I have been a fan of the Blood Angels and their successor chapters for years. The only time I’ve ever done well in a 40k tournament was when a friend and me played a Death Company based army. The Flesh Tearers were always likely to be a Chapter that I was going to want to read about but the clincher for me was listening to Andy Smillie describe their fighting style at the Black Library Live 2013 event. The way it was described sounded to me like the kind of fighting you’d see outside a Glasgow pub. If those fighting were eight foot superhuman armour clad nutters high on PCP, trained in Krav Maga and skilful wielding chainsaws. Yep, that sold it to me. Hit them hard, hit them fast, hit them often and don’t stop until you are sure they are not going to fight back. This fits perfectly with the curse of the Blood.
Chasing some Orks leads a contingent of Flesh Tearers on to an uncharted world. It turns out to be a Death World. A place so dangerous that it seems the planet itself is fighting against any who set foot there. After an encounter with some primitive tribesmen that exhibit the traits that the Chapter looks for in aspirants the chapter master Amit decides that this planet will make the ideal place for the Chapter to call home. Which makes perfect sense. First though they must show their dominance over the planet by destroying the biggest predator. A Titan sized beast that from a distance looks like a mountain.
This is a book full of violence and fighting but the key fight waged throughout this book is one of the spirit. It becomes clear early on in this story that every single warrior in the chapter is fighting a personal battle against the Rage that lies within the very core of who they are. This tension and the deceptively simple and fast-paced writing style result in a book that just seems to fly by. This is fun book and a must read for all those that enjoy the darker side of the emperor’s finest warriors.
Tony's Thoughts 