Nexus & Other Stories

Warhammer 40,000

by Dan Abnett, Thomas Parrott, Chris Wraight

A Warhammer 40,000 anthology

Take your first steps into the adrenaline-fuelled fiction of the 41st Millennium with a thrilling collection of tales, including an action-packed novella pitting noble Ultramarines against sinister necrons.

READ IT BECAUSE
Whether you're dipping a toe into the galaxy of Warhammer 40,000 or are a hardened veteran of the universe, this anthology is the perfect way to discover the many factions of the games in action-packed tales.

DESCRIPTION
Within this book you will find Nexus, a fantastic new novella by Thomas Parrott.

In a galaxy beset by war, where the Adeptus Astartes are all that stand against annihilation, the Ultramarines are exemplar – noble, honourable and oathbound to the protection of mankind. Where the predations of the alien, the witch and the heretic threaten the Imperium, the Angels of Death fight to oppose them.

Brother-Sergeant Allectius wages a brutal war of attrition against a seemingly endless xenos foe. But when the vile necrons unleash a mysterious pall over him and the people he protects, Allectius must take his fight beyond the walls… for more than just victory, now their very survival is at stake.

Also included in 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.

CONTENTS
Nexus by Thomas Parrott
Kraken by Chris Wraight
Redeemer by Guy Haley
The Test of Faith by Thomas Parrott
The Darkling Hours by Rachel Harrison
Lightning Run by Peter McLean
Missing in Action by Dan Abnett
The Crystal Cathedral by Danie Ware
To Speak as One by Guy Haley
Where Dere's Da Warp Dere's a Way by Mike Brooks
Redemption on Dal'yth by Phil Kelly
Void Crossed by J C Stearns
Light of a Crystal Sun by Josh Reynolds
War in the Museum by Robert Rath
Headhunter by Steve Parker
Duty Unto Death by Marc Collins

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Audiobook, 40k, Short Stories, Anthologies

641 pages, Paperback

First published October 24, 2020

Reviews

[Craig Carignan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought it was a pretty good series of stories.

[Stefan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quite a mixed bag, but some stories are worth your time. They should have included fewer stories but with more space for each to develop. All the stories about Space Marines, Sisters of Battle and Adeptus Custodes are basically the same and the characters talk like simple robots where someone set the „heroism mode“ to max.

[Andrea Zanotti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nexus + altre storie è uno degli ultimi tomi prodotti da Ala Nera Edizioni. Per chi ancora non la conoscesse questa casa editrice si è assunta l’onere/onore di portare in Italia tutto lo scibile prodotto all’estero sui mondi collegati a Warhammer, sia nella sua versione fantasy che in quella futuristica legata, ossia WH40k.
Oggi vi parlo di Nexus, antologia composta da numerosi racconti capaci di presentarci i diversi protagonisti dell’universo di Warhammer 40.000.
Difficile descrivere questo affascinante costrutto della fantasia, ma al contempo credo che una definizione semplice e concisa possa far capire bene e mi possa far risparmiare pagine e pagine di fuffa: WH40k è un’ambientazione MOSTRUOSA. Una mole di razze, eserciti, truppe speciali, mondi, mondi astrali e psichici, capaci di amalgamarsi fra loro in modo ineccepibile, donando al tutto una profondità impossibile da pareggiare.
Innanzi a cotanta spettacolare sovrabbondanza, un profano potrebbe trovarsi spaesato, incapace di comprendere da dove iniziare. Già, perché questo universo è il frutto dell’opera di diversi autori, ognuno dei quali ha aggiunto il suo personale contributo per ampliare il nucleo centrale di questa grande opera. Recensione completa: https://evasioneletteraria.blogspot.c...

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall a good collection with most stories being interesting and exciting at points.

Nexus by Thomas Parrott - 2/5

Didn't like this one. A bit of a slog and I think highlights why some don't like space marine stories. Not really memorable. Necrons are kind of cool but I thought this was largely underwhelming.

Kraken by Chris Wraight - 4/5

Like this one a lot more. Space marines are boring compared to space wolves. Involvement or Tyranids seemed a bit weird given the main foe.

