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Warhammer 40,000
Treacheries of the Space Marines
The Space Marines of the Adeptus Astartes are the defenders of mankind, the ultimate superhuman brotherhood standing against the evils of the galaxy. But even among their hallowed ranks, there are those who would turn their backs on their brothers and follow the path of the traitor. Gathered within these pages, you will find tales from the dark side of the Imperium – remember, that which can defend, can also betray...
New York Times bestselling editor Christian Dunn presents a selection of short stories from some of Black Library’s finest authors: Anthony Reynolds, Aaron Dembski-Bowden, Matthew Farrer, Sarah Cawkwell and many more
New York Times bestselling editor Christian Dunn presents a selection of short stories from some of Black Library’s finest authors: Anthony Reynolds, Aaron Dembski-Bowden, Matthew Farrer, Sarah Cawkwell and many more
416 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published September 1, 2012
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310 people want to read
About the author
Christian Z. Dunn
140 books62 followersChristian Dunn, sometimes credited as C.Z. Dunn, is a senior editor for Black Library.
Librarian note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Librarian note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
December 14, 2012
As this is an anthology, and the stories so varied in what I thought of them, I am going to look at them one on one. This anthology as a whole flits between a three to four star rating. I settled on three because the lesser stories outrank the four star ones.
"The Masters, Bidding" by Matthew Farrer is a wonderful story showing the difference between those that had fought with Horus vs those that came to the side of Chaos afterwards. I found the way that the chapters present were done to be very well thought out, and their characters realistic. Farrer did a wonderful job with this story and it was a good one to open the anthology with. The elements of Chaos were handled well, and the writing itself was strong. The combat scene at the end was a bit muddled, but overall it was handled really well and the story didn't suffer because of it. (unlike some of the later stories) All in all, a good read, and I would gladly read this story again.
"The Carrion Anthem" by David Annandale was interesting. The plague of Typhus in this story was different. It showed a different take on plagues that Nurgle could infect upon people of the world. The story itself was alright. It wasn't as engaging as it could have been and I found the viewpoint of the Corvus to be rather uninteresting past a certain point. Near the end, I couldn't stand Corvus anymore and was actually wishing the story would just end. The show of strength of the Nurgle force was excessive and really not needed. Yes, it showed them how futile their resistance was, but in the end, I saw it as a glorious waste of time and resources.
"Liberator" by Jonathan Green was confusing. Seeing the rise of the chaos lord was interesting, but the way the story was laid out was confusing as soon as the first flashback hits. There's nothing to indicate the break other than two spaces between paragraphs. And then we keep flashing back and back and back again throughout the story. Normally stories like this can prove to be interesting and given the subject matter, enjoyable. However, in Green's story, each shard of history comes across a little too jagged, a little too chaotic. All in all, I didn't enjoy this story despite all the possibilities it contained.
"The Long War" by Andy Hoare was one I actually forgot about as soon as I moved onto the next story. The plot is well done, and the large scale combat handled fairly well. Parts of the story felt a little too much like product placement for Games Workshop, with all the mentions of the new chaos figures that had just been released around the same time as the book. In fact, he mentions some of them early in the story, then goes on to repeat descriptions later on. It feels too much like a commercial than an actual story.
Then there's the flashbacks. These were boring and uninteresting. Yes, the chaos lord is trapped in one glorious battle from his past, and no matter where or when he's fighting, his mind retreats back to that battle. Yes, we get it. You'd think that in the thousands of thousands of years that these lords have been alive, they would have figured a way out to stop such things from happening. Not to mention, this is an Iron Warrior, someone who should have replaced large sections of their brain with artificial implants and what not. These alone would have stopped the process from happening. Had this been another legion, I could have seen this happening, but not with this specific legion. In the end, this story was forgettable in this anthology.
"Throne of Lies" by Aaron Dembski-Bowden surprised me. I didn't expect a Night Lord story in this collection. Dembski-Bowden does a good job writing chaos legions, and this story didn't fail to deliver. The goals of the Night Lords was one I could believe, the prize worth it. It gave another side to the Long War, and showed a side of the Chaos Space Marines that wasn't one of killing, murder, and such. Instead this is a softer side, a side of the legion devoted to their Primarchs. In the end, I really enjoyed this story and it was one of the best ones in this collection. I will gladly read this one again.
