Salamanders: The Omnibus (Warhammer 40,000 Omnibus) by Kyme, Nick (2013) Paperback

Tome of Fire #1-3

by Nick Kyme

The Salamanders Space Marines, fire-born sons of Vulkan, unite to face a threat to their very existence.After the death of their captain at the hands of a traitorous brother, Da’kir and Tsu’gan, battle-brothers and rivals, face enemies from within and without. As their paths diverge and they face trials that will test them to their very limits, their destinies draw them back together for one final confrontation that will decide the fate of the Salamanders Chapter. Omnibus edition containing the novels Salamander, Firedrake, and Nocturne.

Genres: 40k, Science Fiction, Fiction

Paperback

First published September 26, 2013

About the author

Nick Kyme (b. 1977) writes mostly for Black Library. His credits include the popular Salamanders series and several audio dramas.

Reviews

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tie-in fiction has an unfortunate stigma attached to it. Like the fact that because it’s a story from a pre-existing world, usually attached to a game, that it’s no where near as entertaining, imaginative, or as worthy as original fiction. Having read a number of tie-in fiction books over the years I can tell you whole heartedly that tie-ins can be just as fun and exciting as original fiction. In fact in recent years I’v discovered a series of tie-in books that I’ve become utterly addicted to even though I have no interest in playing the tactical miniature game that inspired it. I’m talking of course about Games Workshop’s Warhammer 40,000 universe.

A friend of mine once describe 40k as a “jungle juice of cool genre fiction.” You’ve got elements of Star Wars, Dune, Tolkeinesque fantasy, Lovecraftian horror, and an often noirish outlook on morality. On top of that it’s got a visual aesthetic that appeals to the heavy metal fan in me. So of course I’d be drawn to the Black Library’s series of Warhammer 40K fiction. So far I’ve read some fantastic stuff by Dan Abnett and Sandy Mitchell. For Christmas I got a mammoth tome of 40K fiction that I just recently completed reading, the “Salamander Omnibus” by Nick Kyme. It’s a collection of three novels and like 10 short stories for the cover price of $17.50 in the U.S. So it’s a great value, but on top of that it’s a thrilling and epic read.

All together the stories in “The Salamander Omnibus” run about 1014 pages. So reviewing all that and keeping it spoiler free is going to be tough, but let’s see what I can do.

The titular characters of the “Salamander Omnibus” are the 17th Legion of genetically engineered soldiers known as Space Marines. They serve as sort of the elite forces of the Imperium of Mankind a sprawling interplanetary empire that is under siege in the 40th millenium by a host of rival alien empires and corruptive supernatural forces that turned several Space Marine Legions into marauding malevolent forces often capable of arcane feats. What makes the Salamnders unique is the fact that they’re one of the most altruistic and “human” of the Space Marine Legions. Each Legion has it’s own set of customs and beliefs and the Salamanders credo urges them to protect, sacrifice for, and try to elevate the humans they live side by side with.

Making the Salamanders even more interesting is the fact that they hail from a volcanic home world in a constant state of nick-kymeturmoil. The planet “Nocturne” is dubbed a “Death World” because of how inhospitable and dangerous life there is. It takes a hardy stock to survive and an even more resilient individual to survive the arduous trials that lead to initiation into the Salamanders.
So Kyme already has some great building blocks to forge the characters of his “Salamanders” stories and he uses them to build some fascinating and fun characters to follow. The chief protagonists of the stories are Zek Tsu’gan and Hazon Da’kir. When we first meet Tsu’gan and Da’kir they’re bitter rivals because of who they were before they became Space Marines. Tsu’gan hails from a city of wealth and power and believe Da’kir, who is the only member of a nomadic tribe to become a Space Marine, is unworthy of the genetic gifts he’s been given.

With that set up you’re instantly geared to like Da’kir who is a noble and heroic guy. You’re also left with a feeling of anger and hatred towards Tsu’gan. It’s like he’s a William Zabka character from an ’80s teen movie. I believe that’s intentional though. Over the course of the three novels and 10 short stories things change drastically for Da’Kir and Tsu’gan. They undergo many heartbreaks and perilous adventures and over the course of these exploits I started to understand Tsu’gan a little more an empathize with him. Plus he’s pretty bad-ass.

Da’kir and Tsu’gan aren’t the only Salamanders that figure into Kyme’s stories. You meet a whole host of fascinating characters that occupy a variety of positions through out the Legion; every one from the leader of the entire chapter, Tu’Shan, to the Captains and Sergeants of the various companies. Some of my favorites include Sol Ba’Ken, a giant even for a Space Marine, who is Da’kir’s best friend; and Pyriel, a Space Marine Librarian which means not only is he a genetic super soldier, but he also possesses a whole host of psychic abilities.

Kyme also gave his heroes a fascinating cast of villains to do battle with. Over the course of the novel the Salamanders go to war against Orks (imagine the bad guy armies from the Lord of the Rings armed with steampunk technology), Dark Eldar (evil sadomasochistic space elves armed with technology that is almost magical) and Space Marines that have been corrupted by the malevolent Chaos Gods. The Chaos Space Marines that are a recurring force of villainy throughout the “Salamanders Omnibus” are war band called The Dragon Warriors.

Nihlian, the leader of the Dragon Warriors, used to be a Salamander before he became corrupted by Chaos so he has a personal grudge against the Legion. Over the course of the three novels we follow his various schemes and plots to get revenge on his former Legion. These schemes makes him and his lieutenants bad guys you love to hate.

Describing the various clashes between the Salamanders and their enemies takes us into spoiler territory so instead lets talk about where these clashes take place. One of the things I’ve grown to love about 40K tie-in fiction is they’re also travelogues of fantastic and otherworldly places. You feel transported to strange and fascinating alien worlds. That’s exactly what happens here. In addition to the Salamanders home world of Nocturne Kyme takes us to such fascinating and fun locales as a twisted Dark Eldar port city located in the ethereal realm known as the Webway, a massive alien haunted ghost ship or Space Hulk, and a mysterious ancient world somehow related to Nocturne.

While we visit these places we’re treated to really cool moments of character development, and intense action. There are some battle scenes that made me stand up and cheer. Most of these battle sequences are fought man to man or army to army, but in “Nocturne,” the final novel in the Omnibus, Kyme gives readers some fun outer space battles between capital ships.

So the “Salamanders Omnibus” is an epic, fun, sci-fi, fantasy story packed with great characters and thrilling moments. My one real complaint, and to be fair Kyme mentions this in the book’s introduction, is that not everything wraps up by the time the book is over. On one hand that’s a little frustrating, but on the other I was definitely left wanting more. With the “Salamanders Omnibus” Nick Kyme made me a fan of of the 17th Space Marine Legion and I can’t wait to see where he takes them in future books.

[Bendak Starkiller · Rating 1 out of 5]

After reading other reviews, I feel like I'm the only person who actually finished all three books. I've been a Warhammer fan for a long time and this is the second worst book I've ever read in this entire series (coming in second to being worst of all time, by the slightest margin, to Architect of Fate). The pacing and dialogue would be hard pressed to earn mediocre status. Only a handful of the characters were actually decent enough to hold their own and I found myself confusing characters because of not only how similar their names were but also because they were not important enough to merit remembering.
I only found myself really drawn to a grand total of six characters, and one of them only because of his position as Chapter Master. Chaplain Elysius was really the only character, (besides Da'kir the main protagonist) that I felt was really well defined. The story itself was both confusing, filled with made up words for alien technology that wasn't always relevant, and drawn out. It had a lot of potential that was muddied with irrelevancy, bad dialogue and worse characters.
To make things even worse, is the trilogy spanning rivalry between pretentious douche-bag Zek Tsu'gan and underdog Hazon Da'kir. Da'kir is your standard cookie cutter hero who has hidden power that he must master to save the day. Not that this is bad, mind you, just a little boring. Tsu'gan on the other hand is your typical putting-on-heirs/I'm-so-much-better-than-you arrogant prick that everyone loves to hate. Even that wouldn't have been so bad by itself but Mr. Kyme attempted to change this by putting Tsu'gan in several difficult situations in order to try and garner some sympathy for an otherwise despicable character. Not only does Tsu'gan's horrendous personality never change but he also starts climbing the ranks, as if he's being rewarded for being an insufferable jerk. This had the exact opposite effect because by the end, I completely despised this character and wanted nothing more than to see Da'kir castrate Tsu'gan and thrown him out an airlock.

