The Ashes of Prospero

Space Marine Conquests #2

by Gav Thorpe

A Space Marine Conquests novel

Concerned by his Chapter’s diminishing numbers, Logan Grimnar entrusts Njal Stormcaller to uncover the remedy of their plight – a remedy that may lie in the least likely of places, on the damned world of Prospero.

READ IT BECAUSE
Space Wolves and Thousand Sons are the most eternal of foes, and this novel keys into events from the Horus Heresy and the battering the sons of Fenris have taken in the 41st Millennium in interesting and exciting ways.

THE STORY
The grand halls of Fenris grow ever quieter following arduous campaigns. Concerned by his Chapter’s diminishing numbers, the Great Wolf Logan Grimnar entrusts Njal Stormcaller to uncover the remedy of their plight. When a 10,000-year-old enemy embeds itself in the Rune Priest’s mind, it claims the salvation he seeks lies where it all began. On Prospero. Alongside an eclectic company of injured Space Wolves, Thralls and a Trickster who is more hindrance than help, the Stormcaller sets forth. But it soon becomes apparent that greater mechanisms are at work. It is no longer only the Sons of Russ’ fate at stake, but the entire Imperium.

Genres: Science Fiction, 40k, Fiction, Audiobook, Novels, Fantasy

352 pages, Paperback

Published March 6, 2018

About the author

Gav spent 14 years as a developer for Games Workshop, and started writing novels and short stories in the worlds of Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000 when the Black Library imprint was launched in 1997.

He continues to write for Black Library, and his first 'homegrown' novel series The Crown of the Blood has been released via Angry Robot.

Currently living in Nottingham, Gav shares his home with his loving and very understanding partner - Kez, and their beautiful little boy - Sammy.

Reviews

[Sud666 · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I first started this book, I thought it would be an "ok" read. Far from it. The tale slowly picks up steam and the best part of the story really does happen in the final parts. But no spoilers.

Njal Stormcaller is the Space Wolves lead Runewright (librarian). One day he lets his defenses down and is possessed by a spirit. This spirit belongs to Izzakar, a sorcerer of the Thousand Sons who died during the Space Wolves assault on Prospero during the great Crusade's end and the start of the Heresy. Izzakar tells Njal that he can help the Space Wolves find their predecessors of the 13th grand Company. This leads to a mission to Prospero to find Bulvye and his host.

The best part is that Izzakar is one of the Thousand Sons BEFORE they fell to Chaos. There is a huge historical nugget thrown in when Bulvye comes to realize what caused the fall of Prospero. It was always assumed that the Emperor sent the Wolves to cleanse Prospero, but who REALLY gave the order? The answer will surprise you and answer a lot of the mystery behind why the Thousand Son's were sanctioned and eventually fell to Chaos.

That last part really makes the story. The characters are pretty awesome, even the Thousand Sons sorcerer, and it sheds light on just how much the Imperium has lost due to the events of the Heresy and the subsequent effect on the entire Imperium. A great book for any 40K fan.

[Dylan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was really fun. One of Gav Thorpe's better novels!

I really enjoyed the interplay between Njal Stormcaller and his "guest" over the course of the book, and then later, the dynamic between the modern Space Wolves, and those traped in time from the Horus Heresy era. The moment when a Heresy 1k Son and Space Wolf both realized they'd been played by Horus, and had no actual reason to be fighting, was a pretty great scene.

Best moment though, goes to Lukas the Trickster pulling one over on Magnus. That was hilarious and i enjoyed it a great deal.

This new series of modern 40k books, as the background gets pushed forward due to 8th edition, has been really fun. I'm enjoying these books quite a lot. I would have liked to see how the Primaris marines are integrating with the Space Wolves though, but that's only a minor issue.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm going to preface this by saying that I don't particularly like the Space Wolves. This is a culmination of reading various novels where the authors do a good job of showing both sides to the Space Wolves. They are honourable and heroic but they also ooze hubris and often have egotistical certainty in their actions.

I found this book difficult to review because there is a massive amount of things I liked and an equal amount of things I didn't like.

