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Space Marine Battles
The Plagues of Orath
Three novellas, one thrilling story. From the first stirrings of a plague on the quiet world of Orath, to epic tank battles and a final confrontation between the Ultramarines and the dread forces of Chaos, this collection contains the full tale of the Space Marines' battle to save Orath from the machinations of Nurgle.
A trilogy of exciting Space Marine Battles novellas starring the Ultramarines
PLAGUE HARVEST:On the quiet agri-world of Orath, an ancient evil awakens. As the people of the planet sicken and the crops fail, Librarian Vabion of the Ultramarines, castellan of Fort Kerberos and guardian of Orath's secrets, must work with his uneasy allies from the Doom Eagles Chapter to discover the source of the contagion and end it. But when the plague's victims start to rise again and the architects of Orath's fate are revealed, Vabion must stand alone against the darkness.
ENGINES OF WAR: The Ultramarines descend upon the plague-wracked world of Orath. Captain Galenus of the Fifth Company leads a force to wrest control of Fort Kerberos from the enemy. But with the dread forces of Chaos arrayed against them, it will take more than firepower for the Space Marines to defeat their rot-infested foes and save Orath from a grisly doom. As death comes from the ground and the air, Galenus and his warriors must be prepared to sacrifice all to achieve victory.
ARMOUR OF FAITH: Sent to secure a seemingly unimportant fortress on the war-wracked world of Orath, Ultramarines Chaplain Sentina and his small squad of Centurions find themselves at the centre of a plot to open a new Eye of Terror in the heart of the Imperium. As daemonic hordes assail the fortress and a fell power rises within, it falls to Sentina to unravel the design of the Ruinous Powers and prevent Chaos from consuming an entire sector of space… whatever the cost to his life or even his soul.
A trilogy of exciting Space Marine Battles novellas starring the Ultramarines
PLAGUE HARVEST:On the quiet agri-world of Orath, an ancient evil awakens. As the people of the planet sicken and the crops fail, Librarian Vabion of the Ultramarines, castellan of Fort Kerberos and guardian of Orath's secrets, must work with his uneasy allies from the Doom Eagles Chapter to discover the source of the contagion and end it. But when the plague's victims start to rise again and the architects of Orath's fate are revealed, Vabion must stand alone against the darkness.
ENGINES OF WAR: The Ultramarines descend upon the plague-wracked world of Orath. Captain Galenus of the Fifth Company leads a force to wrest control of Fort Kerberos from the enemy. But with the dread forces of Chaos arrayed against them, it will take more than firepower for the Space Marines to defeat their rot-infested foes and save Orath from a grisly doom. As death comes from the ground and the air, Galenus and his warriors must be prepared to sacrifice all to achieve victory.
ARMOUR OF FAITH: Sent to secure a seemingly unimportant fortress on the war-wracked world of Orath, Ultramarines Chaplain Sentina and his small squad of Centurions find themselves at the centre of a plot to open a new Eye of Terror in the heart of the Imperium. As daemonic hordes assail the fortress and a fell power rises within, it falls to Sentina to unravel the design of the Ruinous Powers and prevent Chaos from consuming an entire sector of space… whatever the cost to his life or even his soul.
416 pages, Paperback
First published June 2, 2016
9 people are currently reading
111 people want to read
About the author
Cavan Scott
860 books442 followersis a freelance comic writer and author. He is best known for his work on a variety of spin-offs from both Doctor Who and Star Wars, as well as comics and novels for Vikings, Pacific Rim, Sherlock Holmes, and Penguins of Madagascar.
Cavan Scott, along with Justina Ireland, Claudia Gray, Daniel Jose Older, and Charles Soule are crafting a new era in the Star Wars publishing world called Star Wars: The High Republic. Cavan's contribution to the era is a comic book series released through Marvel Comics titled Star Wars: The High Republic.
Cavan Scott, along with Justina Ireland, Claudia Gray, Daniel Jose Older, and Charles Soule are crafting a new era in the Star Wars publishing world called Star Wars: The High Republic. Cavan's contribution to the era is a comic book series released through Marvel Comics titled Star Wars: The High Republic.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 20, 2016
Bookworm Speaks!
Warhammer 40,000
The Plagues of Orath
by Cavan Scott, Steve Lyons, Graeme Lyon.
****
Acquired: Barnes & Noble Booksellers
Series: Space Marine Battles
Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Games Workshop (July 19, 2016)
Language: English
****
The Story: The Ultramarines battle the traitorous Death Guard on the plague-ridden world of Orath.
Contains three linked novellas telling the full story of the war for Orath:
Plague Harvest
As the world of Orath withers under the grip of a deadly plague, Ultramarines Librarian Vabion and his Doom Eagles allies fight to uncover the source of the contagion.
Engines of War
The Ultramarines, under Captain Galenus, bring their engines of war to the plague-stricken world of Orath as they fight to save the planet from the clutches of Chaos.
Armour of Faith
Assailed by daemons and with the fate of an entire sector in the balance, Ultramarines Chaplain Sentina faces the ultimate sacrifice if he is to win the war on Orath.
The Review: Three stories in one. Usually, anthologies and compendiums are a bit difficult to review as the stories are of varying quality and/or Bookworm runs out of room to adequately review the whole thing. Thankfully, this is one of the better put-together anthologies and each stories flows well into the next one. Each one reads like the chapter in a larger book.
Bookworm is a part of many fandoms and one of his favorite parts of them is delving into the lore, soaking up every detail like a sponge. As a result, whenever a book/comic/show delves into a more obscure section of the lore, the short entry in the archive, he gets really excited. In the first story we get just that: We see another chapter of the Adeptus Astartes in action: the Doom Eagles. A successor Chapter of the Ultramarines known for dour demeanor and reverence of death, have been showcased in at least one novel and a short story.
Captain Galenus has not been mentioned much in other Black Library tomes. His most prominent appearance that Bookworm has encountered is a few appearances in the final book of the Ultramarines saga, The Chapter’s Due, by Graham McNeill. He hasn’t been much, aside from being a Captain, from whom half his company was assigned to a lost space station. After that, Galenus is very shunted to the side. In the first story, he gets his place in the spotlight at long last. We see his personality when it is ‘normal’ and we also get a glimpse at one of the deeper friendships in the Ultramarines even if it is briefly mentioned. Without giving too much away, one of many Bookworm’s favorite things when reading about Adeptus Astartes is when the Dreadnought’s appear. Ancient, mortally wounded Space Marines, entombed in cybernetic war machines. An old friend of Galenus is entombed in such a holy machine and their relationship is actually rather touching with no small amount of pathos.
Chaos is the archenemy of the Imperium and they come in a wide variety of flavors. From the Beserkers of Khorne or the sorcerers of Tzeentch. Out of all of them though, the ones that evoke the most genuine fear out of Bookworm are the Plaque Marines of Nurgle. Nurgle is the Chaos Lord of Decay and Disease and thusly the Traitor Marines of the Death Guard are monstrous beings, whose flesh is riddled with decay and rotten flesh.
You can’t shoot a virus or stab a bacteria. You can’t even see them. They can work their way into the nooks and crannies of your defenses and slowly devour you alive from the inside out. Warhammer’s gimmick is how outrageous it all really is but the plaques of Nurgle are only just outrageous. Fear of disease is very real and the sheer grotesqueness of Nurgle’s Champions makes Bookworm’s skin crawl. The writing is extremely visceral and evokes a response of revulsion in Bookworm and evoking a response is the goal of every writer.
The final story is Bookworm’s favorite. As he has stated on many occasions, his favorite moments in any Space Marine novel is when the fearsome Astartes interact with ordinary Jane and Joe Citizen of the Imperium. We get a lot of these moments when the downed squad encounters of group of Orath’s survivors and reach shelter together. Most Space Marines tend to look down on ordinary humans, Ultramarines are one of the nicer ones but still. Here, the reader can see moments of genuine connection between Chaplain Sentenia and the various mortals and the mortals do not always get in the way. In fact, they actually contribute to the Ultramarine’s victory. There story is a uniquely tragic one as they tend to be in the annals of the Dark Millenium.
If there is a major flaw in this book, it would be that some readers would pick it up, look at the cover and say: “Oh Boy the Ultramarines… again!” (sarcasm), and yes that is kind of annoying. We’ve seen the Ultramarines over and over again. It would have been a bit better if we had seen a Chapter we had never encountered before or one barely mentioned.
On a final note, there is a strong female character here but the author cheapens her slightly by adding an element of her backstory that is both misogynistic and lazy writing. It’s only in the back story and not focused on but it is disappointing nonetheless.
Final Verdict: Plagues of Orath Thankfully, the new characters and quality of the world-building, as well the aura of mystery surrounding the whole situation make this one of the more engaging volumes in the Space Marine Battles Series.
Four Seals of Nurgle out of Five
thecultureworm.blogspot.com
Warhammer 40,000
The Plagues of Orath
by Cavan Scott, Steve Lyons, Graeme Lyon.
****
Acquired: Barnes & Noble Booksellers
Series: Space Marine Battles
Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Games Workshop (July 19, 2016)
Language: English
****
The Story: The Ultramarines battle the traitorous Death Guard on the plague-ridden world of Orath.
Contains three linked novellas telling the full story of the war for Orath:
Plague Harvest
As the world of Orath withers under the grip of a deadly plague, Ultramarines Librarian Vabion and his Doom Eagles allies fight to uncover the source of the contagion.
Engines of War
The Ultramarines, under Captain Galenus, bring their engines of war to the plague-stricken world of Orath as they fight to save the planet from the clutches of Chaos.
Armour of Faith
Assailed by daemons and with the fate of an entire sector in the balance, Ultramarines Chaplain Sentina faces the ultimate sacrifice if he is to win the war on Orath.
The Review: Three stories in one. Usually, anthologies and compendiums are a bit difficult to review as the stories are of varying quality and/or Bookworm runs out of room to adequately review the whole thing. Thankfully, this is one of the better put-together anthologies and each stories flows well into the next one. Each one reads like the chapter in a larger book.
Bookworm is a part of many fandoms and one of his favorite parts of them is delving into the lore, soaking up every detail like a sponge. As a result, whenever a book/comic/show delves into a more obscure section of the lore, the short entry in the archive, he gets really excited. In the first story we get just that: We see another chapter of the Adeptus Astartes in action: the Doom Eagles. A successor Chapter of the Ultramarines known for dour demeanor and reverence of death, have been showcased in at least one novel and a short story.
Captain Galenus has not been mentioned much in other Black Library tomes. His most prominent appearance that Bookworm has encountered is a few appearances in the final book of the Ultramarines saga, The Chapter’s Due, by Graham McNeill. He hasn’t been much, aside from being a Captain, from whom half his company was assigned to a lost space station. After that, Galenus is very shunted to the side. In the first story, he gets his place in the spotlight at long last. We see his personality when it is ‘normal’ and we also get a glimpse at one of the deeper friendships in the Ultramarines even if it is briefly mentioned. Without giving too much away, one of many Bookworm’s favorite things when reading about Adeptus Astartes is when the Dreadnought’s appear. Ancient, mortally wounded Space Marines, entombed in cybernetic war machines. An old friend of Galenus is entombed in such a holy machine and their relationship is actually rather touching with no small amount of pathos.
Chaos is the archenemy of the Imperium and they come in a wide variety of flavors. From the Beserkers of Khorne or the sorcerers of Tzeentch. Out of all of them though, the ones that evoke the most genuine fear out of Bookworm are the Plaque Marines of Nurgle. Nurgle is the Chaos Lord of Decay and Disease and thusly the Traitor Marines of the Death Guard are monstrous beings, whose flesh is riddled with decay and rotten flesh.
You can’t shoot a virus or stab a bacteria. You can’t even see them. They can work their way into the nooks and crannies of your defenses and slowly devour you alive from the inside out. Warhammer’s gimmick is how outrageous it all really is but the plaques of Nurgle are only just outrageous. Fear of disease is very real and the sheer grotesqueness of Nurgle’s Champions makes Bookworm’s skin crawl. The writing is extremely visceral and evokes a response of revulsion in Bookworm and evoking a response is the goal of every writer.
The final story is Bookworm’s favorite. As he has stated on many occasions, his favorite moments in any Space Marine novel is when the fearsome Astartes interact with ordinary Jane and Joe Citizen of the Imperium. We get a lot of these moments when the downed squad encounters of group of Orath’s survivors and reach shelter together. Most Space Marines tend to look down on ordinary humans, Ultramarines are one of the nicer ones but still. Here, the reader can see moments of genuine connection between Chaplain Sentenia and the various mortals and the mortals do not always get in the way. In fact, they actually contribute to the Ultramarine’s victory. There story is a uniquely tragic one as they tend to be in the annals of the Dark Millenium.
If there is a major flaw in this book, it would be that some readers would pick it up, look at the cover and say: “Oh Boy the Ultramarines… again!” (sarcasm), and yes that is kind of annoying. We’ve seen the Ultramarines over and over again. It would have been a bit better if we had seen a Chapter we had never encountered before or one barely mentioned.
On a final note, there is a strong female character here but the author cheapens her slightly by adding an element of her backstory that is both misogynistic and lazy writing. It’s only in the back story and not focused on but it is disappointing nonetheless.
Final Verdict: Plagues of Orath Thankfully, the new characters and quality of the world-building, as well the aura of mystery surrounding the whole situation make this one of the more engaging volumes in the Space Marine Battles Series.
Four Seals of Nurgle out of Five
thecultureworm.blogspot.com
June 29, 2017
The Plagues of Orath are a collection of three short novellas that detail the Space Marines at Orath.
In the first novella "Plague Harvest" we are introduced to the Planet of Orath. There is supposed to be ancient xenos technology buried under Orath and for centuries the Space Marines have maintained two fortified outposts on this planet. Different chapters spend six months at these two complexes. Only Librarian Vabion of the Ultramarines is aware of what is on Orath. Well, Librarian Vabion and the Ruinous Powers that is. Thus the story begins with a plague and turns into a full blown incursion by one of the most disgusting of the Dark Gods- Nurgle the God of Disease and Corruption. As the plague zombies begin their assault it is up to a few squads of Doom Eagles to fight against Nurgle's corrupting powers.
The second novella "Engines of War" details the campaign from the standpoint of the Ultramarines who are sent to reinforce the garrison and to bring some control. They are they ones who realize that this is a far more serious situation than just plague zombies-the Plague Marines have arrived and are trying to open the warp. This details the fight against the Plague Marines by the Ultramarines.
The third novella "Armour of Faith" describes the final part of the battle focusing on the Centurion armor Ultramarines and the Ultramarine's Chaplain Sentina as they fight against Plague armor and Plague Marine Champions. But there is another theme- faith. This third story was likely the best of them all. Also had some interesting history on the Eldar.
All in all this was a fun read. I enjoyed this action packed story and was interested in reading abiyt Nurgle and the disgusting Plague Marines. One of the most awful versions of the warp made manifest. A nice enjoyable read for any Warhammer fan.
In the first novella "Plague Harvest" we are introduced to the Planet of Orath. There is supposed to be ancient xenos technology buried under Orath and for centuries the Space Marines have maintained two fortified outposts on this planet. Different chapters spend six months at these two complexes. Only Librarian Vabion of the Ultramarines is aware of what is on Orath. Well, Librarian Vabion and the Ruinous Powers that is. Thus the story begins with a plague and turns into a full blown incursion by one of the most disgusting of the Dark Gods- Nurgle the God of Disease and Corruption. As the plague zombies begin their assault it is up to a few squads of Doom Eagles to fight against Nurgle's corrupting powers.
The second novella "Engines of War" details the campaign from the standpoint of the Ultramarines who are sent to reinforce the garrison and to bring some control. They are they ones who realize that this is a far more serious situation than just plague zombies-the Plague Marines have arrived and are trying to open the warp. This details the fight against the Plague Marines by the Ultramarines.
The third novella "Armour of Faith" describes the final part of the battle focusing on the Centurion armor Ultramarines and the Ultramarine's Chaplain Sentina as they fight against Plague armor and Plague Marine Champions. But there is another theme- faith. This third story was likely the best of them all. Also had some interesting history on the Eldar.
All in all this was a fun read. I enjoyed this action packed story and was interested in reading abiyt Nurgle and the disgusting Plague Marines. One of the most awful versions of the warp made manifest. A nice enjoyable read for any Warhammer fan.
August 30, 2016
Finished this one last night. This is a set of three novellas about the planet Orath, and the Chaos invasion that occurs there. Three different authors take the Doom Eagles and Ultramarines into the depths of the evil of the plague power, Nurgle. Orath is a farming world, an agro-world. It is a relatively peaceful planet with a simple function: to provide grain and vegetables to feed the citizens of the Imperium. Orath has a deep secret, however. Long ago the Eldar Ancients buried a series of warp conduits, bound and protected with unbreakable wards, to keep a new webway portal from opening. Chaos, of course figured this out, and the way to break the wards and attempt to open a new Eye of Terror. The infestation begins with subtle ease, and then rages out of control quickly. The Doom Eagles, stationed on Orath, become it's first defenders and are overwhelmed rather quickly. When the Ultramarines land, full war is raging, and they jump into the thick of it. The three novellas cover tank warfare, squad combat and heavy armor tactics. Each covers the same battlefields, though are connected, feel different. This book was a good experience for a 40k fan. It is slick, well written by all three authors, and I feel is a must for Ultramarine players and fans.
Danny
Danny
September 16, 2017
An excellent, fast-paced read, loaded with Space Marine goodness. This book is composed of three novellas about the battle of Orath between the Ultramarines and Death Guard. Each author exhibits an interesting style and perspective on the evolving story. However, I felt the Part 3 (Armor of Faith) was probably the best written and most interesting in terms of character development. The battles are quite good and their should be enough action to satisfy everyone. Overall, I really enjoyed it.
If you want an adrenaline filled, violent, fun read about the Ultramarines in the Warhammer 40k canon, look no further. If you are looking for ground breaking science fiction, you will be disappointed.
If you want an adrenaline filled, violent, fun read about the Ultramarines in the Warhammer 40k canon, look no further. If you are looking for ground breaking science fiction, you will be disappointed.
October 23, 2020
Over all a very good read
March 15, 2023
A fun read.
October 29, 2023
I’ve read some shite before but this really is the most horrifically written book ever.
Horrible.
Terrible.
Just awful.
Horrible.
Terrible.
Just awful.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews