Flight Commander Lucille von Shard: Hero of Bacchus, fighter ace, and a living legend heralded for her valour and piety. Propagandist Kile Simlex, responsible for her fame, shares none of this renown. Condemned to the ignominy of a scribe's cubicle cell, his chance at liberation comes as a cryptic vid message claiming to be from Shard herself, requesting his aid.Under the von Shard family's patronage, Simlex journeys to Deighton, a world in open rebellion from the Imperium, where he finds the commander a shadow of her former self. Near broken by eternal war, her confidence and reputation crumbling, Shard must somehow steel herself for her deadliest battle yet, against a xenos mercenary of unparalleled skill. Can Simlex help her overcome this near-invincible enemy, or merely watch as she is finally defeated?

Da Mad Dok Grotsnik, creator of Ghazghkull Thraka, is a painboy beyond legend. What – and who – he harbours in his formidable brain is a mystery to every ork but himself, and an army of orderlies provides him with a constant supply of flesh with which to tinker. When Grotsnik comes to the aid of Beastboss Bakmun, whose rampage on Hive Prome teeters on the brink of going out not with a Waaagh! but with a whimper, Bakmun can't believe his luck. Following a series of increasingly unlikely accidents, however, it soon becomes apparent that the Mad Dok is working on something in the depths of his colossal Painwagon. Something big. Something that could change the fate of ork-kind forever, surpassing Grotsnik's own forging of the Prophet of the Waaagh!...

The galaxy teams with life as species beyond number fight, hide and flee for survival. From foul xenos breeds to the spawn of Chaos itself, the 41st Millennium is host to innumerable horrors eking out meaningless existences, and pain and suffering are all untold trillions will ever know.But there are pinpricks of hope among the stars, bastions of civilisations beset on all sides – and they fight for freedom, glory, conquest, or brotherhood. These tales of heroism and horror paint a dark picture of the far future, in which there is room for one thing – war.This anthology contains:Defenders of the Imperium– The Trial of Lucille von Shard, by Denny Flowers– Transplants, by Rob Young– Hell Fist, by Justin Woolley– Blood Sands, by Victoria Hayward– The Sum of Its Parts, by Rhuairidh James– Less Than Human, by Steve LyonsFollowers of Chaos– Fool's Ruin, by Mike Brooks– A More Perfect...

Redsnot was once Runtherd Killaskun's least-worst grot, a position held by guile and treachery. But now Killaskun lies dead, and the leaderless herd are poised to tear each other apart. Besieged on all sides by bloodthirsty worshippers of the Dark Gods, only one grot can rally the cowering runts to victory. And that grot should have been Redsnot. Instead, in swooped Da Red Gobbo, greatest hero of grot-kind, and the runts fell in behind the git like simpering pups. But Redsnot is patient. He knows that when bullets start flying, all sorts of unfortunate accidents can happen, and even Da Red Gobbo is susceptible to a knife in the back...