As I was making my way through the the Let the Galaxy Burn , I found gem between the short stories of 41st millenium. It´s written mostly from the self-hypnotised Administrativum adept making his way to work and it´s written by ... G.S. Gotto.

I haven´t read actualy anything from that man, but there´s still atmosphere of heresy and witch-burning when there´s talk about his novel. This short story, I would defend with my life, becouse it´s awesome. I think it´s necessity and must-read for any player who wants to have Adept character (and one Ascended career as well...). It´s describing the workings of Administrativum in utterly byzantine, dark, insane and completely brilliant way. I think it´s only comparable with works of Matt Farrer (yes, THE Matt Farrer)... burn me as insane heretic, but anybody who want to play Dark Heresy should read short story The Tower

It features no commissar, Inquisitor or Space Marine.

Would it be safe to assume that the story has a bit of Kafka flair to it?

Varnias Tybalt said:

No Bugs (genestealer hybrids) as well:D

Well, I could safely write that it reminds my strongly Orwell´s 1984 (or more correctly, Terry Gillian´s Brazil) located in cross of Name of Rose and Blade Runner. More or less main character, cipher Lexio, is almost completely controlled by his muscle-memory and orders of his superiors. He is able of carrying messages without consiously understanding them and he is traveling from his hab to administrativum officies not by his sight or senses, but by pure memory. He remembers, that once, halfway towards Administrativum tower, a menial fell before him and broke his neck and he was so stressed of sudden obstacle preventing him from exact footstep, that he returned to his hab and repeated the way again, just to be sure.

The Tower, that's the one! I had mentioned a bit ago in another thread that there was a C.S. Goto story, the only one I've read as well, which was pretty damned good, but couldn't remember it's name. Perhaps Goto just falls apart when he tries novels? Anyway, thanks for reminding me of this stories name.

In my opinion, it's one of the top three stories in that collection and definitly one of the better 40k stories out there. Granted, if you think about the plot too hard, it'll fall apart, but, as you said, the atmosphere is dead-on perfect and utterly insane with a nice bit of humor running through it; I love the scene where the cleaning fellow tries to sweep those stubborn feet away with his broom. It definitly doesn't feel like modern folks pasted onto a futuristic but quaintly medieval military background as far too many BL stories tend to but, instead, hints at the most bizarre society filled with the strange and insane people that would inhabit it.

That's another thing that I really liked about it, it didn't involve any military killy folks much at all (well, there was the assassin, but...) and I really wish I could find more stories that dealt with normal (or abnormal as the case may be) imperial folks going about their normal insane little lives but all I ever find is imperial guardsmen, space marines, bad ass inquisitors, and navy men.

You might want to check out an older title "Into the Maelstrom" then.

A down on his luck merchant ship captain has lost his guild credentials and most of his crew have abandoned him due to an inability to pay them when he has a chance encounter with a low-ranking Navigator who is currently shipless. Being desperate, the captain promptly kidnaps the navigator then runs like hell to avoid Imperial law. The only way past the ships sent to arrest him is to fly into the Eye of Terror, which being desperate, he does. Many misadventures ensue....

It is not at all a "routine day in the life of an Imperial citizen", but it is very much civilian. As you might immagine, this is also a fun book if you are looking for ideas for a down in the gutters version of a Rogue Trader game.

ZillaPrime said:

Thanks for the heads up on that book! I'll have to track it down as it dose sound like the kind of story I'd be interested in.

The RT game I'm running is, in fact, centered on a very down on his luck RT, well, actually a gutter-scum with Haarlock blood trying to get the warrant to cash in on his bloodline. So far, he and his less then reputable companions have staged a coup aboard a merchant vessel when the captain died of mysterious and, as of yet, unknown causes, took the ship off it's course with forged papers and charters in case they run into a naval patrol and have a lead on a desperate fallen navigator clan which they're hopping to con, charm, or steel a navigator from. So, ya, that book just might give me some ideas ;-)

Goto? Being comparable to Farrer ? Surely you jest.

You don't ? This is...

I think I have Let The Galaxy Burn at home. I haven't read it in quite some time. I'm going to have to investigate this story now.

Yes, if you think about the story too hard there are quite a lot gaps in logic, but on one (even thorough) read, it´s awesome

Snidesworth said:

I think Radicalism is firming its gasp on me:) I haven´t read any of Goto´s books (I´m considering buying DoW omnibus for sake of completeness next summer) but if they are at the level of this short story, they can´t be that bad.