"Bitter End" by Sarah Cawkwell was another story I didn't expect to see. A Huron Blackheart story, this one lives up to the small pieces I have read involving this character. The combat is fast and dirty and fits the story well. The betrayals are realistic, the goals well done, and overall the plot was enjoyable. Having the Sisters of Battle in this story made it a real treat, and the short mention of a traitor Sisters organization that the Sisters had fought made this story even better simply for the fluff it provided. I enjoyed this story.
"We are One" by John French was an amazing Alpha Legion story. Told from the viewpoint of an Inquisitor, the story keeps its focus on the traitor legion, something I admired considering the story that followed it in the anthology. French did an wonderful job keeping in character with the Alpha Legion and wove a tale full of so many betrayals and misdirects I have a feeling that those who love the Alpha Legion will really enjoy this story. All in all, I really liked this story and will read it again for sure. Easily the best story in this anthology.
"Torturer's Thirst" by Andy Smillie was a let down. Where French succeeded writing a story from a loyalist's viewpoint about a chaos legion, Smillie failed. This didn't feel like a story about chaos space marines (the theme of this anthology), but rather about the Flesh Tearers. So many things in this just came out wrong. The Black Rage is handled differently than other stories, and even the back ground history of the Blood Angels, which created a huge disconnect for me. Had the Flesh Tearer turned, perhaps became a follower of Khorne at the end, that would have easily saved the story. Instead, this story belongs in one of the other Space Marine anthologies, not in one about Chaos Space Marines. All in all, this story, though not the worst of the anthology, just didn't fit at all.
Vox Dominus" by Anthony Reynolds is a Word Bearer tale following Marduk. The story itself was interesting and I loved the places that the characters traveled to during the story. However one problem this story has is that it feels rushed at the end. That, coupled with the sudden ending with no resolution, left me feeling like I had just gotten reader's blueballs with no chance of release. I've read Reynold's other stuff, and it's good. The fact that this story ends the way it does is a huge let down and makes me wonder why the hell they did this. In the end, a good story with a very abrupt ending. Not the best in the batch, but still pretty good. The Nurgle aspects of this story were a little over done, but it fit the story once things got going.
So in the end, a good mix of stories. When I had seen this anthology was going to be released, I won't lie, I was excited. There isn't enough material written about the Chaos Space Marines. After putting the book down, I felt it did the legions justice, though some of the stories could have been better. Unfortunately due to the lesser stories, this anthology moves from being one of the better anthologies to being in the middle of the pack.
So if you are a fan of Chaos marines, pick this up. Despite the lesser stories, you will most likely will still enjoy this collection.
"The Masters, Bidding" by Matthew Farrer is a wonderful story showing the difference between those that had fought with Horus vs those that came to the side of Chaos afterwards. I found the way that the chapters present were done to be very well thought out, and their characters realistic. Farrer did a wonderful job with this story and it was a good one to open the anthology with. The elements of Chaos were handled well, and the writing itself was strong. The combat scene at the end was a bit muddled, but overall it was handled really well and the story didn't suffer because of it. (unlike some of the later stories) All in all, a good read, and I would gladly read this story again.
"The Carrion Anthem" by David Annandale was interesting. The plague of Typhus in this story was different. It showed a different take on plagues that Nurgle could infect upon people of the world. The story itself was alright. It wasn't as engaging as it could have been and I found the viewpoint of the Corvus to be rather uninteresting past a certain point. Near the end, I couldn't stand Corvus anymore and was actually wishing the story would just end. The show of strength of the Nurgle force was excessive and really not needed. Yes, it showed them how futile their resistance was, but in the end, I saw it as a glorious waste of time and resources.
"Liberator" by Jonathan Green was confusing. Seeing the rise of the chaos lord was interesting, but the way the story was laid out was confusing as soon as the first flashback hits. There's nothing to indicate the break other than two spaces between paragraphs. And then we keep flashing back and back and back again throughout the story. Normally stories like this can prove to be interesting and given the subject matter, enjoyable. However, in Green's story, each shard of history comes across a little too jagged, a little too chaotic. All in all, I didn't enjoy this story despite all the possibilities it contained.
