Peter Fehervari’s Dark Coil

[The Scorpion]

55 minutes ago, sitnam said:

Is Fehervari the most underrated author in BL?

Obviously. There is glaze, for sure, but not as much as there should be.

[hd3]

On 6/11/2026 at 11:52 PM, The Scorpion said:

It may, because the order in which you read things affects the reveals.

 

When I first read Requiem Infernal, I completely missed that Asenath's backstory was the Imperium's conquest of the Providence system!

Agree on Crown of Thorns. It is the best "Angels Penitent" story in the coil, even moreso than The Sins of my Brothers. The reason I prefer 13th Psalm though, is that has more internal pieces and was my first introduction to the layered take on the warp and corruption that Fehervari has. The only other author which I have seen treat the warp with such nuance is Chris Wraight, but to a lesser degree.

 

Fire and Ice also has the most Based depiction of Farsight. He feels buddha-like at times. The inquisitorial mind games are great, but the Calavera has some 300 IQ plays going on.

 

I thought at first that he might be Czervantes returning from his lost Crusade, but this Tzeentchian plottery doesn't fit Varzival's character. Then I started to think he might be Satori, because as far as we know we have never seen Satori wearing his battle armor.

 

 

My theory is that calavera is actually Xoren Castaneda himself. It would explain why he abandoned the angels resplendent, to fight chaos, why none of his apprentices can find him etc. The only argument against that is Fehrevari allegedly said "if he could write a Horus heresy book, it would have calavera in it" which would pre date xoren. Though I've never been able to find the source quote for that and of course whether it counts given it's him talking about what he might've done is questionable.

Edited October 14 by hd3

[The Scorpion]

Maybe he meant it in the sense that Calavera has time travel.

 

But it would probably be a blunder on the GOAT's part, mixing a coil character with 30k.

 

We saw that even Abnett was led astray by his attempts to connect the two settings.

 

I still think that Calavera is Satori, because Xoren was said to "ascend" which makes me think of Nirvana and the abandonment of the physical world.

Edited October 16 by The Scorpion

[DarkChaplain]

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back when, when Fire & Ice originally dropped, I had a pleasant exchange with Peter on Goodreads, where we also talked about Calavera. We also talked about other stuff that may or may not have been in his notes or what he hoped to successfully pitch to Black Library back then, including stuff about the Brotherhood of A Thousand or the likes. This is from memory since I haven't opened up Goodreads in months, but...

 

If I remember correctly, he wanted the Calavera and his identity to be kept vague, but there was an element of "wouldn't it be cool if this was actually Omegon, completely estranged from the Alpha Legion doing weird stuff". Obviously, this would never pan out in the canon, but if you consider it as part of the character's original theme & nature in the author's mind, it serves as an interesting framework, pieces of which might or might not be still playing in the background.

It's a bit of a bummer that BL would've considered something like that too out there, particularly with the Heresy still running high. It also seems like they still haven't figured out what to do with Omegon in general, unless we assume that Dan Abnett will be using him in Bequin 3, whenever THAT can of worms gets opened in the late 2030s...

 

Either way, I expect this to have been thoroughly discarded as an idea and his identity is closer to what's being discussed, more intimately linked to the Coil itself, rather than feeding on the wider 40k mythos the way Abnett has been doing for the Abnettverse

 

Man, Peter must have such a big pile of notes and ideas on his desk, whether they still influence the Coil directly or just thematically, or have been scrapped altogether. We'd be so blessed had BL not clamped down on many creative ideas back in the day. Fehervari unleashed would've been a sight to see. I'm just glad that we seem to be past the critical stage where things might've just ended due to BL, and we now have an acknowledged cult following that allows for new material to be commissioned.

[System Sound]

12 hours ago, The Scorpion said:

Maybe he meant it in the sense that Calavera has time travel.

 

But it would probably be a blunder on the GOAT's part, mixing a coil character with 30k.

 

We saw that even Abnett was led astray by his attempts to connect the two settings.

 

I still think that Calavera is Satori, because Xoren was said to "ascend" which makes me think of Nirvana and the abandonment of the physical world.

My theory is that Calavera is Satori too, but before Reverie, I was dead set that Calavera was someone from Thousand Sons for some reason.

[System Sound]

3 hours ago, DarkChaplain said:

Man, Peter must have such a big pile of notes and ideas on his desk, whether they still influence the Coil directly or just thematically, or have been scrapped altogether. We'd be so blessed had BL not clamped down on many creative ideas back in the day. Fehervari unleashed would've been a sight to see. I'm just glad that we seem to be past the critical stage where things might've just ended due to BL, and we now have an acknowledged cult following that allows for new material to be commissioned.

