Maledictions

Warhammer Horror #Anthology

by Joshua Reynolds (Contributor), David Annandale (Contributor), Cassandra Khaw (Contributor)

A eclectic collection of gut wrenching tales to spook and scare.

Horror is no stranger to the worlds of Warhammer. Its very fabric is infested with the arcane, the strange and the downright terrifying. From the cold, vastness of the 41st millenium to the creeping evil at large in the Mortal Realms, this anthology of short stories explores the sinister side of Warhammer in a way it never has been before. Psychological torment, visceral horrors, harrowing tales of the supernatural and the nightmares buried within, this collection brings together some of the best horror writing from the Black Library.

Featuring stories from Graham McNeill, Cassandra Khaw, Alec Worley, David Annandale and more. 

Genres: Horror, Fantasy, 40k, Science Fiction, Anthologies, Short Stories, Horror Thriller

352 pages, Paperback

First published March 30, 2019

About the author

Josh Reynolds’ work has previously appeared in such anthologies as Historical Lovecraft from Innsmouth Free Press and Horror for the Holidays from Miskatonic River Press, and his novel, Knight of the Blazing Sun, is currently available from Black Library. He can be found at: http://joshuamreynolds.wordpress.com

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.

Reviews

[Daniel Summerbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having struggled to get into some of the Black Library books that are suggested as good introductions to the genre, I found this book far more engaging and accessible. Perhaps because it doesn't try to introduce the universe(s) in which the stories are set - instead it references them without relying on them too heavily.

A week or two after reading a few of the stories stick in the mind: the haunting Widow Tide and tragic Crimson Snow bring to life aspects of the budding Age of Sigmar universe that had not gripped me before. The Marauder Lives turns trauma into horror in a way that will have you questioning your own sanity by the end. And, while I enjoyed some of the stories more than others, there were none that let the collection down.

Thoroughly enjoyable, and a good side-door to the Black Library universe.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a really good collection of horror stories. There are 11 stories in total.

Unfortunately, there were some stories that I just couldn't connect to. Some were very scifi and fantasy based, which if that's your kind of thing I think you will really but I prefer my classic horror

My favourite story was the widow tide.

Some of these stories relate to the Warmharmer 40,000 universe, which I haven't read so some elements of the story were lost on me. However, there was still enough horror to see me through.

These stories aren't necessarily classic horror, with lots of gore but if you've worked your way through the genre and are looking for something different, that's fresh and unique, I think this collection of short stories will be for you

[Brian Stabler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual rating - 3.5/5

[Tyson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good collection of short stories set in both the 40k universe and the fantasy/AoS settings. Loved the variety of writers on this, great sampling of work here! Several stories felt a bit "rushed" to wrap up and could've done well with a few extra pages each, but given it is a Short story book, hard to fault them for that.

Nepenthe - 2/5
The Widow Tide - 3/5
No Good Deeds - 3.5/5
Crimson Snow - 3.5/5
Last of the Blood - 5/5
Predation of the Eagle - 5/5
The Last Ascension of Dominic Seroff - 5/5
Triggers - 3/5
A Darksome Place - 2/5
The Marauder Lives - 5/5
The Nothings - 4/5

Overall a solid mix of stories giving a good feel for the different worlds of the 40k/AoS universe(s).

[Herb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some are rather good. Some are truly one of the stories ever written.

[Callum Shephard · Rating 3 out of 5]

It has been a point on this website for years that I will not review collection books. Short stories are essential to Warhammer 40,000 and Age of Sigmar, and I have tried to point out a fair few of the great ones in the past. However, when it came to these, I just ended up avoiding them. Part of it was due to sheer laziness, as there were often a dozen titles to cover rather than just one. Part of it was, however, also due to a concern that I wouldn't give the book a proper treatment. Unless they each had a good thousand to two thousand words, it felt as if I was doing it wrong. In addition to that, it's easier to pick apart minor flaws in a short tale than in a full novel.

So, this is an experiment to change that. This format will be a series of micro-reviews, largely offering very general ideas and a basic listing of its positives, negatives and the like. These will also be very spoiler free, so this won't be diving too deep into story synopsis or details within the narrative. Some of these do rely upon people going in cold for effective twists, and it would be wrong to ruin that quality.

So, let's get on with this one and start breaking them down one by one.


Nepenthe by Cassandra Khaw

The story follows an Adeptus Mechanics explorator group hunting a space hulk to grab the goodies inside. They soon realise that they have bitten off far more than they can chew and things start going wrong.

This was a pretty damn great one and an excellent opener to Warhammer Horror as a whole. It offers the sorts of terror and tension based drama that is often all too easily forgotten in some stories, and balances it with a sense of dread. While there is a good deal of action at the midway mark, it serves largely to help speed the story along and promote conflict among the protagonists. What's more, while this is admittedly delving a little closer to Aliens territory than some might like, it takes such a dramatic twist that it overcomes this fact.

The main limitation within this tale stems from the main characters, as most are either unlikable or serve to drive the story along. Until a very strong ending, I personally felt that their best quality stemmed from character chemistry than how well they stood out on their own. Furthermore, it did dabble in a few Mechanicus and technology tropes which have become irksome over the years. So, if you're not a fan of the constant "Mechanicus have no idea what they are doing, they just happen to press the right button while praying to people" this might cut a little close to your pet peeves.

Still, out of all the stories here, this is one of the two that I would show to anyone wanting to see the possibilities this range offers.

Verdict: 8.5 out of 10


The Widow Tide by Richard Strachan

Katalina, a woman making a life for herself on a small fishing village and haunted by the loss of her husband at sea, finds a wounded stranger on the shore. She soon finds that the greatest act of kindness can be rewarded by the worst act of betrayal.

While there's a good deal of predictability which can be forgiven in horror stories, this one missed its mark by a bit. If you even know the basics of the major races within the setting and their lifestyles, you know exactly how this is going to end. Sadly for the first Age of Sigmar tale, what we get is less horror and more a tragedy which would fit into most complications of short stories than a horror dedicated one.

While it certainly has a few promising elements in showing life among the realms and helps with world building, it simply doesn't have enough scares. It's all hinging on one big ending twist, but you know exactly how this will go down. It's also not helped by the fact that outside of Katalina herself, most of the characters are easily forgettable.

On a more positive note, I will say that Strachan's writing style does partially save the story. His poetic descriptions, the emotion he crafts into the narrative and the vividness of his scenes are simply brilliant. Writing short tales such as this can often be a challenge in more mundane environments, but his ability to bring them to life shows serious skill on his part.

Overall, the story is worth reading once or twice, but it's not that great. However, I would definitely keep an eye open for this writer's other works.


Verdict: 4.0 out of 10


No Good Deed by Graham McNeill

In the lower reaches of a hive city, the young boy Cor manages to help drag a stranger free from certain death. Wounded and with no memory of his past life, he sets to work helping Cor's people survive a blight which has beset them. Unfortunately, none of them see the looming horror which follows in this man's wake until it is too late.

In contrast to the previous tale, No Good Deed serves as a perfect example of how predictability does not wholly undermine a story. In this case, you know things are going to be bad and who is the cause. However, even after counting that factor, it not only still offers a shocking swerve but has such a sense of quiet dread and human horror that it works brilliantly. Also, yes, your first guess as to who this man is will be wrong, trust me.

The environment of the hive city itself serves to show just how downtrodden and terrible life is for humans there. There is little joy, love or hope, and an ongoing sickness is only making life worse. It creates a sense of just how bad things are, which makes a later twist of the knife all the worse. Cor, his friends, the Sister who handles the local hospital and Oskyr, the man he rescues, all have very distinct personalities. Even when they have very short appearances, but McNeill's writing gives the moments to make seem like people in a much wider world. Combined with some of the conversations they have, it makes for a real gut punch when things go wrong.

If there is one major criticism to level against the story, it's that the horror part is once again reserved primarily for the ending. What's more, the story does dabble a little too deeply into old cliches when it comes to the nature of its horror. Both are somewhat justified with the direction. However, this could be a serious irritation if you're an hold hand when it comes to the genre.


Verdict: 7.0 out of 10


Crimson Snow by Lora Gray

A Sylvaneth Wargrove wages a war for survival in a frozen forgotten part of the realms. Beset by Chaos on all sides, their constant fighting against the enemy without leaves their numbers dwindling by the day. Unfortunately, few are ready to face the enemy within their ranks.

This is a rather difficult story to judge, as it seems to get one thing wrong for every two right. Plus, even with some of those successes, there is a "but" attached to the odd one or two of them. As the story follows the less human-like members of the Sylvaneth race, this was brimming with opportunities for stories, and Gray took full advantage of that fact. The Wargrove itself has many nonhuman details and inflections which helps both its protagonist, Kalyth, and other members stand out from their more typical counterparts. What's more, it offered an interesting example of how Chaos would react to such a species if it was bent upon fighting them.

However, the story's direction was somewhat muddled overall. It tried to juggle too many events at once and offered up an overly long timeframe for the story. Gray seems to work best when she is working with the mental state of her characters, and the story is easily at its strongest when it is delving into Kalyth's predicament. As such, the horror we get is good at those points, but it feels like a story with extraneous parts. Combined with a mixed ending and a few unclear details (which sadly clashes with the intentionally unclear ones) and it ends up as a middling story.

Overall, it's a solid one-and-done read, but it's probably going to be the one you'll only look at once or twice in this collection.


Verdict: 5.0 out of 10


Last of the Blood by CL Werner

Now, this was a difficult one to judge. CL Werner is one of those authors how is always willing to throw everything out of the window when it comes to setting conventions, for better or worse. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't, but this proved to be a bizarre turn which was nevertheless engaging.

A new suitor is brought to wed the daughter of a family, only to unwittingly stumble upon his own doom. The family is cursed, and the patriarch seeks a means to finally break it once and for all. Yet he will stop at nothing in order to achieve that very goal.

