Carcharadons: Void Exile

by Robbie MacNiven

A Warhammer 40,000 Novel

In the cold dark between distant stars, the Carcharodon Astra hunt. These Space Marines are the Imperium’s exiled protectors, merciless predators who prey on the enemies of mankind at the edges of the galaxy. Yet there are times when they must set aside their insular practices and come in from the depths, a duty that Bail Sharr and the Carcharodon’s Third Company must now fulfil.

READ IT BECAUSE

The Carcharodons are a Space Marine Chapter unlike any other. Get a window into their inner workings as they navigate a protracted war and their relationship with Adeptus Mechanicus allies.

THE STORY

The isolated forge world of Diamantus faces a threat of apocalyptic proportions – a warped and mutated space hulk infested by the forces of Chaos, commanded by the monstrous datagnost Voldire, disciple of the dread demigod Vashtorr the Arkifane. As the battle-weary Carcharodons make their stand alongside the Adeptus Mechanicus, horrors and nightmares raining down around them, the Space Marines must confront their place within this new Imperium, and destroy the hulk before Diamantus is lost.

Written by Robbie MacNiven.

Genres: 40k, Science Fiction, Audiobook

380 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 28, 2025

About the author

Robbie MacNiven is a Scottish author and historian. His published fiction includes over a dozen novels, many fantasy or sci-fi works for IPs such as Warhammer 40,000 and Marvel's X-Men. He has also written two novellas, numerous short stories and audio dramas, has worked on narrative and character dialogue for multiple digital games (SMITE: Blitz and Age of Sigmar: Storm Ground), has written the colour text for multiple RPG rulebooks and has penned the scripts for two graphic novels and three comics, for Osprey Publishing and Commando Comics respectively. In 2022 his X-Men novel "First Team" won a Scribe Award.

On the non-fiction front, Robbie specialises in Early Modern military history, particularly focussing on the 18th century. He has a PhD in American Revolutionary War massacres from the University of Edinburgh - where he won the Compton Prize for American History - and an MLitt in War Studies from the University of Glasgow. Along with numerous articles for military history magazines he has written six books on different aspects of the American Revolutionary War, five for Osprey Publishing and one for Helion Books. He has also written the scripts for ten episodes of the hit YouTube educational channel Extra Credits.

Outside of work and writing, his passions include re-enacting, gaming, and football.

Reviews

[Colt Hubert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another amazing entry, love how dysfunctional the 3rd company is it’s a happy home

[Anibal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Void Exile delivers everything one expects from a Carcharodons novel: feral pale Space Marines with pointy teeth, claustrophobic void battles, and bizarre, esoteric psychic moments—but it also suffers from a frustrating sense of narrative exile (yes, pun intended). Too much time has passed since the last book, and almost none of it is explained. Who sent the infiltration teams into the space hulk, and why the 3rd Company knew nothing… the book simply never says this among several other issues. Readers are left to swim blindly (I really like these sharky puns) through missing context.

That said, what is on the page is intense! Forge World Diamantus is assaulted by a Vashtorr-tainted space hulk under the control of Datagnost Voldire, a brilliant yet quite loony and unhinged Dark Mechanicus heretic obsessed with engineering his own daemonic ascension with mathematical precision. The siege is brutal, the atmosphere heavy with corrupted machinery and Mechanicus arrogance, and the Carcharodons’ arrival will escalate the carnage giving a fighting chance to the Loyalists.

The return of Bail Sharr which was once Reaper-Prime and main character of previous volumes, is now a scarred ghost leading Exiles from the inside of the hulk; he is also the novel’s emotional anchor. His presence creates tension, rivalry, and some of the best character moments in the series. Meanwhile, Librarians Te Kahurangi and Khauri continue to deepen the Chapter’s mysterious psychic traditions, offering some of the most intriguing psychic powers in WH40K lore.

Despite the structural flaws (in my opinion, of course), the action is spectacular, Voldire is a standout villain, and the final confrontation is memorable, suspenseful and surprisingly imaginative: a blend of desperate physical assault and devastating psychic warfare. And without spoiling completely it outright but…let’s just say the ending provides one of the funniest “so much for ascension” moments in recent 40K fiction, involving a certain predatory xenos that’s very good at cleaning up loose ends.

Not the strongest of the series so far, but still a worthy and entertaining entry.

[Lawrence · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t like this, but I’m not sure it’s the book’s fault. I listened to it while running, and I always tend to zone out during action scenes under those circumstances. And this book is about 90% action. So, I spent most of it kind of zoned out and half-listening. But I’m not really sure I can blame the book for that. I guess I could argue that if it was more engagingly-written, I would have paid better attention, but I’m really not sure that’s fair. Like, I can focus on Adrian Tchaikovsky and Robert R. McCammon action pretty well, but it doesn’t seem reasonable to be like “this licensed novel that’s the third book in a series about space sharks isn’t up to the standards of the greatest genre fiction ever written.” On the other hand, a star rating is, to me, mostly about how much I enjoyed the book, and I didn’t really enjoy it. So, three stars. But if you like space marine action scenes, you’ll probably really like this. Don’t let me talk you out of it, especially if you liked the other two space sharks books.

[Urgewyrm · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid entry into the Space Sharks series. Some solidly creepy Chaos moments and great bolter porn.

Chaos comes to a Forge World and the Sharkies need to stop them from bringing forth everyone's overrated demon lord, Vashtorr. Why is he overrated? Because he's super bad ass in the fluff and absolutely worthless on the table.

But I digress.

Everyone's favorite Shark, Bail Sharr, has been banished for being just a bit too sharky. Of course, he comes back into the fold because he's a named character and can't die. This isn't a Dan Abnett book, after all.

And the best use of a lictor every in a story not about Tyranids.

[Jacob Wells · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you're looking for substance on the Carcharadons you might underwhelmed, but if you're looking for a book that nails the style of Chaos you'll be in for a treat. MacNiven isn't afraid to vividly describe the flesh-warping horror of a Vashtor cult, and the main antagonist is so interesting that I'm legitimately quite disappointed that we didn't get to see more of him. This book is mostly action and lacks the intrigue and moral ambiguity which made the other books compelling, but the action itself is at least well written and engrossing.

My least favorite of the series, but still an enjoyable read overall.

[Paul Sparks · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Carchardon Astra are in my opinion the most interesting and intriguing legion at present, this book is another great addition to the series, all out favourite sharks are here this time battling the Dark Mechanicum, there is mention of Vashtorr but he makes no appearance
Superb narration by Shogo

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

The weakest of the 3 Carcharadon novels. The book continues to explore the lore and tradition of this lesser known chapter but overall the story feels like it is trying to do too much too quickly. There were too many moving parts in a short novel. The story picks up after events we have not seen occur and you are left with more questions than answers.

[Phillip Wyrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

the best of the trilogy

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent

This series really delivered in every installment. Interesting chapter, solid stories, and great continuity. I hope there end up being more in this series.

[Kenny Nguyen · Rating 4 out of 5]

SPACE SHARKS SPACE SHARKS SPACE SHARKS