SPOILERS FROM HERE ON OUT:
(Not that you should even waste time worrying about having anything spoiled because this book is THAT bad and you shouldn't read it anyway)


The final straw was Hazon Da’kir being killed at the end of Nocturne by Zek Tsu’gan (who I considered to be the villain through all three books). It completely soured this entire series for me. It felt like a physical betrayal to have followed Da'kir on his journey through three books and then at the end have the one guy who really hates him, for entirely petty and childish reasons, kill him. Even if it made sense for Da'kir to die (which I don't agree with), why have him be killed by the one guy who you've been hoping dies the entire series? Just doesn't add up or make for good story telling.
After all the time that it took to finish all three books, I honestly became disgusted with Nick Kyme as an author for writing such an atrocious ending and have refused to read anymore of his books even though I love Vulkan and the Salamanders dearly.
I would recommend this book to people who are looking for an example of how to take something with lots of potential and completely ruin it.

[Dawie · Rating 3 out of 5]

"On the Anvil of War are the strong tempered and the weak made to perish, thus are men's souls tested as metal in the Forge's fire...."

Welcome to Nocturne, homeworld of the Salamanders chapter. Their home is a harsh place its all I am saying. These guys are truly badass, such a shame so many of them die during this 3 book omnibus. I am not gonna go into too much detail seeing as there happens quite alot. What this book does Warhammer proud with is WAR, lots of it, we have Ork,Dark Eldar, Chaos, fellow Space Marines turned triators due to some raw deals, Deamons all of them the Anvil unto which the sons of Vulcan are tempered against. What will the outcome be? Well, if like myself, you read this book from cover to cover, you will know. Good Luck.

If it wasnt for so many grammatical mistakes (bad proofreader perhaps before going to print?), then I am sure a 4 even 5 star rating would be had from me. Nick did say in his foreword that he wouldve liked to change a few things, would be interesting to see what they wouldve been.

My only problem with this book was that the fate of the Salamanders chapter is not concluded in any way. Some of the chapters were boring and confusing. And I officialy hate the main enymy of the Salamanders.

There, that was as much as I could say and remember saying of this omnibus.

Unto the Anvil, for anyone strong enough to face it head on. This book is a Mammoth.

[Nikolis Asimakis · Rating 4 out of 5]

What can I say for this book. I got it because it had many stories with a very cheap price. A trilogy plus 11 short stories in-between the trilogy. Overall, the experience was awesome, true, gritty 40K. The characters were very intriguing (especially the chaplain Elysius), the stories well-paced and the body count extreme. The only reason I gave it 4/5 was that some stories had some weird pacing and/or plot points. Especially the final Dak'ir and Tsu'gan scene was...underwhelming to say the least. But what I keep from the whole experience is a true 40K setting to all the stories and characters.

Into the fires of battle, unto the anvil of war!

[Oliver Eike · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was tested upon the Anvil as i read this book and i was forged all the stronger for it.

Now, i am become the hammer.

For this book was meh. It was an interesting look into the lore of the Salamanders, but many of the characters i felt crashed with the mentality of what it should take to be a Space Marine and many even crashed with the idea of the Promethian Cult and as such were poor Salaamanders. *Cough* Tsu'Gan *Cough*

I dont know, while the book itself had some interesting elements to it, overall i was bored and it felt as if the story did very little of interest. There are better Warhammer 40k Books out there.

