Outgunned (Warhammer 40,000)

Product Information

Braving the foetid waters of Bacchus and its rampaging greenskin hordes, Simlex is tasked with producing a cinema-pict portraying Shard as an Imperial hero. Shortly after his arrival planetside, however, he discovers the war effort is in shambles – the Imperium’s overstretched forces are in full retreat, the local planetary governor is desperately downplaying the conflict at every turn, and Shard is an arrogant misanthrope who only avoids sanction due to her consummate skills. Flight Commander Lucille Von Shard is an ace pilot in the Aeronautica Imperialis, with a bit of a chip on her shoulder. Follow her as she faces off against the aerial forces of the orks. So he arrives to Bacchus, and here our story begins. The plot caught my attention from the first words of the book, being a rare description of war from POV of a completely non-military person. He seeks to make his film good, starts working...and here the plot start to transform steady and fast. DF: The story was a natural follow on from The Hand of Harrow, where our heroes’ somewhat rash choices were inevitably going to have consequences. Low Lives opens with the two of them escaping the latest batch of bounty hunters, and life on the run has begun to take its toll. Caleb is drowning his fears and Iktomi is increasingly paranoid and aggressive. Low Lives gave me the chance to explore how they react under pressure, their unusual friendship, and exactly how far each is willing to go to keep their word and honour intact. ToW: What do you hope 40k and Necromunda fans will get out of this by the time they’ve finished it?

Though an exceptional pilot, Shard is not the only hero in her family. Her parents were martyrs who served in the Imperial Guard, and her brothers and sisters are renowned servants of the Imperium, excelling in disparate roles. Though each sibling is an asset, the family’s greater value is as a propaganda tool. The von Shard line is idolised as exemplars of honour, sacrifice, and service to a higher cause. Simlex had previously served in the field with the noble Commissar Tobia von Shard, and it was his recommendation that saw him assigned to Bacchus. Unfortunately, Simlex discovers that Flight Commander Shard has little in common with her brother, and cares nothing for his approval. DF: I just hope they enjoy it; I’m so grateful for this opportunity and the chance to write for a company that has been a big part of my life for at least twenty years (man I’m old…). I think it will appeal to fans who like their sci-fi a little more low-key and character driven. Its tone is a little closer to Firefly than Star Wars. ToW: What else can you tell us about what you’re working on, what else you’ve recently had released or what you’ve got coming out over the coming months? I read a lot on the train. All sorts of genres and authors; whatever I could find. One day I ran out of books but had some paper in my bag. I decided to try writing a story, which soon became a novel, and then became a completely different novel. I experimented with a variety of genres and formats and was wildly unsuccessfully, but kept trying.ToW: Lastly, if you found yourself drafted into the Aeronautica Imperialis what position do you think you would end up taking, and why?

Travelling to the fetid swamp planet of Bacchus, Propagandist Simlex plans to chronicle the adventures of the Aeronautica Imperialis, the brave flying aces who traverse the skies, fighting in deadly aerial combat against the rampaging ork hordes. In particular, he hopes to make a pict about legendary fighter ace, Lucille von Shard, considered to be the greatest pilot in the Imperium, to turn her into a renowned hero. However, not everything is as it seems on Bacchus, and Simlex’s attempts to get footage may cost him everything. It’s not often we get to witness tales of aeronautical derring-do in the 41st Millennium, but now the action ascends to the skies in Outgunned by Denny Flowers. The pilots of the Aeronautica Imperialis have been thrown into battle against hordes of Ork flyboyz, and propagandist Kile Simlex has been sent to capture the exploits of ace pilot Lucille Von Shard! …if only things were going as well as he was told. I deeply enjoyed the way that Flowers set out Outgunned’s narrative as there are so many great elements to it. Told in a chronicle format from Propagandist Simlex’s perspective as he recalls the events in a more realistic and negative light. This works to tell quite an intriguing tale, especially as you get some hints of the events of the future, and the negative tint that Simlex gives to the book’s narrative was a fantastic overall tone. Despite this interesting narration choice, this novel has a brilliant, fast pace to it and the reader is never left in a dull spot, as there is always some cool action, fascinating intrigue or powerful dive into a character occurring throughout. I loved the balance of story elements, and I must highlight the fantastic moments where Simlex works on his propaganda picts and dives through his recordings of the events around him. I also had a lot of fun with the outstanding ariel combat scenes that are featured through the plot. While they aren’t as heavily featured as you would expect from a book about the Aeronautica Imperialis, there are still some great sequences that were very fun to see. Flowers really captures the magic and brutality of combat in in the air, and I loved some of the crazy scenes that resulted, especially against the ork stronghold. There is also a particularly good fight sequence in the middle of a swamp that was pretty awesome, especially as it showed one character’s particular ingenuity and fighting spirit. ToW Do you have anything else in the works (whether for BL or otherwise) that you can talk about at all?

