Dead Men Walking by Steve Lyons

When the necrons rise, a mining planet descends into a cauldron of war and the remorseless foes decimate the human defenders. Salvation comes in an unlikely form – the Death Korps of Kreig, a force as unfeeling as the Necrons themselves. When the two powers go to war, casualties are high and the magnitude of the destruction is unimaginable.

Gunthar Sorenson is a mine overseer, a mine of limited ambition and imagination, whose most outlandish achievement has been to date the planetary governor’s daughter, albeit in secret. So when one of his teams report finding something strange deep in a vein of ore, his curiosity is piqued; the governor’s daughter has spoken of rumours of such things, of strange constructs that powerful men have been whispering about. Thinking to curry some more favour with her, and perhaps her father, he descends into the mines to see this old, rune-marked thing for himself, never imagining the devastation that its discovery presages.

As the Necrons rise and the city falls, an Imperial Guard troopship is rerouted to the planet, bringing the famed Death Korps of Krieg into the fray. Notoriously stoic and fanatically devoted to life -and death- in service to the Emperor, it’s abundantly clear that winning hearts & minds isn’t on their agenda. As the war spreads and the world is torn apart, the story opens up, following the fate of Gunthar, his erstwhile flame as well the ageing commissar Costellin, assigned to the Death Korps.

I liked the way Lyons opened up the story behind the Death Korps- not by trying to get under the skin of one their men so much, but via the metamorphosis of the PDF volunteers, notably Gunthar, who have the dubious honour of being trained by Death Korps personnel. Very interesting stuff indeed, especially as by this time X is a well established & sympathetic character. The Death Korps are the stars here, and are far more interesting than the Necrons, who don’t really seem to do much except react after their initial assault.

There’s little glory and as much hope in DMW, just a desperate, bloody war of attrition and a tragic twist that really brings life in the 41st millennium home.

You can read an extract here...

Flesh and Iron - Henry Zou

From the planet of Solo-Baston, there come reports of an uprising. It seems indigenous forces are rebelling against Imperial rule, and a mysterious figure known as ‘Dos Pares’ is at the centre of the conflict. Into this chaos, the 31st Riverine Imperial Guard are dispatched to neutralise a vital battery of siege guns, and find themselves surrounded by hostile local forces. But what the regiment first dismiss as simple tribal warfare soons turns out to be something much more sinister and dangerous.

Ah, the imperial guard. Cornerstone of the Imperium. While the Space Marines might be the icons and embodiment of the 41st millennium, the men and women of the Imperial Guard are the glue that holds it together. Their lot is stand against the myriad of enemies that threaten mankind armed with only bravery and the strength of the man next to him, each as mortal and vulnerable as you or me. So when it comes to their stories, they’re an entirely different animal to those of the Space Marines; these men experience fear and terror, despair and weakness. And with that comes an obligation for the author to provide a story that strikes a balance between these factors, the ferocity of combat in the 41st millennium and the heroism that lifts and binds it all, and keeps the fans coming back for more.

With this in mind, Henry Zou has given us Colonel Baeder and his 88th Battalion of the 31st Riverine, a regiment hailing from a homeworld characterised by swamps and bayous, brought to Solo-Baston to capitalise on their experience with amphibious assaults. They’re selected to undertake an essential but dangerous mission into the heart of enemy held territory, and it’s from there that Henry really turns up the heat.

The oppressive environment of Solo-Baston is well described, and the difficulties of waging a war in that kind of setting carefully considered. There aren’t any glorious charges or massive pitched battles, only a series of brutal clashes and ambushes, the frustration of the guardsmen palpable as they inch towards their target and the fantastically claustrophobic, close quarters battle that awaits them.

What I appreciated most though was that the characterisation of Colonel Baeder and his leading men weren’t sacrificed in the desire to deliver on the action. They grew on me, and when they were betrayed,it struck a real chord, and frankly left me fuming on their behalf- and that's quite something to achieve, no matter what you're writing.

If I had any reservations, it would be that the after effects of the betrayal and Baeder's ultimate fate felt slightly rushed; however, the depth of the betrayal is such that you can understand the vulnerability it would expose, particularly after what they'd been through.

It didn't detract from my enjoyment of Flesh & Iron though- it's a fast, clever and brutally entertaining delivery for anyone who's a fan of military sci fi, whether of the 40K variety or not.