It''s set in the Dark Imperium era and the setting appears to follow on from the events in Warzone Fenris (which I haven't read).

I'll throw out the Black Library blurb as the amazon one contains different information and typos:

The grand halls of Fenris grow ever quieter following arduous campaigns. Concerned by his Chapter’s diminishing numbers, the Great Wolf Logan Grimnar entrusts Njal Stormcaller to uncover the remedy of their plight. When a 10,000-year-old enemy embeds itself in the Rune Priest’s mind, it claims the salvation he seeks lies where it all began. On Prospero. Alongside an eclectic company of injured Space Wolves, Thralls and a Trickster who is more hindrance than help, the Stormcaller sets forth. But it soon becomes apparent that greater mechanisms are at work. It is no longer only the Sons of Russ’ fate at stake, but the entire Imperium.

I felt that the tone was not quite what I was expecting, the writing was uneven and the pace was not quite right.

Let's start with the tone. The book has Lukas Trickster in it (I don't consider this a massive spoiler as is says as much in the the blurb). This sets the tone of the book. It's quite cartoon-like rather than, say, the Horus Heresy which feels grandiose with an undercurrent of being serious. There is nothing wrong with this, because 40k is often done this way (Think Space Wolf versus Wolf King), but I didn't particularly expect it or want it. It was insufficiently dark. Also, there were a couple of scenes that felt too staged - think the Crazy 88 scene from Kill Bill.

Next is the writing. When I say it's uneven, I might be using the wrong word. I liked a lot of the dialogue and some of the hints at more from the characters that didn't quite make it to the page. There were a couple of fighting scenes that I really enjoyed because they were focusses on the combatants rather than the fight as a whole. And, in case I forget to say it later, I enjoyed what I considered to be plot A which was the relationship between Njal and the '10,000-year-old enemy'. I was incredibly satisfied with how that ended.

There were two main issues I had. The first is that I found a lot of the combat scenes boring to the point I was practically skipping over them. I didn't care for the overall context of a lot of the fights. In defence of the action, it's standard fare for this sort of action in 40k. As mentioned above I engage a lot better when the action is the background to what the characters are doing rather than at the forefront. I also found a lot of the descriptive paragraphs said a lot more than I needed. For example, there is a scene where some of the characters go in a port tower and the inside is described in some detail and I was internally screaming for the story to move on. I just didn't care.

The second issue was how some of the characters behaved. Lukas just does not work for me - though I though his big scene was excellent. Also there were some early bits with Njal where he 'goes to mum and she says no, so he asks dad' and it felt like that rather than something else.

In terms of the pacing I felt the first 1/3 took too long to set the story up or that it lacked sufficient content to justify taking so long to set the story up. Once that was overcome it felt that the pacing really sped up and get into a groove. I'm surprised that the book is 350 pages as it felt like it was a lot shorter, hence I felt I was losing pages on not a lot happening.

In terms of plot, as I said above I was happy with the conclusion of the 'Njal and the Enemy' story. Some people might be disappointed if they wanted something bigger than the story from the story (e.g. a massive shift for the Space Wolves into the Dark Imperium) - though there is something of a smaller change to the universe by the end of the book. The big unknown threat hinted at in the blurb comes a bit too late to really have a punch. That didn't bother me too much but I think it was a misstep in placing it in the blurb.

Overall it fits well into the theme of Conquests (aka Space Marine Battles 2). It has some nice plot points and it has a LOT of action.

[RatGrrrl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read is as additional material after completing the Horus Heresy Omnibus Project Reading Order - Omnibus III The Burning of Prospero (https://www.heresyomnibus.com/omnibus...) as part of my Oath of Moment to complete the Horus Heresy saga and feeling a need to continue the Rout.

***

Initial Reaction:

I'm really unsure how I feel about this one too, but in a markedly different way to my ambivalence for Battle of the Fang.

I was absolutely in and totally appreciating the vibe, tone, details, characterisation that made the characters truly feel like the Vlka Fenryka in a way that so often don't. This isn't the Space Sword Danes and vaguely Norse themed Space Marines with viking aesthetics. The characters get time to actually breathe, have relationships with the space and scope to be evolving and nuanced.

But then, when we actually get to Prospero it feels like there is a combat quota that hadn't been satisfied yet, so there are two separate battle sequences that take up a lot of the middle of this book where I absolutely checked out. While Thorpe was really on the non-combat stuff for me in this, like, to an extent I was absolutely not expecting for the a Conquests of the Space Marines book, the Successor Chapter of Space Marine Battles, I found the action to be rather uninspired and it just couldn't hold my attention. Thorpe has written one of my favourite action sequences in the Horus Heresy and in Warhammer overall--Corax faking out his Sons and just single-handedly going hogwild on an Iron Warriors armoured column in the absolutely exquisite audio drama set in the wake of the Isstvan V Dropsite Massacre, Raven's Flight. It's a real shame because this was such an opportunity to go wild on the Tzeentch cultists and Daemons of it all, which there was some of, but nowhere near the amount of thought and fun as was applied to the Daemons and character interactions afterwards.

Now, I don't know how much me being in a not great headspace and possibly getting too excited about this last night, so coming into today with big expectations and head empty, save for dust, like a Rubric RatGrrrl. But I was ungripped.

But then! There were some really cool scenes, cameos, conversations, and situations to close the story that were really rather awesome, and I'm dire will be even more awesome when I eventually return to this when I have more brain.

I'm more of a toast and spread gal than big on sandwich filling, and the bread here was great, but there was a thick layer of war-salad in between this.

I continue to rail against ratings and really went back and fourth on this because my melty autistic brain gets locked into a thought spiral of what a 'high three' or a 'low four' looks like. I settled on four because the bits I enjoyed I absolutely loved and I thought at one point this would be getting full marks, but the kinda soupy battle stuff was tough and made me enjoy the wonderful things in the end a lot less as my brain was already filled with soup.

Ultimately this is a very cool idea and an interesting story that's both referencing and doing some big stuff and doing the bits most important to me that a lot of Black Library authors strihkke with really well, so yeah. More yappin' and less incessant slappin'.

[Jason Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Coming into Ashes of Prospero with only a passing knowledge of Space Wolf lore and the Horus Heresy, I expected to miss some of the deeper references.

That said, the book is a bit of a mixed bag. It works almost entirely because of the Njal Stormcaller arc. The tension between him and the Thousand Son spirit trapped inside him is easily the strongest part and is what carries this novel.

Beyond that, much of the supporting cast feels underdeveloped. Lukas the Trickster, in particular, comes across as a random inclusion and doesn't add anything substantial to the plot. It just feels like fan service for the sake of it. The pacing is also frustratingly uneven. Some sections drag on ponderously, while others rush past too quickly,

It is a decent read, but don't expect the supporting cast to pull their weight.

[Adrian Collins · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Wolves are returning to Prospero. If you’re a Warhammer 40,000 fan, and you know how epic that sentence is, then you’ll love this book. Gav Thorpe’s Ashes of Prospero is full to the brim with action and lore that fans can really get their canines in to.

Ashes of ProsperoIn Ashes of Prospero, The Space Wolves’ home world has barely survived an assault from the Thousand Sons traitor legion, and with the tribes they draw their initiates from hanging on by a thread after Magnus’ assault and the post-Chaos purges of the Grey Knights, and their Great Companies spread throughout the galaxy leaving few warriors at home, the Space Wolves are as close to breaking point as they’ve ever been.

Our main protagonist, Njal Stormcaller, a venerated rune priest (warrior wizard), lets his guard down for a heartbeat and a 10.000 year old splinter of the soul of a Thousand Son sorcerer buries itself within him, letting him know of an opportunity to find the legendary Bulveye and his Old Guard, the 13th company, lost for 10,000 years.

Arjac Rockfist, Champion of the Space Wolves, marches out to help a town beset by a vicious drake. It’s killed most of their people and left them in dire straights—and the slaughter shows no signs of stopping. It’s not the hardest thing he’ll need to accomplish as he is then asked to travel to Prospero with Njal to help him—and stop the rune priests from falling to Chaos is the need arises.

