Fürchte den Xenos

Warhammer 40,000

by C.L. Werner, Sebastian Gehart (Translator), C.L. Werner

The Imperium of Man has many enemies among the stars, but none are reviled so much as the Alien. Across the universe, humanity and thier defenders, the Space Marines, seek to eradicate these threats.  Fear the Alien features some of the Black Library's best-known authors plus exciting new talent with a range of stories about the on-going war with the xenos.

The list of authors includes: Dan Abnett, Braden Campbell, Mark Clapham, Aaron Dembski-Bowden, James Gilmer, CS Goto, Andy Hoare, Nick Kyme, George Mann, Juliet McKenna, Steve Parker, Matt Sprange, CL Werner

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

Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Student Teacher · Rating 4 out of 5]

So have you ever bit into something you expected to taste like chocolate but it tasted like strawberries instead? I mean, you like strawberries, and it tastes good, but you had your heart set on chocolate. That's how I feel about, "Fear the Alien."

For some reason I was expecting a book of stories written from the alien's point of view, and I was really excited about that. Now I don't know if I just made that up in my own head, or if I read somewhere that it was supposed to be all xenos.

It turns out that on 2 out of 10 stories were written from the xenos point of view. Now that being said, quite a few of these short stories are very, very good.

First up we have, "Gardens of Tycho," by Dan Abnett. This story was a mixed bag for me. I thought the writing and diologue were very tight. I thought that the characters were very intersting, and main character was well developed in just 42 pages. The plot however, left a bit to be desired, in my opinion. The story was essentially a murder mystery that I was totally drawn in to, but there was a twist at the end that in stead of leaving me saying, "whoa!" left me saying, "huh?" Now this was listed as, "A Magos Drusher Story," and I'm not sure if it was just a play on Harry Dresden, or if this means there will be more stories in the future, I hope its both, because I got the Dresden feel, and I'd like to read more.

The second story was "Fear Itself," by Juliet E. McKenna. This was a guard vs. tyranid story, and really good job of living up to the whole, "Fear the Alien" idea. It is the story of Catmos, an apparent sniper turn head surgeon of a small outpost on a world besieged by The Great Devourer. The story centers around Catmos' unorthodox method of fending off Battle Shock, so that troopers that have seen horrific things will be able to stand their ground the next time the bugs attack. I really liked this story, and it was very pointient at times. McKenna did a good job of making me care about the characters, even the bastard of a commissar.

Next up is Prometheus Requiem by Nick Kyme. This, of course is a story about the Salamanders. I must admit, I am having trouble getting through "Salamander" and this makes this story a little hard to follow, that and all of the names of the Astartes that have apostrophes in their names. I just have a hard time figuring out who is who. This is the story about a Fire Drakes terminator squad going into a space hulk to finish an task that has been left undone for a century. They of course run into Genestealers, but it is the mind behind the 'stealers that is their true foe. Its not a bad story, but I'll have to come back again and read it after I finish Salamander.

The next story is the first one written solely from the alien point of view. It is a story of Dark Eldar Archon, Lord Malwrack, who is trying to woo a female, and let me tell you, Dark Eldar courtship rituals are pretty much exactly as you would expect. One of the things I dislike about Dark Eldar is the over the top fetishism that I have seen or perhaps perceived. This was absent in this story, and I think that made me like it more. I mean Malwrack is a crazy mother f'er, but the story isn't vulgar. I liked it. Perhaps because of the point of view.

The next story is "Iron Inferno" by C. L. Werner. This is my favorite story so far. It is told from dual perspective. One is an imperial guard commander prepping to fend off an Ork Waagh, and the other is an ork kaptain who is charged with probing the imperial defenses. There is comedy in this story that is just great for 40k. I really don't know what to say about this story other than I loved it. The setting, the descriptions, the Ork point of view was great, and the ending, whilst a bit predictable in my opinion was fine because I was waiting for the ending the whole story, and when it came about, I was clapping my hands in glee (yeah that's right, I said "glee").

The next story up was called, "Sanctified" by Mark Chapman. This was sort of unusual as it is told from the point of view of an Enginseer trying to thwart and alien boarding of his ship. I liked this because it was different. It was cool to see the Enginseer's cold calculating methods for taking down the aliens. Very enjoyable story.

After that there was, "Faces" by Matthew Farrer. I really wanted to like this story as I have just finished the first Arbitor Calpurnia novel and I liked that. I think the real reason I didn't like the story was because I just didn't get it. It was too weird for me, and I just don't know if I'm smart enough to get this story. I'm sure there are tons of people out there that liked it, but it was just too odd for me.
James Gilmer's "Unity" was another weird story, but in a very good way. This reminded me of some of Stephen King's old short stories. This was very dark, and had a very, "horror" feel to it. It is the tale of a space marine and an IG sniper trying to regroup after a failed attack on world that had just recently been taken over by the Tau. Boy to the Kroot seem like bad-asses in this story. I can't go too much into it without spoiling anything, but Gilmer did an excellent job of building the suspense and finishing it the way the story really needed to end.

"The Core" by Aaron Dembski-Bowden is the opposite side of the coin to "Prometheus Requiem". The Night Lords are on the same Hulk as the Salamanders. One of the things I really liked about this story is the fact that while the books do overlap, they are separate stories and each could be read without reading the other. They weren't mere reflections of the other story, they were unique, and the interactions they had were brief and only part of the full story. The only down side I saw with this story is that if you have read, "Soul Hunter," but have not heard the audio book, "Throne of Lies," you may be disoriented with some of the changes that taken place. I think, however, if you haven't read either, this story will work fine.

The last story is Andy Hoare's "Ambition Knows no Bounds". This was a nice story about a Rogee Trader that happens upon this world that seems to have some tombs on it. So they go to check it out. Cue the green lights and thats when the fun starts. This was a pretty well paced book and I thought the ending was very humorous in a very black way. I liked it.

So there you have it. All the stories in this anthology. Most of them were pretty good. I think the closest thing to a "bad" story was "Faces," and I think thats just because it wasn't my kind of story. I give this four severed Mon-keigh skulls out of five.

[Крипта Архівіста (neOh) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fear The Alien: Xenos is No Friend to Man – Review and Thoughts

Gardens of Tycho – Dan Abnett

Sequel to Curiosity and the story of magos Drusher, leading up to The Magos. In a post-war city, something is brutally killing people, and Dan Abnett tells the story of the hunt for this "something" in his signature Eisenhorn-style detective narrative. Of course, compared to Crime or even Abnett’s later works, the investigation here – especially its conclusion – seems somewhat simplistic. But is that really a downside? Of course not!

Fear Itself – Juliet E. McKenna

Under the relentless Tyranid assault, a field surgeon struggles day by day to save his comrades – not just their bodies but their minds as well. As a depiction of the horror Tyranids bring, it's quite effective.

Mistress Baeda's Gift – Braden Campbell

An aging Dark Eldar Archon suddenly… Falls in love! With a mysterious lady, a widow who has just arrived in the Dark City and whose hand he's determined to win. Feeling young again, he embarks on the difficult romantic quest of finding the perfect gift for the lady of his heart (even consulting mon-keigh for advice). His attempts to understand his emotions and win his beloved’s favor were both amusing and managed to achieve something rare truly showcasing the alien nature of the xenos and how fundamentally different they are from humans.

Iron Inferno – C. L. Werner

Never underestimate xenos – especially if they’re Orks. A Japanese-inspired general tries to play 4D chess with them, but Ork kommandoz are hardly the kind to be so easily outwitted. It would be funny if it weren’t so tragic.

Sanctified – Mark Clapham

Home Alone, but instead of a house, it’s a damaged voidship, instead of Kevin, it’s a regular engineseer, and instead of burglars, it’s Corsairs. Since the story is told from the tech-priest’s perspective, it offers interesting insights into his perception of xenos in general and Dark Eldar in particular.

Faces – Matthew Farrer

One of the rare stories about Harlequins and another brilliant work by Farrer, whose uniquely crafted narratives remain impressive even today. A few mortals accidentally touch something they shouldn’t, and their fates intertwine with the Rillietann in a mad phantasmagoria that must be stopped – lest even the Masque itself be put at risk.

Unity – James Gilmer

A mortal soldier and a Raven Guard marine, furious over defeat, retreat after losing a battle against the T’au, planning to strike back again. But the Fire Warriors are not the only warriors of the Empire – auxiliaries and traitors who have joined its ranks are sometimes even more ruthless foes. While the son of Corax here feels more like a raging psychopath (which is occasionally funny), I enjoyed Gilmer’s depiction of Kroot tactics and Gue’vesa betrayal – though, of course, not as detailed as in Nguyen’s or Fehervari’s works.

Prometheus Requiem – Nick Kyme

Part of the Tome of Fire series. If you've read anything from this cycle, you already know what to expect – Salamanders boarding Space Hulk and, in oldy fashion, fighting against Genestealers, visions, and, surprise, Night Lords, who by accident are assaulting Hulk at the same time. All of this is, of course, spiced up with "brother!" shouts and fire. In short, a typical Salamanders story by Nick Kyme, really.

The Core – Aaron Dembski-Bowden

Sequel to The Blood Reaver, retelling the previous story’s events from the perspective of Talos and his mates – the ones responsible for all the mayhem. However, seeing the boarding action through their eyes turns out to be much more entertaining than the ever-serious Salamanders. Especially since Lucoryphus is here, and that guy can make an enjoyable read even from a battle with Genestealers hordes.

Ambition Knows No Bounds – Andy Hoare

Part of the Rogue Trader series. Daughter of the Gerit family enters a Necron tomb to loot its treasures, but things go wrong in the most predictable way possible. A typical filler story that you forget the moment you start the next one.

[Matthew Taylor · Rating 2 out of 5]

A generally unimpressive offering, marking a rare miss for Games Workshop anthologies. The only stories of note to me are a one-note joke Dark Eldar tale and a genuinely interesting tale focused on the Harlequins (worth reading up on your Eldar mythology to fully appreciate it, though). Overall, the surprising prevalence of human-focused stories in an anthology 'about' the various alien races of Warhammer 40,000 was the biggest let down. In a similar way, a story written from an Ork perspective - surely a vehicle for good comedy or dark brutality - manages to find a way to 'humanise' the Ork main character to the point of it having no unique voice.

[Andy Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty good collection of Warhammer 40,000 universe short stories, no just featuring Space Marines for a chance. I enjoyed them as someone who knows a bit about the setting, but not all the details. The stories are:

"Gardens of Tycho" by Dan Abnett. A detective story from a human perspective concerning some strange killings in an industrial city. It seems to feature characters that show up in other stories, but I don't know which.

"Fear Itself" by Juliet E McKenna. Imperial Guard defend against a Tyranid attack.

"Prometheus Requiem" by Nick Kyme. Salamander Space Marines undertake a mission in a space hulk to make amends for a failure a century ago.

"Mistress Baeda's Gift" by Braden Campbell. I really liked this one. Told from a Dark Eldar perspective it's kind-of a love story but gives some really interesting insights into the culture.

"Iron Inferno" by C L Werner. Humans defend against an ork invasion. Told from both sides.

"Sanctified" by Mark Clapham. Told from the perspective of an Engineseer on an Imperial battle cruiser, who gets a bit of a shock.

"Faces" by Matthew Farrer. I didn't like this one as it was a bit weird. I think I understood what was going on by the end, but it was a struggle to read, to be honest. I think some people would love it.

"Unity" by James Gilmer. An Imperial Guardsman and a Space Marine evade Tau and Kroot.

"The Core" by Aaron Dembski-Bowden. Chaos Marines board a space hulk. I obviously wasn't paying attention but apparently it's the same one from "Prometheus Requiem" above. They work as stand alone stories too.

"Ambition Knows no Bounds" by Andy Hoare. A Rogue Trader searches for treasure in a massive, ancient tomb with fairly predictable consequences.

[Rooney · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's always difficult to rate this types of books, as the often eclectic selection of authors means they are almost always a mixed bag. Some of these stories are really good, and some are... not.

Depending on what sort of WH40K stories you like, your experience of this volume will vary. But it's worth it for the good ones!

[Sidney D · Rating 4 out of 5]

All hits, no misses! But it could've used more aliens.

Solid and interesting stories, though I was hoping for a bit more insight into any of the aliens involved than we got.

Most of these tales are from the point of view of humans and space marines fighting aliens, which makes it the same as pretty much every other 40K anthology, besides a few gems.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent

[Ulzeta · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quite boring.

[Drayke Larson · Rating 4 out of 5]

There were definitely a couple of clunkers in here, but for the most part this collection of short stories is worth reading. I especially enjoyed the Dark Eldar short. It was fun and had many of the elements of a cultural myth, as though it was being passed on from an elder to a young member of the tribe. In a culture where pain, deceit and hatred are revered, but still.

As always, for me, the weakest stories are always those focusing on the space marines. Yes, we get it, they're supermen with little emotion and no fear. This also makes them totally unrelatable. It's bad when I find more common ground with poorly described asshole commissar characters than the supermen protagonists. Basically, what I am saying is:
Dear Black Library,
I buy lots and lots of your books, and I would very, very much like to read more novels about the people of the Warhammer40k universe, and less about the unemotional superheroes. The Imperial Guard and Inquisition are obvious choices, but remember how much of "Dead Men Walking" focused on someone who wasn't even in the military? That was fantastic, please encourage more of that!

[Jean-Luc · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are 2 stories in this book about a space hulk. The same space hulk. One is from the POV of the Salamanders (space marines) and the other is from the POV of the Night Lords (chaos space marines). Yes, there are aliens. The 2 group clash w/ the aliens, then each other, then the aliens some more. These 2 stories together ruined space marines for me. Space marines are supposed to be supermen, but the Salamanders behave so stupidly that it's impossible to take them seriously. Then the Night Lords behave as if they have goals that they are trying to accomplish, so I found myself far more interested in what the forces of chaos are up to! How strange and not like me at all.

Elsewhere, we've got Tyranids, Dark Eldar, Necrons, Orks, Tau. Fun for everyone! If you enjoy any aspect of the Warhammer universe, you will love this anthology.

[Jimmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

It kicks off with a Dan Abnett short story.
Price of admission paid right there.
A number of the short stories tie into ongoing novel series which is great if you're reading the novels and annoying if you're not.

My favourites of the stories are
Gardens of Tycho by Dan Abnett
Prometheus Requiem by Nick Kyme, a companion story to the Tome of Fire trilogy
The Core by Aaron Dembski-Bowden, a companion story to the Night Lords trilogy
Ambition Knows No Bounds by Andy Hoare

[Chris · Rating 1 out of 5]

I think i'm growing out of Warhammer 40k books now, as much as it pains me to be a book snob I must say that when you start reading classics by literary giants such as Turgenev, Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Robert Louis Stevenson and Steinbeck you soon grow out of genetically modified super soldiers blasting aliens to pieces. The main problem with the Warhammer 40k series is that once you've read one you really don't need to bother reading the others.

[Olli Booms · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, as with most of these things it's a mixed bag. Some of the stories - the ones by BL stalwarts Abnett, Kyme and Dembski-Bowden come to mind - are pretty great reads, whereas some others don't reach much beyond generic or bland.
Which evens out to 'average' for the collection in total, I suppose.

[Christian]

This is a very uneven collection, mishmash really, of short stories. I chose this collection as a change of pace as I had been reading novels and I wanted to try reading short stories. The good thing is that when I didn't like the story I knew it would end shortly. Unfortunately, some stories also ended abruptly. I am indifferent to this collection.

[Rob Sanchez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many great short stories, quite a few "space hulk" type stories though never the less a good quick read.

[Steve Irvine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent range of different stories from a few different perspectives. I really enjoyed them all. Worth a read if you like WH40K universe, and/or SciFi generally.

[Matt Holland · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh, ok.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some great stories, very good read for an afternoon. Recommended for anyone that likes to read short stories.

[Jez Higgins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bit of curate's egg.

[Berta Kleiner]

Dan Abnett!

[Nathan Avery · Rating 3 out of 5]

Public Service announcement: the cover has an ork on it, but only one of the stories is about orks.. and it is one of the shortest. Zog it.