VETERANS OF THE FALL BOOK REVIEW! - Warhammer 40k

Added: 2026-05-12

[00:00:02]Hey everyone, Wolf Lord Rho here. Today, I review the Warhammer 40K novel Veterans of the Fall by author William King Crow. As always with my reviews, I will discuss themes and narratives of the story, but avoiding anything I deem a major story spoiler. And for the purposes of this review, I read the paperback version of the novel as opposed to the audio version.

[00:00:30]And so, with that said, let's begin by checking out the synopsis off the back of the book.

[00:00:37]They were the best of the best. Now, they are all that is left.

[00:00:42]When Cadia fell, a handful of traumatized survivors found themselves stranded on a ruined redoubt world carved apart by rival cults. Since then, the Cadian veterans known as the Tattershields have anchored the crumbling Imperial defense, holding back the overwhelming might of the arch enemy with sabotage, assassinations, and unbreakable discipline. Their commander, Sergeant Konstantin Tycho, is an inspiration to the beleaguered defenders, but he is haunted by guilt and consumed by fatalism, numbly fighting on with no hope of victory or atonement.

[00:01:28]The Imperial's grip on the planet is slipping. Infiltrators sow discord in their ranks, and a sadistic new enemy is bearing down upon them. But when all hope is dead, only defiance remains, and Tycho will lead his indomitable Cadian to the bitter end.

[00:01:50]Okay, so Veterans of the Fall is a bit of an interesting novel in and it's actually broken up into short story T shield, a series from White Dwarf T of Hope and the novella Veterans of the Fall.

[00:02:05]However, as they all follow the same characters of the T shield Kasarkins within the same conflicts, it generally reads mostly like a standard novel.

[00:02:16]In essence, this follows a band of survivors from the fall of Cadia where they have evacuated and redeployed to the world of Goven. No rest, no respite, just more continued war after the loss of their home.

[00:02:33]And it's a war that's not going much better here either. The Imperial forces in more than a state of turmoil.

[00:02:42]In the beginning with short story T shield, we follow them beneath the leadership of Sergeant Tykon as they seek to eliminate the believed enemy commander behind enemy lines.

[00:02:55]And there's a lot of interesting elements that lend to this being a good start.

[00:03:00]First off, the premise is great, conjuring a good sense of tension as the squad continues on its mission in enemy territory, largely carried by Sergeant Tykon who comes across as a strong main character. Intelligence, sharp, and confident. Sure, he's as worn down by events as anyone, but he does his best to keep it internal. To keep that show of leadership firm. And when he's reacting and barking out orders in the heat of action, you really feel like this is a man who knows what he's doing, who has earned the right of command through action.

[00:03:45]And it's particularly important here because not only is Tykon sergeant of the Kasarkin elites, but he's also taken on the burden of overall commander of this particular battlefront, too, due to the losses and carnage of the war. Not really through choice, simply because of who he is.

[00:04:06]Now, a simple sergeant being a battlefield commander might be highly unlikely, yet it works here because of this strong sense of command you feel emanating from every action and word the sergeant makes. You can genuinely understand why people would look to him to lead because he's a natural-born leader, or at least he feels like one.

[00:04:34]And I really enjoyed the glimpses into his private thoughts along the way, too.

[00:04:39]Be it witnessing the thought process and decision-making, or even just the occasional private thoughts regarding the situation that they're in, revealing the struggles and doubts he of course has, but that are kept locked away behind the steel of his leadership.

[00:04:58]Alongside him, you of course have your motley band of elite Kasrkin, all with their own slight variances of character.

[00:05:07]The combat medic Klind, the melta-carrying gunner who's clearly suffering PTSD from Cadia, and several others. With the other real notable here being Orrick, or Orrich, not Kasrkin at all, but a standard shock trooper who's assisting the squad in this endeavor.

[00:05:28]Orrick's a pretty interesting character as it's his traitor-turned regiment who the Kasrkin are going up against, he alone refusing to betray the emperor and losing an eye in the process.

[00:05:43]And so here, with Orrick's presence, you get the question of trust thrust into the story. The will he, won't he betray them elements if he's leading them into a trap.

[00:05:57]And his story alongside Tython's are particularly enjoyable. A lone soldier seeking to prove himself to the upper elites combined with a strong personal enmity towards the foes they are facing.

[00:06:12]Aric came across as another strong and very real character. One I found myself instantly taking a liking to and he definitely stood out over most of the others.

[00:06:26]Now, this short story was only around 20 pages long and so it is pretty short and sweet.

[00:06:33]But in a way, I think that helped the flow and pace of things preventing it from getting bogged down and keeping you firmly in the moment. With the only real con being that it feels like you're dropped into the middle of a story rather than the beginning as is often the way when it comes to short stories.

[00:06:55]However, that then leads on to the series Tatters of Hope where the story continues on after the Tattershields return to base. Here, combat medic Lind takes the floor as the central character as Tython is forced to remain in camp as the de facto general.

[00:07:14]Their mission is simple. A small group of Tattershields and soldiers dispatched out to the east to try and establish whether an artillery division is still holding out against the odds.

[00:07:27]Now, I did feel a loss at having Tython sidelined here after the strong introduction and it was a definite letdown for me at losing his character.

[00:07:38]However, to be fair to Lind, he certainly grew on me the more this story went on. A man more than capable of rising to the occasion and situation that he is in. Not to mention overcoming his own scars and personal demons, of which there is many.

[00:07:58]Lynd, despite being a medic, again manages to give off a strong sense of command [music] when he needs to. I felt similarity with Tykon in the way that he holds himself in times of conflict and pressure. That ingrained sense of duty coming to the fore. And so, in that way, you can definitely feel how and why the Kasrkin are that level above.

[00:08:24]At least from him. And I think there was a nice sense of continuity amongst the squad. You certainly feel a confidence pouring out of them, no matter what they face.

[00:08:35]And you get several other returning characters from the opener here, too.

[00:08:40]Notably, Orrick, who once again comes off as easily one of the better stories, continuing to prove himself to the elites.

[00:08:50]Now, this phase of the story was a bit more open-feeling, with more of a mystery about what they were going into and may find as a result. And so, it actually felt quite similar to the other Militarum novel I've read recently, Death Rider, in a way, who embarked on a similar mission, searching for allies out on their own. And so, I did have a little bit of déjà vu.

[00:09:17]This part didn't quite have the tension of the strong beginning. However, as a result of moving out into the unknown, there was a noticeable change of pace.

[00:09:28]And not necessarily one for the worse, just noticeable, as this enabled the story to become more varied on events that transpire and where it wanted to go.

[00:09:41]But, there were a few more negatives that crept in here though, such as Kaserkin Orbe becoming more and more annoying in the way she behaves as the story progresses. And adding in some enemy points of view, ones that I actually think would have helped add more of a sense of danger were they not included. That you hadn't seen them.

[00:10:05]That the enemy remained a mystery.

[00:10:08]However, from there it was onto the novella veterans of the fall and where the story moves into more your prototypical Militarum kind of stuff.

[00:10:18]Not only the unification of more Militarum forces, but also the arrival of traitor Astartes, the Emperor's Children.

[00:10:29]We get the return of Sergeant Tycho here back into the story and a portrayal of the Emperor's Children commander I particularly enjoyed. And you definitely feel the ante upping with the Astartes arrival. And I would say that the sense of threat that they posed definitely loomed large over the story, which is a great thing. Because it should.

[00:10:55]And I won't ruin the story of what transpires here, but it does definitely manage to capture the sense of action and adrenaline in places. Feeling like a suitable climax to the story that has gone previously.

[00:11:10]However, it's not perfect. And I will say that in my opinion, it does shoot itself in the foot a bit by adding in too many points of view here.

[00:11:22]Alternating between views with each chapter. I think it reached six or seven at one point, which for me is just way too many. The story not really giving you enough time to really experience events with the characters. It works okay here because it's all in the same conflict, but I just think it could have been far, far better had it been dialed down to just say two or three.

[00:11:49]And I do have to say a Kazarkin taking several bolter shells to the chest and keeping on fighting is a bit too much. That's more Astartes kind of heroics than Militarum.

[00:12:05]Even for the Kazarkin.

[00:12:08]And so that did take away from the lethalness of the Emperor's Children a bit.

[00:12:14]However, all in all, I'd say I enjoyed this one, but I wouldn't say I loved it.

[00:12:21]I think if it was one complete story written through with alternating points of view from Sergeant Tykon and Combat Medic Lind, I'd most likely be raving about it as they were really strong characters and the strength of the stories for me. Or even if that third act was just from Tykon's point of view as I loved having him return back to the action.

[00:12:45]However, with the format as it is, I just don't think I got to spend as much time with the both of them as I would have liked.

[00:12:53]That said, if you enjoy your war stories and particular Astra Militarum, you'll most likely have none of the concerns here that I have and you'll probably love seeing how and why the Kazarkin are that level above because that's a theme that is very prevalent throughout.

[00:13:11]But as someone who prefers a little more time to bond with his characters, get to know them, I personally felt it was just a little too light in that arena.

[00:13:22]So, score-wise all in all, I'd land on a three out of five. A good enjoyable read or listen. For those of you wanting a straight-up Militarum action and description, you'll most likely definitely land higher.

[00:13:40]However, as always everyone, that's it.

[00:13:42]Have you read Veterans of the Fourth Yet? And if so, what did you think? Drop your thoughts in the comments below. A huge thank you to all my subscribers for your support. It truly means a lot to me. It really does. If you're new, please consider subscribing to help the channel grow. And if you enjoyed this particular vid, then why not drop a like on it, too.

[00:14:05]But with that said, I am off and I'll see you all again real soon.