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Warhammer 40,000
Crusade + Other Stories: Great Fiction from the Dark Imperium
Within this book you will find Crusade, a fantastic new novella by Andy Clark
Sons of the primarch Roboute Guilliman, the Primaris Ultramarines are peerless warriors whose sworn duty is to protect mankind from the predations of the xenos and the foul traitors of the Heretic Astartes. In a galaxy riven by eternal war, they and the other armies of the Imperium are all that stand between mankind and damnation.
Their ship damaged by warp storms, the Ultramarines of strike force Cassian make for Kalides Prime. They hope to find safe harbour to repair their craft before rejoining the Indomitus Crusade. Instead, the Primaris Space Marines discover a world reduced to rot and ruin by the plague-ridden warriors of the Death Guard.
Also within this book is a host of awesome short stories to give you a flavour of the many warring armies that exist within the worlds of Warhammer 40,000
The Lightning Tower by Dan Abnett
Yarrick: Sarcophagus by David Annandale
Extinction by Aaron Dembski-Bowden
A Sanctuary of Wyrms by Peter Fehervari
The Purity of Ignorance by John French
The Word of the Silent King by L.J. Goulding
The Lost King by Robbie MacNiven
Culling the Horde by Steve Parker
The Zheng Cipher by Josh Reynolds
Red & Black by James Swallow
Honour of the Third by Gav Thorpe
Howl of the Banshee by Gav Thorpe
Sons of the primarch Roboute Guilliman, the Primaris Ultramarines are peerless warriors whose sworn duty is to protect mankind from the predations of the xenos and the foul traitors of the Heretic Astartes. In a galaxy riven by eternal war, they and the other armies of the Imperium are all that stand between mankind and damnation.
Their ship damaged by warp storms, the Ultramarines of strike force Cassian make for Kalides Prime. They hope to find safe harbour to repair their craft before rejoining the Indomitus Crusade. Instead, the Primaris Space Marines discover a world reduced to rot and ruin by the plague-ridden warriors of the Death Guard.
Also within this book is a host of awesome short stories to give you a flavour of the many warring armies that exist within the worlds of Warhammer 40,000
The Lightning Tower by Dan Abnett
Yarrick: Sarcophagus by David Annandale
Extinction by Aaron Dembski-Bowden
A Sanctuary of Wyrms by Peter Fehervari
The Purity of Ignorance by John French
The Word of the Silent King by L.J. Goulding
The Lost King by Robbie MacNiven
Culling the Horde by Steve Parker
The Zheng Cipher by Josh Reynolds
Red & Black by James Swallow
Honour of the Third by Gav Thorpe
Howl of the Banshee by Gav Thorpe
453 pages, Paperback
First published October 21, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
May 31, 2020
Not sure what I was expecting, but I'm pretty sure this wasn't it. A messy collection of unrelated short stories whose only purpose is to introduce as many WH40k races as possible, with very little plot or character development. (Almost) every story is WH at it's worst - mindless manly soldiers shooting aliens while spouting nonsense.
This collection of stories is marketed as a "start here" entry for people that want to get into 40k, but if anything I think this does a better job of pushing people away from the universe. If you're new to WH40k and want to get started, you're better off going for the Horus Heresy series.
There *are* a couple of good stories in the book in which the action slows down a bit and you get to see more of the rich lore, which is why I went with two stars instead of one.
This collection of stories is marketed as a "start here" entry for people that want to get into 40k, but if anything I think this does a better job of pushing people away from the universe. If you're new to WH40k and want to get started, you're better off going for the Horus Heresy series.
There *are* a couple of good stories in the book in which the action slows down a bit and you get to see more of the rich lore, which is why I went with two stars instead of one.
April 29, 2020
Crusade and Other Stories is positioned as an introduction to Warhammer 40,000. It’s meant to have stories about the various factions and races that will get you interested and want to learn more. And all of that intent and positioning doesn’t mean much when you don’t have a context or a base understanding. I’m not saying that these short stories are bad (although some of them aren’t great), just that this isn’t a great starting point. And here’s why.
