Rebel Winter (Warhammer 40,000)

One of the few 40k novels I've actually read because it was based around the Vostroyan imperial Guard. At the time(I don't know if it's changed) there was very little information about the Vostroyans and I was putting together a small army for the 40k miniatures game. In order to get some inspiration for painting and sculpting, I figured i'd dive into the 'fluff' as it's called and read the book.I'm primarily a fan of fantasy/sci-fi so this was right up my alley anyways. The book was good, the characters gave me a lot of insight into the culture of their people and, of course, there was plenty of grim and dark battles where hope was lost but the characters never became hopeless(because that would be heresy.)All in all a good read, especially if you like the Imperial Guard novels from the 40k series.

Rebel Winter is a solid Imperial Guard book. While it isn't a book that is at the top of WH40K books for me, it's worth the price of admission and your time.

Fast service, book as described. Good book, main characters Imperial guard . Enjoyed it.

Great story of the vostroyan firstborn fighting and surviving, helps give a good feel of one of the Imperial guard regiments that doesnt get enough love.

Bookworm Speaks!Warhammer 40kRebel Winterby Steve Parker****Acquired: Half-Price BooksSeries: Warhammer 40,000 NovelsPaperback: 256 pagesPublisher: Black Library (July 31, 2007)Language: English****The Story: On the brutal battlefields of the 41st Millennium, the life of an Imperial Guardsman is harsh and short. On the snowy wastes of Danik's World, a regiment of Vostroyans is ordered to hold their ground to protect the retreat of other Imperial forces. When their own orders come to move back, they discover they have been stranded behind enemy lines. Cold, hungry and running out of supplies, trapped between rebel forces and hordes of orks, can the Guardsmen ever fight their way back to safety?The Review: Bookworm is a member of many fandoms across the creative hemisphere. Star Trek, Star Wars, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Fallout and a few others. Warhammer 40k stands out among all of them. For one thing, Bookworm owns more books about the 41st Millennium than all the others combined. Also because of something a little more esoteric. Warhammer 40k is one of the most fantastical and one of the most visceral human franchises he has ever seen.Star Wars and Star Trek have one thing in common: They represent idealism. Pure and Noble heroes out to save the day in a rich universe ripe for exploration. Warhammer 40k on the other hand, is the complete inverse. It may be a rich universe, but it is a universe of darkness. The stars are filled with monsters and madmen that want nothing better than to bite your face off among other terrible things.Life for the majority is a merciless grind and the ‘heroes’ of such a universe are monstrous beings crafted to freakish proportions by half-forgotten sciences and oftentimes the product of entire cultures whose only purpose is to battle. Literally…the entire industrial and social output of the planet Vostroya is to produce soldiers and weapons for the never-ending Imperial war effort.One such culture is the Planet Vostroya and the Vostroyan First Born. There is no going home for them. Maybe one or two of them may live long enough to go back and train the next generation of Vostroyans, the rest will die unsung.This immediately makes the characters, not so much relatable, but appealing. They already have a gripping narrative. The inklings of the larger Vostroyan culture that filter through the narrative are very fascinating. The history of previous campaigns also add an interesting context to explain the Vostroyan’s what they are and also highlighting the brutal nature of the galaxy they live in.What was really one facet of the story that kept Bookworm going was the same thing that kept the regiment going: They never gave up. That is true for a great many stories in Warhammer 40k. No matter how hopeless it became. No matter how many died. No matter how much the enemy outnumbered them, the Vostroyan’s never stopped fighting. To do otherwise would spit on their homeworld and their Emperor, to which to both they dedicated their lives. The whole text could be seen as one, long, last stand, which are always a great sell.One scene that exemplifies this where the regiment is forced to drive through a firestorm and when they make it, they realize that the driver has died. He was being burned alive throughout the ordeal and never stopped or even cried out. As said by the leader, “he died a true Vostroyan.” That scene really grips at the heartstrings. There are several more in the book and instead of bringing them down, it only pushes them forward.Final Verdict: In spite of its fantastical surroundings, Rebel Winter and indeed many of the tomes about the Imperial Guard are probably the most realistic depictions of war there are. There is little glory, just a long grind. It involves soldiers that are tired and hungry and not feeling particularly brave. When victory is achieved, it often feels hollow, but is not much else to do but square their soldiers and go on to whatever comes next. That is Warhmmer 40k is so addicting. It is so relatable on so many levels. Even in a culture as corrupt and oppressive as the Imperium of Man, noble traits like duty, honor, loyalty, self-sacrifice still have not died.Four Snowflakes out of Fivethecultureworm.blogspot.com

everything came as promised, ty

This book captures the intensity of human vs ork warfare. There is human betrayal by the heretics, orks being underestimated as for their cunning, and the solid background to the mighty Vostroyan First Born. The ending to this book is epic; there is a drive to victory or death that can be found in few books. This book ranks amongst some of my other favorites; 15 Hours, Gunheads, and the Battle of Istavaan IV (though this is a space marine book in the Horus Heresy series). Great job by Steve Parker, I now look for his name in other 40k books. Hope you enjoy this one, I did.

Quick paced story with a lot of action, great for the Warhammer 40k fan or a sci-fi buff

I'm quite new to the Warhammer 40K universe and only read 20 of them at this point . Although I prefer novels about the Space Marines this is by far the best one i got my hands on . Guard was never of particular interest to me but Parker really did a great job with this one . He developed each character , even those who don't play much of a part in the plot and that was basically why i find this book amazing . Many " scenes " are set up making everything that's going on believable . There are even a few twists in all this chaos making the book even more tense . Battles are realistic and when that stops the dialog between characters is solid , it seems that someone put some thought into it . I would definitely recommend this specially for a good price .

After 'Fifteen Hours' and 'Death World', the Black Library now releases a third novel from the desperate Imperial Army's perspective. Gone are the epic tales of Ghaunt's Ghosts of the humourous viewpoint of Comissar Cain. The reality of the Warhammer 40k universe rears its ugly head here.Steve Parker's first novel deals with Captain Sebastev, commanding officer of the Vostroyan Firstborn Sixty Eight Infantry Regiment's Fifth Company, and the story that forced him to face a military court.The book is short, compact, and fun. It contains everything one could wish for: a brigade trapped between two fronts without supply, grunts, noble officers, heretics, a half-crazy father, a Comissar, trench- and city-warfare and of course the high body count that goes with the imperial army. To top it all off, the ending comes as a real surprise.As trooper Aronov would say: 'Like good rahzvod, sir!'*Firebase Magazine issue #5*

Mit Rebel Winter gibt es endlich einen Roman über die vostroyanische Garde.Anders als bei Dan Abnett schafft es der Autor hier diese rauhen Gesellen nicht immer in ein gutes Licht zu rücken. Dies ist keine Nachteil sondern läßt die Geschichte der Einheit realistischer wirken. Leider etwas kurz und bisher ohne Nachfolger, trotzdem wer gute Geschichten über die IG lesen möchte der sollte sich dieses Buch zulegen.