The big surprise which will stem from this one is its influence. Warhammer in every setting has always been western inspired, but this one goes full Japanese in every detail. It's a welcome surprise, but it might seem so distances from the rest of Age of Sigmar that it cane seem like it's a part of its own mythology. What's more, is that it's very "traditional" in a Hammer Horror sense, meaning your enjoyment of the tale will hinge heavily on that point. If you're not a fan of complex plots, skullduggery, and bizarre conventions when it comes to cultural standings, this can easily fray the nerves.

Another problem lies in one simple fact - It's certainly horror, but it's not exactly scary. The moments of tension, violence and plotting all work, but there's little here which makes it seem as if it fully fits into the horror label for this setting. It's not bad at all, and the entertainment factor helps to justify future re-reads, but it's difficult to shake the question of just why it's in here.


Verdict: 5.6 out of 10


Predation of the Eagle by Peter McClean

This is easily a personal favourite of the bunch, and it's probably the strongest story in this lot for justifying the Horror label. While it doesn't delve too deep into Chaos or the trippier angles of the setting, there's a sense raw dread and terror that benefits the story.

The world of Vardan IV is a death sentence to all Imperial Guard troops stationed there. As the Imperium tries to win the war by sending more meat into the grinder, their war against the Orks is ground to a bloody stalemate. Among the jungles only the strongest survive. Yet as men and women start to die mysterious deaths, some suspect a new faction has joined the war. The truth is far worse than anyone could imagine.

While comparisons to 'Nam of 67 are easy to make, the tale uses the guerilla war in the jungle angle as a starting point. It serves to both reinforce certain mentalities while completely rejecting other predictions, which makes its second half all the more effective. Equally, it uses a variety of storytelling devices to quickly evoke a real sense of horror at the body count, even if they are often people who didn't even get a line.

The big complaint here is that this deserved more. You get to know a few core characters, and even the fodder rapidly bumped off stick in your mind due to the use of nicknames. However, what could have elevated an excellent story further would have been another fifty to a hundred pages to further flesh out the characters. Really though, what we get is nevertheless a brilliant short tale.


Verdict: 9 out of 10


The Last Ascension of Dominic Seroff by David Annandale

Following one of the minor characters from Annandale's Yarrick series, the story follows Seroff and his partners in crime as they are left facing a plague unlike any other. Unfortunately, neither fully realise just who and what is out to unleash this creation in the name of revenge.

While Annandale is an obvious choice for a horror writer in the Warhammer setting, this one proved to be a very odd story overall. Like a few other examples here, it never really managed to get across the horror angle properly. The subject matter, the ideas and vivid descriptions all work in its favour. However, it never really pushed far enough to feel as if it was taking full advantage of this new brand. Plus, it's difficult at the best of times to write up a story as a spin-off with another character at the helm or tying into broader works. This one felt as if it relied far, far too heavily on knowledge of the Yarrick books to get you invested.

The actual closing scenes and a few of the more terrifying moments of the plague taking effect really play towards Annandale's strengths. These points show why he is a great author in his own right, but there's just not enough of it here to really work. As a result, it's a story which is relatively forgettable overall.


Verdict: 4.0 out of 10


Triggers by Paul Kane

Tobias Grail is a wealthy man. Living in a life of opulence, his successes have afforded him a level of luxury that few people will ever see in their lives. Defended by his elite bodyguard Russart, he seems set in life. Yet constant dreams of doom and loss haunt his every night, and they seem to be slowly slipping into reality.

Dreams make up a major part of this tale, and this is very much a downfall story above all else. We see someone gradually slipping into growing insanity thanks to events surrounding their lives, and how they are gripped by paranoia because of them. This becomes the crucial horror factor within the tale, as you know something bad is coming, but just what it is remains in question. Combined with Grail's madness growing to dominate the prose, it makes for a brilliantly terrifying tale.

The main flaws here stem from how directionless the story becomes despite an obvious avenue to follow. Grail seems to have no real journey to follow or more method to his actions other than waiting for his end, and outside of the ending there isn't much to help better build upon this in some way. I certainly like the story, but it almost reads like something where the ending was decided first and the rest was built up later on.

Overall, it's a good one in its general execution. A quite unconventional take on these sorts of stories, but helps to show the sort of horror that haunts every part of this setting. Namely in how its tendrils latch onto any mind too weak to resist them.


Verdict: 6.0 out of 10


A Darksome Place by Josh Reynolds

Now, this is what we needed more of. The story is almost mundane in following the lives of people in the Age of Sigmar setting. They're everymen in some regards, rather than golden armoured sentinels or warlords, and they aren't even fighting a massed horde of Chaos followers. However, instead, it helps to show the high horror which accompanies the best kind of high fantasy settings.

The story rapidly drifts back and forth between lucid reality, the thoughts of beings about them and the minds of the mortal workers. You see each contrasting and conflicting against one another, to the point of seeming totally detached. Yet like in the best cases of this, you realise just what it was outlining at the very end, and how it works with the wider message of the narrative.

Another factor is that the story contrasts the epic fantasy elements with more mundane tasks. This might sound bizarre, and in some cases it does seem like something better suited to a Discworld book. However, it expresses the sheer danger and highlights how the fantastical so often intrudes upon the more basic parts of character lives, even in this setting.

If there is a major criticism to level at the story, it's that everyone outside of the main character, Tooms, is fairly superfluous. We learn little about them, and for the most part, Tooms himself is the only person with any significant depth to him beyond a basic archetype. Still, overall, it's a very engaging entry in the collection.


Verdict: 8.0 out of 10


The Marauder Lives by J C Stearns

The story here follows a former Dark Eldar captive, Sister Monika, held for years on a corsair raiding ship to be abused at every turn. Having finally made her way off of the vessel, she remains haunted by the experience. Yet the lord of this raiding kabal, the mysterious Marauder, rarely allows his prey to slip through his fingers. The question now remains if Monicka's fear of his return was justified or not.

Much like the previous story, this one uses a contrasting narrative to great effect. As Monicka's very psyche begins to disintegrate, you see more and more of how terror grips her. Worse still, is how it always leaves enough hints that her paranoia might be right. It's vague to be sure and you can see that she is certainly hallucinating at key moments, but nevertheless, there's a great deal left in question.

Another detail which works to the story's benefit is how it continually shows how close Monicka previously was to freedom in her time with the Marauder. You can see very easily how she reached this state, and just how even the more controlled torture inflicted by the Dark Eldar can wear down even the strongest person.

Overall, another great tale and a fantastic example of how deep psychological scars can run. It's a great example of how even the "victors" in such situations can still be left as little more than damaged survivors due to their experiences.


Verdict: 7.5 out of 10


The Nothings by Alex Worley

The world is small for Cade and Abi. Isolated within their small vale and with only a relative few huts to contain the small populace, it is as far from civilization as it is possible to be. Yet each of the youths question what lies beyond their small realm, and what the standing stones on each corner are keeping at bay.

Unfortunately, this one can barely be explored at all without ruining it. Honestly, the best you can know is this: It delves deep into a major question that people have asked for a long time, and uses both hope and curiosity as a means to explore horror. You can easily see how this would be an optimistic tale in any other setting, but the fact that this is M42 only shows how twisted the galaxy truly is.

The use of vague meanings, a lack of identifiable names and even familiar imagery all combine to make the world feel extremely alien. Because of this, it is far more unsettling to the most devoted Warhammer lore fanatic than many other examples in this list.

Really, this was an excellent closing tale overall, and a great way to explore a much discussed but rarely examined aspect of the setting.


Verdict: 7.0 out of 10


Final Verdict:

Overall, this was a good mix of stories for a first attempt. While most show definite flaws, they nevertheless express a great deal of promise when it comes to future books. If you're at all interested in tales which focus less on action than brief but focused character examinations with brutal endings, definitely take a look at this one.

[William Chang · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although these stories are classified as Warhammer Horror, I didn't find them any more terrifying or horrific than the standard Warhammer 40k books I've read so far. It's not necessarily a complaint, but more of an observation of the typical grim, dark nature of these books. Of the 11 stories in this book, 7 are based in the 40k universe, 3 are from Age of Sigmar, and 1 is a Japanese-themed story that seems to be misplaced 🤨. I read this as a short detour to learn more about the 40k universe after reading Eisenhorn/Ravenor and Cadia Stands. This anthology does well in sprinkling references and lore that a well-read 40k enthusiast would appreciate, while still being accessible to the uninitiated. Overall, this was a fun, interesting, and informative read.

My top three stories in this collection are "No Good Deed", "The Last Ascension of Dominic Seroff", and "The Marauder Lives". "No Good Deed" makes you question helping anyone ever again. "The Last Ascension of Dominic Seroff" was an engrossing mystery/plague story and probably the most gruesome and graphic of the anthology. And, I was fascinated by "The Marauder Lives" because it provided insight on the depraved and savage Drukhari. They are not very nice people 😬.

Nepenthe by Cassandra Khaw
3/5 (40k)
The Widow Tale by Richard Strachan
2/5 (Sigmar)
No Good Deed by Graham McNeill
5/5 (40k)
Crimson Snow by Lora Gray
3/5 (Sigmar)
Last of the Blood C L Werner
3/5 (?)
Predation of the Eagle by Peter McLean
4/5 (40k)
The Last Ascension of Dominic Seroff by David Annandale
5/5 (40k)
Triggers by Paul Kane
3/5 (40k)
A Darksome Place by Josh Reynolds
2/5 (Sigmar)
The Marauder Lives by J.C. Stearns
5/5 (40k)
The Nothings by Alex Worley
4/5 (40k)

[Nic S · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very solid anthology! Most of the stories were interesting, well written short stories that did a great job of giving us a well-rounded glimpse into this universe. This anthology was my introduction to the Warhammer universe, and I still found all the stories easy to understand.

Nepenthe - 5/5
The Widow Tide - 3.5/5 - Doesn’t really go anywhere and just kind of ends.
No Good Deed - 4/5 - Strong Arcane vibes.
Crimson Snow - 4/5 (3.5/5?)
Last Blood - 1/5 - Does not belong in this anthology. Too big a story for a short story. Predictable.
Predation of the Eagle - 5/5
The Last Ascension - 5/5
Triggers - 2/5 - Boring and predictable.
A Darksome Place - 5/5
The Marauder Lives - 4.5/5 - Subtracting half a star for how many times they say “The Marauder Lives.”
The Nothings - 3.5/5 - Too long for a relatively simple story that doesn’t add much to the trope of sheltered people in small village discovering the real world.

[Amber Lovell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first venture into the Black Library collection and I think a good one to ease people in especially if they're already fans of horror both phgsical or psychological.
In my opinion for anyone wanting to read this it would really help to already have at least a base knowledge of the general lore surrounding the 40k universe or Age of Sigmar as some of the twists and reveals probably won't have as much impact if you don't.

I feel like the collection as a whole was very well written, I certainly enjoyed a few stories in particular compared with others that just didn't really interest me. Some of my favourites were:

- 'Nepenthe' by Cassandra Khaw
- 'The Marauder lives' by J C Stearns
- 'The Nothings' by Alec Worley
- 'Predation of the Eagle' by Peter McLean

All of which I had a real attachment to and were total page turners, though I possible wouldn't say the same about some of the others, though thats probably my personal taste as opposed to the writing talent of the authors.

I have the pairing book 'Invocations' that I intend to read at some point but may have a break from the anthology style books between as I sometimes find they can be a bit of a slog when you're having to work through a few stories you maybe don't have a huge amount of interest in.

In conclusion, great book if you're seasoned in the worlds of 40k or Sigmar or if youre just branching into the worlds and would like some atmospheric and unsettling reads spanning multiple races and environments.

[cassiterite · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent collection, I immediately went and bought the next two volumes. Some of these are more memorable than others (and some may scare you more or less depending on your own personal frights) but they're very well written and I loved finding out how each one ended. A good mix of 40k (sci-fi) and Fantasy, and a great read for anybody interested in the Warhammer universes.

[Lapismydear · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una colección de terror sobre warhammer muy interesante, creo que eso sí, si no conoces el mundo y los detalles de este, muchas referencias o plot twists se perderán pero si los conoces, serán una delicia, no puedo ni escoger uno favorito en si pero si que hay varios que me encantaron, the marauder lives y the nothings por ejemplo.

[Arthur B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somewhat hit and miss, not least because the Black Library's stable of authors seems to have not yet worked out how to do horror in the Age of Sigmar setting. Full review: https://fakegeekboy.wordpress.com/201...

[Jackel50 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nepenthe is the worst writing I have read in my life. The others were pretty enjoyable, or quite good. Not blow your socks off good, but I’d say this collection is better than Invocations overall.

[Michael Dodd · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the first releases for Black Library’s brand new Warhammer Horror imprint, Maledictions features eleven stories across both Warhammer 40,000 and Age of Sigmar which dig a little deeper than usual beneath the surface of the settings. From dense jungles to rural communities, enginseers to dryads, it’s a characterful and wide-ranging anthology packed full of strange, unsettling stories.

Readers hoping for outright jump scares or brutal gore-fests might not find what they’re after here, as these stories offer characterful, psychological drama more than full-on shock factor. Think of them as your usual Black Library fare but with the horror elements which are almost always present in these settings (mostly) subtly brought to the fore. Existing fans should find lots to enjoy, even those who don’t normally venture into horror, and while readers new to Warhammer may struggle a little with the specific details there might just be enough here to turn them onto the bleak joys of Age of Sigmar and (especially) 40k.

Read the full review at https://www.trackofwords.com/2019/03/...

[Tobias · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent read, though some things that I mark it down for:

- As mentioned by other reviewers, not all stories in the book need to be Warhammer specific. Some feel like just "regular" short stories.

- the stories do not indicate which Warhammer Age they are from. So the reader will have to piece together whether they are in age of Sigmar or 40k. Not particularly great for budding Warhammer readers like myself.

- I think the term "horror" is used very loosely with these stories. Many don't feel particularly scary as such. Some do though!

- As an anthology there are of course a spread of different quality and styles in writing. So there are some to like... And some to really struggle with.

Do not judge the entire book on the first story, though I cannot fathom why the editors placed it first. For me it was arguably the worst of the lot, simply because the writing was overwrought. Every single sentence felt like it had been constructed using a thesaurus. You can argue that such writing suited the characters, but it honestly just got in the way of good storytelling.

[Joanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

only read the Marauder Lives as per my sons recommendation

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overview:
What started out as a good horror book to read for October has lasted much longer than I thought it would. The short story collection contains a series of horror focus Warhammer and Age of Sigmar stories. I was aware of it containing 40K Stories, however I was not excepting the Age of Sigmar, tough they were not unwelcomed. I know little about Age of Sigmar besides it 40K just a bit more fantasy than Sc-Fi.

Reading through Maledictions however mainly because it took me a while to get through the short stories. I was not as interested in them as I was with the 40K Novels. What I think I am looking for in Warhammer Stories is longer stories, not saying long stories are better. I have just so far enjoyed the novels so far much more than the short stories I have read. I was surprised there was no Necrons or flayed ones.

Nepenthe (40K):
The first of the stories and the weakest. The Mystery loses steam right away and the characters are uninteresting. I did enjoy the genestealer and the Space Hulk. The ending was not all that interesting.

The Widow Taker (Age):
The first of the Age of Sigmar story and it is a very simple story. I did enjoy a lot more with the story focusing on an injured Merfolk. In the end the widow died, and the Merfolk got away. I wish it was a little bit longer.

No Good Dead (40K):
Emperor Children and a short as story about an orphanage briefly given hope before it being torn away. I really like the story, however once again I wished it was a little bit longer.

Crimson Snow (Age):
By far one of my favorite stories, each of the Age of Sigmar stories are all really good. Crimson snow is one of the better stories within the collection. Of the Age of Sigmar stories this one makes me want to look into Age of Sigmar the most.

Last of the Blood (Age):
A really short story I kind of forgot about, the premise is good and so is the overall story. Characters are fine and the story is just fine.

Predation of the Eagle (40K):
I kind of enjoyed this story with the mystery about who is attacking the Squad a good mystery. It feels the most realistic and a story which may have happened again and again within the history of the Imperium. One of the more terrifying stories with how gruesome some of the details are.

The Last Ascension of Domonic Seroff (40K):
This story follows an old Inquisitor and an old commissar with them dealing with a strange plague. The highlight was Typus towards the end with this the first story I have read with the Death Guard in.

Triggers (40K):
One of the other stories I have forgotten about, it was fine. The reveal at the end was good with an assassin showing up to deal with the corrupted governor. The Governor was not all that interesting with him freaking out about his deal with demons the most interesting part. The story was just forgettable.

A Darksome Place (Age):
The last of the Age of Sigmar books and one of the best with the lead up to the end and the plague done really well. This is also one of the creepiest stories with how it handles the shifting of madness to real-life. In real life the man dies spreading the plague against his will.

The Marauder Lives (40K):
First story with the Eldari and the Drukari along with second care felicity staffed by a single sister of battle in this collection. The story about going insane and how all the attacks against her throughout the book possibly not being real is interesting. Story ends with her running off to the stars to an unknown fate. I assumed it was going to be raveled that the felicity was created by the Drukari.

The Nothings (40K):
The final story with a really good twist, however at this point I was burned out and really looking forward to getting to the next volume of the Horus Hersey. I did see the twist with the sister of Silence coming and the ending was really good with a really good darkness to it.

[Chuck · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mostly good collection of reads set in the two Warhammer franchise settings. The main issue is that at times it felt like a pastiche of horror fiction rather than an attempt at anything truly scary or disturbing. "Predation of the Eagle" by Peter McLean being a notable exception; that story was gruesome, haunting and I really felt for its protagonists, those poor troopers! It's the only one that felt unrestrained, in that I genuinely had no idea how far the author would go and he made full use of those tiny-but-crucial details that really drive things home in good scary writing.

Another standout was "Nepenthe" by Cassandra Khaw. While her tale felt a bit routine in terms of plot, her prose was phenomenal as always. She packs in all sorts of thoughtful and interesting personal touches that made the Mechanicus characters suddenly very interesting to me as characters, which is quite a feat because the whole premise of those characters is that they are cyborgs that disdain of the human condition, aspiring to machine-hood. I've certainly read too many authors who take flesh-and-blood characters and make them as interesting as decrepit cyborgs.

The collection ended on a bang with "The Nothings" by Alec Worley which delighted me for a big surprise about 2/3rd's of the way through. Any of the Warhammer settings are by default scary places. This story succeeds so well because it makes you care about a couple of characters as they try to make their way until the setting literally catches up with them.

Those were the standouts. The rest of the collection seemed adequate at best and some were underwhelming, which was a disappointment as "horror" fiction. As Warhammer (fantasy, or 40k) stories though they were entertaining.

[Soak314 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Context: this book is a horror story anthology, set in two different settings: the gothic space-fantasy of Warhammer 40k, and the extra-high fantasy of the Age of Sigmar. There are 11 stories total.

Most of the stories are tidy and interesting. The 40k ones tend to be overall more solid, largely because the setting is far more established. This type of franchise fiction tends to hedge on you being previously invested in the parties involved (i.e. 'oh yay genestealers i know what those are'), and I felt there wasn't as much of this in the AoS ones because they're still building the setting.

Also, there's just 4 AoS stories and 7 from 40k, which isn't the best way to have divided it imo 😛

***

As works of *horror* I think they fall a bit flat.

The 40k ones in particular are just... 40k stories, just a lot more dire, grounded, and personal. There's a couple in particular that pull off a good sense of mystery and foreboding (via Graham Mcneill and Peter Mclean). Possible spoilers: there's quite a bit of faction representation between all the stories, but all of them are from a human PoV

The AoS ones have the same grounded, personal scale, but I think only one of them ever managed to get a decent spooky vibe on (via Josh Reynolds). Possible spoilers: of the 4 stories, 1 is from the point of view of a non-human race. The range of factions involved is pretty narrow.

***

Overall I do feel it's a recommendation as there isn't really bad stories in here, just subpar *horror*.

You'll get the most mileage out of this if you double dip in both settings. If you're just on the AoS side of the fence, this is likely a solid pass. If you're just on the 40k side, it might still be worth a go.

Really looking forward to what the rest of this line will bring!

[Paulo "paper books only" · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know if I will make a full length review but I must tell you that there were good stories and some that were not that good. One of two were pretty out there that could be easily be printed in another universe.

Per example C L Werner story I really couldn't connect to the Sigmar universe. IT could be easily set in his own japanese universe (he has some stories in it). The mention of nagash by the end tied it but...

The Nothings I Thought the story was set in the sigmar universe then it made a twist and it was set in the 40K. And it was pretty good by the end.

Nepenthe was a good story -not particularly scary but good nevertheless.
Predation Eagle could have been so good if it had a hundred pages. Unfortunately there wasn't enough time to get to know the characters.
The Last Ascension of Dominic Seroff was another good 40K story and as the previously could have been even better with more 30 or 40 pages.
Triggers was okay.
The Marauder's Lives was probably the most horroresque of them all.
The widow tide was not that good - we all know racism is bad.

Overall a nice collection of stories. Didn't thought they were that scary or horror but nevertheless they were good. Looking forward to read more horror from Black Library.

Next read will be probably The Wicked and the Damned. Hope it's better after all there are only three stories so 100 pages to truly envelop us.

@Black Library there were some themes there like racism (particulary in The Widows Tide) and such. Please don't follow the SJW and PC tread. You've always tackle some social issues like masters but not shoving down our throats. Nobody likes that.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, I felt like the collection was really strong, the stories stacked well against each other, and none of them had a relative newbie to the 40k universe like me totally confused. I especially enjoyed Widow Tide, Predation of the Eagle, and A Darksome Place. Those three stories really did a great job of capturing the dark, vile atmosphere of their respective plots. I especially liked Predation of the Eagle; the horrors of war and the fears of the guardmen were richly realized, as was the sweltering jungle setting. No Good Deed, Crimson Snow, and Last of the Blood all felt a little rushed to me, and the final story, The Nothings felt too long. My only main issue was with the opening tale, Nepenthe, which was interminably written. I would never have placed this first in the collection as it was so bad it almost turned me off from the rest of the book. I’m glad I slogged through it though because the other stories were far better, but it was a struggle. The author overworked every sentence with all the “cool” words in the thesaurus to the point where the language passed lyrical and spiralled into convoluted and pointless and a little laughable. I think the story might have been interesting, but it was hard to tell.

[Jordon With An O · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this up because I wanted to experience some horror stories, a genre of which i don’t think I’ve ever read before. This is why I decided on this anthology, I figured there would be some good horror tales within…

I’m not sure I’d classify all of these as horror. Whilst there are many differing sub genres of horror, and a lot of them certainly are represented in this anthology. Some are just tales in the grim dark settings of either 40k or AoS.

Overall I think as a ‘horror book’ it doesn’t really live up to that billing. It’s more grim dark tales with a couple of horror ones thrown in.

It’s difficult to rate the anthology as a whole. As some of the stories were just plain awful and some were fantastic.

1. Nepenthe by Cassandra Khaw - 0/5
2. The Widow Tide by Richard Strachan - 1/5
3. No Good Deed by Graham McNeil - 3/5
4. Crimson Snow by Lora Gray - 4/5
5. The Last of the Blood by CL Werner - 1/5
6. Predation of the Eagle by Peter McLean - 5/5
7. The Last Ascension of Dominic Seroff by David Annandale - 3/5
8. Triggers by Paul Kane - 4/5
9. A Darksome Place by Josh Reynolds - 2/5
10. The Marauder Lives by JC Stearns - 4/5
11. The Nothings by Alec Worley - 2/5

[Topcliffe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Since I was in the mood for some more Games Workshop content in my life I picked up this little book. Horror in the warhammer universe is a little experimental as a genre but very suiting, after all with the amount of demons, monsters and aliens it surprises me that they haven’t done something like this earlier.

Overall it’s a fun read. I found some of the stories to be very immersive and managed to gain my interest in warhammer subjects I simply haven’t thought about like dark eldar, age of sigmar, tree people.

Possible the biggest issue I had with the stories was the predictability factor, being horror it basically always ended one way and it doesn’t take a genius to figure out how.

The first story did not grab my attention as it was severely overwritten on a subject that’s a small boxed game. It could have been far more impactful by playing out a bit faster and more...shooty.

The book is worth having a read for warhammer fans, but it will be hit and miss at times. It’s not too long so getting a story (unusually about 30 pages) in every day or so is no problem at all.

[Nightshade · Rating 3 out of 5]

This Warhammer horror collection contains eleven short stories by different authors. The stories vary in their quality and level of horror, although all of them were enjoyable. Some of the stories might require a little bit of pre-existing Warhammer knowledge to understand the locations, species and terminology, but generally these are really accessible and could quite easily be read by someone with no prior Warhammer experience. I was impressed by each of the authors abilities to develop rich worlds and characters in such a short number of pages.
In A Darksome Place, I was happy to see Reynolds return to the Greywater Fastness, which we see more in his other book, Dark Harvest.
In The Marauder Lives, I was really excited to find a Drukhari story as they don't seem to appear in the books as much as I'd like, so it was great to see them here.
The book ends with a longer story The Nothings which was possibly my favourite.
Overall this was a really fun collection which I'm sure I will return to many times in the future.

[Nick D · Rating 2 out of 5]

While this book offers a few stand-out stories (Nepenthe by Cassandra Khaw, Crimson Snow by Lora Gray, Predation of the Eagle by Peter McClean, and A Darksome Place by Josh Reynolds were my favorites) most of the book just doesn't stick the landing. While most of these stories are interesting, horror and fear remain elusive for most of the anthology. The collection just doesn't have the juice.

Maybe an interesting read for fans of the settings involved but for those more interested in the horror genre and the short story format as a whole, I'd say there are better collections to prioritize. I'll never not recommend Occultation and Other Stories by Laird Barron. I was unsettled for weeks after reading Barron's The Broadsword. I never even felt close to that in Maledictions which is a shame. I come to horror to get f*cked up and that just never happened here.

[Jaye · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a little surprised when this volume appeared in my feed: a horror anthology set in the Warhammer 40K universe. The concept was a little daunting. I mean, what is the meaning of horror in the "grim dark future" where there is only war and "the laughter of thirsting gods"? That said, I decided to try it out.
There are eleven stories here, ranging from a ghost ship story (Nepenthe) to tales of ordinary people confronting the Ruinous Powers of Chaos. There are plenty of monsters here: dark Eldar and other creatures rub shoulders with other merely human terrors. The writing is not all that great, hence my less than five stars rating. Favorite stories are the aforementioned Nepenthe, No Good Deed, The Marauder Lives and The Nothings.

[George Prew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another solid Warhammer Horror anthology - Lora Gray and Cassandra Khaw raise the standard as usual in these first three collections, and there's a good distribution of other really good stories covering an array of horror subgenres. On the other hand, some entries are a little dull, or let down solid setups with endings which lean too hard into Halloween-y spooks (not that there's not a good time and place for Halloween-y spooks!). And of course, it is Warhammer, so *beyond* purple prose - Much of this prose is *ultraviolet*, and that's a lot of the fun. It's Warhammer Horror! If that idea doesn't appeal, don't read it! If it doesn't, you probably know what to expect, and it delivers with style.

[Jessica Pitingolo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the Black Library horror and crime genres, especially the short story format of many of the horror titles. It gets me out of my comfort zone and explore other areas of the universe, be it 40K , WHFantasy, or AoS.

With that, some stories are definitely stronger than others. Ironically, some recommended to me as 'must read' weren't as fulfilling as I'd hoped, while others blew me away. The story featuring the Black Ship was incredible; from the set-up that had me thinking this was an AoS story until the reality of it started to take shape and by the end left me absolutely stunned. The author managed to convey how an average person would process the situation and it was terrifying, 'showing' rather than telling.

[Sverre Wimplingher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall a decent anthology. my only complaint is that some of the stories were not really horror, and some of the stories had the bones to be better, but ultimately fell short, either literally or figuratively. Overall I enjoyed the read, but I think I liked 3, maybe 4 (Jury is still out on how I feel about one) of the stories. I can say with certainty though that "The Last Ascension of Dominic Seroff" was by far the spookiest, and best written horror story in the bunch by far, and unlike one of the other stories, the reveal of a space marine didn't feel ham-handed. I must also give credit where it's due for Predations of the Eagle, as that story certainly had a twist I was not expecting to say the least, and it was overall a decent guard story at the least.

[Dylan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the short stories were amazing, and some were a bit... not great.

Overall though, this was a very fun and enjoyable anthology that focuses on the horror aspects of Age of Sigmar and Warhammer 40k. While i expected it to mostly be all about chaos and demons and whathaveyou, i was pleasantly surprised to discover that most of the stories were centered around the existential dread that i really love about good horror. Very little shock and gore here. It felt almost lovecrafian in several places, and i enjoyed that quite a bit.