What do you think?
Rate this book
Imperial Guard
Straken
An Astra Militarum novel
Trapped in claustrophobic caverns with a massive horde of vicious orks, Colonel ‘Iron Hand’ Straken must deal with both the foe and tensions within his regiment.
READ IT BECAUSE
It's a tale of non-stop action with the always-interesting Catachan Jungle Fighters, and a fascinating insight into their ways, their philosophies and their greatest hero. It's also packed with nuggets of rich, dark humour which make it a joy to read.<
THE STORY
Plucked from a catastrophic war against the monstrous tyranids, Colonel ‘Iron Hand’ Straken and his Catachan Jungle Fighters are sent to the cavern world of Dulma’lin to clear it of an ork infestation. Ranged against an overwhelming force of greenskins, and with the hostile attentions of Commissar Morrell upon them, the Catachans must overcome internal divisions and hold the line against the alien menace.
Trapped in claustrophobic caverns with a massive horde of vicious orks, Colonel ‘Iron Hand’ Straken must deal with both the foe and tensions within his regiment.
READ IT BECAUSE
It's a tale of non-stop action with the always-interesting Catachan Jungle Fighters, and a fascinating insight into their ways, their philosophies and their greatest hero. It's also packed with nuggets of rich, dark humour which make it a joy to read.<
THE STORY
Plucked from a catastrophic war against the monstrous tyranids, Colonel ‘Iron Hand’ Straken and his Catachan Jungle Fighters are sent to the cavern world of Dulma’lin to clear it of an ork infestation. Ranged against an overwhelming force of greenskins, and with the hostile attentions of Commissar Morrell upon them, the Catachans must overcome internal divisions and hold the line against the alien menace.
320 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 26, 2013
26 people are currently reading
192 people want to read
About the author
Toby Frost
27 books109 followersToby Frost studied law and currently works as a legal journalist. Unable to become Great Britain's foremost space explorer, he wrote the Space Captain Smith series, a set of six comedies about intrepid galactic explorer Isambard Smith and his barely-competent crew.
Toby has also written short stories and the novel Straken for Black Library, set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe.
He has recently started a series of fantasy novels, the first two of which - Up To The Throne and Blood Under Water - are now available. He is currently working on the third in the series.
Toby has also written short stories and the novel Straken for Black Library, set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe.
He has recently started a series of fantasy novels, the first two of which - Up To The Throne and Blood Under Water - are now available. He is currently working on the third in the series.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
July 31, 2023
Col. "Iron Hand" Straken of the Catachan II Regiment is the subject of this novel. Catachan is a death-world where the fauna and flora are so lethal that close to 6 or 7 out of 10 Catachans survive to puberty. Those who do, men and women, are some of the largest and most heavily built humans in the Imperium. They also are the premier jungle fighters and guerrilla fighters in the Imperial Guard.
The Catachan II is sent to Dulma'lin, a mining world, to battle an Ork invasion. As soon as they land, the operation is a disaster as the supporting forces are overrun by Orks and the Catachan II is trapped on the planet with an Ork army. The Catachans must use their training and skills to fight a vicious guerrilla war while trying to draw out the Ork warboss- Killzkar.
This was an interesting read, as there are so Space Marines at all. It makes sense as there are supposed to be approximately 2 million Astartes, which pales in comparison to the nearly 1 million worlds under the control of the Imperium. Thus, the vast majority of the wars are fought without Space Marines, who are used for only the most dire circumstances.
Thus a book that shows the life of ordinary humans in the Guard trying to fight a terrifying alien threat was a nice change of characters. From the way teams operate to the conflicts that arise from the Commissars and the regular troops, this is a side of Imperial campaigns that often gets passed over for the appeal of the Astartes.
From internal politics, to Imperial politics, as well as a great deal of war-this is an excellent book. If you like reading about the way Imperial Guard fight and a look inside the ordinary men and women who make up the uncounted legions of the Imperial Guard, then this book is for you.
The Catachan II is sent to Dulma'lin, a mining world, to battle an Ork invasion. As soon as they land, the operation is a disaster as the supporting forces are overrun by Orks and the Catachan II is trapped on the planet with an Ork army. The Catachans must use their training and skills to fight a vicious guerrilla war while trying to draw out the Ork warboss- Killzkar.
This was an interesting read, as there are so Space Marines at all. It makes sense as there are supposed to be approximately 2 million Astartes, which pales in comparison to the nearly 1 million worlds under the control of the Imperium. Thus, the vast majority of the wars are fought without Space Marines, who are used for only the most dire circumstances.
Thus a book that shows the life of ordinary humans in the Guard trying to fight a terrifying alien threat was a nice change of characters. From the way teams operate to the conflicts that arise from the Commissars and the regular troops, this is a side of Imperial campaigns that often gets passed over for the appeal of the Astartes.
From internal politics, to Imperial politics, as well as a great deal of war-this is an excellent book. If you like reading about the way Imperial Guard fight and a look inside the ordinary men and women who make up the uncounted legions of the Imperial Guard, then this book is for you.
January 3, 2019
After my last 40k book (dawn of war omnibus) which took a while this book was a “back to the roots” change to the very positive.
Toby Frost did Colonel Straken justice.
Taking on a story with such core characters of the 40k universe like Straken, Sly Marbo and Nork Deddog is not an easy task and he pulled it off great.
The book is true 40k style. Bone hard combat most of the time with good characters.
Catachan jungle fighters against orcs , commissars being loathed etc.
Personally I would have pitted Marbo against the “scalper” but that is a matter of preference.
For a novice to this world probably not a good starter as he or she might have no clue as to who they are about to meet or why certain things are the way they are.
( new person: who is this Marbo guy , 40k fan: wow it’s Sly Marbo the one man Catachan army)
As a long time Imperial Guard player to me this book was like meeting “old friends”. ;)
I enjoyed it tremendously and recommend it and will certainly read it again.
Toby Frost did Colonel Straken justice.
Taking on a story with such core characters of the 40k universe like Straken, Sly Marbo and Nork Deddog is not an easy task and he pulled it off great.
The book is true 40k style. Bone hard combat most of the time with good characters.
Catachan jungle fighters against orcs , commissars being loathed etc.
Personally I would have pitted Marbo against the “scalper” but that is a matter of preference.
For a novice to this world probably not a good starter as he or she might have no clue as to who they are about to meet or why certain things are the way they are.
( new person: who is this Marbo guy , 40k fan: wow it’s Sly Marbo the one man Catachan army)
As a long time Imperial Guard player to me this book was like meeting “old friends”. ;)
I enjoyed it tremendously and recommend it and will certainly read it again.
May 10, 2014
For readers who know the 40k background and hold a special place in their heart for the classic Imperial Guard special characters, the appeal of this book can basically be summarised in three names : ‘Iron Hand’ Straken, Nork Deddog and ‘Sly’ Marbo. If those names mean anything to you, you’ll be heading out to get this book right away, and you won’t be disappointed.
See the full review at http://trackofwords.wordpress.com/201...
See the full review at http://trackofwords.wordpress.com/201...
October 29, 2018
Humans versus orks.
It's ok.
The writing was generally fair and the plot was ok (the early event to set up the novel was decent). There were also some good ideas in the book, but see below.
The characters were internally uneven - their motives and behaviours were hard to follow and Straken was an every-man. There is too much reference to the wider universe - this tiny regiment amongst billions has references to tyranids, chaos and Fenris - i found it jarring.
Overall, it's a pretty good introduction to 40k fiction. It plays it pretty straight. The characters are generally archetypes. The writing is not bad. The plot is fine, if a little basic.
It's ok.
The writing was generally fair and the plot was ok (the early event to set up the novel was decent). There were also some good ideas in the book, but see below.
The characters were internally uneven - their motives and behaviours were hard to follow and Straken was an every-man. There is too much reference to the wider universe - this tiny regiment amongst billions has references to tyranids, chaos and Fenris - i found it jarring.
Overall, it's a pretty good introduction to 40k fiction. It plays it pretty straight. The characters are generally archetypes. The writing is not bad. The plot is fine, if a little basic.
February 15, 2024
An enjoyable addition to the Warhammer 40k universe. I quite enjoyed reading it, and I would read it again with no qualms. Definitely recommend this book to fans of scifi, 40k, and humanity vs. aliens.
October 3, 2018
I'll be brief: it's really good. I don't know what I was expecting, but I was very pleasantly surprised. Great characters, great detail, and a simple but gripping story. Really raced through it!
April 2, 2019
An excellent book that leaves you wanting more of both Straken and Marbo.
July 25, 2019
Fun enough, but there's nothing that really stands out about it.
July 16, 2022
Quite fun.
August 27, 2024
This is completely perfect from start to finish. There are two WH40k books I would deem this good and they’re both stories about Orks v Catachans…. Go figure…
Honestly you would be doing yourself a disservice to not read this if you’re into the 40K universe. And it’s the one book I’ve read where it feels like it could be a Schwarzenegger movie. Both sides are written. Incredibly well with loads of character and lots of engaging storylines and character development
Honestly you would be doing yourself a disservice to not read this if you’re into the 40K universe. And it’s the one book I’ve read where it feels like it could be a Schwarzenegger movie. Both sides are written. Incredibly well with loads of character and lots of engaging storylines and character development
May 21, 2020
Cracking good adventure story, with some character development, but not too much to interrupt the action. The main character is so tough he killed a land shark WHILE IT WAS EATING HIM. I mean, you gotta love that.
I have been too heavily saturated in Space Marines, and am really enjoying delving into the ranks of the Imperial Guard.
I have been too heavily saturated in Space Marines, and am really enjoying delving into the ranks of the Imperial Guard.
May 21, 2018
An absolutely excellent work.
What else can I say? I really enjoyed this book and I can highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys well written action!
What else can I say? I really enjoyed this book and I can highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys well written action!
June 1, 2020
It's great
My first time reading anything catachan and it's great. The detail is amazing and the Vietnam ish style of the catachans is fun
My first time reading anything catachan and it's great. The detail is amazing and the Vietnam ish style of the catachans is fun
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews