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Vorax

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The Ring of Iron encircles Mars like a broken halo, standing as the last contested outpost of the Dark Mechanicum inside the Imperial Fists’ blockade. But those rogue priests and adepts lurking in the depths will soon face a new enemy, and the hunters shall become the prey...

See the Vorax battle hunters in action against the traitors of the Dark Mechanicum. This Quick Read also gives an insight into the war for Mars that rages within the Solar System itself – arguably the second most important battleground of the entire Heresy.

13 pages, ebook

Published December 10, 2014

2 people are currently reading
105 people want to read

About the author

Matthew Farrer

45 books31 followers
Matthew Farrer writes mostly for Black Library. He lives in Australia.

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5 stars
13 (8%)
4 stars
37 (23%)
3 stars
74 (46%)
2 stars
32 (20%)
1 star
4 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
Profile Image for RatGrrrl.
1,000 reviews27 followers
March 14, 2024
March 2024 Read using the Horus Heresy Omnibus Project Reading Order - Omnibus IX Omnissiah I Death of Innocence (https://www.heresyomnibus.com/omnibus...) as part of my Oath of Moment to complete the Horus Heresy saga and extras.

When I saw the title I got excited as I often come across and use Vorax when I play a Sota Null deck in Horus Heresy: Legions and that excitement only grew when I saw this was by Matthew Farrer, whose After Desh'ea is literally one of my favourite shirt stories of all time and never ceases to make me cry.

Oofa doofa was I in for a surprise...

A naughty Tech Priest is doing their Dark Mechanicus thing when they get a rude awakening in the firm if the eponymous mean robot.

I listened to this twice back to back to check I wasn't missing something...

I'm reading this as part of the Death of Innocence omnibus, I've read a whole bunch of Horus Heresy stuff, and Warhammer, particularly the Dark Millennia, are a lifelong special interest and current uberfixation, and still I was confused as anything. I get that there's a heretical Tech Priest doing evil and a big scary robot and I understand that sounds like two wonderful ingredients for a story I would like, but what I cannot fathom is the context, which nothing of the blurb comes across in the story and isn't included in the anthology it's included in, why I'm supposed to care, and how this is a story.

I also get that this is a Black Library Advent Calendar short, there's some nice little physical details, and the writing is fine, but I just don't care. This reads like flavour text in a codex or something that would be freely posted to promote the Vorax model, not a Horus Heresy short story.

Unbelievably disappointed.

Through using the Horus Heresy Omnibus Project (www.heresyomnibus.com) and my own choices, I have currently read 17.41 Horus Heresy novels, 9 novellas, 44 short stories/ audio dramas, as well as the Macragge's Honour graphic novel, 8 Primarchs novels, 3 Primarchs short stories/ audio dramas, and 2 Warhammer 40K further reading novels...this run. I can't say enough good about the way the Horus Heresy Omnibus Project suggestions. I'm loving it! Especially after originally reading to the releases and being so frustrated at having to wait so long for a narrative to continue.
Profile Image for Gianfranco Mancini.
2,343 reviews1,075 followers
February 28, 2017


An adept of Dark Mechanicum setting deadly traps for the Imperial Fists blockade around the Ring of Iron, a massive complex of orbital shipyards, refineries and construction facilities, orbiting warring Mars, finds out something stalking him.

A good story with a claustrophobic "Alien" feeling, but it was really too short.
Profile Image for Dylan Murphy.
592 reviews32 followers
March 20, 2016
Now THAT was a great short story!
Matthew Farrer feels like one of the newer writers, though he has done some work with BL in the past(3 full novels for the Enforcer series), but man does he do some good stuff. Vorax follows a traitor ad-mech working through the Ring of Iron, when he is attacked by the Vorax Battle-Automata. It was great. The panic, the twists, the character, all of it.
Damn good work Matt! Please write some more of the HH Mechanicum!
574 reviews
August 1, 2025
In the orbital shipyards of Mars facing an Imperial Fist blockade, the predator becomes prey.
An Adept of the Dark Mechanicum has grown lax torturing and experimenting on loyalists, and is not prepared to face a more equal foe. This short story follows the events of “Mechanicum” which saw Mars seized by traitors.
I enjoyed the details and description in the story, it really put me into the world of the Dark Mechanicum above Mars. But the story was a bit too brief, which didn’t allow the tension to rise.
Profile Image for Michael Dodd.
988 reviews82 followers
December 11, 2014
On the tenth day of Christmas Black Library gave to us…a Horus Heresy short story by Matthew Farrer. With Vorax, Farrer continues his look at all things technological, after his contributions to the Sabbat Worlds/Sabbat Crusade anthologies. This takes place on the Ring of Iron, a Mechanicum facility orbiting Mars, during the Imperial Fists’ blockade of the red planet. An adept of the Dark Mechanicum hunts loyalists through the Ring, unaware that he himself has become prey for something lurking in the shadows.

Read the rest of the review at http://trackofwords.wordpress.com/201...
Profile Image for Stephan.
463 reviews13 followers
May 24, 2017
A bit too short, even for a short story. The pacing is quite good and it's always fun to read about the bad guys. Too bad it mostly feels like an advertisement for selling forgeworlds toys...

...ok, it's not bad at all, I quite enjoyed reading it.
Profile Image for Regan.
74 reviews
June 24, 2024
Cool characters in a meaningless story.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews

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