Booknote: Deathwatch: Xenos Hunters

Various authors, Deathwatch: Xenos Hunters. Nottingham, UK: Black Library, 2014.  ISBN: 978-1-84970-615-5.

 

Genre: science fiction

Subgenre: military science fiction, Warhammer 40,000, short fiction

Format: paperback

Source: I own this one. Got it from Half Price Books

 

I will start by saying I enjoyed this anthology better than Steve Parker's novel Deathwatch (link to my review). Parker has two stories of Talon Squad in this collection, and both stories were very good. Part of the strength in those two stories is the author did not need all the padding he (likely) had to put in the novel. In Parker's short stories, I find enjoyable finding out the true motives and/or agenda of the Inquisition at the end of missions. Inquisitor Sigma, Talon Squad's handler who we never see, is pretty much the prick inquisitor some readers will love to hate. I really feel for Lyandro Karras, leader of Talon Squad, for the crap he has to put up from Sigma as well as his somewhat dysfunctional squad. This book features Talon Squad as well as other squads and characters. 

The book features 11 stories from various authors. As in many short story collections, quality can vary, but I'll say most of the stories in this collection are pretty good. This was a book I was willing and glad to keep on reading. It offers a good blend of action and intrigue. It also offers a story or two from alternate viewpoints such as Sanders' "Fearful Symmetries," a story told by someone from the Tau Empire. Other stories I really enjoyed: 

• Nick Kyme's "Machine Spirit." We don't get enough stories about techmarines, and I liked this one. 
• Ben Counter's "Weaponsmith" also had the deception element where you may think it's one thing and something else happens. It is also a tale of obsession that may go a bit too far. 
• L.J. Goulding's "Last Watch" looks at a Space Marine achieving what many of his brethren hope for but never get: completing his Deathwatch tour of duty and returning to his chapter alive.

Overall, this is a pretty good collection featuring various experiences of Deathwatch Space Marines along with Inquisition scheming. Fans of the Deathwatch will probably enjoy it. Casual readers can enjoy it as well. For libraries that collect Warhammer 40,000 fiction, this would be a good choice. In the end, I really liked it. 

4 out 5 stars. 

This book qualifies for the following 2020 Reading Challenge: