Chains of Command

Ultramarines #Short Story

by Graham McNeill

Uriel Ventris is a warrior who fights every battle according to the Codex Astartes. When a mission to destroy a vital bridge goes wrong, he must quickly learn to work outside of the codes and rely on his own initiative.

Genres: Science Fiction, 40k, Short Stories, Fiction, Fantasy, Military Fiction

45 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 1, 2011

About the author

Hailing from Scotland, Graham McNeill narrowly escaped a career in surveying to work for Games Workshop as a games designer. He has a strong following with his novels Nightbringer, Warriors of Ultramar, Dead Sky, Black Sun and Storm of Iron.

Reviews

[Frédéric · Rating 3 out of 5]

Introduction to the famous Uriel Ventis character. In all fairness he seems to be a bit of a oaf so far only acting through the Codex Astartes. But there’s hope.

Well written with lots of gruesome violence. Maybe too much emphasis and not enough (dark) humour.

[Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is definitely one to read. If you need a quick action fix, this is it. This makes the Space Wolf series by William King feel like children’s stories.

The gruesome and bloody details plunge you straight into the Warhammer 40k universe and the dark gory action is everything you expect and want from a 40k story. As well as being super dark the combat is really well written, especially close quarters. In not many pages, the author does a great job at fleshing out the two main characters and gets you connected to them and there’s actually some good character development throughout the story which is an achievement for such a small page count.

A great fast-paced prelude to the Ultramarines series and I’ve now got high hopes for the full books.

[Shawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can't believe I waited so long to start this series. There's certain terminology I have to familiarize myself with, but overall this was excellent. Plenty of detail, fast-paced, and action packed. Seems like a great set-up to Uriel's adventures in the novels to follow.

[Antonio López Sousa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Este relato da inicio a una de las series más conocidas de Warhammer 40000: la de los Ultramarines, protagonizada por el capitán de la cuarta compañía: Uriel Ventris, aunque aquí todavía es sargento.
El relato no tiene demasiada profundidad, pero es muy entretenido, ya que casi todo es acción pura y dura. Disparos, explosiones, muertes a cascoporro, acciones heróicas, desventaja numérica y armamentística... Pues eso, un relato bélico en toda regla.
Ventris y la cuarta compañía, al mando del capitán Idaeus, primero deberán tomar el puente Dos-Cuatro, en el planeta Thracia, y luego defenderlo mientras se preparan para volarlo por los aires antes de que el enemigo lo cruce. Con esta acción comienza la leyenda de Ventris, ya que deberá tomar el mando de la situación, lo que le llevará a ser ascendido a capitán y a todo lo que vendrá después.
Si os gustan los tiros y las explosiones más que a un mono un plátano y pasar un ratito en tensión, es un buen relato para iniciarse en Warhammer 40k, y además lo leeréis en menos de lo que tarda un tanque en reventar una compañía enemiga. Palabra de Ultramarine.

[Karmakosmik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Questo è il mio primo approccio con qualsiasi cosa del mondo letterario di Warhammer, e nell'attesa di ricevere i primi libri della serie di Horus, leggendo qualche consiglio in rete, ho deciso di approcciare la saga degli ultramarine, iniziando da questo "Chains of Command", una novella breve con protagonista il futuro capitano Uriel Ventris. La storia è piuttosto semplice, poichè la squadra di Idaeus deve fare saltare alcuni ponti, necessari a tagliare i rifornimenti e rinforzi ai ribelli del pianeta Tracia, ma le cose non vanno come pianificato. I toni sono molto crudi, e spesso anche esagerati, ma il ritmo serrato e senza respiro, pur leggendo in lingua originale, mi ha decisamente incuriosito. Proseguirò sicuramente con la lettura di questa serie.

[Taylor Harms · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first Warhammer book experience and hopefully not the last. I was extremely concerned that I would have a hard time following things either due to having zero knowledge of the lore (Outside of what I've learned playing 1 game) or that it would use too much terminology that would go over my head. Thankfully the writing allowed for a clear image to be made up in my head and I am now more excited to start Nightbringer.

[Matthew Barbeler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've had people screaming at me to read the Uriel Ventris books, and I finally decided to listen.

This was a great short story. Action packed, full of tension and blood, and a damned fine introduction to this universe.

Down the rabbit hole we go...

[Paul Raised · Rating 2 out of 5]

4/10 It lacks depth, I don't know the characters enough to realize what's happening. There's focus on too many small details that are repetitive, and make it boring while not enough to paint a clear picture of what's happening. I only read this as part of the Ultramarines Omnibus. After reading the starting trilogies of Eisenhorn and Cain, this is definitely not the best introduction.

[Brad Theado · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome battle story

[Mamia Tetvadze · Rating 5 out of 5]

MY FIRST STEPS IN 40K WORLD!

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good. The gore and descriptions of the Chaos Space Marines were chilling.

[Nate Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful introduction to a fascinating character.

[Adrian Sepulveda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Blow up and act like I know nobody

[Ryan Bell · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

[Mozart Benedict · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.1⭐

[Eesa · Rating 3 out of 5]

If all of Warhammer is like this, I am invested.

[Dani · Rating 3 out of 5]

Buen relato corto con el que conocer al sargento Uriel,buena introducción a los ultramarines

[Ryan Grinas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast paced with lots of action, great short story!

[David Dalton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this short story. A great intro into the exciting world of the Warhammer 40K Ultramarines. Full of action.

The story focused on two characters: Captain Idaeus and his veteran sergeant Uriel Ventris. They have served together over 30 years. Not sure how long these genetically altered Ultramarines live (without being killed), but serving together 30 years is a long time. We get to know these guys as well as we can in short action packed story.

Loved the ending! I am reading this story on a paperback, and man, the print is small. Once I work out this problem I plan to move on to and the rest of the 1st Ultramarine Omnibus (plus a few other Warhammer PBs....got to start reading these stories on my Kindle).

[Wes · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Read as part of The Ultramarines Omnibus)

Good as an introduction to Nightbringer, but on its own the story is a bit bland. It's pretty obvious that the author is still pretty green at this point, but it does a good job of establishing Uriel Ventris's motivation in the next novel.

[Ulzeta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite fun.