[Bendak Starkiller · Rating 1 out of 5]

I've been a Warhammer fan for a long time and this is the second worst book I've ever read in this entire series (coming in second to being worst of all time, by the slightest margin, to Architect of Fate). The pacing and dialogue would be hard pressed to be called mediocre. Only a handful of the characters were actually decent enough to hold their own outside of the cookie cutter and I found myself confusing characters because of not only how similar their names were but also because they were not important or distinguishing enough to merit remembering.
I only found myself really drawn to a grand total of six characters, and one of them only because of his position as Chapter Master. Chaplain Elysius was really the only character, (besides Da'kir the main protagonist) that I felt was really well defined. The story itself was both confusing, filled with made up words for alien technology that wasn't always relevant, and drawn out. It had a lot of potential that was muddied with irrelevancy, bad dialogue and worse characters.
To make things even worse, is the trilogy spanning rivalry between pretentious douche-bag Zek Tsu'gan and underdog Hazon Da'kir. Da'kir is your standard cookie cutter hero who has hidden power that he must master to save the day. Not that this is bad, mind you, just a little boring. Tsu'gan on the other hand is your typical putting-on-heirs/I'm-so-much-better-than-you arrogant prick that everyone loves to hate. Even that wouldn't have been so bad by itself but Mr. Kyme attempted to change this by putting Tsu'gan in several difficult situations in order to try and garner some sympathy for an otherwise despicable character. Not only does Tsu'gan's horrendous personality never change but he also starts climbing the ranks, as if he's being rewarded for being an insufferable jerk. This had the exact opposite effect because by the end, I completely despised this character.
After all the time that it took to finish all three books, I honestly became disgusted with Nick Kyme as an author for writing such an atrocious ending and have refused to read anymore of his books even though I love Vulkan and the Salamanders dearly.
I would only recommend this book to people who are looking for an example of how to take something with lots of potential and completely ruin it.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perfunctory writing for a Collection of Salamander short stories and novels

I fell in love with the Salamanders after stumbling onto a 'Pariah Nexus' trailer on YouTube. I immediately had to get a Warhammer+ subscription and devour everything Salamander related. I thought this omnibus would be perfect and exactly what I was looking for. I was only partially right.

This book is not Black Library bolter-porn. I must give Nick Kyme credit, he gave the Salamanders culture and breathes life into a lot of aspects around the chapter/legion and their home world nocturne. You come to understand the Salamanders as more than the 'humanitarians' of the imperium. It describes the 7 cities on the planet, the regionalism that occurs behind that and how the people are able to survive on a death world. Also, he shows how the 'promethean' belief system works under the cult of the emperor. This takes effort and thought that I respect and appreciate as a fan.

My love of the Salamanders is the only thing that kept me going after the first set of short stories and the first novel. I needed to see how everything turned out, but it was a bit of a slog. When the series focuses on a single person, a squad, or company engagements, I was bought in and tearing through the pages. When it got beyond that, I struggled.

I don't think this was poorly written or bad storytelling, merely serviceable.


*Spoilers*

Da'kir turning into an embodiment of fire, saving Nocturne and all it's people felt like a Deus Ex Machina. Yes, there are little bits of religious phenomenon that happen throughout the story and hint that something like this was going to happen. The fact that he becomes a messianic figure with powers beyond anything we've seen is not something felt like a cop out to me. This is a personal opinion.

*End Spoilers *


I recommend this book if you want to understand more about the Salamanders,their culture and why they are the way they are. If you are just perusing for a quick 40k read, I wouldn't recommend this book for you.

[John Bennetto · Rating 4 out of 5]

Currently only half way through this weighty tome (the biggest Omnibus I've yet read, and I've battled through the Dark Angels, Space Wolves and Blood Angels). Already having read two of the first short stories in "Heroes..." and "Legends of the Space Marines" I was already acquainted with the main protagonist and his antagonist (and the most evil side-kick, aptly named after the Shakespearean arch manipulator Iago, or Iagon in the stories). In fact this back story plays out like a Shakespearean drama, with Hamlet, Othello and MacBeth all mixed up with with several old foes of the Imperium thrown in for good measure. Kyme does well, in this regard hence the high score even at this stage. I can see what he's done, and he's done it well.

The author of the Blood Angels Omnibuses, James Swallow stated in his Introduction to the frist Omnibus that the best advice he had from another author when writing W40K was to pick a Chapter not yet really written about and make it your own. Well, that's what Kyme, like Swallow has done and so far I'm happy with what he's done. He's like Steve Parker with the Deathwatch and my favourite, William King and his Space Wolves (The Ragnar Blackmane Omnibus is perhaps the best writing I've yet seen).

My only recommendation at present, having so far read over 50 W40K novels is that it is wise to take a break and read another novel after each main novel in the Omnibus (there are three). Chances of getting tired for the Fire Born are high, otherwise much as I became sick of the Dark Angels by the end of their first Omnibus.

[andy cobbin · Rating 5 out of 5]

my favourite faction in 40K

I’m a big fan of the salamanders I have close to 3k points of GW salamander army , I’ve even lit bashed. Sol Ba’Ken Sargent in my infernus squad, this collection is a brilliant example of why I love this faction it gives a real feeling of what the salamanders are about and the promethian creed, superb. If you are a fan of the salamanders it’s a must book to own

[Bud Winn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read! This was over 1000 pages so it took a minute to finish. This book goes deep into the WH40K lore - Marines, Orks, Eldar, Chaos, space battle, land, daemons, etc - this has everything. The humanizing of the Salamanders was unexpected, and the harsh reality of their existence is prevalent throughout. Looking forward to reading more of these.

[JOHN MITCHELL · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Blazing Good Read

The omnibus is truly a weighty read. Well written and a good read. If you enjoy the WH 40K future then you won't be disappointed.

[Justin Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not for me

The writing is fine, but the pacing and detail was not there for me. I was not invested in the story, and I am not sure it is the author's fault.

[Ulzeta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite fun.

[Esoteric Anthropologist · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did Not Finish. It was bad.

I did finish most of the Omnibus, including the 3 novels within, but after finishing the third I'm just so done with it I can't go on.

Let me start by saying I've always thought the Salamanders were a really cool chapter, but I didn't know a lot about them, hence why I wanted to read about them and get more into their lore. Unfortunately, this series was a big disappointment that left me liking the Salamanders a lot less.

Firstly, let's start with the writing quality. It's a strange mix of sub-par, painfully mediocre, and pretty darn good, all in completely different aspects and simultaneously.

The sub-par aspect definitely comes through the most in the Flanderization of the Salamanders. The Salamanders are known for a few things: using fire, being dragon-themed, respecting and focusing on fine craftsmanship, compassion and care for civilians, and stoicism. The author takes these things and just beats you over the head with them (except for the part about care for civilians, which I don't think comes up that often). The actual dialogue, names, and themes for the Salamanders is downright nauseating with how repetitive and 1-note it is. Let me break this down for you; whenever the Salamanders are talking about something, particularly on the battle-field, they read like this:

"fire fire anvil hammer forge fire anvil drake hammer hammer forge anvil forge fire fire fire drake forge fire hammer anvil fire fire hammer anvil anvil anvil fire fire hammer"

Just about EVERYTHING about the Salamanders is now some sort of reference to blacksmithing and it's so repetitive I got sick of it before I even finished the first book.

Then there are also certain plot elements that aren't explained very well and you just wonder what is going on and how. Why and how were the [spoiler] marines on [spoiler] planet in the first book? What the heck is the deal with the Archimedes Rex? Why does Lokar hate the Salamanders THAT much even after he already got even with them? Why does Tsu'gan never get punished for his constant disrespect to his fellow marines?

Oh yeah, and the conflict between Tsu'gan and Dak'ir, two of the main characters in the books. The whole time I'm thinking these two battle-brothers are going to begrudgingly respect and come to terms with each other by the end of the series, but as a mild spoiler, it doesn't happen, and their endings suck.

The actual characters also seem kind of stupid at times. In the short story about Stratos it's very obvious that the Salamanders are fighting some foe that knows exactly how to counter them, but none of the characters realize this until way too late. Characters can only be as smart as their author, amirite?

Then there's the overarching plot itself. Now as an omnibus about a particular chapter, there are a variety of directions the author could have gone. For example, the Word Bearers omnibus, which is a great one I definitely recommend, has the Word Bearers fighting the Imperial Guard, the Adeptus Mechanicus, Necrons, Dark Eldar, Tyrannids, and other Space Marines. Lots of cool foes for them to go against. The Ahriman Omnibus also has a complex variety of foes. This allows these chapters to really show how they react in different scenarios and creates a fun clash-of-cultures type combat.

In this omnibus the overarching threat is some crafty cabal of traitor marines led by only one guy with a name worth remembering and some of his Dark Eldar lackies and a little bit of orks. I think the Salamanders would have been best suited for some sort of grueling campaign where they could show off their cool tactics, their care for civilian life, and their amazing crafted weapons. Instead we just have them jumping between a few locations on some goose chase to hunt some sorcerer, and it feels like a waste of a good plot line.

The characters are rather unique and memorable (except for Tu'Shan, who I kept getting confused with Tsu'gan because their names are so darn similar), and they all have their own motivations. However, the "character development" in this series happens on a dime, extremely quickly seemingly as soon as the plot demands it to happen. I can't really explain it more without spoilers, but it's like the author just remembers at the end of an act that character development needs to be a thing and just tags it on.

The book also has a lot of "redshirts" in it - characters that get a name in the middle of combat only for them to die in the next page or so the author can pretend there is some tension, meanwhile none of the consistent, named characters are every really at risk.

Oh, and the ending to the third book of the trilogy was really lame and anti-climactic.

I'm not going to read the rest of the short stories. I only got this far because of sunk-cost fallacy.

Thanks for reading my long review.

fire fire fire forge fire hammer fire fire anvil anvil fire forge hammer drake fire hammer

[Jordan Brantley · Rating 5 out of 5]

The return to Warhammer!

On the distant volcano planet of Nocturne, resides the fearsome chapter of the Space Marines, Salamanders. Forged in the fires of their world and the essence of their Primarch Vulkan, so of the Emperor, The Salamanders bring death to the foes of the Imperium of Man.

So chronicled the tales in this tome.

The author does a really good job at world building. All of the chapters of Space Marines are unique with a personal battle doctrine and culture that is reflective of the planet from which they call home. The chapter Nick Kyme creates is simply superb. The world of Nocturne and the Fortress Monastery of Prometheus are excellent crafted and there are passages in which one can almost feel the heat of the volcano.

In some of the earlier sections of the book, the author does a good job with balance. Warhammer are not what one would call ‘high literature’ they are pretty much comic books with out pictures. In spite of this, the author does a good job of balancing the frenetic action with passages with a lot of atmosphere. Space Marines are really monks as much as they are warriors and monks typically are a reflective bunch and throughout the book we are treated to some rather poetic passages most often reflective of the desolate majesty of the various planets the Salamanders visit. Again, not high literature, but there is surprising elegance in this Science-Fantasy Series.

One of the reasons the Salamanders are so appealing is their heroism. An acquaintance once said that the thing about Warhammer 40k is that there are no heroes in this universe. Indeed, it is readily apparent that for the majority of mankind. The Imperium of Man is the worst place in the universe to be, save for the realm of Chaos. The death’s of a hundred people are nothing in this universe of trillions, forget merely one. But the actions of the Salamander’s throw a wrench into that philosophy. It is repeatedly mentioned that the Salamanders unusually care about the citizens of the Imperium and this is exemplified throughout the text. This not anything revolutionary in the realm of science fiction literature, in the bleak, oppressive regime of the Imperium, it adds a spark of hope in encroaching darkness.

The Flaws.

Like most the Warhammer books Bookworm has read, the Omnibus has a large ensemble cast and part of the problem with an ensemble cast is that the characters can get a little mixed up so the reader may find themselves turning back to previous chapters with the question, “who was that character again?” It is not helped by the fact that many of the characters have similar sounding names, such as Tsu’gan and Tu’Shan, it is easy to get these characters mixed up among all of the others.

While the books that are chronicled in this volume are all a part of a series, it can become a little grinding. The various battle scenes and as one would expect they are very violent and as the lessons taught to us by Hollywood, gratuitous violence doesn’t work. While not necessarily boring, they just go on and on, and it can get very tiring.

Also the various fire puns get a little worn out near the end.

This may simply be the result of reading a book that is nearly a thousand pages long. So unless the reader is hardcore fan, it may be wise to break up the reading into the various books that make up the omnibus.

Final Verdict:

While it drags in a few places. The characters are memorable and action is exciting and surely a worthy addition to any ones personal Black Library.

Four out of Five Stars.

[Derek Weese · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was, easily, the thickest omnibus from Black Library I've yet read. And it was well worth the effort of reading the whole thing.
Far more than just collecting the three novels: 'Salamnder', 'Firedrake' and 'Nocturne', it also collects numerous short story's related to the three novels.
Salamander: The first novel in the omnibus was good, I'd give it three and a half stars which seems lower than most people but before anyone shoots me, need I remind you that that is still a good rating? The first book introduces us to the two main protagonists of the story: Tsu'gan and Dak'ir. Two battle brothers who can't stand each other but who do what needs to be done in order to serve their Chapter and to win. This novel revolves around an ancient prophecy that is initially discovered upon a wayward Mechanicus vessel. This prophecy leads them into conflict with another Chapter 'The Marines Malevolent' as well as sends them on a mission to Scoria where the Salamanders will have to fend off a massive Ork WAAAGH!!!! as well as retrieve sacred artifacts from their Chapters past.
My only problem with this novel was, IMHO, I didn't think that the situation with the Marines Malevolent really went anywhere. Though books two and three would prove me wrong.
Firedrake: This book I'd give an easy four stars too, slightly better than the still very good Salamander. This one revolves around members of the First Company 'The Firedrakes', being captured by the Dark Eldar and the subsequent fight to retreive them as well as the story of the prisoners themselves in the Volgorrah Reef.
I really liked this one. Also, since I'm only now being able to drop my status as 40K rookie, I've not read much on the Dark Eldar thus far. Nick Kyme gets them perfectly I think. Deliciously, sadistically evil and twisted. Normally I frown whenever I hear of the Dark Eldar as the baddies, after Firedrake not any longer.
Nocturne: This one get's four and a half stars and is the culmination of the plot planted down by former Salamander turned Dragon Warrior Nihilan to destroy the Salamanders. The action is non-stop and very well done. The only thing I think this book lacked was a little more resolution of the still, somewhat, left incomplete storyline between the Salamanders and the Marines Malevolent.
Overall this is well worth the time and effort. I love the addition of the short story's as they leave proof that the Salamander's story is far from finished, and the final one 'The Firebrand' sets up for a book four quite nicely.
In short, get this omnibus. It's worth the money and the time, and Nick Kyme has definitely cemented himself as a very good Black Library chronicler.

[Atticus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Salamanders: The Omnibus is an enjoyable read, no question. Nick Kyme's passion for the XVIII Legion is demonstrated here, and as a result, I wager this will satisfy anyone who is remotely interested in the Salamanders.

Is this a must-read? No, there are far better Warhammer 40,000 novels out there. Is this a worthwhile read? Absolutely. Though I'm giving it three stars, it could easily pass as a four-star novel.

[Thomas Senechal · Rating 5 out of 5]

i'm currently in the half way point of this collection of three stories relating to the 18th legion of adeuptus astartes,and all i can say thus far is wow. only makes me excited for the hunt for vulkan in the current beast arises story line in the warhammer universe.

UPDATE:10/18/16
realizing that the omnibus has lost some details on some things,I am currently re-reading the entire book.

FINAL UPDATE:5/4/17
This was pretty good, but in my opinion bastion was better

[Hugh Whitmore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, quite a long read but tons of story on the mighty salamanders

[Denis Reynolds · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poor Zek Tsu'gan, guy can't catch a break.