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. 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. 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 love the cover! Though I think the tone is a little more WW1. I say that because, by WW2, I think most people considered the war a necessary sacrifice to oppose the Axis powers. But in WW1 there remained a romanticised view of war, an expectation that glorious victory would come any day and life would return to normal by Christmas. Only those who had seen frontline combat knew what was really happening.

Outgunned by Denny Flowers | Waterstones

ToW: Can you share any insight into what you’ve learned since then, whether in terms of pitching, writing or generally just working with editors, as advice for anyone wanting to write professionally? 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: The (brilliant) cover has a real WWII war movie vibe – was that the sort of tone you were going for with the book? Can you talk a bit about some of the influences you drew upon while writing this?

High-flying dogfights unfold in the skies above Bacchus, as the Imperium clash with orks, and an arrogant hotshot uncovers a secret that could doom the entire planet. I enjoy working out. In theory anyway; I haven’t really done it properly for years. But I’m hopeful that if I bring it up here it will shame me into getting off my butt. So if you happen to run into me feel free to ask how the gym is going so I can shuffle my feet awkwardly before throwing a smoke bomb and fleeing.

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This was a superb and deeply impressive Warhammer 40,000 read that really highlights Flower’s growing skill as a science fiction writer. Containing a unique and highly addictive narrative, Outgunned was an outstanding read that blended an exceptional story with some impressive glances at the wider Warhammer 40,000 universe. I had an amazing time getting through this book and it was one of the more exciting and compelling Warhammer novels of 2022 so far. ToW: To start things off, how would you describe Outgunned, and what readers can expect from it? What sort of story is it?Outgunned served as an impressive standalone entry in the Warhammer 40,000 universe, and I deeply enjoyed how self-contained the narrative turned out to be. Flowers also did a great job explaining most of the relevant Warhammer 40,000 elements featured within Outgunned, and I felt that this book can be easily enjoyed by most science fiction fans, although established Warhammer fans will probably get the most out of it. I loved some of the very unique Warhammer 40,000 aspects that Flowers featured in Outgunned, as the author came up with some fantastic new elements that added so much more to the story. I personally thought that Flowers did a really good job examining the Imperium through his character’s eyes, and you really get to see a fun new edge to it. Not only do you get to see the Aeronautica Imperialis in action, which will appeal to many Imperial Guard fans, but you also get a cool viewpoint of the Imperium’s propaganda department. Watching the protagonist dive into the techniques and motivations of the Imperial propagandists is quite fascinating, and it gives another great edge to the already dark and gothic Imperium that make you understand that deep down, they really aren’t the good guys they try to make out. Throw in a fun blast of Imperial politics, as a corrupt planetary governor can manipulate the Astra Militarum for their own selfish ends, as well as some dark viewpoints of the brainwashing of young soldiers that occurred to certain characters, and you have a great, cynical view of the Imperium that I deeply enjoyed. A more flamboyant tale than many 40k books, though is obviously part of the setting, which grim depictions of serfdom on an imperial world and service in the aeronautica. 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.

Outgunned (Warhammer 40,000) by Denny Flowers | Goodreads Outgunned (Warhammer 40,000) by Denny Flowers | Goodreads

ToW: Could you give us an overview of your general writing process, in terms of how (or whether) you plan your writing, when you find the time to write and so on? 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? Denny Flowers is the author of the novels Fire Made Flesh and Outgunned, the novella Low Lives and several short stories. He lives in Kent with his wife and son, and has no proven connection with House Delaque. DF: I suspect I would be assigned to the Imperium’s equivalent of Lord Flashheart’s Twenty Minuters… Simlex’s cynicism develops interestingly; but his creeping horror as it dawns on him that the simple caricature of orks he has been raised to expect is a dangerous lie is excellently portrayed. Likewise the slow peeling away of Shard’s protective(?) personality and the uncovering of the cause of Bacchus’ decay and blight. His trio of servo skulls help progress the plot unobtrusively and I *really* appreciate the way that their use as translation devices is gradually introduced- the Xenos in this book, unlike several recent titles, aren’t conveniently fluent in Gothic.Through the novel we learn that there are various approaches to the propagandists’ art, some involving semi-accurate portals of life within the Imperium, others splicing together image and sound to create whatever tale they deem suitable, irrespective of its relation to the truth. Simlex’s insistence of capturing the true face of war is rather unusual, and enough to raise eyebrows amongst his puritanical colleagues. His philosophy is difficult to refute however, as to do so would involve suggesting that the ‘true’ Imperium is a less than ideal place. At the beginning of the tale his star is in ascendance, and he is dismissive of the woefully inaccurate efforts produced by his predecessors. But his philosophy is tested when confronted by the realities of frontline conflict, where idealism clashes with the reality of war. DF: The story is told from the perspective of Simlex. He is a protégée, having produced numerous acclaimed picts employing a rather unorthodox approach. For Simlex strives to capture the true face of Imperium, rather than the tightly controlled facsimile favoured by his peers. He believes the God-Emperor is the custodian of truth, and a propagandist’s duty is to reveal it. This naivety blinds him to the political ramifications of his work; many of the Imperium’s servants strive to shroud the truth and will take whatever steps are necessary to ensure his work does not expose their own misdeeds. In the far future, the soldiers of the Imperium of Man fight monsters and aliens on many battlefields and there is always a need for fresh bodies to fill the gaps in the ranks. That is where Kile Simlex comes in. A talented propagandist, Simlex excels at creating moving cinematic picts to inspire the people and increase recruitment to the Astra Militarum. However, Simlex desires greater realism and seeks to travel to a battlefield to gain real footage for his greatest pict yet. 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.

Denny Flowers | Warhammer 40k Wiki | Fandom Denny Flowers | Warhammer 40k Wiki | Fandom

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. But these skills may prove the only hope of survival, for something vast and terrible lurks within the clouds. The Green Storm approaches.

There is a third significant character in the story, but it’s difficult to talk about her without straying into the realms of spoilers. ToW: What do you hope 40k and Necromunda fans will get out of this by the time they’ve finished it? Thematically it is a story about stories; the tall tales that are told throughout the Underhive, and what happens when myth meets reality. It is also a story about keeping your word, where most of the main characters are in some way bound by a promise or oath which may not be in their best interests. But honour is at stake, and even in the Underhive giving your word is taken very seriously. ToW: Lastly, if you found yourself drafted into the Aeronautica Imperialis what position do you think you would end up taking, and why? Propagandist Simlex has been sent to the (notional) agriworld of Bacchus to make a recruitment film for the Imperium as volunteers are better fodder for the meatgrinder than conscripts. His choice of subject is the Aeronautica Imperialis Ace Lucille Von Shard as who is better than a dashing and faithful hero of the Imperium who daily duels the foul Ork menace in the sky as his focus? At least that what he thinks until he actually meets her...