Fifteen Hours

This was a lovely book, one of my favorites so far.

The setting was gruesome. The action takes place on a dull, grey and frozen planet, far away from the rest of the Imperium. The Orks are so numerous, they can't be defeated. There is no hope long-term, just the bleak determination of holding and defending each assault, one after the other.

The book isn't actually that dark though. Sure, it brings its fair share of violence. The guardsmen feel tiny and desperate when their position is pounded by the shells of the artillery, or when one of them gets face to face with a huge massive Ork. Limbs get severed, organs fly in the air, the grey much goes red... it is a 40K book after all. But the focus isn't really on that.

The planet, the Orks... it's not really about that. It could have been the same on a different planet, against a different Xenos species. The book is about the soldiers themselves, their daily life, their determination and more than anything else, their camaraderie and how they interact with each others.

The star of the show is "new fish". He just landed there. Like any new fish on this planet, he's expected to survive for about 15 hours average. If he makes it that long, maybe his mates will ask him what is actual name is.

The reason I loved this book was because it focused on something very relatable. You know that feeling you have after bonding with a group of people you didn't know, whether it's on a holiday or sports camp, or a company. At the start there's you and there's them. They're different, you're alone, it's all about what separates you and it goes both ways. By the time you leave them, you're one of them, you're all the same, and nothing matters more than them. This book describes that extremely well.

This was my first book about the Astra Militarum. It won't be the last. We also get really cool interludes here and there. Small paragraphs describing how the action is seen from the POV of other people, how detached the commanding officers are from the action, how cold and distant the administration is away from the front.

If you're new to Warhammer, I'd say this is a really good book to start with. You don't need much prior knowledge to appreciate it, though I was glad I had browsed through the Infantryman's handbook beforehand. It made me enjoy it even more.