Redeemer by Guy Haley - 4/5

Good short story. An intriguing introduction to the Blood Angels and the issues associated with their chapter. Xenos foes were meh, but learning of history had me searching for more Blood Angels books.

The Test of Faith by Thomas Parrott - 1/5

One of the only stories I had no memory of after reading. Boring.

The Darkling Hours - by Rachel Harrison - 3/5

Was glad to be reading more human/grounded stories after the opening to the book. Written well and had a cool intro to psykers.

Lightning Run - by Peter McLean - 4/5

Went in thinking I'd hate it. But provided the most 40k description of a ship I've read and it stuck with me long after the story finished. 'The seat under her was sodden with blood'. Fascinating visualisation for how disgusting a chaos tainted plane is.

Missing in Action - by Dan Abnett - 3/5

I liked it I think. Perhaps not as much as expected but the first person perspective is a good change of pace. Keen to read Eisenhorn trilogy.

The Crystal Cathedral - by Danie Ware 3/5

Interesting intro to the sisters of battle. Not a faction I'd be super into normally, but had some moments.

To Speak as One - by Guy Haley - 4/5

Love the Ad Mech. Loved the story, great little twist in this one which creates some mystique/intrigue around the faction.

Where Dere's Da Warp Dere's a Way - by Mike Brooks 3/5

Liked it well enough for an ork story. Bit of humour is needed sometime and it made me more keen to read Brutal Kunnin.

Redemption on Dal'yth - by Phil Kelly - 4/5

Awesome. Went in expecting nothing because Tau. Came out looking to buy Phil Kelly's work on the Farsight Enclaves. The faction seems to be underrepresented but it has potential.

Void Crossed by J C Stearns - 2/5

Not a fan of eldar but this one had a couple of nice points.

Light of a Crystal Sun by Josh Reynolds - 3/5

Fabius Bile was great but couldn't get into the battle with the crystal whatever. Maybe my small monkey brain but could not picture this. Character very good though, I can see why people like his work. And by him I mean Josh Reynolds.

War in the Museum by Robert Rath - 4/5

Good very good. Will be reading the infinite and the divine shortly and this was a great precursor to it.

Headhunted by Steve Parker - 5/5

Is it recency bias or is it the best of the lot? I'll go with the latter. The Deathwatch are sick! This one is more beefy at 60 odd pages and gives time to characters and just enough backstory to keep it interesting. Action was elite and the xenos here are fascinating. Loved it.

Duty unto Death by Marc Collins - 4/5

For a short story about Adeptus Cudtodes it was super good. They are the best. This story highlights it.

Keen to read more 40k after this.

[Jodi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mit Kurzgeschichtensammlung habe ich schon so manch schlechte Erfahrung machen müssen. Deshalb war ich auch äusserst skeptisch, als ich dieses Buch geschenkt bekam. Aber die Black Library hat hier tatsächlich alles richtig gemacht.

Denn nicht nur versammelt dieses Buch einige der bekanntesten und talentiertesten Warhammer-Autoren in einem Buch; der Verlag verliert auch nie die Zielgruppe aus den Augen. Nämlich Fans anderer Warhammer-Welten, die sich einen Eindruck von 40K schaffen wollen. Und so profitieren nicht nur gestandene 40K-Fans von neuen Einblicken, sondern andere Leser können auf diese Art in neue Welten eintauchen und so entscheiden, ob auch die Zukunftswelt von Warhammer etwas für sie ist.

Natürlich sind auch neugierige Einsteiger herzlich eingeladen sich hier einen ersten Einblick in die Warhammer-Welt zu verschaffen. Jedoch ist das Buch sehr umfangreich geschaffen, sodass nicht jeder Neuling automatisch danach greifen würde.

So unterschiedlich die Schriftsteller hier, so unterschiedlich sind die Geschichten und Völker. Man bekommt also einen wirklich tollen Überblick darüber, was in 40K so keucht und fleucht. Viele Wesen und Gruppierungen habe ich auch noch nicht gekannt. So viele frische Abenteuer - herrlich!

Ich glaube, die Geschichte mit den Orks hat mir fast am meisten gefallen. Die sticht so herrlich gut heraus und ist einfach so ganz anders als der Rest.

Aber eigentlich war das ganze Buch reinstes Lesevergnügen und zeigt, wie man eine Kurzgeschichtensammlung eben auch richtig auziehen kann. Topp!

[Olivera Takač · Rating 5 out of 5]

The fire! The glory! The sadness :( The perfect introduction to WH universe. Best anniversary present ever.

[Maximus Tan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good introduction to the current state of the Warhammer 40,000 universe, especially with the Necrons being pushed as the big bad this round.

Nexus by Thomas Parrott -- 3.75/5
The Ultramarines being pushed to the forefront of the battle against the undying force of the Necrons, despite the overwhelming difference in terms of technological advancement between the 2 forces, the Imperium's Adeptus Astartes still forges forward to defend their world from foul xenos. Brother-Sergeant Allectius had been thrust to take command of a squad of Ultramarines to infiltrate and take down a mysterious artefact that is causing trouble. The story is paced at a relatively smooth pace with some time skip here and there but still an enjoyable read, expect heroism and sacrifices.

Kraken by Chris Wraight -- 4/5
A water world had been under attack by a mysterious underwater creature where entire platforms have been destroyed. The administrator of the planet had summon help to get to the bottom (hehe) of this mystery but only a lone Space Wolf had heed the call, what turns out was a flashback sequence of his origin, oaths sworn to fallen brothers and an almost suicidal urge to bring down the beast. The flashback regarding how he met his lost Company Brothers is the best part for me, with the internal thinking of the warrior's final fighting sequence with the Tyranid beast. Although he would be more at peace if he were to have fought to the end with the beast but this would be a fitting end as well.

Redeemer by Guy Haley -- 3.5/5
Astorath, High Chaplain of the Blood Angels and redeemers of those who have succumb to the Black Rage. The leader of a squad of Blood Angels tasked to defend a colony that was beset by monsters had succumbed to the Black Rage and it is Astorath task to locate him and bring forth the Emperor's Mercy. The story is pretty typical in terms of those in Warhammer 40,000, but this is the first story that I have read about the Blood Angels, from their customs (Astorath sleeping in a sarcophagus) and the reaction of the other Blood Angels getting to know first hand regarding the affliction to the doubt of Primaris Marines of whether they are immune to such a sickness, these to me is really fascinating, will read more about them in the future.

The Test of Faith by Thomas Parrott -- 3/5
With the induction of Primaris Marines into different chapters, they require a tutor to familiarize with them regarding the customs of the chapter after which they were asleep for 10 millennia. Dark Angels chapter is a very secretive chapter at which exposure can risk their entire survival. Honestly I could not remember the plot of this story as to me it wasn't that memorable. I just remember that the new Primaris Chaplain was killed by the more veteran marine despite saving the latter in the ensuing battle to prevent the risk of exposure of said secret.

The Darkling Hours by Rachel Harrison -- 3.5/5
A killteam of Duskhounds are led by Commissar Severina Raine to dispose of a Chaos psyker that had made assault of a mining complex impossible. Despite deadly portents that foresee the future of Raine, she still lead head on with the mission. The story is a character study about Raine and Captain Fel of the Duskhounds, the sequence where the psyker was using their fear against each of the them shows the level of bond they have with each other, as well as Raine's backstory with her twin sister.

Lightning Run by Peter McLean -- 4.25/5
Valkyrie transport pilot Salvatoria Grant hope for something better that can aid the Imperium where she was indoctrined with the saying that "Every women had their responsibility to the Imperium". She got more than she can chew in this story where she was suddenly bestowed upon delivery of a secret that could tip the balance of the battle on the planet. Saying this story was face paced is a gross understatement, with breakneck speed of aerial maneuvers as well as espionage of a certain level. I really love the end where she really got what she wanted all her life, but being a hero is not what she expected.

Missing in Action by Dan Abnett -- 4.5/5
When Inquisitor Gregor Eisenhorn was summoned to investigate a series of grisly murder, he thought it was just some run of the mill lunatic. When number of mutilated body start appearing that points to the possibility of cult involvement, Inquisitor Eisenhorn know this deserves his full attention. This is regrettably the second Abnett that I have read after Horus Rising, and although it was just a short story but it does pack a punch. It still has some pretty intense action in it although being a more investigative sort of story. I did not even expect that ending, but it does show a more sympathetic side of any Inquisitor that I have ever read.

The Crystal Cathedral by Danie Ware -- 3.5/5
A squad of Adeptus Sororitas is tasked with the security of a newly reopened Crystal Cathedral after it had been abandoned a thousand year ago due to local alien infestation. Something has awoken during its maiden service and its up to the Sisters to defend the Cathedral and its occupants, added with the complication that they are rendered weaponless due to being within the confine of the House of the Holy Emperor. Faith and duty above all else are shown as they put their lives on the line to carry them out.

To Speak As One by Guy Haley -- 4/5
The escort of a prisoner to the representatives of Primarch Guilliman by an Inquisitor was disturbed by a ship dispatched by Magos Belisarius Cawl. The plot is not as straight forward as it seems as both forces try to further their respective agendas, Cawl's forces true intentions are shed light upon. Really enjoy the banter between both side and the twist that was at the end.

Where Dere's Da Warp Dere's A Way by Mike Brooks -- 4.25/5
Ufthak Snazzhammer has in a rare opportunity risen to being the leader of the Ork squad, he find that holding on to it is harder than getting it, especially in the middle of raiding an Adeptus Mechanicus ship. This is the first story that was seen from the Ork point of view and it is a real treat, the shenanigans thought up by them is hilarious. Even with most of him blasted away, Ufthak still had a yearning for some krumpin', really good fun.

Redemption on Dal'yth by Phil Kelly -- 3.75/5
Commander Sha'kanthas of the Tau is locked in combat with an Adeptus Astartes in stasis, when the containment fails and they are awoken in a time and place foreign to them, bloodshed is ensured. I have last read about the Tau Commander in Blade of Damocles by the same author where he was sent in exile to atone for his crimes. He is forced to rely on his (and somebody unexpected) wits when his weapons are useless and the populace surrounding their battle could be devastating if they he does not think of a way to end the encounter fast. It is a face paced story with a connection to a certain Tau warrior in the end.

Void Crossed by J C Stearns -- 4/5
2 Aeldari (or Drukhari? Can't really tell) that had a long history met again in the battlefield on opposite ends. The transition between current time and flashback is a bit blur especially when they're describing the battle scene on one side and then conversation in another, but this might be the audiobook medium that I am listening in that was the cause. The story is interesting with the ultimate buildup to their meeting in the end, and that ending was very satisfying.

Light of a Crystal Sun by Josh Reynolds -- 3.5/5
Fabius Bile after obtaining a soul shard of a dying aeldari, got to work on prying whatever knowledge that he can from it to reach immortality for the betterment of mankind. It's an insight to his psyche and his personality as not much plotwise is achieved in this story, other than he and Ahriman had some bad blood and I got to know him from Fulgrim of the Horus Heresy series during the times of 30k but that was millennia ago. I think this doesn't fit the bill of being a first story a new reader read about Fabius.

War in the Museum by Robert Rath -- 4.5/5
The new exhibit aboard Trazyn the Infinite's ship is in jeoperdy when one of the alien inside start to awaken, he needs to get to the bottom of what caused it and to prevent further spread of the problem. I might be biased to Necrons centered story, especially one that builds up to the The Infinite and The Divine novel by the same author. Trazyn's urge to save his precious collection despite it being the cause that might destroy everything is the conflict that he needs to resolve before more damage has been done and the machination of Necrons going through circuitry to take over a new host is just an eye opener to a reader that just get to know the lore purely from fictional sources.

Headhunted by Steve Parker -- 4.5/5
A squad of Deathwatch Space Marines are tasked with retrieving the head of an Ork leader in an Ork infested Imperial ship, with them reporting to a member of the Inquisition, things do definitely is not what they seem. I can totally relate to every single one of the squad, and the interaction between them is simply well done, although some are more stronger than the others, especially with the Exorcists and the Silver Spectre Librarian. Will look up for more adventures of the Talon Squad.

Duty Unto Death by Marc Collins -- 3.5/5
A squad of 5 Adeptus Custodes against a swarm of Tyranids in a last stand to protect their precious cargo. It is said that even one single of these warriors can best even an entire army of mortal men. Even that was what was depicted in the story but I still find it hard to believe that they can hold themselves against an entire horde of tyranids. The story and the flow was not bad but it's just the force that they're up against really seem impossible.

[Michael Butler · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection serves as an introduction to the various factions within the Warhammer 40K universe. I think all of these stories have been published before and I know I have read several of them before. However, they work nicely as a primer for the feel of each faction and got me thinking of several I haven't explored much previously. If you are looking to read some of the Warhammer 40K fiction but don't know where to start, this is a great jumping off point.

[Ben Amos · Rating 4 out of 5]

A decent compilation of stories that, while perhaps often shorter or less indepth than one would like, provide a decent gateway into the warhammer 40k universe.

To talk of themes and such over so many different and diverse factions is difficult to do there besides all being grim and dark in some form or another, but their subject matter covered does a lot of work for introducing the many interesting groups of power within the setting, which for a new reader will surely be welcome.

My personal favorite of the bunch werre: The Kraken, To Speak as One, Where 'deres a Warp 'Deres a Way, and War in the Musuem, covering Space Wolves, Ad Mech, Orks and Necrons respectively, being a highlight of 40k and its potential for story telling at its peak. Many were unfortunately quite forgettable, or too short for me to grow attached to, which left me feeling often that their faction justice had not been justice, and there were notable missing factions that I do hope see stories given to them, such as Death Guard , World Eaters, Grey Knights etc. Still, for what is here,it's mostly good, with some surprise gems I did not expect to find myself liking such as the Space Wolves saga-esque story.

Conclusion: overall, I thought this was a fine anthology of stories which are all easy and digestible enough to introduce someone to the larger world of 40k as a whole quite well. They aren't all winners but what is here is solid stuff and if you are interested in 40k, not a bad place to begin. If you are already into 40k,its perhaps a bit more hit or miss but still, you'll likely find some good ones in here at the very least.

3.5/5, good collection, just a small shame it wasn't just a little more satisfying.

Recommendations:
I mentioned the Death Guard before as missing from the list before, so for that I will give my recommendation for (and also definitively not because I collect Deathguard as one of my armies and want more stories for them). Lords of Silence, great read, really nails their aesthetic and theme quite well. Well worth checking out.

[Evan Flack · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a wonderful way to sample a variety of world's and cultures of the twisted 40k universe. There were definitely some that I enjoyed much more than others but I felt that each had their own moments. My absolute favorites were "Kraken" (space wolves battling massive ocean dwelling leviathans), "Lightning Run" (gripping action and chase throughout), "Void Crossed" (I am a sick Drukhari fan and loved seeing two twisted souls get what they deserve in brutal fashion), and, lastly, "War in the Museum" (a great Necron pre-cursor to the infinite and the divine).

As I am just touches the edges of the warhammer 40k universe, I am going through the seemingly universal dilemma of which stories to choose. This collection provided the right sampling for me to decide which aspects of the rich lore I want to learn about next. Also, many of these characters are anti heroes or downright villains. The short story format works well so that you get to spend enough time in the twisted mind of a "protagonist" without overstating your welcome. A minor refresher within the overwhelming bleakness of the dark imperium.

Cheap on Audible and definitely recommended!

[Nicholas Sacco · Rating 3 out of 5]

The overall anthology is pretty great. Nice selection of stories, some of them are really great ones which will tempt you to start reading entire trilogies. The only one I didn't like was Test of Faith (boring, the only interesting part was a plot twist almost totally ripped off from another Dark Angels novel).

The three star review concerns Nexus (same author of Test of Faith, by the way). I liked the baseline human point of view because it was brutal and it showed us how unbroken (but not unshakeable) faith can give you the strength to survive the stilling inside a Pariah Nexus.
The Astartes point of view, on the contrary, was the boring part for me. I get it, Nexus must be an intro story, but these Space Marines say little more than catchphrases I can find on a Codex or a Core Book, the weight of duty is treated very weakly and another plot point has been almost totally ripped off from a different Ultramarines novel.

It almost seems like the Space Marines part was there just because it had to be there, not because the author really had a story to tell about them.

[Jab · Rating 4 out of 5]

Conjunto de relatos que tratan los principales conflictos, o mas bien, a las razas en conflicto siendo asi que el primer relato trata sobre los ultramarines contra los Necrones, otro de los relatos trata sobre los Orkos, o el Necron coleccionista.

Bastante bien para dar pinceladas sobre el mapa general de 40K, no considero que sea un buen libro para introducirse a la lectura o el mundo de Warhammer pero si que esta bien cuando conoces un poco de todo el universo de la saga.

Algunos relatos sin un conocimiento previo o debido a su brevedad son raros de entender pero otros relatos estan muy bien llevados.

[James Bessant · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the top right hand corner of the front cover is written "Start Here" and it's a pretty good place to start in the Black Library. You are introduced to an array of human (Imperium) and alien (xeons) stories. You stories from the Space Marines, the Imperial Guard, the Inquisition, the Imperial Navy, the Eldar, the T'au, the Necrons and the Orks. the Ork story surpried me because I've never been a particular fan of their army in the table top game but the short story "Where Dere's Da Warp Dere's A Way" really gave them personality and was a very fun read.

[Jonathan Farrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection is meant to serve as an introduction to the various factions within the Warhammer 40K universe. The stories work nicely as a primer for the different kinds of characters and moods within the factions. Some were really good while others were lacking a bit. A couple of them completely consumed me and I couldn't put the book down. Overall, very enjoyable and a great starting point for 40K fiction. I already have my next reads bookmarked!

[Alpharius(Possibly) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of these are good and for the price it is worth it for them, however there were a few not great stories, notably Nexus(Which was half intro to 40K and half advert), the Crystal cathedral (Which I didn’t really get) and duty unto death (Which was a bit ridiculous). Other then that these were great and this book is a great way to get into 40K lore.

[Rob Ballister · Rating 3 out of 5]

I forgot how much I love Warhammer 40K stories, and most of these are pretty good. I prefer stories about the Space Marines, so some of the other stories were a little flat for me, but overall good action and definitely in keeping in line with the universe!

[Maxwell Fujs]

I love me some short stories, and some of these I *thoroughly* enjoyed, though I think they all certainly have merit and entertainment value. I really love the stories that are tragedies, which I feel is truly indicative of the new 40k.

[Maciek · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good mix of stories deep into the war. We have shorts about some Chapters' unique lore, specialists in Imperial Army, all main xenos from their perspective and some mix encounters not just about fighting but with more darker agenda.

[Bogdan Balostin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Half the stories are worth reading, and the other half are bolter porn (just fighting scenes and battles), including the eponymous novella, which takes more than half of the book. Basically, something for every type of reader.

[Riccardo Sina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent introduction to the 40k universe, expecially for people that want to jump in the most recent years of the dark millennium.

[Sunlogix · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bit of a mixed bag, space marines still feel like automatons rather than real people

[Caleb Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some pretty good stories in here. Some pretty meh ones too. Good if you want a primer into 40K, but I recommend just reading the stories that appeal to you.

[Alexander Trampe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good option to sample stories about the various factions in the W40K universe.

[Mike]

Trabajo.

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid collection of short stories that cover a lot of 40K from all kinds of views. Good stuff. Check it out.

[Shane Barton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some great stories and some just alright. Overall pretty good.

[Larson · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Christophe Rodo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un parfait point d'entrée dans l'univers de Warhammer 40,000 !

[Kelton Zacharias · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though they’re not all the same quality, a surprisingly excellent collection of stories and great introduction to the many factions of Warhammer 40K.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

KSKS