What do you think?
Demolisher
A Warhammer 40,000 Novel
A lauded battle tank of the Imperium is tasked with leading a convoy, escorting a high-value asset through enemy territory. Recent changes to the crew threaten to destabilise the delicate harmony of the whole, to potentially disastrous effect. This edition includes an additional short story.
READ IT BECAUSE
The crew from the novel Steel Tread return, and it's another chance to get into the armoured hull of a mighty battle tank and find out what makes them tick. Their relationships and ability to work together can spell the difference between glorious victory and ignoble death. Can they come together in time to complete their mission?
THE STORY
The war for warp-cursed Croatoas rages on. Hailed as ‘Giant-killers’ for their heroics during Operation Jotunn, Lieutenant Commander Hadeya Etsul and the crew of the Leman Russ Demolisher Steel Tread are hurled right back into battle.
Assigned command of a convoy of armour and infantry, Etsul is tasked with escorting a legendary lord commissar through contested territory to stabilise the wavering Ruega Front. But with a new crew member disturbing the delicate harmony of her tank, and a malevolent nemesis lurking unseen in the high passes ahead, the mission proves even more dangerous than first thought.
As Etsul’s troubles multiply, she is forced to risk everything – even the hard-won trust of her crew – in the name of duty.
Written by Andy Clark.
A lauded battle tank of the Imperium is tasked with leading a convoy, escorting a high-value asset through enemy territory. Recent changes to the crew threaten to destabilise the delicate harmony of the whole, to potentially disastrous effect. This edition includes an additional short story.
READ IT BECAUSE
The crew from the novel Steel Tread return, and it's another chance to get into the armoured hull of a mighty battle tank and find out what makes them tick. Their relationships and ability to work together can spell the difference between glorious victory and ignoble death. Can they come together in time to complete their mission?
THE STORY
The war for warp-cursed Croatoas rages on. Hailed as ‘Giant-killers’ for their heroics during Operation Jotunn, Lieutenant Commander Hadeya Etsul and the crew of the Leman Russ Demolisher Steel Tread are hurled right back into battle.
Assigned command of a convoy of armour and infantry, Etsul is tasked with escorting a legendary lord commissar through contested territory to stabilise the wavering Ruega Front. But with a new crew member disturbing the delicate harmony of her tank, and a malevolent nemesis lurking unseen in the high passes ahead, the mission proves even more dangerous than first thought.
As Etsul’s troubles multiply, she is forced to risk everything – even the hard-won trust of her crew – in the name of duty.
Written by Andy Clark.
- Genres40kScience Fiction
368 pages, Paperback
Published September 8, 2026
About the author
Andy Clark
90 books50 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 26, 2026
loved the first one. This Book has nothing to do with it though. Dragged on forever, no suspension at all, really just not worth the read. Really just finished it, to see if it will keep being bad and it did 🤷. Spare yourself the money and the time.
February 6, 2026
Overall I really enjoyed this book and the trials and tribulations of Etsul, the demolisher tank named "steel tread" and its illustrious "giant killer" crew. I personally preferred the previous book "Steel Tread" but that didn't dampen my enjoyment of this book. Fingers crossed that this isn't the last we hear of Lieutenant Hadeya Etsul and the crew as I've grown rather fond of both.
July 30, 2026
I have a personal problem with sequels. One of the many reasons most stories work is because of their novelty; the allure of an unprecedented story, characters, and the chemistry amongst those characters. Sequels do not have that. They must deal with the hurdles of inheriting a set of expectations bequeathed by their predecessor with little lee-way for innovation. “Demolisher” fails at that.
I must admit that there are many questionable decisions made by Andy Clark throughout the book. With an ungratifying twist and an underwhelming, predictable finale, one cannot help but feel scammed. You must sit through over 250 pages only to then close the book with a bitter taste in your mouth.
