Book Review: Curse of the Wulfen

WARNING! SPOILERS AHEAD!

As many of you realize by now, I am a huge fan of all things Space Wolf. I’ve always enjoyed the Viking lore and the sagas that come with it, and as a result space-faring Vikings were right up my alley. I’ve played them off and on since 3^rd edition, but recently sold the entire force as I accepted that power armor was a thing of the past for me.

No sooner had I dumped the Wolves than Curse of the Wulfen rumors started to drop. Intrigued, I was able to wait and watch patiently for almost a week before I bought completely into the faction again. Here was a chance to go back to one of my root armies, and flex the muscles of space Vikings once more. I know opinions were largely split, but I actually appreciate the aesthetic of the Wulfen models. All of this, combined with early rumors as to the rules of each Great Company, led me to dive back in.

It took me a while to finish reading the text, since I’ve been buried in plastic sprues for the past weeks. Today though, I sat down and finished an initial read-through of the fluff, along with another perusal of the rules. Each time I pick the volume up I am more impressed, and I cannot wait to debut some of the new formations in coming battle reports.

The fluff section of Curse of the Wulfen was very much a mixed bag. I appreciate the Space Wolves, and often allow authors to get away with more when it comes to the exaggerations of Marine combat prowess. After all, these are the men of sagas, right? They are capable of truly might feats that would make the Allfather himself proud!

The story begins with Harald Deathwolf and his Great Company doing war against a demonic incursion. Over the course of the battle they become trapped when they fall into an illusion orchestrated by demons of Tzeentch. When all seems lost, Wulfen spring from the periphery and tear into the enemy, giving them time to reorganize and end the demonic presence. After a brief discussion with the Wulfen, Harald realizes that Grimnar must be informed.

The Space Wolves discover a series of Warp storms opening across the Imperium, and at each of these storms is a group of Wulfen. Ulric the Slayer insists that this is a portent of the Wolftime, and that the Wulfen may be the only chance the Space Wolves have of discovering the location of the missing Leman Russ. The Great Companies are quickly dispatched to each of these storms, with the mission of retrieving the Wulfen at any cost. Only Krom Dragongaze remains behind, offering to do so as penance for his failures in the Alaric campaign.

What follows are a series of short stories discussing the attacks of several Wolf Lords. They are, for the most part, little more than filler material discussing details of combat in each theater. However, along the way there are a few snippets that hint at the troubles to come. Sven Bloodhowl has an altercation with Sammael and the Ravenwing, and we learn of an incident where a pack of Wulfen killed a squad of Dark Angels Scouts.

Finally, the Grey Knights arrive on the scene. Everyone should have seen this coming, since the Space Wolves are darting from one major demonic incursion to the next. Eventually, the guardians of Titan were bound to catch up with them. Stern demands that Grimnar turn over the Wulfen to him, so that they may be judged for corruption. Grimnar refuses, heightening tensions between the two factions, but then Stern warns Grimnar of another bit of bad news; the Warp storms have come to Fenris, and are embroiling every planet in the system save for its namesake.

Only a few of the Wolf Lords are able to return in time to deal with the massive demonic forces arrayed against them, discovering in the process that the Alpha Legion has been involved all along. As they struggle to regain control of their home system, they stumble upon a plot to see Captain Stern and his men killed, disguised as the actions of a Space Wolves chapter that has fallen to Chaos. As the story comes to an end, the Dark Angels arrive inside the Fenrisian system, along with a dozen other Space Marine chapters. We are given a last bit of fluff that the Changeling has been involved since the beginning, and then the Space Marines begin their bombardments of the war zones.

First, it is important to note that I like the direction this book is taking. In the past, we have only been given glimpses of planets that ultimately mean little in the overall structure of the 41^st Millennium. Sure, the planet normally gets destroyed in the end, but it holds little to no purchase in terms of the story remaining stable. Fenris, however, is a different story. Potentially displacing or even destroying an entire First Founding chapter is a huge deal, as it really hasn’t been done before. The scale of the conflict is there, if you have the imagination to see it, that could potentially lead to another event as cataclysmic as the Horus Heresy.

Unfortunately, you have to read between the lines to see that scale. The book is oriented too much around the actions of individual soldiers, and most of the stories involve nothing more than the hack and slash of personal combat, or “bolter porn” as it has largely come to be known. Even against opponents that would present incredible hurdles for Marine heroes, such as Greater Demons and Demon Princes, there is rarely any doubt as to how the outcome will turn up. Let’s just put it this way: the ASPCA should put the following disclaimer at the end of the book:
           

MANY Bloodthirsters were harmed in the making of this feature.

I wish they had stopped for a bigger picture look, as the entire production seemed a bit too rushed. With that said, there was also a lot of good in the writing. Several Wolf Lords were given more complete depictions than we’ve seen before, and more variety is always a good thing in my mind. I just wish they would have given Erik Morkai a little bit bigger image; he has always been one of my favorites among the unsung Space Wolves.

If you’re interested in Space Wolves or Demons (or, like me, both!), then you definitely need to consider this volume. It is packed full of artwork, stories, and most importantly, new rules to use your forces!

Make sure to come back by tomorrow, when I will be reviewing the rules section of the book on Tactics Thursday!

Who else has read the fluff section of the Curse of the Wulfen? Feel free to start a discussion on your own thoughts. Where is the story going to go from here? Will Stern get his message back in time, or will the Dark Angels and the Space Wolves truly go to war?