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Bastion Wars #1-3
Bastion Wars: The Omnibus
When a force of daemon-worshipping renegades invade the Medina sub-sector, whole worlds are imperilled and a few heroes – and villains – find themselves thrust into the midst of cataclysmic events. Inquisitor Roth must locate and secure a cache of dangerous artefacts before the traitors can use their power to drown the region in blood. The brave Imperial Guardsmen of the 31st Riverine are beset by rebellion on what should be a routine mission, and the Blood Gorgons Chaos Space Marines are brought to the edge of destruction when a mysterious plague grips one of their recruiting worlds. Discover the secrets of Medina and experience the horror of the Bastion Wars in this mammoth omnibus.
An omnibus edition collecting Henry Zou three novels Emperor's Mercy, Flesh and Iron and Blood Gorgons.
An omnibus edition collecting Henry Zou three novels Emperor's Mercy, Flesh and Iron and Blood Gorgons.
- Genres40kScience Fiction
Paperback
First published June 14, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 11, 2014
This omnibus satisfied my need to read some Warhammer 40K fiction, but it was far from the best I've read. I grabbed the book initially after scanning the back cover blurb and discovering the first book was about an inquisitor. Only after finishing the first book did I discover that the three books encompassed in this volume are not related in any way. Disappointed initially after discovering this, I ended up enjoying all three books to varying degrees. With the large number of better 40K titles available, however, I would never recommend this one.
April 8, 2023
Took a year to finish this book, mostly because none of the stories really hooked me. The pacing never felt like it picked up at any point there was just a slow steady read. While good for your average soccer mom bookclub book, it didnt work for three grim dark war books.
That being said, I liked the basic premisses of each story.
Emperors Mercy was a fun book and had many great characters, and like any great war story… many good and interesting people died while complete buttheads survive. There was a great threat that needed to be dealt with but I never felt like the threat was imminent. The locals seemed to have been pulled straight out of 20th century central asia, no technology beyond what you’d have found in the 80’s in north America. I know the Imperium has lost a lot of scientific and technological ability but it isn’t that bad.
Flesh and Iron was by far my favourite of the three stories. I agree with others that it’s like Apocalypse Now cosplayed at comic-con. I loved the fact that the Imp Guard unit were specialized swamp fighters from some Louisiana inspired bayou world. I even imagined they were all talking like Troy from Swamp People. ‘Dat uh big heretic no?’
My biggest gripe, aside from what was already mentioned, is that the ministorum is once again portrayed as a self serving greedy you-know-what. Just like every other 40k book.
I would recommend adding more grim dark future to the story, the planets ‘natives’ were a little too primitive. They are on another planet, across light years of space, that takes some serious skill and tech. Suddenly living in huts with no remaining tech beyond a generations old lasgun is pushing believability, they need an explanation for why they are suddenly living tens of thousands of years in the past. That and why would the Blood Gorgons really bother trying to take the world? Recruiting new initiates? What made the world that important? Despite being my favourite of the stories, it still didnt hold my attention like it should have.
Blood Gorgon was fun. Other than being fun it didn’t grab me like i thought it would. A ground battle with the invading Dark Eldar would have been exciting but we barely saw more than a single fight, and even that was very brief and with how pathetic the Dark Eldar were it was hard to believe any one was afraid of them in the first place. They are supremely arrogant for a reason, stars lived and died at their whims. One disgraced Chaos Marine should have had a more difficult time with them. Once again the settlers are somehow reduced to little more the iron age nomads. Honestly… why have all the human settlers in these books somehow forgotten they arrived at a new world using interstellar starships? Did they all suffer an immediate case of civilization ending amnesia? Remember folks, once you land on an alien world, try not to burn all your books or send your starships careening off into the nearest star. You might need that stuff later.
The plague marines were an interesting diversion and a good villain, just wish more was done with them. The battles almost all happened off screen and were over far too quick. I expected the final confrontation to be more than a few pages at the end of the book.
All in all I give kudos to the author for writing interesting stories and look forward to more novels from them and wish him luck improving his writing skills.
That being said, I liked the basic premisses of each story.
Emperors Mercy was a fun book and had many great characters, and like any great war story… many good and interesting people died while complete buttheads survive. There was a great threat that needed to be dealt with but I never felt like the threat was imminent. The locals seemed to have been pulled straight out of 20th century central asia, no technology beyond what you’d have found in the 80’s in north America. I know the Imperium has lost a lot of scientific and technological ability but it isn’t that bad.
Flesh and Iron was by far my favourite of the three stories. I agree with others that it’s like Apocalypse Now cosplayed at comic-con. I loved the fact that the Imp Guard unit were specialized swamp fighters from some Louisiana inspired bayou world. I even imagined they were all talking like Troy from Swamp People. ‘Dat uh big heretic no?’
My biggest gripe, aside from what was already mentioned, is that the ministorum is once again portrayed as a self serving greedy you-know-what. Just like every other 40k book.
I would recommend adding more grim dark future to the story, the planets ‘natives’ were a little too primitive. They are on another planet, across light years of space, that takes some serious skill and tech. Suddenly living in huts with no remaining tech beyond a generations old lasgun is pushing believability, they need an explanation for why they are suddenly living tens of thousands of years in the past. That and why would the Blood Gorgons really bother trying to take the world? Recruiting new initiates? What made the world that important? Despite being my favourite of the stories, it still didnt hold my attention like it should have.
Blood Gorgon was fun. Other than being fun it didn’t grab me like i thought it would. A ground battle with the invading Dark Eldar would have been exciting but we barely saw more than a single fight, and even that was very brief and with how pathetic the Dark Eldar were it was hard to believe any one was afraid of them in the first place. They are supremely arrogant for a reason, stars lived and died at their whims. One disgraced Chaos Marine should have had a more difficult time with them. Once again the settlers are somehow reduced to little more the iron age nomads. Honestly… why have all the human settlers in these books somehow forgotten they arrived at a new world using interstellar starships? Did they all suffer an immediate case of civilization ending amnesia? Remember folks, once you land on an alien world, try not to burn all your books or send your starships careening off into the nearest star. You might need that stuff later.
The plague marines were an interesting diversion and a good villain, just wish more was done with them. The battles almost all happened off screen and were over far too quick. I expected the final confrontation to be more than a few pages at the end of the book.
All in all I give kudos to the author for writing interesting stories and look forward to more novels from them and wish him luck improving his writing skills.
June 30, 2018
Links between the books are tenuous. The Blood Gorgons feature in each with minimal presence in the first novel, a moderate in the second, and all throughout the final. Though titled Bastion Wars only the first seems to involve that system at all as reference. Emperor's Mercy was a tale of the tribulations of an Inquisitor Roth, Gentleman Adventurer complete with pretty yet devastating elegant and intelligent mademoiselles. The epilogue taunted with a cliff hanger and never was the ultimate fate of Silverstein addressed. Flesh and Iron addressed the rise of the Dread Pirate Robe- excuse me, Khorsabad Maw, the Villian Intelligence behind Emperor's Mercy. Only it was never who you'd think it to be by the end. And it felt more like a story of Vietnam shoehorned into 40k. Finally Blood Gorgons just said "Eff it. Chaos marines were more interesting anyway." Most of the more interesting characters throughout the omnibus were sidelined or killed or both. In the end it was all like a quasi40k-modern military mashup. Good enough to read once if you're into 40k, not enough to reread unless you're looking for inspiration for a backstory for an army model.
May 31, 2016
This book is filled with twists and turns of characters. From Inquistor Roth, to Guarimen of the blood gorgons legion of traitors. this book is filled of action packed and character driven momments.
October 9, 2019
The first two books were entertaining, the third just never clicked for me.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews