The Mistress of Threads

Black Library Celebration 2019 #2

by John French

A Horusian Wars story

A message from a distant cousin sets Viola von Castellan – backed by the authority of Inquisitor Covenant – on the trail of a mysterious cartel with murky motives.

READ IT BECAUSE
It's a fascinating look into the post-Gathering Storm Imperium, and told in a very different way – through a series of communications and reports making up an Inquisition case file.

THE STORY
Among the companions of Inquisitor Covenant are scions of the famed von Castellan dynasty, a mercantile clan with links to many other such families throughout the Imperium. When a member of one such family reaches out to Viola von Castellan with a tale of woe that began with the dawning of the Great Rift, an investigation begins into the mysterious Cytos Cartel, an organisation that has wormed its way into the heart of the Imperium – but to what sinister purpose?

Written by John French

Genres: Science Fiction, 40k

36 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 19, 2019

About the author

John French is a writer and freelance game designer from Nottingham, England. His novels include the Ahriman series from Black Library, and The Lord of Nightmares trilogy for Fantasy Flight. The rest of his work can be seen scattered through a number of other books, including the New York Times bestselling anthology Age of Darkness. When he is not thinking of ways that dark and corrupting beings could destroy reality and space, John enjoys talking about why it would be a good idea... that and drinking good wine.

Reviews

[Michael Dodd · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of a growing number of Horusian Wars short stories each focusing on a different member of Inquisitor Covenant’s warband, John French’s The Mistress of Threads is a compelling, if unusually constructed, story centred on Viola von Castellan. Told through the medium of correspondence, it’s a typically dark glimpse of a mystery lurking beneath the surface of the Imperium.

In French’s capable hands the plot gradually comes together into a captivating tale that really captures the essence of the Inquisition in 40k, and it’s deeply satisfying to watch the story unfold and Viola’s careful plans come to fruition.

Read the full review at https://www.trackofwords.com/2019/02/...