The Wolftime

Dawn of Fire #3

by Gav Thorpe

Dawn of Fire book 3

Book three spins the saga of the Space Wolves as they stand against rampaging xenos hordes. Logan Grimnar faces a momentous decision that will impact the future of the chapter itself.

READ IT BECAUSE
Discover how the Cicatrix Maledictum affects even the most stubborn and steadfast of the Imperium’s warriors, as traditions the Space Wolves hold dear may be stopping them from defending the Imperium to the best of their abilities.

THE STORY
The Indomitus Crusade has brought the Emperor's vengeance to thousands of star systems. The fleets and armies under the leadership of Roboute Guilliman fight for the survival of humanity against the forces of the Chaos Gods. But the traitors and heretics are not the only foe looking to destroy the rule of Terra.

Xenos prey on human worlds in numbers not seen for millennia. Worst amongst them are the rampaging orks, whose migration conquests threaten to reverse the many gains of Fleet Primus. And their throaty bellows carry a name not heard in years, of destruction made flesh, a bestial warlord without peer: Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka.

In the midst of this brutal tide is Fenris, the world of the Space Wolves. Depleted by ever-greater demands on their warriors, called upon by the Legion-breaker Guilliman, the Wolves of Fenris face a momentous decision. Grimnar and his counsellors must choose whether their fate is to ally themselves with an ancient rival and risk all that makes them the Vlka Fenryka or to accept their demise and wait for the return of their own primarch and the coming of the Wolftime.

Genres: 40k, Audiobook, Science Fiction, Fiction, Fantasy

368 pages, Paperback

First published November 13, 2021

About the author

Gav spent 14 years as a developer for Games Workshop, and started writing novels and short stories in the worlds of Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000 when the Black Library imprint was launched in 1997.

He continues to write for Black Library, and his first 'homegrown' novel series The Crown of the Blood has been released via Angry Robot.

Currently living in Nottingham, Gav shares his home with his loving and very understanding partner - Kez, and their beautiful little boy - Sammy.

Reviews

[Richard · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the first of the Dawn of Fire books that really felt bogged down by needing to cover so many aspects of the Indomitus Crusade. I think part of the problem in that, however, is that most of our viewpoints barely advance the plot and so things feel stretched very thin by the end. Overall, I liked aspects of this more than I liked it as a whole. Some minor plot spoilers below:


The story of Gaius trying to integrate himself into the Space Wolves as a Primaris Son of Russ is great (Even if it occasionally feels like a rehash of the William King Space Wolves books towards the end) and I would have been happy to read this story alone if it were expanded into it's own book. The subplots tied into his story were also interesting and, again, would have been a great subplot for a single story tying Gaius to Fenris. Unfortunately, it's a bit lost at first in the larger book.

Spending time with the big names of the Space Wolves was interesting at first, but ultimately felt bogged down by the fact that they weren't doing anything other than turning their nose up at Guilliman's reinforcements and wandering the Aett crying about it being The Wolftime. The Space Wolves can be fantastic and I love insights into their culture, but as a part of this book this largely felt like it didn't do much for them.

That said, Njal was really interesting to follow and I hope we see more of his journey set up here somewhere else. On the flip side, I haven't perhaps read everything Space Wolves related, but I found Bjorn really out of character here from the usually well spoken, but terrifyingly powerful Dreadnought. He really just shows up to say how much he thinks Guilliman sucks and that it. Maybe they roused him on the wrong side of the ancient casket that day.

For the other plot threads, the historitor stuff continues the story of the last book a bit and I like Vychellan. Colquan is a raging arsehole as usual and it's really taken to the extreme in this book to the point where I really wanted to skim scenes he was featured in since I knew he'd just continue to be a jerk. Largely the rest of the book is setup for future plotlines that will hopefully be more interesting than the setup we see here, because they were largely not worth noting.

[William Adams · Rating 2 out of 5]

Who keeps letting Gav Thorpe write books?

[AA_Logan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ll be honest, I struggled with the first quarter or so of this book- the book took me more than a month to read rather than my usual day or two. It might have been down to me rather than the quality of the novel, since I tore through it once I got going though, it’s one of Thorpe’s best.

On the surface it’s about the integration of Primaris marines into the Space Wolves and the response to the increasing ork threat in the wake of the Great Rift opening, but it’s so much more than that. Ferris Ian culture is one of the most deeply mined in 40K, but this is an exploration of that as good as you find in the original Space Wolves novels by Bill King or Chris Wraight’s later works. Through the enthusiastic eyes of Gaius we see the Space Wolves as he first learns of the chapter to reality of his first encounters with his gene-kin. His story consciously mirrors the earlier Space Wolves stories and builds upon them. Like the other Dawn of Fire books to date we also consider the nature of life the Imperium from so many new perspectives and weigh up it’s morality. While the book doesn’t have the big revelation some thought the title suggested, it does contain some interesting pointers to the future narrative of 40K.

[Frédéric · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've never been a Space Wolves fan, but I have to admit that their inclusion in the Indomitus Crusade is well orchestrated.
As far as I'm concerned, Grimnar is just a big bully with a chip on his shoulder but he's well characterised, just like Gaius and his desire to belong to the pack or Gytha and her need to fulfil her wyrd.
The book is also linked to the previous volume, so an overall plot is beginning to emerge. So far it's still a great pleasure to read the Dawn of Fire series.

John Banks takes great pleasure in growling the various Fenris characters and us along with him.

[Fiona · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF
I gave it more than four chances. Ever since the first time I read the horrendous term "murder-make" in the Horus Heresy novels, I accepted that Space Wolves make me cringe. At least I am trying to, because I'm seriously interested in the overall story of the 30k and 40k universe. Hence the many chances, hoping to get through the worst parts and into easier reading afterwards.

Why did it fail this time?

I'm trying hard to put my finger on what exactly infuriates me so much about them. I could try technical: they incorporate about the worst and most superficial interpretation of Viking lore I've ever seen. The very fact that they use futhark... and authors not inventing terms, but going ahead asking google what to use from the north Germanic languages, it all contradicts the canon: Every other culture from before 2k is extinct and forgotten, except when archaeologists dig them up and those who do will quickly find themselves on the pointy end of the Inquisition or similar scrutiny. I know myself, I like superficial and comical in its proper context, but this utter break with canon pushes me beyond my limit.

To give this point more perspective: The Space Wolves by themselves are just Space Marines. Their genes dictate a lot, but not their Viking-oriented culture. This culture comes from Fenris, the forzen Deathworld their mortal, perfectly human recruits come from. This whole planet is covered with nomadic people who enact this would-be Viking culture, use the northern runes and terminology, and their skalds or seers are the creators of poor, cringy "kennings" like that prosaic misfit "murder-make". How did that happen? I'm asking about the history of these people, where did they come from, how could the first colonists of Fenris bring along a culture that was already dead before humanity even knew space travel? How could this culture re-invent itself so absolutely by accident?
Other planets developed cultures like the Greek, or Egyptian, or Romans, and so forth. There always was kinship, never outright imposture. Only the Fenris culture is a cheap rip-off. So, part of my emotion comes from Space Wolves being entirely less refined than almost any other sci-fi creation within the 30k and 40k universe.

The Space Wolves are the most superstitious lot of all the factions, but at the same time as careless as the World Eaters. They did great damage to the Emperor's Imperium during the Horus Heresy, because they were so naive and easily led astray.

Furthermore: There are no wolves on Fenris. The wolf-like predators are warp daemons twisted into the shape of large canines, and the Space Wolves are the same. Like Blood Angels and Thousand Sons, they are the most volatile gene-creations of the Emperor, prone to mutation and too closely aligned with the warp. These other factions struggle hard with the consequences of both their homeworld's culture and their inbred flaws. Only the Space Wolves wear plot armour, and that's taking all the fun out of it.

Here I inject the emotional side of my reason: I used to love them. My first contact with Warhammer was through the miniatures and army codices. The models and Codex painted a very different picture of the wise lone wolves, who are pretty much a step ahead of everybody else, (though their wolf-fixation in naming patterns will make even the edgiest Furry cringe). Russ and his closest associates are aware of their crimes and strive to redeem themselves. Logan Grimnar is a calm character, imposing by his strength to restrain his immense capacity for bloodshed, while Ulric the Slayer was simply the mythical figure, the spiritual guide, the seer, who spoke little and invoked wisdom with the merest gesture.

In The Wolftime, both these childhood heroes are suicidal berserkers who gloss over their past mistakes by inflating every wrong, true or imagined, ever put against them. They insult anybody at any opportunity, hoping to get another excuse for fratercide. When they find no way to wriggle out of their oaths, they cry treason! No wisdom, no desire to learn, desperately seeking excuses in warp visions and snatches of symbolism to finally pull off their selfish last stand and die somewhere. They put the Imperium of Men at risk for their own Agenda, more than any Dark Angel ever would.

Obviously, I am not happy. But I think some of my points are still valid and border-line objective to count for a review.

[Ridel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Logan Grimnar Thanksgiving

The Wolftime asks a fundamental question: which came first, the chicken or the egg? The Space Wolves are arrogant peacocks who have good cause to mistrust the Imperium, but also do their best to bite the hand that feeds. Into this comes a surprisingly character-driven story of brotherhood, galactic politics and ancient grudges. For the Space Wolves, the return of Guilliman marks the return of a rival instead of a saviour. Allegedly there’s also an Ork threat that provides some requisite bolter porn, but one shouldn’t pay that any attention.

Are you ready for Norse mythology? The Wolftime is very much a Space Wolves novel, and could belong in a future third omnibus. The Indomitus Crusade is not so much a military campaign but a force of nature, and readers should not expect any real progress on that front. Instead, we witness the tale of Gaius, an established Primaris marine that needs to find his place amongst the Great Companies. Introducing outsiders to the close-knit, unique (amongst the Imperium) culture of the Vlka Fenryka is worthy of a novel in itself, and I really do appreciate the homage to Norse myths as Gaius bridges the gap of being born brothers, but not raised as such.

Gaius is just the first of many though, and the Lord Regent calls on the Space Wolves while simultaneously offering them reinforcements. That this is politically complicated goes without saying, literally, as the author assumes the reader is familiar with all sorts of background trivia. Grimnar’s philosophical dilemma to accept reinforcements is absurd as presented, and though I recall ten millenia of friendly fire, I think Gav Thorpe could have chosen to spend a bit more time on the background for the key problem in this novel. The resolution is suitably messy though, and thematically grimdark.

There’s a lot more in this novel, including a link back to The Gate of Bones and an Ork threat that rivals Ullanor and the Beast. Despite some tortuous scenes, the latter is treated as an afterthought, and I find this hilariously apt. The Imperium needs to get its act together, and Grimnar’s pride is actually more important than yet-another-xenos-crisis. Yes, there’s plenty of war and death, but The Wolftime is about relationships: how to connect, get together for a feast, ignore the racist uncle, and overcome family grudges.

Recommended for 40K fans.

[Kingsley Houston · Rating 1 out of 5]

I think there's a good novella buried in there, but as it is it manages to feel bloated an underwritten at the same time. Structurally is a bit of a mess, with many parallel side stories, which barely interact with the main plot, and it chops back and forth between them far too much in the early chapters, so you barely get any time with the main story.

The story of Gaius, a Space Wolves unnumbered son, learning the ways of Fenris is the heart of the novel, but doesn't really get the focus until the last third of the book. I think this story on its own would have been pretty satisfying, but it's doled out in little chunks early on and the other stories are much less engaging.

The politics of Fenris take up way too much of the limelight, and it seems like the same characters have the same conversations several times, without any growth until everything gets very suddenly resolved at the end.

There is also a story line about the crusade and the historiters, which has a lot of focus, but seems like it was cut short, with a jump forward in the timeline at the end. It really feels like it's setting up something to happen to that group of characters, but then the next time you see them they just make a quick reference to what happened and the story ends.

I wouldn't recommend reading this book, unless you could manage to only read the sections with Gaius and Ghita and skip the rest. Unfortunately that's not so simple because each chapter has a bit of 2 to 4 subplots in it, so you might struggle to find the relevant sections.

[Chris Dennison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gav Thorpe does to the Space Wolves what he’s been doing to the Dark Angels for years!

This was almost a 4 star rating book. The book is well written as always by Thorpe, and the story was enjoyable enough despite the misleading title. However the author has managed to make the Space Wolves appear foolish through most of the book by continually making decisions that are akin to them cutting off their noses to spite their faces! The Space wolves are independent. We get it. They are not stupid. On the cusp of extinction they make poor decisions time and time again in a bid to uphold that independence. I understand he need to build in conflict into a story but the path Thorpe chooses to tread just makes Logan Grimnar, a well respected and loved character appear weak and argumentative for the sake of it.
I can’t help but feel this story could have been told better which is a shame.
Despite this it is still worth a read if only because it adds some context to the events of the previous book in the series and starts to make the Dawn of fire series feel a little more cohesive.

[Aiden · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, on one hand this is certainly the novel for Space Wolves in M41. We watch the chapter's stubbornness and distrust of 'legion-breaker' Guilliman and the Primaris project pair against the slow disintegration of their territories, home and culture.
While I'm not a fan of the brashness of the Space Wolves - perhaps there lies some prejudice - having no focus on the wider Crusade or Imperium and just focusing on a Chapter in attitude we could have easily predicted made the story feel empty of wider meaning
2/10

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cunnnig, world building event, plot twists and a roller coaster ride!

[James Moore · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not very good, theres potentially a good novella here in the form of the Gaius subplot but the rest is outright boring.

[Tomasz · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 gwiazdki. Jednak trochę za długa, przydałoby się odchudzić książkę o 100-200 stron i zwiększyć tempo. Mimo wszystko bardzo dobra książka dla fanów Kosmicznych Wilków.

[Kyle T · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite the 3 stars I've given it, The Wolftime is still a good book that was an enjoyable listen as an audiobook... but it feels almost like a filler book in the Dawn of Fire series. The first two novels either set the stage or progress the storyline and action. There's intense battles, a larger storyline revealing itself, and a terrible weapon that's been uncovered. Then there's the Wolftime which could honestly just be a standalone Space Wolves novel. They reference things from the previous books, but it's only until the second to last chapter (or third to last, can't remember) where they really start to explain why this book is in the series.

Thinking about it in isolation, it's a 4 out of 5. A solid book, but one that ultimately suffers from the "nothing really happens" issue. To avoid spoilers I'll just say that this book is almost completely centered around the space wolves being stubborn and not wanting to accept primaris marines into their ranks. It offers some interesting moments between first-born and primaris marines though! And the conclusion to Gaius' storyline was nice. I think his storyline is probably the best in the book.

[Tanner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Space Wolves are still cringy (wolf-this, wolf-that…), but I like them slightly more after this.

The story has varied pacing and runs a pretty long, but it’s a necessary one to tell in the context of the Indomitus Crusade. The Space Wolves have a long history of reacting with unnecessary, big-dumb violence to any authority (Imperial or otherwise). So convincing them to accept the Primaris reinforcements and fall in line under Guilliman is no small feat. I wouldn’t want that task, but Gav Thorpe does a great job here.

The dynamic between the Primaris Astartes and the Fenrisian firstborns was interesting. For a while, it reads like cliché high school hazing: the new kids get mocked for being too clean, too disciplined, not “feral” enough. But eventually, Sergeant Gaius, a Primaris marine desperate to be accepted, snaps and delivers the speech all the Space Wolves-haters were hoping for:

“You’re all vain, empty beasts. You talk of honour, of accounting the dead, of glory in battle but you are just inbred hounds rolling in the filth. You would all be ork-dead by now, if not for me and my brothers, but that’s not enough. I could bleed my last drop of blood for you, watch it freeze on your Emperor-abandoned drop-hole of a world and still you would not call me a Wolf of Fenris.”

That last line alone almost made me howl...

[Goran Zoricic · Rating 4 out of 5]

My god, the Space Wolves can be annoying sometimes. This is a fun read, with not that much combat, focused on the clash between tradition and belief on one side and common sense and necessity on the other. I think it lacks any crucial lore progression, so it feels like another 'side quest' of the Indomitus Crusade.

[Gary · Rating 4 out of 5]

An up to date look into the space wolves

This was a surprise for me, I'm not the biggest fan of Gav Thorpe however he has managed to not only capture the spirit of Fenris so well but also brings a fascinating in depth look into how the space wolves of old view the re-emergence of a Primarch and his gift of the Primaris marines.

Great story telling, compelling lead characters and a fantastic continuation of th Dawn of Fire arch. Only downside for me was the action scenes, they felt a little flat. Actually to be fair the action on Fenris worked but the space hulk sections did not.

Overall great story and a welcome addition to the Dawn of Fire series

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably the best entry in the Dawn of Fire series so far. I had seen a few complaints before I read regarding the Space Wolves differing vocabulary but it is still a hundred times less complicated than the language used in A Clockwork Orange, and for the rare cases where context is not enough to discern what they are saying, there is a guide in the back. The story itself is interesting across most of the characters, and for the first time you really get to see the divide in a Chapter as Firstborn Marines grapple with the impending inclusion and possible replacement by Primaris. Some of the characters are stupidly stubborn, but it isn't out of character for any of them. Quality read.

[Matthew Wake · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some very interesting ideas of identity and integration within the space marines chapters for the new Primaris Marines are explored. There is a nice continuation of the Historitors storyline, and some additional world building occurs.
However, it largely feels as though there is no real progress with the overarching Indomitus Crusade storyline. The pace, at times, feels slow and we get bogged down with moments and characters that in the end have little to do with the main series narrative.
It does however give great detail and character for the Space Wolves, their culture, language and history, and how they are faring in this time.

Well worth the read if you stick with it!

[Michael Haspil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Space Wolves novel. Seemed a little disjointed at the start but it all comes together in the end. Really finds its legs when Gaius gets to Fenris.

[untitled lullaby · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had fun reading this to my husband it doesn’t matter how many times we wanted to punch the great wolf.

[James Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

Guilliman's Indomitus Crusade has broken out into the galaxy and is pushing back the archenemy and reconnecting with worlds, at least on this side of the Great Rift. But he's come up against his great opposition so far... the Great Wolf of Fenris. Logan Grimnar is the Chapter Master of the Space Wolves chapter. While he's totally loyal to the Imperium he does not trust Guilliman known to the Wolves as 'the Legion Breaker' and who's claiming of the the regency has echoes of the Warmaster and the Hersey. Can the Primarch convince the Wolves to take their Primarius reinforcemets and of his good intentions before they wipe themselves out facing resurgent Ork forces.

Another solid entry into this series. You've got the slow burning story of Historitors and the crusade in general which weaves through the whole series. Then there is a great story about Gaius a Primarius marine of Russ's bloodline who needs to prove himself to his new chapter brothers. Then there is Geeta, a tribeswoman of Fenris, who has a vision she need the wolves to hear. If only she can cross the Death world she lives on to tell them.

[carlo lanasa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started and finished this book while on vacation over the course of only five days. I enjoyed it much more than the first Dawn of Fire novel, but not more than the second. I was wary to pick this up because I am not a fan of the space wolves and how overdone everything is in “wolf”.

If you are looking for a 40K book soaked with combat and action this is not the book for you, but I enjoyed how it felt as if they were building anticipation for the events to come. I feel as is this book was a representation of how people in real life are wary of the Primaris minis, the in-lore characters are also wary of the coming of Primaris as well. The story of Gaius was well told and a they flesh out life on Fenris very well.

Overall I feel as if it was not exactly a “filler” episode, but more of a laying out of things to come.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

I honestly could not read much of The Wolftime in one sitting. The amount of “wolfisms” in this book was just too high for my taste. I believe Mr. Thorpe was teething to appeal to a specific audience - namely space wolf fans - while leaving the rest of us out in the cold (no pun intended).

I didn’t find the characters’ motivations to be sensible and the pace of the story was jarring, jumping forward and backward in time and place.

I found myself looking forward to Gytha and Guilliman’s stories the most, and coming to dread the parts of the book in which characters had to interact with the Sky Warriors of Fenris. The dialogue and descriptions provided in these portions of the book were enough to ruin my suspension of disbelief and totally remove me from the story.

[Christian Hamilton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Apart from an enjoyable bout with the Night Lords, the book starts off incredibly slow to the point that I wondered if I would finish it. There are meandering chapters in a space hulk that go on and on… and on, and quite a lot of exposition that grinds the story down.

However, it gets better. Much better. As the Indomitus Crusade reaches Fenris and Guilliman meets with the Great Wolf, things get very interesting indeed. The best parts involve Gaius, a wannabe Space Wolf, and the struggles of the Primaris Marines to adapt to the culture of the Fenrisians is fascinating.

I believe it’s worth a read, but it takes a while to get there. Of course, every part with Guilliman is worthy of reading.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I struggled with parts of this book. There were times where it dragged on—these same parts consisted of Space Wolf soap opera drama. Does this book add value to the lore? Yes. Does it have to be this long? No. There were several plots going on at the same time, and at times they were hard to follow. One that stood out to me is towards the end when Ullr finds a boy and says something to the tune of “I found a boy like this over half a millennia ago. His name is Logan.” It could have been a cool callback, but I was ready for this novel to be over.
Overall, I would recommend this to people interested in the Space Wolves and maybe for some interesting lore drops for the War of the Beast (most interesting parts for me.)
3/5

[JAMES AMOR · Rating 5 out of 5]

Primaris Wolves Enough Said

Finally a future for the sons of russ to prosper and grow. Momentous 40k history is made in this book. The fact the wolves can finally create successor chapters and blend there uniqueness and strength with primaris enhancement and assets biological and technological is nothing short of a game changer for the empire of mankind. I've read the plague wars and three of the dawn of fire novels I've downloaded the fourth dawn of fire novel and will start devouring it after I've finished this review. The indomitus crusade books and lore has revitalised the 40k universe for me and so many other warhammer lovers thankyou.

[Frank · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gav Thorpe is.... not great, usually, and this book is not great. The whole beginning is a muguffin, and just about every plot line he spends the whole book laying down he wraps up in a page or two, or worse wraps up off-page, skipping ahead to where suddenly everything is settled because he doesn't know how to write it. The one plot he does spell out I skipped whole sections of because I couldn't be made to care about the characters involved AND IT STILL ends abruptly without any proper resolution.

[Brie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Messy book filled with a lot of plots that don't connect well to a larger narrative. Disjointed. Best stuff in the book was Gaius telling off the Wolves and jumping out of the gunship. Takes a weirdly long amount of time for the plot to get going, but then it ends very abruptly. The book started to work for me in the final third, but that abrupt ending killed any momentum of enjoyment. This could have been a novella and it would have worked better. If you're reading the Dawn of Fire series, this is an easy skip.

[Alexandre · Rating 1 out of 5]

The first third was a pain, Spacewolf are just too clownish for me, wolf this wolf that... Tiresome.

It does pick up in the middle but they remain uni-dimensional and kinda boring, the Norse theme could be expended maybe...

I'll keep reading the serie, it's just not a fun book.

EDIT: I should add that my rating is based on my personal enjoyment of this book only, the story and character just didn't really resonate with me.

[Matas Petravičius · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gav Thorpe fails to disappoint. This novel does an amazing job in fleshing out the Space Wolves chapter in the current setting of the lore - stubborn, hardy bastards that care as much about the thrill of battle as preserving their traditions and protecting the Imperium.
The interaction and dynamics of power, politics and intrigue are vividly described, and though somewhat predictable, remain fascinating nevertheless.
It is clear that some plotlines were given much more love than others and the book was driven to a notably rushed conclusion, but when the only bad thing you have to say about a piece of literature is that there should have been more of it, you have a worthy read on your hands. Absolutely recommend.