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Victories of the Space Marines
Victories of the Space Marines
From planet to planet, enemies of mankind will stop at nothing to expand their dominion - but there is hope. Superhuman warriors stand proud in defiance of inhuman foes, laying waste to the relentless hordes of invaders and forces of chaos. In the remains of their enemies, they are triumphant - they are the space marines.
Runes • [Space Wolf / Ragnar Blackmane] • (2011) • Chris Wraight
The Rewards of Tolerance • (2011) • Gav Thorpe
Black Dawn • (2011) • C. L. Werner
The Long Games at Carcharias • (2011) • Rob Sanders
Heart of Rage • [Blood Angels] • (2010) • James Swallow
But Dust in the Wind • [Imperial Fists] • (2011) • Jonathan Green
Exhumed • [Deathwatch] • (2011) • Steve Parker
Primary Instinct • (2011) • Sarah Cawkwell
Sacrifice • [Grey Knights • 2.5] • (2011) • Ben Counter
Runes • [Space Wolf / Ragnar Blackmane] • (2011) • Chris Wraight
The Rewards of Tolerance • (2011) • Gav Thorpe
Black Dawn • (2011) • C. L. Werner
The Long Games at Carcharias • (2011) • Rob Sanders
Heart of Rage • [Blood Angels] • (2010) • James Swallow
But Dust in the Wind • [Imperial Fists] • (2011) • Jonathan Green
Exhumed • [Deathwatch] • (2011) • Steve Parker
Primary Instinct • (2011) • Sarah Cawkwell
Sacrifice • [Grey Knights • 2.5] • (2011) • Ben Counter
410 pages, Paperback
First published March 29, 2011
7 people are currently reading
314 people want to read
About the author
Christian Z. Dunn
140 books62 followersChristian Dunn, sometimes credited as C.Z. Dunn, is a senior editor for Black Library.
Librarian note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Librarian note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
December 25, 2020
Not sure why this was on my TBR list, since it's the type of "bolter porn" 40k book I generally don't care for. Also, there is only one female character in the entire 400 pages, and she's just a minor side role in the last story (which incidentally was also my favorite). Even groups of humans were referred to collectively as "men." Come on, guys.
December 28, 2024
Runes - 3/5. Not my favorite, but I enjoyed getting to see a bit of the story told from the Eldar's perspective. Excellent gore and action scenes.
The Rewards of Tolerance - 5/5. It's interesting to see a chapter of Marines trying to escape the Imperium rather than serve it, and dealings with xenos always get a thumbs-up from me. I hope they all live happily ever after.
Black Dawn - 1/5 - SO boring. The Space Marines are so strong and awesome that they accomplish everything with basically no resistance. Never a sense that they're in any danger at all.
The Long Games at Carcharias - 2/5. Mostly dull, but there was a gleefully evil Chaos Marine at the end that almost made it worth reading.
Heart of Rage - Didn't read. I was really starting to get tired at this point. I admit, I've never found the Space Marines to be terribly interesting, but I thought these stories might help to endear them to me. This did not pan out.
But Dust in the Wind - Didn't read.
Exhumed -Didn't read.
Primary Instinct - 5/5. The whole reason I picked up this book. I liked seeing the Silver Skulls' unique view on psykers, how they view it as far more of a blessing than your average Imperial citizen, and the concept of a Kroot getting psychic powers from eating Eldar is SO COOL. I also thought the Space Marine characters here were some of the most interesting out of the stories. You really feel the strength of their friendship in this one.
Sacrifice - Didn't read.
The Rewards of Tolerance - 5/5. It's interesting to see a chapter of Marines trying to escape the Imperium rather than serve it, and dealings with xenos always get a thumbs-up from me. I hope they all live happily ever after.
Black Dawn - 1/5 - SO boring. The Space Marines are so strong and awesome that they accomplish everything with basically no resistance. Never a sense that they're in any danger at all.
The Long Games at Carcharias - 2/5. Mostly dull, but there was a gleefully evil Chaos Marine at the end that almost made it worth reading.
Heart of Rage - Didn't read. I was really starting to get tired at this point. I admit, I've never found the Space Marines to be terribly interesting, but I thought these stories might help to endear them to me. This did not pan out.
But Dust in the Wind - Didn't read.
Exhumed -Didn't read.
Primary Instinct - 5/5. The whole reason I picked up this book. I liked seeing the Silver Skulls' unique view on psykers, how they view it as far more of a blessing than your average Imperial citizen, and the concept of a Kroot getting psychic powers from eating Eldar is SO COOL. I also thought the Space Marine characters here were some of the most interesting out of the stories. You really feel the strength of their friendship in this one.
Sacrifice - Didn't read.
February 1, 2023
9/10 Runes
10/10 The Rewards of Tolerance
7/10 Black Dawn
7/10 The Long Games at Carcharias
8/10 Heart of Rage
7/10 But Dust in the Wind
10/10 Exhumed
9/10 Primary Instincts
12/10 Sacrifice
Where 5 is by no means a bad score, just average.
8.7/10 Average. Best of the 3 books, no real "weak" bolter porn stories. Do recommend.
10/10 The Rewards of Tolerance
7/10 Black Dawn
7/10 The Long Games at Carcharias
8/10 Heart of Rage
7/10 But Dust in the Wind
10/10 Exhumed
9/10 Primary Instincts
12/10 Sacrifice
Where 5 is by no means a bad score, just average.
8.7/10 Average. Best of the 3 books, no real "weak" bolter porn stories. Do recommend.
June 30, 2022
Good not great overall.
Some exceptionally great descriptions of the sacrifices made to support Grey Knights and some stilted combat writing but overall ok if this is your thing or if you got this in a bundle like I did.
Some exceptionally great descriptions of the sacrifices made to support Grey Knights and some stilted combat writing but overall ok if this is your thing or if you got this in a bundle like I did.
September 16, 2023
Another anthology I have read during work breaks. Still love the book. I think there were less bad stories than in Heroes. I do like that they built of of stories from Heroes. I loved that a lot.
February 3, 2019
An enjoyable romp through the realms of chaos and carnage, as only Warhammer can produce, in the eternal war against creatures from the warp.
September 10, 2019
Some stories better than others due to different authors. A fun romp through the lore either way
April 17, 2022
Just 400some pages of setting up bad situations and space marines fighting their ways out. If that's what you're looking for this is a home run.
June 5, 2022
A decent sci-fi short story collection.
February 2, 2024
A fun read.
September 18, 2025
It's a very mixed bag. A few of these stories are just plain badly written, but others are very good
Read
February 18, 2020Enjoyed reading this book.
November 3, 2012
I liked the collection for the most part, but like many anthologies, there are always one or two stories that are either uneven or just not as good compared to the others. In addition, this may be a bit of a peeve, but "victory" as a concept is a bit liberal of a term for a story or two in this anthology. Fans of Warhammer 40K will certainly enjoy this volume. Like other volumes in this series, this is a collection of novellas or longer stories. The stories each feature a chapter of the Space Marines. Let me say a bit about some of the stories without spoiling things.
I liked a bit the ending of the Renegades story (yes, there is a story of renegage Space Marines. If you wanted to see a bit from the view of these marines, this is it). For me, one of the best stories was the one featuring the Grey Knights. The sacrifice idea is woven well into the story as readers get to see what it takes to bless and make holy the implements of war that the Grey Knights use. If you want more of the Inquisition, there is also a Deathwatch story. Between these two, I enjoyed the Grey Knights a bit more, but they are both good. If you just took for granted that their bullets were made holy somehow and the runes on their armors were just put there, this story may open your eyes. I definitely found it fascinating in a creepy sort of way. But there are also stories of marines making their last stand that readers of this collection will enjoy. In terms of stories I did not really like the Crimson Consuls story just did not work for me. It seemed too long, and I certainly found the ending disappointing. But that is me. Readers who like intrigue and machinations may like it better.
Overall, there is a bit of everything for readers, so for some adventure with the Space Marines and a nice sampling, you can pick this volume up.
I liked a bit the ending of the Renegades story (yes, there is a story of renegage Space Marines. If you wanted to see a bit from the view of these marines, this is it). For me, one of the best stories was the one featuring the Grey Knights. The sacrifice idea is woven well into the story as readers get to see what it takes to bless and make holy the implements of war that the Grey Knights use. If you want more of the Inquisition, there is also a Deathwatch story. Between these two, I enjoyed the Grey Knights a bit more, but they are both good. If you just took for granted that their bullets were made holy somehow and the runes on their armors were just put there, this story may open your eyes. I definitely found it fascinating in a creepy sort of way. But there are also stories of marines making their last stand that readers of this collection will enjoy. In terms of stories I did not really like the Crimson Consuls story just did not work for me. It seemed too long, and I certainly found the ending disappointing. But that is me. Readers who like intrigue and machinations may like it better.
Overall, there is a bit of everything for readers, so for some adventure with the Space Marines and a nice sampling, you can pick this volume up.
September 20, 2011
First off, let me say that I am a newbie to Warhammer. This book was... good. The stories were interesting, reliably blood filled and full of weapons. The different sections of the marines were noticeably unique among the others in their own way (for example, instead of the normal, well, normal for the space marines, bullets; the class grey knights had their munition soaked in the blood of the innocent to presumably give them extra holy oomph against the demonic forces that they fought). Each story was unique and interesting in its own way, the aliens were original and properly ominous (I particuarly liked the tyrannids, who had ship, weapons, and soldiers made of recycled biological material), and each soldier was different in his own way, even when about a third of the protagonists were psychically endowed, these "psychers" used their powers in their own way, wether for battle or navigation.
My only grievance was that I had little to no clue what the heck anything was or did. Its not as though this was a book made to continue a series, and although I understand the fact that most of the customers who would buy this book were already part of this series' universe, give the new guys a chance. Many of the weapons were unexplained, and the reader had to inference what the heck they did (although some were explained, or easy to figure out; such as the chainsword, a sword that has a blade akin to a chainsaw). A good set of stories, but little to no explanation as to what these mighty warriors were fighting and what they were fighting it with
My only grievance was that I had little to no clue what the heck anything was or did. Its not as though this was a book made to continue a series, and although I understand the fact that most of the customers who would buy this book were already part of this series' universe, give the new guys a chance. Many of the weapons were unexplained, and the reader had to inference what the heck they did (although some were explained, or easy to figure out; such as the chainsword, a sword that has a blade akin to a chainsaw). A good set of stories, but little to no explanation as to what these mighty warriors were fighting and what they were fighting it with
August 8, 2011
(had to spend a day in StPancrass Station, a lot of stories were read that day :)
This book is a collection of short stories:
- Runes, by Chris Wraight: Space Wolves, story is a bit weak, but entertaining
- The Rewards of Tolerance, by Gav Thorpe: Renegade Marines, a very cool story about the renegades' slow embrace of ... not immediatly Chaos (or not all), but Chaos Influences nonetheless
- Black Dawn, by C.L. Werner: Also not one of my favorite stories, but again entertaining
- The Long Games at Carcharias, by Rob Sanders: A great example of how a 'mere short story' can still encompass a lot of threadlines that all cumulate in one big plot-twist
- Heart of Rage, by James Swallow: Heard the audio book first, nice story, not too awesome (unless you're a Blood Angels fan, naturally)
- But Dust in the Wind, by Jonathan Green: The typical plot of Space Marines against impossible odds, nicely done, but certainly not new
- Exhumed, by Steve Parker: Deathwatch Space Marines, a great story-example of the less heroic things in the imperium can get solved by this organization
- Primary Instinct, by Sarah Cawkwell: Entertaining plot twist, nice characters, but I was generally left unimpressed
- Sacrifice, by Ben Counter: This short was worth five stars in its own. It's a fairly simple sidestory of the Grey Knights trilogy, but the 'sidestories of the little sidestory' are AWE-SOME !
This book is a collection of short stories:
- Runes, by Chris Wraight: Space Wolves, story is a bit weak, but entertaining
- The Rewards of Tolerance, by Gav Thorpe: Renegade Marines, a very cool story about the renegades' slow embrace of ... not immediatly Chaos (or not all), but Chaos Influences nonetheless
- Black Dawn, by C.L. Werner: Also not one of my favorite stories, but again entertaining
- The Long Games at Carcharias, by Rob Sanders: A great example of how a 'mere short story' can still encompass a lot of threadlines that all cumulate in one big plot-twist
- Heart of Rage, by James Swallow: Heard the audio book first, nice story, not too awesome (unless you're a Blood Angels fan, naturally)
- But Dust in the Wind, by Jonathan Green: The typical plot of Space Marines against impossible odds, nicely done, but certainly not new
- Exhumed, by Steve Parker: Deathwatch Space Marines, a great story-example of the less heroic things in the imperium can get solved by this organization
- Primary Instinct, by Sarah Cawkwell: Entertaining plot twist, nice characters, but I was generally left unimpressed
- Sacrifice, by Ben Counter: This short was worth five stars in its own. It's a fairly simple sidestory of the Grey Knights trilogy, but the 'sidestories of the little sidestory' are AWE-SOME !
May 12, 2011
Generally B work. However, the first short by Wraight involves a very interesting construction and actual character development in miniature. Both of these are appreciable feats. Meanwhile, the last story brings more shape and texture to this "grim darkness of the far future" where "there is only war." We are better for the details.
But I could have gone without those two and the rest of the stories for the entry by Sanders which, involves some very bad news for the Crimson Consuls. No spoilers!
But I could have gone without those two and the rest of the stories for the entry by Sanders which, involves some very bad news for the Crimson Consuls. No spoilers!
July 15, 2011
Like any compilation from The Black Library, the quality of the stories varies. Generally though these seemed better than average, and I enjoyed several more than others.
The biggest issue I had was that at least two of the stories, Primary Instinct and Exhumed, had previously appeared in issues of Hammer and Bolter, the monthly publication put out by The Black Library. So not only had I paid for them in that magazine, but I then paid for them again in the book. I wasn't very impressed with that.
The biggest issue I had was that at least two of the stories, Primary Instinct and Exhumed, had previously appeared in issues of Hammer and Bolter, the monthly publication put out by The Black Library. So not only had I paid for them in that magazine, but I then paid for them again in the book. I wasn't very impressed with that.
November 1, 2011
most of these storys are good but some of them get tiering .
but i like the ones with the battle most because i dont find them boring and you cant find very good battle books right now but warhammer hasnever let me down before and i would defenetly recomend this book to any one who is interested.
but i like the ones with the battle most because i dont find them boring and you cant find very good battle books right now but warhammer hasnever let me down before and i would defenetly recomend this book to any one who is interested.
July 26, 2024
Anthologies are bound to contain "good" and "bad" stories from all over the spectrum since different readers have different tastes. Having said that, this is a quite strong collection covering a lot of different settings (and absurdities).
April 30, 2011
A very good collection of stories that occasionally surprised me with the direction they went.
March 22, 2012
some good continuing stories.
May 23, 2016
Another collection of outstanding Space Marines short stories by various excellent Warhammer 40K authors. Not really much more to say about it than that. Sorry so short.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews