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Warhammer Crime
The Wraithbone Phoenix
A Baggit and Clodde Novel
A ratling and an ogryn aren't the best-matched pair, but in the crime-ridden heart of Varangantua, anything goes – at least, when there's a big score to be had.
READ IT BECAUSE
This is first full length novel featuring the characters Baggit and Clodde from the audio drama Dredge Runners. Follow the duo as they hunt for a treasure that could answer all of their problems.
THE STORY
Baggit is the fast-talking ratling with an eye for the big score. Clodde is the ogryn with a heart of gold and a head full of dreams. These abhuman deserters-turned-criminals operating in the city of Varangantua have crossed the wrong man for the last time – and now they’re on the run…
At least, that is, until Baggit learns of a score that could pay their debts and save their skins – the Wraithbone Phoenix, a fabled treasure rumoured to be hidden aboard a voidship recently scheduled for decommission. But Baggit and Clodde aren’t the only ones with eyes on the prize. When word gets out, every thief in the Dredge is going to be gunning for the Phoenix. Does Baggit have the cunning to find the treasure and get out alive, or will someone finally cash in the bounty on his head?
A ratling and an ogryn aren't the best-matched pair, but in the crime-ridden heart of Varangantua, anything goes – at least, when there's a big score to be had.
READ IT BECAUSE
This is first full length novel featuring the characters Baggit and Clodde from the audio drama Dredge Runners. Follow the duo as they hunt for a treasure that could answer all of their problems.
THE STORY
Baggit is the fast-talking ratling with an eye for the big score. Clodde is the ogryn with a heart of gold and a head full of dreams. These abhuman deserters-turned-criminals operating in the city of Varangantua have crossed the wrong man for the last time – and now they’re on the run…
At least, that is, until Baggit learns of a score that could pay their debts and save their skins – the Wraithbone Phoenix, a fabled treasure rumoured to be hidden aboard a voidship recently scheduled for decommission. But Baggit and Clodde aren’t the only ones with eyes on the prize. When word gets out, every thief in the Dredge is going to be gunning for the Phoenix. Does Baggit have the cunning to find the treasure and get out alive, or will someone finally cash in the bounty on his head?
410 pages, Paperback
First published August 30, 2022
33 people are currently reading
237 people want to read
About the author
Alec Worley
151 books47 followersAlec Worley is an author from South London.
He writes stories for readers (and listeners) of all ages who like smart, funny and - above all - thrilling tales of fantasy, horror and sci-fi.
If you're into stories about swords, fangs and lasers, then you're in luck!
Best known for his work on 2000 AD (the home of Judge Dredd), Star Wars and Games Workshop's Warhammer, he's also created many stories of his own.
He is the co-creator of apocalyptic werewolf saga Age of the Wolf (with Jon Davis-Hunt for 2000 AD), paranormal comedy Dandridge (with Warren Pleece for 2000 AD), and plenty more either in the pipeline or waiting to be announced...
He writes stories for readers (and listeners) of all ages who like smart, funny and - above all - thrilling tales of fantasy, horror and sci-fi.
If you're into stories about swords, fangs and lasers, then you're in luck!
Best known for his work on 2000 AD (the home of Judge Dredd), Star Wars and Games Workshop's Warhammer, he's also created many stories of his own.
He is the co-creator of apocalyptic werewolf saga Age of the Wolf (with Jon Davis-Hunt for 2000 AD), paranormal comedy Dandridge (with Warren Pleece for 2000 AD), and plenty more either in the pipeline or waiting to be announced...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
August 14, 2022
After 2020’s excellent audio drama Dredge Runners, Alec Worley returns to the ratling/ogryn duo of Baggit and Clodde for a full-length Warhammer Crime novel in The Wraithbone Phoenix, a fun crime caper that’s deceptively dark beneath the surface. Baggit and Clodde are hiding out in a reclamation yard, trying to avoid the unwelcome attention caused by a hefty bounty on their heads, and the ire of their yard’s stuck-up steward. When word reaches Baggit of a wrecked Imperial starship beached in a neighbouring yard, with a legendary artefact hidden somewhere within its bones, he realises his prayers might just have been answered. If he and Clodde can retrieve it, the Wraithbone Phoenix could get them out from under the bounty and set them up for life, not to mention offer Baggit the chance of a little tasty revenge. The problem is, they’re far from the only ones hunting for the Phoenix.
While this shares some common DNA with the rest of the Warhammer Crime range, it definitely has a tone and feel all of its own, and the non-law enforcement perspective (there’s hardly an enforcer in sight) sheds an interestingly different light on Varangantua. It’s quite a bit longer than the previous novels in the series too, and while it takes a little while to get up to speed with a lot of POV characters to introduce early on, once things really get going it becomes hard to put down – pacy, inventive and constantly compelling. All told, it's a great example of why ‘domestic 40k’ – exploring the setting away from the big battlefields – is so effective. Let’s hope it’s only the first of many Baggit and Clodde novels to come!
Read the full review at https://www.trackofwords.com/2022/08/...
While this shares some common DNA with the rest of the Warhammer Crime range, it definitely has a tone and feel all of its own, and the non-law enforcement perspective (there’s hardly an enforcer in sight) sheds an interestingly different light on Varangantua. It’s quite a bit longer than the previous novels in the series too, and while it takes a little while to get up to speed with a lot of POV characters to introduce early on, once things really get going it becomes hard to put down – pacy, inventive and constantly compelling. All told, it's a great example of why ‘domestic 40k’ – exploring the setting away from the big battlefields – is so effective. Let’s hope it’s only the first of many Baggit and Clodde novels to come!
Read the full review at https://www.trackofwords.com/2022/08/...
September 1, 2022
I enjoyed this book an awful lot. In fact, if BL publish a better book this year I’ll be very pleasantly surprised.
Since Alec Worley has previously written such good audio dramas for BL, including incomparable The Watcher in the Rain, I opted for the audiobook of this, and I’m mighty glad that I did- the way the story is interspersed with fragments of PSAs and extracts from in-universe texts is especially well suited to the format, and Harry Myers’ performance is really excellent.
Worley manages one of the largest casts I’ve encountered in a BL book really well- everyone me meet, however briefly, is invested with personality (again, additional credit to Myers)and despite some of them being grotesquely horrible, they all have plausibility. At around the ¾ point of the book I was starting to have doubts about the story- I genuinely felt it was nearing an appropriate conclusion, but the way the plot develops more than justifies the relatively large page count. The Wraithbone Phoenix is as good as a caper as one could hope to read. A great story, that shifts tonaly beautifully and appropriately. Great plot, great characters and great worldbuilding.
I’ve enjoyed all of the titles published under the Warhammer Crime imprint to date, and that is due in no small part to the setting, the hive world of Varangantua. Each book so far has touched on a different facet of life there and the Wraithbone Phoenix does a fantastic job of painting a picture of the many strata of society that interact around the Dredge.
The Wraithbone Phoenix is the first BL novel that I can recall to have abhuman protagonists- branches of humanity that, for various reasons, have mutated and deviated from the norm- in this case, a ratling (Baggit) and an ogryn (Clodde)- effectively a hobbit and an ogre. The Imperium of Man is built around a hatred towards and a rejection of mutation and genetic deviation,and as a consequence Baggit and Clodd and their ilk are subject to horrendous treatment- at very best patronised and used and at the very worst? Well, I will say that this book features some of the most callous cruelty I’ve seen in 40k so you get the picture. As such, this is very probably the first novel that BL have published to directly explore racism, albeit through an analogue, and it does a mighty good job of it. The treatment that the abhumans receive marks them out as outsiders even amongst the Dredge’s outcasts, and achieves the actually rare distinction of highlighting the horrors of the Imperium. The distaste with which various characters respond to merely interacting with abhumans, often dwelling on their appearance to justify it is powerful, and the anger and pain it prompts is powerfully plausible. Despite this, or maybe because of it, the Wraithbone Phoenix has an incredible warmth to it- there is a kindness and palpable love between characters that is also absent from so much of BL’s output- Baggit and Clodde are motivated by friendship and love as much as anything else, which is refreshing from a crime novel of any kind.
All that and some of the most sparsely powerful use of obscenity that I’ve read in ages.
Since Alec Worley has previously written such good audio dramas for BL, including incomparable The Watcher in the Rain, I opted for the audiobook of this, and I’m mighty glad that I did- the way the story is interspersed with fragments of PSAs and extracts from in-universe texts is especially well suited to the format, and Harry Myers’ performance is really excellent.
Worley manages one of the largest casts I’ve encountered in a BL book really well- everyone me meet, however briefly, is invested with personality (again, additional credit to Myers)and despite some of them being grotesquely horrible, they all have plausibility. At around the ¾ point of the book I was starting to have doubts about the story- I genuinely felt it was nearing an appropriate conclusion, but the way the plot develops more than justifies the relatively large page count. The Wraithbone Phoenix is as good as a caper as one could hope to read. A great story, that shifts tonaly beautifully and appropriately. Great plot, great characters and great worldbuilding.
I’ve enjoyed all of the titles published under the Warhammer Crime imprint to date, and that is due in no small part to the setting, the hive world of Varangantua. Each book so far has touched on a different facet of life there and the Wraithbone Phoenix does a fantastic job of painting a picture of the many strata of society that interact around the Dredge.
The Wraithbone Phoenix is the first BL novel that I can recall to have abhuman protagonists- branches of humanity that, for various reasons, have mutated and deviated from the norm- in this case, a ratling (Baggit) and an ogryn (Clodde)- effectively a hobbit and an ogre. The Imperium of Man is built around a hatred towards and a rejection of mutation and genetic deviation,and as a consequence Baggit and Clodd and their ilk are subject to horrendous treatment- at very best patronised and used and at the very worst? Well, I will say that this book features some of the most callous cruelty I’ve seen in 40k so you get the picture. As such, this is very probably the first novel that BL have published to directly explore racism, albeit through an analogue, and it does a mighty good job of it. The treatment that the abhumans receive marks them out as outsiders even amongst the Dredge’s outcasts, and achieves the actually rare distinction of highlighting the horrors of the Imperium. The distaste with which various characters respond to merely interacting with abhumans, often dwelling on their appearance to justify it is powerful, and the anger and pain it prompts is powerfully plausible. Despite this, or maybe because of it, the Wraithbone Phoenix has an incredible warmth to it- there is a kindness and palpable love between characters that is also absent from so much of BL’s output- Baggit and Clodde are motivated by friendship and love as much as anything else, which is refreshing from a crime novel of any kind.
All that and some of the most sparsely powerful use of obscenity that I’ve read in ages.
August 26, 2023
I found this book highly entertaining and well plotted even if I never played Warhammer and didn't read anything else in this series
Liked the characters and the world building
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine
Liked the characters and the world building
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine
September 1, 2022
Wow, what an excellent book. I went into this excited by the premise but trepidatious given my past ambivalence towards Worley’s work. Turns out I needn’t have worried, this is maybe the best crime novel yet. It’s a wonderful mix of humor, action and pathos. Worley shows an eye for character and dialogue while juggling a number of plot threads, keeping things enjoyable throughout. There’s a lot of social commentary too, more than I expected given the madcap pitch and Worley comparing the book to Smokin’ Aces in an interview. Anyone interested in the premise, or good 40k stories, should check this out.
The good:
The characters. This book has a lot of POVs and just about everyone comes across as well realized. Not necessarily empathetic or multi-dimension, but compelling. I would’ve liked more time with them.
Baggitt and Clodde. Yes I know they’re characters, but they’re so immediately iconic I’d like to single them out. Between Clodde’s philosophical commentary and Baggitt’s fast talking wit the two are immediately likeable, but as the story progresses they show a wonderful love for one another. With a few more books like this they could easily be among BL’s best protagonists. I’d love to see more of their time in the Auxilla as well as their time on Varangantua.
The social commentary. Like Clodde’s musings, Worley has a lot to say about the Imperium and how it treats those who are divergent. It’s not necessarily overly deep by the standards of the world at large, but it feels incisive and appropriate to 40k. The opening chapter is especially brilliant.
The plot. I really like the premise and the way Worley interweaves so many character perspectives. Absolutely great reading.
The bad:
I don’t really have many complaints. Worley’s prose is fine but not especially remarkable. He keeps the descriptions relatively sparse in this, which lets the characters and dialogue stand out. I could see it being a great audiobook for that reason.
The pacing at the beginning and the end isn’t quite as high-octane as the middle, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing but it does feel like a bit of a comeup/comedown situation
Overall 9.5/10. Up there with TDK: Reign and Assassinorum Kingmaker as one of my books of the year so far (I haven’t read EoE or Warboss). Cool that they’re all by new authors too.
The good:
The characters. This book has a lot of POVs and just about everyone comes across as well realized. Not necessarily empathetic or multi-dimension, but compelling. I would’ve liked more time with them.
Baggitt and Clodde. Yes I know they’re characters, but they’re so immediately iconic I’d like to single them out. Between Clodde’s philosophical commentary and Baggitt’s fast talking wit the two are immediately likeable, but as the story progresses they show a wonderful love for one another. With a few more books like this they could easily be among BL’s best protagonists. I’d love to see more of their time in the Auxilla as well as their time on Varangantua.
The social commentary. Like Clodde’s musings, Worley has a lot to say about the Imperium and how it treats those who are divergent. It’s not necessarily overly deep by the standards of the world at large, but it feels incisive and appropriate to 40k. The opening chapter is especially brilliant.
The plot. I really like the premise and the way Worley interweaves so many character perspectives. Absolutely great reading.
The bad:
I don’t really have many complaints. Worley’s prose is fine but not especially remarkable. He keeps the descriptions relatively sparse in this, which lets the characters and dialogue stand out. I could see it being a great audiobook for that reason.
The pacing at the beginning and the end isn’t quite as high-octane as the middle, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing but it does feel like a bit of a comeup/comedown situation
Overall 9.5/10. Up there with TDK: Reign and Assassinorum Kingmaker as one of my books of the year so far (I haven’t read EoE or Warboss). Cool that they’re all by new authors too.
August 1, 2024
"Rejoice! For you are now free to explore the vibrant mercantile quarters of the Dredge, one of the most industrious commercia districts in your city..."
I expected to like The Wraithbone Phoenix, but ended up totally loving it. It's basically a Guy Ritchie gangster movie - think 'Snatch' or 'Lock Stock & Two Smoking Barrels' - that's set in the burrows of one of 40k's mega-cities and is populated by a colourful cast of thiefs, low-lifes and assassins, a book that's a ton of fun with a core of emotional depth.
When word gets round that a rare artifact - the titular 'Wraithbone Phoenix' - might be hidden away in a space ship that's currently being decommissioned in one of the cities scrapyards, a wild goose chase for the treasure ensues.
The loveable odd couple of Baggit & Clodde - a fast-talking ratling and an ogryn prone to philosophical musings - are joined by more than half a dozen different parties of the greedy, the desperate and the insane on the hunt for the treasure and/or each other. I liked that the book takes the time to flesh out and give a satisfying storyline to each of the treasure hunters, all the while managing the trick of keeping an entertaining forward momentum and never feeling as if the story is getting bogged down by too many sub-plots.
Beside the zany action and laugh-out-loud funny humour lies a serious thematic core in the form of the racism towards the ratlings. Worley makes the racism that Baggit & Co. experience feel truly hurtful and depressingly realistic - this is not your typical 40k xenophobia against distant alien races, but the everyday systemic and personal disrespect and disgust that a disenfranchised minority has to face and live amidst.
A throughline of Worley's writing - be it the Horror audio drama 'The Watcher in the Rain' or the cops & robbers fun of Baggit & Clodde - that I really like is his attunement to the satirical roots of Warhammer 40,000. From an insane asylum for overworked bureaucratic office workers in 'Watcher' to the excerpts of Imperial propaganda that litter 'Phoenix' Worley constantly throws shade at the Imperium for being a broken-tooth-grinning parody of excesses of violence, bureaucracy, theocracy, control and inhumanity. "Lawlessness is not tolerated, therefore does not exist!"
To sum it up, Alec Worley's first full-length novel for Black Library is a total blast, a perfect entertainment package that uses Warhammer Crime's more grounded perspective on 40k to tell a funny, exciting and emotionally appealing free-for-all amidst wanna-be-treasure hunters. I for one would love to come back for more!
I expected to like The Wraithbone Phoenix, but ended up totally loving it. It's basically a Guy Ritchie gangster movie - think 'Snatch' or 'Lock Stock & Two Smoking Barrels' - that's set in the burrows of one of 40k's mega-cities and is populated by a colourful cast of thiefs, low-lifes and assassins, a book that's a ton of fun with a core of emotional depth.
When word gets round that a rare artifact - the titular 'Wraithbone Phoenix' - might be hidden away in a space ship that's currently being decommissioned in one of the cities scrapyards, a wild goose chase for the treasure ensues.
The loveable odd couple of Baggit & Clodde - a fast-talking ratling and an ogryn prone to philosophical musings - are joined by more than half a dozen different parties of the greedy, the desperate and the insane on the hunt for the treasure and/or each other. I liked that the book takes the time to flesh out and give a satisfying storyline to each of the treasure hunters, all the while managing the trick of keeping an entertaining forward momentum and never feeling as if the story is getting bogged down by too many sub-plots.
Beside the zany action and laugh-out-loud funny humour lies a serious thematic core in the form of the racism towards the ratlings. Worley makes the racism that Baggit & Co. experience feel truly hurtful and depressingly realistic - this is not your typical 40k xenophobia against distant alien races, but the everyday systemic and personal disrespect and disgust that a disenfranchised minority has to face and live amidst.
A throughline of Worley's writing - be it the Horror audio drama 'The Watcher in the Rain' or the cops & robbers fun of Baggit & Clodde - that I really like is his attunement to the satirical roots of Warhammer 40,000. From an insane asylum for overworked bureaucratic office workers in 'Watcher' to the excerpts of Imperial propaganda that litter 'Phoenix' Worley constantly throws shade at the Imperium for being a broken-tooth-grinning parody of excesses of violence, bureaucracy, theocracy, control and inhumanity. "Lawlessness is not tolerated, therefore does not exist!"
To sum it up, Alec Worley's first full-length novel for Black Library is a total blast, a perfect entertainment package that uses Warhammer Crime's more grounded perspective on 40k to tell a funny, exciting and emotionally appealing free-for-all amidst wanna-be-treasure hunters. I for one would love to come back for more!
May 29, 2024
Received as an arc from Netgalley:
This was such a fun surprise. The Warhammer Crime line is one element of 40k that I hadn't really explored before, if they all meet up to 'The Wraithbone Phoenix' then I am really missing out.
Complex characters who go through compelling arcs matched with a brilliant plot that brings out even minor side characters with depth. The action was BRILLIANT, some of the best action I've read in the literary format capturing both the haphazard nature of close quarters combat with a clear delineation of how it all goes down.
Whip smart satire that effectively dismantles the hellscape of the setting.
Suffice it to say, I loved this book.
This was such a fun surprise. The Warhammer Crime line is one element of 40k that I hadn't really explored before, if they all meet up to 'The Wraithbone Phoenix' then I am really missing out.
Complex characters who go through compelling arcs matched with a brilliant plot that brings out even minor side characters with depth. The action was BRILLIANT, some of the best action I've read in the literary format capturing both the haphazard nature of close quarters combat with a clear delineation of how it all goes down.
Whip smart satire that effectively dismantles the hellscape of the setting.
Suffice it to say, I loved this book.
December 12, 2023
Definitely one of the best 40k books I've read in awhile. A solid heist story with well-written characters and believable action. Clodde's easily my favorite, although most of the antagonists were pretty good as well.
September 13, 2025
DAMN. GOOD. CHARACTERS. I loved these guys maybe even more than Gotrek & Felix from Warhammer Fantasy. Last, idk, third got dull when it went full action but can’t expect much else.
November 6, 2022
Rating of 4.75.
The entertaining team of Baggit and Clodde return for another Warhammer Crime adventure in the rip-roaring and deeply exciting science fiction thriller romp, The Wraithbone Phoenix by the impressive Alec Worley.
In the far future of the universe, there are few places more corrupt and chaotic than the crime-ridden city of Varangantua. Life is cheap on the mean streets of Varangantua, and death waits around every corner, especially if you have a massive bounty on your head. Unfortunately, the most wanted in the city currently are the abhuman deserters turned criminals, Baggit and Clodde. Baggit, a tricky ratling always looking for the next score, and Clodde, his ogryn friend with a rare facility for thought, have made an enemy of one of the most dangerous men in the city, and now everyone is after their heads. Hiding out within one of the city’s industrial salvatoriums, Baggit and Clodde have taken on new identities until the heat dies down. However, the twos natural inclination for getting into trouble soon breaks their cover, and they are soon forced out into the open.
Desperate to find a way to pay off their debts, Baggit hears an interesting bit of news that could change all their fortunes. One of the nearby salvatoriums is dismantling the decommissioned Imperial Navy ship, Sunstriker, the reputed home of a long-lost treasure, a xenos artifact known as the Wraithbone Phoenix. Guided by the rumours he heard when previously served about the Sunstriker, Baggit believes that the Wraithbone Phoenix is still hidden aboard, and its value is more than enough to get rid of their bounty.
But no secrets every remain safe in Varangantua, and as Baggit and Clodde make their preparations to sneak into the Sunstriker, news of their location and their potential treasure leaks out. Soon every criminal, bounty hunter, treasure hunter and mercenary is on their way towards the Sunstriker, desperate to claim either the bounty on Baggit and Clodde’s head, or the Wraithbone Phoenix. Forced to face off against the very worst killers that Varangantua and its main criminal cesspool, the Dredge, has to offer, Baggit and Clodde attempt to do the impossible, recover the artefact from the ship and get out with their heads intact. But can even the clever Baggit and the indomitable Clodde escape the deadly wave about to crash down upon them?
Wow, now this was one of the most entertaining and thrilling Warhammer 40,000 novels I have read all year. Worley has produced an amazing novel in The Wraithbone Phoenix that did a wonderful job blending Warhammer elements with an impressive crime fiction narrative. Filled with a ton of action, some amazing humour, and so many outrageous characters, The Wraithbone Phoenix is an outstanding read that proves to be extremely addictive.
To see the full review, click on the link below:
https://unseenlibrary.com/2022/11/06/...
For other exciting reviews and content, check out my blog at:
https://unseenlibrary.com/
The entertaining team of Baggit and Clodde return for another Warhammer Crime adventure in the rip-roaring and deeply exciting science fiction thriller romp, The Wraithbone Phoenix by the impressive Alec Worley.
In the far future of the universe, there are few places more corrupt and chaotic than the crime-ridden city of Varangantua. Life is cheap on the mean streets of Varangantua, and death waits around every corner, especially if you have a massive bounty on your head. Unfortunately, the most wanted in the city currently are the abhuman deserters turned criminals, Baggit and Clodde. Baggit, a tricky ratling always looking for the next score, and Clodde, his ogryn friend with a rare facility for thought, have made an enemy of one of the most dangerous men in the city, and now everyone is after their heads. Hiding out within one of the city’s industrial salvatoriums, Baggit and Clodde have taken on new identities until the heat dies down. However, the twos natural inclination for getting into trouble soon breaks their cover, and they are soon forced out into the open.
Desperate to find a way to pay off their debts, Baggit hears an interesting bit of news that could change all their fortunes. One of the nearby salvatoriums is dismantling the decommissioned Imperial Navy ship, Sunstriker, the reputed home of a long-lost treasure, a xenos artifact known as the Wraithbone Phoenix. Guided by the rumours he heard when previously served about the Sunstriker, Baggit believes that the Wraithbone Phoenix is still hidden aboard, and its value is more than enough to get rid of their bounty.
But no secrets every remain safe in Varangantua, and as Baggit and Clodde make their preparations to sneak into the Sunstriker, news of their location and their potential treasure leaks out. Soon every criminal, bounty hunter, treasure hunter and mercenary is on their way towards the Sunstriker, desperate to claim either the bounty on Baggit and Clodde’s head, or the Wraithbone Phoenix. Forced to face off against the very worst killers that Varangantua and its main criminal cesspool, the Dredge, has to offer, Baggit and Clodde attempt to do the impossible, recover the artefact from the ship and get out with their heads intact. But can even the clever Baggit and the indomitable Clodde escape the deadly wave about to crash down upon them?
Wow, now this was one of the most entertaining and thrilling Warhammer 40,000 novels I have read all year. Worley has produced an amazing novel in The Wraithbone Phoenix that did a wonderful job blending Warhammer elements with an impressive crime fiction narrative. Filled with a ton of action, some amazing humour, and so many outrageous characters, The Wraithbone Phoenix is an outstanding read that proves to be extremely addictive.
To see the full review, click on the link below:
https://unseenlibrary.com/2022/11/06/...
For other exciting reviews and content, check out my blog at:
https://unseenlibrary.com/
April 21, 2023
Reading novels set in the 40k universe, you usually know what you are going to get: bolters, lasguns, big guys in armour shooting and getting shot by aliens, all limned in characteristic grimdark. It’s a winning formula. But sometimes it’s good to read something a little outside the usual tramlines, and Alec Worley’s The Wraithbone Phoenix delivers a story outside those tramlines that might just be the most purely enjoyable Warhammer 40k novel I have ever read.
That’s not to say it’s lacking in bolters, action, intrigue and a suitably grimdark setting (the hive city, Varangantua – thought: was the city inspired by Rabelais’ Gargantua and Pantagruel? 40k is full of veiled, and not so veiled, references to this world settings). Indeed, in its outline, The Wraithbone Phoenix is a classic 40k quest story, with different kill teams converging on the same prize and, well, killing each other. But what sets it so marvellously apart are its protagonists, the ratling (essentially, the 40k version of Hobbits) Baggit, and the ogryn (yep, a 40k ogre) Clodde. The odd couple is a trope of storytelling precisely because it works so well and Worley employs it like a master, setting and contrasting the personalities and physiques of Baggit and Clodde in juxtaposition to the horrible world that they are attempting to navigate their way through. I loved both characters but must proclaim a particular weakness for Clodde. Ogryns are usually big and stupid, like their folkloric predecessors, but Clodde, having been hit on the head, has become an ogryn philosopher – although no one, including himself, has noticed! It’s a marvellous touch, and helps set Clodde and Baggit in contrast to the violence and nihilism all around them in Varagantua and the wider 40k universe.
So, despite the body count, the double crosses, the general grimness of the dystopian setting, The Wraithbone Phoenix achieves the almost miraculous feat of being a genuinely joyous 40k novel. For fans of the universe, take this as a warning or an invitation, depending on your inclinations, and dive in or withdraw and find something more nihilistic instead.
That’s not to say it’s lacking in bolters, action, intrigue and a suitably grimdark setting (the hive city, Varangantua – thought: was the city inspired by Rabelais’ Gargantua and Pantagruel? 40k is full of veiled, and not so veiled, references to this world settings). Indeed, in its outline, The Wraithbone Phoenix is a classic 40k quest story, with different kill teams converging on the same prize and, well, killing each other. But what sets it so marvellously apart are its protagonists, the ratling (essentially, the 40k version of Hobbits) Baggit, and the ogryn (yep, a 40k ogre) Clodde. The odd couple is a trope of storytelling precisely because it works so well and Worley employs it like a master, setting and contrasting the personalities and physiques of Baggit and Clodde in juxtaposition to the horrible world that they are attempting to navigate their way through. I loved both characters but must proclaim a particular weakness for Clodde. Ogryns are usually big and stupid, like their folkloric predecessors, but Clodde, having been hit on the head, has become an ogryn philosopher – although no one, including himself, has noticed! It’s a marvellous touch, and helps set Clodde and Baggit in contrast to the violence and nihilism all around them in Varagantua and the wider 40k universe.
So, despite the body count, the double crosses, the general grimness of the dystopian setting, The Wraithbone Phoenix achieves the almost miraculous feat of being a genuinely joyous 40k novel. For fans of the universe, take this as a warning or an invitation, depending on your inclinations, and dive in or withdraw and find something more nihilistic instead.
September 25, 2022
I really enjoyed The Wraithbone Phoenix. Being a fan of Warhammer Crime, I was slightly disappointed with the last book in the series, Grim Repast. Grim Repast was a competent, well written book, but it did not really break any new ground.
The Wraithbone Phoenix on the other hand was a refreshing new story. We have two abhuman protagonists and this time we get to see Warhammer Crime and Alecto from the perspective of the criminal side, which was really refreshing and invigorated the series. Both of the main protagonists are Imperial Guard veterans and we got a look into Aletco from characters who have seen the wider 40k galaxy. Previously I enjoyed Warhammer Crime for it's isolation from the larger concerns of the Imperium. But having the wider Imperium brought into Wraithbone Phoenix did enhance this particular book. I'm not sure I want more of that in future Crime novels, but it was great here.
At it's core, Wraithbone Phoenix is a heist novel with our antiheros out to steal a priceless Xeno artifact from a decommissioned Imperial frigate that has been brought to the world. Of course numerous other interests and factions get involved. The book ends up with a rather large cast of characters, most of which are fun additions to the book. I especially enjoyed the writing style of Alec Worley. Reading this book felt more like I was reading a urban fantasy novel with Sci-Fi elements. Given that the Ratlings have always been presented as more or less 40k hobbits, it all really worked and was fun to read.
It's not a perfect novel, there were a few times when the day was saved out of no where and the entire "heist" section seemed to drag on for just a bit too long. Shifting character perspectives made that a bit less of an issue and helped moved things along. But towards the end I was ready for things to start wrapping up.
Still all in all, one of my favorite 40k books this year.
The Wraithbone Phoenix on the other hand was a refreshing new story. We have two abhuman protagonists and this time we get to see Warhammer Crime and Alecto from the perspective of the criminal side, which was really refreshing and invigorated the series. Both of the main protagonists are Imperial Guard veterans and we got a look into Aletco from characters who have seen the wider 40k galaxy. Previously I enjoyed Warhammer Crime for it's isolation from the larger concerns of the Imperium. But having the wider Imperium brought into Wraithbone Phoenix did enhance this particular book. I'm not sure I want more of that in future Crime novels, but it was great here.
At it's core, Wraithbone Phoenix is a heist novel with our antiheros out to steal a priceless Xeno artifact from a decommissioned Imperial frigate that has been brought to the world. Of course numerous other interests and factions get involved. The book ends up with a rather large cast of characters, most of which are fun additions to the book. I especially enjoyed the writing style of Alec Worley. Reading this book felt more like I was reading a urban fantasy novel with Sci-Fi elements. Given that the Ratlings have always been presented as more or less 40k hobbits, it all really worked and was fun to read.
It's not a perfect novel, there were a few times when the day was saved out of no where and the entire "heist" section seemed to drag on for just a bit too long. Shifting character perspectives made that a bit less of an issue and helped moved things along. But towards the end I was ready for things to start wrapping up.
Still all in all, one of my favorite 40k books this year.
September 28, 2023
The 40k universe is not particularly strong on acceptance. The various human factions generally want to wipe all aliens, and indeed any humans who don't prescribe to their world view, from existence at the earliest opportunity, and very fine lines are drawn between who can be considered human and who cannot. After dozens of books where each character sits squarely on one side of that line or the other, Wraithbone Phoenix is the first novel featuring Baggit and Clodde, two 'abhumans' who barely hang on to the bottom rung of society plagued by inequality.
Baggit, we learn, is a Ratling (sniper-hobbit) and Clodde is an Ogryn (er... ogre), both of whom have survived the meat-grinder of the Imperial Guard and now find themselves capering around doing Rocket-and-Groot-esque entertaining crime.
The story, which sets our heroes off in pursuit of the titular artefact, clips along at a strong pace, constantly teasing twists and turns to keep the reader guessing. It's a lot of fun, even the Imperial propoganda intertwined to remind us that these characters occupy a crushingly oppressive serting are played for laughs, though we're constantly reminded that these are characters who will never be accepted by those around them.
Overall an action-packed crime adventure that finds humour, if not necessarily hope, in dire situations and cranks the satire up to 11.
Baggit, we learn, is a Ratling (sniper-hobbit) and Clodde is an Ogryn (er... ogre), both of whom have survived the meat-grinder of the Imperial Guard and now find themselves capering around doing Rocket-and-Groot-esque entertaining crime.
The story, which sets our heroes off in pursuit of the titular artefact, clips along at a strong pace, constantly teasing twists and turns to keep the reader guessing. It's a lot of fun, even the Imperial propoganda intertwined to remind us that these characters occupy a crushingly oppressive serting are played for laughs, though we're constantly reminded that these are characters who will never be accepted by those around them.
Overall an action-packed crime adventure that finds humour, if not necessarily hope, in dire situations and cranks the satire up to 11.
February 24, 2024
I've been wanting to read this book for a little while now and am really grateful to @netgalley for sending me a review copy.
In the world of the 41st Millennium abhumans are seen as the lowest of the low, not even worth acknowledging. That disrespect comes back to bite when a simple ratling cook takes vengeance, hiding a hard-won alien artifact as his final act.
1000 years later rumours of this artifact trigger a race among the treasure hunters and relic seekers of Varagantua. Baggit the Ratling sniper and Clodde, an augmented Ogryn, are also on the hunt.
This book has some really interesting characters and Clodde brings the humour to what can otherwise be quite dark at times. The atmosphere and settings are described so well you almost feel as if you're there and the imagery, particularly the decommissioned voidship that the Phoenix is hidden on, is just superb.
I tend to rate books 3⭐ if I enjoy them and 4⭐ if I know I'll read them again, which is why this gets 3.5. It's a great story, but I think part of the enjoyment of the race is seeing who will get there first, and I just won't have that with a second read through. A good solid sci-fi treasure hunter story though that I'd recommend.
In the world of the 41st Millennium abhumans are seen as the lowest of the low, not even worth acknowledging. That disrespect comes back to bite when a simple ratling cook takes vengeance, hiding a hard-won alien artifact as his final act.
1000 years later rumours of this artifact trigger a race among the treasure hunters and relic seekers of Varagantua. Baggit the Ratling sniper and Clodde, an augmented Ogryn, are also on the hunt.
This book has some really interesting characters and Clodde brings the humour to what can otherwise be quite dark at times. The atmosphere and settings are described so well you almost feel as if you're there and the imagery, particularly the decommissioned voidship that the Phoenix is hidden on, is just superb.
I tend to rate books 3⭐ if I enjoy them and 4⭐ if I know I'll read them again, which is why this gets 3.5. It's a great story, but I think part of the enjoyment of the race is seeing who will get there first, and I just won't have that with a second read through. A good solid sci-fi treasure hunter story though that I'd recommend.
April 23, 2024
I really liked this one. This was the first Baggit and Clodde novel I've read and while the writing is a bit different it was a great read. The premise is that a voidship named Sunstriker is being decommissioned on Varangantua. According to rumor it has a hidden treasure on it called the Wraithbone Phoenix. Baggit (one of our anti-heroes) having heard the legend decides this is his and Clodde's chance for a big score. The problem is word got out and now everyone on Varangantua with means is gunning for the treasure too. So it's a race against organized crime, cultist, the law and worst to find the artifact. All of this takes place in a Warhammer 40k worlds so expect grim dark on a micro scale. This story also give readers a little more insight on how abhumans are treated in 40K, which is horribly if you didn't guess. Great read, real page turner.
September 4, 2023
I read a lot of books. Recently, we met up with friends who have a couple kids, one is getting into Warhammer books and the game. They suggested I read one of the books with him. I looked around a little and found this book as a good way to dip a toe into the expansive universe of Warhammer 40K written works (which includes one series with more than 50 books). I also was drawn to this book since the crime / thriller genre seemed more my angle. There is clearly a lot of layers that I was not necessarily able to fully understand without reading more...or playing the game, but this book gives you everything you need to understand to appreciate Sam Spade's search for the Maltese Falcon...I mean Baggit and Clodde's frantic hunt for the Wraithbone Phoenix.
February 29, 2024
This book is like a crime heist in the 40k universe. The two main characters are both like able and the banter between them is perfect. The story is simple but flows well. It does jump between perspectives quite often though. For me this isn’t a big deal but I know it throws some readers off. The last third of the book is a just a fast paced race to the finish and I loved it, including the ending. Overall a very good Warhammer book, that refreshingly doesn’t include over doing the space marines or other popular aspects of the lore. It really is more a story all its own and honestly I thought the writing was very well done.
September 22, 2022
La historia es bastante buena, algunas cosas muy predecibles dentro de su género grim dark. Otras absolutamente brillantes. Buena caracterización, aunque algunos personajes son un poco cliché. Lo único que realmente me desagradó fue la redacción... sencillamente horrorosa. Fue doloroso leer la forma en que está escrito, frases crípticas por todas partes y momentos en los que me preguntaba si estaba leyendo una continuación de lo que había leído el capítulo anterior o qué diablos es esto.
March 1, 2023
Great story, great characters with some development and just an interesting point of view in the 40k universe. Makes you wish there were more rattling and Ogryn options for both necromunda and 40k.
It’s very skippable on the grander scale of the 40k universe, but read it anyway and enjoy something that’s actually solely a really good book and not partly something that is also a commercial for plastic toys.
It’s very skippable on the grander scale of the 40k universe, but read it anyway and enjoy something that’s actually solely a really good book and not partly something that is also a commercial for plastic toys.
June 18, 2023
I have not listened to the prequel audio drama, but I've read and loved all the Warhammer Crime novels. This one unfortunately fell flat for me. Too many characters (several which could've been removed and the overall story would have been the same), too many pacing issues, and an immensely unsatisfying ending.
There are plenty of WH40K and WHC novels I can read in one sitting, or in a couple days. This was one that took me over a month to read because it felt like a real slog. Not for me.
There are plenty of WH40K and WHC novels I can read in one sitting, or in a couple days. This was one that took me over a month to read because it felt like a real slog. Not for me.
April 28, 2024
3.5 stars
I realized halfway through this book that I was comparing this to the last Warhammer book I read which is not fair to this book because it was the Night Lords Omnibus, which is perfect.
The story itself is very good but it just wasn't hitting the way I wanted it to. I do really like Baggit, Clodde, and Roz as characters though.
I also kept pausing this book to read other ones which probably didn't help.
I realized halfway through this book that I was comparing this to the last Warhammer book I read which is not fair to this book because it was the Night Lords Omnibus, which is perfect.
The story itself is very good but it just wasn't hitting the way I wanted it to. I do really like Baggit, Clodde, and Roz as characters though.
I also kept pausing this book to read other ones which probably didn't help.
July 24, 2023
Controlled chaos at it's best
The war hammer crime series never disappoints. Closed and Baggit make a great team and the sheer insanity of everything they must overcome is staggering. I also like how it gets into the heads of ratings and ogryn's, two groups of abhumans that are in desperate need of more of a spotlight in the dark millennium.
The war hammer crime series never disappoints. Closed and Baggit make a great team and the sheer insanity of everything they must overcome is staggering. I also like how it gets into the heads of ratings and ogryn's, two groups of abhumans that are in desperate need of more of a spotlight in the dark millennium.
January 17, 2024
ARC from Netgalley.
I've enjoyed what I've read so far from the Warhammer Crime series. Wraithbone Phoenix manages to create a convincing heist, pulling from established 40k lore without allowing it to bog down the story.
I think the circus of the heist got out of hand by a character or two, it got a little too big.
Baggit and Clodde were a fun pairing.
I've enjoyed what I've read so far from the Warhammer Crime series. Wraithbone Phoenix manages to create a convincing heist, pulling from established 40k lore without allowing it to bog down the story.
I think the circus of the heist got out of hand by a character or two, it got a little too big.
Baggit and Clodde were a fun pairing.
February 23, 2024
Damn.
Warhammer Crime absolutely blows ordinary pulp Warhammer trash out the water!
These are actual stories with actual characters, with traits and development.
The propaganda bulletins are gold. Feels like ancient 40k - its over the top, satiricial and it knows it's a little silly.
But it's not ashamed to be.
Warhammer Crime absolutely blows ordinary pulp Warhammer trash out the water!
These are actual stories with actual characters, with traits and development.
The propaganda bulletins are gold. Feels like ancient 40k - its over the top, satiricial and it knows it's a little silly.
But it's not ashamed to be.
February 2, 2023
Listened on Audible. Shout out to Harry Myers for the character performances, spot on. Clodde the Ogryn is genuinely one of the most entertaining characters I’ve read in a while. Not enough of them in 40k fiction. Presence and absence and all that.
January 10, 2024
Spoilers
Came to this audiobook after Dredge Runners, was in similar tone but didn't care for any of the characters or even the plot, was far too long and only stuck with us as it was all I had at the time. The narrator theme seemed to change focus from primarily first person to third person.
Came to this audiobook after Dredge Runners, was in similar tone but didn't care for any of the characters or even the plot, was far too long and only stuck with us as it was all I had at the time. The narrator theme seemed to change focus from primarily first person to third person.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
July 24, 2024A fun heist adventure in the WH40k universe, honestly I'm a massive fan of multi-party heists and it does well at bringing together the various parties and hijinks. Satisfying ending that covers a wider section of WH40k lore than I expected.
March 15, 2025
Really Good
Great characters, great story, great pace. A few missteps on some of the subplots but overall very well done. Great mix of action and humor - difficult to do and stay faithful to the setting. Hope to see much more from these characters.
Great characters, great story, great pace. A few missteps on some of the subplots but overall very well done. Great mix of action and humor - difficult to do and stay faithful to the setting. Hope to see much more from these characters.
January 17, 2023
Warhammer and a dynamic duo wrapped up in a high stakes heist? Sounds like my kind of book.
February 11, 2023
One of the absolute best books in Black Library today.
It is almost on par with Lies of Locke Lamora. And that is a praise not given often, specially not to Warhammer 40k novels.
Bloody brilliant.
It is almost on par with Lies of Locke Lamora. And that is a praise not given often, specially not to Warhammer 40k novels.
Bloody brilliant.
May 24, 2023
Really enjoyed this story , my first Warhammer Crime story and I am looking forward to reading more!!
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