Kal Jerico - Underhive Bounty Hunter

Kal Jerico - Underhive Bounty Hunter
Gordon Rennie/Karl Kopinski/Wayne Reynolds

Now I'm not usually one for graphic novels, they don't really last long enough for me to justify the outlay, but I've enjoyed the Necromunda books I've read and saw this cheap second hand at the weekend, as I write this it starts at £27 + postage for a second hand one on Amazon, and £30 inclusive on Ebay, so glad I got it when I did.
Barely took an hour to read, hence why I don't usually bother.  But was worth it, never realised what a sense of movement and shear violence you could get from what is essentially a comic, the "sound effects" as such especially made me laugh being in the style of the terrible tv batman (not the cartoon).
It's a good introduction to Kal Jerico for the Necromunda novels he features in, but I wouldn't have wanted to pay the inflated price it fetches these days on the 'net.

A Field Guide To The British.

A Field Guide To The British - Sarah Lyall

Following the complete lack of diversity so far three out five books being from the Black Library, and the other two being by Charles Stross (though almost representative of my collection and tastes at least 60% of my books being sci-fi 50+ both 40k and Star wars, and big collections of particular authours, 25+ plus of both Bernard Cornwell and Harry Turtledove) thought I'd better put something else in, and this just jumped out at me when I was in a discount book shop, and for £3.99 you can't go wrong.
Just scanning the blurb on the back had me raisinng a wry smile, the authour captures her American view of Britain quite well, though a lot of her conclusions are skewed by her geographical location, and the social circles she moves in, some of the language nuances she picks up on could easily be more dialect issues than class as she asserts, but overall she entertains more than offends ( though baseball is still just a girls sport).
Covers everything from sport, politics, attitudes to children and animals, the animosity in the British newspaper industry, drunkeness and more.
It also gives some insight into the U.S. The outrage at page 3, the gushing at weddings, the bordom that is congress all feature ( footnotes are a wonderfull thing).
Even at the end though you get the feeling she hasn't quite grasped irony, the importance of the weather, and the differnce between British and English, or that Wales isn't a country.
Literally laugh out loud funny, although people unfamiliar with some of the people mentioned ( The sports and political figures for example) might find it less easy reading, less funny or even boring. Though the good bits should make up for that.

Flesh and Iron

Flesh and Iron - Henry Zou,
Potentially a new Dan Abnet, starts off with a book about an inquisitor (Emperors Mercy 9781844167340) and follows up with an imperial guard novel, time will tell....
Flesh and Iron follows the dangerous mission behind enemy lines of a rough and ready imperial guard battalion, the kind you see in every vietnam war movie on the riverboats, but this time with lasguns.
It is written from the point of view of the Colonol desperatly wanting to be accepted by his men, and from the indiginous warrior driven into the arms of the arch-enemy of man by the brutal treatment of their Imperial liberators, with minor side trips for supporting cast and higher command element politicol bickering.
Zou portrays the the tension well, the set piece battles work, and while you see some of the plotlines and battles develop how you expect, the books climax is definatly unexpected.
My biggest complaint is I can't remember what happened to a major supporting character, either it was so undramatic it didn't register, or he just wandered off and the author forgot about him, or I read that when I should have been asleep....
Defintly worth a read.

Soul Hunter

Soul Hunter - Aaron Dembski-Bowden,
Another 40k book I know, but they release that many there's usually one on the go, and the Black Library website is back up so theres even more temptation to get books....
This is the first in what I assume is going to be a series following the Night Lords, a renegade legion of geneticlly modified/enhanced "super soldiers".
The book revolves around one marine, the remnants of his squad in the remains of a company, as he struggles against factional squabbles, betrayals, the temptations of the Chaos Gods, failing logistical support, and inconvienent visions of the future.
A thouroughly enjoyable book, the set piece battles work well, with an effective tangent into space combat as well.  Just when you don't think the action can get bigger, the author pulls another rabbit out the hat...

Glasshouse

Another Charles Stross book, I'm enjoying them though so you'll have to bare with me. 
Set in a 27th century future, humanity has spread to the stars through digital technology, humans can be downloaded copied reintergrated etc.  Now if a modern day computer virus is bad what does it do in a completely (more or less) digital unverse?
The story follows an ex-soldier following the end of a war against a computer virus, and his struggle to come to terms with his lack of memory, the reason for that lack, and trying to figure out why someone wants to kill him.
From the outset new ideas are thrown at you, and the implications of them one example the callous disregard for life, cause it's when it's so easy to back yourself up, you can just keep dying.  Or the social implications massivly increased lifespans would have on basic instituitions such as marriage and relaitionships...
Yet it's still an easy to read enjoyable espioage/action romp in a science fiction setting.  Definatly worth a read.

Iron Sunrise

I was reading this at the same time as "A Thousand Sons" and had trouble deciding which to read at any given moment.
The plot follows the events after a massive act of genocide against a backwater planentary system, and the efforts to stop the "second strike" weapons from retaliating at likely aggressors.
It follows several characters from various interested factions, through various plots, counter-plots, espionage, politics, action and there's even some sci-fi thrown in for good measure.
I did really enjoy this book, but I've enjoyed all the half dozen Charles Stross books I've bought since reading "Halting State"(which I'll probably review at some point).  I find them very readable compared to some authors that can be very hit and miss.  
I think that Stross explains the ideas of his fictional universe well and gives some vivid descriptions.  I suppose you could argue that most technological ideas in sci-fi have probably been covered in some form or another but when it still feels fresh and interesting something's being done right.