"The Long War" by Andy Hoare was one I actually forgot about as soon as I moved onto the next story. The plot is well done, and the large scale combat handled fairly well. Parts of the story felt a little too much like product placement for Games Workshop, with all the mentions of the new chaos figures that had just been released around the same time as the book. In fact, he mentions some of them early in the story, then goes on to repeat descriptions later on. It feels too much like a commercial than an actual story.
Then there's the flashbacks. These were boring and uninteresting. Yes, the chaos lord is trapped in one glorious battle from his past, and no matter where or when he's fighting, his mind retreats back to that battle. Yes, we get it. You'd think that in the thousands of thousands of years that these lords have been alive, they would have figured a way out to stop such things from happening. Not to mention, this is an Iron Warrior, someone who should have replaced large sections of their brain with artificial implants and what not. These alone would have stopped the process from happening. Had this been another legion, I could have seen this happening, but not with this specific legion. In the end, this story was forgettable in this anthology.
"Throne of Lies" by Aaron Dembski-Bowden surprised me. I didn't expect a Night Lord story in this collection. Dembski-Bowden does a good job writing chaos legions, and this story didn't fail to deliver. The goals of the Night Lords was one I could believe, the prize worth it. It gave another side to the Long War, and showed a side of the Chaos Space Marines that wasn't one of killing, murder, and such. Instead this is a softer side, a side of the legion devoted to their Primarchs. In the end, I really enjoyed this story and it was one of the best ones in this collection. I will gladly read this one again.
"Bitter End" by Sarah Cawkwell was another story I didn't expect to see. A Huron Blackheart story, this one lives up to the small pieces I have read involving this character. The combat is fast and dirty and fits the story well. The betrayals are realistic, the goals well done, and overall the plot was enjoyable. Having the Sisters of Battle in this story made it a real treat, and the short mention of a traitor Sisters organization that the Sisters had fought made this story even better simply for the fluff it provided. I enjoyed this story.
"We are One" by John French was an amazing Alpha Legion story. Told from the viewpoint of an Inquisitor, the story keeps its focus on the traitor legion, something I admired considering the story that followed it in the anthology. French did an wonderful job keeping in character with the Alpha Legion and wove a tale full of so many betrayals and misdirects I have a feeling that those who love the Alpha Legion will really enjoy this story. All in all, I really liked this story and will read it again for sure. Easily the best story in this anthology.
"Torturer's Thirst" by Andy Smillie was a let down. Where French succeeded writing a story from a loyalist's viewpoint about a chaos legion, Smillie failed. This didn't feel like a story about chaos space marines (the theme of this anthology), but rather about the Flesh Tearers. So many things in this just came out wrong. The Black Rage is handled differently than other stories, and even the back ground history of the Blood Angels, which created a huge disconnect for me. Had the Flesh Tearer turned, perhaps became a follower of Khorne at the end, that would have easily saved the story. Instead, this story belongs in one of the other Space Marine anthologies, not in one about Chaos Space Marines. All in all, this story, though not the worst of the anthology, just didn't fit at all.
Vox Dominus" by Anthony Reynolds is a Word Bearer tale following Marduk. The story itself was interesting and I loved the places that the characters traveled to during the story. However one problem this story has is that it feels rushed at the end. That, coupled with the sudden ending with no resolution, left me feeling like I had just gotten reader's blueballs with no chance of release. I've read Reynold's other stuff, and it's good. The fact that this story ends the way it does is a huge let down and makes me wonder why the hell they did this. In the end, a good story with a very abrupt ending. Not the best in the batch, but still pretty good. The Nurgle aspects of this story were a little over done, but it fit the story once things got going.
So in the end, a good mix of stories. When I had seen this anthology was going to be released, I won't lie, I was excited. There isn't enough material written about the Chaos Space Marines. After putting the book down, I felt it did the legions justice, though some of the stories could have been better. Unfortunately due to the lesser stories, this anthology moves from being one of the better anthologies to being in the middle of the pack.
So if you are a fan of Chaos marines, pick this up. Despite the lesser stories, you will most likely will still enjoy this collection.
