On the sixteenth day of Black Library’s 2015 Advent Calendar it’s a battle for supremacy as two Khornate champions duke it out in Andy Clark’s Age of Sigmar short story Gorechosen. The slaughterpriest Akhagor leads his warband into the Scorchpit, a veritable arena of death filled with all manner of foes to battle, while the aspiring deathbringer Vorhak chafes under his command and threatens to turn the warband against him. With the realm of Fire under assault by the Stormcasts, can Akhagor lead his army to glory and reach his destiny?
Only Clark’s second story for Black Library, after the Deathwatch tale Whiteout, this feels impressively mature and well structured. Sure he fits in all the usual references to the new Age of Sigmar setting, but not at the expense of the story, and he manages to give the whole thing a very solid, old school chaos feel. Neither Akhagor nor Vorhak are especially original characters, but their antagonism feels fleshed-out and believable, underpinning the whole story and providing enough tension to drive the narrative on. Look elsewhere for nuance or subtlety, but if you’re after action, bloodshed and carnage then this delivers in spades. More good signs from Andy Clark.
Click here to go to the main Black Library Advent Calendar post and see the other reviews.
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