This is a compilation of short tales all based within Abnett's Sabbat Worlds crusade. I imagine this is intended as a space-filler whilst he recovers from his illness. Black Library have pulled out all the stops though and got all their major players on board who've risen to the occasion with a real solid selection of stories.Graham McNeill revisits the Phantine airforce from 'Double Eagle' and shows how and why each character is so anti-social. Matthew Farrer does an almost excellent little tale about a Chaos insertion into a Mechanicus scrapyard. Aaron Dembski-Bowden has a fine stab at the death of Warmaster Slaydo. Abnett's wife Nik Vincent does a 'Traitor General' type story about Imperials struggling against the invaders. Nick Kyme's Blueblood about the loathsomely arrogant Volpone. Sandy Mitchell produces an Arbites and Administorum tale about greed and chaos.
The defining point of the book though are the two Gaunt's Ghosts stories. The first, 'Iron Star', tells an odd little tale about Gaunt's struggle for life after he loses his eyes. It alternates between the Ghosts of his past helping him to survive the trauma whilst the Ghosts of his present fight to save his life.
The second story is an excellent early Ghost story detailing the moment when the newly formed Ghosts become Gaunt's. Stuck in the middle of nowhere on an pointless mop-up action, the Ghosts find themselves besieged by Chaos converts. There's a nice little backstory about Rawne and his cronies and an even nicer one about just how much respect Dorden is held in.
I loved that last story and pretty much the rest of the book also.
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