Missing in Action

Eisenhorn #1.5

by Dan Abnett

Investigating a series of murders leads Inquisitor Eisenhorn into the clutches of a Chaos cult in this short story set between Xenos and Malleus which was previously available in the Eisenhorn Omnibus.

Genres: Science Fiction, 40k, Fiction, Short Stories, Fantasy, Mystery, Action

30 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[Chris Berko · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid short story that shows a different, more human side of Eisenhorn. A side where killing is not always his first choice on how to handle a problem but alas, some things are unavoidable.

[David Sven · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short story set between Xenos and Malleus in the Eisenhorn Omnibus.

After recovering from the events in Xenos - Inquisitor Gregor Eisenhorn is sent to the planet of Sameter on what is supposed to be a cushy low key investigation to ease him back into the job. What he gets instead is a series of cult ritual mutilations that have the stink of Chaos - And Inquisitor Eisenhorn intends to purge it with extreme prejudice.

In essence a police procedural. Very short and very good.


4 stars

[Olethros · Rating 3 out of 5]

-Aunque no lo parezca, un poquito distinto.-

Género. Relato.

Lo que nos cuenta. En Perdida en combate (publicación original: Missing in action, 2001), unos asesinatos de apariencia ritual en Sameter, un planeta agroquímico en depresión económica, llevan a un convaleciente Gregor Einsenhorn a investigar el asunto. Relato independiente dentro de la saga Eisenhorn pero que se situa entre Xenos y Malleus.

¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:

http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...

[Unai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excelente historia corta. En un planeta de industria decadente y población sin esperanza, Eisenhorn investiga por casualidad con una serie de asesinatos, probablemente rituales del caos, por lo violento y descarnado de las mutilaciones que les acompañan. No siempre las cosas son lo que parecen. Corto pero estupendo.

[Laura Larson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Weighing in at only 30 pages, this little guy still packs quite the punch ... And the death toll. I'm starting to fall in love with this brutal, gory, sadistic universe and I'm not sure what that says about me. I'm not sure if this is the intent (or a spoiler, but can you really spoil something you can read in less than an hour?) but the military brainwashing being difficult to turn off feels very similar to real life. All these poor people with obvious PTSD just being cut off with no follow up ... Social commentary? Am I falling in love with Abnett too?

[CrumbleMcLumble · Rating 5 out of 5]

I very rarely find a 40k short story to be all that interesting, as it’s usually just a frame around a battle between characters you haven’t gotten time to know, or two dudes talking in a room for 30 pages. Instead, this was like an episode of a good detective drama, with a tragic twist that, in a very 40k way, reflects a dark truth about the world we live in. Excellent story, and a nice bridge between Eisenhorn books.

[Fiona · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seriously, it takes a lot of brains and experience to pin-point so well the downside of too much loyalty, and of too much doing good. A little bit of educated criticism against extremists, if you'll have it, and what little difference it makes what cause they are extreme about.

[Spencer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short but impactful story the humanises Eisenhorn, reminds us of the effects of war and packs a lot into 30 pages.

[Michael Dodd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set between Xenos and Malleus, this sees inquisitor Eisenhorn returning to the field having recovered from the events of the Necroteuch affair. Sent to Sameter for a routine mission to ease him back into work, when bodies start appearing with signs pointing to ritual killings he realises there’s a much bigger puzzle for him to solve on Sameter.

It’s Eisenhorn the super sleuth, intuitively making connections and gradually revealing to us – the readers – and his own companions exactly what’s been happening. It’s fun to see a little more of the investigative side of this sort of story, and while this is pretty short and sweet it is, as always, a delight to spend more time with Eisenhorn, Fischig, Aemos and co.

Read the full review at https://www.trackofwords.com/2018/04/...

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

May the god emperor rest their souls

[Lachlan]

yeah this one was good i now want to re-read the other short stories because I think they'll make a lot more sense after having read Xenos

[Ben Vogensen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Neat short story. It was cool to see the Guard, which typically are given very underwhelming roles in 40k, as an actual antagonistic force to be reckoned with. I also like Eisenhorn a lot. Hes a very good representation of an Inquisitor, so that's generally a positive point for the story.

[Sean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short but sweet

[Andy Yang · Rating 5 out of 5]

great short story, quick and to the point, unexpected twist, emotional ending. excellent illustration of the universe, examining it through a lens also applicable to real life.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Taking a break from reading *Eisenhorn #1* and diving into a shorter story turned out to be a great decision. At first, I expected it to be nothing more than filler, but it surprised me with its depth. The story tackled a very real topic in a way that felt grounded, even if it was presented in a hyperbolic fashion. The unique themes is refreshing and gave the story a weight I didn’t anticipate. Overall, it was a highly satisfying read.

[Masha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a short story coming right after the events of the first book, a standalone story not really connected to the past or future events from what I can tell. It's a side quest with a little bit of detective work and some action. But I liked it because it shows the consequences of war on those who have gone through it. It is a space version of post-war PTSD. A story of loyal soldiers who returned to their homes and could not leave the war behind so they killed people who they saw as threats to their cause, only that cause was no longer there.
We see Eisenhorn's humanity again in the fact that he looses a hand and chooses to not use a prosthetic for two years as a way to honour those veterans.

[Hedrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good, short story. It's almost like "a day in the life of Gregor Eisenhorn". I don't want to spoil it, but the ending is definitely bittersweet. I'm curious to see how this experience changes Eisenhorn over the rest of his stories.

[Frank Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good quick scenario. I enjoy the sincere conviction of the players in this series. Inquisitor Eisenhorn demonstrates a keen understanding of the price people pay for performing their righteous work.

[Jonathan Kuehl · Rating 5 out of 5]

That was grimdark as hell. Loved it.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

One part detective story, one part social commentary.

Gosh I love this Abnett chap. Here he gives us a short and sweet tale after the events of 'Xenos' as our main man, Inquisitor-badass-Eisenhorn, is eased back into active duty and given a string of murders to solve.

This is a great little tale that doesn't waste its word count, that still manages to utilise the great characterisation made in the prior novel with the rest of 'Team Eisenhorn'. What we are given is short, simple, with Eisenhorn having to embrace his humane side that ends in a terrific eruption of violence.

The parallels with how the state deal with veterans and the consequences of this neglect are nicely touched upon here. Even with some massive 40K hyperbole thrown in, it is hard not to feel some sadness as a group of men who served their country/planet are slaughtered due to a lack of aftercare post war and service. I love this 40K stuff!

This serves as a great interlude between the first 2 novels and I eagerly have Malleus primed on my Kindle ready to rock and roll 💪🏻

[Javier Perez · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a short story part of a bigger series, how good it is depends on the mysterious case Eisenhorn is tasked with solving and the resulting answer. The case itself starts interesting, but the best part is the reveal of the culprits and their intentions. I will say the reveal isn’t as surprising as I hoped it would be as the story has foreshadowing that is only a few pages before the reveal due to how short the story is.

Unfortunately, the characters aren’t given too much time to shine, though some do get some moments, especially Eisenhorn as we get more insight in who he is based on how he deals with the situation knowing the truth. There is also some interesting commentary surrounding the reveal and its insight into the Imperium as a whole.

Overall a good short story that adds to the Warhammer 40k world following characters I like.

[L J Field · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent story. Small issue, however. This story was written twenty years ago. Games Workshop has continued to build their worlds. In this story a founding for an Astra Militarum unit had occurred on the planet that is the scene of action for this story. This new army group goes to war and when the fighting is over, the survivors return to their home world. Rules now stipulate that after a founding, the troops never see their home again. Survivors are now scattered throughout the galaxy.

[J.P. Harker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this. Not only is it some classic Eisenhorn action/investigation (always in a great balance), and not only do we get to see yet more of this Inquisitor's human heart, but it was a genuinely surprising conclusion. So often the answer in such things is simply 'Chaos did it', so to have this whole thing be essentially an insight into PTSD was both refreshing and impactful.
As with any good short story, I'm torn between wishing it was longer and acknowledging that it got the story told efficiently without needless bulk (always a plus in SFF)
I will strongly recommend this!

[Yoramitsu Masomoto · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75/4

A quick, entertaining read much in the vein of the previous novel. Abnett has a talent for writing action scenes and the ones in this story do not disappoint. What was interesting about the premise of this particular story is that its focus is on the human cost of the eternal war that is seemingly going on. Something I had not expected from the most grimdark of grimdark universes.

I'm on to the next one!

[Nathan Walkley · Rating 4 out of 5]

While it has basically the same structure as the first short story, I do prefer this, the more tortured setting and the people living in it are more interesting than an ork in a hood. It touches on that fundamental idea of noir coming from a post war society. I also like that it doesn't waste time, I could see a much longer version of this story but it's not needed, it makes it's point then ends and I appreciate that.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

Musings on the assimilation of veterans back into society through the guise of a detective uncovering a series of murders on a pollution ridden planet. Abnett is very good at maintaining pace and attention. Enjoying his work so far and these short stories are a fun way to get a deeper look at the world of 40k and Eisenhorn and his compatriots

[William Spencer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good little mystery for Eisenhorn to tackle between books. The crime solving aspect was good and an interesting conclusion. It does highlight how old this book series is as some parts are not how the lore is now

[Lokrath · Rating 4 out of 5]

The short story was very straightforward but the way it was finished raised it back to being very good. Again the text was very easy and fluent to read. A pretty nice "snack" between the longer Eisenhorn books.

[Jayme · Rating 4 out of 5]

Starts vague, ends great. Love the takeaway that (mild spoiler) the doctrines of the imperium have dangerous implications for soldiers who return home. Sounds familiar to something in the real world but I can’t quite put my finger on it 🧐🤔

[Lyandros · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inquisition short stories just make so much sense. A short story on a singular mission that doesn’t need to be stretched out or given complex characters/themes/ideologies is perfect. Just a open and shut detective story.