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Tome of Fire #1
Salamander
Hailing from the volcanic world of Nocturne, Space Marines from the Salamanders Chapter are in search of an ancient artefact that leads to a world overrun by Chaos. They are the fire-born: implacable warriors with iron hard determination. But all is not what it seems as far more dangerous foe is revealed. As bitter rivalries break out amongst the Salamanders their endurance will be tested to the limit. Will the Salamanders survive long enough to discover the truth about this world and the revelations that will shake the very foundations of this Chapter forever?
445 pages, Paperback
First published August 25, 2009
62 people are currently reading
798 people want to read
About the author
Nick Kyme
280 books162 followersNick Kyme (b. 1977) writes mostly for Black Library. His credits include the popular Salamanders series and several audio dramas.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
February 19, 2012
This book is so bad I had to write a review to warn others to save themselves! Unlike some of the other reviewers I've seen, I've been a fan of 40K universe since I got my first copy of Rogue Trader in 1989. So the fact that this book is perceived as terrible is not something limited to newcomers. As an editor, Nick Kyme may be good at his job (I can't speak to that), but as a writer he is absolutely atrocious. This book reads like the worst kind of fan fiction, overflowing with Mary Sue characters and names full of apostrophes, easily one of the most overused tropes in science fiction. I'm not sure who his editor was but he needs to have his position re-evaluated. I cannot even conceive of how this book made it to print. The Black Library usually has the highest standards and their tie-in books consistently outshine all other series. That is, until this horrible thing reached print. If I were a newcomer to the Warhammer 40,000 universe, Salamander would put me off the whole thing.
Salamander is painfully overwritten and whole passages look as though Kyme just went to a thesaurus and copied out entire entries. Here is an example: "He cut and cleaved, and rent and slashed, and gored and sundered until a grisly wall of body parts surrounded him." I wonder which edition of Roget's Thesaurus this came from? I would need a thesaurus myself to express all of my disdain for this title. Do yourself a favor: pick up the Space Wolf Omnibus, or the Enforcer Omnibus, or -in fact- any GW book not written by Nick Kyme. If you've already read this one then get the bad taste out of your mouth with a piece of quality writing. If you haven't, then run for the hills and don't look back. The only purpose I can see this book serving is propping up the short leg of the couch.
Please, Nick Kyme, for the sake of humanity do not write another thing, not even a grocery list.
Salamander is painfully overwritten and whole passages look as though Kyme just went to a thesaurus and copied out entire entries. Here is an example: "He cut and cleaved, and rent and slashed, and gored and sundered until a grisly wall of body parts surrounded him." I wonder which edition of Roget's Thesaurus this came from? I would need a thesaurus myself to express all of my disdain for this title. Do yourself a favor: pick up the Space Wolf Omnibus, or the Enforcer Omnibus, or -in fact- any GW book not written by Nick Kyme. If you've already read this one then get the bad taste out of your mouth with a piece of quality writing. If you haven't, then run for the hills and don't look back. The only purpose I can see this book serving is propping up the short leg of the couch.
Please, Nick Kyme, for the sake of humanity do not write another thing, not even a grocery list.
September 4, 2013
Salamander's are my favorite legion. Even in Hellsreach, which they only played a minor role, they reveled in their power as protectors of the weak. More then any of the other's I've read about, these guys seem to be most in touch with their human side. This whole book seems to be a demonstration that this tenancy can be a good thing, or a bad thing.
The 3rd Company of the Salamander's legion has some serious political issues going on. Their leader died at the hand of traitors and their new leader has yet to prove his mettle. Tempers are high and old cultural prejudices (that are basically irrelevant given the fact that NONE OF THESE PEOPLE ARE EVEN A PART OF HUMAN SOCIETY ANYMORE!!) are re-cultivated.
The names of these guys are really hard to pronounce, so I ended up calling them by the first letter of their name (which gets hard when another character is introduced that has the SAME LETTTER!) D and T have a deep antagonism....back when they were regular humans, D was an Ignian...A lowlife nomad-scum who lived in caves...and T was of the upper class. They are now both Space Marines of equal rank, but T will never forgive him for being a lowborn. He actually calls D "Ignian" most of the time and it's totally in a derogatory way.
Despite all this, they end up saving each other's lives a couple times because, even though they completely despise each other, they're battle-brothers now too.
The gang of the 3rd Company (P,N,B,D,T,I et. all) finds a box that might or might not hold a clue about what happened to the Salamander's Primarch, Vulkan (which is basically like their grandpappy, all the Salamanders have his gene-seed). And the adventure begins! Dastardly conspiracies, betrayals, intrigue, trials, and a teeny-tiny revelation right near the end...a little hint to keep you hoping that the NEXT book in the series will actually tell you what happened to Vulkan (there are two more).
The Salamanders are more human then other Asartes. They can be petty, they can be power hungry and sadistic. But they can also be good; they can be compassionate. When they find a population of humans on an alien planet, their first instinct is to protect the human's and maintain their dignity even though they could squish them like a pea. This works out well, because it turns out they're all related! (Yay!)
This book was most enjoyable. I'd recommend it to people who are familiar with the Warhammer 40K universe or who are interested in this genre. For other people it might come across as really dense literature.
In my favorite passage from the book, T just started being a jerk to D again, and B uses this analogy to illustrate a failed friendship:
"'When I was in my youth, a mere neophyte,' Ba'ken began as Dak'ir sheathed his chainsword and holstered his plasma pistol, 'I forged my first blade. It was a gleaming thing-sharp-edged and strong- the most magnificen weapon I had ever seen because it was mine, and I had made it. I trained with the blade constantly, so hard it broke. Despite my best efforts, the hours I spent in the forges, I could not repair it.'
'The first blade is always the most precious, and the least effective, Ba'ken,' Dak'ir replied, intent on maglocking his battle-helm to the weapons belt of his power armor.
'No, brother-sargent,' answered the hulking Salamander, 'that is not what I meant.'
'Some bonds, they cannot be made however much we want them to be,' Ba'ken told him. 'The metal, you see. It was flawed. No matter how long I spent at the anvil, I could not reforge it. Nothing could.'
Dak'ir's expression darkened and his red eyes dimmed in what might have been regret.
'Let's not keep our brothers waiting any longer, Ba'ken.'
'At your command,' Ba'ken replied, unable to keep the hint of melancholy out of his voice. He had neglected to mention that he had kept the blade, in the hope he would one day restore it."
The 3rd Company of the Salamander's legion has some serious political issues going on. Their leader died at the hand of traitors and their new leader has yet to prove his mettle. Tempers are high and old cultural prejudices (that are basically irrelevant given the fact that NONE OF THESE PEOPLE ARE EVEN A PART OF HUMAN SOCIETY ANYMORE!!) are re-cultivated.
The names of these guys are really hard to pronounce, so I ended up calling them by the first letter of their name (which gets hard when another character is introduced that has the SAME LETTTER!) D and T have a deep antagonism....back when they were regular humans, D was an Ignian...A lowlife nomad-scum who lived in caves...and T was of the upper class. They are now both Space Marines of equal rank, but T will never forgive him for being a lowborn. He actually calls D "Ignian" most of the time and it's totally in a derogatory way.
Despite all this, they end up saving each other's lives a couple times because, even though they completely despise each other, they're battle-brothers now too.
The gang of the 3rd Company (P,N,B,D,T,I et. all) finds a box that might or might not hold a clue about what happened to the Salamander's Primarch, Vulkan (which is basically like their grandpappy, all the Salamanders have his gene-seed). And the adventure begins! Dastardly conspiracies, betrayals, intrigue, trials, and a teeny-tiny revelation right near the end...a little hint to keep you hoping that the NEXT book in the series will actually tell you what happened to Vulkan (there are two more).
The Salamanders are more human then other Asartes. They can be petty, they can be power hungry and sadistic. But they can also be good; they can be compassionate. When they find a population of humans on an alien planet, their first instinct is to protect the human's and maintain their dignity even though they could squish them like a pea. This works out well, because it turns out they're all related! (Yay!)
This book was most enjoyable. I'd recommend it to people who are familiar with the Warhammer 40K universe or who are interested in this genre. For other people it might come across as really dense literature.
In my favorite passage from the book, T just started being a jerk to D again, and B uses this analogy to illustrate a failed friendship:
"'When I was in my youth, a mere neophyte,' Ba'ken began as Dak'ir sheathed his chainsword and holstered his plasma pistol, 'I forged my first blade. It was a gleaming thing-sharp-edged and strong- the most magnificen weapon I had ever seen because it was mine, and I had made it. I trained with the blade constantly, so hard it broke. Despite my best efforts, the hours I spent in the forges, I could not repair it.'
'The first blade is always the most precious, and the least effective, Ba'ken,' Dak'ir replied, intent on maglocking his battle-helm to the weapons belt of his power armor.
'No, brother-sargent,' answered the hulking Salamander, 'that is not what I meant.'
'Some bonds, they cannot be made however much we want them to be,' Ba'ken told him. 'The metal, you see. It was flawed. No matter how long I spent at the anvil, I could not reforge it. Nothing could.'
Dak'ir's expression darkened and his red eyes dimmed in what might have been regret.
'Let's not keep our brothers waiting any longer, Ba'ken.'
'At your command,' Ba'ken replied, unable to keep the hint of melancholy out of his voice. He had neglected to mention that he had kept the blade, in the hope he would one day restore it."
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 19, 2018
A solid, entertaining Warhammer 40k tale that focuses on the Salamander's chapter. I'd not read much featuring the 18th Legion before but this was definitely a good introduction. While the book does set itself up for sequels, it still finishes off the main conflict by the end, leaving the reader sated but also tempted by more.
If you're into WH40k and like a mix of heresy, Chaos marines, and xenos then this is probably a great book for you. If you've never read WH40k it's a decent introduction and a well written example of the genre.
If you're into WH40k and like a mix of heresy, Chaos marines, and xenos then this is probably a great book for you. If you've never read WH40k it's a decent introduction and a well written example of the genre.
December 7, 2013
If you're not already at least conversant in some of the details of the Warhammer 40,000 universe, this book would be a difficult read. If you are aware of 40k, then this is the first in-depth look at the former Space Marine Legion of the Salamanders, their internal lore and traditions.
Always a small Legion, and nearly destroyed by the traitors during the Horus Heresy, the Salamanders are barely able to field a Chapter 10,000 years after the Heresy. But what they lack in numbers, they make up for in tradition and fighting skill. Less detached from humanity than most other Space Marines, the Salamanders work harder to save lives than to destroy humanity's enemies.
This story follows Dak'ir, a sergeant and squad leader in the Salamanders, as his company is rebuilt and ties of brotherhood reforged following the death of a long-serving captain. But every step along the way the company runs into traces of the traitors who killed their former leader, and the thirst for vengeance is strong.
As the Salamanders are more focused on protecting people than gaining glory, I find them one of the few factions in 40k I actually like, and this sequence of books by Nick Kyme delving into their traditions and motivations is a welcome addition to the 40k lore.
