Iron Warriors: The Omnibus Paperback – 5 Mar. 2012

Amazing book 100% recommend, Storm of Iron was amazing full of action and and interesting view of siege warfare in the 41st millennium, however I will say this storm of iron is 2/3 iron warriors and 1/3 imperial guard (astra militarium) which is nice as it adds a comparison between the humans and the chaos side.

As far as the writing goes it might be not worth 5 stars, but still the value is so good on this one, especially for a dedicated follower of Chaos who missed the Iron Warrior novella from Black Library at some point in time.

As a stand alone book there will be parts here that make you think 'where did he come from or why is he mentioned'. Its a good read but there is too much here that is hinted at that you NEED to know about i feel. If you have read the 6 ultramarine books (graham mcneil rules) tracking ventris and the sarge as they journey across the imperium and beyond then you are in for a treat. Honsou is glorious and this book tells the reader about his rise to warsmith, how he gathered his forces and even up to and including his attack on calth. How was the new born trained?, how did a certain raven guard renegade become so lost? . I was almost disapointed with the end segment untill i realised who it was. This book has mind blowing action and the tactics of seige craft are analysed and put to good use as the iron warriors batter down the walls and bury the false god lovers under their own citadels. I cant wait for more....IRON WITHIN...IRON WITHOUT.

warhammer books are not my kind of thing but my husband is a big fan . He read this book in a day so im guessing its good :)

Great novel in the type of book I enjoy. Well secured packaging.

This compendium is a bit difficult to rate because it depends on the reviewer's perspective and interests but also because the stories are rather uneven. For a Warhammer 40k fan, this book is probably a "must have", if only because it is about the "adventures" of Warsmith Honsou, the "half-breed" warlord of the Iron Warriors, the siege experts and one of the "Traitor Legions" that became servants to the Ruinous Powers. For others, it may be a bit of a mix bag, as is often the case with compendiums. I thought that some stories were better than others.One strong point throughout the novel is the trouble taken to paint the main characters, whether Honshu, the anti-hero, Grendel, the bloodthirsty veteran Iron warrior or Vaanes, the Raven Guard (and a few others). This being about Chaos Marines and their followers, do not expect any of them to be sympathetic, of course. Another thing we have come to expect regarding Traitor Legions (as opposed to Imperial Chapters) is that there are numerous tensions and little solidarity betwen them. Here in particular, there is a high level of hostility and contempt for Honshu the "half breed" coming from his fellow legionnaries, although we are never exactly told why, neither do we learn much about Honshu's own history.Essentially, the book has one main story - Storm of Iron - and a collection of shorter ones, some of which are new, unless I am mistaken.The main story - Storm of Iron, which was published as a standalone book a while ago - tells the tale of the siege of the fortress of Hydratus Cordata by a fleet and Great war company of the fearsome Iron Warriors and their numerous allies, whether humans or demons. I found this one great and particularly appreciated the way in which Graham conveyed the impression that the Iron Warriors were unstoppable as besiegers, despite the best and considerable efforts of the Imperial defenders. This is Honsu's first appearance and it is in this book that he becomes a Warsmith. You have the usual blood and gore, fights and what some call (affectionatly, I am told) "bolter-porn" but there is also a full story to go with it and the purpose of the siege is rather clear: the fortress harbours one the main reserves of Adeptus Astartes geneseeds of the Empire.Some of the other stories are more uneven. The figthing is, of course, always there but, at times, it seems rather pointless simply because we are not told what the purpose was (or was it I who didn't understand?). Although the stories seem aimed at providing a continous narrative, you may need to have read at least one of the Ultramarine novels with Uriel Ventris to fully understand the short story taking place in Medrengard. Some of the stories - such as the one on the attack of Calth and the next one on Honsu's escape from the planet - are a bit problematic because there seems to be quite a few loose ends that are left untied. I am still wondering about the following, which are not explained in the stories: what was the point of attacking the planet? Why did it have to develop the way it did (I won't say more to avoid spoilers)? What happened to those accompanying Honshu? Why did he have to stay so long on the planet? Also, what happened to Vaanes the Raven Guard?So, overall, I liked it. However, I also had a few reservations for a felt that some things (the "whys", in particular) were missing, even from the viewpoint of a Warhammer 40k gamer...

Fine book, as discribed. VERY HARDCORE

Another good read from Graham Mcneill. If you like the 40K universe then I would recommend this book!

Great book. Nice to read something from the other side of the factions in the 40k universe.

Some idiot posted earlier about the violence, which makes me wonder what he expected in 40k. This book is gloriously bloody, violent, and very well written.

Die seit einigen Jahren festzustellende Verlagspolitik von BL wichtige mehrbändige Storylines zu Sammelbänden zusammmenzufassen hat wieder zu einem erfreulichen "Omnibus" geführt. Hier sind alle, insgeamt 5, Kurzgeschichten, ein Roman und eine kürzere "Novelle" in deren Mittelpunkt Honsou, ein Kriegsschmied der Iron Warriors, steht, zusammengefasst. Die inhaltlich dazugehörigen Bände 3 und 6 der Ultramarines-Reihe um Uriel Ventris fehlen hier natürlich. Der Roman "Storm of iron" ist zwar vor kurzem erst wieder neu aufgelegt worden. Die Kurzgeschichten waren aber vorher über mehrere Sammelbände verteilt, wobei die beiden letzten meines Wissens bisher noch unveröffentlicht waren. "Iron warrior" war bis dahin so gut wie nicht zugänglich, außer man hatte direkt bei BL im Jahr 2010(?) eine schwer überteuerte Sonderausgabe gekauft. Das war umso ärgerlicher, weil sie als Vorgeschichte des Bd. 6 des Ventris-Zyklus von großer Bedeutung ist.Es macht Spaß Honsous Aufstieg und Fall zu verfolgen und man sieht schön, wie McNeill eine Figur zu zentraler Bedeutung weiterentwickelt, die bei ihrem ersten Auftritt mit Sicherheit noch nicht intendiert war. Der Sammelband ist zwar kein "Überflieger" wie die Ravenor- und Eisenhornsammelbände, aber er bietet solide Unterhaltung. Wie immer ist der BL-Band bei Amazon deutlich günstiger, als wenn man ihn über die BL-Mutter Games-Workshop (Deutschland) bezieht.

Despite this being a much smaller Warhammer omnibus, I enjoyed every second of it from start to finish! It was fascinating to learn more about the Iron Warriors legion, as well as their uses of siege warfare. Reminded me a lot of the Imperial Guard novels! 10/10 would recommend!

I really enjoy the Black Library offerings and look forward to reading this omnibus