I'm honestly quite surprised that he only writes 40k, aside from that one short story a few years ago. I'd love to see him do some world-building that is not constrained by BL/GW, give me the Fehervari equivalent of Malazan! 

[hd3]

17 hours ago, The Scorpion said:

Maybe he meant it in the sense that Calavera has time travel.

 

But it would probably be a blunder on the GOAT's part, mixing a coil character with 30k.

 

We saw that even Abnett was led astray by his attempts to connect the two settings.

 

I still think that Calavera is Satori, because Xoren was said to "ascend" which makes me think of Nirvana and the abandonment of the physical world.

 

'torn from the fabric of reality' could also mean atemporal nature which would let xoren be the calavera in 30k and still be himself. 

This is just a hunch but calavera being satori seems somehow almost....too easy. And Fehrevari has never made anything easy for us. That's half the charm. You feel like you're special for going back again and noticing the subtle things, the garnish things.

[The Scorpion]

Ultimately, we'll have to see tomorrow when Cold Covenant releases, what new insights we get from the dark and twisting Coil.

 

Because of how things in the Coil are, Calavera lore could perfectly happen to be on a guard novel.

[hd3]

14 hours ago, DarkChaplain said:

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back when, when Fire & Ice originally dropped, I had a pleasant exchange with Peter on Goodreads, where we also talked about Calavera. We also talked about other stuff that may or may not have been in his notes or what he hoped to successfully pitch to Black Library back then, including stuff about the Brotherhood of A Thousand or the likes. This is from memory since I haven't opened up Goodreads in months, but...

 

 

  Hide contents

If I remember correctly, he wanted the Calavera and his identity to be kept vague, but there was an element of "wouldn't it be cool if this was actually Omegon, completely estranged from the Alpha Legion doing weird stuff". Obviously, this would never pan out in the canon, but if you consider it as part of the character's original theme & nature in the author's mind, it serves as an interesting framework, pieces of which might or might not be still playing in the background.

 

It's a bit of a bummer that BL would've considered something like that too out there, particularly with the Heresy still running high. It also seems like they still haven't figured out what to do with Omegon in general, unless we assume that Dan Abnett will be using him in Bequin 3, whenever THAT can of worms gets opened in the late 2030s...
 

 

 

 

Either way, I expect this to have been thoroughly discarded as an idea and his identity is closer to what's being discussed, more intimately linked to the Coil itself, rather than feeding on the wider 40k mythos the way Abnett has been doing for the Abnettverse

 

Man, Peter must have such a big pile of notes and ideas on his desk, whether they still influence the Coil directly or just thematically, or have been scrapped altogether. We'd be so blessed had BL not clamped down on many creative ideas back in the day. Fehervari unleashed would've been a sight to see. I'm just glad that we seem to be past the critical stage where things might've just ended due to BL, and we now have an acknowledged cult following that allows for new material to be commissioned.

 

Actually the bit Fehrevari said would kinda fit for xoren too. The primogenitor (not a primarch but a founder of a  distinct space marine group) now utterly estranged from them and indifferent to their fate. If Omegon was the inspiration, xoren would certainly fit the Canon.

[Lord Marshal]

Hardback just landed. Time to lock myself away. If I don't return assume I was teleported somewhere horrible like Detroit. 

[The Scorpion]

Started it:

 

The ambience is peak.

The prose is still peak.

 

But AAAAAAAH THE BL APP IS STILL GARBAGE WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT GOES BACK 13 PAGES WHEN I TURN OFF MY SCREEN WHY IT HAS NOT CHANGED ONE BIT

 

Man, after Cold Covenant, I am not touching this trash unless the next Scouring book drops

[DukeLeto69]

Few chapters in and…WELCOME BACK FEHERVARI…top quality

[No Foes Remain]

Half way through Dark Coil Damnation and damn is Peter a great writer, Vanguard had me flicking back to Fire Caste to confirm suspicions on who became what.

 

Still got the rest of the book and the second omnibus to go but Cold Covenant will make it's way up my 'to-read shelf' pretty quickly

[hd3]

8 hours ago, The Scorpion said:

Started it:

 

The ambience is peak.

The prose is still peak.

 

But AAAAAAAH THE BL APP IS STILL GARBAGE WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT GOES BACK 13 PAGES WHEN I TURN OFF MY SCREEN WHY IT HAS NOT CHANGED ONE BIT

 

Man, after Cold Covenant, I am not touching this trash unless the next Scouring book drops

 

This is why I always get the physical book for BL

[The Scorpion]

16 hours ago, DukeLeto69 said:

Few chapters in and…WELCOME BACK FEHERVARI…top quality

End of first part:

 

Total ghost characters: 6

Total living characters: 5

 

Never change Fehervari

[LemartesTheLost]

Don’t know how many of us succeeded in grabbing the LE, but this is the blurb that I have in mine.
 

“Bad blood to spill after good to appease the stain that cannot be cleansed”

Copy 1295/1750

 

For some reason my photo won’t upload to B&C :/

 

I assume they all connect in some manner like the Dark Coil boxset because of course Fehervari would take the time to create ANOTHER puzzle to solve. 

I will be binge reading this book tonight at the expense of everything else happening in my life.
 

[Lord Marshal]

There's a new anthology coming out next week, which includes one from the man himself.. No clue if it's just reprinting appropriate shorts, or if it's new stuff? Maybe Blindsight since it missed the omnibus boat? 

 

Quote

Finally, a compilation of stories from across the 41st Millennium makes for the perfect dip-in-dip-out read in Treachery Unbound, where almost every faction you could think of gets their moment in a grand anthology proving just how grim and dark the far future really is.

 

Edited Sunday at 05:16 PM by Lord Marshal

[The Scorpion]

Quote

A newly built gallery for a forthcoming study of the human condition,’ Urzelka explains. ‘The machinery required is currently under construction, but the centrepiece is already in place, as you can see. Come!’

The mirror of Athanazius returns! Or in this case, appears for the first time.

 

Urzelka has yet to complete the gallery of degeneracy we see in "The Thirteenth Psalm" by the time of Cold Covenant, yet we know a few things:

 

▪︎ She knows it comes from the Resplendent. Though she claims they are gone. Maybe in a way, they are.

 

▪︎ She got it from a one-eyed fellow, but notably NOT the Calavera (that would be her sister's giant). Who could this be?

Quote

‘How did you come by it?’ he asks raptly.

 

‘A trade of sorts,’ Urzelka answers, her tone darkening. ‘With a one-eyed schemer more cunning than any daemon of fable.’

 

Edited Sunday at 06:20 PM by Dr_Ruminahui
removed swear dodge

[System Sound]

Spoiler

12 hours ago, The Scorpion said:

The mirror of Athanazius returns! Or in this case, appears for the first time.

 

Urzelka has yet to complete the gallery of degeneracy we see in "The Thirteenth Psalm" by the time of Cold Covenant, yet we know a few things:

 

▪︎ She knows it comes from the Resplendent. Though she claims they are gone. Maybe in a way, they are.

 

▪︎ She got it from a one-eyed fellow, but notably NOT the Calavera (that would be her sister's giant). Who could this be?

 

 

Spoiler tags please.

 

Speaking of spoilers. I'm only on chapter 3, but:

Spoiler

Is it me or the Whip being followed in this chapter is gonna become the Undying Martyr? The way he's being described is giving me major red flags.

 

[Lord Marshal]

7 hours ago, System Sound said:

  Reveal hidden contents

 

Spoiler tags please.

 

Speaking of spoilers. I'm only on chapter 3, but:

  Hide contents

Is it me or the Whip being followed in this chapter is gonna become the Undying Martyr? The way he's being described is giving me major red flags.

 

 

I don't think so, if only because he's all but confirmed to be...

 

Spoiler

Gurdijeff from Fire Caste, who if I remember correctly had always served with the Lethean Mariners, who go on to share the same 'creed' as the Penitent. 

 

He 'dies' asking Cutler if it's a dream before falling into a river, and the first thing he asks upon being found by the Resplendent walking out of a river is if he's still dreaming, along with having the same wound through his stomach.

 

Edited Monday at 01:36 PM by Lord Marshal

[Lord Marshal]

Special edition landed today.

 

[The Scorpion]

W

 

That's the one that has Blindsight, right?

 

After finishing Cold Covenant, I might have to go back to Blindsight yet again.

 

Spoiler

I spotted the White Rat early on in the novel, when Indigo is having her flashback about the Dark Anchoress.

 

It is one of the rats in the "congregation".

 

[hd3]

I might buy treachery if it has blindsight. Does blindsight lead into cold covenant like the other shorts?

[The Scorpion]

8 hours ago, hd3 said:

I might buy treachery if it has blindsight. Does blindsight lead into cold covenant like the other shorts?

Blindsight might be the short story most related Cold Covenant imho. Even more so than Fire and Ice and 13th Psalm.

[System Sound]

My LE finally arived. Here's the quote:

Spoiler