Always a small Legion, and nearly destroyed by the traitors during the Horus Heresy, the Salamanders are barely able to field a Chapter 10,000 years after the Heresy. But what they lack in numbers, they make up for in tradition and fighting skill. Less detached from humanity than most other Space Marines, the Salamanders work harder to save lives than to destroy humanity's enemies.
This story follows Dak'ir, a sergeant and squad leader in the Salamanders, as his company is rebuilt and ties of brotherhood reforged following the death of a long-serving captain. But every step along the way the company runs into traces of the traitors who killed their former leader, and the thirst for vengeance is strong.
As the Salamanders are more focused on protecting people than gaining glory, I find them one of the few factions in 40k I actually like, and this sequence of books by Nick Kyme delving into their traditions and motivations is a welcome addition to the 40k lore.
July 26, 2011
Every once and a while there's nothing better than a good genre novel. The problem with this mainly pertains to the availability and accessability of finding good genre fiction.
This is an RPG novel set in the Warhammer 40k series, so I approached it knowing it wasn't going to be a literary classic and I think I finished it just because of my complaicency. The first two hundred pages are just painful. The characters all speak exactly the same way and with language which no one has ever used and no one ever will. It almost seemed as if Mr. Kyme had an auto-thesaurus in his word processor and it randomly picked a synonym for every tenth word. Sometimes the meaning didn't match the usage and to top it off he went on entirely too extensively on describing alien technology with made-up words.
The frustration appears when the plot begins around and you begin to enjoy the plot, so then you endure the poor writing to find out what happens. The rating is perfect for this: It was ok (Imagine saying "eh," and shrugging your shoulders). The search continues...
This is an RPG novel set in the Warhammer 40k series, so I approached it knowing it wasn't going to be a literary classic and I think I finished it just because of my complaicency. The first two hundred pages are just painful. The characters all speak exactly the same way and with language which no one has ever used and no one ever will. It almost seemed as if Mr. Kyme had an auto-thesaurus in his word processor and it randomly picked a synonym for every tenth word. Sometimes the meaning didn't match the usage and to top it off he went on entirely too extensively on describing alien technology with made-up words.
The frustration appears when the plot begins around and you begin to enjoy the plot, so then you endure the poor writing to find out what happens. The rating is perfect for this: It was ok (Imagine saying "eh," and shrugging your shoulders). The search continues...
July 10, 2011
Relies too much on setup from previous short stories. All too often you feel like you are missing big parts of the character motivation.
The rest of the story didn't really inspire.
The rest of the story didn't really inspire.
June 6, 2025
Based on a fairly classic storyline of mystical quest, enmities, betrayal and revenge, the book adds many elements to the Salamander lore, and that's quite good.
The characters are relatively stereotypical, the noble Dakir, the shady Tsu'gan - arguably the most interesting - and Iagon, whose very name is an easy telltale, but we follow their story with a certain amount of pleasure.
I'm only giving it 3* though because of Kyme's extremely heavy style, sometimes too literary to add to the solemnity I suppose, which slows down the reading, particularly in the first part. The second part is more vibrant because of the many battles, but is still a little leaden.
Not my favourite of the WH40K series, but satisfying enough and a must-read for Salamander fans.
The characters are relatively stereotypical, the noble Dakir, the shady Tsu'gan - arguably the most interesting - and Iagon, whose very name is an easy telltale, but we follow their story with a certain amount of pleasure.
I'm only giving it 3* though because of Kyme's extremely heavy style, sometimes too literary to add to the solemnity I suppose, which slows down the reading, particularly in the first part. The second part is more vibrant because of the many battles, but is still a little leaden.
Not my favourite of the WH40K series, but satisfying enough and a must-read for Salamander fans.
October 19, 2018
So it's been about a month since I read this, and I've already forgotten huge swathes of the story, if that tells you anything. An intriguing book because the way the events unfold I kept not being sure if we had actually entered the story proper, or if we were still dealing with buildup. Basically we spend some time on Nocturne talking about the events of the novella that serves as a kind of prologue to this, and the fallout from it, then we eventually explore a space hulk (a very possible setting for an entire novel), but then we're moved into a planetbound story, and that's where the meat of the story occurs (sadly, my least favorite part of the book).
There are quite a few characters here, but I think the ones worth pointing out are Da'kir, basically our hero, who's just trying to do a good job, but because he's lowborn, he's disliked by some, most especially Tsu'gan. I find Tsu'gan the most interesting and likable character, actually, because he will (grudgingly) admit when Da'kir is right about something. And since his weird prejudice is so ephemeral, for all I know there's some reasoning behind it. The other character worth mentioning is Iagon, whose name is such a dead giveaway as to his inspiration, I feel a bit ashamed it took me half the book before I caught on. Much like Iago, his reasons for doing what he does (essentially spurring others on to victory through treachery) are murky at best. I really want more with him.
Kyme is one of the midrange BL authors, I think. I can almost always finish a book of his, but generally I feel pretty mixed about the work. I REALLY enjoyed the novella that comes before this novel, and I'm pretty psyched to read what comes next in the series. So even though this wasn't perfect, it works as a first meaty chunk of time with the Salamanders.
There are quite a few characters here, but I think the ones worth pointing out are Da'kir, basically our hero, who's just trying to do a good job, but because he's lowborn, he's disliked by some, most especially Tsu'gan. I find Tsu'gan the most interesting and likable character, actually, because he will (grudgingly) admit when Da'kir is right about something. And since his weird prejudice is so ephemeral, for all I know there's some reasoning behind it. The other character worth mentioning is Iagon, whose name is such a dead giveaway as to his inspiration, I feel a bit ashamed it took me half the book before I caught on. Much like Iago, his reasons for doing what he does (essentially spurring others on to victory through treachery) are murky at best. I really want more with him.
Kyme is one of the midrange BL authors, I think. I can almost always finish a book of his, but generally I feel pretty mixed about the work. I REALLY enjoyed the novella that comes before this novel, and I'm pretty psyched to read what comes next in the series. So even though this wasn't perfect, it works as a first meaty chunk of time with the Salamanders.
September 22, 2021
Not the best W40K book i have read, nor the worst. It lingers in the middling territories. A interesting read if you are curious about the Salamanders, but there are few other reasons to read this really.
As the Salamanders deal with Company drama and go on a holy quest to seek out the fate of Vulkan.
And so they end up being tested on a planet in a far far away system. It is nothing to grand, but it does show case a lot of interesting Salamander culture and mentality, which for me made me give the book a 3.
As the Salamanders deal with Company drama and go on a holy quest to seek out the fate of Vulkan.
And so they end up being tested on a planet in a far far away system. It is nothing to grand, but it does show case a lot of interesting Salamander culture and mentality, which for me made me give the book a 3.
April 30, 2019
Give 4 stars for the story, the 5th star is for personal fan service. Only the 3rd 40k novel I've read, I used to play the tabletop as the Salamanders chapter. I never knew much about the 40k lore but I knew Salamanders and this book depicts them well.
The story is gripping, with lots of mystery and suspense, vivid imagery and provoking character development. Would recommend reading this book.
The story is gripping, with lots of mystery and suspense, vivid imagery and provoking character development. Would recommend reading this book.
December 12, 2024
Despite the obvious room for improvement this book had, it somehow added to the overall charm I found in the experience reading it. That isn't to say the book was a great novel, but it was good enough for me to find a lot of enjoyment reading it. The first 100 or so pages contain a lot of over-description, lengthy and oftentimes rehashed dialogue, and over-the-top melodrama that honestly a little editing and tweaking could have fixed right up. Sometimes it was so bad that it didn't just pull me right out of the story, but also made me laugh, and I don't think that was exactly the emotion Salamander was going for. It almost felt like the book was desperate to have the reader know that these soldiers were in utter turmoil, but couldn't find another way to show us other than beating us over the head with daytime television dialogue. It is true, these superhumans make it hard to convey certain emotions on the typical human spectrum (depression through whoring, drinking, drugs, gambling, etc.) and this leaves few ways to bring out their sadness at the death of their Captain Kadai in creative ways, but in this book, it unfortunately feels like that challenge is not met with an honest attempt.
With all that being said, there is an undeniable charm reading it because it's obvious how the author cares and the characters care. I only had a couple of major gripes. First off, I really despise the mixing of genre language, no matter what the purpose of doing so might be. There were so many times it felt like I was reading a science-fiction novel where the ability to describe scenes in a futuristic sense was abandoned for an archaic and absurdly out of place fantasy phrase. And a second thing that really annoys me as a reader is when a character starts a sentence, and that sentence is picked up three HUGE paragraphs later after tons of unnecessary description separate the initial statement. The first sentence of Chapter 4 is a perfect example:
"Is Pyriel certain?" asked Ba'ken? (Nick Kyme, Lords of Nocturne Omnibus, page 79).
You'll have to get the answer to that question around 250 words later...if you even remember that the question was asked.
It must be said that as the book moves forward, and the action and weight of the story progresses, these types of editing overlooks really start to dwindle. The action alone makes it to where the over-description, flowery language, awkward conversations, and melodrama disappear. The nature of the story takes away these issues and when the story gets going, it is a really fun ride, leaving only the "intermission" scenes that sometimes get a little lost in the sauce so to speak.
Overall, this book was a nice ride in the 41st Millenium. I love the Salamanders Chapter for their selflessness in defending the weak, and their belief in the value of preserving humanity. The scenes where this was on display was an absolute joy, and satisfying to read. Being swept along as these scenes played out made up for a lot of the problems I had with this book and made for some of the best parts of the novel. I will continue to read the subsequent stories just for that.
Most memorable scene:
A chitinous horde attacks an underground settlement on Scoria while a small unit of Salamanders are there by chance
"The boy Val'in was running again.
He'd followed Illiad and his warriors after the Salamanders had charged, and now found himself in the midst of the fighting. Clutching a shovel in trembling hands, he came face-to-face with a chitin. The creature's blood-slick mandibles chattered expectantly as it scuttled towards him. Val'in backed away but, with a hab-shack suddenly at his back, could retreat no further. Tears were streaming down his face but he held the shovel up defiantly. Rearing back, the chitin chittered in what might have been pleasure before an armoured hulk intervened between the creature and its kill.
'Stay behind me!' Ba'ken yelled, grunting as he held back the chitin's bone claws that it had thrashed down upon him. He couldn't risk the heavy flamer - the blast would have torched the boy too. Instead, he had stowed the weapon in its harness on his back and went hand-to-hand instead.
...
The beast was tough, with the bulk and heft of a tank. Ba'ken felt his strength yielding to it and roared to draw on his inner reserves. His secondary heart pumped blood frantically, his body adopting a heightened battle-state, impelling a sudden surge from his Astartes's muscles.
'Xenos scum,' he spat, using hate to fuel his efforts.
A second chitin, just finished gnawing on a settler, emerged on Ba'ken's left flank. The Salamander saw it scuttle into his eye line.
Unarmed, there was no way he could fight them both.
The ragged corpse of the half-devoured settler slumped from the chitin's maw. Stepping over it, bones crunching under the chitin's weight, the creature advanced upon Ba'ken.
Rushing into its path was Val'in. He swung his shovel madly from left to right in a vain effort to slow the beast.
Ba'ken's face contorted with horror.
'Flee!' he urged. 'Hide boy!'
Val'in wasn't listening. He stood before the massive chitin bravely, trying to defend his saviour as he had defended him.
'No!' cried Ba'ken, distraught as the creature loomed.
Explosive impacts rippled down the creature's flank, tearing up chips of carapace and punching holes through flesh. The chitin was spun about from the force of the bolter fire thundering against it. Screeching, grey sludge drooling from its shattered maw, it slumped and was still.
Apion drew close and fired an execution burst into the creature's shrivelled head."
(Nick Kyme, Lords of Nocturne Omnibus, page 166-167)
With all that being said, there is an undeniable charm reading it because it's obvious how the author cares and the characters care. I only had a couple of major gripes. First off, I really despise the mixing of genre language, no matter what the purpose of doing so might be. There were so many times it felt like I was reading a science-fiction novel where the ability to describe scenes in a futuristic sense was abandoned for an archaic and absurdly out of place fantasy phrase. And a second thing that really annoys me as a reader is when a character starts a sentence, and that sentence is picked up three HUGE paragraphs later after tons of unnecessary description separate the initial statement. The first sentence of Chapter 4 is a perfect example:
"Is Pyriel certain?" asked Ba'ken? (Nick Kyme, Lords of Nocturne Omnibus, page 79).
You'll have to get the answer to that question around 250 words later...if you even remember that the question was asked.
It must be said that as the book moves forward, and the action and weight of the story progresses, these types of editing overlooks really start to dwindle. The action alone makes it to where the over-description, flowery language, awkward conversations, and melodrama disappear. The nature of the story takes away these issues and when the story gets going, it is a really fun ride, leaving only the "intermission" scenes that sometimes get a little lost in the sauce so to speak.
Overall, this book was a nice ride in the 41st Millenium. I love the Salamanders Chapter for their selflessness in defending the weak, and their belief in the value of preserving humanity. The scenes where this was on display was an absolute joy, and satisfying to read. Being swept along as these scenes played out made up for a lot of the problems I had with this book and made for some of the best parts of the novel. I will continue to read the subsequent stories just for that.
Most memorable scene:
A chitinous horde attacks an underground settlement on Scoria while a small unit of Salamanders are there by chance
"The boy Val'in was running again.
He'd followed Illiad and his warriors after the Salamanders had charged, and now found himself in the midst of the fighting. Clutching a shovel in trembling hands, he came face-to-face with a chitin. The creature's blood-slick mandibles chattered expectantly as it scuttled towards him. Val'in backed away but, with a hab-shack suddenly at his back, could retreat no further. Tears were streaming down his face but he held the shovel up defiantly. Rearing back, the chitin chittered in what might have been pleasure before an armoured hulk intervened between the creature and its kill.
'Stay behind me!' Ba'ken yelled, grunting as he held back the chitin's bone claws that it had thrashed down upon him. He couldn't risk the heavy flamer - the blast would have torched the boy too. Instead, he had stowed the weapon in its harness on his back and went hand-to-hand instead.
...
The beast was tough, with the bulk and heft of a tank. Ba'ken felt his strength yielding to it and roared to draw on his inner reserves. His secondary heart pumped blood frantically, his body adopting a heightened battle-state, impelling a sudden surge from his Astartes's muscles.
'Xenos scum,' he spat, using hate to fuel his efforts.
A second chitin, just finished gnawing on a settler, emerged on Ba'ken's left flank. The Salamander saw it scuttle into his eye line.
Unarmed, there was no way he could fight them both.
The ragged corpse of the half-devoured settler slumped from the chitin's maw. Stepping over it, bones crunching under the chitin's weight, the creature advanced upon Ba'ken.
Rushing into its path was Val'in. He swung his shovel madly from left to right in a vain effort to slow the beast.
Ba'ken's face contorted with horror.
'Flee!' he urged. 'Hide boy!'
Val'in wasn't listening. He stood before the massive chitin bravely, trying to defend his saviour as he had defended him.
'No!' cried Ba'ken, distraught as the creature loomed.
Explosive impacts rippled down the creature's flank, tearing up chips of carapace and punching holes through flesh. The chitin was spun about from the force of the bolter fire thundering against it. Screeching, grey sludge drooling from its shattered maw, it slumped and was still.
Apion drew close and fired an execution burst into the creature's shrivelled head."
(Nick Kyme, Lords of Nocturne Omnibus, page 166-167)
January 31, 2026
As my initial foray into the novels of the Warhammer 40k universe, Nick Kyme’s Salamander fluctuates between the exciting and the downright mediocre. The final result is a piece of genre fiction that is serviceable and generally entertaining, but rarely strives into the territory of anything compelling toward its ladder half.
Following the death of a prominent captain within the Salamanders Chapter, the reader is introduced to the two protagonists of Dakir and Tsugan, whose entanglement with grief (mostly) serves as the thematic cornerstone of the novel, and is simultaneously its most interesting story beat. Tsugan serves as a wrathful foil to Dakir’s profound melancholy amidst a personal class feud between the two. Whereas Tsugan copes through self-flagellation and social upheaval, Dakir often engages in pensive reflection during passages that are actually quite beautiful at times, particularly when recalling the olden days when he was little more than his father’s son. Their squad’s interactions and thematic contrast to the rival Marines Malolent chapter is likewise a high mark of this book, where conflicts of moral dogmatism come to dramatic blows.
The nuance of such characterization and emotion is not as readily found in Kyme’s moment to moment prose, but this is not to say that his narrative language is lacking. In fact, it is almost excessive at times, sparing no quarter in describing every screw, bolt, cinder, and distinctive tang of acrid ash, which coalesces in a very stringent, brutalist atmosphere.
This equally carries over to the novel’s combat sequences and serves as its greatest fault:
There is simply too much going on at any given time.
Initial skirmishes were constrained, brief, and punchy in their description. But as the stakes ramp up the action balloons to the point of over-indulgence, with dozens of faceless names combating vague battle lines of enemies that we the reader have little personal connection to. Most egregious of this is at the 70% mark where the novel concludes in a 100 page litany of explosions, melee and hellfire against a villain who is introduced in the literal closing chapter of the story, further brought down by the epilogue’s unsatisfying cliffhanger.
Overall I believe that Salamander’s is technically competent, but lacking in heart and restraint. Kyme performs reasonably in introducing Salamander lore to fresh readers, but does not artfully paint how their fires light up the darkness within the 40k universe.
It may be worth reading to some, but without a consistent emotional thru-line, you would extract similar value in just consulting with the Warhammer wiki.
Following the death of a prominent captain within the Salamanders Chapter, the reader is introduced to the two protagonists of Dakir and Tsugan, whose entanglement with grief (mostly) serves as the thematic cornerstone of the novel, and is simultaneously its most interesting story beat. Tsugan serves as a wrathful foil to Dakir’s profound melancholy amidst a personal class feud between the two. Whereas Tsugan copes through self-flagellation and social upheaval, Dakir often engages in pensive reflection during passages that are actually quite beautiful at times, particularly when recalling the olden days when he was little more than his father’s son. Their squad’s interactions and thematic contrast to the rival Marines Malolent chapter is likewise a high mark of this book, where conflicts of moral dogmatism come to dramatic blows.
The nuance of such characterization and emotion is not as readily found in Kyme’s moment to moment prose, but this is not to say that his narrative language is lacking. In fact, it is almost excessive at times, sparing no quarter in describing every screw, bolt, cinder, and distinctive tang of acrid ash, which coalesces in a very stringent, brutalist atmosphere.
This equally carries over to the novel’s combat sequences and serves as its greatest fault:
There is simply too much going on at any given time.
Initial skirmishes were constrained, brief, and punchy in their description. But as the stakes ramp up the action balloons to the point of over-indulgence, with dozens of faceless names combating vague battle lines of enemies that we the reader have little personal connection to. Most egregious of this is at the 70% mark where the novel concludes in a 100 page litany of explosions, melee and hellfire against a villain who is introduced in the literal closing chapter of the story, further brought down by the epilogue’s unsatisfying cliffhanger.
Overall I believe that Salamander’s is technically competent, but lacking in heart and restraint. Kyme performs reasonably in introducing Salamander lore to fresh readers, but does not artfully paint how their fires light up the darkness within the 40k universe.
It may be worth reading to some, but without a consistent emotional thru-line, you would extract similar value in just consulting with the Warhammer wiki.
March 25, 2020
I like the Warhammer Universe a lot, but I wasn't sure about this book. I thought it would basically be "Bros in Space." In many ways it was, but the author elevated the book and made it more than just marketing material for a miniatures game.
The "bros" are the Space Marines, specifically the Salamanders unit. The books starts with the death of their captain, pitting two of the Salamanders against each other: Dak'ir and Tsu'gan (almost everyone seems to have an apostrophe in their name.) Both are devastated by the loss of their leader and blame themselves. Their antagonism is one of the main tensions of the book. Tsu'gan is an ambitious jerk for whom the author still evokes empathy. Dak'ir is compassionate and has "deep thoughts." Of course, they also kill a lot along with their fellow marines. And yet, amidst the carnage, there are deep threads of friendship and loyalty that run through the characters and their relationships. They are each quite interesting and, I thought, well-fleshed into an ensemble cast. A noble band of brothers indeed (they even call each other "brother.)
The plot in Book 1 is about trying to find out the fate of Vulkan, the guy who founded their unit thousands of years ago. It fascinates me how the author uses language to emphasize the worship of metal and fire in the Space Marines' culture. He must have searched for every word that could possibly evoke machinery.
Anyway, I liked it very much. The action scenes are fast-spaced and, of course, do run for a while as that is Warhammer's bread and butter. And I would have cut out about 50 pages. Pacing was slow for a while after the first half. However, when I come across the next book, I definitely want to find out what happened next.
The "bros" are the Space Marines, specifically the Salamanders unit. The books starts with the death of their captain, pitting two of the Salamanders against each other: Dak'ir and Tsu'gan (almost everyone seems to have an apostrophe in their name.) Both are devastated by the loss of their leader and blame themselves. Their antagonism is one of the main tensions of the book. Tsu'gan is an ambitious jerk for whom the author still evokes empathy. Dak'ir is compassionate and has "deep thoughts." Of course, they also kill a lot along with their fellow marines. And yet, amidst the carnage, there are deep threads of friendship and loyalty that run through the characters and their relationships. They are each quite interesting and, I thought, well-fleshed into an ensemble cast. A noble band of brothers indeed (they even call each other "brother.)
The plot in Book 1 is about trying to find out the fate of Vulkan, the guy who founded their unit thousands of years ago. It fascinates me how the author uses language to emphasize the worship of metal and fire in the Space Marines' culture. He must have searched for every word that could possibly evoke machinery.
Anyway, I liked it very much. The action scenes are fast-spaced and, of course, do run for a while as that is Warhammer's bread and butter. And I would have cut out about 50 pages. Pacing was slow for a while after the first half. However, when I come across the next book, I definitely want to find out what happened next.
July 12, 2025
I finally did it! I've been tip-toeing around the WarHammer 40K universe for the longest time with strong desires to test the waters to see if it was my jig, but I could never really figure out where to start. So when I passed this on the shelf and saw it was book 1 of its series, my inner voice spoke up with three words, "Do it, NOW!" I've learned it's always better to listen to that inner voice, so I snatched it up, and boy am I overjoyed! I am not 100% up to date on the whole series, but even still, I found it remarkably easy to understand what was going on and slide right into the groove of things. There is a core storyline that is executed to perfection that plays out fully to take us through the whole gambit of emotions as the twists just keep coming out of nowhere.
I was astonished at the sheer amount of detail within this book. I'm not sure if most of it is universal across all of the 40K books or if Nick Kyme is just exceptionally skilled at creating futuristic space gear but regardless, it is all explained in such a way that it seems quite logical. I positively loved how the members of the Salamander squads were all adept blacksmiths. I thought that was an incredibly cool and unique way to showcase their lineage from their volcanic homeworld. Having the members forge their own weapons is such an awesome way to showcase their "fireborn" ancestry. I can't even begin to explain how fun this was to read. If any of you are on the fence about jumping into WH40K because it seems so daunting, or like me, you can't figure where to start, do yourself a favor and just pick one up! You will thank me.... After you binge read the series, of course! 😂😂😂
I was astonished at the sheer amount of detail within this book. I'm not sure if most of it is universal across all of the 40K books or if Nick Kyme is just exceptionally skilled at creating futuristic space gear but regardless, it is all explained in such a way that it seems quite logical. I positively loved how the members of the Salamander squads were all adept blacksmiths. I thought that was an incredibly cool and unique way to showcase their lineage from their volcanic homeworld. Having the members forge their own weapons is such an awesome way to showcase their "fireborn" ancestry. I can't even begin to explain how fun this was to read. If any of you are on the fence about jumping into WH40K because it seems so daunting, or like me, you can't figure where to start, do yourself a favor and just pick one up! You will thank me.... After you binge read the series, of course! 😂😂😂
August 13, 2021
There are books in the 40k I’ve read in one sitting. Not a monumental task if the material in question is good. Salamander by Nick Kyme didn’t bring me to heel. Instead I had to will myself to finish the book over the course of 2 weeks. There were times where I genuinely enjoy the book and couldn’t put it down. But those moments we few and far between. Dull moments litter the book in droves.
The rivalry between Dakir and Tsugan felt unfounded and weak. It is odd for Tsugan to discriminate against Dakir’s low born heritage when both of them are Astartes Sergents. Most of what happens in the story feels devoid of the grimdarkness of the 40k universe. Interesting plot points that could have blossomed beautifully we’re left in the wayside in the bigger picture of the whole setting, survival. Even so, the ones that did develop were of an unsatisfactory sort. This was boring story, with boring characters, fighting a myriad enemies that show up when it’s most convenient. There was potential for this to be amazing but the many metaphors regarding glorious fire incinerates it to smouldering ash.
The rivalry between Dakir and Tsugan felt unfounded and weak. It is odd for Tsugan to discriminate against Dakir’s low born heritage when both of them are Astartes Sergents. Most of what happens in the story feels devoid of the grimdarkness of the 40k universe. Interesting plot points that could have blossomed beautifully we’re left in the wayside in the bigger picture of the whole setting, survival. Even so, the ones that did develop were of an unsatisfactory sort. This was boring story, with boring characters, fighting a myriad enemies that show up when it’s most convenient. There was potential for this to be amazing but the many metaphors regarding glorious fire incinerates it to smouldering ash.
July 31, 2017
This was a tough one to rate. I was torn between 3 and 4 stars. The book has all the elements for a great story and it mostly delivers. I really enjoyed reading this, not least because of the cliffhangers.
The problem with the book is that it's too straight forward. The main plot is well told and interesting. The same is true for the characters and settings. It's just that some characters real personalities and goals are revealed too soon or too bluntly. Anyway the book gives you a good peak at the Salamanders space marine chapter and at some interesting small details about the Warhammer 40K universe and its secrets.
This is a good book that I recommend to you at least if you like scifi and war.
The problem with the book is that it's too straight forward. The main plot is well told and interesting. The same is true for the characters and settings. It's just that some characters real personalities and goals are revealed too soon or too bluntly. Anyway the book gives you a good peak at the Salamanders space marine chapter and at some interesting small details about the Warhammer 40K universe and its secrets.
This is a good book that I recommend to you at least if you like scifi and war.
March 2, 2022
To use a quote to summarize this book “this book reads like the writer was cashing a check.” This is by far the blandest 40k book I have read to date. Things occur in this book and you learn about salamander culture but it’s such a slog. Also one of the bad guy but good guy characters is described as like having malevolent sociopath tendencies like he is some how different for that. When he is a gene I handed super soldier who’s only real purpose is to kill anything that is not a law abiding citizen of the imperium. That is the most bland possibly evil good guy character ever in this universe were untold trillions die a day, he isn’t even malevolent when compared to other astarates in other story lines were they are literally murdering innocent civilians.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 24, 2023
Es buen libro a ratos, es el típico libro de Warhammer 40k, con astartes formando una hermandas, con sus conflictos, sus intrigas y sus batallas a la desesperada y al final una inesperada revelación. Dakir es un buen protagonista y hace buena pareja con Tsugan como su antagonista. La primera parte es un poco lenta pero cuando los salamandras viajan a Scoria todo cambia, se averiguan muchas cosas relacionadas con Isstvan V y Vulkan. Lo que me parece raro es que siendo Vulkan el primarca más humano de todos, sus hijos no sean iguales que el, como Tsugan o Iagon que claramente son traidores, Tsugan parece más un guerrero de hierro que un salamandra.
November 2, 2019
Un libro para conocer posiblemente al capitulo de marines mas “humanitario” que hay aunque la trama hay varias veces que avanza a trompicones y metiendo batallas en un batiburrillo (solo ha faltado necrones y eldars para el primer libro). El final es un “cliffhanger” de manual dejando a varios personajes con la incertidumbre de que pasará. Mención especial a Iagon que desde el principio se ve que es más de lo que se espera y dará mucho juego para el resto de novelas o eso espero porque si no, si que se desaprovecha esta personaje.
3/5
3/5
February 20, 2021
I am a massive 40K fan and so wanted to enjoy this one about the Sons of Vulcan.
Its just so dull - the two main protagonists.....well, I have no empathy no sympathy with either - its like waiting for the Book to start and I am hald way through the 900 page tome.
How can the over the top world of 40K be so dull? Well, just don't bother trying to write interesting characters and a plot lien that makes little sense and is even less engaging.
And I so want it to be good!
Shall I continue with it? Yeah, but damn it dull
Its just so dull - the two main protagonists.....well, I have no empathy no sympathy with either - its like waiting for the Book to start and I am hald way through the 900 page tome.
How can the over the top world of 40K be so dull? Well, just don't bother trying to write interesting characters and a plot lien that makes little sense and is even less engaging.
And I so want it to be good!
Shall I continue with it? Yeah, but damn it dull
February 7, 2024
The overall story arc is great and I was reading more to find out what would happen next. However, like others have said, the names of some characters were ridiculous and some of the descriptive words used would never be spoken by a person. Outside of some of those issues the overall plot is good. Looking forward to the next book in the series.
I’m a salamanders player so I am enjoying delving into the lore of them. If I didn’t like them like I do I’m not sure I would’ve enjoyed this as much as I did though.
I’m a salamanders player so I am enjoying delving into the lore of them. If I didn’t like them like I do I’m not sure I would’ve enjoyed this as much as I did though.
August 8, 2024
Fantastic read which, despite longer chapters than what I'm used to (been reading a lot of Horus Heresy lately), I found I couldn't put this book down.
Fleshed out so much of Salamander lore whilst creating characters with a richness and depth that's not just "I'm a space marine so must do good".
Read reviews of people criticising the naming of characters which feels both odd and culturally disrespectful. What were you expecting them to be called; Dave?
Very eager to get hold of the next 2 parts of this trilogy now.
Fleshed out so much of Salamander lore whilst creating characters with a richness and depth that's not just "I'm a space marine so must do good".
Read reviews of people criticising the naming of characters which feels both odd and culturally disrespectful. What were you expecting them to be called; Dave?
Very eager to get hold of the next 2 parts of this trilogy now.
September 26, 2019
Started off well the went down hill fast with petty squabbling that was reminiscent of the kids changing rooms in Hogwarts. Whiny and annoying the majority of the characters were throughout the middle of the book, I almost threw it away at this point. I did persevere and was rewarded with some interesting battles but the whiny teenage like characters still nagged the edges.
I hope the next instalment improves dramatically!
I hope the next instalment improves dramatically!
February 6, 2024
If Hellsreach and the Ork books are the best the Black Library has to offer this has to be the worst. Overwroght, with names that randomly throw appostrophes around with the exception of the one marine name Iago (with something tacked on the end), Hmmm I wonder if Iago the villian from Othello is going to be bad. That with a prose that can best be described as a thesaurus throwing up and you have a worst in class 40K book.
Just go to the wiki for the lore this book is not worth your time.
Just go to the wiki for the lore this book is not worth your time.
April 23, 2018
A fun read about one of teh more unusual chapters of Sapce Marine. The salamanders come across as pragmatic yet bound by tribal beliefs. They wish to protect humanity, but clearly lack the empathy required in their post-human state. Plot wise there wasn't any major deviations from a normal Scifi book but it was still a fun read.
January 4, 2021
Not great, a disappointment for the Black Library, it takes a very long time to get.... no where really and the plot is rather confusing not knowing what direction it wants to fo in. The ending is rushed.
However...... the second book in the series is significantly better and this gives much needed context for the series
However...... the second book in the series is significantly better and this gives much needed context for the series
December 3, 2019
A very well written novel.
I am reading the Omnibus so there are short stories to help fill in what happened before.
Salamanders does a good job of keeping up internal and external strife both personal and in the company.
A cornerstone if you want to understand the Salamander Chapter.
I am reading the Omnibus so there are short stories to help fill in what happened before.
Salamanders does a good job of keeping up internal and external strife both personal and in the company.
A cornerstone if you want to understand the Salamander Chapter.
April 24, 2022
Ta bien pero no fiche ni aun personaje
February 25, 2023
Nick Kyme is so painfully mediocre
August 22, 2023
Quite fun.
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