The Remnant Blade Book Review spoiler free...ish

 

The Remnant Blade by Mike Vincent.

The Blades of Atrocity are a dying warband. Once fifty strong, they were able to raid, survive, and carve their own path of terror across the stars. But those days are long gone. Dalchian Rassaq, their lord, swore fealty to the Gorelord Thelissicus in the hope of securing greater strength, only to be betrayed during a raid when the Gorelord turned his guns on their ship and slaughtered most of the Blades. Now only a pitiful handful remain, and their resentment festers. Mutiny is brewing, and the Gorelord’s noose tightens around Rassaq with every passing day. Yet Rassaq is not without options. With the help of a former Mechanicus Tech‑priest taken captive in earlier raids, he begins to shape a desperate plan, one that could either restore the Blades to power or doom them completely. Meanwhile, the Silent Sisters of the Imperium stand vigilant aboard the Black Ships, the Null Maidens tasked with gathering Psykers from across the galaxy to serve the Imperium’s needs or feed the Golden Throne. These vessels are heavily modified, formidable constructs, more than a match for a Strike Cruiser, and only a warband with nothing left to lose would dare to attack one and hope to survive. This is the crucible in which the Blades of Atrocity will either be reforged or finally broken, cast aside like so many failed warbands struggling to endure beyond the Eye of Terror.

I really enjoyed this book, particularly because it offers a look at a reasonably sized warband of Night Lords struggling to survive within the treacherous nexus of the Chaos Marines. If you’ve read the Night Lords trilogy, you’ll be used to seeing a warband that’s formidable, resourceful, and capable of holding its own. Rassaq’s warband, by contrast, is already dead; they just haven’t accepted it yet. That sense of looming collapse adds a sharp tension to every chapter, making you pay close attention to what happens next. Rassaq himself receives strong character development, but the same can’t be said for the rest of the Blades. It’s a noticeable gap, and I found myself wishing the supporting characters had been given a little more depth to tie everything together. Even so, it doesn’t damage the book in any major way. The Silent Sisters, on the other hand, are portrayed brilliantly. The descriptions do them real justice, and their presence adds weight to the story. My favourite sections were the sequences involving the Black Ship. I haven’t come across many books that focus on these vessels, and the fresh perspective goes a long way toward balancing the lighter treatment of the remaining warband members. If you get the chance to read this book, I’d strongly recommend giving it a go. Night Lords fans, or anyone curious about the lore surrounding the Black Ships, will find plenty to enjoy. It doesn’t climb as high on my favourites list as the trilogy, but it’s still absolutely worth the read.