The only viable explanation is that “Steel Tread” set the bar too high for “Demolisher” and had a relatively conclusive ending. Although the introduction of Grieger would have been an intriguing character for the book to explore, the opportunity is ruined by an early reveal of his true-ish identity. Only to then do it again in the third act. Such was the case with the Eagle Adamant as well, who, contrary to my initial predictions, would see little to no involvement in the overall plot. Admittedly, she could have been replaced with a rather large cardboard box and the story would’ve been unchanged. The Adepta Sororitas would’ve also been interesting to explore in further detail, but alas, before you know it, they’re gone and reduced to unwavering zealots obsessing over religious memorabilia. So many side characters are introduced but none are actually provided any depth whatsoever.
If only it were just the side characters, though.
The only two backstories we learn are Etsul’s and Chalenboor’s. Isaac’s quirks are put down to “religious devotion”, Vaslav is just there, Moretzin has a prosthetic arm we never learn how she obtained and Verro turns out to be gay in the most unnecessary reveal imaginable: it feels like an artificial addition done post-factum as opposed to something incited by the natural needs of the story. As though Andy was sitting in his study proof reading his draft and, upon realising Verro’s lackluster personal history, he was like: “Oh sh*t, Verro doesn’t have a backstory! Think! Think!” as he slapped his head. Only to then compensate for it by writing a single sentence at the very end.
So was the death of Isaac. Character deaths should not just stand as a breaking point in the plot, a climax that subsequently produces a paradigm shift in the rest of the cast. They should also be deeply seeded in an emotional connection with the reader. Isaac’s murder is way off the mark. For, why kill a character the reader cares little to nothing about? It was not so much an impactful death as it was the disposal of a burden. Furthermore, his death should’ve had a ripple effect and resonated with the characters for longer. While it may be argued that, due to the heat of battle, there was no time for grieving, the characters only occasionally spare a thought to him and are relatively unchanged.
It would’ve been nice – I find myself saying that a lot for this book – for a character to have reached a boiling point and broken down mid or post battle, as though Isaac’s death was the last straw. Mind you, for over sixty hours, the entire cast had to endure multiple armed engagements, many near calls, hopelessness at the ever so likely impossibility of rescue, loss of loved ones, internal quarrels amongst each other, and the ever looming scrutiny of the Commissar they are to protect with their lives if needs be. That is enough to break anyone, even the most resilient of soldiers. I find it hard to believe none of them ever came close to having a manic episode.
As for Grieger’s sideplot. It feels detached from the rest of the novel because it introduces a new conflict – and in a way, it justifies why he’d stir so much trouble and make a fuss over petty matters... sort of – that is then easily resolved. Its sole repercussion is Isaac’s death and nothing else. And as soon as it ended, it was promptly forgotten about.
There is a pattern here. Major plot threads are recurrently introduced only to then be either prematurely resolved or silently discarded, leaving no lasting consequences. It is underwhelming incarnate.
But, is the book bad? Not necessarily. There are moments when it shines, fleeting though they may be. I would say they permeate the first act of the story and gradually disappear as the plot progresses. Partly because it retains a certain degree of novelty by introducing a manifold of new elements (i.e. context, enemies, yet to explore characters, etc.), which progressively wears off. But chiefly because it’s the portion of the story the reader knows the least about the overarching mysteries. Is there a method to the madness of Grieger? Who are these robo-heretics attacking them? Who’s controlling them? What's the deal with the friggin' massive monster? And so on.
Ultimately, I would advise you to save your money and skip this book. The negatives inevitably outweigh the positives and it’s worth neither the time investment nor the money. While Andy Clark has many titles worth boasting, Demolisher is, regrettably, not one of them.
I must admit that there are many questionable decisions made by Andy Clark throughout the book. With an ungratifying twist and an underwhelming, predictable finale, one cannot help but feel scammed. You must sit through over 250 pages only to then close the book with a bitter taste in your mouth.
The only viable explanation is that “Steel Tread” set the bar too high for “Demolisher” and had a relatively conclusive ending. Although the introduction of Grieger would have been an intriguing character for the book to explore, the opportunity is ruined by an early reveal of his true-ish identity. Only to then do it again in the third act. Such was the case with the Eagle Adamant as well, who, contrary to my initial predictions, would see little to no involvement in the overall plot. Admittedly, she could have been replaced with a rather large cardboard box and the story would’ve been unchanged. The Adepta Sororitas would’ve also been interesting to explore in further detail, but alas, before you know it, they’re gone and reduced to unwavering zealots obsessing over religious memorabilia. So many side characters are introduced but none are actually provided any depth whatsoever.
