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.

Hammer & Anvil

Hammer & Anvil by James Swallow. A Warhammer 40,000 Sisters of Battle novel, originally published by The Black Library, November 2011. Approx. 416 pages.

Last July, I reviewed Faith & Fire, the first book in James Swallow's duology centering on those lovable warrior nuns of the 40th Millenium, the Sisters of Battle. It was a decent book, with great world building, solid action scenes, and spotty characters and pacing. Also, I wasn't too enthralled with the cover.

No no no. This is the alternate cover which I endorse 100%.

All joking aside, Faith & Fire was an enjoyable enough read to warrant the second book, Hammer & Anvil, grabbing a spot on the mountainous "to read" pile. And, it just so happens that its turn came up. So how does this second book work? Is it more of the same, only different? Has the quality dipped down, as is so common with sequels?

Actually, Hammer & Anvil outdoes its predecessor pretty handily. Let's break it down piece by piece, but first, let's look at the story so far:

The Sisters of The Order of Our Martyred Lady are heading towards the planet Kavir to try and piece together the events that transpired which ended in the massacre of every living sister garrisoned at Sanctuary 101. It has taken them over a decade (Terran time) to head back courtesy of bureaucratic obstacles and red tape. The chance finally comes, orchestrated by an Inquisitor with ulterior motives (what other kind of Inquisitor is there?). And so, with an attachment of scheming cogheads from the Adeptus Mechanicus in tow, they head planetside to discover the true horror of what happened. Hint: it's Necrons.

Characters:

Much better than in Faith & Fire. We have some carryovers from that book, namely Miriya and Verity. Their personalities are pretty much the same, which is to say that they are, hmmm, what's the best word to describe these two?

Yes! Exactly!!!

So while their core characteristics haven't changed much, there is a much more confident stride in their depiction. Yes, they have been hardened, they are a bit wiser, but they are still the same. But again, their is only so much leeway you have in giving personality to zealots. I mean, they're zealots, after all.

I think that one or two of Miriya's old squad members survived as well. They are still window dressing with names. One might be dark skinned. Another might have a specialized weapon. Or are those the background Sisters introduced in this book? Can't recall.

In Faith & Fire, we had the stern but fair Canoness Galatea. In Hammer & Anvil, we have the stern but fair Canoness Sepherina. She's bald. She's tough. She's actually pretty cool.

I should've formed this entire review out of visual aids.

Filling the role of Sister Superior, the position Miriya was demoted from, we have Imogen, who is constructed of 100% anger and absolutely zero common sense or tactical acumen. She still gets some kick-ass scenes though.

Leading the Adeptus Mechnicus is a conniving, snarky questor named Tegas. He excels in his part as "the troublemaker you love to hate especially since he weasels out of trouble as slickly as a greased pig." It makes it even easier to hate him since Tegas spelled backwards is Saget, so if you imagine his vocalizations as sounding like Bob Saget....aaarrgh. But seriously, Swallow gives us an excellent portrayal of the mentality of the cogheads. It provides the bulk of levity throughout the book. Consider your main combatants: Sisters of Battle and Necrons. Yeah, not a lot of personality floating around in there. So, the Mechanicus are a great touch throughout. Trolling in binary.

 Basically.

I admit that I am dishing out a fair amount of ribbing so far, but the characters all gel well for a cohesively enjoyable experience. There is also one very strongly developed character in the book; a broken young woman named Decima, the last survivor of the obliteration of the original Sanctuary 101 outpost. Swallow fills her character with sorrow, anguish, nobility and strength in fairly equal terms. I would say that she is hands-down the best character in the book.

But what about bad guys?
The cogheads are enjoyable villainous troublemakers, but they are not actual "bad guys". The main baddies we have are none other than the dreaded Necrons. It's always a tad tricky writing for Necrons, since there is effectively zero individual personality in your given line trooper. Never fear, Swallow writes for them beautifully.

Well, not that beautifully.....

What Swallow focuses on in writing for these metal skeletons are spot-on physical descriptions, meticulous attention to detail in weaponry, and vivid portrayals of deployments and their basically implacable advances. 

He also gives us two sentient Necrons; a cryptek and a nemesor. There is some discourse between the two, and it is well done, if sometimes a bit too "human" sounding. All in all, of all the 40K stories I've read featuring the Necrons, Hammer & Anvil is far and away the best. I can't stress enough that the average Necron soldier is more fleshed out (hurr hurr) than the average Battle Sister.

Sorry sweetheart. I have no hand in what cards are dealt, I just call what I see.

World Building:

Swallow hits it out of the park once again on this front. Kavir, where much of the action takes place, is a desert world. There are only so many ways you can describe sand and heat, but Swallow does it in a way that you feel it. Plus, he employs a decent vocabulary. For example, I never knew these things were called "ergs":

But what truly astounded me in Hammer & Anvil was the intricate, excellent detail of the Necron Tomb World. I mean, the attention to detail made this representation vivid and authentic to the source material. Enough credit cannot be given.

The other aspect of world building which Swallow did well (as in Faith & Fire) is in presenting canon technologies: the weaponry, tactics of each faction, etc. These are all done exceedingly well throughout. You get a real feel for the different kinds of havoc that can be caused by either a gauss rifle or a melta-gun, and be sure you'd never want to be on the business end of either.

Action:

Plainly put: lots of action throughout. Pretty much all of it done very well. Towards the end, there are a few too many "just in the nick of time" instances, but the skirmishes never cease to be thrilling.

And that's pretty much it. I really don't have any complaints this time around. There was some potential, hinted at early on, that the Inquisition might have a more direct hand in all the wrong things going on on Kavir. While we know throughout that they can't be trusted, there was a ripe chance to really cultivate the genuine tension between the Sororitas and the Inquisition.

Ahem...well. I didn't mean like that. Although this would've been a perfectly welcome addition to the narrative....

Here's what it is:

Hammer & Anvil is a riveting novel focusing on the Warhammer 40,000 army that everybody loves but does not get enough love, the Sisters of Battle. If nothing else, this book should be cited as a reason why we need more Sororitas books. Great action, solid characters, and an excellent portrayal of Necrons. 

Final Score:

9/10

Cover Score:

While I was none too crazy with the cover for Faith & Fire, I really like this cover, featuring Miriya, done by Hardy Fowler. Even James Swallow gives a special thank-you in the acknowledgements to him for designing it. The composition, pose, detail, everything is good.

Cover Final Score:

8/10

Faith & Fire

Faith & Fire by James Swallow. A Sisters of Battle novel by James Swallow, originally published March, 2006. Approx. 395 pages.

Ah yes, the Adepta Sororitas, also known as the Sisters of Battle. Those stoic daughters of the Emperor that so seamlessly combine lethal, power-armored soldiery with the "sexy nun" fetish most men harbor. The Sisters have long been fan-favorites in the WH40K universe, and yet, there are a painfully minuscule number of books devoted to them. Sure, they pop up here and there in other works. But so far, the only real chances they've had to shine on their own are in the two novels and one audio book penned by James Swallow. Oh, and the Sisters of Silence audio book penned by Edward Knight. Can't forget that one.

If you peruse online reviews of Faith & Fire, they are pretty mixed. The reviews on the lower end site problems with it such as pacing, characterization, and just being pretty boring overall. I wonder if those folks actually read the novel all the way through. F&F is by no means perfect, and it does get off to a slow start, but it ends up being a pretty decent read all in all. Let's take a look.

Faith & Fire revolves around a Celestian Squad of the Order of the Martyred Lady. This squad is led by a Sister Superior named Miriya.

No, not this Miriya. Although I confess to picturing the protagonist looking like this....

Miriya and her squad are tasked with delivering a particularly dangerous psyker named Torris Vaun from a Black Ship to the planet Neva (which the Sisters orbit in their cruiser Mercutio) and into the hands of the Ecclesiarchy leader there, one Deacon Viktor LaHayn. Things take an inevitable turn for the worse, and the psyker uses his considerable powers to engineer his escape. Turns out the Vaun was quite the successful villain and corsair down on Neva, and he is more than ready to re-engage in his nefarious former activities.

Miriya takes it as her solemn duty to track Vaun down and bring the Emperor's justice to him. Not only for her unjured pride though. Vaun's escape act led to one of her squad dying, and another feeling shamed enough to commit to the Sisters Repentia squad. And so, the chase is on.

Of course, things are not only what they seem. It turns out the Vaun's actions are geared more towards revenge, not base criminality. His actions also bring the attention of the Sororitas to bear on LaHayn himself. Could such a seemingly righteous, pious beacon of the Emperor's light be involved in the heretical happenings on Neva? And, if so, how high are the stakes that Vaun and LaHayn are playing for?

Let's take a look at where Faith & Fire hits the mark, and where it misses...

Characters:
Kind of a miss here, and that's what ultimately consigns this book to the mid-level of 40K novels.

Yeah, I've been champing at the bit to pepper this review with kawaii Sororitas "Heresy" pics. And you can bet your sweet ass that there are more to come.

The main problem with our main protagonists, the Battle Sisters, is that they are, by engineering, quite possibly even more narrow-minded than the mighty Space Marines. They are groomed for piety, and zealotry, not independent thought or creative interpretation of dogmatic doctrine. Ergo, Miriya becomes quite a rigid lead. Her dogged straight-forwardness is admirable, and her unwavering attitude gives her a strength, but there is little personality. She is given a moral tether of sorts in Verity, a Sister Hospitaller who was blood sister to Miriya's squad Sister that died in Vaun's escape. Verity is a bit more of a sympathetic figure; she possesses a broader spectrum of emotions by far. The problem with her is that everything about her, from her actions to her reactions and line delivery is fairly predictable and rote. Unfortunately, she is relegated to the role of pretty cardboard cutout.

Even as a cardboard cutout, Verity makes out better than the rest of Miriya's squadmates. They are simply extras with names. The other Celestians do little more than show up when the bolts fly, and after a certain point I gave up trying to match the brief physical descriptions with the names (at one point, I was just trying to remember which was the "wounded one"). Canoness Galatea, being the top ranking Battle Sister, is handled decently, striking a fair balance between sternness and care for those under her.

The villains fare slightly better than the heroes. Torris Vaun is fleshed out as a bad guy with every right to be bad (he's been used as a tool and a creature by those in charge since he was little), and that kind of bad guy always gets some sympathy right off the bat. I just pictured him as Rutger Hauer's Roy Batty character from Blade Runner, and it worked well. A little more pathos would have made him a great character, but he gets by on copious amounts of sarcasm and acidic one-liners just fine.

As for Deacon LaHayn, he should have had a handlebar moustache to twirl diabolically from the get-go. Not to raise the spoiler alarm, but most of the duplicitous characters in this book come festooned with red flags, so there are few surprises. LaHayn shapes up to be a decent villain in that there is a valid logic, an actual method to his madness. Although he spends most of the time chewing the scenery with glee, he does present the argument the the end might justify the means, no matter the cost of the means.

Guilty as charged.....

Story:

Faith & Fire starts off as a fugitive mystery and evolves into a conspiracy story with a grand finale. No surprises, very standard story template with fairly predictable obligatory obstacles. Nothing bad, but nothing new.

World Building (and adherence to canon terminology):

Here is where Swallow hits it out of the park. I'm guessing he decided to devote the bulk of his creativity into building a truly vibrant slice of Imperium life (too bad it ends up stocked with static characters). Swallow richly blends elements of parochial grandeur and steampunk technology. We also get excellent depictions of the specific technology of the 40K universe (the rankings, etc. of the Sororitas, various weaponry, how they work, what havoc they wreak, etc.). He knows the lore well, and does not make the telling encyclopedic or dry. You get a good idea of the physiology and capabilities of the Sisters, an accurate idea of their appearance and tactics.

Pictured: Miriya in her battle dress. Oh wait, nevermind.....(needs more fleur-de-lis).

Action:

Going back to existing reviews, some will lament how boring this book is, and some say it is non-stop action. Faith & Fire is neither, further proving how little trust you should put in online reviews. There is a significant lapse in action towards the beginning, after Vaun's escape. This is where Swallow goes into the many details of life on Neva. There is plenty of action throughout, and well-done too. There are a few nicely staged major set pieces.

Swallow writes some brutal sequences as well. he enjoys describing the effect that 40th Millenium technology has on squishy human parts. He likes to use the word "paste" often in describing remains. Anyone is susceptible to a gruesome death; it was pretty jarring when one high-ranking sister died in a mess of burning, exposed ribs. Also, he does a good job writing for the destructive powers of the psykers. There are scenes where you have witchfire against cleansing fire, and it is pretty glorious. We also get the big ending sequence featuring a literal (not literary) Deus Ex Machina.

And so, there you have it. Faith & Fire ends up being a good title, when it could have been a great title. Yet, I am sufficiently intrigued to slog through the second Sisters of Battle book, Hammer & Anvil, just to see some more Sororitas kicking rear end.

Happily.

Here's what it is:

James Swallow's first Battle Sisters offering delivers a glorious panorama of an Imperial world, populated with enjoyable, cinematic villains, and tougher than dollar steak protagonists. It's enough to make you root for the nuns and love the psyker.

Yup, sweetcheeks. Delicious, moist, heresy.

Please leave comments if you agree the Black Library needs more Sororitas novels now! Or if you have anymore Kawaii-Sisters memes, leave them too.

Final Score:

67/100

Cover Score:

Honestly, I am really not too crazy about this cover.

No. Now you are just being a pain in the ass.

The black and white color scheme is nice, but the figure of (Miriya, I guess) is too rigid. The posing should have been done a little differently to allow more visibility of the arms. Personally, I am not a fan of that style of rendering faces. But to each their own. Good detail on the uniform though.

If you ask me, they should reissue these books in omnibus form and slap a pic of master cosplayer Jna (whose Sororitas getup gives me some mightily heretical thoughts) on the cover.

Cover Final Score:

58/100