Ursula Creed, Lord Castellan of the legendary Cadian armies, returns to the remains of their home world on a mission of the utmost importance.
READ IT BECAUSE Follow the daughter of legendary commander Usarker Creed back to the scene of a galactic crime, and see how she deals with her father's legacy and the pressure that the name 'Creed' brings.
THE STORY What does it mean to be Cadian after the Fall? Ursula Creed has come to terms with the loss of her home world. For decades she has built a glittering career in the furthest reaches of the Imperium, far from her legendary father’s shadow. But when unexpected orders arrive from the Avenging Son himself, Roboute Guilliman, the new Lord Castellan realises that the past may not be ready to let her go.
Dispatched to the shattered remains of Cadia in search of Ursarkar E. Creed’s final battle plans, Ursula finds the planet a hellscape full of deadly secrets. What horrors claim Cadia’s corpse as their domain? What became of those left behind? What orders did Creed leave for Cadia when all was lost? And, most troubling of all, how can she succeed where her illustrious father has already failed?
There’s a real old-school 40k vibe at play here – no sentimentality at play, just the cold, callous unfairness of war and desperately long odds of survival. Reid packs the story full of genuinely brutal moments, not to mention a fair few eye-watering medical scenes (putting her own medical knowledge to good use), taking full advantage of the range of viewpoints to ensure maximum impact in each scene. At times a few plot elements do require a bit of additional suspension of disbelief, and it’s a shame there isn’t a little more emphasis on the propaganda angle once things properly gets going, but all told it comes together into a powerful story, well paced and difficult to put down. It works great as a standalone tale, especially for anyone interested in learning about Ursula, but it also finds its own niche within the wider Cadian range, nicely complementing other recent releases and adding additional detail to a faction that’s becoming increasingly interesting.
The character building is different and infused with creativity. Some of it is based on a bit of warhammer naivety… but different is good when theres hundreds of novels doing similar things.
All in all, great first effort. And… that character twist is courageous. This must be the first go ever in the Warhammer universe to infuse a slight LGBT flavor to it. Kudos to you for the attempt.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I struggled to motivate myself to finish this. Found some of the dialogue difficult to believe and the circumstance and characters a bit too different from a classic or “realistic” mission or squad in 40K. Ends well.
A solid 4.5. This one is really tough for me because even though I thoroughly enjoyed this one, I kept thinking that
1. It could have been a bit shorter And 2. The characters could have had their setups set up a little earlier.
The good: The characters are interesting, realistic, and twisted. The main baddie isn’t at all interesting however.
The setting for Cadia really puts into perspective the scale of the fall of the Cadia and how far Creed’s group has to travel. A lot for of the book that’s devoted to character development is in between fights where they’re just marching for hours.
And bizarrely, one of the most out of nowhere and genuinely sweet budding relationship I’ve seen in a 40K story in years
Finally, Reid’s past occupation as a nurse is evident. The violence is unashamedly brutal and very detailed.
The bad Even though the plot gripping enough, the plot meanders all of the place, and just goes on too long
The characters ‘hidden agendas’ just come completely out of nowhere, and some really don’t make much sense. …………
With that said, I’d love a sequel to this. Creed and her friends are definitely some of the relatable characters in the setting right now.
Feel free to skip the part in italic! I wrote it to explain what my tastes and hopes are when reading a 40k book, so that my perspective can be taken into account when reading the review.
So, here is what I hope to find when reading a 40k novel, especially one focused on the Astra Militarum: 1 A satirical and/or thought-provoking, aspect to it, the worst angle for me being approaching it in a way that justifies the actions of the Imperium, as Games Workshop had judiciously stated it in an article: https://www.warhammer-community.com/2... 2 An anti-war aspect, as the Astra Militarum (and the Imperium as a whole) is a war machine that grinds human lives and there's something to be said about it; 3 An attempt by the author not to just rely on cliches and tropes of the 40k setting and offer something different, and why not with a little nuance. I've read so many Black Library novels where the antagonist is a moustache-twirling bad guy that I can't stand it anymore. 4 I know most 40k fans enjoy a more action-heavy approach with clear-cut good guys and bad guys, but that's not really what interests me in this universe, even if I enjoy good written action scenes like everyone else. But I need well written characters and character arcs to be involved in a story, not just one action scene after another.
And to me, the 40k universe can be so much more than just action stories, as it can deliver powerful messages about hope, horror, war and humanity in such an awful setting. That's what I always hope to find when opening a 40k novel.