If only it were just the side characters, though.
The only two backstories we learn are Etsul’s and Chalenboor’s. Isaac’s quirks are put down to “religious devotion”, Vaslav is just there, Moretzin has a prosthetic arm we never learn how she obtained and Verro turns out to be gay in the most unnecessary reveal imaginable: it feels like an artificial addition done post-factum as opposed to something incited by the natural needs of the story. As though Andy was sitting in his study proof reading his draft and, upon realising Verro’s lackluster personal history, he was like: “Oh sh*t, Verro doesn’t have a backstory! Think! Think!” as he slapped his head. Only to then compensate for it by writing a single sentence at the very end.
So was the death of Isaac. Character deaths should not just stand as a breaking point in the plot, a climax that subsequently produces a paradigm shift in the rest of the cast. They should also be deeply seeded in an emotional connection with the reader. Isaac’s murder is way off the mark. For, why kill a character the reader cares little to nothing about? It was not so much an impactful death as it was the disposal of a burden. Furthermore, his death should’ve had a ripple effect and resonated with the characters for longer. While it may be argued that, due to the heat of battle, there was no time for grieving, the characters only occasionally spare a thought to him and are relatively unchanged.
It would’ve been nice – I find myself saying that a lot for this book – for a character to have reached a boiling point and broken down mid or post battle, as though Isaac’s death was the last straw. Mind you, for over sixty hours, the entire cast had to endure multiple armed engagements, many near calls, hopelessness at the ever so likely impossibility of rescue, loss of loved ones, internal quarrels amongst each other, and the ever looming scrutiny of the Commissar they are to protect with their lives if needs be. That is enough to break anyone, even the most resilient of soldiers. I find it hard to believe none of them ever came close to having a manic episode.
As for Grieger’s sideplot. It feels detached from the rest of the novel because it introduces a new conflict – and in a way, it justifies why he’d stir so much trouble and make a fuss over petty matters... sort of – that is then easily resolved. Its sole repercussion is Isaac’s death and nothing else. And as soon as it ended, it was promptly forgotten about.
There is a pattern here. Major plot threads are recurrently introduced only to then be either prematurely resolved or silently discarded, leaving no lasting consequences. It is underwhelming incarnate.
But, is the book bad? Not necessarily. There are moments when it shines, fleeting though they may be. I would say they permeate the first act of the story and gradually disappear as the plot progresses. Partly because it retains a certain degree of novelty by introducing a manifold of new elements (i.e. context, enemies, yet to explore characters, etc.), which progressively wears off. But chiefly because it’s the portion of the story the reader knows the least about the overarching mysteries. Is there a method to the madness of Grieger? Who are these robo-heretics attacking them? Who’s controlling them? What's the deal with the friggin' massive monster? And so on.
Ultimately, I would advise you to save your money and skip this book. The negatives inevitably outweigh the positives and it’s worth neither the time investment nor the money. While Andy Clark has many titles worth boasting, Demolisher is, regrettably, not one of them.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 2, 2026
I want to give this 5 stars, as it was a fantasic sequel to Steel Tread. The issue is regarding one of the characters. Decided to make the character homosexual for no reason. Worse is it implies pedophilia based on when the supposed romace took place, the individual would have been a minor.
This would have been inline with Slaaneshi practices, but is supposedly loyalists. Save your money, do not support this kind of indoctrination. Teach GW, and their authors we will not have that kind of degeneracy enshrined as virtue.
No. MORE.
This would have been inline with Slaaneshi practices, but is supposedly loyalists. Save your money, do not support this kind of indoctrination. Teach GW, and their authors we will not have that kind of degeneracy enshrined as virtue.
No. MORE.
January 12, 2026
Really good, and I mean its an excellent book!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews