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Imperial Guard
Gunheads
An Astra Militarum novel
Sergeant Wulfe leads his armoured tank company on Golgotha to locate and retrieve the Fortress of Arrogance, battle tank of the renowned Commissar Yarrick.
READ IT BECAUSE
It's a fantastic example of taking an element from the existing background and crafting a story from it, as Steve Parker answers the question of what happened to Yarrick's battle fortress after he was captured on Golgotha.
THE STORY
Sergeant Wulfe leads his armoured tank company, the Gunheads, to the hostile alien world of Golgoltha as part of an Imperial battlegroup. Their mission is to locate and retrieve the Fortress of Arrogance, a battle tank that belonged to the legendary Commissar Yarrick, hero of Hades Hive. If Wulfe can keep his mind and men together, and the Imperial forces can retrieve the tank, this will have a huge boost on morale in the Armageddon campaign‚ but are they risking their lives needlessly?
Sergeant Wulfe leads his armoured tank company on Golgotha to locate and retrieve the Fortress of Arrogance, battle tank of the renowned Commissar Yarrick.
READ IT BECAUSE
It's a fantastic example of taking an element from the existing background and crafting a story from it, as Steve Parker answers the question of what happened to Yarrick's battle fortress after he was captured on Golgotha.
THE STORY
Sergeant Wulfe leads his armoured tank company, the Gunheads, to the hostile alien world of Golgoltha as part of an Imperial battlegroup. Their mission is to locate and retrieve the Fortress of Arrogance, a battle tank that belonged to the legendary Commissar Yarrick, hero of Hades Hive. If Wulfe can keep his mind and men together, and the Imperial forces can retrieve the tank, this will have a huge boost on morale in the Armageddon campaign‚ but are they risking their lives needlessly?
416 pages, Paperback
First published February 24, 2009
24 people are currently reading
456 people want to read
About the author
Steve Parker
38 books75 followersOriginally hailing from the rainswept land of the Picts, Steve Parker now sleeps, eats, trains and writes in Tokyo, Japan.
His novels have been published in four languages and include Rebel Winter, Gunheads, Rynn's World, and Deathwatch, with a fifth novel to follow very soon.
Short works (most now available via Amazon Kindle) include:
Stray Dog Swordsman on Redemption Road
Starfish
The Falls of Marakross
Mercy Run
The Citadel
Headhunted
Exhumed
Survivor
Culling the Horde
Pedro Kantor: The Vengeful Fist
His novels have been published in four languages and include Rebel Winter, Gunheads, Rynn's World, and Deathwatch, with a fifth novel to follow very soon.
Short works (most now available via Amazon Kindle) include:
Stray Dog Swordsman on Redemption Road
Starfish
The Falls of Marakross
Mercy Run
The Citadel
Headhunted
Exhumed
Survivor
Culling the Horde
Pedro Kantor: The Vengeful Fist
Ratings & Reviews
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
December 6, 2015
Despite my continued resistance, I'm finding myself slowly drawn into the futuristic hell of Warhammer 40K (WH40K).
Over the Thanksgiving Weekend, I finished my first WH40K novel--Gunheads, by Steve Parker.
I bought my copy at Half Price Books along with a handful of the initial stories in the Gaunt's Ghosts Series.
I chose to "test the WH40K waters" with a one-of novel instead of plunging into a series within a setting I have mixed feelings about.
Gunheads is one of over a dozen Imperial Guard novels.
These books are directed towards WH40K fans, and are written by WH40K fans. Based on my neophyte experience with the game's rules, Steve Parker seems to have a good grasp of the details of this uber-dystopian future.
While there's a plethora of WH40K novels, I remain only interested in the "ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances" stories. Tales of the Imperial Guard are like the Red Army--IN SPACE. I felt great sympathetic towards the men and women doing the fighting and dying--mostly the latter--but held many of the leaders in contempt.
Gunheads is about the mission of the 18th Army Group Exolon, who find themselves on an Ork-infested planet attempting to retrieve the super-heavy tank, "Fortress of Arrogance."
Initially, I thought sending thousands of men and hundreds of tanks on a quest to recover an old tank was a lame plot device. While this is in-keeping with the superstition and reverence Imperial citizens have towards technology, I was relieved after reading further that many of the officers and men felt they were on a suicidal fool's errand.
Overall, I liked Gunheads, which has an average 4.3-star rating on Amazon.com. Only one reviewer, an active duty armor officer who thought the portrayal of the soldiers and tank battles fell short, gave the book a 1-star rating.
I'm only giving the novel a 3-star rating for a couple of reasons.
First, the author spread himself thin, by not focusing on Sergeant Wulf and his tank crew, as advertised on the back cover. The story is about a massive planetary expedition on a combat retrieval mission. Wulf wasn't even instrumental to the mission's success, but merely a participant.
Second, I'm still not a complete fan of the WH40K 'verse. It's hard for me to muster enthusiasm about an interstellar empire that employs Inquisitors and Commissars to weed out heresy and maintain morale. So the only reason why I even care for some of the Imperial Guardsmen is because some of their fellow humans in other branches of the Imperium of Man, along with all the other alien species, range from just-as-bad to a-whole-lot-worse.
The more of a WH40K fan you are, the more you'll like Gunheads, and I'm sure all the other works found in "The Black Library."
Over the Thanksgiving Weekend, I finished my first WH40K novel--Gunheads, by Steve Parker.
I bought my copy at Half Price Books along with a handful of the initial stories in the Gaunt's Ghosts Series.
I chose to "test the WH40K waters" with a one-of novel instead of plunging into a series within a setting I have mixed feelings about.
Gunheads is one of over a dozen Imperial Guard novels.
These books are directed towards WH40K fans, and are written by WH40K fans. Based on my neophyte experience with the game's rules, Steve Parker seems to have a good grasp of the details of this uber-dystopian future.
While there's a plethora of WH40K novels, I remain only interested in the "ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances" stories. Tales of the Imperial Guard are like the Red Army--IN SPACE. I felt great sympathetic towards the men and women doing the fighting and dying--mostly the latter--but held many of the leaders in contempt.
Gunheads is about the mission of the 18th Army Group Exolon, who find themselves on an Ork-infested planet attempting to retrieve the super-heavy tank, "Fortress of Arrogance."
Initially, I thought sending thousands of men and hundreds of tanks on a quest to recover an old tank was a lame plot device. While this is in-keeping with the superstition and reverence Imperial citizens have towards technology, I was relieved after reading further that many of the officers and men felt they were on a suicidal fool's errand.
Overall, I liked Gunheads, which has an average 4.3-star rating on Amazon.com. Only one reviewer, an active duty armor officer who thought the portrayal of the soldiers and tank battles fell short, gave the book a 1-star rating.
I'm only giving the novel a 3-star rating for a couple of reasons.
First, the author spread himself thin, by not focusing on Sergeant Wulf and his tank crew, as advertised on the back cover. The story is about a massive planetary expedition on a combat retrieval mission. Wulf wasn't even instrumental to the mission's success, but merely a participant.
Second, I'm still not a complete fan of the WH40K 'verse. It's hard for me to muster enthusiasm about an interstellar empire that employs Inquisitors and Commissars to weed out heresy and maintain morale. So the only reason why I even care for some of the Imperial Guardsmen is because some of their fellow humans in other branches of the Imperium of Man, along with all the other alien species, range from just-as-bad to a-whole-lot-worse.
The more of a WH40K fan you are, the more you'll like Gunheads, and I'm sure all the other works found in "The Black Library."
July 8, 2009
Continuation from a short story in the book Planetkill.
If you love tanks, this is a great book.
If you love tanks, this is a great book.
October 15, 2010
This is a great combat novel. Although it takes place in the future, it isn't really sci-fi. I mean they still use tanks with steel treads, solid ammunition, machine guns, and bayonet charges, as well as a lot of hand to hand combat. Good, chunky, meaty combat novel.
June 28, 2021
A good, solid Imperial Guard novel that makes ambitious strides towards building backstory for it’s protagonists by layering them with fragments of backstory, some aspects of which are explored, others merely hinted at. As a fan of tank-based books, it scratches some of my itches but isn’t quite as tread-head heavy as bit could be.
I re-read this as part of a focusing on stories around Yarrick and Armageddon, and whilst it doesn’t quite hit the heights of other books relating to the conflict it does have it moments and has a rich vein of bleakness that emphasises the brutality of life in the Imperium.
I re-read this as part of a focusing on stories around Yarrick and Armageddon, and whilst it doesn’t quite hit the heights of other books relating to the conflict it does have it moments and has a rich vein of bleakness that emphasises the brutality of life in the Imperium.
August 25, 2015
By the end your attached to the characters and their personalities. Great for any Tread Head!!
August 15, 2018
When I was younger, my love of RTS games brought me to the early Dawn of War games, which was my intro into the 40k franchise. For all of it's scifi trappings, it was dark, it was fantastical, and it was a setting which had genuine heroes and villains, and not all of them on the opposite sides.
When I had the most basic grasp on 40k, I read this book as my formal introduction into the wider world of 40k. This was several years ago, so bear with me.
Reading Gunheads was something of a contradiction. At the time, the quality of writing didn't feel like it was something entirely worth my time. Yet, it was a memorable story. It was a story of Imperial Guard versus Orks, and the human stories going on just beneath the diorama of an active warzone. I can still recall in detail the general outline of the plot.
If you're first getting into 40k, then you I recommend skipping over this book until later. If you're already into 40k, then you'll probably appreciate this book more.
When I had the most basic grasp on 40k, I read this book as my formal introduction into the wider world of 40k. This was several years ago, so bear with me.
Reading Gunheads was something of a contradiction. At the time, the quality of writing didn't feel like it was something entirely worth my time. Yet, it was a memorable story. It was a story of Imperial Guard versus Orks, and the human stories going on just beneath the diorama of an active warzone. I can still recall in detail the general outline of the plot.
If you're first getting into 40k, then you I recommend skipping over this book until later. If you're already into 40k, then you'll probably appreciate this book more.
March 12, 2018
A true Imperial Guard novel, not focusing on a select group of specialists on a special mission, but on the big picture of tens of thousands of Guardsmen against millions of orks.
Although the main focus is an armoured company (the "Gunheads"), there is enough from the operational point of view that really gives you the complete picture.
The only thing I did not like, was the totally unnecessary branch of personal enmities and frustrations. It did not add anything to the total experience, and, although it was constantly brought up, its conclusion seemed more of an afterthought, like the author finished the novel and remembered he had to give closure to that arc, and just added in another paragraph.
Although the main focus is an armoured company (the "Gunheads"), there is enough from the operational point of view that really gives you the complete picture.
The only thing I did not like, was the totally unnecessary branch of personal enmities and frustrations. It did not add anything to the total experience, and, although it was constantly brought up, its conclusion seemed more of an afterthought, like the author finished the novel and remembered he had to give closure to that arc, and just added in another paragraph.
July 6, 2021
If you like tanks, you get a lot of tanks. My issue was, as I was no Imperial Guard Fanatic, all the namedropping meant nothing to me. E.g., if you don't know the difference between a Chimera, Leman Russ Destroyer and Vanquisher, well better check a visualisation guide ;)
Also there is basically not a lot of excitement? There is a 'mystery' about what the Mechanicus guys actually want, but it amounts to - nothing?
The whole mission and everything else would have been exactly the same without any secret agenda, so I don't know why that plot point was there.
So, recommendation for big fans of Imperial Guard tank porn, for everyone else not really relevant.
Also there is basically not a lot of excitement? There is a 'mystery' about what the Mechanicus guys actually want, but it amounts to - nothing?
The whole mission and everything else would have been exactly the same without any secret agenda, so I don't know why that plot point was there.
So, recommendation for big fans of Imperial Guard tank porn, for everyone else not really relevant.
August 27, 2021
Good not great. Excellent technical military science fiction and battlefield writing. Good intrigue and internal regimental plotting. Interesting subject matter assuming you are already a fan of Warhammer 40,000 and or military science-fiction with armored vehicles and tanks. If you just kind of like it, then I recommend speed reading it just to follow the plot, which is all that I wanted. I got what I wanted.
Good writer, and a marked lack of stilted descriptions or jarring poorly constructed dialogue and action. Which is actually pretty nice as far as black library goes. Good book. Nothing exceptional. But definitely above average for the black library imprint.
Good writer, and a marked lack of stilted descriptions or jarring poorly constructed dialogue and action. Which is actually pretty nice as far as black library goes. Good book. Nothing exceptional. But definitely above average for the black library imprint.
June 4, 2018
I love Steve Parkers way with words - he really makes you care about the characters in his stories. The story develops well and I wanted more - but it ended and I still want to know what happened to the main characters after Operation Thunder! I am always amazed at how I really enjoy Black Library literature and how really well written they are. At least there are loads and loads to explore so my Amazon Wishlist gets longer and longer!
January 30, 2024
Well crafted story and caracters.
I enjoyed this book immensely, characters are relatable and well crafted, story does get a little confusing at times when characters appear to be fixated on something irrelevant and inappropriate to the situation they are in. But these few instances are easily overlooked as the rest of the story is very well constructed.
I look forward to reading more of this author's work.
I enjoyed this book immensely, characters are relatable and well crafted, story does get a little confusing at times when characters appear to be fixated on something irrelevant and inappropriate to the situation they are in. But these few instances are easily overlooked as the rest of the story is very well constructed.
I look forward to reading more of this author's work.
June 20, 2018
Gun heads forever.
Fast paced and full of action. Lots of intriguing in fighting and plenty of blown up xeno. Highly recommended a read
Fast paced and full of action. Lots of intriguing in fighting and plenty of blown up xeno. Highly recommended a read
April 2, 2019
An absolute rip-roaring blast of steel and cannons, you won't find a finer book about the Imperiums' massed armoured might.
April 24, 2021
Great fast paced military sci-fi.
November 6, 2021
Прилично написано. Хотя целой армией гоняться по орочьему миру в поисках танка - глупо даже для Вархаммера.
February 6, 2022
Boring.
June 29, 2024
Good!
The orks are real and the imperial army is what is to be expected even the mecanicus is human in nature if not in body .
Good fights and a good book!
The orks are real and the imperial army is what is to be expected even the mecanicus is human in nature if not in body .
Good fights and a good book!
April 20, 2015
Written in the time, when Black Library still retained a number of talented writers. This is without a doubt one of the best novels ever written about Warhammer 40000 universe.
The characters were well designed and well explained. The storyline was simple, yet engaging. The battle scenes were well written, they were dynamic, three years after I read this book I can still recall the screen where Colonel Strum held the Regimental Standard aloft and made his last stand with his regiment. It's greatest strength, and the reason that makes it a cut above the average novels published by black library, was the scale of the setting. Unlike most novels about the Warhammer universe, this book is about a divisional operation rather than the normal square or regimental operation. Yet despite the scale of the setting, Steve Parker gave the readers a clear picture of the bigger picture as the story moves forward while still focus on the main protagonist within the limited pages, it was indeed to the author's great credit.
It indeed is a shame that, after three years, I have yet to see a sequel of this story or another story of this standard by this author published. However, only time will tell if we will yet see him publish another masterpiece for the Black Library.
The characters were well designed and well explained. The storyline was simple, yet engaging. The battle scenes were well written, they were dynamic, three years after I read this book I can still recall the screen where Colonel Strum held the Regimental Standard aloft and made his last stand with his regiment. It's greatest strength, and the reason that makes it a cut above the average novels published by black library, was the scale of the setting. Unlike most novels about the Warhammer universe, this book is about a divisional operation rather than the normal square or regimental operation. Yet despite the scale of the setting, Steve Parker gave the readers a clear picture of the bigger picture as the story moves forward while still focus on the main protagonist within the limited pages, it was indeed to the author's great credit.
It indeed is a shame that, after three years, I have yet to see a sequel of this story or another story of this standard by this author published. However, only time will tell if we will yet see him publish another masterpiece for the Black Library.
June 21, 2010
Gunheads is a follow up to a short story from Planetkill . This book follows Sgt Wulfe on the world of Golgotha. His unit is sent to find the Fortress of Arrogance, a Baneblade tank, and return it to Commissar Yarrik on Armageddon to bolster the moral of the troops fighting there.
This is another good Imperial Guard book in the theme of Gaunt's Ghosts, although the characters are not quite as real as they are in the Ghosts books. Sgt Wulfe is only one in the book we really send a great deal of time with.
The author does a very good job with some of the fight scenes and there is, in my opinion, one of the very best "death scenes" in any book.
A really good read.
This is another good Imperial Guard book in the theme of Gaunt's Ghosts, although the characters are not quite as real as they are in the Ghosts books. Sgt Wulfe is only one in the book we really send a great deal of time with.
The author does a very good job with some of the fight scenes and there is, in my opinion, one of the very best "death scenes" in any book.
A really good read.
October 28, 2016
In this story we follow a company as they try to recover the baneblade of Comissar Yarrick to bolster the morale that is decaying rapidly on Armaggedon. It's strange making a review now, two years later since I read recently a novella by David Annandale - Yarrick: Chains of Golgotha ; that tells how he came to lose the tank and his captivity.
It's not important to read but will help to understand why the Baneblade is so important.
As other Imperial Guard novels it focus on them and not the superhuman space marines which for me are way easier to relate. Advisable to anyone who enjoys 40K and plays Imperial Guard army.
There is some development of some characters (mostly Stg Wulfe) and the ending is quite good.
It's not important to read but will help to understand why the Baneblade is so important.
As other Imperial Guard novels it focus on them and not the superhuman space marines which for me are way easier to relate. Advisable to anyone who enjoys 40K and plays Imperial Guard army.
There is some development of some characters (mostly Stg Wulfe) and the ending is quite good.
January 24, 2012
40K imperial guard do one thing really well, they die in droves.
This was a bit of a apprise novel for me. I want expecting much but I got intrigue, epic battles, decent characters and another little bit of one line 40K lore expanded into a novel. The recovery of Yarrick's legendary battle tank the fortress of arrogance is 40K at it's best
This was a bit of a apprise novel for me. I want expecting much but I got intrigue, epic battles, decent characters and another little bit of one line 40K lore expanded into a novel. The recovery of Yarrick's legendary battle tank the fortress of arrogance is 40K at it's best
August 31, 2011
A book about a tank company sent to retrieve an ancient weapon from a world of Orks.
January 23, 2016
An entertaining bit of braincandy. Predictable, but enjoyable.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews