Customer Reviews

Crossfire (Warhammer 40,000)

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The stable of Black Library writers has a good addition in Matthew Farrer. His first novel for the Black Library collection of Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000 novels is titled Crossfire and it lives up to the novels written by Abnett, King and Coulter.

Crossfire uses a character type that is usually seen in the background and, most of the time, as cannon fodder: the Adeptus Arbites. The Arbites is Warhammer 40K's version of law enforcement. They have alot in common with the Judges of Megacity-One. The character of Shira Calpurnia is well-rounded and shows personality. Crossfire's plot owes alot more to mystery solving than to all-out warfare like most of the books in the Warhammer 40K line. The character Calpurnia really turns out to be worth another novel by story's end and Farrer and his editors must've agreed since a sequel has been released.

For fans of Dan Abnett's Gaunt's Ghosts novels and William King's Space Wolf books, I highly recommend Farrer's first 40K novel.

Crossfire by Matthew Farrer

The first book of what has already become a trilogy, this novel has parallel plots. The more obvious is the action/detective adventure centered on the protagonist, Adeptus Arbites officer Shira Calpurnia, and the more subtle is her personal development at her new posting, the Battlefleet Pacificus home world of Hydraphur. Joining her is a cast of well-done secondary characters: fellow officers Ryo Nakayama and Nestor Leandro, Inquisitor Zhow, Sister Romille, and a host of others.

Like fellow Black Library luminary Dan Abnett, M. Farrer has a talent for immersing the reader in the setting and making the fantastic believable. At the same time, he crafts three-dimensional characters with realistic motivations. Calpurnia, his excellent protagonist, wins through the challenges set before her through her own skills, and those of her allies, without the clumsy plot devices or comic-book heroics sometimes employed by other authors. Even his villains, though unbalanced in many regards, act in an intelligent manner consistent with their personalities.

All this is set against the rich background of Games Workshop's Warhammer 40,000 (W40K) universe, which M. Farrer utilizes to excellent effect. In addition to a far closer look at the Adeptus Arbites (the police of W40K) than ever before, the reader is also rewarded with insight into the Adeptus Ministorum (Ecclesiarchy), the Imperial Navy (specifically Battlefleet Pacificus), and several orders, both militant and otherwise, of the Adepta Sororitas. Those who appreciate good "fluff" in addition to the writer's craft will not be left wanting.

In short: with a well turned plot, engaging characters, and good writing, there's very little not to like about this work.

I got this book on the cheap at a goodwill, which was exciting given that you hardly ever see 40k novels used anywhere.

I was pleasantly suprised by this book. It deals with a main character who is a member of what is essentially the planetary police force the "Adeptus Arbites." In most other 40k novels, these individuals are either written as bumbling bureaucrats or pants wetting weaklings in need of constant rescue.

Additionally, Farrer's use of a female protagonist is something of a departure from the usual lantern jawed two-fisted action that the black library usually serves up.

I'd highly recommend this book to any 40k readers who are fans of the Faith and Fire Novel by james swallow or Fifteen Hours by Mitchel Scanlon as all of these novels explore the "mere mortals" of the 40k universe and help flesh out an area of the mythology that is often overlooked in favor of the glory of the Space Marines.

Shira Calpurnia, Arbitor Senioris of the Adeptus Arbites, is serious about her duty. The Adeptus Arbites enforce the Emperor's law, pass the Emperor's judgement and enforce the Emperor's peace. Shira Calpurnia is a newly assigned Arbites officer. She knows little to nothing about the bustling dockyards of the Hydraphur system, except that they are home to the mighty Imperial warfleets, which dock, rearm and repair in an endless cycle of war.

Arbitor Calpurnia has only just checked in for her new position and post when an attempt is made on her life. A psyker gunman, invisible to the naked eye, is not cheap. The fact that the assassin's remains are untraceable, due to the gunman's involuntary brain suicide protocols, proves that someone with money is behind it. But why? Shira has only been on Hydraphur a couple of hours.

To make matters even more difficult, Shira's arrival is on the Sixth Day of Septista. There are twelve days to the Mass of Saint Balronas. Each day has a precious religious rite, all its own. Shira finds herself adrift and struggling to quickly learn the traditions and rituals while investigating what becomes a series of [...] attempts. Corruption and double-crosses abound as Shira attempts to bring the faceless enemies to justice.

**** A great beginning for a new series involving Arbites officer Shira Calpurnia. I, as the reader, slowly learn about Hydraphur along with Shira. I could understand Shira's feelings of being the "crude outworlder" in which the locals think of her. I also understood feeling justified every time Shira proved herself worthy of her position. As an added bonus, I was able to watch some of the Battle Sisters at work and understand a bit more about the Adeptus Mechanicus. The story slowed down too much in the middle for my liking, but all-in-all, I feel this novel has created a terrific foundation for the novels that will follow in this series. ****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

I'm a little confused as to all the positive reviews siting Abnett. This book is far from an Abnett novel. It starts out well enough. The Mechanicus await the arrival of the protagonist, Shira Culpurnia, who arrives through the chaos of a perverted (Marti Gras like) celebration. Her entrance onto the scene is great, and that's where the best part of the book stops.

The problem with the book is not that it's poorly written. Farrer clearly knows how to write. The book doesn't lack for creativity or imagination because again, Farrer is good with his physical descriptions of people and the world. Where this book goes wrong is where it differs with a great writer like Abnett or Coulter. It's a linear storyline. Everything that happens happens in the presence of the antagonist. The story happens where ever Culpurnia is. Characters come and go and you don't get to know them because you only get to experience them through Culpurnia. The result, in my experience, was that I am reading a story without caring what happens to any of the characters because we don't get to know them. Some live, some die, and I didn't care one way or the other. Culpurnia is great, but the total lack of character development destroyed the story for me.

If not for Farrer's talent to write a half way thought out story and make me like the main character (the main character is at least developed) I would have been happy to give this book one star. Character development is huge and multi layered plots are just as important. I don't like linear story lines. I will still read Legacy, but I have much lower expectations. I hope that helps the next book.