March 30, 2018
I enjoyed this. Matthew Farrers story, 'The Masters, Bidding' has my favourite prose and a slight fairytale aspect that I enjoyed. Jonathan Green's 'Liberator' has a funky backwards structure that i had some trouble parsing to being with but which I found to be a fun and interesting view of a 'fall from grace' story. Dembski-Bowdens 'Throne of Lies' is customarily good but I don't think I'm into the stuff he's into the way he is into it so there's a sense of dissonance I get from him. Cawkwell's 'Bitter End' actually has a reasonably good end as does John French's 'We Are One' - seems to be a rule that Alpha Legion stories never have the Alpha Legion as main pov characters, which makes sense. Anthony Reynolds 'Vox Dominus' has some inventive and exacting attention to nurgly detail which sticks in the mind.
March 26, 2025
An interesting collection of tales of (mostly) Chaos Space Marines. I think I prefer the regular evil Space Marines!
It was nice to see the traitors as more than mustachio twirling bad guys. After all to quote Wreck It Ralph "I am a Bad Guy, not a bad guy."
A nice overly complicated Alpha Legion tale. A mustachio twirling Iron Warrior. Flesh Tearers showing why they're called that. And Bearers of the Word showing why they are the worst of the worst!
It was nice to see the traitors as more than mustachio twirling bad guys. After all to quote Wreck It Ralph "I am a Bad Guy, not a bad guy."
A nice overly complicated Alpha Legion tale. A mustachio twirling Iron Warrior. Flesh Tearers showing why they're called that. And Bearers of the Word showing why they are the worst of the worst!
December 14, 2017
Overall, this was a solid short story collection, quite entertaining, and a definite to-read for any and all foul Chaos Cultists.
April 13, 2018
Some good stories, some boring. Too mediocre overall to deserve more than two stars, though. Only for devoted fans.
April 24, 2019
Typical of the series and what you would expect from WARHAMMER.
April 12, 2024
intresting set of stories from a different perspective
August 21, 2024
Quite fun.
August 23, 2024
Brilliant from the start, full of plot twists right from the beginning, daring do, three dimensional characters and epic world building from the outset! :D
February 1, 2013
I have to say that compared to other anthologies I have read in this vein (Legends of the Space Marines and Victories of the Space Marines), this one was very disappointing. I know short story anthologies can be hit and miss depending on the selections. Some stories are good, and might redeem an otherwise so-so anthology. Other stories less so. Well, in this case, there were no real good stories. A lot of them were basically slow-plodding tales that were more of a chore to read than anything else. After my previous reading experiences in this series of anthologies, this one was a real letdown for me as a reader. If Black Library chooses to make another anthology of Space Marines, they probably need to be a bit more selective of who writes stories for it. This one was not a good example of the best Black Library can and does put out. However, there are still plenty of other good things to read in the WH 40K universe, so I am just chalking this up as a loss and moving on to something else.
October 17, 2012
This was a mediocre collection (except for one story, see below). It is funny to watch the authors incorporate the company's new toys (read: product placement) in their stories where none existed before. Also, if the Death Guard are so hard to put down (the last story), how are they not ruling the universe?
The best story by far was French's "We Are One" about the Alpha Legion. Twists and turns abounded, and it was so inspiring that it actually made me want to play the 40k RPG with a similar theme!
The best story by far was French's "We Are One" about the Alpha Legion. Twists and turns abounded, and it was so inspiring that it actually made me want to play the 40k RPG with a similar theme!
July 26, 2013
Although IMO the first four shortstories are terrible, the last five coming after are worth the wait. There were three new authors for me: Sarah Cawkwell, Andy Smillie, and Anthony Reynolds, who all made a brilliant first impression. Plus, Mr. ADB ( Aaron Dembski-Bowden) and John French once again did a masterpiece. As a Alpha Legion fan, I especially enjoyed the We Are One by J. French. I would give four, or even five stars, were it that this novel had only the better stuff. Now I'll go with three.
December 11, 2012
This is a great book overall. Each story is quite unique and different from the others, and each of the writing styles is accessible. You get a really good feel for the machinations of the Chaos Space Marines, their rivalries, and the eternal conflict with their counterparts, the Imperium of Man.
September 4, 2013
A good collection of short stories to pass the time with. Some are bolter porn (yay!) and some just end very abruptly.
September 19, 2012
A few repeats if you've read Hammer and Bolter, but all good to very good stories.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews