Chapter War

The Barnes & Noble ReviewAnother novel set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe -- one of the coolest and most extensive science fiction wargames (miniature and online) ever created -- this is pure, unadulterated military-powered, gore-splattered action and adventure. In the 41st millennium, the galaxy-spanning Imperium of Man is waging war against a myriad of enemies -- many of them from within the empire itself -- and humankind is, once again, on the brink of extinction. "Daemons summoned to the streets of a world isolated by warp storms. Greenskins flooding through the jungles of a planet deep in the Segmentum Tempestus. Mutants rioting, burning the crops of agri-worlds and threatening hive planets with starvation. Fleets of xenos pirates preying on pilgrim ships, devouring the very souls of their captives. Alien gods demanding worshippers, plagues of insanity and heresy, a hundred thousand wars burning across a million worlds." With the remote planet Vanqualis being overrun by monstrous greenskins, the only possibility of salvation for millions of innocents comes in the form of the Soul Drinkers, an outcast chapter of the Imperium's Space Marines that could play the role of heroes -- or yet another Imperium enemy. Blending elements from Glen Cook's Black Company, Kevin J. Anderson's Saga of the Seven Suns, and even J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth, Counter's latest Warhammer 40,000 novel (Grey Knights, Dark Adeptus, et al.) should appeal to fans of �ber-violent military science fiction as much as gamers who are already familiar with the Warhammer universe. iPaul Goat Allen/i