In the past few years the Black Library has offered four eShort ‘Theme Weeks’ in addition to the Black Library Celebration and December’s Advent Calendar. These six release windows are not only great for getting new Warhammer stories out into the world, but they’re also a proving ground of sorts for new and up-and-coming talent.
This past week we saw 2025’s first Theme Week with the Heretic Astartes eShort Subscription. Each is four bucks, but you can save a few if you buy the whole bundle for sixteen. Last February’s Black Library Celebration collection was a bit of a mixed bag, but how does Heretic Astartes Week fare?
Perfection and Pain, by Jude Reid
The subscription opens with a new story of the Emperor’s Children, featuring a character from the upcoming novel Fulgrim – The Perfect Son (not confirmed, but hinted at by the author).
Marduk Tamaris is a knight-commander and blademaster of Fulgrim. When Drukhari reavers infiltrate his ship and raid his trophy room, he takes it upon himself to board their ship, alone, to get them back. That’s perhaps a little implausible- I’m not sure where the line is between stupidly reckless and suicidal is (and clearly neither does he)- but if he doesn’t care I’m certainly not going to. Once aboard their vessel, through, the trap springs shut and Tamaris finds himself forced to fight for his life in a Drukhari arena pit.
Perfection and Pain is a delightful appetizer to Reid’s forthcoming Emperor’s Children novel, giving you an early taste of one of Fulgrim’s subordinates likely to play a central role given what we know about the plot thus far. “With success expected by their Primarch,” the official blurb teases, “his would-be champions find themselves contemplating how much they must sacrifice to ensure victory…” I recall when I read Marc Collins’ Eidolon: The Auric Hammer being disappointed we didn’t get to see more from Eidolon’s lieutenants, which were one of the highlights of the book. Reid’s short ensures that we’ll have a good read on at least one of Fulgrim’s.
And he’s a terrific character. Reid packs a lot into a comparatively small number of pages, in particular his contrarian nature. There’s a revealing sequence where, fighting in the arena, he realizes that the assembled Drukhari spectators don’t care a jot about technical acumen and puissant skill at arms- they’re there to witness pain, agony, and suffering. Immediately Tamaris changes tack, rising to the challenge of dispatching his foes as painlessly and mercifully as possible so as to rob his captors of even a morsel of enjoyment.
Reid has written an interesting path through the Black Library, getting her start with Warhammer’s Crime and Horror imprints, then moving on to Astra Miliatarum (Creed: Ashes of Cadia) and most recently the Adepta Sororitas with a pair of novels in 2024 (Daemonbreaker, Morvenn Vahl: Spear of Faith). If this is a taste of what she can do with Chaos Space Marines, I’m looking forward to the feast.
We Were Brothers, by Richard Fox
Unlike Reid, Fox is a rookie to the Black Library, but one who brings a deep background in military science fiction (including a Nebula Award nomination for Best Short Story in 2018). His debut effort is the story of a Red Corsair reaver, Straxis, who leads a raid upon an Executioners vessel as he seeks to avenge a betrayal.
It’s a refreshingly personal motivation, and the vocal Straxis thunders his grievance with every step as he seeks the object of his wrath, the Chaplain Thulsa Cane. Oathsworn brothers once in the common cause of rebellion against the Imperium of Man, Cane’s Executions repented of their secession and returned to the light of the Emperor even as Straxis’ Astral Claws embraced Chaos and became the Red Corsairs.
As they say, all politics is personal and Straxis’ carries a magnificent grudge. Even within the boarding torpedo as they rocket towards impact, Straxis passes the moments grilling his men on what an oath means.
“Achilieus, what is the value of an oath?’ Straxis asked the newest member of his retinue…
“My oath to Huron Blackheart is the only one that matters… Oaths made to false idols have no value,” Achilieus said.
“Spoken like a slave who broke his own chains,” Straxis said. “Brother Chyron, what is the value of an oath to your battle-brothers?”
“Our oaths to each other are all we are,” Chyron rasped.
This simmering rage propels the story forward, giving it a tremendous sense of urgency as the Red Corsairs rage through the vessel.
Here too the author’s background helps craft a gripping story. A graduate of West Point, Fox served two combat tours in Iraq and earned a Bronze Star, Presidential Unit Citation, and Combat Action Badge. Much like how Godeater’s Son and Elemental Council author Noah Van Nguyen’s military combat experience informs his own writing, there’s an immediacy to Fox’s depiction of the Red Corsairs storming through the Executioners vessel, breaching walls and avoiding grenades as they hunt their quarry.
I loved seeing more of the Badab War repercussions playing out, and look forward to seeing where Fox goes from here.
Blades of Atrocity, by Mike Vincent
A treat awaited me as we entered the midpoint of the Heretic Astartes Week, as my own favorite Legion took center stage in Mike Vincent’s new story. In Blades of Atrocity, Dalchian Rassaq, the Skin-Taker, leads his Night Lords warband on an attack of an Adeptus Mechanicus templum-capitalis, only to realize that the blade of betrayal is the sharpest of all.
This is Vincent’s third offering for the Black Library, with his previous contributions also being released in eShort theme weeks. He debuted in Space Marine Successors Week last year with The Vengeful Dead, then six months later saw Exterminator featured in Astra Militarum Week.
Like the two earlier stories this week, Vincent’s tale is tightly-crafted and full of action. He played to the Legion’s character with stealth tactics and sabotage rather than just slapping a midnight blue coat of paint on a generic Chaos Space Marine story, and when the rug was finally pulled out from his protagonists I genuinely wondered how they were going to get themselves out of it. It’s the mark of a strong short story that leaves you hopeful for more, and Vincent’s easily clears that bar.
If there’s a knock on the story, game terms can sometimes be immersion-breaking. If an Ultramarine scout is reporting on the disposition of the enemy, I don’t want to hear things like “it’s a mob of ten Chaos Cultists and as many Chaos Space Marines, along with five Possessed and a Master of Possession. Oh, and I think I saw a Chaos Lord with Jump Pack.” I could overlook the use of Havoc just fine, but when Rassaq ordered his warband to “split into Nemesis Claws” that seemed a bit much.
All the same, we’re three for three on the week!
Seven Ships, by Russell Zimmerman
All week we’ve been treated to ripping tales of the Heretic Astartes, filled with kinetic energy and hard-charging pacing….until today. Seven Ships is significantly slower than its predecessors, being the first-person story of a survivor on an Imperial agri-world who casts his lot in with the marauding band of Death Guard.
It’s a slow burn, one that leaves plenty of space for flashback and reminiscence as it starts in media res and works its way both forwards and backwards towards its climax.
What makes this especially thematic, however, is that it’s very much on brand as written for the Legion.
‘The Death Guard do not rush,’ Fecht told me, and I wrote hurriedly. ‘We advance when we choose, and at our own pace. We outlast. We are patient. We can be. We know that, in the end, every battle is already won. We need only live long enough to see the victory.’
Zimmerman is particularly effective at these little touches that subtly reinforce the visceral feel of this most grotesque of Chapters. The glisten of mucus on a visor. Descriptions of the Astartes settling down for the night, ‘each of them like a vulture making his own nest and lining it with victims.’ The planet’s defenses waking up to their presence like an ‘immune system.’ Morale ‘rotted.’ He paints with a very consistent and particular palette, and it really helps keep the story tightly focused even if it isn’t racing forward.
By the time we get to its conclusion, it’s a terrific payoff for the build-up.
While this is Zimmerman’s first piece for the Black Library, he is no stranger to the property having freelanced for Cublicle 7’s Warhammer RPG’s in the past, as well as written plenty for properties such as Shadowrun and Battletech.
Seven Ships clearly made the right impression on Games Workshop as well, as Zimmerman has been retained for another short story in addition to a novel. One to watch!
The Only Way is Through, by Avalon Irons
For our final entry in Heretic Astartes eWeek we find another debut effort, this one from the most appropriately-named author on the list (Irons within!). The story concerns a warband of Iron Warriors, fresh from a hiding at the hands of Black Templars and on the run. Having lost a significant portion of their daemon engines in the battle, the impending tithe to Vashtorr the Arkifane looms over them like the Sword of Damocles. The Arkifane, you see, isn’t known for accepting IOUs.
Discovering a heresy-infested refinery world in the process of being purged by the Adepta Sororitas, the Iron Warriors smell opportunity- and an unexpected answer to their problems. But at what cost?
Two things really stood out to me about this story. First, the degree to which the Imperium is complicit in its own undoing is perhaps my favorite theme in all of Warhammer. How many worlds succumb to the Archenemy not through force of arms, but rather from the abuse and/or neglect of their supposed caretakers? We can certainly add this one, Vagari-3, to the list.
Second, there’s a betrayal at the tale’s climax that had me transfixed, and it succeeds because Irons did the work earlier in the story of establishing some emotional depth to their characters. I’m often curious about the work of the Black Library’s editor team in arranging story sequences in their eShort subscriptions and anthologies, likening it to making a ‘mix tape’ of sorts. Given the weight of this tale’s ending, having it as the final story in the Subscription was an inspired choice. It’s not just the villainy; the tragic nature of the heretic Astartes is one of their enduring draws.
Notably, Irons’ bio at the end of the story indicate that they are the author of two stories, the other being Imperfect Engines. I presume this must be a future release as I can find no record of it, but it certainly sounds like it could be another Iron Warriors tale. While not the universe’s least-attended Legion (hey there, Iron Hands), I’m glad to see these guys getting some love.
Conclusion
Overall, the Heretic Astartes Week was a terrific value and I’ve enjoyed each of the stories in turn. Picking my ‘best in show’ this time around was unusually close, but I’m giving it to Seven Ships by Russell Zimmerman due to how well he embeds the tale not just with the trappings of the chosen Legion, but its very essence.
It was also great to see some up-and-coming Black Library talent given stage to shine on, and I’m already looking forward to the next eShorts Subscription theme week!
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