Fifteen Hours
by Mitchel Scanlon
Imperial Guard (1), Warhammer 40,000 (fiction) (Imperial Guard novel #1)
On This Page
Description
An inexperienced soldier receives his first taste of the horrors of combat against the monstrous orks on the nightmarish, futuristic battlefields of the Warhammer 40,000 world. Original.Tags
Recommendations
Member Reviews
The average life span of an Imperial Guardsman is just 15 hours. This story follows a fresh-faced young recruit through the process. A new regiment is raised on a far off agricultural area. The troops are young and very green and military life comes to them slowly. The order to move out is sudden as is the unknown mistake caused by a slight miscalculation on the part of a government bureaucrat that sends the regiment into a stalemated war zone. The ship crashes in no-man’s land and war is thrust upon the new soldiers whether they are ready or not. Can they beat the clock? This book really worked. While it included enough background material to be a Warhammer 40K book, it could be set in any 20th century war. The characters are rich show more and gritty and the descriptive ability of Scanlon is impressive. He doesn’t fall headfirst into the background material but uses it and good writing to make a compelling work of fiction. show less
A fairly entertaining, grim and cynical military sf outing set in the Warhammer 40K universe. In many ways the setting is modelled on WW1 trench warfare. The writing can be stilted in places (particularly dialogue) but the story is told with economy and a black humour I wasn't expecting from this book. This is the first 40K book I've read and its impressed me enough that i will be keeping an eye out for more.
This was the first 40k book I read and it was recommended by a friend obsessed with the Warhammer 40k universe. He loved this book.
My opinion was that it was decent. It was a pretty short read, less than 300 pages, so I didn't feel like I really wasted my time with it.
My friend who recommended it said it was the author's first full novel, and if that's the case, it's not a bad breakthrough novel, but the writing just doesn't seem quite up to par with my expectations. Descriptions were kind of bland or not done well; at times I wasn't sure who was talking or where they were, who was who, what exactly was going on.
Overall, if you're a fan of the 40k universe (you've probably read this already), then I would hesitantly recommend this book, show more because like I rated it, it is an "okay" read and short. But if you're a complete newcomer, or have only read a few books and aren't in love with 40k, then I would say that there are much better books in the universe you could be reading, and not to read this one. show less
My opinion was that it was decent. It was a pretty short read, less than 300 pages, so I didn't feel like I really wasted my time with it.
My friend who recommended it said it was the author's first full novel, and if that's the case, it's not a bad breakthrough novel, but the writing just doesn't seem quite up to par with my expectations. Descriptions were kind of bland or not done well; at times I wasn't sure who was talking or where they were, who was who, what exactly was going on.
Overall, if you're a fan of the 40k universe (you've probably read this already), then I would hesitantly recommend this book, show more because like I rated it, it is an "okay" read and short. But if you're a complete newcomer, or have only read a few books and aren't in love with 40k, then I would say that there are much better books in the universe you could be reading, and not to read this one. show less
The title of this book refers to the life expectancy of an Imperial Guard trooper on his first combat deployment.
The story follows one such trooper, and his first deployment to a ruined city surrounded by orks.
Scanlon provides an entertaining glimpse into life in the grim darkness of the far future, where there is only war.
The story follows one such trooper, and his first deployment to a ruined city surrounded by orks.
Scanlon provides an entertaining glimpse into life in the grim darkness of the far future, where there is only war.
an dreary futuristic version of the Red Badge of Courage
Min första 40K-roman var ingen övertygande introduktion. Å andra sidan var det ingen Dan Abnett heller, utan en debutant som jobbat med serier tidigare.
Miljön är övertygande och intressant beskriven och läsaren kan i längden inte låta bli att bli ilsken på det hyperbyråkratiska Imperial Guard som låter sina soldater dö för att behålla ansiktet eller för att poängtera något för en underlydande, trots att det är övertydligt att författaren vill ta en just dit.
Storyn i är inte lika bra som miljöbeskrivningen och trots att hela roman utspelar under några intensiva timmar (strax över titelns femton timmar) känns den långsam och oengagerad. Bara stundvis lyckas Scanion verkligen fånga intensiteten och spänningen show more hos de belägrade soldaterna. En hygglig debutroman, men inte mer. show less
Miljön är övertygande och intressant beskriven och läsaren kan i längden inte låta bli att bli ilsken på det hyperbyråkratiska Imperial Guard som låter sina soldater dö för att behålla ansiktet eller för att poängtera något för en underlydande, trots att det är övertydligt att författaren vill ta en just dit.
Storyn i är inte lika bra som miljöbeskrivningen och trots att hela roman utspelar under några intensiva timmar (strax över titelns femton timmar) känns den långsam och oengagerad. Bara stundvis lyckas Scanion verkligen fånga intensiteten och spänningen show more hos de belägrade soldaterna. En hygglig debutroman, men inte mer. show less
Dec 12, 2009Swedish
Ratings
Members
- Recently Added By
Lists
Kindle Warhammer
218 works; 1 member
Author Information
20+ Works 887 Members
Series
Belongs to Publisher Series
Black Library Celebration 2025 (20th anniversary edition)
Work Relationships
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Fifteen Hours
- Original publication date
- 2005-06
- Epigraph
- It is the 41st millenium. For more than a hundred centuries the Emperor has sat immobile on the Golden Throne of Earth. He is the master of mankind by the will of the gods, and master of a million worlds by the might of his i... (show all)nexhaustible armies. He is a rotting carcass writhing invisibly with power from the Dark Age of Technology. He is the Carrion Lord of the Imperium for whom a thousand souls are sacrificed every day, so that he may never truly die.Yet even in his deathless state, the Emperor continues his eternal vigilance. Mighty battlefleets cross the daemon-infested miasma of the warp, the only route between distant stars, their way lit by the Astronomican, the psychic manifestation of the Emperor's will. Vast armies give battle in his name on uncounted worlds. Greatest amongst his soldiers are the Adeptus Astartes, the Space Marines, bio-engineered super-warriors. Their comrades in arms are legion: the Imperial Guard and countless planetary defence forces, the ever-vigilant Inquisition and the tech-priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus to name only a few. But for all their multitudes, they are barely enough to hold off the ever-present threat from aliens, heretics, mutants - and worse.To be a man in such times is to be one amongst untold billions. It is to live in the crullest and most bloody regime imaginable. These are the tales of those times. Forget the power of technology and science, for so much has been forgotten, never to be re-learned. Forget the promise of progress and understanding, for in the grim dark future there is only war. There is no peace amongst the stars, only an eternity of carnage and slaughter, and the laughter of thirsting gods.
- First words
- The sky was dark, and he knew he was dying.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Then, finally, there was only darkness.
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 176
- Popularity
- 185,394
- Reviews
- 6
- Rating
- (3.30)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 3
- ASINs
- 3
