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Astra Militarum #4
Weitschuss (Astra Militarum: Warhammer 40,000)
Ein Astra Militarum Roman
Eine dekorierte Scharfschützin des Astra Militarum muss als Befehlshaberin ihren Weg finden und mit den Komplikationen fertig werden, die aus harten Entscheidungen erwachsen.
WARUM DU DIESES BUCH LESEN SOLLTEST
Es gibt einen Einblick in die Gedankenwelt einer Soldatin, die mit der komplexen Realität der Galaxis ringt. Jede ihrer Entscheidungen hat Konsequenzen für jene, die unter ihrem Befehl stehen.
DIE GESCHICHTE
Cadianerin. Scharfschützin. Legende.
Unteroffizierin Darya Nevic ist all das und mehr, doch hinter den Bezeichnungen steht eine Soldatin, die vom ungewollten Ruhm ihrer Erfolge heimgesucht wird.
Während das 217. Cadia einen Angriff auf die Manufactorumswelt Attruso durchführt, ist Darya zusehends von einem Krieg überfordert, der nicht nur mit Waffen, sondern auch mit Worten geführt wird. Als sich ein schrecklicher Winter anbahnt und die Soldaten zu sterben beginnen, ist sie gezwungen, sich ihren Zweifeln zu stellen und eine unmögliche Entscheidung zu Soll sie die Galionsfigur werden, die ihre Soldaten brauchen, oder den unvorstellbaren Versprechen der rätselhaften Tʼau Glauben schenken?
Das Schicksal des Regiments liegt in ihren Händen. Welchen Pfad wird sie einschlagen?
Geschrieben von Rob Young
Übersetzt von Bent Jensen
Eine dekorierte Scharfschützin des Astra Militarum muss als Befehlshaberin ihren Weg finden und mit den Komplikationen fertig werden, die aus harten Entscheidungen erwachsen.
WARUM DU DIESES BUCH LESEN SOLLTEST
Es gibt einen Einblick in die Gedankenwelt einer Soldatin, die mit der komplexen Realität der Galaxis ringt. Jede ihrer Entscheidungen hat Konsequenzen für jene, die unter ihrem Befehl stehen.
DIE GESCHICHTE
Cadianerin. Scharfschützin. Legende.
Unteroffizierin Darya Nevic ist all das und mehr, doch hinter den Bezeichnungen steht eine Soldatin, die vom ungewollten Ruhm ihrer Erfolge heimgesucht wird.
Während das 217. Cadia einen Angriff auf die Manufactorumswelt Attruso durchführt, ist Darya zusehends von einem Krieg überfordert, der nicht nur mit Waffen, sondern auch mit Worten geführt wird. Als sich ein schrecklicher Winter anbahnt und die Soldaten zu sterben beginnen, ist sie gezwungen, sich ihren Zweifeln zu stellen und eine unmögliche Entscheidung zu Soll sie die Galionsfigur werden, die ihre Soldaten brauchen, oder den unvorstellbaren Versprechen der rätselhaften Tʼau Glauben schenken?
Das Schicksal des Regiments liegt in ihren Händen. Welchen Pfad wird sie einschlagen?
Geschrieben von Rob Young
Übersetzt von Bent Jensen
407 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 12, 2023
8 people are currently reading
217 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
September 7, 2023
Distance Makes the Heart Grow Fonder
Sniper duels aren’t typically interesting to read, but Longshot draws on inspiration from Enemy at the Gates and tells a tale with the grim tones of WH40K. The conflict on Attruso is a grinding mess of attrition, perfectly capturing the Imperial Guard’s role in the greater universe. Though ultimately the fate of the world is at stake, this low fantasy novel is a refreshing change of pace from galaxy-spanning events concerning Space Marines and their ten thousand years of grudges with bloodthirsty gods.
The Astra Militarum series is linked by topic rather than characters or story. It’s strange then that Longshot thrusts the reader into the middle of a grueling siege without introducing its ensemble cast. The poor writing extends further as the novel eventually sheds other viewpoints and focuses on our sniper hero. This unforced error implies an inexperienced author, especially since later there’s a new trooper that would have been the perfect exposition viewpoint. Instead, this character is introduced in a rushed third act that should have had its beats spread throughout the novel.
Still, Longshot nails the setting. From many small acts of heroism on the battlefield to the general atmosphere of war, readers are privy to both strategic and tactical considerations. There’s no Space Marines, crazy warp magic, or mythical MacGuffins to chase down. The war is brutally fought and each inch of ground is hard-earned. It’s all the more thrilling because there are no superhumans around.
After years of the Horus Heresy, Dawn of Fire, and the Dark Imperium series, I feel it necessary to step down from galactic, high fantasy nonsense, and return to the roots of this universe where a single Space Marine can win a war, but they’re nowhere to be found.
Recommended for WH40K fans.
Sniper duels aren’t typically interesting to read, but Longshot draws on inspiration from Enemy at the Gates and tells a tale with the grim tones of WH40K. The conflict on Attruso is a grinding mess of attrition, perfectly capturing the Imperial Guard’s role in the greater universe. Though ultimately the fate of the world is at stake, this low fantasy novel is a refreshing change of pace from galaxy-spanning events concerning Space Marines and their ten thousand years of grudges with bloodthirsty gods.
The Astra Militarum series is linked by topic rather than characters or story. It’s strange then that Longshot thrusts the reader into the middle of a grueling siege without introducing its ensemble cast. The poor writing extends further as the novel eventually sheds other viewpoints and focuses on our sniper hero. This unforced error implies an inexperienced author, especially since later there’s a new trooper that would have been the perfect exposition viewpoint. Instead, this character is introduced in a rushed third act that should have had its beats spread throughout the novel.
Still, Longshot nails the setting. From many small acts of heroism on the battlefield to the general atmosphere of war, readers are privy to both strategic and tactical considerations. There’s no Space Marines, crazy warp magic, or mythical MacGuffins to chase down. The war is brutally fought and each inch of ground is hard-earned. It’s all the more thrilling because there are no superhumans around.
After years of the Horus Heresy, Dawn of Fire, and the Dark Imperium series, I feel it necessary to step down from galactic, high fantasy nonsense, and return to the roots of this universe where a single Space Marine can win a war, but they’re nowhere to be found.
Recommended for WH40K fans.
August 31, 2023
I think it’s hard to rate this book. The easiest way for me to describe it for you is that if you took the military officers from Starship Troopers mixed them with the Sniper stories from Enemy at the Gates and put them into the setting of the classic Stalingrad movie then you have exactly what this book is. At least sort of, because it’s also a rather philosophical book about the Imperium and the Tau, and that works extremely well, even if you’re like me and parts of the military fiction doesn’t do it for you.
If you’re into 40K books and especially guard/Tau books this is a must read, and since you’re reading my review I’m assuming that to be the case. There isn’t anything noticeable happening in the book, however, so if you’re into different parts of 40K then you can frankly skip it too.
Now, the reason this book is hard for me to rate. Much harder than a lot of the other recent guard books like Steelthread, Krieg, Catachan Devil or any of the Cadia/Minka Lesk books is because this tries to do military fiction more realistically. Like every 40K author it’s very obvious that the author doesn’t have any military experience, and where that is sort of unimportant when you have the ridiculousness and humor of the other books I mention this one is a little too serious for it’s own good. Now, if you don’t care about that, then it will be no issue for you. The action is great, it’s just that it’s very much Enemy of the Gates. Sure, it’s better written than Enemy of the Gates and the story is much more interesting, but watching Jude Law and Ron Perlman sneak around on the snow for 10 minutes is basically the same as reading 90% of this book.
I do think the author is off to a very good start with their first full length BL novel and I expect great things from them in the future. My main wish will be for a little more “realism?” in the choices of the main characters perhaps?
As a side note the voice actor on the audiobook does an extraordinarily good job on this one.
If you’re into 40K books and especially guard/Tau books this is a must read, and since you’re reading my review I’m assuming that to be the case. There isn’t anything noticeable happening in the book, however, so if you’re into different parts of 40K then you can frankly skip it too.
Now, the reason this book is hard for me to rate. Much harder than a lot of the other recent guard books like Steelthread, Krieg, Catachan Devil or any of the Cadia/Minka Lesk books is because this tries to do military fiction more realistically. Like every 40K author it’s very obvious that the author doesn’t have any military experience, and where that is sort of unimportant when you have the ridiculousness and humor of the other books I mention this one is a little too serious for it’s own good. Now, if you don’t care about that, then it will be no issue for you. The action is great, it’s just that it’s very much Enemy of the Gates. Sure, it’s better written than Enemy of the Gates and the story is much more interesting, but watching Jude Law and Ron Perlman sneak around on the snow for 10 minutes is basically the same as reading 90% of this book.
I do think the author is off to a very good start with their first full length BL novel and I expect great things from them in the future. My main wish will be for a little more “realism?” in the choices of the main characters perhaps?
As a side note the voice actor on the audiobook does an extraordinarily good job on this one.
August 20, 2023
I listened to this on audible and the narrator was the same used for the minka lensk books, it worked well as she seems to be the voice of Cadia, the book was both highly enjoyable and very frustrating, i would really like more books with these characters
December 26, 2023
One of the most pleasant 40K novels I've read.
The atmosphere is well conveyed, it's fast paced, the characters are well defined and endearing.
There's one storyline and all the scenes are satisfying, with an Enemy-at-the-gates vibes.
I can also think of The Hurt Locker or American Sniper.
It's referential in a cool way, without being too cliché.
There are a couple of pleasant twists too.
It is also less xenophobic than many 40k novels... a bit more subtle on that point, which is a breath of fresh air.
I'll be looking forward to reading more from Rob Young.
The atmosphere is well conveyed, it's fast paced, the characters are well defined and endearing.
There's one storyline and all the scenes are satisfying, with an Enemy-at-the-gates vibes.
I can also think of The Hurt Locker or American Sniper.
It's referential in a cool way, without being too cliché.
There are a couple of pleasant twists too.
It is also less xenophobic than many 40k novels... a bit more subtle on that point, which is a breath of fresh air.
I'll be looking forward to reading more from Rob Young.
January 7, 2026
This is a must read for those who are into Astra Militarum and Cadian fuction!!!
It's a combination of Enemy at the Gates movie with futuristic burtalism architecture in an alien planet between two fuctions (Cadian and Tau) and sniper elite team lead by Darya who climbs the steps of ranks.
What i enjoyed is not only the setting and the environment but the T'au.
Humanoids aliens (xenos) using high tech and intelligence is what i find more creepy than alien predators who want to cause mess.
It explains their side of this war and to be honest it's justified.
It's a combination of Enemy at the Gates movie with futuristic burtalism architecture in an alien planet between two fuctions (Cadian and Tau) and sniper elite team lead by Darya who climbs the steps of ranks.
What i enjoyed is not only the setting and the environment but the T'au.
Humanoids aliens (xenos) using high tech and intelligence is what i find more creepy than alien predators who want to cause mess.
It explains their side of this war and to be honest it's justified.
April 19, 2024
One of the best Astra militaurum books out there. Never wanted to simultaneously join and destroy the greater good so bad! Definitly a great read
September 3, 2023
The fourth volume in Black Library’s multi-author Astra Militarum novel series, Longshot marks the long-form debut of Rob Young with an absolute bullseye. Set after the events of short stories Transplants and Memories of Broken Glass, it follows Sergeant Darya Nevic of the Cadian 217th as she leads her squad of snipers into battle against the t’au on the wintry manufactorum world of Attruso. When the Cadian advance is stymied by the stubborn, technologically-superior t’au, Darya finds herself in high demand for both her combat skills and the morale-boosting impact of her heroic reputation. With deadly enemy snipers on the prowl though, and facing the mistrust of some of her own for not being a ‘pureblood’ Cadian, Darya’s fight becomes more complex, not to mention dangerous, by the day.
As Guard stories go it doesn’t have quite the emotional heft of something like a Gaunt’s Ghosts novel (not many do, to be fair), but Young certainly takes a leaf out of Abnett’s playbook in that anyone is fair game, and no characters are safe. What it does offer, however, is a compelling examination of the impact that a single person can have, Darya’s choices proving to be the pivot on which the whole conflict on Attruso turns. Come for the gritty, brutal city fighting but stay for the interesting – and very 40k – themes on display, in particular the impact of propaganda (including on the subject, in this case Darya), and the various ways those in power lie to and manipulate those who serve (on both sides of this story). All told it’s a real page-turner of a novel, and one that’s going to please a lot of Imperial Guard fans.
Read the full review at https://www.trackofwords.com/2023/09/...
As Guard stories go it doesn’t have quite the emotional heft of something like a Gaunt’s Ghosts novel (not many do, to be fair), but Young certainly takes a leaf out of Abnett’s playbook in that anyone is fair game, and no characters are safe. What it does offer, however, is a compelling examination of the impact that a single person can have, Darya’s choices proving to be the pivot on which the whole conflict on Attruso turns. Come for the gritty, brutal city fighting but stay for the interesting – and very 40k – themes on display, in particular the impact of propaganda (including on the subject, in this case Darya), and the various ways those in power lie to and manipulate those who serve (on both sides of this story). All told it’s a real page-turner of a novel, and one that’s going to please a lot of Imperial Guard fans.
Read the full review at https://www.trackofwords.com/2023/09/...
December 30, 2023
I picked this up just before Christmas while it was on an offer in Forbidden Planet. Normally this isn't the kind of 40K book I'd read, but the bits I read flicking through intrigued me, & now I've finished it, Longshot proves you can't judge a book by its cover...
"To the soldiers of the Cadian 217th, Sgt Darya Nevic is either a figure of awe for the battlefield exploits that have won her the name 'Ghost of Cocleratum, or disdain for being a 'transplant', a new recruit taken from a world other than Cadia in the wake of Cadia's destruction. For her part, Nevic feels unworthy of the praise, uncomfortable with being an Imperial figurehead to boost morale, struggling with the resentment of her comrades.
Deployed to the battle to reclaim the planet Attruso from the T'au Empire's occupation, Nevic finds herself assigned to hunt down a T'au sniper, codename 'Longshot', targeting Imperial officers with lethal precision. In this kind of battle, one mistake means death, & with time running out to claim victory before Attruso's bitter winter bogs the Imperial advance down, the pressure on Darya only grows... "
Longshot has given me a huge new appreciation for the Imperial Guard (I kinda want to do a Cadian army for 40K). I've always appreciated the value of a well placed sniper on the battlefield, & Darya is a compelling character I can empathise with, uncomfortable with the spotlight thrust on her, but recognising the necessity of stepping into it for a higher purpose. It was also refreshing to get an Imperial character who acknowledges the Imperium's imperfections, but admits it is the lesser evil in a hostile galaxy, & a joy to read an Imperial character calling the T'au Empire's mantra of the Greater Good for what it is, xenos bullshit meant to manipulate the gullible & weak minded (I really hate the T'au). I'm almost sad this is a one off: I'd love to read more of Darya's exploits if Rob Young writes more...
"To the soldiers of the Cadian 217th, Sgt Darya Nevic is either a figure of awe for the battlefield exploits that have won her the name 'Ghost of Cocleratum, or disdain for being a 'transplant', a new recruit taken from a world other than Cadia in the wake of Cadia's destruction. For her part, Nevic feels unworthy of the praise, uncomfortable with being an Imperial figurehead to boost morale, struggling with the resentment of her comrades.
Deployed to the battle to reclaim the planet Attruso from the T'au Empire's occupation, Nevic finds herself assigned to hunt down a T'au sniper, codename 'Longshot', targeting Imperial officers with lethal precision. In this kind of battle, one mistake means death, & with time running out to claim victory before Attruso's bitter winter bogs the Imperial advance down, the pressure on Darya only grows... "
Longshot has given me a huge new appreciation for the Imperial Guard (I kinda want to do a Cadian army for 40K). I've always appreciated the value of a well placed sniper on the battlefield, & Darya is a compelling character I can empathise with, uncomfortable with the spotlight thrust on her, but recognising the necessity of stepping into it for a higher purpose. It was also refreshing to get an Imperial character who acknowledges the Imperium's imperfections, but admits it is the lesser evil in a hostile galaxy, & a joy to read an Imperial character calling the T'au Empire's mantra of the Greater Good for what it is, xenos bullshit meant to manipulate the gullible & weak minded (I really hate the T'au). I'm almost sad this is a one off: I'd love to read more of Darya's exploits if Rob Young writes more...
May 6, 2024
Warhammer 40k novels are well known for running the gambit from impactful and immersive to trite and wasteful of the license. As such, reading a novel from the Black Library has become something of a sadomasochistic exercise in patience for me, as I wade with expectant delight through some really-not-worthwhile novels before finally landing myself in front of a book like Longshot.
Longshot is a derivative sniper stand-off story that does not shy away from showcasing its influences, and while that might not sound like praise, it actually is. It takes a good writer to retell a story that has already been told and still make it worth engaging with. And it takes a writer like Rob Young, to then take that a step further, and tie it into the broader Warhammer 40K universe in a way that feels faithful to the atmosphere of the setting while still offering a unique perspective on it.
I believe that is what made Longshot work best for me. It has that baseline of being well paced and carefully plotted military fiction, with characters that have enough personality to bear the weight of the story, but then also integrating an extra layer of world-building that gives veteran readers something to chew on. And to avoid being too abstract about what I mean here, it is that if you approach Longshot for standard Astra Militarum action – you will get it – but if you also want to see interplay between Tau and Imperial ideology, with some (albeit small) commentary on it, you’ll get that as well.
Navigating the need to communicate details that feel ‘40k’ without it overriding the narrative with technobabble-grade detail is a challenge, and it is to this book’s credit that it never fails to place its story first. This is the first time I’ve read a Rob Young work, and for the sake of future Black Library publications, I hope it’s not the last.
Longshot is a derivative sniper stand-off story that does not shy away from showcasing its influences, and while that might not sound like praise, it actually is. It takes a good writer to retell a story that has already been told and still make it worth engaging with. And it takes a writer like Rob Young, to then take that a step further, and tie it into the broader Warhammer 40K universe in a way that feels faithful to the atmosphere of the setting while still offering a unique perspective on it.
I believe that is what made Longshot work best for me. It has that baseline of being well paced and carefully plotted military fiction, with characters that have enough personality to bear the weight of the story, but then also integrating an extra layer of world-building that gives veteran readers something to chew on. And to avoid being too abstract about what I mean here, it is that if you approach Longshot for standard Astra Militarum action – you will get it – but if you also want to see interplay between Tau and Imperial ideology, with some (albeit small) commentary on it, you’ll get that as well.
Navigating the need to communicate details that feel ‘40k’ without it overriding the narrative with technobabble-grade detail is a challenge, and it is to this book’s credit that it never fails to place its story first. This is the first time I’ve read a Rob Young work, and for the sake of future Black Library publications, I hope it’s not the last.
September 29, 2023
That was a solid good old guard read. Snipers. Tau. Commissars and ideas. Cool.
October 13, 2023
"She recognized the propaganda for what it was, and allowed it to wash over her."
Damn fine book that gives some insight to how the T'au operate. I'd give it a 4.5, so I rounded it up to a 5.
Damn fine book that gives some insight to how the T'au operate. I'd give it a 4.5, so I rounded it up to a 5.
June 1, 2024
Very well written. From one of my favourite SF series ', Warhammer 40K.
June 30, 2024
Astoundingly good
October 27, 2024
A fun read
March 20, 2024
Enemy at the gates but in the 40k universe
May 7, 2024
A great book! A grounded view of the guardsmen and a sniper, pulled by feelings of vengeance against the enemy, commissar propaganda, and tensions between natural born Cadians and outsiders.
May 22, 2024
Quite an enjoyable book. Had me going for a hot second at the end questioning everything until all became right again. Overall a good outing and a fun exploration of Cadians in a different zone.
April 14, 2025
Big fan of imperial guard books. Lots of action, great pacing and really good character writing.
August 21, 2023
Easily one of my favorite guard books. This book FUCKS
December 18, 2024
This is a really wonderful military sci-fi novel, sniper battles are always captivating on the written page, and the action in this one is well drawn. Padded out with some very fun characters!
My only complaint is that I wish the central decision had been made more as a personal one rather than an ideological one. We only get very vague notions that The Tau aren't all they're cracked up to be, which is very much in line with Warhammer, however the vague notions really should have been expanded upon. I would have loved to see how the Etheral spun the horrid conditions they have for humans who weren't deemed useful. As is, it seems like she is making the decision off of something that is still rampant on nearly every world of the imperium. I suppose it's more about the aphorism of 'the devil you know' but still I feel like her logic near the end lets the imperium off the hook, which was a bit concerning.
My only complaint is that I wish the central decision had been made more as a personal one rather than an ideological one. We only get very vague notions that The Tau aren't all they're cracked up to be, which is very much in line with Warhammer, however the vague notions really should have been expanded upon. I would have loved to see how the Etheral spun the horrid conditions they have for humans who weren't deemed useful. As is, it seems like she is making the decision off of something that is still rampant on nearly every world of the imperium. I suppose it's more about the aphorism of 'the devil you know' but still I feel like her logic near the end lets the imperium off the hook, which was a bit concerning.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 20, 2025
I can't believe the level of filthy xenos propaganda I was was exposed to while reading about the imperiums WORST guard division....9/10
April 29, 2024
Of the several 40K novels I've read/listened to so far (Xenos, Dante, Soul Hunter) surprisingly, LONGSHOT is my favorite. That speaks well about Rob Young's writing and the character he created as our lead, Cadian sniper Darya Nevic.
Darya is a middle-ranked member of the Astra Militarum, the regular army of the Human Imperium. No genetically engineered marines. No cybernetically-enhanced tech priests. No mecha...well, okay. There is one mecha in the book. But this book focuses on the normal humans thrust into a war with the alien T'au. (I was recommended this book as an introduction to the T'au to help me understand them. There is a little of that towards the end, but it's a better explanation of the military and Cadians. A happy accident on my part.)
Darya leads her squad of troopers as the A.M. tries to retake a planet lost to the T'au race, who bring promises of equality and "the greater good" to a very class-driven Humanity. Also, Darya is NOT a pure-Cadian. She's a transplant, meaning she was recruited into the Cadian division to shore up it's numbers. Cadia was destroyed and pure-blood Cadians are getting harder and harder to find. But the idea of the Cadians being an elite fighting force even after the destruction of their home is too good a piece of propaganda for the military brass to let fall apart simply for lack of numbers. So Darya and her team must deliver messages, locate lost platoons and even become a hero all in the name of winning this war. What makes Darya so fascinating is her utter lack of ego. Her sniping and leadership skills are razor-sharp through constant use, yet she wants no praise and hates the "ghost" nickname that has attached itself to her legend. She's constantly used as a puppet by her superiors even as she awes the lower ranks with her legendary status but earns the scorn of her contemporaries as she'll never be one of "Them" (The Cadians)
Rob Young writes a fascinating snapshot of war. He captures the death toll, the need for practical victories weighed against the importance of propaganda, the sheer exhaustion of being constantly active in a war zone and even the bristling tension in the ranks, with leaders who disagree with the orders they're duty-bound to see through. There's not much "plot" in LONGSHOT as we just follow Darya from one mission to the next until she learns of a sniper hunting Militarum. The last, say, Fifth of the book then becomes a wild ride as Darya faces unimaginable loss and betrayal, but has to find a way to save an army that may no longer have a use for her. This is not about big over the top battles... okay, again there are mecha and the T'au have Iron Man-esque battle suits, but about trying to live somewhere where life is cheap. Young's battle sequences are well rendered and play out in the story with equal parts tension and adrenaline.
Special praise should go to Colleen Prendergast who narrated the audiobook I listened to. She keeps up a terrific pace and renders the voices with enough difference (or in Darya's case a faux-Eastern bloc accent) to make them memorable. For the life of me, I had a hard time remembering the supporting cast's names for the first half of the listen (Future names are always so OUT THERE) but her voicing of the characters kept them distinct in my mind's eye.
All in all, an engrossing read that I'd recommend to anyone who wants a look at the slightly less "Fantastic" side of Warhammer 40K.
Darya is a middle-ranked member of the Astra Militarum, the regular army of the Human Imperium. No genetically engineered marines. No cybernetically-enhanced tech priests. No mecha...well, okay. There is one mecha in the book. But this book focuses on the normal humans thrust into a war with the alien T'au. (I was recommended this book as an introduction to the T'au to help me understand them. There is a little of that towards the end, but it's a better explanation of the military and Cadians. A happy accident on my part.)
