Trial by Blood

Warhammer 40,000

by Andy Smillie

Gabriel Seth is on trial for his life, and for the very existence of his Chapter. The Flesh Tearers, scions of Sanguinius and cousins to the noble Blood Angels, stand accused of deviancy and brutality beyond that which can be tolerated. As Seth recounts his history of defending the Imperium, his judges - the Masters of other Blood Angels Successor Chapters - must decide the fate of the Flesh Tearers.

Read it because
This tale explores the dark nature of the Flesh Tearers, the most brutal descendants of the Primarch Sanguinius. See the harsh choices that have lead to this Chapter being seen as little better than traitors by their loyal brothers, and the lengths to which Chapter Master Gabriel Seth has gone to to battle both the enemies of man, and the rage that haunts his bloodline.

Genres: 40k, Science Fiction, Fiction, Anthologies

170 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 1, 2014

Reviews

[Luke Courtney]

This book was something I've been meaning to read for ages; now I have, I only wish I'd picked it up sooner! Having more or less become a complete devotee of the Dark Gods since the return of Guilliman and his test-tube mutants and my general distaste for the Imperium of Man, there are only a handful of Loyalist Chapters I really bother with; the White Scars, the Black Templars, the Angels Encarmine, the Black Dragons, the Templars of Steel, the Deathwatch...with this book, I can now add the Flesh Tearers to that list: a band of blood-frenzied berserkers whose aid is more often scorned than welcomed, regarded as on the verge of becoming as dangerous as the enemies of the Imperium they are sworn to fight, Trial of Blood is a collection of short stories involving the Flesh Tearers fighting for their right to live and their Chapter Master, the mighty (and darkly entertaining) Gabriel Seth determined to ensure that if his Chapter is doomed to fall into darkness, then the Space Marines of the Flesh Tearers Chapter will be remembered as heroes, not monsters...a thoroughly enjoyable read that I wish I'd picked up sooner, packed with good action sequences, the kind of epic battles you can always rely on being enjoyable in 40K, and some more thoughtful pieces that show while the Flesh Tearers are defenders of humanity and despite the claims of their detractors, they haven't forgotten that, they're not above some darker actions to protect their secrets...really enjoyed this book; kind of feel inspired to paint up some Flesh Tearers now!

[Jason Spencer]

The Flesh Tearers are given their chance to shine in Andy Smillie's 'Trial by Blood' and, for the most part, tell a good story. A series of short stories stitched together by a consistent thread, these stories explain what it means to be a Flesh Tearer and how Seth's rule influences them. For the most part, these stories are well-told and well-written, however some of the stories feature a large amount of descriptive writing that struggles to push the story forward.

When reading this, I didn't expect much and now I have finished it, I am happy with what I have read. A perfectly good story for fans of the setting and chapter, but otherwise not something I would recommend to new readers.

[Karl Forshaw]

This is a collection of exceptionally well written stories that deal with the duality of being a Flesh Tearer. Having not read anything by Andy Smillie before, I came into it with no expectations, and happily found myself locked in shortly after. Smillie's prose is beautiful, his descriptive ability is a marvel, and the arrangement of the short stories presented is creative and refreshing.
This is one of the strongest Black Library collections I have read yet. Five stars.

[Adam Sinclair]

Not a bad book by any stretch but ultimately its a collection of short stories interspersed between short chapters describing the trial of Gabriel Seth and his stewardship of the Flesh Tearers Chapter.

It's a nice short read but nothing unforgettable.

[Adam]

Excellent collection of stories. some really great ones in there. like how they are broken up with the trial interludes.

[Lori]

The Flesh Tearers need to be taken out back and put out of their misery like the rabid dogs they are.

[Steve]

Nice anthology, no repeats from other anthologies.

[Ulzeta]

Quite fun.

[Charles]

The most plot so far in a Blood Angels novel, but still pretty light. If you love the chapter this will be good, but if not it's probably not worth engaging.

[Bill Imber]

AN okay book, more a collection of short stories, some better than others but seems quite rushed.

[Paulo "paper books only"]

Review to come.

I really thing Andy Smillie really know how to portray Flesh Tearers. This is a combination of short stories (and one novella) linked with a trial of the Flesh Tearers by his fellow baal brother in arms.

[Griffin]

Great collection as a Flesh Tearer fan, Andy Smillie always writes them well and I loved the format of spacing his collection of short stories with interludes to the trial of Gabriel Seth to stand for his Chapter’s actions.

[Hakan]

Interesting collection of short stories about the Flesh Tearers chapter, but too much gore porn and too little background fluff for my taste.