Thursday 8 December 2011

SCIENCE FICTION REVIEW: Warhammer 40K: Sisters of Battle 2: Hammer and Anvil - James Swallow

Release Date: 08/12/11

SYNOPSIS:

The Sisters of Battle are the Emperor's most devout worshippers, fierce warriors preaching the purity of the Imperium and scourging their enemies with bolter and flamer. On a distant world, the Ecclesiarchy outpost of Sanctuary 101 was wiped out by an implacable foe - the fearless, soulless necrons. Now, a mission of the Sisterhood has returned to reconsecrate the site - but the metallic nightmares still lurk in the darkness, guarding a secret that has lain dormant for millennia. A vicious battle will be fought - one that can only end in the total destruction of the unrelenting xenos, or the annihilation of the proud Sororitas.


REVIEW:

The second Sisters of Battle title and one that keeps the reader attached to the sisterhood that was first explored back in 2006. Whilst this novel is set in a similar time to the previous, when an author takes a break from the characters it can often be quite hard to reacquire let alone aquaint themselves with them in quite the same manner which sadly leads to a book that leaves the reader wondering if they’d been short changed as well as thinking that the author really shouldn’t have delved back as the characters were completely different. In the case of this title, that hasn’t been an issue which, for me, was a huge relief.

As usual with James’ writing its crisp, to the point, no added frills and like the sisters, battle hardened to keep the blood and glory brigade happy. Add to this a battle with the Necrons, as well as facing off against the double dealing machinations of other parties and it’s a title that really does keep you glued from the first page to the last. I look forward to sharing more of the sisters exploits in future titles.

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