Product Description

Long years have passed since the Soul Drinkers Space Marines were declared ex-communicate and many Imperial agets have been despatched to destroy this once loyal Chapter. Sarpedon, the stoic leader of the fallen Marines, has become hellbent on finding some way of curing his battle-brother of the cursed mutations inflicted upon them. After numerous false trails and dead ends, he has stumbled upon the most tentative of leads which promises them a final redemption in the eyes of the God-Emperor. But can they stay alive long enough to prove their loyalty?

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #130360 in Books
• Published on: 2003-12-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 416 pages

Review
Snappy dialogue and crunching action - Starlog

Customer Reviews

Should Try Harder
Well I gave Ben Counter 5 stars for his previous books, Daemon World and Soul Drinker as they really were damn fine novels. For me, The Bleeding Chalice is a dip in his excellency curve. It just isn't as well written, and feels rushed. I hope he isn't forsaking quality for the need to produce more Warhammer novels at a faster rate.

Sarpedon and his Soul Drinker renegades are back, being chased down by the Inquisition. But half the story concerns the Inquisiton's efforts to catch them, and to be honest I wasn't engaged or interested if they succeded or failed, and found them an irritating diversion to the real stars of the books. All my emotional ties were with the Soul Drinkers themselves, but even then I was less than bothered by the end if they found the cure to their chapters problems or not. It's still a good story, but not a great one.

A shame then, as Ben can do much better. I'm still getting his next book however. Here's hoping to something more focused and polished, in line with his other efforts.

The end?
Another excellent foray into the world of the excommunicate chapter. The plot lines of the frst book are followed exactingly. With the Inquisition stopping at nothing to hunt down and destroy the chapter, the ongoing mutations, and the lack of support it is a race against time for Sarpedon to try and save his brother marines before they are destroyed. Faced with an enemy the likes of which we have not seen before in the 40k series (a form of necromancer/ plague daemon created by man) the arrival of the Inquisitor led army of storm troopers and Adeptus Sororitas seem inconsequential. Or are they...