The Martyr's Tomb

Dawn of Fire #6

by Marc Collins

Dawn of Fire Book 6

The zealous Black Templars and the Order of Our Martyred Lady hold a shrine world against the Death Guard – a guttering light in the darkness.

READ IT BECAUSE
Marc Collins shows us how desperate the fight can get in the swirl of the Indomitus Crusade. Every world defended is worthy of celebration, no matter the cost.

THE STORY
The Indomitus Crusade burns across the stars, while new threats emerge to challenge the Imperium's resurgence.

As the Kingdom of Iron is secured and the Primarch Reborn's thoughts turn to future salients, the Arch-enemy strikes back against the Indomitus Crusade's forces. The shrine worlds of the Golden Chain are all but broken, and only Velua remains defiant. Canoness Irinya of the Order of Our Martyred Lady and Champion Gaheris of the Black Templars hold the line, fighting against the plague-ridden cultists reducing the planet to anarchy.

While the war rages on and the true enemy makes itself known, the fate of Velua and the wider crusade may rest upon the shoulders of another of the Imperial Regent's agents: the disgraced Rogue Trader Katla Helvintr. Heroes rise and worlds fall, and only the light of faith will guide the warriors of the Imperium to their destiny.

Genres: 40k, Science Fiction, Audiobook

491 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 2023

About the author

Marc Collins is a speculative fiction writer from Glasgow, Scotland, covering diverse topics from Norse werewolves to the grim darkness of the far future. When not working in Pathology, he enjoys a dram and pondering our transhuman future, inspired by writers such as Iain M Banks.

Reviews

[Ridel · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Indomitus Defense

I suspect that GW requires every Dawn of Fire novel to be an advertisement for Imperium combined arms tactics. All books have contained a uniform mix of Adeptus Astartes, Sororitas, Mechanicus heavies, and a token Imperial Guard unit. That this is the fourth planetary defense theatre doesn’t help distinguish The Martyr’s Tomb, and worse, it’s also a shrine world, and Gate of Bones has already done that.

This is all the more unfortunate because the newly minted author lost sight of the primary plot: Rogue Trader Helvintr’s quest to reach Imperium Nihilus. The standard WH40K ridiculous overuse of Norse mythology (“Helvintr”) applied to a pack of Fenrisian spacers is refreshingly different, and their quest drags the Indomitus Crusade forward. Yet for some reason, they’re only introduced in Act Two, and we must first suffer through repetitive scenes of despair as the shrine world gradually falls into darkness.

The defense of Velua is enjoyable in that classic grimdark Pyrrhic way. I appreciated the heroic sacrifices of Guardsmen, Sisters, and even Princeps. Viewed across the broader crusade though, it’s repetitive and takes page count away from an honestly intriguing quest. The Rogue Trader is surrounded by atypical allies, with both a Custodian and Magos whose personalities are nuanced and unique. It’s a shame that we don’t get more of them.

I would love to interview the author of The Martyr’s Tomb and ask how this book was made. The blame could lie with GW demanding equal screen time for all the armies it needs to sell, or it could be an inexperienced writer failing to recognize the best part of his story. And honestly, my complaints are with how the book fits into the series at large, rather than the book itself.

Recommended for WH40K fans.

[Jack Neighbour · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bit of a slog. However it moves on the narrative to 40K. Enjoyed the rogue trader bits. Found the sister story a bit repetitive. Some good bits but glad to finish it.

[Gary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Faith and fire

Another well told tale set within the Dawn of Fire arc. A great villain in Tuul and the death guard, the author does a great job of showing off just how monstrous these killing machines truely are. I dare say his versions of the death guard are on parr with that of black library author Chris Wraight.

The return of rogue trader Katla was very welcome, a massive fan of her from Marc's previous rogue trader novel, with her character and story arc being my favourite part of the whole novel. I enjoyed her interactions with Augustus a truely terrifying custodian.

Marc continues to prove why he can do the black Templars so well they are very well presented here in both there quiter moments and in the more action heavy segments both the Emperors champion and the dreadnought being true stand out warriors.

Now, I'm not a fan of the sisters of battle. I find them to be too preaching and not very interesting to engage with. Unfortunately, this is exactly how they are presented here. I understand why the author used them in this way in regards to the overall plot its just that they are not my cup of tea.

Overall, it was a well told story that fits perfectly into the dawn of fire series only marred by some plot threads that didn't quite land for me.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an absolute barn burner. Start to finish, this was an engrossing read. While The Iron Kingdom read at a slow clip until it's final act, this one starts with the gas pedal all the way down and just kind of pushes it through the floor and into the red. I'm not entirely sure that the author didn't put on the Doom Eternal soundtrack and crank it to ten as he sat there writing this, it certainly reads that way. At times it is very violent, and other times rather gross as any book involving the Death Guard tends to be, but it was thrilling to work through.

Velua is the last in a chain of seven shrineworlds, besieged by the forces of Chaos and the Death Guard. Standing as the last defense are the Adepta Sororitas, and a detachment of the Black Templars led by The Emperor's Champion, alongside some Astra Militarum reinforcements. For the first act the POV is cycled primarily between the Sororitas Canoness, Gaheris (The Emperor's Champion), and a Templar Novitiate as they take part in Velua's defense, as well as small sections for a Chaos prophet and Tuul, a Death Guard leader and member of the Hands of Abbadon. The second act gives us the additional POV of a Fenrisian Rogue Trader as she attempts to scout out a gate through the Rift at Guilliman's behest.

Simple at times in concept but well done and a fun read, probably my favorite among the Dawn of Fire series so far.

[Miles Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were some cool spots in this story, but it only seems to push the series plot forward a tiny bit at the end. The parts about the Adepta Sororitas were pretty metal, but seemed unnecessary. I also wasn't particularly thrilled about having another Black Templar plot, since we've already had a couple of those this series. The Rogue Trader's story was cool and the plague Marines were disgusting and fun, but overall meh.

[Christian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Old favorites return in an epic book. It takes a while to set up but then the action goes crazy just before the half way point. Lots of interesting and sympathetic characters. It’ll be interesting to see how they bring this series to an end. I hope a lot of these characters survive to fight the Tyranid.

[Brent E. Blanks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely Worth reading

Love the Death guard.And the black Templars are great in this book.The God emporer is rising you can tell ,can't wait.

[Matt Tyrrell-Byrne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Far better entry to the series. A bit long but I thought it worth it.

Engaging and horrific action with the forces of the Death Guard, suitably heroic moments from Black Templars.

And finally something that tied in a bit with the Psychic Awakening campaign arcs.

[Tiago M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably the worst jn the dawn of fire series, giving it a 4 because I liked some parts, but it is not very good

[Andrew Peel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unfortunately not as good as his previous books. Too long for the actual story it contains. Far too many pages of gross descriptions of Chaos - again

[Vaclav Kubicek · Rating 2 out of 5]

The worst novel in Dawn of Fire series so far. But still much better book than Void King.
I must state again, that Marc Collins can't write a decent battle scene. It is all the same phrases and extensive pathetic talking during the fight. It feels really odd.

(SPOILERS !!! for The Martyr's Tomb and Void King)

I have really bad feeling about how was the Void King finished (or unfinished?) and how Martyrs Tomb continues storyline of Katla. How Katla was raised from the dead (yes true death) by her elder psyker, and the genestealer allaround left her alone for some reason and in return she left alone Radrexxus in the lead of Davamir Compact …
I quite liked the main storyline. Although the way how BT abandoned the sisters in the middle of the defense of Valua seems little odd and out of character.
The ending of novel was confusing (again) and some actions seem illogical.

Overall 2,5/5.

[Nazzadan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm starting to think the characters from the first 3 Dawn of Fire books that seemed to be set up as the protagonists of the whole series are just never going to show up again. This is the third book in a row that has maybe one character pop up for 5 minutes that makes you go "oh ya I remember you" before returning to the current plot. Enjoyed the book quite a bit but again, it's feeling like the Dawn of Fire series was really a trilogy and now we are just getting random 1 off books with it's branding attached. Hope you like Black Templar and Sororitas because at this rate that is just all we're getting until this series ends.

All the stuff with the Penitent Engines ruled super hard, the void war sections were a cut above normal 40k space battles and the Death Guard felt very well represented in all their gooey gross puss-ness. Also this series is addicted to introducing Custodes and then killing them by the end of the book.

[Gordon Ross · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Dawn of Fire novels, marketed as the Black Library's current flagship novel series and responsible for driving forward the galaxy-spanning narrative in which the 40k tabletop game is set. With such great prestige there seem to come great responsibilities, with authors apparently compelled to pack in numerous factions, promote the latest lines of tabletop miniatures, minimise the theological debates and moral grey areas in order to appeal to a wider market, and include lots and lots of action scenes.

Marc Collins takes the reigns for this sixth volume in the series and seems much more comfortable playing with the Death Guard antagonists than spending unfortunately immeasurably more time with dull imperial 'heroes' who without fail take themselves far too seriously. Lots of signs of promise, but I can't help but feel my interest wane at the first sign of a Black Templar or the Custodes.

[Ryan Randolph]

Unfortunately the weakest entry in Dawn Of Fire. They can't all be bangers and that is most of my issue with this one in particular.

It's just... fine. Pretty repetitive and you don't get much plot payout for it, there are some structural choices in the pacing that I question and the most impactful thread is the one that got the least pages (that Fenrisian Rogue Trader should have been the A plot, not the B or C plot.)

Overall it was passable, but the thing it adds to the overall plot of Dawn of Fire is negligible and could be explained in a couple of pages. I think the author figured the ending out, and then assembled the rest after. I don't think that is a bad way to do it, but here it was arduous. Sisters of Battle get a lot of page time which is cool, Black Templars also cool.

If you want to skip it, just google "Attilan Gate" on Lexicanum and you will be all set.

[Al Ch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally a novel that does my Black Templars proper.

As one with said army tatt’d on his arm, it has been a rough decade. In this new era, GW has decided to paint BTs as a bunch of overzealous muppets.

Marc Collins did them right. And of the Indominitus Crusade, this is a fine addition that takes the bellicose and adds character to blood, fury, and chainswords.

This is also the first time I actually found myself caring for the Sisters of Battle. The true affection that they displayed for one another, past the often ignomous portayal of faith, adds a layer of understanding and strength to historically a one dimensional party to the Eternal Struggle.

Well done Marc! For the Emperor indeed.

[Christian Hamilton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay… not the best of the Dawn of Fire series. The book starts strong and ends really strong…. But the middle is… middling, to saying the least.

It doesn’t really go anywhere and seems to mostly be filler. I was pleased to get through it and enjoyed the battles and portions involving the Black Templars, but it’s fairly skippable.

I will say, it was probably the most “religious” of the Dawn of Fire series thus far, and as someone who considers himself very religious and liturgical, it was fun to read.

Decide for yourself if this is for you.

[Mark Anthony · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favourite novel of this series so far. I like how Marc pits different kinds of zealots against each other - on one hand you have the Death Guard and their mortal followers whilst on the other hand you have the Black Templars and the Sororitas. The battles are richly descripted, the setting is a character in its own - one of the traits in Marc's writing which I love - and the dialogue is top-notch.

[Stefan78s · Rating 1 out of 5]

Another master class in plot armour. When are we going to stop pretending that Black Library authors are actually good? Imperial Knights...devestating pieces of machinery...but only when used against the Imperium. Chaos always has some sort of hillbilly magic that will easily take them out. You see it every book and this one is no different. I think the best word to describe this one is 'unimaginative'

[Jennifer Bosier · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book but I just couldn't. Katla Helvinter died in Void King. She was not "left for dead." Astrid waited with her body until it went cold. Now she has been resurrected for a book that largely doesn't matter. Deus ex machina endings, enemies behaving dumbly, the whole thing was a slog.

This series on the whole needs to just go away.

[Melcher · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was alright. Because I had watched a lore video on the Adepta Sororitas, I was especially excited to read about the Sisters of Battle in this book, but as someone else wrote in the reviews, it was rather repetitive. Oh well. Otherwise the book had its moments, but I found myself just wanting to be done with the book the further I got into it.

[Reader · Rating 1 out of 5]

The worst Dawn of Fire novel and the worst Black Library novel I have ever read. There is no story. The entire book could have been a 1 sentence anecdote in any other novel. I spent the entire read trying to figure out why I should care only to discover at the end of the novel this was a giant waste of my time. I loved the other books but this baffled me.

[Valtier · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was okay. I feel this series is going a bit downhill and the stories getting lesser. Well onto the next and hope for better.

I did like some of the characters, even though the book felt a bit flat.

[Myke · Rating 2 out of 5]

After loving the Horus Heresy series so much I keep giving the Dawn of Fire series a go. But it’s books like this one that keep putting me off, by the end I found I just didn’t care
In its defence it introduced interesting characters and hopefully we’ll see more of them.

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Edge of the seat, full of daring do, cunning and epic events right from the very start! :D

[Alexandre · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started slow and seriously thought about dropping. Pickup about 1/3 of the way in.

[Ben Secker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Feels like it might be a bit too long, but the final act is worth it.

[Ken Rodriguez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book that deals between doing what you’re supposed to do or doing what you want to do.
Some real doodie VS duty.

[Randy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book hard to finish. I can tell when there is a good flow because I cant put the book down. This one I found hard to pick up and just wanted to get it done so I could move on. I skipped many pages and lost none of the plot. The worst book in the series no far.

[Dean M Kellaway · Rating 4 out of 5]

bit choppy

Not too sure where this series is going, and this story jumped around missing out the bits that could have been a brilliant addition