Architect of Fate (Space Marine Battles #Anthology) by Christian Z. Dunn

Architect of Fate (Space Marine Battles #Anthology) Reviews

• 
  Gianfranco Mancini

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Accursed Eternity. 4 stars
  
  
  Sanctus: 3 stars
  
  
  Endeavour of Will: 5 stars
  
  
  Fateweaver: 5 stars
  
  Demonic spaceships, imperial forces and inquisitors containing the heretics and worse coming out from the Eye of terror, doomed Space Marines chapters on desperate quests of redemptions and sacrifice, Adeptus Astartes versus Chaos Space Marines of Renegade Legions, daemon viruses twisting flesh and star-forts' machine spirits, twists, thrills, mayhem, cosmic lovecraftian horrors.
  
  The first anthology of the Space Marine Battles series was a real blast of a read for me, four novellas from different authors with the final one tying up for good all the threads.
  
  A must read for all Warhammer 40000 fans.
• 
  Milo

  Original post:
  http://thefoundingfields.com/2012/05/...
  
  “A top of the range anthology containing some awesome novellas. A collection that truly raises the standard of themed anthologies, and one that is not to be missed by any Warhammer 40k fan.” ~The Founding Fields
  
  
  The Space Marines stand against the darkness, and yet on countless battlefields they play unwitting roles in the schemes of Fateweaver. From the doomed world of Ilissus, through the embattled corridors of the Endeavour of Will, to the borders of the Eye of Terror itself – friend and foe alike follow the great plan that he set in motion many thousands of years ago. But not even the Architect of Fate himself can foresee the destiny that lies in wait for him…
  
  Collected for the first time, all four parts of the Architect of Fate novella series are presented in a single printed volume. The infamous Kairos Fateweaver, greater daemon of Tzeentch and master of manipulation, has discovered the limits of his power – even one so prescient as he cannot divine beyond the event horizon at the end of the 41st Millennium.
  
  There are several things that make Architect of Fate notable. Firstly, many people will notice that it’s the first anthology in the Space Marine Battles novels, a series which has so far seen mixed reactions from the readers, mainly due to the fact that they are mostly all out action. Secondly, another reason why Architect of Fate is notable is because it is a themed anthology, with four interlinking novellas in a similar way that the upcoming The Primarchs (A Horus Heresy Anthology) does. Black Library don’t often do this, and have had mixed results in the past (Fear the Alien and Gotrek and Felix: The Anthology are two contrasting examples), so I was wondering how Architect of Fate would turn out. And was I dissapointed? Well, not exactly. There is a host of really delightful novellas in here, although – they did have some issues, and unfortunately, the latest instalment in the Space Marine Battles series is not without its flaws.
  
  Accursed Eternity by Sarah Cawkwell
  
  An Architect of Fate novella. Space Marines of the Blood Swords and Star Dragons Chapters are enlisted by Inquisitor Remigius of the Ordo Malleus to storm the infamous daemonship known as theAccursed Eternity. But all is not as it first appears, and what should have been a relatively simple mission rapidly devolves into a hellish warp-spawned nightmare – the stage is set for a galaxy-spanning tale of Chaotic intrigue and of a war which has lasted for ten-thousand years…
  
  The first novella in the Architect of Fate collection is Sarah Cawkwell’s Accursed Eternity, and in my opinion, is not only a strong opener to the anthology, but also the best that the collection has to offer. It’s a superb way to start the anthology, and not only because of the subject matter, but also because of the way the author has written it. What we often don’t get in Warhammer 40k stories these days is a bit of horror, and if you find yourself wanting horror with your Space Marines, then look no further than Accursed Eternity, which is possibly the closest a Warhammer 40k story has come to being ‘scary’. There is a lot to offer here in Accursed Eternity for the reader who loves the fluff, as it looks at not only inter-Space Marine Chapter relations, but also relations between Space Marine Chapters and the Inquisition.
  
  Accursed Eternity is what more Warhammer 40k stories should be like, in my opinion. Dark, moody, well written, and full of several twists and turns, making the ending far from predictable. Sarah Cawkwell’s story is one of the two that really explores the theme of the Fateweaver the most, and that is another reason why it’s great, as both Darius Hinks’ and Ben Counter’s stories didn’t really link in well with the theme, and should probably have been published in another anthology, and not Architect of Fate. However, Accursed Eternity is pretty impressive, with well-written characters that allow the reader to get an insight into not very well developed chapters, the Blood Swords and the Star Dragons, and explore them in further detail, like the way that the same author has done with her fantastic The Gildar Rift, which focused on the Silver Skulls, who have really become Sarah Cawkwell’s ‘own’ Chapter since she’s started writing for Black Library.
  
  The pace is fast, the action is gripping and the novella is really the best one that you’ll get in this Anthology, as mentioned earlier. It’s unpredictable and unlike previous Space Marine Battles novels, which were based around ‘important’ 40k events where everyone knew the outcome, this is a pretty minor one and as much of the Warhammer 40k that I’ve read, I’m struggling to recall which this incident is based on, because all Space Marine Battles novels had been based on already established events so far. However, Architect of Fate was still really enjoyable, and it’s also best not to get attached to any of the characters in this novella. It’s safer that way.
  
  Verdict: 4.75/5
  
  More by Sarah Cawkwell: The Gildar Rift, Valkia the Bloody.
  
  Sanctus by Darius Hinks
  
  An Architect of Fate novella. The Relictors are sent by the Inquisition to loot the repositories and libraries of a world on the cusp of annihilation. With the countdown to Exterminatus looming over them, they realise that even the Chaos Space Marines of the dreaded Black Legion are not the worst threat that they will have to face before they can escape, and that their true enemy may lie elsewhere.
  
  Following on from Sarah Cawkwell’s amazing Accursed Eternity, we have Sanctus, Darius Hinks’ entry into the anthology. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t think Darius Hinks has written any Warhammer 40k novels before, so I was interested in seeing how he would tackle this, especially as it focuses on the Relictors Chapter, which is one of my favourite of the not-explored-in-much-detail-but-enough-t0-get-you-interested-about-them Chapters, who have been declared renegade by the Imperium for their ‘unhealthy’ fascination in tainted artefacts.
  
  A lot happens in Sanctus, perhaps a bit too much in my opinion for this novella for my liking. The pace is fast, there is lots of action, but, as a whole, Sanctus whilst enjoyable, didn’t really work for me as well as Accursed Eternity did. Despite the awesome cover art of this novella, which is one of the better looking of the whole lot, I still felt a little let down by this title. I wanted to love Sanctus, I really did. However, the characters weren’t really that interesting, whereas one could like and feel sympathy for the characters in Accursed Eternity, I couldn’t really say the same for Sanctus, which was a shame. And on top of that, Sanctus doesn’t really fit into the theme that was presented with the rest of the collection, as whilst it could have worked well (and probably better) as a standalone, e-novella, I didn’t really think that it was suitable for this anthology.
  
  However that’s not to say that Hinks’ story is all bad. He does have an interesting way of writing things, and there are various things that I liked in Hinks’ story. The tension that he’s created is interesting, and the novella is particularly fast-flowing, with an even pace throughout the whole story. Hinks’ plot is well created, and one of the things that would have really made it better was if Sanctus had something to do with the theme of the overall story…
  
  Verdict: 3.5/5
  
  More Darius Hinks: Sigvald, Orion: The Vaults of Winter (Coming Soon)
  
  Endeavour of Will by Ben Counter
  
  An Architect of Fate novella. Chaos Space Marines of the Iron Warriors Legion launch a devastating attack upon their hated foes the Imperial Fists, crippling one of their principal starforts. Unperturbed, the heroic Captain Darnath Lysander withdraws his warriors to a second stronghold, the Endeavour of Will, to weather the rest of the assault. But as the Iron Warriors’ methods are revealed, critical and desperate decisions must be made, lest their insidious techno-contagion spread throughout the Imperial Fists’ fleet and beyond…
  
  Iron Warriors? Hell yes. Imperial Fists lead by Lysander himself? Hell yes. Ben Counter? Not really sure here. I mean, I enjoyed his Grey Knights Omnibus, the first Soul Drinker novel and Galaxy in Flames, however – I still maintain a strong dislike for his last Horus Heresy entry, Battle for the Abyss. However, the pros seemingly outweigh the cons here, and I dove into Endeavour of Will almost as soon as I’d finished Sanctus, hoping for something better. Indeed, I found something I better. Although Endeavour of Will is not the best novella in the anthology, it certainly is a pretty good one, and as close to a standard Space Marine Battles novel as you can get. Tying into the theme of the whole anthology pretty well, Counter’s latest tale is enjoyable and a good read. The action is brutal, intense and enjoyable, and the pace is fast throughout the novella.
  
  Endeavour of Will also gets across the portrayal of Captain Lysander and his Imperial Fists very well. Even though the outcome is never in doubt because Lysander as a character is a model for the Warhammer 40k tabletop game and therefore has been granted 99.9% certain immunity within the pages of Black Library stories, the novella is quite predictable. However, don’t let that detract you from reading it. The characters are gripping enough to get behind, and the story as a whole is engaging, fast and you won’t want to miss this, as Endeavour of Will is Counter at his best. Although some parts feel a bit rushed, the novella is still pulled off well and I think that this may be a victim of its format, which seems to be a problem with a lot of audio-dramas and novellas published by Black Library. You just feel as though they would be better if it was, say – a full blown novel. Speaking of which, I for one – would love to see a full novel by Ben Counter focusing on the Imperial Fists, which – in my belief, would salvage their reputation after the disaster that was Sons of Dorn.
  
  Verdict: 4/5
  
  More Ben Counter: Galaxy in Flames, The Grey Knights Omnibus.
  
  Fateweaver by John French
  
  An Architect of Fate novella. The White Consuls Space Marine Chapter answers a distress call, only to discover that the source of the signal is far more terrifying than the message it relays. As a psychic backlash sweeps through their astropathic choir, the infamous Kairos Fateweaver, greater daemon of Tzeentch and master of manipulation, reveals his final hand in a game which has lasted since the beginning of time. Destiny awaits.
  
  Fateweaver is the final addition to the epic Architect of Fate anthology, and in my opinion, is slightly ahead of Ben Counter’s Endeavour of Will, making it my second favourite out of the whole collection. The characters are possibly the strongest of the entire anthology, and we’ve got a wide mix of them in here, and we really connect well with them, getting us even more attached to the characters than we did with Accursed Eternity. French’s prose is well written and not all-bolter porn, making it a huge difference from what we have come to expect from the Space Marine Battles novels, and I hope that the shift towards the Characters over the battles continues with Chris Wraight’s upcoming Wrath of Iron (which I have on my shelf right now, waiting to be read), and the rest of this series as a whole.
  
  Fateweaver again, like Accursed Eternity and Sanctus, takes a lesser known Chapter, the White Consuls, and fleshes them out a bit more. The last time I read about the White Consuls was in a Word Bearers novel by Anthony Reynolds, and It’s nice to know more about their Chapter, although they are possibly the least interesting in the whole anthology, with the Relictors being the most interesting – followed by the Imperial Fists, with the Blood Swords and the Star Dragons coming next. That said though, they’re no slouch in combat, and French writes the action scenes well, and I for one, would love to see him write a full-blown novel for Black Library. So far, he’s only written short stories, including the amazing The Last Rembrancer, which was in the Age of Darkness Anthology, and I can only wonder what he’d bring to the table with a full blown novel, as he’s the only author in this anthology not to write one yet.
  
  Although the pacing isn’t as clear-cut in this novella as it is in the other one, Fateweaver, as expected – does tie in particularly well to the Architect of Fate anthology, and even manages to connect it to Accursed Eternity, making both stories all the more awesome because of this. French’s novella is unpredictable as well, and is probably the most unpredictable of the lot – you won’t see the ending coming.
  
  Verdict: 4.5/5
  
  More John French: The Last Remembrancer (Short Story), Hunted by John French (Short Story)
  
  So there you have it, my review of all four of the novellas gathered in Architect of Fate. This is a wonderful collection of stories, and the combined works by Cawkwell, Counter, French and Hinks have all raised our expectations of what to look forward to in future – similar collections, such as The Primarchs, which I have read and will eventually get around to reviewing. If there was only one thing that would have made this collection better, was if there had been a story from the Chaos Space Marine point of view, just to balance it out a bit. I know this is technically a Space Marine Battles novel, but we’ve got CL Werner writing a Chaos Space Marine Battles novel in this series (coming out at the end of the year), so why can��t we have Chaos short stories?
  
  In conclusion, I believe Architect of Fate is an anthology that you won’t want to miss. Go out and buy it now, as it’s currently avaliable to buy, both as an ebook, and as an individual story.
  
  Verdict of Overall Anthology: 4/5
  
• 
  Michael Dodd

  Part of Black Library’s Space Marine Battles series, Architect of Fate is made up of novellas from Sarah Cawkwell, Darius Hinks, Ben Counter and John French featuring various Space Marine chapters and members of the Inquisition battling against daemonic plots and manipulations on the fringes of the Eye of Terror. Four quite different stories told in each author’s distinct style, they nevertheless fit together nicely with common themes, the occasional bit of connective tissue, and a consistent tone.
  
  This is a complex and tricksy book, the four novellas coming together into a varied but enjoyably consistent book. It’s not the usual Space Marine Battles fare, but if you prefer your battles leavened with clever plotting and twisty Tzeentchian darkness then you’ll enjoy this.
  
  Read the full review at
  https://www.trackofwords.com/2017/08/...
• 
  Brian

  Accursed Eternity *** Had some great horror elements to it.
  
  Sanctus**** Sad to see the Relictors are now listed as a Traitor Legion in WH40K. This was a good story that showcased how viciously a Legion guards their honor.
  
  Endeavor of Will **** Capt. Lysander and some Iron Warriors. Let the Death Match begin!
  
  Fateweaver ***** Liked Cyrus and the rest of the White Consuls. Really tied the anthology together.
  
  
• 
  Henry

  This book was so disjointed. Good luck.
• 
  Michael T Bradley

  Ooh, another pretty strong collection of novellas, all featuring Tzeentch, my favorite of the Chaos gods!
  
  Accursed Eternity by Sarah Cawkwell. Having not liked much else I'd read by Sarah, I was pleasantly surprised that this story was incredibly enjoyable. Essentially it's the climax of Abnett's Salvation's Reach, or ... the entirety of the novel Space Hulk, I guess - in any case, it's Space Marines exploring a space hulk, and specifically one "haunted" by Tzeentch so there's a lot of fun with time not working right and loss of identity. Nothing groundbreaking, but extremely enjoyable.
  
  Sanctus by Darius Hinks. I'll admit, with so many of these stories dealing with Space Marine chapters I'd never heard of (Star Dragons & Blood Swords for Cawkwell, Relictors here, etc.), I get them a bit confused. BUT this one was definitely the stand-out best of the bunch.
  
  Endeavour of Will by Ben Counter. Sadly just pretty ho-hum and dull. Oh well.
  
  Fateweaver by John French. Hey! Something by John French I enjoyed! A little long in the tooth, but the ending is well worth sticking around for. A very enjoyable little romp with a nice bit of deductive reasoning "saving the day," as much as the day can be saved in the 40k universe.
• 
  David

  Four stories all linked by a common being, Fateweaver, a powerful greater daemon of Tzeentch. I enjoyed this book and it had one of the best endings. An ending that wasn’t an ending and yet it was. I know, confusing, but when all the stories are tied to Tzeentch (the changer of ways) confusion is bound to occur.
  Well done.
  
• 
  Gjon

  The first 40k book I read. Excellent!
• 
  Joanne

  b'S Least favorite WH, might have prejudiced me too, just zipped thru
• 
  Ulzeta

  Some of it are fun.
• 
  Abhinav

  Shadowhawk reviews the first ever Space Marine Battles anthology, a collection of four novellas by different authors focused on a key character of the Warhammer 40,000 setting, the Greater Daemon of Tzeentch known as Kairos Fateweaver.
  
  “One of the best anthologies that Black Library has ever published, Architect of Fate has definitely set a great precedent for future works that are similarly themed. I certainly want more such anthologies!” ~The Founding Fields
  
  The Space Marine Battles series is one of the best ideas to come from the Black Library editorial staff as it has produced some of the best novels from some of its best authors. Sarah Cawkwell’s The Gildar Rift, Chris Wraight’s The Battle of the Fang and Rob Sanders’ Legion of the Damned are some of my favourite novels, especially the latter which I believe has set the bar really high for a really dark, gritty and stubborn yet heroic portrayal of Space Marines.
  
  After eight novels in a little over two years and a limited edition novella, an anthology was inevitable and quite welcome even. Novels are all fine and good but there is a certain inherent attractiveness for anthologies because they allow the reader to gain some good widespread exposure to a setting. The fact that the first SMB anthology is a collection of four linked novellas is pretty much what I would have expected: the clue is really in the name of the series, a theme that can be explored to satisfaction in novels and novellas, not short stories.
  
  Or audio dramas as I’m told by a few reliable sources, so stay tuned for that in the coming months! Some great surprises are in store.
  
  So, back to the anthology. Each novella in this collection is a story that focuses in one way or another on one of the most manipulative, deceptive, and dangerous characters in the Warhammer 40,000 setting: Chaos Lord Tzeentch’s foremost servant, the Lord of Change known as Kairos Fateweaver. As someone who has knowledge of the future that even his master is unaware of at times and yet is stuck irrevocably in his master’s schemes, Kairos Fateweaver is a strangely compelling and interesting character. As such, he makes for a great focus and connecting strand between the four novellas in the anthology. Let’s begin.
  
  The first novella here is Accursed Eternity by Sarah Cawkwell, one of the newest writers on the block and one of my favourites. I’ve already reviewed the novella separately back in December, so I won’t rehash that 1800-word review. Suffice to say that this novella is how a lot of Warhammer 40,000 fiction should be like. It has that dark, sinister edge that completely fits the setting and it also has a strong horror element. She is also great at taking previously unused Space Marine chapters and really breathing life into them, as her work with the Silver Skulls previously has shown and which she continues here with the Star Dragons and the Blood Swords. I would really like her to to write more about either of them as she has balanced the mysteries and revelations about the chapters quite nicely and they both have a distinctive personality and chapter culture. The novella itself is pretty much fantastic in all regards. A sequel to this would be very, very welcome.
  
  Having read the other novellas in the collection since then, Accursed Eternity works very well as part of a larger whole, particularly with John French’s contribution, Fateweaver. In that respect, and liking the horror aspects of the anthology, I’m now inclined to rate the novella higher than I did before, which it richly deserves.
  
  You can find the full review over at The Founding Fields:
  
  
  http://thefoundingfields.com/2012/04/...
• 
  Tarl

  I had read one of the stories from this anthology of novellas before, so I was excited to read the collection in its entirety. What I got was a disjointed series of stories with the barest connection between them, and a huge loss of potential as to what this anthology could have been.
  
  Architect of Fate is only an okay book. The stories within are nothing special in the Warhammer 40k universe other than the fact that they deal with space marine chapters normally not written about. The over arching plot of the anthology is interesting and had a lot of potential, however the way each story relates to it reduces the overall impact of Fateweaver and his fate.
  
  There were a few moments where everything slotted together, such as in the last story and the way everything came together in a nice little package, but these events get bogged down by plots that just weren't that interesting. Even the action scenes in each of the stories was fairly lack luster when compared to the other Space Marine Battle novels.
  
  That's not to say the stories were bad, they just don't stand out. There's not enough connection between them to make someone go 'Aha!' while reading them. I would have liked to see them have a coherent, universal underlying plot, because if there was one, all I saw was the mention/appearance of Fateweaver and that was only in two of the stories I remember. And though each story can easily be a stand alone story, there's not a lot in each story to keep the reader interested in them, turning them into a slog for the reader.
  
  All in all, Architect of Fate was an okay collection in the Space Marine Battle series. I loved the concept of putting a bunch of novellas into a collection (mostly because Black Library now seems obsessed with releasing novellas as overpriced ebooks), but this anthology unfortunately didn't shine enough for me to stand out. It's still worth picking up to read if you are a fan, but don't expect the same quality you find in the other Space Marine Battle books.
• 
  Scooter

  This book of short stories was a best a bit of a chore to read. I just couldn't get into the swing of it and found myself forcing myself to finish it. This series of novels from the Black Library is in my opinion a distant second to the Horus Heresy series, with very few of them keeping me engrossed. But when you take into account that the Space Marine Battle series is targeted more towards the younger audience of people that get into Warhammer 40K, then you can give it a bit of slack. Not bad, but not good either...
  
• 
  Dylan Murphy

  This was an amazing anthology. I genuinely enjoyed every story in it!
  I hope that all of Black Library's anthology releases are around this good! I just wish we got more of the Relictors story!
  Here are my reviews of each of the novellas.
  Accursed Eternity:
  http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
  Sanctus:
  http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
  Endeavour of Will:
  http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
  Fateweaver:
  http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
• 
  M.R. Shields

  This was by far the WORST space marine novel i have ever read. Four short and terribly ended stories. There was no continuity and if there was a way to give it zero stars i would have. Should never have been published
• 
  Yohann

  Si la première et la dernière nouvelle sur les quatre restent d'un niveau correct, les deux autres sont carrément ennuyeuses ! je ne le recommande qu'a ceux qui sont des fans de l'univers et qu'ils ont une vingtaine d'euros en trop.
• 
  Jaimie Ralfe

  Architect of Fate perfectly suits those enamoured of Space Marines, and of Chaos triumphant.
• 
  Tim

  Four novella's, each one having to do with The Great Architect, and because of the nature of Tzeench, each very 'strange'.
  
  Accursed Eternity: Horror elements, leading up to a quite awesome finale... although the ending is a bit of a non-ending, which confused the heck out of me
  
  Sanctus: again with the horror elements (on the ship), very nice background story on inquisitors not being shy of actually employing the forces they battle... but again a very confusing ending which left me with a feeling of 'what the hell now happened'
  
  Endeavor of Will: Iron Warriors vs Imperial Fists, and forces of Chaos versus Adeptus Mechanicus and their creations. Nice epilogue which reminds you that in the end, Tzeench always actually triumphs
  
  Fateweaver: This story actually connects to the first one, making the anthology go full circle. The ending explains some of the strangeness of the first story, although not enough to shake off the general feeling of weirdness the anthology leaves you with
  
  Not recommended for WH40K newbies, some experience with the "we fuck reality up" nature of Tzeench is very useful here :)