Warhammer 40,000: Into the Maelstrom

Into the Maelstrom (2000) edited by Marc Gascoigne and Andy Jones includes twelve stories set in the Warhammer 40,000 gaming universe, which is a wild mix of military science fiction, dangerous aliens, bioweapons, psychic powers, and supernatural monsters. As I mentioned last month, I bought this and two Warhammer fantasy books (see pic at the end of this post) around fifteen years ago and didn’t read this one until last month. I’m glad that I finally got to it as I enjoyed most of the stories.

Salvation by Johnathan Green (3.5/5)

An Ultramarine who lost his memory helps out villagers after they are attacked. I enjoyed how the story felt a little like a western. 

Into the Maelstrom by Chris Pramas  (2.5/5)

Two Space Marines take on Huron Blackheart, leader of the Red Corsairs. Lots of action and betrayals but I never got into the characters. 

Emperor’s Grace by Alex Hammond (4/4)

A Commissar and a group of Imperial Guardsmen are outnumbered on a jungle planet. The action scenes didn’t hold my interest at first but once the conflict between the Commissar and the leader of the Guardsmen got started, I was all in. 

The Raven’s Claw by Jonathan Curran (4/5)

A man with no memory finds himself part of a penal legion sent to a planet with a rebel governor. I liked how everything is revealed and comes together in the end. 

Children of the Emperor by Barrington J. Bayley (5/5)

After an Imperial Guardsman troopship is ambushed, a lone Guardsman finds himself on a planet with dangerous creatures. An old school space opera adventure with interesting characters and a great balance of action and world building. While all the previous stories hinted at the world of Warhammer 40K, I felt like I learned more from this page turner of a story. Outstanding. 

The Black Pearl by Chris Pramas (4/5)

An Interrogator-Chaplain leads Space Marines on a search for a relic that has been lost for ten thousand years. Good set up, action, and ending. 

Acceptable Losses by Gav Thorpe (5/5)

After a flight commander takes charge of a motley crew of bomber pilots, they are sent on a dangerous mission. An excellent example of military SF with a great mix of characters, action, and conflict. 

Tenebrae by Mark Brendan (2.5/5)

A governor, a former soldier, reflects on his life as his planet is invaded by agents of Chaos. I didn't get into the characters again.

Ancient Lances by Alex Hammond (5/5)

After fighting in one hundred battles for the Imperium, the leader of the Attilan Rough Riders returns to the desert tribe of his home planet to find that things have changed. Maybe it’s because I’ve been listening to the Genghis Khan episodes of the Hardcore History podcast, but I was fascinated by the Rough Riders, characters based on the Hun and Mongol hordes of Eurasia. 

Hell in a Bottle by Simon Jowett (2.5/5)

The overseer of a virtual reality training facility begins to suspect there’s something wrong with the simulations. I could see where the story was going pretty much from the start. 

Unthinking Justice by Andras Millard (4/5)

Space Marines sent to stop a rebellion find that things are not what they appear to be after they engage the rebels. A good mix of interesting characters, action, and mystery. 

In the Belly of the Beast by William King (5/5)

A Space Marine chapter known as the Space Wolves are sent on a mission to investigate a mysterious object the size of a small asteroid. Trouble ensues. Excellent buildup of tension which then switches to all out action. Another outstanding story. 

The only author I was really familiar with was Barrington J. Bailey. I remember seeing his SF paperbacks in bookstores in my university days, but I never read any of them. He has three more stories in another 40K anthology, Dark Imperium (2001) and one novel, Eye of Terror (1999). Unfortunately, they’re out of print and aren’t available as e-books. I enjoyed both stories by Alex Hammond and would like to read more, but his three other 40K stories are also in an out-of-print anthology, Status: Deadzone (2017). Luckily Gav Thorpe and William King both have lots of work still available. I’m looking forward to diving deeper into the worlds of Warhammer. 

Books I Read in February 2025

 Two books and one comic this month.

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle (Book of the Month Club, 1994. Originally published in 1892)

Although I liked some of the stories more than others, I enjoyed reading about the characters and their adventures so much that I have to give this collection five stars. It's a big step up from the first two novels which I re-read a few years ago. I think Sherlock Holmes works best as short stories. Now I’m in the mood to re-watch the Granada TV series starring Jeremy Brett.

Into the Maelstrom edited by Marc Gascoigne & Andy Jones (Black Library/Games Workshop, 2000)

When I buy a book there’s no guarantee that I’ll get to it anytime soon. For example, I think I bought this anthology of stories set in the Warhammer 40K gaming universe around fifteen years ago! Well, I finally read it and enjoyed most of the stories. The 40K universe is a wild mix of military SF, dangerous aliens, bioweapons, psychic powers, and supernatural monsters. My favorite stories were by Alex Hammond, Barrington J. Bayley, Gav Thorpe, and William King. 

When I bought this, I picked up two Warhammer fantasy books as well. Now that I’ve finally jumped in, I’ll probably read more soon. Look for a more detailed review of this anthology next month. 

The Savage Sword of Conan, Vol.1 by Various (Titan Comics, 2025)

This collects the first three issues of Titan’s black & white magazine sized Conan comic. Besides the stories there’s a map, an essay, and pinups. I really enjoyed this even though I didn’t care for the art in the first story at all. I thought that it was so wildly inconsistent and so weirdly photoshop-like in places that it kept pulling me out of the story. On the other hand, I loved the combination of story and art in every single one of the other stories. I’ll definitely keep reading Savage Sword, but I’ll probably stick to the trades. 

Books I Read in January 2025

One book and some manga this month. 

Swords and Deviltry by Fritz Lieber (Ace Books, 1970)

Swords and Deviltry collects four stories about Leiber’s sword & sorcery characters Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser, prequels written after Leiber had already written many of their adventures. Full review here:

We Learn by Writing: Swords and Deviltry by Fritz Leiber

H.P Lovecraft’s The Call of Cthulhu illustrated by Gou Tanabe. Translation by Zack Davisson. (Dark Horse Manga, 2024)

A fantastic adaptation of one of my favorite Lovecraft stories. Tanabe’s detailed art style captures Lovecraft’s story incredibly well.

H.P Lovecraft’s at the Mountain of Madness Deluxe Edition illustrated by Gou Tanabe. Translation by Zack Davisson. (Dark Horse Manga, 2024)

Gou Tanabe’s artwork brings Lovecraft’s novella to the next level. His style fits perfectly, and his pacing, use of panels, and use of stunning two-page spreads all work together to draw the reader into Lovecraft’s world of cosmic dread. Looking forward to reading his other adaptations, "The Shadow Over Innsmouth” and the upcoming “The Color Out of Space.”

Swords and Deviltry by Fritz Leiber

Swords and Deviltry (1970) collects four stories about Leiber’s sword & sorcery characters Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser, prequels written after Leiber had already written many of their adventures.

Induction 

(Two Sought Adventure, 1957)

This is listed as a short story that first appeared in the 1957 collection, Two Sought Adventure, but at not even a page and a half, it feels more like a quick intro than a story. 

The Snow Women (2/5) 

(Fantastic, April 1970)

A coming-of-age tale about Fafhrd when he was a young barbarian and member of the Snow Clan led by his mother. He has to deal with memories of his father, a controlling mother, and his longing for the civilized word. I liked the ideas presented in this story but not the execution. I have a strong memory of it putting me to sleep when I first read it as a student, and I have a similar experience whenever I re-read it. The story has its fans, but I thought it was too slow moving until the end. I love Leiber’s prose and use of vocabulary, but there are times like this where the story doesn’t work for me. 

The Unholy Grail (4/5)

(Fantastic Stories of Imagination, October 1962)

The Gray Mouser’s origin, a story of when he was called Mouse and was an apprentice to an exiled wizard. Mouse is wavering between black and white magic when events put him into a position where he has to choose.

Ill Met in Lankhmar (5/5)

(The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, April 1970)

Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser’s first adventure together as freelance thieves in the city of Lankhmar. After they rob a pair of professional thieves, they find themselves targeted by a sorcerer working for the Thieves Guild. An excellent mix of adventure, humor, and darkness. Winner of the Nebula Award for Best Novella in 1970 and the Hugo Award for Best Novella in 1971.

I couldn’t get into Lieber’s prose in my younger days but now he’s one of my favorite authors. 

Books I Read in December 2024

Just three books this month as I spent most of my time jumping between ghost story anthologies. 

Spirits of the Season: Christmas Hauntings edited by Tanya Kirk. (The British Library, 2018)

This anthology of hauntings set during the Christmas season was a perfect reading for the cold and dark days at the end of the year. The stories by Edith Nesbit and H. Russell Wakefield were standouts. 

The Four-Fifteen Express (1867) by Amelia B. Edwards (4/5)

The Curse of the Catafalques (1882) by F. Anstey (2/5)

Christmas Eve on a Haunted Hulk (1889) by Frank Cowper (5/5)

The Christmas Shadrach (1891) by Frank Stockton (3/5)

Number Ninety (1895) by B.M Croker (3/5)

The Shadow (1905) by E. Nesbit (5/5)

The Kit-Bag (1908) by Algernon Blackwood (5/5)

The Story of a Disappearance and an Appearance (1913) by M.R. James (3/5)

Boxing Night (1923) by E.F. Benson (3/5)

The Prescription (1929) by Marjorie Bowen (4/5)

The Snow (1929) by Hugh Walpole (5/5) 

Smee (1929) by A.M. Burrage (4/5)

The Demon King (1931) J.B. Priestley (3/5)

Lucky’s Grove (1940) by H. Russell Wakefield (5/5)

Chill Tidings: Dark Tales of the Christmas Season edited by Tanya Kirk. (The British Library, 2020)

Another great collection of Christmas hauntings from the British Library Tales of the Weird series. I don’t think this collection is as strong as the previous one, but it was still an enjoyable read. 

A Strange Christmas Game (1868) by Charlotte Riddell (3/5)

The Old Portrait (1896) by Hume Nisbet (4/5)

The Real and the Counterfeit (1895) by Louisa Baldwin (4/5) 

Old Applejoy’s Ghost (1900) by Frank R. Stockton (3/5)

Transition (1913) by Algernon Blackwood (3/5)

The Fourth Wall (1915) by A.M. Burrage (3/5)

The Festival (1925) by H.P. Lovecraft (4/5)

The Crown Derby Plate (1933) by Marjorie Bowen (4/5)

Green Holly (1944) by Elizabeth Bowen (3/ 3)

Christmas Re-union (1947) by Andrew Caldecott (4/5)

A Christmas Meeting (1952) by Rosemary Timperley (4/5)

Someone in the Lift (1955) by L.P Hartley (5/5)

Told After Super (1891) by Jerome K. Jerome (4/5)

Blood Standard by Laird Barron (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2019)

After a mob enforcer gets into trouble, he’s sent to upstate New York and winds up investigating the disappearance of a young girl. This was recommended to me quite a while ago. I shouldn’t have waited so long. Fast paced, hard boiled, dark, but also funny at times. Loved the prose and the dialogue. 

That’s it for 2024. Here’s to 2025!

25 Ghost Stories for Christmas

I first learned about the tradition of telling ghost stories during Christmas a few years ago and I’ve been fascinated ever since. This year I decided to read twenty-five ghost stories throughout the month of December. I tried reading and posting on social media once per day but that went out the window pretty quickly and I was playing catch-up most of the time. Still, it was a fun and interesting experience as I read a nice variety of authors from a variety of anthologies. I also revisited some favorites. Here are all my posts. Since my word count was limited when posting I’ve added to some of the entries. 

Day 1

Schalken the Painter (1839) by J. Sheridan Le Fanu from Classic Horror Stories, Barnes & Noble, 2015. A painter’s true love is promised to a mysterious figure who keeps his face hidden. Atmospheric and incredibly creepy. I can see why M. R. James highly admired Le Fanu. This story was adapted by the BBC in 1979 in the tradition of their earlier A Ghost Story for Christmas television specials. 

Day 2

The Four-Fifteen Express (1867) by Amelia B. Edwards from Spirits of the Season: Christmas Hauntings, The British Library, 2018. A chance encounter on a train ride leads to an unsolved mystery about a missing person. This felt like a Hitchcock film before turning into a well-done Victorian ghost story.

Day 3

The Wind in the Rose-Bush (1902) by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman from Classic Horror Stories, Barnes & Noble, 2015. An aunt arrives in a small town to fetch her niece from her stepmother. As they wait for the niece to show up, strange things start to happen. Tension builds well until the finale.

Day 4

Lucky’s Grove (1940) by H. Russell Wakefield from Spirits of the Season: Christmas Hauntings, The British Library, 2018. Eerie things start happening after a tree is removed from a sacred grove to be used as a Christmas tree. A great build up with a powerful finale. 

Day 5

The Signalman (1866) by Charles Dickens from The Haunted Looking Glass, New York Review of Books, 2001. A railway signalman tells the narrator of the story about an apparition that appears to be haunting him. Chilling with a sense of foreboding throughout. This was adapted into one of my favorite episodes of the BBC’s A Ghost Story for Christmas in 1976. 

Day 6

The Upper Berth (1886) by F. Marion Crawford from Classic Horror Stories, Barnes & Noble, 2015. A man sailing across the Atlantic decides to investigate after discovering that his stateroom may be haunted. A classic ghost story.

Day 7

The Old Nurse’s Story (1852) by Elizabeth Gaskell from Christmas Gothic Short Stories, Flame Tree Publishing, 2022. A nurse tells her charges a spooky story about their mother. An isolated manor, winter storms, organ music at night, ghostly apparitions, and secrets from the past. The ultimate gothic ghost story. Outstanding.

Day 8

“Oh, Whistle, and I’ll Come to You, My Lad” (1904) by M.R. James from Classic Horror Stories, Barnes & Noble, 2015. Eerie things begin happening after a professor finds an old whistle among some beachside Templar ruins. Atmospheric with an incredibly creepy climax. My favorite M.R. James story. This was adapted by the BBC in 1968 as an episode of Omnibus and is a precursor to their A Ghost Story for Christmas specials.

Day 9

Man-Size in Marble (1887) by Edith Nesbit from The Haunted Looking Glass, New York Review of Books, 2001. After a newlywed couple move into a country cottage, the husband hears tales about marble statues in an old church that supposedly come to life on All Saints’ Eve. Frightening and disturbing. Adapted for this year's A Ghost Story for Christmas special.

Day 10

The Kit-Bag (1908) by Algernon Blackwood from Christmas Gothic Short Stories, Flame Tree Publishing, 2022. Just before Christmas a man borrows a duffel bag from his boss, a lawyer who represented a murderer. Later he hears strange noises and sees movement in his supposedly empty building. Chilling. 

Day 11

The Lady’s Maid’s Bell (1902) by Edith Wharton from The Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton, Wordsworth Editions, 2009. After a young woman is hired as a lady’s maid, she begins hearing a bell ringing in the middle of the night. Haunting, suspenseful, and enigmatic. 

Day 12

Wolverden Tower (1896) by Grant Allen from Christmas Gothic Short Stories, Flame Tree Publishing, 2022. Maisie Llewelyn is invited to Wolverden Hall for Christmas and meets two mysterious young girls. A recently rebuilt church tower, secrets of the past, ancient rituals, and an ethereal atmosphere throughout.

Day 13

The Snow (1929) by Hugh Walpole from Spirits of the Season: Christmas Hauntings, The British Library, 2018. As it snows, a woman fighting to control her temper seems to be plagued by the presence of her husband’s vindictive first wife. Suspenseful with beautiful prose. That ending! 

Day 14

The Old Portrait (1896) by Hume Nisbet from Chill Tidings: Dark Tales of the Christmas Season. After a painter buys an old painting for the frame, he examines it more closely on Christmas Eve and makes what starts out as an intriguing discovery. Short and sinister. 

Day 15

Smee (1929) by A.M. Burrage from Spirits of the Season: Christmas Hauntings, The British Library, 2018. A game of hide and seek at a Christmas party takes an eerie turn. Chilling atmosphere. 

Day 16

The Real and the Counterfeit (1895) by Louisa Baldwin from Chill Tidings: Dark Tales of the Christmas Season, The British Library, 2020. During Christmas a man plays a practical joke on his friend, who hopes to see the ghost of a Cistercian monk. Transitions well from lighthearted to spooky.

Day 17

The Crown Derby Plate (1933) by Marjorie Bowen from Chill Tidings: Dark Tales of the Christmas Season, The British Library, 2020. While home for the holidays, an antique collector visits an old house hoping to recover a missing plate from a set of china. Descriptive prose helps to create an eerie atmosphere. 

Day 18

Christmas Re-Union (1947) by Andrew Caldecott from Chill Tidings: Dark Tales of the Christmas Season, The British Library, 2020. Secrets from the past and a mysterious Santa make for an eerie story set during a Christmas party.

Day 19

A Christmas Meeting (1952) by Rosemary Timperley from Chill Tidings: Dark Tales of the Christmas Season, The British Library, 2020. A woman alone on Christmas Day receives a visit from a young man who enters her room by mistake. After he leaves, she learns the truth about his visit. Short and bittersweet. 

Day 20

Someone in the Lift (1955) by L.P Hartley from Chill Tidings: Dark Tales of the Christmas Season, The British Library, 2020. A young boy keeps seeing a shadowy figure in a hotel lift during Christmas. Although the ending is telegraphed it’s still quite chilling. 

Day 21

Told After Super (1891) by Jerome K. Jerome from Christmas Gothic Short Stories, Flame Tree Publishing, 2022. A group of people tell ghost stories while drinking whiskey punch on Christmas Eve. Between some of the character names (Teddy Biffle, Dr. Scrubbles) and the witty humor, it was like reading a ghost story by P. G. Wodehouse. Great fun. 

Day 22

How Fear Departed from the Long Gallery by E.F. Benson from The Collected Ghost Stories of E.F. Benson, Carroll & Graf, 1992. House Church-Peveril has many ghosts, but only the ghosts of the twin toddlers who haunt the long gallery are feared, for a terrible fate awaits anyone who sees them. From humorous to terrifying. 

Day 23

The Shepherd (1975) by Frederick Forsyth from Great Flying Stories, Corgi, 1992. After a pilot’s jet suffers electrical failure mid-flight between Germany to England on Christmas Eve of 1957, he gets lost in the fog. Tension filled, mysterious, and beautifully written. 

Day 24

Christmas Eve on a Haunted Hulk (1889) by Frank Cowper from Spirits of the Season: Christmas Hauntings, The British Library, 2018. A man trapped on a derelict shipwreck at night discovers that he may not be alone. Complete darkness and unsettling sounds help to create an atmosphere of claustrophobia and terror.

Day 25

The Ghost at the Cross-Roads - An Irish Christmas Night Story (1893) by Frederick Manley from Sunless Solstice: Strange Christmas Tales for the Longest Nights, The British Library, 2021. After a traveler seeks shelter from a snowstorm, he tells a tale of playing a card game with a mysterious black-clad stranger. A nice example of crossroads folklore. Of course, I love the fact that one of the characters is named Reddy. 

That wraps up my ghost stories for Christmas reading for this year. Looking forward to reading more in the future.