Darya leads her squad of troopers as the A.M. tries to retake a planet lost to the T'au race, who bring promises of equality and "the greater good" to a very class-driven Humanity. Also, Darya is NOT a pure-Cadian. She's a transplant, meaning she was recruited into the Cadian division to shore up it's numbers. Cadia was destroyed and pure-blood Cadians are getting harder and harder to find. But the idea of the Cadians being an elite fighting force even after the destruction of their home is too good a piece of propaganda for the military brass to let fall apart simply for lack of numbers. So Darya and her team must deliver messages, locate lost platoons and even become a hero all in the name of winning this war. What makes Darya so fascinating is her utter lack of ego. Her sniping and leadership skills are razor-sharp through constant use, yet she wants no praise and hates the "ghost" nickname that has attached itself to her legend. She's constantly used as a puppet by her superiors even as she awes the lower ranks with her legendary status but earns the scorn of her contemporaries as she'll never be one of "Them" (The Cadians)
Rob Young writes a fascinating snapshot of war. He captures the death toll, the need for practical victories weighed against the importance of propaganda, the sheer exhaustion of being constantly active in a war zone and even the bristling tension in the ranks, with leaders who disagree with the orders they're duty-bound to see through. There's not much "plot" in LONGSHOT as we just follow Darya from one mission to the next until she learns of a sniper hunting Militarum. The last, say, Fifth of the book then becomes a wild ride as Darya faces unimaginable loss and betrayal, but has to find a way to save an army that may no longer have a use for her. This is not about big over the top battles... okay, again there are mecha and the T'au have Iron Man-esque battle suits, but about trying to live somewhere where life is cheap. Young's battle sequences are well rendered and play out in the story with equal parts tension and adrenaline.
Special praise should go to Colleen Prendergast who narrated the audiobook I listened to. She keeps up a terrific pace and renders the voices with enough difference (or in Darya's case a faux-Eastern bloc accent) to make them memorable. For the life of me, I had a hard time remembering the supporting cast's names for the first half of the listen (Future names are always so OUT THERE) but her voicing of the characters kept them distinct in my mind's eye.
All in all, an engrossing read that I'd recommend to anyone who wants a look at the slightly less "Fantastic" side of Warhammer 40K.
June 9, 2024
A nice main character focused story of an Astra Miltarum sniper named Darya Nevic as she battles the T'au on a war torn world. It shows a squad as they maneuvre different missions and face counter-snipers. Eventually getting betrayed by multiple allies, she falls to the T'au as a prisoner of war, as they try to convert her to the greater good. However, as a Cadian transplant and past war hero, Seargent Nevic withholds the conditioning and reveals the war plans of the T'au and traitors of the Imperium. She makes it back to friendly lines and helps thwart the invasion as the war rages on.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 17, 2023
Rating of 4.5.
Prepare to dive into one of the grittiest battles in Warhammer 40,000 fiction with the awesome and captivating novel, Longshot by Rob Young.
Several years after the fall of Cadia, which saw the Imperium of Man split in two by a great rift in space, humanity is still attempting to recover as many lost planets and systems as possible. The latest target of the relentless Indomitus Crusade sees the troops of the Cadian 217th arrive at the former manufactorium world of Attruso, whose people have fallen under the sway of the seeming beatific alien t’au.
As the initial assault begins in the battered city of Miracil, the Cadian forces struggle to make progress against the determined t’au defenders and their human auxiliaries. As the fighting gets even more desperate, the tides of war soon place the keys to victory into the hands of Sergeant Darya Nevic and her squad of snipers. Nevic is a legendary figure within the 217th, a transplant from a non-Cadian regiment renown for her abilities of infiltration, assassination and survival, Nevic excels at disrupting the enemy from the top down. However, when the t’au unleash their own deadly sniper against the Cadians, Nevic is forced into a battle of wits with a killer just as skilled and ruthless as she is. But has Nevic finally come across a foe even she can’t best, especially as she begins to doubt her mission in the face of her own infamy, the lies of her commanders and the t’au’s insidious promises?
Longshot is an awesome and fast-paced novel that perfectly showcases the horror of war in this grim universe through the lens of a skilled sniper. Young did an outstanding job with his debut novel and I loved the intriguing and powerful narrative that placed great characters into a deadly setting. I managed to knock this book off in a couple of days, and it is one of the most exciting and fun Warhammer 40,000 novels of 2023 so far.
To see the full review, click on the link below:
https://unseenlibrary.com/2023/09/17/...
For other exciting reviews and content, check out my blog at:
https://unseenlibrary.com/
Prepare to dive into one of the grittiest battles in Warhammer 40,000 fiction with the awesome and captivating novel, Longshot by Rob Young.
Several years after the fall of Cadia, which saw the Imperium of Man split in two by a great rift in space, humanity is still attempting to recover as many lost planets and systems as possible. The latest target of the relentless Indomitus Crusade sees the troops of the Cadian 217th arrive at the former manufactorium world of Attruso, whose people have fallen under the sway of the seeming beatific alien t’au.
As the initial assault begins in the battered city of Miracil, the Cadian forces struggle to make progress against the determined t’au defenders and their human auxiliaries. As the fighting gets even more desperate, the tides of war soon place the keys to victory into the hands of Sergeant Darya Nevic and her squad of snipers. Nevic is a legendary figure within the 217th, a transplant from a non-Cadian regiment renown for her abilities of infiltration, assassination and survival, Nevic excels at disrupting the enemy from the top down. However, when the t’au unleash their own deadly sniper against the Cadians, Nevic is forced into a battle of wits with a killer just as skilled and ruthless as she is. But has Nevic finally come across a foe even she can’t best, especially as she begins to doubt her mission in the face of her own infamy, the lies of her commanders and the t’au’s insidious promises?
Longshot is an awesome and fast-paced novel that perfectly showcases the horror of war in this grim universe through the lens of a skilled sniper. Young did an outstanding job with his debut novel and I loved the intriguing and powerful narrative that placed great characters into a deadly setting. I managed to knock this book off in a couple of days, and it is one of the most exciting and fun Warhammer 40,000 novels of 2023 so far.
To see the full review, click on the link below:
https://unseenlibrary.com/2023/09/17/...
For other exciting reviews and content, check out my blog at:
https://unseenlibrary.com/
May 25, 2024
I thought this was a run of the mill Warhammer military novel. Has all the usual suspects, grizzled soldiers seeking glory but questioning the motives of the higher ups with each misstep, a tough main character who is misunderstood, and a bad guy that’s kinda a good guy but he sucks because of the god emperor.
Pros:
-Good length, kinda like a 90 minute movie.
-Loved the setting and characters. Really made the story feel alive
-the story and plot of act 3 had a great lead up!
Cons:
-Generic, you know what’s gonna happen before it does because we have all read this story before.
-Could have spent more time on the enemies story, or time with them.
-It just kinda ended lol could have had something other than an epilogue to finish off the story.
One last thing that is not the authors fault but this book was 470 baht! That is like 170 baht more than the normal price, what’s with that lol it was not 100 baht more.
Pros:
-Good length, kinda like a 90 minute movie.
-Loved the setting and characters. Really made the story feel alive
-the story and plot of act 3 had a great lead up!
Cons:
-Generic, you know what’s gonna happen before it does because we have all read this story before.
-Could have spent more time on the enemies story, or time with them.
-It just kinda ended lol could have had something other than an epilogue to finish off the story.
One last thing that is not the authors fault but this book was 470 baht! That is like 170 baht more than the normal price, what’s with that lol it was not 100 baht more.
October 1, 2023
It's basically "Enemy at the Gates" in 40k with Imperium vs Tau. Great story, very interesting and likeable characters and grim reality of war in 41st millenium. It's not a book abour epic battles and larger than life heroes, instead you have common troopers, operations behind enemy lines and wetwork.
For me one of the best recent novels from 40k. Can't wait for more.
For me one of the best recent novels from 40k. Can't wait for more.
October 27, 2023
I’ve been on quite the book binge this year and I must say this is among my favorites. The descriptions of battles is engaging and entertaining. Plus, snipers are a focus that many 40k writers seem to overlook, so this was fantastic for someone like me. Reads like Enemy at the Gates but in 40k. Can’t recommend it enough to anyone who enjoys sci-fi war novels.
July 10, 2024
Žanra gabslis, protams, bet savās 300 lpp. negaidīti labi atrod iespēju gan atainot, kā divas naidīgās puses izmanto savu propagandu, gan pieskarties galvenās varones pakāpeniskajai saprašanai par to, ka viņējie nu noteikti nav bez utīm, gan uzburt diezgan oriģinālas, "spridzīgas" kauju ainas ("higlight" man, protams, aina, kurā mareks uz moča līkumo starp cīņā iesaistītu kaujas robotu kājām).
July 30, 2024
This was so close to being a 4 or 5 star review. The final chapter or two really underwhelmed, and completely undercut the story. For the entire novel, we are shown the dark side of the Imperium. The main character is given a chance to defect, but chooses not to because...The tau does similar stuff to the Imperium, but nowhere near as extreme.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews