Ahriman: Hand of Dust

Black Library Advent Calendar 2013 #2

by John French

On Prospero, a solitary living soul walks across the shattered world. Beneath the ruined spires, Ahriman, exiled son of Magnus the Red and destroyer of his Legion, contemplates what once was, what is, and what may yet be. And amidst the dust of the long-lost paradise world, the sorcerer faces his mistakes and decides his destiny.

Genres: 40k, Science Fiction, Short Stories

9 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 2, 2013

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

[Tarl · Rating 2 out of 5]

I admit, I read this after reading Ahriman: Exile. I was interested when I learned that this was a short story in the series that came before the novel.

I am not sure what to make of this short story. At seven pages long (though that could just be the formatting on my e-reader), there isn't much to go on in the story. There's no antagonist, no conflict, no...nothing. In the end, the reader is left with Ahriman's musings about his legion and how he destroyed it. That, and his decision to change his name and hide who he is are all that there is.

So in the end, this is just an okay story with very little going on in it. It doesn't even really set up the novels well, and relies on the reader already knowing what Ahriman did rather than explaining it to anyone who is new to the character and his history. If you are going to read the novels, you can skip this story, but if you are a purest like myself, or an Ahriman fan, this story is worth grabbing.

[Fiona · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brilliant little insight into Ahriman's thoughts and feelings and a wonderful "trailer" to to "Ahriman: Unchanged".

[Charley Robson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm massively biased, because I very much enjoy my hubristic space wizards and their endless sprint towards unforeseen and horrendous consequences. A delightful, if very short, reflective piece; French gets to stretch his legs with some really evocative language, even if there's not much sense of purpose or motion beyond the act of reflection itself.

[Nikky3 · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a high leavel nerd that I am but a pesant in its eyes

[Michael Botterill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good prequel to the Ahirman series

[Narek Ohanyan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unnecessary

[Michael Dodd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hand of Dust, the second in John French’s Voices of Fate arc, sits between Sorcerer and Unchanged in the wider Ahriman series and sees Ahriman in reflective mood. Standing among the ashes of his Legion on long-dead Prospero, he reflects on memories of events that have seen him on the path to what he believes will be redemption. His first, horrifying glimpse of the flesh change, the moments immediately after his banishment at the hands of his father Magnus, these are the memories that he returns to before he bends his will to the next great stage in his plans.

Read the rest of the review at https://trackofwords.wordpress.com/20...

[Stephan · Rating 2 out of 5]

A short story, a bit of a monologue. Nice prose and style, but nothing more. We get a brief glint into the mind of one of the greatest sorcerers of the Warhammer 40K universe, but nothing more.
Paying for this seem like a waste, it should have been given away for free to make people want to read a longer story.

[Kenneth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Short passage. Hardly a story.