Tales From the Dark Millennium

Tales From the Dark Millennium is a collection of short stories inspired by the short lived Warhammer 40,000 collectible card game. Set in the Pyrus Reach Sector which is under attack by Chaos, Ork and Eldar forces, it is up to humanity to stem the tide.

• The Fall of Marakross by Steve Parker sees Dark Angel space Marines helping defend the city of Scala from a Chaos cult, but the Dark Angel's have their own secret reasons for helping.


• Vindicare by C S Goto involves a Vindicare Assassin as she patiently waits to kill an Eldar leader on the planet of Orphean Trine.


• The Prisoner by Graham McNeill deals with a visit to the prison on Orina Septimus by Inquisitor Lord Syphax Osorkon who has come with some Grey Knights to see a very dangerous prisoner.


• The Invitation by Dan Abnett is about Cannonness Olga Karamanz and her Sister's of Battle and Catcher of Men Lowen Tegget as they hunt the same renegade.


• A Balance of Faith by Darren-Jon Ashmore is about Sister Hospitaller Verinas' fight with the forces of Chaos.


• Gate of Souls by Mike Lee sees Inquisitor Alabel Santos fight Chaos on the planet of Dirge.


• Fates Masters, Destiny's Servants by Matt Keefe follows the Ultramarines on Elysium.


• Tears of Blood by C S Goto deals with Eldar in the Tyrine System.

A good collection to dip into, it is also small enough to read in one sitting.

Cruel and Unusual

Daredevil is one of my favourite superheroes, but I'm glad I don't live his life. Writers seem to spend their time thinking up new ways to put him through the emotional wringer. Ed Brubaker is no different in this regard as he finds more ways to torture Matt Murdoch in Daredevil: Cruel and Unusual.

After Murdoch's wife Milla is put into hospital Murdoch spirals into a world of pain and misery and takes to the streets as Daredevil to beat up on crooks in Hell's Kitchen. An old friend drags Murdoch back to reality by presenting him with a case that sparks his interest. A known criminal has pleaded guilty to a crime he didn't commit and is hiding something. As Murdoch and his friends dig deeper it becomes clear that there are organisations involved that do not want the truth to come out including the CIA, FBI, and a former Mob boss. Murdoch uncovers the truth, but not before another friend is hospitalised because of his actions.

Brubaker is a great writer of Daredevil and really gets the character and his supporting cast. I just wish he could have some fun now and again.

Final Crisis

WOW! Just WOW! I was always going to wait and read DC's Final Crisis when it was released as a graphic novel collected edition and now that I have I'm glad I did because it was a wild ride.

Grant Morrison always writes big. Everything he does has multiple layers and needs to be read more than once to get the full effect, and Final Crisis is no different. As the heroes of the multiverse fight to save their existence a plot is revealed that could change everything. As the blurb says: "Men of steel, and women of wonder, dark knights and lantern lights, those who ride the lightning and those who call it down - none of them can escape the shadow of the dark side - as it reaches out to extinguish the human flame forever. A hell without exit. A death that is life. An end to all stories. A Final Crisis." I can see that when this finished things in the DC universe would be different as a major hero dies, lives are changed and Superman proves why he is the ultimate superhero.

What a read, it was like having me head filled with amazing ideas and watching scenes rush past at the speed of light. I need to read this again just to take it all in. Morrison has hit it out of the park, WOW!

6th June

Antony Beevor has written a very readable account of the D-Day landings and the bloody battle for Normandy in his latest book D-Day. You might think that another book about WWII is redundant but Beevor has done a good job of making the material and sources seem fresh as he delves into the experiences of the soldiers and commanders on both sides.

Beevor starts by looking at the planning behind the invasion and the build up of forces before the big day. We are then shown how tough the landings were especially on the American side. The expansion of the beachhead and the gradual advance into the bocage make up the bulk of the narrative as Beevor gives us an insight into the tough and brutal fighting that developed. Beevor also looks at the tensions between commanders on both sides.

I like reading military history and have read I don't know how many books on the battle for Normandy, but I still enjoyed this new book. One for history fans and WWII buffs, or people looking for a very readable introduction to D-Day and what went on after it.

The Flight of the Eisenstein

Captain Nathanial Garro is a loyal follower of the Emperor and leader of the 7th Company of the Death Guard Space Marines. When Warmaster Horus' treachery is revealed on Istvaan III, Garro takes control of a ship called the Eisenstein and sets of to warn the Emperor about what he has witnessed.
James Swallow tells this story with gusto in The Flight of the Eisenstein, which introduces us to Garro and shows us aspects of his character that lead him to wanting to warn the Emperor about the treachery of Horus, and the threat that Horus is to the Imperium. While the Eisenstein is fleeing from orbit around Istvaan III it is fired on and sustains dangerous amounts of damage, despite this it jumps into the warp where the Chaos Gods begin to play with the ship. Garro and his men must survive if they are going to warn the Emperor, but the longer they stay in the warp the less likely it is that they will be able to.
Swallow does a good job of raising the tension and putting Garro through the wringer. If Garro succeeds maybe the Imperium can defeat Horus, but if the Eisenstein is lost in the warp Horus will most likely win. A good entry in the Horus Heresy series that focuses on the Space Marines themselves rather than the Primarchs for a change.