Deus Encarmine Book review spoiler free...ish

 

Deus Encarmine by James Swallow.

The Spear of Telesto is an ancient piece of archeotech once carried by the Great Angel himself. Sanguinius received it from the Emperor when he swore fealty, and it’s as much a work of art as it is a weapon. Its sculpted shaft shows a hooded angel, complete with a purity seal penned by the Emperor, and it ends in a teardrop-shaped blade with a hollow core. In battle, the spear can unleash a wave of power that burns away anything in its path, unless the target carries the Primarch’s sacred gene-line. The spear was lost during the Horus Heresy on some forgotten battlefield, but it was never truly forgotten. When records hinted at its possible location, Chapter Master Dante dispatched the Battle Barge Bellus, accompanied by Inquisitor Ramius Steele, a trusted ally of the Blood Angels. This novel opens after the spear has already been recovered, with the Bellus making its return journey. The story follows Rafen, a Blood Angel whose birth brother, Arkio, was part of the retrieval mission. The two brothers become central to a Chaos-driven plot aimed at tearing the Blood Angels apart from within and sparking a civil war that could destroy the Chapter entirely. The enemy behind it all is one they never expected, and the price they pay will be written in blood.

I really enjoyed this novel. The plot sets up the antagonist’s plan in a way that feels clever without trying to hide everything behind forced mystery. The character relationships are handled well, too; the mix of distrust, pride, and willful ignorance feels like genuine social dynamics rather than manufactured drama. I also appreciated how the flaws of the Blood Angels gene‑seed are explored. Even when they don’t naturally fall to it, there are always enemies ready to exploit those weaknesses for their own gain, which really drives home how vigilant the Chapter has to be, both internally and externally. The bond of brotherhood has always been a defining trait of the Blood Angels, but here it’s twisted and used against them, showing how even the strongest of the Emperor’s elite can be undermined through subtle corruption. The Word Bearers provide a sharp contrast, their own “brotherhood” built on fear and the iron grip of their Dark Apostles. Overall, the story flows smoothly and takes its time without padding things out with filler. It’s an enjoyable read and definitely worth picking up if you get the chance.

Prisoners of the WAAAGH!!! Book review spoiler free...ish

 

Prisoners of the WAAAGH! by Justin Woolley.

The men and women of the Imperial Guard are hopelessly outgunned out there in the long, dark reaches of the galaxy. Most of the time, they’re thrown into fights where they’re little more than cannon fodder, bodies for the grinder, holding the line through sheer attrition. Anyone who survives the first brutal moments of an Ork invasion might feel lucky, but that feeling doesn’t last. Every now and then, if a Warboss can keep his Boyz from killing absolutely everything in sight, the Orks take captives. Some are kept for the kind of menial jobs even Gretchin won’t touch, some are worked to exhaustion, some are saved so the Warboss can make an example of them… and some end up as food. This is the story of one group of Guardsmen trying to survive as the unwilling playthings of a Waaagh.

This short story clocks in at just over a hundred pages, but I still found it a really enjoyable read. The pacing is solid, the narrative flows cleanly, and there aren’t any obvious gaps or jumps. I especially liked that the Imperial Guard soldiers aren’t portrayed as anything more than what they are — fragile, ordinary humans trying to survive in a galaxy full of monsters. We’re so used to following transhuman warriors who can shrug off almost anything, or facing down the wildly overpowered horrors of the setting, that it’s refreshing to see a story grounded in the Guard’s vulnerability. The development of the main group of captives is handled well, showing the pressure they’re under while still trying to maintain discipline and the kind of mindset that keeps them alive. One mistake could get them killed. If anything, the only thing I missed was the usual Orky chaos and humour that tends to follow the green tide around. Still, it’s a book worth reading, and its few shortcomings are easy to forgive.

Space Hulk Book review spoiler free...ish

 

Space Hulk by Gav Thorpe.

The Space Hulk Sin of Damnation is infamous among the Blood Angels, the site of one of the chapter’s most traumatic failures. This drifting labyrinth of fused starship wreckage has haunted them for centuries, not just because of the Genestealer infestation lurking inside, but because it was here that the Blood Angels once committed their entire chapter to a cleansing operation… and paid for it in blood. They underestimated the scale of the xenos threat, and by the time the survivors clawed their way back out, only fifty Marines remained, Dante among them. The loss was so devastating that it became a defining wound in the chapter’s history, feeding their already‑heavy burden of guilt tied to the Black Rage and the legacy of Sanguinius. For six hundred years, the memory of that disaster festered, a stain on their honour and a reminder that even the sons of the Angel can falter. Now the Blood Angels have returned for a second attempt, armed with hard‑won experience and a determination to face the nightmare that once broke them. This book follows that renewed assault and explores whether the chapter can finally put their ghosts to rest, reclaim their pride, and prove that the sins of the past don’t have to define their future.

An older story, but still a really entertaining quick read. The atmosphere is tight, confusing, and claustrophobic in all the right ways, and the author nails that sense of being trapped in a maze where danger is always one corner away. The combat feels frantic and high‑stakes, the kind of fighting where even veteran Terminators, armed to the teeth and trained for the worst,  are only a heartbeat away from being overwhelmed. The shadow of the previous failed assault hangs over everything, and the book weaves that history into the second mission beautifully, adding an extra layer of pressure to every decision the Blood Angels make. There are only a few pages from the Broodlord’s point of view, but those brief moments still manage to give a chilling glimpse into the Genestealer mind. Overall, it’s absolutely worth picking up if you can find a copy. It’s short, but it delivers exactly what it promises: a tense, atmospheric dive into one of the Blood Angels’ most infamous battles.

Evil Sun Rising Book review spoiler free...ish

 Evil Sun Rising by Guy Haley. 

The Meks of the Red Waaagh! are locked in their usual contest over who can build the most ridiculously killy Gargant, and these towering effigies of the Ork gods certainly live up to the hype. When the Waaagh! crashes into Sanctus Reach, it’s all about the loot, the carnage, and the sheer joy of smashing things flat. At the head of it all is Grukk Face‑Rippa, a Warboss so unstable that even other Orks tread carefully around him. This is the same lad who levelled an entire settlement because a Grot spilled engine oil on his breakfast. Armed with his custom Big Mek–built Power Klaw, he’s a walking disaster zone, something the Space Wolves of Krom Dragongaze’s Drakeslayers have learned the hard way. Grukk also happens to be a massive Gargant fanatic, so he’s unleashed a whole herd of them to stomp their way across Sanctus Reach. Among his Meks is the notorious Mogrok the Mangler, an oddball even by Ork standards, covered in parasites and maggots despite Orks normally being immune to disease. Evil Sun Rising dives into the Red Waaagh’s assault and the wonderfully destructive rivalry that erupts around these monstrous engines of war.

Although the book is a short novella, it does a good job of bringing the humour of the Orks alive. What comes through really well is the sheer enjoyment the Orks have when they are unleashed to run wild. The competition between the Big Meks and their God-Machines is developed into a under running constant in the plot, highlighted by the various cunning tactics used by Mogrok (usually). I didn't really know what to make of Mogrok as a character in general. There have been a lot of discussions on whether he can be claimed to be in keeping with the 40k canon due to the unusual disease he is plagued by, so I would say it's something the reader needs to decide for themselves because it's something relatively minor overall. The other characters have good depth, given the length of the book, and it helps to bring the plot together. If you're after a short read, you can enjoy then its worth it, and it definitely has the Ork themed madness to enjoy.

Legion of the Damned a brief view

 

Legion of the Damned.

If you’ve spent any time wandering through Warhammer 40K lore, you’ve probably come across the Legion of the Damned — those eerie, flaming, skull‑helmed Space Marines who appear out of nowhere, save doomed Imperial forces, and then vanish without a word. They’re one of the most mysterious forces in the entire setting, and for decades, fans have asked the same question:

Are they the cursed remnants of the Fire Hawks Chapter?

Long before anyone whispered about spectral warriors, the Fire Hawks were a very real Space Marine Chapter. They came out of the 21st “Cursed” Founding — a Founding known for producing Chapters with… issues — and they had a reputation for being fierce, stubborn, and incredibly unlucky.

Other chapters created during the Cursed Founding that have had similar problems are:

• Lamenters - incredibly unlucky with frequent disasters, nearly destroyed during the Badab War, and nearly destroyed by the Tyranids
•  Flame Falcons -  had a habit of exploding into flames, later utterly destroyed by the Inquisition and the Grey Knights.
• Minotaurs - still existing but known to be extremely brutal and have unknown Gene-seed origins 

A few things defined the Fire Hawks:

• They claimed Ultramarines' heritage (though not everyone bought it).

• They operated as a fleet‑based Chapter from the Raptorus Rex.

• They fought in major conflicts like the Badab War and the Age of Apostasy.

• They had a habit of losing homeworlds, ships, and large parts of their Chapter to disasters.

By the late 900s of M41, they were battered but still fighting. And then everything changed.

In 963.M41, the Fire Hawks attempted a warp jump to the Crows World subsector.

They never arrived.

Five ships. Over eight hundred Space Marines. Two thousand support crew. Gone without a trace.

After twenty years of silence, the Imperium declared the Chapter lost. The Bell of Lost Souls tolled a thousand times. A black candle was lit in their honour.

As far as the Imperium was concerned, the Fire Hawks were dead.

But the galaxy had other plans.

Not long after the Fire Hawks vanished, strange reports began to surface.

Warriors in blackened, cracked armour. Flames that didn’t burn. Marines who moved in total silence, fought with impossible precision, and appeared only when defeat was certain.

Their bodies looked diseased. Their armour was scorched. Their minds seemed distant or broken. They didn’t speak, didn’t coordinate, and didn’t stay long enough for anyone to ask questions.

They simply arrived, annihilated the enemy, and disappeared.

These sightings grew more frequent — and more unsettling.

A few incidents stand out:

• A research station was saved from destruction by unknown Marines who vanished before identification.

• A derelict ship drifting through space, filled with sealed coffins — each containing a Fire Hawk.

• A battlefield where a single banner was found after the mysterious warriors departed: “For the Emperor beyond the point of death.”

It didn’t take long for people to connect the dots.

The honest answer is: Probably — but nobody can prove it.

There are several theories:

• The Fire Hawks were mutated by a warp contagion.

• They died in the warp and now fight on as psychic echoes.

• They’re a warp‑born manifestation of humanity’s will to survive.

• They’re a cursed Chapter, doomed to burn forever in the Emperor’s name.

Ashes of Prospero Book review spoiler free...ish

 

Ashes of Prospero by Gav Thorpe.

Prospero was home to the Thousand Sons, the place where Magnus the Red finally landed after the Primarchs were scattered across the galaxy. Its capital, Tizca, was a glittering city built on learning, packed with knowledge the legion had gathered during the Great Crusade. But not everything in Tizca was as bright as its spires suggested. Hidden beneath one of its great temples was a secret Webway Gate leading into the twisting paths beyond realspace. When the Space Wolves came to burn Prospero, a Thousand Sons psyker named Izzakar Orr fled into the Webway with warriors of the Wolves’ 13th Great Company close behind. He didn’t make it out. His death left his spirit trapped inside those impossible tunnels, along with the Wolves who pursued him.

On the ice world of Fenris Magnus the Red, in his daemonic form, has re-entered the materium and his first blow against the Imperium landed at Fenris, looking to avenge the destruction of Prospero. After a hard-fought defense, the Wolves prevailed, but the damage to Fenris and its people was severe. Once the Daemon Primarch had been repulsed and his minions of change banished, the Wolves had to try to repair the damage left in their wake. Now the Wolves are spread thin, dealing with a multitude of threats, and these threats just keep pressing in on them. Njal the Stormcaller has been on a spirit journey to try to find a clue to the path for the Wolves to thrive, but this leaves him with his defenses lower than they ever have been, and because of this, the events in this novel become possible.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters are surprisingly well developed, even Njal, who already has a ton of established lore behind him, gets some meaningful growth. But the standout for me was Lukas the Trickster. He’s basically the Loki of the Space Wolves: all mischief, chaos, and charm. The way he’s written makes him feel genuinely alive on the page. And the fact that he’s someone who constantly tests the patience of his own pack, while the Wolves themselves sit on the fringes of the wider Imperium, just highlights how much his brothers still value him, even with his antics usually frustrating all involved. The desperation the Great Wolf shows in trying to find some kind of support in the current troubles assailing the chapter brings a completely new character trait to the forefront for Grimnar, which was very intriguing.

The plot takes a little while to really get moving, but once it does, it keeps a solid pace and turns into a genuinely great read. One thing this novel makes absolutely clear is that if you thought Fenris was a terrible holiday destination before Magnus attacked, it’s even worse now. The climate, the wildlife, the weather, everything has shifted, and not in a good way. So many places where the veil between the warp and the materium has thinned that there’s real doubt about whether the Ice Clans can keep supplying the chapter with new Aspirants any time soon. That kind of disruption could become a serious problem for the Wolves going forward.

Lucius - the Faultless Blade Book review spoiler free... Ish

 

Lucius - The Faultless Blade by Ian St Martin.

Lucius was once a shining paragon of perfection within the Emperor’s Children, a swordsman so skilled that no one alive could match the feats he achieved with a blade. His obsession with the perfect kill kept him constantly refining his technique, always chasing that next impossible standard. But like every scion of Fulgrim’s Legion, Lucius eventually plunged into the depths of corruption. Twisted by the capricious warp entities known as the Ruinous Powers, he now carries a “gift” that ensures he’ll haunt mankind for a very long time. On the rare occasions he’s actually been killed, all it takes is for his slayer to feel even the slightest flicker of pride or satisfaction, and something truly insidious begins. The victor slowly transforms into Lucius himself, armour and all, until the change is complete. Their own face becomes trapped on his armour, frozen in eternal agony, heard by only Lucius. It’s a fate that has claimed victims from countless species, and the Prince of Dark Delights clearly has no intention of losing his champion. His physical form has twisted as well. Lucius now stands on a pair of hooves capable of crushing the rib plate of a Space Marine, and his right hand has become a barbed, fleshy tentacle that can tear through the toughest muscle with ease. Combined, these “blessings” make Lucius a threat that even death struggles to contain.

This novel is on the shorter side, but it packs in plenty of entertaining moments to make up for it. You get clashes with renegade Marines, daemon encounters, and even run‑ins with the Dark Eldar, all there to showcase different flavours of the setting. Despite its length, the story does a great job of highlighting just how far the Emperor’s Children have slid down the path of corruption. The pacing is perfectly weighted so that the reader isn't lost by the plot moving too quickly, or left bored because nothing of any note is happening for long periods. My only small problem with this book was that there was no character development for the main characters, more probably due to the fact that they are well established already, but it was just a minor issue for me. If you're after a short read or fancy a renegade faction story, then you'll enjoy this. It's definitely worth a read if you can get hold of it.