Lukas the Trickster doesn’t fit in with anyone, but he’s loved by the rebellious young Space Wolves. He wants acceptance, but rarely find it amongst his peers. He hopes that by joining the Stormcaller he can earn their respect (not that he’d ever let them know it).

As with many of the Black Library’s books, the authors know his primary audience of tabletop gamers and 40k obsessed readers well, and flips from close-in third person to more of a floating eye to make sure that even when the character is alone, the reader knows what armour and weapons they carry and that it aligns with the game miniatures.

To me, 30k and 40k books, when you’re many tens, probably hundreds in to the story, are all about the moments where you just want to punch the air because there is little other way to express the awesomeness. For this Space Wolves fan, it is, of course, the return of the 13th company. This booked skipped a ridiculous amount of other titles on my TBR simply because of the mere mention of the 13th, which of course potentially leads to to their missing primarch, Russ. I think if most people like me are honest, it’s stuff like this that keeps us coming back. Thorpe makes sure he hits these notes with a thunder hammer to keep you turning the pages.

Ashes of Prospero reads as a who’s who of 40k Space Wolves. Apart from some of the Great Company leaders like Ragnar Blackmane, there aren’t many characters from the tabletop setting that don’t show up. It feels like those scenes from The Fellowship of The Ring or The 13th Warrior where heroes and champions each stand up and offer their blade for an adventure. This is how I remember feeling reading the Space Wolf novels by William King and Lee Lightner, and that does not make me unhappy. However, if you haven’t read much Space Wolves lore, or you aren’t a already fan of 40k with the assumes embedded knowledge of the history and characters, then this book more tells you these people are awesome as opposed to showing you awesomeness, and so this is likely to fall a little flat.

The three main characters were interesting, with Njal feeling a little like a bumbling grandpa tripping through his mistakes and hoping it’ll work out at times, as opposed to the fearsome post-human he’s usually depicted as. Arjac and Lukas felt more on song for me, with Arjac being more aligned to your hulking viking champion character and Lukas very much the Loki of the group with his trickeries and also a well hidden desire to be a part of something.

The battles on Prospero are well depicted and full of action, and this book definitey sets up a couple of really key future storylines which I hope Black Library explore (preferably through Gav Thorpe, who I am a big fan of and we’ve been lucky enough to publish before). However the ending felt a little rushed, like there was little in the way of grand reflection of the saga created, or the momentous changes that two key happenings may have on not just the Wolves, but the imperium. I was left a bit unsatisfied by the ending, but can definitely appreciate the ride to get there.

Ashes of Prospero is a wonderful love letter to three decades of 40k and 30k Space Wolf players and readers. You can forgive the info dumps and the ending for that.

3.5/5

Originally published on Grimdark Magazine.

[Glyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really enjoyable book.

I am not a huge fan of the Space Wolves in Warhammer 40,000 My favourite faction are the Dark Angels who maintain a great rivalry with the Wolves. Having said that I really enjoyed the ret con from "Space Vikings" to "Deliberate playing at being barbarians" in "Prospero Burns and they have since become more interesting to me. Given that I was still astonished that I enjoyed this book quite so much.

Thorpe does something here that all too few GW authors achieve;- he makes character development more important than "Bolter Porn". Yes this book has plenty of fighting and a few scenes of awesome geek-dom but they are less important than the development of the story. That story is simply told. Still reeling from Magnus' invasion and the losses sustained in the whole return of the Wulfen story, Njal Stormcaller, the greatest Rune Priest in the Chapter starts having weird dreams, These dreams urge him to go to Prospero where the Chapter's salvation awaits. Prospero was the homeworld of the traitorous Thousand Son Legion that had been all but destroyed by the Space Wolves 10,000 years earlier, so both Njal and the other Chapter leaders are dubious of this idea. Nevertheless, he is given a rag -tag company of wounded veterans, thralls and untried troops, including the dubious help of Lukas the Trickster and an untried Navigator for his mission to locate the remains of the missing 13th Company. His guide in this mission is the spirit of a Thousand Son Sorcerer who wishes to return to his slain body. A fact he keeps from his companions

Thorpe's writing flows smoothly, the characterisation is interesting and in line with what fans would expect from these characters. The action is quite understated but effective and the whole story is a pleasure to read, even if you don't particularly enjoy the Wolves of Fenris

[Simon Foley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most likely for fans of Warhammer 40K only really...but there's a few of those...I enjoyed it, but found it inconsistent. Some of the storytelling felt a little laboured and flowing narrative gave way to overly verbose detail, but at other times the plot and characters were absorbing. Cant give it 5/5, as its probably more for fans of the subject matter, and not quite convinced its worth 4 for its own qualities. I would give 3.5 if I could. I enjoyed it but I'm a fan of the subject(s) anyway. Enjoyable.

[Christian · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Space Wolves are my favorite loyal chapter. I usually really enjoy reading about them. This book passed the time and I hope that it becomes part of a series that continuously updates the Vlka Fenryka in the recent lore. Herein, Njal Stormcaller leads a battle group of Space Wolves to rescue elements of the previously long lost 13th company. I just wished there was more Space Wolf fatalism, machismo and bolter porn.

[Brian Andrews · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was expecting this book to be a a space Wolf “all-stars” book so I wasn’t really surprised at the light characterisation of the stalwarts of the Space Wolf chapter of Space Marines. I was curious about the plot returning to the portal maze on Prospero as the author had previously written an audio drama for the Horus Heresy series about the 13th Chapter of Space Wolves and how they got lost hunting Magus and the Thousand Sons. What I didn’t expect was that this book was a sequel to that audio drama and resolved what I felt at the time was a bit of an unfinished story. For me I think that that the book was trying to cram in too many characters which may have been its intent but they could have left many of the characters back on Fenris and it would still have worked with Njal and Arjac as the main characters. I felt that Njal was a bit too uncertain as he often deferred to other characters of rank when he is one of the most important members of the chapter and should have had more gravitas. The only really bad bit for me was right at the end where Arjac asked Lukas where he had been and played out Sam and Gollums scene from the Lord of the Rings regarding sneaking about. I like Gav Thorpe’s work, especially for the Raven Guard in the Horus Heresy but this one feels like it needed a bit more attention to character and detail and a bit more of the grimdark of 40k. I would recommend it to someone who wanted an overview of the Space Wolves but Id make sure they don’t mind the “pulp” boys own adventure style.

[Kyle T · Rating 4 out of 5]

I try to write these reviews for someone who knows nothing about Warhammer 40,000 so don't worry if you're brand new! And nothing here will be a spoiler either. I only touch on things that happen at the beginning (or other events in vague, broad strokes).

Ashes of Prospero is about a psychic space marine (or psyker) who lets his guard down one day and has a psyker from the dark and sorcerous chaos space marine chapter of Thousand Sons invade his mind. He doesn't lose control of his body though, and simply has an uninvited guest loitering in his subconscious. He considers seeking help to expel this Thousand Son, named Izzakar, from his mind but Izzakar mentions that he knows how to help the Space Wolves rescue their lost 13th company of space marines. These marines were trapped in another dimension thousands of years ago and may or may not still be alive to this day. All he asks in return is to be returned to his dead body deep within this same alternate dimension. But can the Space Wolves trust a traitor? Can they even trust their own psyker, now that his mind has been compromised by the enemy?

Gav Thorpe does a good job crafting this story, and even delivers some big surprises for people who are familiar with the separate Horus Hersey series of novels. It gets a little tough to follow later in the novel, once the characters are thrust into this aforementioned alternate dimension, but it never gets so confusing that I wanted to stop reading. It can be hard to describe the indescribable, and Thorpe does his best. Considering this, it's a solid 4 out of 5!

[William Spencer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this read, though I've not followed Space Wolf stories before so might be missing some parts about characters.
What I like about this is the description of the Space Wolves being showing they are tribal and ritualistic but they are still a Space marine legion with all fancy technology that their home planet doesn't really have. The idea that they are also operating with less resources was also well done.
I liked the scene where the ship translated to warp space, it was a perspective I've not seen before.
Somethings I didn't like was the premise of the story, that Njal would just let a sorcerer into his head, I know he was tired but it just seems unlikely for an astartes to let that happen. Though the passenger is a good character and I liked the story those two had.
Lukas was pointless, did pretty much nothing all book and did not seem like an astartes at all, this is probably an established habit of the character and my lack of reading any of his stories before is a problem.
I also did not care for the navigator, I liked how she was inexperienced but her following them into battle was very pointless.
Action was good though, didn't stay around too long, descriptions of the "warp worlds" was maybe a little confusing but guess it's hard to describe stuff that doesn't follow natural laws.

[Michael Dodd · Rating 3 out of 5]

The second novel in the burgeoning Space Marine Conquests series, Gav Thorpe’s Ashes of Prospero sees the Space Wolves stretched thin in the wake of the Cicatrix Maledictum and Magnus’ assault on Fenris. When a weary Njal Stormcaller finds the spirit of a dead Thousand Sons sorcerer lodged within his mind, the revenant reveals that Bulveye and remnants of the 13th Grand Company still fight on, trapped within the Portal Maze. Though loathe to trust the ghostly presence, the prospect of retrieving Bulveye is enough for Njal to risk venturing to Prospero with what few battle brothers he can find.

There’s a good concept at the core of the book, tackling the Space Wolves and Thousand Sons’ relationship from a fresh perspective with Njal and Izzakar at the heart of it, but the pacing doesn’t quite work. The problem is that there are lots of cool ideas here, but they don’t quite get enough room to develop. There’s still lots of interest here, whether you’re after straight-up action or more thoughtful, character-based content, but it’s not quite as developed and sophisticated as much of Gav’s other recent work.

Read the full review at https://www.trackofwords.com/2018/02/...

[Simon Mee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better than I expected.

A ragtag team including Bjorn the Fell-Handed and adolescent navigator travel to an ancient ruin only to find their quest subsumed by a galactic level threat. In a shade over 300 pages they stop the threat, complete the quest, and find personal resolution.

Straight down the line but Thorpe pulls it off. The way forward is clear and characters get their chance and writing space to prove themselves worthy. It's satisfyingly tied up, and while that's the easier route, I like it here.  The story also contributes to the wider lore without being just a vehicle for it.

It's not top tier. The rag tag element gets mumbled a couple of times but otherwise forgotten to push things to the end - it's just a label that doesn't overly reflect the group's limitations. There are also a couple of short stories bolted on - I'm on the fence as to whether they detract or enhance the story but they aren't perfectly integrated. Finally, the dialogue and battle descriptions are fine but I wrote no quotes down, suggesting it didn't get above that.

Still, a pleasant surprise.

[Tomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is overall pretty interesting and awesome to read through, especially the last quarter when big fights start happening, but the initial start-off of the adventure could have been done better. I thoroughly enjoyed the entire finale but Njal Stormcaller unfortunately comes off as a pretty big screwup in the opening act and I would have liked it better if the triggering incident to put everything in motion was better done. Overall though that's the only big quibble I have here. Everything else about the book is well done and interesting, gives us background on the setting that we didn't know yet, and lets us enjoy a rollicking adventure that generally gets better as we go along from its rough start. As a fan and player of the Space Wolves it makes me happy to watch some of my favorite characters be represented in a quality adventure.

[Luis Cornejo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly a Space Wolves allstars novel! I won't ruin the surprises for you, but I love the novel. Some readers criticize this novel for a lack of more consequential or significant addition to the WH40k universe. But this story is just that a story. There is no ultimate victory, but we see a slice of what happens among the great companies, and learn about primarchs, rivalries, and the inner working of an adeptus Astartes chapter, and even set up future events and elaborate on potential lore related questions. Few books do this at all, let alone this well.

[Ivan Milanov · Rating 5 out of 5]

The suspense, the marvel, a brotherly meeting after centuries untold... the truth revealed. A saga worthy of the Wolf King himself.

A truly remarkable read, revealing events that unfold some time after Magnus’ incursion on Fenris, thus progressing the story of the Warhammer 40K universe into a new, even darker arc, providing a glimpse into the possible future and unveiling parts of the dark past. Simply glorious.

For Russ and the Allfather!!!

[Richie Howle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Space Marine vikings sounds good on paper and the lore IS cool but this story was a little too loose for me. I enjoyed some interactions but the combat I found to be complicated and hard to picture due in large part to the places in which the battles take place. The setting, the characters and the revelations were all good but overall I found that I enjoyed it being over. 3.5 stars probably but not 4.

[adam Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well paced story

I enjoyed this book despite disliking the wolf boys and the thousand suns which says alot for the author and the way he carried the story forward actually had me rooting for both sets of idiots in the end, and ending I might add seemed extremely rushed but still happy I read this instalment

[Matt Buck · Rating 3 out of 5]

What if there was a good space Egyptian

I'm a sucker for a Thousand Sons redemption novel, and this delivers nicely on that for a while but gets bogged down with random characters who seem to have very little to do with the story (looking at you Lukas). It's fine, but I find the Space Wolves to be tiresome protagonists.

[Nik · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I ended up skimming an awful lot of this book, there's so much "Look, here by space Vikings" that it got painful. Storyline is okay, though I'm not entirely convinced of what happened perfectly in the end.

[Ellen Schoener · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining bolter-porn.
I was quite positively surprised about how well the characters are written.
Bonus points for including Bjorn, who is one of my favorite 40k characters.
Just do not expect anything revelatory or new- this is a story about Space Wolves fighting Thousand Sons after all.

[Aleksejs Miščuks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second book i've read in Dark Imperium story arc and this one is vastly better then the first one. And the first one had Bobby G. And i play the Ultramarines on tabletop. You do the math :)

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant.

[Станислав · Rating 2 out of 5]

В Волке поселяется Тысячник-Колдун, пол Книги они собираются лететь на Просперо, пол книги ходят по Просперо и рубят невнятных культистов и демонов. Ключевое слово : прах. Ничего интересного.

[Matt TB · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the actual narrative story and implications but I’m a little biased in Space Wolf lore as I find them awfully written without exception and this was no different for me.

[Lenny · Rating 2 out of 5]

From the initial passages this book seems to have everything I would enjoy in a 40k title. A good set-up for a space wolfs adventure, the struggle between the clashing personalities of Njal and Izzakar and the talent for describing enigmatic locations from Gav Thorpe (as the Rise of the Ynnari Series clearly shows). However where as the descriptive style of Gav works well for the eldar it doesn't quite work for me with the space wolfs. It also suffers from both character bloat and irrelevant sub plots. Even though I liked the Navigator parts inside the Longclaw why take her along through the entire maze, effectively trapping the rear line on Prospero if something went wrong. As for the Lucas the Trickster subplot, I enjoyed it on its own but it doesn't quite fit in the main story. It just seems to be there to show of Magnus in the end. In the end however it does give some interesting lore insides and I'm glad to have finished it. The ending is very satisfying.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another incredible story with the Space Wolves and ties into the long misdirected feud between them and the Thousand Sons. In a simple twist over 10,000 years earlier a legion was nearly wiped out in rage and righteous fury but it was all done on a lie by the then newly crowned Warmaster Horus. Now the Wolves are stretched to the breaking point as the Great Rift comes into existence and they are attached by their long hated enemy-brothers on their very own homeworld of Fenris. They fought demonic forces back but that was only the beginning. A Rune Priest picks up a passenger and must travel back to Prospero to free himself of the ghost of a Thousand Sons warrior. Not just to free himself of the intruder but also to find more of the lost 13th Legion warriors. Warriors of a bygone age but in a time where every Space Marine is needed, these legendary veterans would be even more valuable. It is an intense thrill ride from beginning to end and continues the ever building sequence of events in the Dark Mellinium.

[Ashwin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Big premise, no payoff.