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Sisters of Battle
Sisters of Battle: The Omnibus
A Warhammer 40,000 omnibus
Adepta Sororitas Sister Miriya and her comrades hunt renegade psykers, battle the ancient might of the necrons and investigate a world newly discovered by the Imperium in three tales of the Sisters of Battle by James Swallow.
READ IT BECAUSE
The Sisters of Battle are a perennially popular part of the Warhammer 40,000 universe, and these classic stories – plus a brand new addition – showcase them doing what they do best – hunting heretics and safeguarding the spiritual welfare of the Imperium.
DESCRIPTION
The Adepta Sororitas, or Sisters of Battle, are the military arm of the Ecclesiarchy, and their remit is to prosecute the enemies of mankind with extreme prejudice. Uniquely among the fighting forces of the Imperium, all the warriors of this organisation are female. Clad in ceramite power armour and armed with an awesome array of wargear, they fight with fanatical fervour for the glory of the Emperor, scourging both xenos and heretic alike with bolter and flamer. This omnibus collects together James Swallow's two classic Sisters of Battle novels, 'Faith & Fire' and 'Hammer & Anvil', along with the prose version of the audio drama 'Red & Black' and a new short story 'Heart & Soul', both available in print for the first time.
CONTENTS
Faith & Fire
Hammer & Anvil
Red & Black
Heart & Soul
Adepta Sororitas Sister Miriya and her comrades hunt renegade psykers, battle the ancient might of the necrons and investigate a world newly discovered by the Imperium in three tales of the Sisters of Battle by James Swallow.
READ IT BECAUSE
The Sisters of Battle are a perennially popular part of the Warhammer 40,000 universe, and these classic stories – plus a brand new addition – showcase them doing what they do best – hunting heretics and safeguarding the spiritual welfare of the Imperium.
DESCRIPTION
The Adepta Sororitas, or Sisters of Battle, are the military arm of the Ecclesiarchy, and their remit is to prosecute the enemies of mankind with extreme prejudice. Uniquely among the fighting forces of the Imperium, all the warriors of this organisation are female. Clad in ceramite power armour and armed with an awesome array of wargear, they fight with fanatical fervour for the glory of the Emperor, scourging both xenos and heretic alike with bolter and flamer. This omnibus collects together James Swallow's two classic Sisters of Battle novels, 'Faith & Fire' and 'Hammer & Anvil', along with the prose version of the audio drama 'Red & Black' and a new short story 'Heart & Soul', both available in print for the first time.
CONTENTS
Faith & Fire
Hammer & Anvil
Red & Black
Heart & Soul
745 pages, ebook
First published March 1, 2017
148 people are currently reading
426 people want to read
About the author
James Swallow
302 books1,070 followersJames Swallow is a New York Times, Sunday Times and Amazon #1 bestselling author and scriptwriter, a BAFTA nominee, a former journalist and the award-winning writer of over sixty-five books, along with scripts for video games, comics, radio and television.
DARK HORIZON, his latest stand-alone thriller, is out now from Mountain Leopard Press, and OUTLAW, the 6th action-packed Marc Dane novel, is published by Bonnier.
Along with the Marc Dane thrillers, his writing includes, the Sundowners steampunk Westerns and fiction from the worlds of Star Trek, Tom Clancy, 24, Warhammer 40000, Doctor Who, Deus Ex, Stargate, 2000AD and many more.
For information on new releases & more, sign up to the Readers’ Club here: www.bit.ly/JamesSwallow
Visit James's website at http://www.jswallow.com/ for more, including ROUGH AIR, a free eBook novella in the Marc Dane series.
You can also follow James on Bluesky at @jmswallow.bsky.social, Twitter at @jmswallow, Mastodon at @jmswallow@mstdn.social and jmswallow.tumblr.com at Tumblr.
DARK HORIZON, his latest stand-alone thriller, is out now from Mountain Leopard Press, and OUTLAW, the 6th action-packed Marc Dane novel, is published by Bonnier.
Along with the Marc Dane thrillers, his writing includes, the Sundowners steampunk Westerns and fiction from the worlds of Star Trek, Tom Clancy, 24, Warhammer 40000, Doctor Who, Deus Ex, Stargate, 2000AD and many more.
For information on new releases & more, sign up to the Readers’ Club here: www.bit.ly/JamesSwallow
Visit James's website at http://www.jswallow.com/ for more, including ROUGH AIR, a free eBook novella in the Marc Dane series.
You can also follow James on Bluesky at @jmswallow.bsky.social, Twitter at @jmswallow, Mastodon at @jmswallow@mstdn.social and jmswallow.tumblr.com at Tumblr.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
November 24, 2025
Husband wanted me to read this and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
April 3, 2020
Easily one of the best WH book compilations I've read. Each story stands on it's own. I was actually more interested in the time between battles than the actual battles themselves, that's how good the writing is. The characters are really well fleshed out and their beliefs and passions are realistic and believable. Fantastic read.
August 9, 2024
This is my first time reading a Sisters of Battle story, and overall, the stories in this collection are pretty good! Some of them are a bit dated lore-wise (2006/2011), which might be an issue if you're a lore purist, but they're still enjoyable. The characters are well-developed and full of passion. The combat writing is excellent, and there's a lot of combat.
Story-wise, I'd have to say my favorite was Faith & Fire, which seems like an unpopular opinion based on other reviews. There is a lot of POV swapping, which can be a bit jarring, but I really liked one of the antagonists, a Witch Psyker named Torris Vaun. His schemes made the chase for him all the more interesting.
Hammer & Anvil is a strong second, especially since it shows the character growth from Faith & Fire years later.
The two short stories are both fun reads. The first one, Red & Black, follows the main Sister, Miriya, and her squad. It serves as an introduction to the characters—a prequel of sorts to Faith & Fire.
The last short story, Heart & Soul, is also pretty good. I'd say it presents the most interesting dilemma the Sisters have to face, though I can’t go into detail without spoiling it.
Overall, the book leans toward the more serious side of Warhammer 40k. I liked all the characters, and the combat is well written. I wouldn’t recommend this book as a starter for getting into Warhammer 40k, but it’s definitely worth reading if you’re already a few books in, especially if you’re a Sisters of Battle fan.
Story-wise, I'd have to say my favorite was Faith & Fire, which seems like an unpopular opinion based on other reviews. There is a lot of POV swapping, which can be a bit jarring, but I really liked one of the antagonists, a Witch Psyker named Torris Vaun. His schemes made the chase for him all the more interesting.
Hammer & Anvil is a strong second, especially since it shows the character growth from Faith & Fire years later.
The two short stories are both fun reads. The first one, Red & Black, follows the main Sister, Miriya, and her squad. It serves as an introduction to the characters—a prequel of sorts to Faith & Fire.
The last short story, Heart & Soul, is also pretty good. I'd say it presents the most interesting dilemma the Sisters have to face, though I can’t go into detail without spoiling it.
Overall, the book leans toward the more serious side of Warhammer 40k. I liked all the characters, and the combat is well written. I wouldn’t recommend this book as a starter for getting into Warhammer 40k, but it’s definitely worth reading if you’re already a few books in, especially if you’re a Sisters of Battle fan.
November 4, 2019
After a mighty debate with my teen, we finally found a Warhammer book that detailed the Sisters of Battle. Up until I read this I was like where are the women of Warhammer? Did they just fade away or be relegated to the role of cipher character? Not here in this collection of stories. Swallow does a good job of handling the characters, without using some of the tired formulaic tropes I have read in some of the Warhammer series.
May 20, 2019
What makes a Sister of Battle? If you were to trust the blocks of exposition and internal dialogue presented at frequent intervals in this collection, it's their unwavering faith in the Emperor of humanity. If you were to trust the stories as they actually unfold, however, it would probably boil down to the "Battle" part.
Make no mistake, in the Sisters of Battle omnibus, combat is front and center and everything else is window dressing. While it's common for game-related fiction to be little more than an exercise in bringing characters from one battle to the next, many manage to do it with more verve and vigor than this.
While faith should have been this book's aesthetic, if not philosophical motif, it seems to drag its feet every time questions of moral fidelity are brought up. Any hope of genuine internal conflict--the battleground of faith--is bludgeoned down by easy, contrived conclusions and endless repetitions of meaningless creed, the catechetical equivalent of technobabble. All so it can get backt to the endless bodily combat of a universe at war.
At the very least, Sisters of Battle does a solid job when it comes to the battles. It builds up its set piece encounters with a rapid tempo of combat and just the right mix of theatrical brutality and drama. For sacramental combat choreographed in prose, it does a passable job.
Make no mistake, in the Sisters of Battle omnibus, combat is front and center and everything else is window dressing. While it's common for game-related fiction to be little more than an exercise in bringing characters from one battle to the next, many manage to do it with more verve and vigor than this.
While faith should have been this book's aesthetic, if not philosophical motif, it seems to drag its feet every time questions of moral fidelity are brought up. Any hope of genuine internal conflict--the battleground of faith--is bludgeoned down by easy, contrived conclusions and endless repetitions of meaningless creed, the catechetical equivalent of technobabble. All so it can get backt to the endless bodily combat of a universe at war.
At the very least, Sisters of Battle does a solid job when it comes to the battles. It builds up its set piece encounters with a rapid tempo of combat and just the right mix of theatrical brutality and drama. For sacramental combat choreographed in prose, it does a passable job.
July 25, 2021
Serviceable, if not unimaginative Warhammer 40k
A serviceable collection of Warhammer 40k novels. If you're a fan of the setting and genre you'll enjoy yourself. But it would probably make a poor entry into the universe.
Its grim, its dark, and there's war. It's good, but not great.
A serviceable collection of Warhammer 40k novels. If you're a fan of the setting and genre you'll enjoy yourself. But it would probably make a poor entry into the universe.
Its grim, its dark, and there's war. It's good, but not great.
February 3, 2025
“'I... I grew tired of listening to her pontificate,' she blurted out.”
This was hard to read. James Swallow has interesting premises, good stories and just the most grating writing style ever. So much exposition, so cluckily delivered that you just tire after some point.
Stories
The first short story is interesting, but the ending abrupt and with a bizarre "The moral of the story is..." bit that really doesn't work in 40,000. But I guess fascists have no reading comprehension, so it's better to be obvious.
The second short story has an incredible, grungy vibe, an interesting premise also (and it almost made me want to give this 4 stars), but it was so clunky and full of telling that only 50% of it feels great.
The first novel is okay. It was fun, but got pretty hard to read by the midpoint and the ending was unsatisfying — I don't mean Miriya's fate, just the climatic battle that dragged on with not much to offer.
The second novel is the best. I also struggled a lot, but from the start. So much excessive, poorly conveyed exposition. It only got good after the Tegas plot really kicked in, and even then, the writing doesn't do it many favours.
Characters
I think the character work is good. The problem with James is how he insists on telling us stuff. Their actions, lines and thoughts usually convey it well enough, and even then you have to put up with too much thinking.
I hated Imogen, I loved Miriya and Verity, I felt bad for the dead sisters, I enjoyed the canonesses, the Adeptus Mechanicus have been quite fun too...
It's really a shame that the introductions, especially on the short stories, are so clunky and how tiring the inner thoughts get after a while. The latter would be helped by better, more economical narration in parts, because it's either descriptive enough to understand the scene, or it's so descriptive and unperturbed by the constraints of our linear-time experience that the pacing gets ruined.
—————
I really want to read Iron & Bone still, but I don't have many hopes. I'm not planning on reading much more of James's work, at least for a year. I even commented to my partner that I was reading it to end it most of the time, not because I was enjoying it. Even when I were, I felt shackled.
Still... I finished it, as opposed to Eisenhorn... which is odd... but I read an entire novel before finishing this without losing excitement.
If you want to read this Omnibus, I think there's value in it, but you'll have to make peace with the writing. The novels are the best part, the second one in particular, but relying solely on its clunky exposition about the first one is suboptimal, so it feels right in a way to get the full thing.
I'm glad I read it, but it was difficult...
October 18, 2019
On the whole, some of Swallow's better work for Black Library. His prose was adequate, and his world-building reasonably consistent and competent. Regretfully marred by a few (mostly insignificant) flaws. The worst among these being a total failure to meaningfully characterise Lethe. We're told she's close friends with Miriya, but she dies without us ever actually /seeing/ that, and given how much her death drives the rest of "Faith and Fire", and remains very relevant in "Hammer and Anvil", it feels unfortunate to not give us a firm reason to really care about her as a character prior to said death. The prequel, "Red and Black", would've been an ideal opportunity to correct this, but Lethe ended up featuring as little more than a background character, so said opportunity was wasted.
On a more positive note, "Faith and Fire" did a great job of providing insight as to the absurd manner in which nobility on civilised worlds in the Imperium function. It was also pleasant to see a rare instance of a story in which the Sororitas deploy for any other narrative purpose other than being violently murdered, something the codices of other armies have been rather unfortunate about.
"Hammer and Anvil" was an interesting choice of story - a follow-up to the infamous massacre at Sanctuary 101 was a solid idea. The Necrons were reasonably well built-up as an ominous background threat that nobody truly understood, and the structure of the story allowed Swallow to weave in more of the then-still-new updated Necron lore, which had drastically changed their nature as a faction. I had concerns initially that each individual faction and major character having their own secret goals and reasons for their presence on the mission would make things overly-convoluted, but Swallow did a very good job weaving all of those story threads together. The twist of what exactly the Hammer and Anvil actually /was/ definitely worked well also; a generic macguffin or special super-weapon would have been very dull, and having it be so important to the faith of the Order of Our Martyred Lady specifically justified their return to Sanctuary 101 stupendously.
"Heart and Soul" was a neat little short. Nothing particularly special about it for the most part, but exploring the concept of traitor Sororitas was probably necessary after all the insistence by characters in the previous stories that such a thing could never happen. Marred by a couple of small hiccups in the lore, as were the other stories, but otherwise a decent story well-executed, and that's all it really needed to be.
On a more positive note, "Faith and Fire" did a great job of providing insight as to the absurd manner in which nobility on civilised worlds in the Imperium function. It was also pleasant to see a rare instance of a story in which the Sororitas deploy for any other narrative purpose other than being violently murdered, something the codices of other armies have been rather unfortunate about.
"Hammer and Anvil" was an interesting choice of story - a follow-up to the infamous massacre at Sanctuary 101 was a solid idea. The Necrons were reasonably well built-up as an ominous background threat that nobody truly understood, and the structure of the story allowed Swallow to weave in more of the then-still-new updated Necron lore, which had drastically changed their nature as a faction. I had concerns initially that each individual faction and major character having their own secret goals and reasons for their presence on the mission would make things overly-convoluted, but Swallow did a very good job weaving all of those story threads together. The twist of what exactly the Hammer and Anvil actually /was/ definitely worked well also; a generic macguffin or special super-weapon would have been very dull, and having it be so important to the faith of the Order of Our Martyred Lady specifically justified their return to Sanctuary 101 stupendously.
"Heart and Soul" was a neat little short. Nothing particularly special about it for the most part, but exploring the concept of traitor Sororitas was probably necessary after all the insistence by characters in the previous stories that such a thing could never happen. Marred by a couple of small hiccups in the lore, as were the other stories, but otherwise a decent story well-executed, and that's all it really needed to be.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 7, 2020
Ave Imperator
If you don’t know what WH40k is then save your precious time and don’t read this review.
If you know what WH40k is, but don’t know who the Sisters of Battle are, then save your time and don’t read this review.
If you know what WH40k is AND know who the Sisters of Battle are, then read if you want.
This is an enjoyable selection of stories. Some are better than other, especially the last book and short story. This isn’t James Joyce and it isn’t trying to be. It’s just some stories set in the Grimdark 41st millennium.
While I don’t like Swallow’s 3rd person omniscient style of writing I did appreciate that this wasn’t super cynical and Grimdark. It felt appropriate to the setting.
As a religious person it would have been nice to have a very complex and nuanced understanding of faith, but this book isn’t trying to do that and let’s face it that would probably be out of place here.
If you like WH40k you might like this, if you’re a Sisters of Battle fan it might be worth a read. I enjoyed it well enough.
If you don’t know what WH40k is then save your precious time and don’t read this review.
If you know what WH40k is, but don’t know who the Sisters of Battle are, then save your time and don’t read this review.
If you know what WH40k is AND know who the Sisters of Battle are, then read if you want.
This is an enjoyable selection of stories. Some are better than other, especially the last book and short story. This isn’t James Joyce and it isn’t trying to be. It’s just some stories set in the Grimdark 41st millennium.
While I don’t like Swallow’s 3rd person omniscient style of writing I did appreciate that this wasn’t super cynical and Grimdark. It felt appropriate to the setting.
As a religious person it would have been nice to have a very complex and nuanced understanding of faith, but this book isn’t trying to do that and let’s face it that would probably be out of place here.
If you like WH40k you might like this, if you’re a Sisters of Battle fan it might be worth a read. I enjoyed it well enough.
June 16, 2021
DNF at page 184, when the author tries to give the idea that the Adepta Sororitas are interested in the life of the Sisters Repentias...when, according to the official WH40K wikipedia page (https://warhammer40k.fandom.com/wiki/..., in case you need it) Sisters Repentias are a Suicide Squad of ex-celestians seeking death and sacrifice in the name of the EmprAh! Oh, did I mention the extremely long battle sequences? I get this is based on a Wargame, but that does not excuse the tedium of pages and pages with descriptions of battles for the sake of it, what the Warhammer 40K fans call "bolter porn". I'm fond of the Sisters of Battle as a faction even if I'm not the strongest WH40K connoseur around (sorry, I'm totally in love with strong women), but I'd rather play Dawn of War Soulstorm than read this book again. Amateurish fan-fiction writing at its worst. I SINCERELY hope the rest of the Black Library output is not at this level, otherwise as a first time reader I am not impressed in the slightest.
November 20, 2017
Considering how much I like the Adepta Sororitas, I'm still a bit shocked how disappointed I was in this. The first short story didn't interest me at all. Things do pick up when Verity arrives, but while I like Miriya, the stories don't grab me as much as I was expecting.
The final short story is a good close. I've been bouncing between a 3.5 (so 4) or a 3, but I just can't make the leap.
I'd say pick up as a WH40k fan, but it's not going to be one of my go to re-read books.
The final short story is a good close. I've been bouncing between a 3.5 (so 4) or a 3, but I just can't make the leap.
I'd say pick up as a WH40k fan, but it's not going to be one of my go to re-read books.
September 10, 2019
This is a compilation of three books and 2 short stories. All are great! Warhammer really chooses authors who can describle battle like no other! My favorite thing about this book is that, though most of the major characters are female, you don't feel beaten over the head with feminism or "girl power." These are warriors tasked with near impossible missions. They're dedicated but flawed, and definitely bad ass.
May 27, 2020
The power of faith
I’ve always liked the Sisters of Battle more than the Space Marines, not because the Marines aren’t cool, but because the Sisters are at the end of things ‘mere’ mortal women. The power of their faith helps them hold their own and triumph well outside their weight class, and that has always been compelling to me.
The stories here exemplify that, and are simply good stories in their own right as well, with good action and better characters.
I’ve always liked the Sisters of Battle more than the Space Marines, not because the Marines aren’t cool, but because the Sisters are at the end of things ‘mere’ mortal women. The power of their faith helps them hold their own and triumph well outside their weight class, and that has always been compelling to me.
The stories here exemplify that, and are simply good stories in their own right as well, with good action and better characters.
March 9, 2023
three stories. unfortunately the longest one, Faith & Fire was the least to my taste. both the short, Red and Black and the other story Hammer & Anvil, were much more plesant. concerning faith and High technology. whereas Faith and fire was about chasing around a single psyker while he was smug about it. I wasn't drawn in so much as tolerating it. But the other two save it in my opinion.
September 22, 2018
I strongly encourage you to listen to this book as an audiobook, narrated by Lisa Bowerman. Expressive voice of a talented narrator, simple, but breathtaking plot, and ambient sounds will merge you with world of warhammer 40k.
August 1, 2021
Love the adepta sororitas.
April 10, 2025
Amazing
The story and development was great. Just wished some of short stories weren't so enticing, felt like a massive waste of potential storytelling.
The story and development was great. Just wished some of short stories weren't so enticing, felt like a massive waste of potential storytelling.
June 2, 2022
Very good, second book is dry but rewarding. Overall its a must read for Sisters of battle fans, and the characters are memorable.
August 1, 2018
The Sisters of Battle seem to be quite popular with the Warhammer 40k fandom, yet are ignored by Games Workshop to the extent that "sistered" is now a verb referring to an established character, faction, or concept getting shelved (see also: "squatted"). This omnibus consists of the only two novels ever written about the Sisters of Battle, plus two short stories, all from James Swallow. Not much, but I'm glad we at least have something. [UPDATE: Plastic sisters coming in 2019!]
Now Swallow is generally considered one of Black Library's mid-tier authors, so I had prepared myself for yet more bolter porn. This is one of my biggest irritations with 40k books: the preponderance of incredibly tedious action sequences that I usually end up skimming (poor Robbie MacNiven). Instead I was pleasantly surprised by four well-crafted tales of excitement and suspense. While Swallow lacks Dan Abnett's talent for atmosphere and world-building, Faith & Fire was one of the few 40k stories I've come across that actually depicts a fanatical theocracy rather than a more generic sci-fi dystopia. Interestingly, Swallow also writes for Star Trek and some its noblebright influence is felt even in the grimdarkest of settings. The Imperium of Man may be 1984 in space but there is still something special about humanity's spirit and tenacity that bewilders the Necrons and which the Mechanicus has sadly lost. The "first contact" plot so common in Trek but rare in 40k is reworked for the short story "Red & Black," which centers on a planet lost to the Imperium for the past two thousand years. That one really deserves full novel treatment.
In the end, the only criticism I have is the lack of female characters who aren't Sisters of Battle. There was a sense of the Sisters being "othered," especially as their gender is frequently and jarringly mentioned in the POV of the antagonistic male characters. I wonder if Swallow was trying to appease a male-dominated fanbase reluctant to read about women by pulling back where he could. According to his introduction, Black Library was initially concerned that a Sisters of Battle book would not sell for that reason, and he had to push for it. Yet both novels did very well, which - combined with GW's stated goal of attracting more women to 40k and equalizing the lore's gender imbalance - really makes me wonder why we haven't gotten more already.
Now Swallow is generally considered one of Black Library's mid-tier authors, so I had prepared myself for yet more bolter porn. This is one of my biggest irritations with 40k books: the preponderance of incredibly tedious action sequences that I usually end up skimming (poor Robbie MacNiven). Instead I was pleasantly surprised by four well-crafted tales of excitement and suspense. While Swallow lacks Dan Abnett's talent for atmosphere and world-building, Faith & Fire was one of the few 40k stories I've come across that actually depicts a fanatical theocracy rather than a more generic sci-fi dystopia. Interestingly, Swallow also writes for Star Trek and some its noblebright influence is felt even in the grimdarkest of settings. The Imperium of Man may be 1984 in space but there is still something special about humanity's spirit and tenacity that bewilders the Necrons and which the Mechanicus has sadly lost. The "first contact" plot so common in Trek but rare in 40k is reworked for the short story "Red & Black," which centers on a planet lost to the Imperium for the past two thousand years. That one really deserves full novel treatment.
In the end, the only criticism I have is the lack of female characters who aren't Sisters of Battle. There was a sense of the Sisters being "othered," especially as their gender is frequently and jarringly mentioned in the POV of the antagonistic male characters. I wonder if Swallow was trying to appease a male-dominated fanbase reluctant to read about women by pulling back where he could. According to his introduction, Black Library was initially concerned that a Sisters of Battle book would not sell for that reason, and he had to push for it. Yet both novels did very well, which - combined with GW's stated goal of attracting more women to 40k and equalizing the lore's gender imbalance - really makes me wonder why we haven't gotten more already.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews