Book Review 158 // Dead Drop by Mike Brooks

I love these Necromunda short stories so much. I fear that when they end, I come to miss the setting and the mini adventures taking place within. This week's tale is Dead Drop by Mike Brooks; looking at the cover, I realize straight away we have another Orlock story. Come Black Library author, give us stories from the other houses! Don't get me wrong, Orlock's are fun, but it seems heavily swung towards them. They are basically the Ultramarines of Necromunda.

Here is the fluff:

A daring raid on a moving transport puts the Road Dogs Orlock gang in danger as rivals seek the same prize and the unexpected strikes.

THE STORY

The Road Dogs, an Orlock gang in the depths of Necromunda's underhive, are on the trail of a big score. Danner Grimjack, the gang's leader, has planned meticulously, and now it all comes down to the execution. As they go into action, the Road Dogs tackle the Steel Crescents, their Van Saar rivals, on a moving transporter. Danner can only hope the prize is worth the hassle…

Author: Mike Brooks

I feel like Mike Brooks must have been watching Mad Max or playing games of Gaslands. If you haven't guessed yet, I can confirm this is a vehicle chase heavy read. The main character Danner Grimjack is the leader of a close-knit gang of Orlocks. The Orlock's territory seems near the edge of the Hive allowing for adventures out in the wastes, which is pretty unique for the setting. The Gang - Road Dogs - have received intel that a rival gang of Van Saars are collecting cargo dropped by a trader in the waste. You would only do this to avoid security checks, meaning it is worth something to someone.

As soon as the ambush is launched, we are treated to a pretty epic car chase action scene, which packs a lot of new world-building scenes into a short amount of time. Once again, I am left wanting more and genuinely hope we get more outside the Hive books soon.

I enjoyed the book; it could easily be transferred into an apocalyptic setting, which shows how timeless these stories can be. But the authentic takeaway for me is now working out a stealth van for delaques to drive around in. Watch this space!

Want to listen to this tale? Here is a link to Amazon to purchase: Dead Drop by Mike Brooks

Robots!! Must be Miniature Monday

Welcome to another Adventures with Peps unboxing.

You know the drill. I recently received my pre-order from Warlord Games. Having already reviewed the Wally Squad (Youtube Link) and the Klegg Hai! (Youtube Link), all I have left is the Mega-City Robots.

Most Mega-City citizens are generally too lazy to get off their backsides and do the menial work these semi-sentient robots perform.

Robots have 'AZI-MOV protocols' forbidding them from harming a human. Yet, some break their programming. Mega-City One has been hit with two major robot-related conflicts. The first was initiated by the rogue 'Call-me-Kenneth' unit. A bloody campaign of extermination against the 'Fleshy Ones' ensued. The second was precipitated by the arch-criminal Nero Narcos, who unleashed hordes of Assassinator Droids' bid to seize control of Mega-City One.

Despite these incidents, robots continue to be an indispensable part of Mega-City life. With Mega-City One's population decimated by recent events, the presence of robots as a tireless workforce has become ever more critical.

Box Contains:

• 5 Mega-City Robots:
• DemoBot
• WarBot
• SecBot
• UtilBot
• MedBot
• 5 Unit Cards
• 1 Armoury Car: Repair Kit
• 1 Big Meg Card: Call-me-Kenneth

If you are still reading, you are amazing! Please help by subscribing; it is free to do and means a lot to me as it allows these videos to appear more often.

This video is part of Adventure with Peps blogging:

Solo link to all my social channels. This video was filmed on a Sony ZVE-10, and for those interested, I use Titan Shield Card Protectors for the cards.

Audio Review 59 // The Predator Hunters and Hunted

Looks like I am back on the Aliens/Predator franchise again. I keep getting hooked to this series again and again. For me, this series just sums up everything I love about true sci-fi. Humanity is weak, and the deep dark is fucking scary!

Today's audiobook is the prequel to the movie The Predator. Let us dive in and get on with it!

Title: The Predator: Hunters And Hunted Official Movie Prequel

Series: (Aliens / Predator / Prometheus)

Author: James A. Moore

Fluff: The official prequel novel leads into the summer blockbuster The Predator, Shane Black's new movie set within the universe of the previous films. With a screenplay by Shane Black and Fred Dekker, the film stars Yvonne Strahovski, Boyd Holbrook, Olivia Munn, Alfie Allen, Thomas Jane, Sterling Brown, Keegan-Michael Key, Edward James Olmos, Jake Busey, and more. Author James ...more.

Get a copy via Amazon: https://amzn.to/3oTKBCP.

Published by: Titan Books

Let's get obvious out the way. This is a prequel to The Predator's film; it was designed to bring parties interested in the incoming film and drive excitement. James A. Moore is a great writer, and he quickly absorbs you into the story. There are quite a few characters to remember, which leads to confusion. Still, General Woodhurst, Roger Elliott of the CIA, and Tomlin of the Reapers are the main characters to remember. The Reapers are fantastic and represent a Black Ops group trained to take down Predators, though, at the start of the novel, they are working off theoretical and fighting drug cartels.

I found Roger Elliot's character to be most interesting as he has actually survived a Predator attack before. Having faced off against one in Vietnam. This, of course, led to him being black-listed and treated like a pariah as no one believed his story. But soon, he is proven right.

An interesting twist in this book is the change of perspective throughout the novel. Of course, we have the humans, but we also spend time inside the head of the Predator and get to see how he views the different flora and fauna of Earth and actually how much he respects nature and the hunt. I know we get this in the comics, but this honestly felt refreshing; it would be hard to do in a film, but I hope they will explore more in the future. Another fun aspect of the story is the politics with greedy double-dealings in the search to control advanced alien technology. It was also fun to see the mention Weyland-Yutani at this point.

Let's not beat around the bush. This is an action-packed adventure, the Reapers vs the Predator was some of the standout highlights of the story, and they really deserved more time on this side of it. They were so good and enjoyable to listen to that they deserved an extra 10 minutes to not feel so rushed.

Overall highly recommend it to any Predator fans reading this, plenty of action, plenty of lore/world-building and lots of violence. Go on and treat yourself. You will not regret it.

Do you agree? Let me know in the comments. I hope you enjoyed it? Feel free to comment below or seek me out on one of the many social platforms I hang out on. Here is a quick LINK (Solo bio link) to my details. Cheers to reading this.

Beer Review 168 // A stout with Coffee by Bellwoods Brewery

I feel like Wednesdays are coming around quicker and quicker! This week I headed back to a classic Toronto Brewery and enjoyed another can of Bellwoods beer. A stout with coffee has been a favourite series of mine this year. As Bellwoods explores the different effects different coffee has on the similarly brewed stout. For this one, they used Colombia Huila.

As I pour the 5.5% brew you can't help but notice the pitch-black stout freely splashing into the glass. This beer is lively and soon a rather large head forms. Considering how lively the head was I was impressed to see hang around and the retention is pretty impressive. Fruity, floral notes greeted me on the first stiff. This was soon followed by a bold roasty coffee note. Damn do I love the smell of coffee. The is as expected and greatly enjoyed. You get roasted, almost burnt malts, a delicious floral coffee hit that covers the tongue and a gentle fresh cup of coffee bitterness in the finish.

This is a very enjoyable can of coffee. I highly recommend this or any others from this series. I am learning a lot about how coffee can affect the brew, it's all rather educational!

As always, I hope you enjoyed this review. Feel free to comment below or seek me out on one of the many social platforms I hang out on. Here is a quick LINK (Solo bio link) to my details.

Looking for an excellent beer drinker's gift? Check this out: Link to Amazon

Cheers to reading this review.

Comic Review 162 // 2000 AD Prog 1326

Time to travel back in time, to a simpler time. A time before COVID (remember that!). Today we are going all the way back to February 2003. I am on a solid run of rereading 2000 AD, and I love it. Just look at the cover of this issue, a bright, eye-catching orange, showcasing Slaine in all his glory with a faded Molch lurking in the background. Is it hinting at the story today? Will we have revenge? Time to find out.

Strangely there are only four stories this week. Last week and before, we had five with Sinister Dexter, so I can only assume we have some longer tales this week. As always, we start with:

Judge Dredd vs Aliens: Incubus Part 6. Big Man of Mega-City One Judge Dredd goes toe to toe with a Xenomorph in this one. As Judge Dredd attempts to tackle the alien away from the children's ward, they smash through a window plummeting onto a Zoom Line. We have Dredd facing the Xenomorph only with flares on a high-speed bullet train in classic nail-bitter cliffhangers!

You all know by now I love the artwork, I love Dredd, and I love Xenomorphs. A great story to kick us off.

Slaine: Moloch Part 6. The last issue was brutal, and this issue starts a little slower as we have the funeral for Niamh. During this, we discover Slaine is standing down as the High King of Ireland, and he adventures off to track down Moloch. Jump forward one year, and we are in Albion watching Ukko get information for Slaine on the whereabout of Moloch; we then get an awkward farewell as Slaine seemingly says his last goodbye to the Dwarf sidekick.

Using the information given to him by Ukko, Slaine heads off to an arena to Face off against Moloch. Here Slaine grapples with the demon, and they both plunge towards a pit of Lava, and with that, Book One ends.

What an epic way to end the first part of the series. I will naturally assume Slaine survives but damn, how epic was that!

Caballistics, Inc. Going Underground Part 6. Following on from Miss Simmon's sacrifice, we discover things didn't go as Ravne expected. Instead, it would seem she became a conduit for maybe a demon? Either way, she helps purge the tunnels of the infestation and saves the other team members. As this series comes to an end, we discover that following this mission, the team is renamed Caballistics and that Mr. Ravne is actually a lot older than he appears and is possibly an ex-member of the occult nazi branch. Which explains a lot.

Interesting series. I thought I was coming into a fully fleshed-out story when in fact, it is just the beginning. I am excited to see where it goes.

Nikolai Dante: Hell and High Water Part 6. A bit of a dull episode for Dante this week. After a classic love scene, we see him manipulated to help out the Black Dragons in exchange for the well-being of the two children. The most exciting part of this section was the title of the next installment: The Ballad of the Pirate Queen. Is this hinting at Dante's mother?

Overall this issue was good. Judge Dredd continues to amaze. Slaine was a great ending, and Caballistics, Inc. has me hooked. Dante was meh, but you can't win them all.

Want to learn more about 2000 AD? Why not start with the 2000 AD Encyclopedia (link is via Amazon, and I get a kickback). Thank you for reading, and if you want to chat more, come find me on Instagram.

Miniature Monday // Warlord games Kleggs

An exciting build and unboxing this week as I crack open the Klegg-Hai boxset by Warlord Games. Here are the full product details:

"Klegg-Hai!, Klegg-Hai!, Klegg-hai!" This chilling alien battle cry has echoed across a universe of battlefields, heralding the arrival of the nightmarish Klegg. Mercenary warriors over ten feet tall and resembling an enormous bipedal Crocodile. The Klegg is utterly ruthless in the art of war; surrender is futile as prisoners are not taken – they are eaten!

The Klegg first roamed the streets of the 'Big Meg' during the corrupt reign of Judge Cal. So feared were these vicious extra-terrestrial carnivores that Dredd's victorious Judges attempted to exterminate every last Klegg in the city.

Despite this, the Klegg are born survivors, and small groups can still be found deep in the ruins and slum blocks, ready to fight just for the pleasure of killing or selling their skills to any underworld maniac prepared to pay them; in fresh meat!

3 Klegg Miniatures

1 Unit Card

2 Big Meg Cards: "Klegg-Hai!" & Raining Monsters

If you are still interested, here is the unboxing video.

Comic Background

The Kleggs are a race of carnivorous alien reptiles, infamous in Mega-City One as the mercenaries that kept Cal in power.

Their ferocity, strange mannerisms and propensity for eating their foes dominate others' perception of them, but the Klegg Empire is a force to be reckoned with in outer space. Their society is essentially space empire is a rival to Earth's own. Formal education was rare and only for those born into the ruling high caste; rule of the Empire was gained through "time-honoured traditions of backstabbing and treachery."

They utilize Klegg-Hounds, alien dogs with crocodilian heads, which track enemies by tasting the ground where they have passed.

I am excited to paint these up. I feel these models will look stunning in bright blues, yellows and greens. Now to get basing! As always, thank you for stopping by and viewing the video. If you enjoy it? Please use the following link to watch more and subscribe: https://youtu.be/gp8inKrnbzs.

Audio Review 58 // Alien: Invasion: The Rage War, Book 2

Wow, it's been over a year since I listened to Book 1 of the Rage War series. Here is the link if you want to catch up. I left this way too long, but we are back, and we are jumping straight back into the war. A quick catch-up first before we dive in.

We learnt about the Rage through the Incursion story, a group of early colonists who left aboard Fine Colony ships. Their goal was to go into the deep of space and discover new worlds to settle. Instead of a fresh start, they found a creature similar to a giant worm that latches onto their ship and advances their technology beyond current human levels. During this period, they also discover a way to control Xenomorphs and increase their own life span. Once in a position to attack, they head back to the inner sphere, and the Rage War begins. 

Title: Alien: Invasion: The Rage War, Book 2

Written by: Tim Lebbon

Narrated by: John Chancer

Length: 10 hrs and 29 mins

Fluff: The second original novel in an Alien vs. Predator: Rage War series, continuing from Predator: Incursion as Colonial Marines units are being wiped out - and not by the Predators. This is an attack by organized armies of Aliens.

Review

Though set far into the future timeline, Tim Lebbon has created a brilliantly realistic scenario. I can't help but feel terrified for the colonial marines and the outer rim colonies as they are slowly overrun by hoards of Xenomorphs that are organized and able to be transported around. The settings of this story are varied and plentiful, but my preferred story arc is the one set on Hell. An ex-company space station is now completely independent. This is like a wild west space station, brothels, bars, drug dens; it's a fantastic location. I also enjoyed learning more about the Fine ships and life inside the Rage.

But the story has faults; there are now so many characters spread out over so many locations it can feel very disjointed. I don't know how you make it more streamlined, so I guess I should shut up. The other part that disappointed me was the first chapter save. Yes, I know plot armour is solid, but damn, it nearly ruined the story before it began. There is also a depressing arc in the story where we just watch a duo going from worst to worst scenarios. But I want to avoid spoilers, so I will be quiet.

Overall all Alien: Invasion is a great follow-up and another great Tim Lebbon story. I am ready to jump into the third story. Just have to wait for my audible credit, lol.

Buy via Amazon

Do you agree? Let me know in the comments. I hope you enjoyed it? Feel free to comment below or seek me out on one of the many social platforms I hang out on. Here is a quick LINK (Solo bio link) to my details. Cheers to reading this.

Book Review 157 // Paradise by Jonathan Green

Heading deep into the underhive once again. This time I get to experience a new author, Jonathan Green. His piece is titled Paradise, and it has us exploring the hive in a way unknown to me. In a strange turn of events, the setting is the most essential part of the story. It has us following an Orlock gang who uses an Ambot robot to dig through a hive wall after killing off a Goliath gang. They are greeted by the rarest of slights, green foliage as the Ambot breaks through to the other side! 

That's right, an entire hab zone full of plants. There are ferns, fungi and freshwater. As the group searches the area, shit hits the fan, and members start dying off. We soon discover that the infamous Bounty Hunter Nathan Creed is hunting them down to find out who hired them. Turns out this seems to be a continuation of a story arc I know nothing about. Who is Nathan Creed? I guess I best start googling and finding out what I need to read to find out. Overall this was an okay read, nothing mind-blowing. I rather disliked the idea of the Ambot being used again; this all seems like a marketing ploy. It also relies on the reader knowing who Nathan Creed is. As I think more about the story, I feel like this was sadly a bit of a miss. In no way terrible, just a general miss.

As always, I hope you enjoyed this relatively quick review? Feel free to comment below or seek me out on one of the many social platforms I hang out on. Here is a quick LINK (Solo bio link) to my details.

Cheers to reading this.

Beer Review 167 // Willow IPA by Bicycle Craft Brewing

Continuing my fun trip through some Bicycle Craft beers. This week's beer was Willow IPA (sorry for the finger-smudged can photo. This West Coast IPA is brewed with the classic hop combo of Citra, Simcoe and Amarillo.

On the pour, it is a beautiful orange hue brew with a thick white luxurious head that hung out throughout the whole drinking experience. The aroma is exactly what you expect from a West Coast IPA, a big citrus hit of Tangerine and orange while lurking in the back is that classic pine hint. A very smooth beer to drink, and at 6.5%, it was delightful. Bitterness comes towards the end with a grapefruit pithiness that lingers, begging you to take another sip.

I really enjoyed this beer, and I hope that the Bicycle Craft Team will brew this one again.

Bicycle Craft Website

As always, I hope you enjoyed this review. Feel free to comment below or seek me out on one of the many social platforms I hang out on. Here is a quick LINK (Solo bio link) to my details.

Looking for an excellent beer drinker's gift? Check this out: Link to Amazon

Cheers to reading this review.

Comic Review 161 // 2000 AD Prog 1325

I am really getting into these short prog reads. I promise Judge Dredd Complete Case Files 16 is coming. But for now, let us enjoy Prog 1325. Released way back in 2003 on January 29th. The cover is full of zombie goodness and actually has me intrigued by what is happening in Caballistics Inc. this week. So less chat, more reviewing.

Judge Dredd vs Aliens: Incubus Part 5. What a fantastic romp this has been so far. The pest control team has been ambushed by the Hospital Xenomorph, and it rapidly chews through three members of the group. I love this story for a few reasons. 1) The artwork is stunning just love it. 2) The Xenomorph is deadly. We get to see them as the silent, stalking killers of our nightmares. One managed to maul up a Judge Team real bad, and the second is kicking ass and slaughtering its way through a hospital. Love it!

Caballistics Inc. Going Underground Part 5. Okay, so the cover had really nothing to do with the story. The team is still fleeing through the underground tunnels, heading towards the occult bomb that has reactivated under London. It would seem there is a way to defuse the device, but it will require Ravne to sacrifice someone - Miss Simmons. I am still enjoying the series, but this was a solid filler piece.

Nikolai Dante: Hell and High Water Part 5. Dante is saved by the Black Dragons airships, who drive the forces of the Kraken away but not before the Kraken chows down on one of his crewmen's hearts while declaring vengeance on Dante (Crazy ass character). The Black Dragons mind, you don't seem much better, and soon Dante is in a duel and being his classic charismatic shelf. I like series; it is tempting me to pick up his early adventures and start reading them.

Sinister Dexter: Relode Part 4. Holy Moses has the boys trapped and outgunned in a D-Jump lab. Sadly for the duo, the professor is years away still from having a ready prototype. Luckily as the bullets fly, Billi has a fantastic idea of pre-booking a D-flight and the pair are saved as Manx crashes his craft straight into the lab, saving the trio and jumping out of that timeline. It is then revealed that they may have not been in their own history and instead in an alternate dimension. The story finishes with Holy Moses putting the moves on the professor. I have a strong feeling Holy Moses will be back to get the pair soon! Great little fun four-part story. Was nice to see the return of a classic character like Moses and his mafia-styled gang. I love the characters, and I really hope they return soon.

Slaine: Moloch Part 5. Slaine still does not trust the Demon Moloch (rightly so he is a demon), so he enlists the aid of a seer to help him see the future. The seer seems unsuccessful before suddenly prophesying the actual future - steel chariots and birds, a demon trapped in crystal, no fish in the sea. Having heard the news, Slaine dismisses her slight and grows moody over Ireland's future. Wishing to be alone, Niamh walks the coast, where she is ambushed by Moloch; in a shocking scene, we see the demon stab her before raping her (this was a horrific scene). Slaine is worried about how long Niamh is gone and goes in search. Discovering her death, we have a rather heartbreaking farewell and an enraged Slaine.

Another solid Prog from 2000 AD. I am so glad I got back into reading these. I had stopped pre-2000 due to what I felt was a decline in quality, but these are some vital issues so far. Let's hope it continues.

Want to learn more about 2000 AD? Why not start with the 2000 AD Encyclopedia (link is via Amazon, and I get a kickback). Thank you for reading, and if you want to chat more, come find me on Instagram.

Miniature Monday // Warlord Games Wally Squad

Oh man, was I excited for this kit. Warlord Games have so far done a great job at supporting the Judge Dredd miniature game. Of course, with COVID and production issues, delays happened. But we finally got wave 2 or maybe wave three of miniatures. We are treated to three unique new kits; Wally Squad, Klegg-Hai and Mega-City Robots. This week we will be showcasing the Wally Squad. Have a watch, enjoy and be sure to follow me over on Youtube.

Inside this pack, you will find 3 Famous Wally Squad Judges:

• Jack Point
• Dirty Frank
• Aimee Nixon

1 Unit Card (Wally Squad Judges), 3 Character Cards (Jack, Frank and Aimee) and then 2 Big Meg Cards: Face Change & Wally Squad.

I plan to do some painting videos soon and then do a complete character profile on each of them over here on the blog. If this interests you, please do sign up for notifications or follow me on social media.

If you are still reading, you are amazing! Use this Solo Link to find me everywhere: https://solo.to/adventureswithpeps.

Filmed on the Sony zve-10: https://amzn.to/3BftaAY