Writer - David Annandale
Series - Warhammer 40'000
Published By - Black Library
My first read from 'David Annandale' was very impressive so I had to carry on. And this is as good as, if not better than the first experience. Annandale once again portrays Commissar Yarrick in a very original way and crafts an interesting story from his rich history. There is enough action to sate any fans of Warhammer 40k and also some nice character play to boost. Once you start this story believe me you won't be able to stop till it ends.
Commissar Sebastian Yarrick and the 252nd Armageddon Steel Legion comes to the barren world of Molossus to stop a heretical rebellion. With the inquisition at his back and a ragged force of rebels before him, Yarrick must discover the cause of the uprising and bring it to an end. As he descends into the hive’s lower levels, Yarrick and the soldiers of the Astra Militarum discover a deadly horror in the shadows. The story is told wholly through the viewpoint of Yarrick this time and he is younger also, having a fully functional right arm and eye.
The progression is fast paced as expected from a short story, and in between Yarrick's fight against the rebels we get into his mind as he tries to connect the pieces, tries to identify the cause of the rebellion. The side characters are not really fleshed as there is not much scope for that but we do get a new aspect of Yarrick's characters as we see him try to deal with the consequences of his actions here, not merely shrug of the necessary casualties. Annandale again shows his charisma and his total control over writing this character as he makes us feel really connected with Yarrick thorough his first person narrative. Yarrick shows his cunning and his tactical mindset much more than that of his indomitable willpower present in the 'Chain of Golgotha' in this story and that is very a refreshing attempt by the author at showing new sides to his character.
This also contains the short story 'Sacrificial' which is a rather odd piece that just throws us suddenly into a story and shows Yarrick again dealing with a different kind of horror. Although the story was a bit confusing I am just gonna have to merit the short based on the original story as this is just an added bonus actually.
All in all, although I would have liked very much if this was much longer in length, this was a short and thoroughly entertaining read to say the least. Well, I am off to start reading David's full length Yarrick novel, cause frankly I have become a fan.
This gets 4.5 out of 5 stars.
PS: Do check out my review of 'Yarrick: Chains of Golgotha' if you want more on Yarrick.
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