Firstly, there is context. As these are short stories, they can’t take the time to introduce all the characters and events that have led up to this moment. Instead, they often jump right into the action and hope you can keep up. Others that are less action-orientated and take a slower pace, are worse. At least for the action-packed stories, you can enjoy some fun battles but when it comes to those that explore a character or set up a future event, you are left with little context around who or what is happening. This means that it can be the best-told story in the world but as you don’t understand the implications it’s pointless. And unfortunately, this happens a lot in Crusade and Other Stories. If you have the context of what is happening to these characters, most of the time you are going to enjoy the story. You’ll at least get something out of it.
For the full review please visit Bits & Pieces - https://bitsandpieces.games/2020/07/2...
Firstly, there is context. As these are short stories, they can’t take the time to introduce all the characters and events that have led up to this moment. Instead, they often jump right into the action and hope you can keep up. Others that are less action-orientated and take a slower pace, are worse. At least for the action-packed stories, you can enjoy some fun battles but when it comes to those that explore a character or set up a future event, you are left with little context around who or what is happening. This means that it can be the best-told story in the world but as you don’t understand the implications it’s pointless. And unfortunately, this happens a lot in Crusade and Other Stories. If you have the context of what is happening to these characters, most of the time you are going to enjoy the story. You’ll at least get something out of it.
For the full review please visit Bits & Pieces - https://bitsandpieces.games/2020/07/2...
March 8, 2019
This book was ok and a good departure from the Horus Heresy series, but the short stories didn't flow well together and could have benefitted from a slight rearranging in their order.
January 27, 2018
What a gem of a book!
Crusade is a collection of fantastic short stories set within the Warhammer 40k (and two within 30k) universe. The collection of stories are engaging, interesting, and provide some good insight into the various groups that inhabit this particular canon. While this book is primarily aimed at beginnings to 40k lore, having background knowledge of the key players, events and places further enriches your experience. Crusade is the largest story of the collection and easily warrants the purchase of the book. Since finishing the book I have gone back and re-read a few of my favorites (a rarity for me). Quick, entertaining and good writing makes this a hit.
My favorites from this book:
Crusade by Andy Clark (excellent story of Death Guard vs Primaris Ultramarines)
The Lightning Tower by Dan Abnett (superb read set in 30k)
Extinction by Aaron Dembski-Bowden (dark, disturbing, and intriguing. also 30k)
The Zheng Cipher by Josh Reynolds (reignited my love of Adeptus Mechanicus)
The Lost King by Robbie MacNiven (excellent story telling through shifting perspectives)
Highly recommend.
Crusade is a collection of fantastic short stories set within the Warhammer 40k (and two within 30k) universe. The collection of stories are engaging, interesting, and provide some good insight into the various groups that inhabit this particular canon. While this book is primarily aimed at beginnings to 40k lore, having background knowledge of the key players, events and places further enriches your experience. Crusade is the largest story of the collection and easily warrants the purchase of the book. Since finishing the book I have gone back and re-read a few of my favorites (a rarity for me). Quick, entertaining and good writing makes this a hit.
My favorites from this book:
Crusade by Andy Clark (excellent story of Death Guard vs Primaris Ultramarines)
The Lightning Tower by Dan Abnett (superb read set in 30k)
Extinction by Aaron Dembski-Bowden (dark, disturbing, and intriguing. also 30k)
The Zheng Cipher by Josh Reynolds (reignited my love of Adeptus Mechanicus)
The Lost King by Robbie MacNiven (excellent story telling through shifting perspectives)
Highly recommend.
June 5, 2021
I agree with what most people have to say here. For me it was a great introduction into the written warhammer 40K universe, so if I would rate it just for me, it would be 4 stars. Yet, I also see some drawbacks. Let me list the positives and negatives:
+ Great collection of stories that depict a wide range of events with different races. I think there's something for everyone here, from straight up Space Marine vs Chaos battles, to an intriguing story involving the Tau.
+ Story length is long enough to get a decent climpse, but short enough so you will still give it a fair go, even if it isn't your favourite perspective.
- Without knowing the lore, you will be left in the dark for alot of the stories. The warhammer vocabulary is immense, and you will find a bare minimum of introduction into the universes background.
- I thought the level of English, for a non-native speaker, was quite difficult. I realized soon that this is just the way that these books are written, and I actually love it. However, I did get lost sometimes and think that will put off some potential readers. I would suggest to stick with it because if you find yourself enjoying these stories despite the thick web of lore and complicated terms, you will be greeted by an immense amount of GRIMDARK stories to delve into
+ Great collection of stories that depict a wide range of events with different races. I think there's something for everyone here, from straight up Space Marine vs Chaos battles, to an intriguing story involving the Tau.
+ Story length is long enough to get a decent climpse, but short enough so you will still give it a fair go, even if it isn't your favourite perspective.
- Without knowing the lore, you will be left in the dark for alot of the stories. The warhammer vocabulary is immense, and you will find a bare minimum of introduction into the universes background.
- I thought the level of English, for a non-native speaker, was quite difficult. I realized soon that this is just the way that these books are written, and I actually love it. However, I did get lost sometimes and think that will put off some potential readers. I would suggest to stick with it because if you find yourself enjoying these stories despite the thick web of lore and complicated terms, you will be greeted by an immense amount of GRIMDARK stories to delve into
April 9, 2019
Ok...yeah this was not as advertised. Or at the very least not at all clear as to what it meant in terms of "Introduction."
I was hoping this would be a good rundown of the EXTREMELY DENSE lore W40K has accumulated. And if you year the summary it says "introduction to the worlds of Warhammer."
Really, all this is is nothing more than a glorified catalog for the Black Library. For every actual short story, there's an opening paragraph to a book, or part one of a five part online exclusive story. Worse yet, for an "introduction" you are thrown in the middle of so much lore with little to no background you'll be stopping every other page to check the 40K wiki.
All that nonsense aside. Warhammer knows what it is, testosterone driving sci-fi pulp trash. And in that sense.it gives you exactly what you expect and nothing more. Some authors are better than others, but if you are looking to get anything out of this other than the manliest men who ever menned gunning down other manly men while screaming their undying devotion for the manliest men of all mandom, you will be sorely disappointed.
I was hoping this would be a good rundown of the EXTREMELY DENSE lore W40K has accumulated. And if you year the summary it says "introduction to the worlds of Warhammer."
Really, all this is is nothing more than a glorified catalog for the Black Library. For every actual short story, there's an opening paragraph to a book, or part one of a five part online exclusive story. Worse yet, for an "introduction" you are thrown in the middle of so much lore with little to no background you'll be stopping every other page to check the 40K wiki.
All that nonsense aside. Warhammer knows what it is, testosterone driving sci-fi pulp trash. And in that sense.it gives you exactly what you expect and nothing more. Some authors are better than others, but if you are looking to get anything out of this other than the manliest men who ever menned gunning down other manly men while screaming their undying devotion for the manliest men of all mandom, you will be sorely disappointed.
July 8, 2020
A solid anthology set in the war-torn 41st millennium. Pretty much every faction gets involved one way or the other in the stories it contains.
It starts with the title story which is pretty much the story of the Dark Imperium boxset that launched the 8th edition of the table top game as it sets Ultramarines against the Deathguard. A demi-company of Ultramarines finds itself split off from the rest of the Crusade fleet. Looking to find a place to make repairs before it can get back to the fleet it instead finds an Imperial planet under siege by the pox-ridden Death Guard.
Other highlights include Yarrick: Sarcophagus as the Old Man faces off against the Orks; A Sanctuary of Wyrms where we get to see the Water and Earth castes of the Tau take centre stage; Red & Black, Sisters of Battle reach out to a long lost human world.
Like every anthology not every story is going to be a winner for everyone, but as a starting place for people new to the worlds, you couldn't ask for a better mix.
It starts with the title story which is pretty much the story of the Dark Imperium boxset that launched the 8th edition of the table top game as it sets Ultramarines against the Deathguard. A demi-company of Ultramarines finds itself split off from the rest of the Crusade fleet. Looking to find a place to make repairs before it can get back to the fleet it instead finds an Imperial planet under siege by the pox-ridden Death Guard.
Other highlights include Yarrick: Sarcophagus as the Old Man faces off against the Orks; A Sanctuary of Wyrms where we get to see the Water and Earth castes of the Tau take centre stage; Red & Black, Sisters of Battle reach out to a long lost human world.
Like every anthology not every story is going to be a winner for everyone, but as a starting place for people new to the worlds, you couldn't ask for a better mix.
January 14, 2018
An excellent collection of stories that really helps to introduce the 40k universe, or if you’re a fan like me it is a broad collection that covers all bases. I do feel that the main novella ‘Crusade’ was a little lacklustre. I think the problem was it was trying to do too many things at once since we have the Primaris Space Marines and Deathguard with the Eldar popping up as well. But it is still a well written story that delves into the new 8th edition background. I was also a big fan of ‘The Word of The Silent King’ by LJ Goulding as it ties directly into the Shield of Baal story which is one of my favourites.
Overall I would definitely recommend this collection to anyone who is interested in warhammer 40,000 or a longtime fan looking for some stories. Plus it’s only £4.99!
Overall I would definitely recommend this collection to anyone who is interested in warhammer 40,000 or a longtime fan looking for some stories. Plus it’s only £4.99!
March 24, 2026
2/5 - Crusade, by Andy Clark
2/5 - The Lost King, by Robbie MacNiven
2/5 - Honour of the Third, by Gav Thorpe
3/5 - The Word of the Silent King, by L.J. Goulding
2/5 - Extinction, by Aaron Dembski-Bowden
2/5 - Sarcophagus, by David Annandale
3/5 - The Purity of Ignorance, by John French
2/5 - Red & Black, by James Swallow
2/5 - The Zheng Cipher, by Josh Reynolds
3/5 - A Sanctuary of Wyrms, by Peter Fehervari
3/5 - Howl of the Banshee, by Gav Thorpe
2/5 - Culling the Horde, by Steve Parker
3/5 - The Lightning Tower, by Dan Abnett
2/5 - The Lost King, by Robbie MacNiven
2/5 - Honour of the Third, by Gav Thorpe
3/5 - The Word of the Silent King, by L.J. Goulding
2/5 - Extinction, by Aaron Dembski-Bowden
2/5 - Sarcophagus, by David Annandale
3/5 - The Purity of Ignorance, by John French
2/5 - Red & Black, by James Swallow
2/5 - The Zheng Cipher, by Josh Reynolds
3/5 - A Sanctuary of Wyrms, by Peter Fehervari
3/5 - Howl of the Banshee, by Gav Thorpe
2/5 - Culling the Horde, by Steve Parker
3/5 - The Lightning Tower, by Dan Abnett
January 25, 2018
So this is my first Warhammer book and I can say I wasn’t disappointed. Rollicking military fantasy space opera is my best description for it. I did find it slow going at times as I stopped to clarify who was who, and why Chaos was invading. I loved that further into it we actually got a couple of stories with female characters, which had them battling the agents of foul misdeed. Some of the short stories were laden with lore that I found it heavy going, others were a delight to read as they were easier to understand from my novice perspective. An enjoyable collection.
May 1, 2020
The Black Library has been having a 99 pence sale on an audiobook since social isolation kicked in and this short story collection was one of the selections.
The titular novella is focused on the time period the books and game are currently and is a decent introduction to the Dark Imperium period. The book ends at the opposite end with a Horus Heresy tale. Interspersed in between are stories from almost every point in between. While some are better than others (a definite highlight is “Sanctuary of Wyrms”) but the net of this time skipping is disorienting and detracts from the overall experience. That said, most of the narrators are excellent.
The titular novella is focused on the time period the books and game are currently and is a decent introduction to the Dark Imperium period. The book ends at the opposite end with a Horus Heresy tale. Interspersed in between are stories from almost every point in between. While some are better than others (a definite highlight is “Sanctuary of Wyrms”) but the net of this time skipping is disorienting and detracts from the overall experience. That said, most of the narrators are excellent.
January 13, 2023
3.5 rounded down.
For the most part this was a great array of short stories but there were a few that definitely did not at all feel like good starting places.
Even after I've read about 12 of Warhammer books I was having to look up what was going on. The same stories feel a little incomplete as they set up a bunch of interesting scenarios and then end without resolving it.
That was definitely the minority as most of these stories are absolutely outstanding.
For the most part this was a great array of short stories but there were a few that definitely did not at all feel like good starting places.
Even after I've read about 12 of Warhammer books I was having to look up what was going on. The same stories feel a little incomplete as they set up a bunch of interesting scenarios and then end without resolving it.
That was definitely the minority as most of these stories are absolutely outstanding.
October 31, 2020
If claimed, definitely not an introductory anthology for 40k. Although a nice taste and atmospheric dip into several factions of the world, most are just okayish 3-star stories. Entertaining but kinda feel like detached snippets too short to leave an impression or too long and going nowhere. all that save the main story "Crusade" which is pretty great, and the Adeptus Sororitas story which is absolutely stellar. Thus 3.5-Stars.
August 22, 2018
A wide selection of short stories, some of which have been in other publications. Some, like the horus heresy/Dorn story at the end are kind of blah, but a few gems make it worth the read like 'Red and Black'. Good for a casual evening read.
February 27, 2019
Some stories were better than others. It was an odd collection of stories that seemed to be just thrown together without any real thought or theme. They didn't even take place around the same time, one was 10,000 years earlier than the rest and that was at the end of the book.
April 17, 2020
A fun selection of short stories from the world of Warhammer 40k... however it's not really an introduction. There is loads of assumed knowledge, minimal descriptions of the main protagonists and diving straight into some stories. Writing is 4*, but let down by the compilation.
November 3, 2020
Some ok short stories but mostly pretty boring or confusing. Havent really read much Black Library so was told to start here but this only confused me more. Will probably need a different starting point
September 5, 2018
A perfectly cromulent collection of short stories from Warhammer 40k.
January 31, 2019
Interesting assortment, almost all excellent. Particular shout out to David Annandale’s Sarcophagus, a perfect example of ‘less is more’.
September 12, 2019
The universe is cool. But I only really liked two of the short stories.
December 29, 2019
Crusade itself is very uninteresting, from the some I've read. Going to skip to the other stories and update this review later.
July 23, 2020
A fantastic collection of short stories in the Warhammer Universe.
August 13, 2020
Don't know much about this universe, but there was lots of interesting (and strange?) short stories!
September 15, 2020
Really good sampler of what the 40K universe has to offer. I am decently knowledgeable to the lore, but still found a lot of enjoyment out of it.
September 28, 2021
Probably really a 3.5 stars. Good stories abound. If you like reading about 40k you should enjoy this collection of short stories. Good stuff for the most part.
March 31, 2023
Some of these stories are a pretty solid intro to the Warhammer universe imo
July 31, 2023
BOOK GOOD
February 26, 2025
Une anthologie superbe pour découvrir l'univers de Warhammer 40,000.
August 17, 2025
I really enjoyed this book the mix of stories was a great introduction to the 40k world. Sometimes the change in author could be a bit jarring but i did not find it to bad.
November 20, 2018
On the whole, this was a pretty excellent collection of stories! Some were better than others, but the writing varied beyond the generic cult fanatic tone of voice that ‘Space Marines’ covered in its selection of stories. It’s encouraged me to look into branching out and finding some more 40k books to read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews