Black Library Celebration 2022

by Marc Collins, Mike Brooks, Guy Haley

Black Library produces adrenaline-fuelled fiction set in the worlds of Warhammer, from the grim darkness of the far future in Warhammer 40,000 to the war-torn, fantastical landscapes of Warhammer Age of Sigmar's Mortal Realms. These tales of action and adventure are packed with epic battles, mighty heroes, triumphs and tragedies, gripping mysteries, and much more.


This FREE anthology contains five stories from Warhammer 40,000 and Warhammer Age of Sigmar, showcasing some of best and brightest Black Library authors.


CONTENTS
The Serpent's Dance by Mike Brooks
The Shapers of Scars by Marc Collins
No Use for Good Men by Guy Haley
The Reaper's Gift by Ray Cluley
The Wolf and The Rat by C L Werner

Genres: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Fiction, Short Stories, Horror, 40k

125 pages, Mass Market Paperback

Published January 1, 2022

About the author

Marc Collins is a speculative fiction writer from Glasgow, Scotland, covering diverse topics from Norse werewolves to the grim darkness of the far future. When not working in Pathology, he enjoys a dram and pondering our transhuman future, inspired by writers such as Iain M Banks.

Reviews

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Five short stories, each from a different arm of the Warhammer universe: the Horus Heresy, 40k, Warhammer Crime, Warhammer Horror, and Age of Sigmar. I was expecting to enjoy the Horror one most, but actually my favorite was No Use for Good Men by Guy Haley, the Crime story. Haley really got personality and voice of the hard-boiled, hard-edged detective investigating a missing person in the dangerous district of the megacity. I’m a sucker for that kind of detective story, and I liked how invested Haley seemed to get with that style. Probably my next favorite was the Horror story, The Reaper’s Gift. It worked outside of the Warhammer world as a creepy, depressing horror tale about a soldier on the run who stumbles across a small family farmhouse. The other three stories were fine, but didn’t speak to me as much since they felt rushed and short, very much a toe-dip into a larger story.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This isn't Hemmingway but the book's goal is to provide you some intriguing short stories that get you interested in reading the broader collection of Warhammer-related fiction. It does that role very well.

[Chloe · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

A nice mix of short stories set in the world of Warhammer. They did the job of making me add more books to my wishlist! Short stories aren't usually my thing as I like more time with the characters etc., these stories acted more as teasing promises of more to come in other books! Little review of each...

The Serpent's Dance - it felt like me (an introvert) at a party, but with the benefit of being deadly. Liked this.

The Shapers of Scars - took me a little bit to understand what was happening, interesting switching of timeline.

No Use for Good Men - would be better as a full length. Wasn't sure about the very beginning.

The Reaper's Gift - my favourite, so creepy and dark! Not for the faint hearted.

The Wolf and the Rat - wasn't sure who I was supposed to root for, they all seemed despicable. Good twists. 

[Nicola · Rating 3 out of 5]

Found one new author I'd like to read from in this collection of short stories 🙂 The Serpent's Dance was a short traitor hunt taking place at a Sapphire Ball attended by Jupiter's nobility.

- The Serpent's Dance by Mike Brooks 4/5 (Horus Heresy)
- The Shapers of Scars by Marc Collins 3/5 (Warhammer 40k)
- No Use for Good Men by Guy Haley 3/5 (Warhammer Crime)
- The Reapers Gift by Ray Cluley 2/5 (Warhammer Horror)
- The Wolf and the Rat by C L Werner 1/5 (Warhammer Fantasy)

[Jonathan Farrell · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mix of short stories each from a different arm of the Warhammer universe. Most of them were okay but nothing special. The Reaper's Gift, from Warhammer Horror, was my favorite. An eerie, desperate tale of a soldier on the run as he stumbles upon a small farmhouse in the middle of nowhere. It could easily be told outside of the Warhammer world. The other stories may speak to others depending on the flavor of story you prefer.

[Mia · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first book in Warhammer universe!
Something I like more, something less. Here is my personal rating of stories in this book:
1. The Wolf and the Rat
2. The Reaper's gift
3. The Shapers of Scars
4. The Serpent's Dance
5. No Use for Good Men
How I rate it?
how interesting story,
Did I understand what happened there,
Would I want to continue

[Michael Sigler · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Serpent's Dance" by Mike Brooks, 4/5
"The Shapers of Scars" by Marc Collins, 4/5
"No Use for Good Men" by Guy Haley, 4.5/5
"The Reaper's Gift" by Ray Cluley, 4.5/5
"The Wolf and the Rat" by C L Werner, 4/5

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant and Cunning! Get it when you can!

[Weekend Critic · Rating 3 out of 5]

7/10 The Serpent Dance
4/10 The Shapers of Scars
5/10 No Use for Good Men
4/10 The Reaper's Gift
I don't know Sigmar lore/10 The Wolf and The rat

5/10 Average, 2.5 stars. Skip.

[Niccolò Ceresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Serpent's Dance - Mike Brooks: 5/5
The Shapers of Scars - Marc Collins: 1/5
No Use for Good Men - Guy Haley: 3/5
The Reaper's Gift - Ray Cluley: 4/5
The Wolf and the Rat - C L Werner, 4/5

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

These are VERY short, short stories being around 20 to 30 pages each. So don't expect to get too much information within these pages, only enough to progress the story.

This didn't stop me from being confused as hell throughout some of these pages. In particular the story No Use For Good Men by Guy Haley. Within this short story I personally needed more context in regards to what was going on within the story and what the plot as a whole even was.

This book is not for everyone. If you are interested in reading this short story collection/this kind of book as a whole you wouldn't need a recommendation from goodreads to pick it up. Either you are interested in Warhammer short stories or you are not.

BROKEN DOWN
The Serpent's Dance by Mike Brooks 3.5 Stars
The Shapers of Scars by Marc Collins 4 Stars
No Use For Good Men by Guy Haley 1 Star
The Reaper's Gift by Ray Cluley 3.5 Stars
The Wolf and The Rat by C L Werner 4.5 Stars