Sword of Vengeance - Chris Wraight - Advanced Review

Sword of Vengeance: Chris Wraight

A Warhammer Heroes Novel

Averland is aflame. An army of cultists rises in the corrupted city of Averheim. The Theogonist Volkmar marches towards the city in a race to snuff out the rebellion before it grows too widespread to defeat. Schwarzhelm races to return to the site of his recent battles, as does the spy Pieter Verstohlen, evading assassins while trying to discover the truth of the conspiracy that drew him away. But none of these holds the key. Out in the wilderness is Kurt Helborg, Grand Marshal of the Reiksguard. Only he has the indomitable strength of will to hold together the province in its hour of need. Only he can rally the terrified citizens of Averland to resist the infernal powers that beset them.

~http://www.blacklibrary.com/all-products/coming-soon/Sword-of-Vengeance.html

Note: This is an advanced review for Black Library and this novel is not available for purchase until February 2011. 

Now then, let’s begin. This is the third instalment in the popular Warhammer Heroes series, and the second Warhammer book that I’ve read, the first, being Wulfrik, also a Warhammer Heroes Novel.

And as it turned out, Sword of Vengeance is a great book, and Chris Wraight is an excellent author. Despite the fact that this novel is a sequel to Sword of Justice, there is a short synopsis of the events in the previous book that brought me up to date on what happened last time around.

I probably should have picked up Sword of Justice, but as I was behind in my review on God King, I decided to plough on regardless, and I’m glad I did, as this novel is a page-turning, well written, plot-twisting book that is easily my new favourite Warhammer Novel.

There’s character development, but mainly in the ‘bad guys’, however I won’t spoil things for you. As well has having character development, Sword of Vengeance is well paced out, drawing the reader in and then going out with one last hurrah in the final battle, that will tie up all loose ends.

And of course, there’s plenty of action. You get to see Daemons fight men; men fight Daemons and so forth.  The description is fantastic as well; you really get a feel of the surroundings and the events happening, even though they are in a completely different world.

Now, I’d like to discuss the predictability. Sure, you know what the overall outcome is going to be, but you won’t be able to guess what happens to the secondary characters that are Helborg’s allies.

Now, overall, The Sword of Vengeance is a fantastic read, and I am eagerly awaiting Chris Wraight’s next novel. I apologize for the short length of the review, but I hope you enjoyed it regardless.

And, on that bombshell, it’s time for what I usually finish with:

Rating: 9/10 – a fantastic read, but not a perfect book.

Should you buy this book? Yes, especially if you are a fan of Empire,  Sword of Justice, Warhammer Heroes, or Chris Wraight,

Wulfrik: CL Werner

Wulfrik: CL Werner

A Warhammer Heroes Novel

Emerging from the mists, Wulfrik the Wanderer brings destruction and death everywhere he treads. Cursed by the Ruinous Powers, the champion must travel across the Old World and seek prizes to appease the forces of Chaos. But now dark forces plot against Wulfrik, and he must discover the enemy within or else his soul will be lost to the Dark Gods forever.

~http://www.blacklibrary.com/Warhammer/Warhammer-heroes/Wulfrik.html

Now, as this was my first adventure into the realms of the Warhammer World, I was a bit confused at the start, like I was when I read my first 40k Novel, which was in fact Emperor’s Mercy by Henry Zou. However, I quickly got used to it and quickly enjoyed it, which was defiantly a promising start.

Now, In case you’re wondering, Warhammer Heroes is kind of similar to the Space Marine Battle Series for 40k, however it focuses upon Heroes (and anti-heroes, in Wulfrik’s case), instead of the adeptus astartes. This means that you don’t have to pick up its predecessor, Sword of Justice by Chris Wraight to understand what’s going on here – however, I might pick it up anyway, judging by this book.

Anyway, onto the actual review. The characters, especially the Wanderer himself, are really flushed out and well developed, and, not everyone is your typical Chaos Marauder, either, as Wulfrik is fighting for something that not many fight for (Or at least I think, because I’m not an expert on Chaos Marauders, or Warhammer in its whole), although they are portrayed as a sort of Viking-type people. I don’t really know if that’s common or not.

There’s also great description of both the characters and the settings, as well as the backstories, and CL Werner does this without spoiling the pace of the novel for us. Also, the action is fantastic, as the author splits it up well and delivers loads of twists and turns to keep us hooked.

The Pacing of Wulfrik is great, and an enjoyable read overall. I’m looking forward to reading more works from CL Werner, who is the author of the Thanquol & Boneripper series, by the way.

Maybe I would have enjoyed Wulfrik even more if I was a Warhammer Fantasy veteran, but I must say its tempted me to buy more Fantasy books nonetheless.

Rating: 8/10 – Great Read, a bit confusing for new fantasy readers (like me), but I’m sure a seasoned fantasy reader will love it.

Should you buy this book? Yes.