Thanks SO MUCH to Denny Flowers for sending me a copy of Outgunned in exchange for my honest review. ToW: To start things off, how would you describe Outgunned, and what readers can expect from it? What sort of story is it?

Simlex at least has the presence of mind to reevaluate the situation when presented with new evidence. Not all the characters in the novel share this trait. Ironically, this misplaced confidence is one of the reasons the situation is deteriorating, because taking proper steps to solve it would involve admitting that the current approach has failed. Denny Flowers: Outgunned is the story of Propagandist Kile Simlex’s attempts to produce a cinema-pict depicting the brave pilots of the Aeronautica Imperialis. Simlex has lofty aspirations for the pict, envisioning it as his magnum opus, featuring the fearless Flight Commander Lucille von Shard’s victory over craven ork invaders. I also deeply enjoyed how Flowers paired Simlex with three servo-skulls who are linked to him mentally. These skulls (literal skulls that have been turned into drones) are specifically altered to act as Simlex’s cameras, and he uses them to record the combat footage and gather information as he attempts to unravel the conspiracies of Bacchus. The powerful link he has to these skulls ensures that his mind is often split between different perspectives, and he often views the world through these robotic eyes. This unique method of viewing the world becomes a key part of Simlex’s character, and it was fascinating to see how connected he was to his floating skulls, who almost become characters in their own right. Simlex proved to be an impressive centre for this entire narrative, and his dark and compelling view of the world really helped to shape this awesome book. I play various games depending on my time constraints. Currently I’m in my third Blood Bowl league; it’s such a well-designed game and it fits neatly into my gaming time constraints. I’m also painting up some Death Guard that have only been sitting on my painting table for a couple of years, an impressive turnaround for me. DF: I always feel like I’m still learning my craft, but I have been praised for my characters and dialogue, as well as my handling of plot, pace and structure. I also have an unpleasantly active imagination. Or perhaps it’s just unpleasant. Either way, directing it towards world building is probably for the best. I wouldn’t like to leave it unoccupied for too long.Iain M. Banks is my favorite Sci-Fi author of his time (though I love his non-genre fiction too), but my love of sci-fi really originated from reading comics as a kid, especially 2000AD. The blending of the horrible, humorous and bizarre with just a hint of satire is something I think carries forward in my own work. However, his biggest threat may come from his chosen subject, as Lucille von Shard is an arrogant and disobedient pilot who has only avoided execution due to her peerless flying abilities. Determined to make the situation work, Simlex attempts to chronicle the reluctant Shard’s skills, while also investigating the strange occurrences on Bacchus. But is even the legendary Lucille von Shard capable of defeating the mysterious enemy waiting for them within the clouds? The Green Storm hungers for combat, and the entire Imperium may shake as it approaches. ToW: Without spoiling anything, who are the main characters and what do we need to know about them? Characters themselves are top notch ones. Lucille von Shard - a bratty and rebellious airhead rebel, best ace in the Imperium and a woman with a heavy burden on her soul. Lady-Governor Dolos - a magnificient queen of a dying world. Flight Sergeant Plient - a cheerful and competent soldier not unlike Jenit Sulla from Ciaphas Cain series. And of course many more others. Can Trooper Torvin earn the respect of Colonel ‘Hell Fist’ Alvaron and his Catachan Devils? Because if not, they may turn out to be even more dangerous to his health than the Orks…