A Company of Shadows

Severina Raine #Short Story

by Rachel Harrison

Summer of Reading 2018: Day Three

After a crash, Commissar Severina Raine and her unit find themselves trapped, surrounded by enemies and with a mission to complete…

READ IT BECAUSE
Commissar Severina Raine returns in a follow-up to the superb short story Execution that tells an atmospheric tale of fire and terror.

THE STORY
The Astra Militarum are in retreat. Temporarily routed by their foe, the twisted cultists of the Sighted, Commissar Severina Raine and her 11th Antari Rifles have a vital mission – escort an important Tacticae officer to safety. But when their Valkyrie is shot down, Raine and her warriors find themselves with a new mission: to survive in the midst of enemy territory.

Genres: 40k, Science Fiction, Short Stories

41 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 22, 2018

About the author

Rachel Harrison writes Warhammer 40k stories for Black Library. She also publishes under the name Ray Harrison.

Librarian note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Rachel^^Harrison

Reviews

[Michael Dodd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Following on from the fantastic Execution, this sees the 11th Antari Rifles evacuating a city besieged by the forces of Chaos. When the Valkyrie carrying Commissar Severina Raine, a handful of troopers and an important military advisor is shot down before they can reach safety, it’s up to Raine and the decidedly untrustworthy Antari Sergeant Wyck to find a way to survive.

There’s no glory here, just grit and determination, and an intriguing layer of strangeness and mystery. Like Execution it’s the characters and the glimpses of their hidden depths that really makes this work, but while Raine is the main protagonist there’s enough attention paid to Wyck to set him up as a fascinating character in his own right.

Read the full review at https://www.trackofwords.com/2018/08/...

[Hawke Embers · Rating 1 out of 5]

A well written but not entirely remarkable story. You enjoyment of this story will largely rely on your ability to suspend disbelief at certain character choices and fondness for a depthless but indefatigable main character. There is a streak of girl power that may or may not work for you but it serves to give the narrative a bit of a 2019 Charlie’s Angels vibe.

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Action packed 40k

Solid second short following Commisar Raine and the 11 Antari Rifles. The Sighted are a cool Chaos Villain, and I look forward to them being fleshed out as well as Raine and the Rifles. Check it out.

[Dev S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent short story that really got me into this character arc. Despite being a brief story the characters are well developed and the plot engaging. It may be a little tricky for those unfamiliar with the universe.

[Benjamin Ho · Rating 5 out of 5]

Solid Character Building

Accidentally read Honourbound out of order, so going back and reading these tales I know who lives, who dies, and who changes. The battles are just as riveting and desperate as any 40K tale, but there are hints of warmth I won’t elaborate and spoil here.

[Chris Bentley · Rating 4 out of 5]

First introduction into both Severina Raine and Rachel Harrison, all I can say is I loved the characters and the authors writing style. Can't wait to read Honourbound.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read as part of Black Library Celebration 2019.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great

Another fantastic installment in the adventures of Commissar Severina Raine. She is the unyielding bad bitch of my heart. Extra points for no romantic subplot.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one felt more boilerplate than Execution. Still very enjoyable!