About Creed: Ashes of Cadia, I was curious to see a new author, Jude Reid, tackle a new character of the universe, Ursula Creed. I can only guess how difficult it must have been to approach such a subject, Ursula in the lore being the daughter of Ursakar Creed and his replacement, and Ursakar is a very popular character.
In a nutshell, I'd say the book is an ok action story, which shares a lot of similarities with the movie Aliens in the way the story unfolds. The issues I had with most of the book was that there were a lot of elements which questioned my suspension of disbelief, whether it was in the way events were happening or character decisions. It wasn't all the time, but often enough to be distracting. To give an example at the beginning of the book, an operation is planned on what can only be described as a demon world, and the operation is summed up in "let's deploy a regiment of penal legionnaires at some place and have a small group deployed somewhere else". It seemed very simplistic as a plan.
I also appreciated that there were character development in the ragtag group we're following, but still certain changes of heart and character decisions felt abrupt. Ursula isn't written as an overpowered, badass character, she is on the contrary filled with doubt. Although I find this approach more interesting, I sometimes wondered what made Ursula that special, in the sense where she tends to be a victim of what happens and rarely the driving force, although it does happen.
The main antagonist of the novel is a moustache-twirling villain, but it's ok due to the nature of the story and of the antagonist himself. There are also some interesting ideas about propaganda but they're kind of an afterthought.
All in all, it was an ok read, I enjoyed some of the ideas here (Jude Reid uses her knowledges as a surgeon for some detailed gory wound descriptions) and, for more action-oriented readers, I'm sure it'll be a very good read.
Exciting new Warhammer 40,000 author Jude Reid presents an action-packed and captivating novel that takes the reader to one of the most desolate places in the franchise’s universe, the ruins of Cadia, with the exciting novel Creed: Ashes of Cadia.
Years after the fall of Cadia to the dread forces of Chaos, the Imperium of Man is still reeling from the carnage wrought in its aftermath which saw a massive warp rift cleave their besieged intergalactic realm in two. Led by the returned Primarch Roboute Guilliman, humanity fights back as best it can in a great crusade, but its victories are never enough. When word reaches Guilliman of a potential weapon on the most unlikely of locations, desperation requires him to investigate, and there is only one person he can call on for this dangerous mission.
After continually proving herself on the field of battle, Ursula Creed has succeeded her father, Ursarkar E. Creed, in becoming the new lord castellan of Cadia. Leading the remaining Cadian forces in the Imperium, Ursula hopes to erase the stain of her legendary father’s great defeat, however, she can never seem to leave behind his complicated legacy. When summoned by Guilliman for a secret mission, Creed is shocked to discover that she is being sent back to one place she never thought to return to, the shattered remains of Cadia.
Accompanied by a select team of Cadians with an unusual mixture of skills and experience, Ursula is sent to the surface to recover her father’s final battle plans and the secret weapons they supposedly lead to. However, the surface of Cadia is a blasted wasteland, filled with foul energies and unnatural magic that causes even the dead to attack the invaders. Left without support and hopelessly outnumbered, Ursula must lead her unprepared followers onwards in the hope of securing the prize. But terrible evils lay claim to the remnants of Cadia, and Ursula will be forced to confront both the forces of Chaos and her own inescapable legacy as the daughter of Creed if she wants to survive. Can Ursula succeed where her father failed and redeem Cadia, or is she already lost?
Reid had a very ambitious story idea for Ashes of Cadia, in that she needed to provide a human solider focused, character-driven adventure narrative that simultaneously examined the complex legacy of the Cadians in a new way, while also providing the reader with an intense and action-packed read. Reid more than succeeded, as Ashes of Cadia takes the reader back to Cadia, one of the most significant landscapes in the Warhammer 40,000 universe and puts several intriguing and damaged protagonists through absolute hell.
The story revolves around Ursula Creed being sent by Roboute Guilliman on a mission to secure some sort of weapon that he father has apparently left behind, and they have to go to a continent sized chuck of Cadia that still miraculously exists, which I found a bit nonsensical. It’s been held by chaos since the fall and it’s now a death world/ daemon world. Creed, instead of being sent with battalions of soldiers or squads of space marines is instead sent with this random bunch of misfits and a few squads of Scions, who die pretty much straight away. There a weird romantic subplot between Creed and a penal legion trooper, several characters get injuries but somehow survive to be evacuated, even though there is Nurgle filth everywhere and it’s mentioned several times that the slightest cut will get infested and kill you. When the rag tag bunch of misfits get where they are going, they find a small bunch of soldiers who survive the fall to guard the vault which again just seemed a bit daft. Then it turns out that the “weapon” Creed left behind is actually a list of uninhabited systems ready for the Cadians to colonise and make “New Cadia” and which just seemed really stupid. Then in the last 10 or so pages Creed best friend somehow turns on her and tries to kill her, with hints that there’s some sort of faction in the Guard who want her dead? And then the Catachan character who was pretty cool all novel turns out to have been an agent of the inquisition? Just a bit of a mess. Cool idea, Urslala discusses growing up In the shadow of her father, and Cadians returning home, but it dragged on in places and the ‘macguffin’ wasn’t worth it. Felt a bit like a meeting that could have been an email?
A Bloody Excellent book! I started reading the book in my spare time but found it hard to find time around work commitments, so bought the audiobook as well - that’s how good Reid’s story is. She’s managed to weave a nuanced story into the grimdark timeline of the 40K setting, providing a fresh take on the well-worn Cadian landscape that’s well worth taking the time to read. There are battles, blood and other foul fluids aplenty so action purists are well served, but where this book excels is in its ability to keep multiple threads taut with tension even as the story twists and turns unexpectedly. I genuinely didn’t see half of the rug-pulls coming, but enjoyed every minute of them. The characters are all well-realised and fleshed out, and I found myself rooting for almost all of them - even a villain once their motivations were revealed. Creed herself is a fully-formed character in my mind now, though to say how she got there would be spoiler territory! I also have to shout out Colleen Prendergast’s performance too, as she brought the characters to life wonderfully. In all, an excellent story that was told by the perfect writer for Creed. Can’t wait to see what Reid does next.
This book is not only poorly written, but contradicts much of the established plot of the Warhammer 40,000 series for feminist empowerment reasons. Would not recommend, the only thing the book did right was the betrayal at the end, but that wasn't even done right because the character who betrays Ursula Creed, the main character, is played off as having always planned this from the beginning, when, very clearly, he slowly grows in resentment towards her throughout the book and it's very much a spur of the moment, "I can kill her now and nobody would ever know" type of thing. Do not waste your time on this. If you want a quick jumpstart into the Warhammer 40,000 series, or you just want the next good book to read, pick up Helsreach, not this dumpster fire of a book.
This book was my first Warhammer 40,000 book. This book sparked my want to know more, to read more, and to learn more of this universe's epic stories! I believe that speaks to this book deserving of 4 stars from me. If I could, I would give it a 4.5. Is it perfect? The end has some pacing issues, with a rather hasty wrap-up and little explanation of why some characters acted the way they did. That aside, it is perfectly laid out and paced well throughout. I can't wait for more on Castellan Creed's journey.
Colleen Prendergast read the audiobook on Audible.
Spectacularly well written, this book keeps you guessing the entire time. I loved the additions to the world building, and the chaos taint on the planet was well written and evocative without straying into self-indulgent excess. Strong recommend for Warhammer 40K fans, and I really hope the author gets a chance to explore the story further!
That was good! We get to read about Ursula and see her surrounded by interesting characters. The plot moves fast and the fights are urgent. It was a comfortable read and it had the right amount of despair and hope. I hope there are more stories in the series as Ursula sets up from the foundations and revelations in this book.
I was unsure with the premise honestly and a slower overall start to a fanfic style story idea. But, it really just works perfectly, ursula is a fantastic legacy of creed and the crew with her is fantastically well written, especially a certain late reveal. I really hope there's more to her story, and it needs to be in Jude Reids hand no matter what now. Cadia stands
Great book telling about Cadia's past and maybe even future?... While telling a great story with interesting twist, about the Empire of Man. I really liked it.
If you are new to the Warhammer 40k universe I would not start the introductions with this book, as it is better/more impactful to know more about Cadia and some other aspects of this universe. It is still a must read.
I really enjoy these tales of normal people on the hellish realities of the 40k universe. This was a very entertaining read with memorable characters and a good plot. I want to know now what's next for the characters that survived!
Really enjoyable story hope to see where they take the new Cadian 8th from here. Had some good subplots a bit of romance, horror, camaraderie, and actual character growth
I'm not a Warhammer player or reader, but I don't think you need to be to enjoy this book! I read this book as part of a book trade with my Astra Militarum-loving husband (he's currently being subjected to Throne of Glass if you're curious), but I genuinely appreciated Ursula's character as well as her squadmates. I did have to occasionally Google 40K terms, but honestly the context was enough to get by and just sit back and enjoy the ruins of Cadia. I think I would be interested to see what Ursula gets up to next.