, even a movie adaption and lots of other stuff. It is quite popular and should be a title most science fiction fans are popular all too familiar. Shortly after

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After finishing the prequel Soul Hunter incredibly quickly, I've been waiting for Blood Reaver to arrive on my doorstep, eager to claw myself back into the Night Lords trilogy. Apparently, though, I was not meant to finish it quite as quickly as I had wished to, but at last, here's the review. Let me just say that this was a fantastic successor to Soul Hunter, and left me shivering and chuckling alike. The new contributions to the series really added even more depth to the scenario, and I appreciated every chapter. A lot of neat details featured in the book tempt me to order some boxes to convert a few Chaos Marines models for my shelf... First Claw is hunting again. In search for prey, they stalk the night once more. The Story:"Driven on by their hatred of the False Emperor, the Night

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Quite honestly, I have tried starting Heldenhammer more times than I'd like to admit. There were plenty of reasons to finally get done with it, and, in hindsight, I don't regret the time spent in any way. It is a pity that bad timing always stood between me and the Legend of Sigmar, for the book was truly moving. Now that I am finally done, let me review the first Sigmar novel in detail. Will I pledge my sword for the Heldenhammer's dream of an united Empire of man? The Story:"It is a time of legends. The lands of the old World are wild and untamed, where the primitive tribes of men struggle for survival. In this time of peril, by virtue of his valorous deeds, a young man claims leadership of the Unberogen tribe. His name is Sigmar Heldenhammer, and his actions will change history forever.

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Prey is the latest Raven Guard short story by George Mann. Only available as an ebook, the price of £0.79 / 1.00€ / $1.25 seems quite fair, considering this story is about 2500 words, two and a half as many as the BLis15! shorts. Prey also works as a teaser to George's upcoming limited edition novella - The Unkindness of Ravens. "Raven Guard Chaplain Cordae hunts a deadly beast in the mountains of the Chapter’s homeworld, Kiavahr. But as the creature realises the danger, Cordae finds himself the prey..." The story is actually quite simple, yet unusual. Expanding further on the Raven Guard's background, George Mann tells the story of Chaplain Cordae's ritual hunt for a Roc, a gigantic raven-like bird. Having pursued the animal for nineteen days, Cordae is close to the hunt's end, yet the bird

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Having thoroughly enjoyed C.L. Werner's The Red Duke, my anticipation for Dead Winter has been huge. A plague, ratmen, the mighty Empire brought to its knees... What is not to appreciate about that scenario? Being the latest entry to the Time of Legends series, I was sure to pick it up anyway - more Warhammer Fantasy is a good thing in my book. Now that I finished the book, I need to get in touch with a Plague Doktor. I think I might be contaminated... The Story:"More than a thousand years after the Age of Sigmar, the Empire he struggled to create rests on the edge of destruction – the reign of the greedy and incompetent Emperor Boris Goldgather has shaken down the great and prosperous edifice of his erstwhile realm. Without warning, a terrible and deadly plague strikes, wiping out entire

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Another story by Chris Wraight. I think my review of Luthor Huss made it clear that I'm thinking very highly of Chris and his works for Warhammer Fantasy. Now, this isn't fantasy, but 40k - a Space Wolves story. Not having had time to read Wraight's Battle of the Fang, I was quite curious how Kraken would turn out. "The Space Wolves forge new sagas as they hunt a monstrous beast of the oceans and battle the alien menace of the tyranids in a brand new tale by the author of Battle of the Fang." The Space Wolves are a proud Space Marine Chapter. They almost appear savage to outsiders, with their long manes, sheer strength and prowess on display. It is no surprise that these proud Astartes treasure not only their own honour, but that of their whole pack, as their squads are called. Sometimes the

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With the Night Lords trilogy coming to a close with Void Stalker, I finally managed to pick up and read the first novel of the bunch - Soul Hunter. It is no secret that this trilogy by heretic overlord Aaron Dembski-Bowden is being extremely praised and, lacking a better word, hyped like the 14th Black Crusade. You can imagine how high my expectations have been ever since this hype surfaced in the spheres of the 40k fandom, so I was quite eager to get my claws on this book and read it once I'd get an open reading slot. Having been a Night Lords sympathiser ever since I saw their color scheme in one of my first White Dwarfs, I haven't come to read much about them in the past. Pure anticipation forced me to finish this book in mere days. Can Talos and the Night Lords live up to the hype surrounding

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This time I'm reviewing not an individual novel, short story or audio drama, but am going for the big bunch: an Omnibus. Including three novels plus incentives in the form of three gap-filling shortstories, not only am I trying to take a look at an individual plot, presentation and character development within a single book, but rather a package deal. I'll keep it rather short on the individual novels' contents and try to judge the Omnibus as a whole. Can Ciaphas Cain uphold his reputation over the course of three novels? We're about to find out... The Story:"In the war torn future of the 41st Millennium Commissar Ciaphas Cain, hero of the Imperium, is respected by his peers and an inspiration to his men – at least that’s what the propaganda would have you believe. The reality is very different,

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