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Warhammer 40,000
Imperial Guard Omnibus: Volume 1
Omnibus edition collecting the novels, Fifteen Hours, Death World and Rebel Winter from the popular Warhammer 40,000 Imperial Guard series.
768 pages, Paperback
First published November 25, 2008
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375 people want to read
About the author
Steve Lyons
186 books105 followersSteve Lyons is a science fiction writer, best known for writing television tie-ins of Doctor Who for BBC Books, and previously, Virgin. The earliest of these was Conundrum in 1994, and his most recent was 2005's The Stealers of Dreams. He has also written material for Star Trek tie-ins, as well as original work.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
July 3, 2014
This was an awesome collection of stories about the eponymous Imperial Guard of the Warhammer 40k setting. Each story is set on a different planet with vastly different challenges and of course, the greenskin menace ever looming on the other side of the battlefield.
Mitch Scanlon's story Fifteen Hours was probably my favourite of the bunch however, taking it's title from the average length of time that a new soldier has to live once making it to the trenches on that planet. It's an engaging story that really gives a no-punches-pulled look at just how ugly and futile the war is on a personal level.
As an infantry soldier myself with a couple fighting tours overseas I have to say that the authors manage to get the ambience down pretty well. I couldn't really relate to the second main story about the Deathworlders, probably because I don't have much jungle experience myself having missed Vietnam by a couple decades, and so I felt that one took a little while to get started.
Mitch Scanlon's story Fifteen Hours was probably my favourite of the bunch however, taking it's title from the average length of time that a new soldier has to live once making it to the trenches on that planet. It's an engaging story that really gives a no-punches-pulled look at just how ugly and futile the war is on a personal level.
As an infantry soldier myself with a couple fighting tours overseas I have to say that the authors manage to get the ambience down pretty well. I couldn't really relate to the second main story about the Deathworlders, probably because I don't have much jungle experience myself having missed Vietnam by a couple decades, and so I felt that one took a little while to get started.
March 7, 2015
Not a bad omnibus of the first three, non Abnett, Imperial Guard novels for the Black Library.
Fifteen Hours by Mitchel Scanlon is an excellent tale of a young recruit caught up in a horrid bureaucratic snafu that lands him on the wrong world fighting the wrong war. He is the only survivor of his original company, attached to hard bitten, bitter veterans fighting the orks. Without spoiling the ending this is a great novel, a hell of a way to open the omnibus and easily one of the best Black Library books ever written. 5 stars.
Death World by Steve Lyons follows, also, a new recruit this time into the Catachan Jungle Fighters as they deploy to a world recently re-classified as a death world by the Administratum. There they get attached to an overbearing Commissar (a character trait I found overly cliche') who leads them on a mission to assassinate the ork warboss. While well written this one didn't grip me, and I found myself struggling to finish it. I also had a gripe about the way the planet was evolving, I thought it was blatantly a form of Chaos, but this is never mentioned in the novel. All in all, I didn't enjoy this one, though I'm willing to give Steve Lyons a second chance as I hear his other works are very good. For myself I give Death World only 2 stars.
Rebel Winter by Steve Parker was my favorite novel in the grouping. Parker broke the format by offering up a tale centered upon an NCO turned line officer in an aristocratic (very Czarist Russian) regiment known as the Vostroyan Firstborn. He is followed around by a Commissar who is perhaps the greatest side character of the entire omnibus and serves under a Colonel who is the epitome of a warrior soul. They must fight not just orks, again, but also secessionists. This book is filled with action, realistic action too, unlike Death World (sorry, I just didn't like it) and Parker grabs the camaraderie of soldiers quite well. That and Commissar Karif is easily the most enjoyable character of the whole omnibus. Also, if you've read Parker's Deathwatch story's you'll see the first glimpse of a character he utilizes at the end of this one. Rebel Winter was an excellent send off, a hell of a way to end the omnibus. 5 stars.
So on average a very good omnibus, with the average working out to 4 stars. Definitely a keeper, if only for the first and last title. Though a good friend of mine loves Death World, just not me...
Fifteen Hours by Mitchel Scanlon is an excellent tale of a young recruit caught up in a horrid bureaucratic snafu that lands him on the wrong world fighting the wrong war. He is the only survivor of his original company, attached to hard bitten, bitter veterans fighting the orks. Without spoiling the ending this is a great novel, a hell of a way to open the omnibus and easily one of the best Black Library books ever written. 5 stars.
Death World by Steve Lyons follows, also, a new recruit this time into the Catachan Jungle Fighters as they deploy to a world recently re-classified as a death world by the Administratum. There they get attached to an overbearing Commissar (a character trait I found overly cliche') who leads them on a mission to assassinate the ork warboss. While well written this one didn't grip me, and I found myself struggling to finish it. I also had a gripe about the way the planet was evolving, I thought it was blatantly a form of Chaos, but this is never mentioned in the novel. All in all, I didn't enjoy this one, though I'm willing to give Steve Lyons a second chance as I hear his other works are very good. For myself I give Death World only 2 stars.
Rebel Winter by Steve Parker was my favorite novel in the grouping. Parker broke the format by offering up a tale centered upon an NCO turned line officer in an aristocratic (very Czarist Russian) regiment known as the Vostroyan Firstborn. He is followed around by a Commissar who is perhaps the greatest side character of the entire omnibus and serves under a Colonel who is the epitome of a warrior soul. They must fight not just orks, again, but also secessionists. This book is filled with action, realistic action too, unlike Death World (sorry, I just didn't like it) and Parker grabs the camaraderie of soldiers quite well. That and Commissar Karif is easily the most enjoyable character of the whole omnibus. Also, if you've read Parker's Deathwatch story's you'll see the first glimpse of a character he utilizes at the end of this one. Rebel Winter was an excellent send off, a hell of a way to end the omnibus. 5 stars.
So on average a very good omnibus, with the average working out to 4 stars. Definitely a keeper, if only for the first and last title. Though a good friend of mine loves Death World, just not me...
June 19, 2013
Omnibus collection of stories based on Warhammer 40,000. Although you do get a sense of the nameless millions that make up the Imperial Guard, the stories concentrate on a few individuals and their immediate company, which means you do feel it when the numbers inevitably get whittled down.
Each of the main stories is accompanied by a short story featuring the same characters (or just the main character), giving you a bit more of their history.
A good selection, and you don't need to be a Warhammer 40,000 fan boy to appreciate what is a good military sci-fi read.
Each of the main stories is accompanied by a short story featuring the same characters (or just the main character), giving you a bit more of their history.
A good selection, and you don't need to be a Warhammer 40,000 fan boy to appreciate what is a good military sci-fi read.
August 11, 2017
Including three novels and short stories, this collection is a great selection of stories involving the Imperial Guard / Astra Militarum.
These are often the best types of stories set in the Warhammer 40k universe as they refer to 'normal' humans surviving the horror of the universe. This is no exception, and all three books are good fun and well worth a read if you like the 40k universe.
They don't extend the story of the universe, all being battles on some planet in the galaxy, but do help set-the-scene.
If only my army's lasguns were as good as these!
These are often the best types of stories set in the Warhammer 40k universe as they refer to 'normal' humans surviving the horror of the universe. This is no exception, and all three books are good fun and well worth a read if you like the 40k universe.
They don't extend the story of the universe, all being battles on some planet in the galaxy, but do help set-the-scene.
If only my army's lasguns were as good as these!
January 1, 2026
Pretty solid fun, altho upon completion I have that same feeling of fatigue I got after my last Warhammer Omnibus. Perhaps these are better enjoyed as individual novels. There are only so many times one can read about fixing bayonets and melees with orks before it wears a little thin.
November 2, 2025
Nothing like a good solid imperial guard book to remember the grim dark 41st millennium!
Solid 3 story arcs and descriptions to bring you into the heart of life as a soldier in the guard.
Solid 3 story arcs and descriptions to bring you into the heart of life as a soldier in the guard.
December 2, 2025
tweakin
September 5, 2014
I have individually reviewed each book from this set so I won't go into much detail here. there's nothing terribly ground breaking but the material is still great for any fan of the genre looking for light stories. the added short stories in this collection actually made their main stories shine even brighter which really isn't something you can usually say about these collections. sure they're never really bad but this is the first time in a long time I can honestly say im glad I bought the collection over the individual books.
January 20, 2013
This was a pretty standard Black Library collection, which is to say it was readable and enjoyable. It was also mostly forgetable, once finished.
The authors do a fine job capturing a militaristic feel and at times it felt like reading a bit of a World War II or a Viet Nam memoir. There did come to be a feeling of sameness through the three novels collected, but I suspect that's just because you end up reading them all back-to-back.
The authors do a fine job capturing a militaristic feel and at times it felt like reading a bit of a World War II or a Viet Nam memoir. There did come to be a feeling of sameness through the three novels collected, but I suspect that's just because you end up reading them all back-to-back.
June 8, 2014
I commented on FB when I started that this book was going to be a hard slog, and it was. An omnibus, it's composed of three novels with three linked short stories featuring characters from the related novels. I suppose reading about the Astartes and Inquisitors have spoiled me, because I just couldn't relate to any of the characters in these stories. I've been reading military scifi for years now, but I didn't enjoy this one very much.
December 16, 2008
Another excellent omnibus from the Black Library. "Imperial Guard" is a collection of three novels from the dark and gothic Warhammer: 40K universe along with three new short stories. It follows the lives of common soldier of the far future -- the Imperial Guard -- in their ceaseless wars against the alien forces that would exterminate humanity.
May 17, 2012
Three books into one. Usually written for game books aren't that great with some exceptions like RA Salvatore, but this collection is a definite addition to those exceptions. I really enjoyed all three novels in the book. Not only were they great war stories, but they were great stories with well written characters and plots.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews