Mercy

Mercy by Danie Ware. A Warhammer 40K short story, originally published by The Black Library, March 2018. Approx. 15 pages.

HachiSnax Note: Mercy is a story that's been on my radar for quite a while. Anyone who's been here before knows how much I love Sisters stories, and a friend of mine recommended Ware very highly to me. Seems like a win-win. The only problem has been that I really can't go for the $4.99 price point on BL short stories anymore. It was a fair intersection of price and value at $2.99 all those years ago, but not so much now (5 smackers for ~20 pages?). And that's been one of the myriad reasons why my volume of BL reviews has fallen off. Well, that, I'm not a fan of AoS, Dark Imperium, or the direction HH has gone in, a lot of the newer crop of authors don't really do it for me, plus some other reasons, but I digress. Anyway, once I saw that Mercy was getting bundled into issue one of the new Inferno!, I had my chance. On to the review...

Author Danie Ware marks her freshman foray into the grim world of 40K with a blistering, action-heavy story showcasing one of my favorite factions - the Sisters of Battle. Let's take a look at the blurb and then get to the review:

"Sister Superior Augusta of the Order of the Bloody Rose has been called to a planet in the far reaches of the Imperium, a world where no Imperial foot has stepped in thousands of year, save a missionary sent to bring the Emperor's light to the natives. On the world is a cathedral, ancient and run down – but with an icon at its heart, a warrior-woman with a bloodied rose on her chest. Is this a symbol that Saint Mina, founder of the Order, once walked on this world? Augusta is determined to find out…"

In Mercy, Sister Superior Augusta and her contingent have been dispatched to the jungle world of Lautis to liaison with Tanichus, a missionary who has been working to bring the light of the Emperor to the indigenous population. However, according to data received, there is the possibility of a holy relic being present on Lautis -  an icon of Saint Mina, founder of the Order of the Bloody Rose. Of course, the Sisters are not the only ones interested in what lies within the ruins...

Mercy is a brief short story, and it is immensely action-heavy. And, the reason why it works so damn well is that Ware is doing the Sisters and their tactics right. Let's see how it all stacks up:

Characters: Yes, there are strong characters in this action piece. It's obvious that Ware has thoughfully (and lovingly) assembled this team, fleshing out the individuals fully. This team is built with legs for the long run, not just a one-off short story (as evidenced in Augusta returning in the new novella The Bloodied Rose. Since I haven't read it yet, I can't say for sure who else is returning).

These Sisters retain all the discipline and zeal instilled in the Schola, yet remain human. They experience tests of their morale in the face of insurmountable odds, they lapse into rage-fueled battle fury. I've always said, the test for good 40K authors is adhering to the certain draconian doctrines of the Imperium, but being skillful enough to show the humanity shining through. Because no matter how oppressive a regime is, it will not quell the basic human spirit. Sisters might be among the most disciplined humans, but they're still human. And that's what will always make stories centered around the Guard or the Sisters more inherently intimate than those following the emotionally-truncated, engineered Space Marines.

Story: The story is in the synopsis....the Sisters come looking for the icon, and get ambushed by orks. It's the most basic of premise, and that's why we focus on the quality of characters and action. There's a little twist thrown in, but it's telegraphed fairly early on. There's still elements to keep the proceedings interesting.

Action: A lot of it, and it's done well. Ware pays attention to the tactics of the Sisters, and the methodology of the weapons utilized. She also has a good handle on the orks; emphasizing the "size and strength rulez" aspect of their tactical acumen. There are good descriptions of their physicality and brute ferocity. I mean, it's orks. I kind of wish she would've played with descriptions regarding the orks fungal nature, and the dank jungle that they were emerging from. Other than that, good stuff.

Overall: Mercy is an auspicious start for Danie Ware's tenure at The Black Library. These are good times when we have both plastic Sisters and solid Sisters fiction to look forward to!

You can buy Mercy as a standalone short or bundled in with Inferno! Vol. 1.