Back in the misty days of 2007, the world of Warhammer 40,000 was shaken by the opening salvoes of a soon-to-be legendary conflict – the Siege of Vraks. The tale that began in Imperial Armour Vol 5 grew to encompass three entire books from Forge World.
Amidst the carnage, regular soldiers doggedly advanced under appalling conditions, and the tale of the much maligned Guardsmen of the Death Korps of Krieg is the focus of a brand new novel by Steve Lyons – Siege of Vraks.
While the Imperial Armour books focused on the big picture, this novel zooms right into the plight of the common soldier and follows an officer named Tyborc as he navigates both the battlefields of Vraks and the irrepressibly sacrificial tendencies of his own regiment.
If you’re a die-hard fan of the warriors from Krieg, you can even pick up an incredible special edition version of the novel that comes wrapped in the haunting visage of the Death Korps, along with an image of a Thudd Gun – one of Krieg’s most iconic artillery pieces – on the back cover. This version also includes a whole extra short story titled Less Than Human* and an afterword from the author.
It’s hard to believe that anyone could survive such a battle long enough to tell a story, but how did a monstrous war like the Siege of Vraks even begin?
When the rebellion of an apostate preacher ripped control of the vital armoury world of Vraks away from the Imperium, the Adeptus Administratum planned its recapture with pure mathematical precision. Their estimates told them that marching millions of Guardsmen to their inevitable deaths across the killing fields of Vraks would win the siege within 12 years – a cost they deemed acceptable for such an important world – and only the regiments of Krieg could be depended upon to suffer such enormous casualties without a moment’s hesitation.
The defences on Vraks, now firmly in the hands of the apostate cardinal, were unassailable without the slow crawl of trenchworks and fortifications in which the Death Korps specialise. This pitiless inch-by-inch combat forms the backdrop of the new novel, where the regiments of Krieg will earn their reputation as the most merciless soldiers in the Imperium – should they survive the worst the forces of the Archenemy can throw at them.
Siege of Vraks will be released later this year, but if you want to read all about the Death Korps in the meantime, the novel Krieg – also by Steve Lyons – is an excellent glimpse into the lives of these infamous warriors.
* A state the troopers of Krieg are well acquainted with.