The release of a brand new edition of Blood Bowl provides a perfect opportunity for Black Library to produce accompanying stories, the first of which is Manglers Never Die by Josh Reynolds. When Middenplatz Manglers star player Marius Hertz is found dead on the morning of a crucial game, head coach Tyros Bundt turns to necromancy in order to avoid forfeiting the match. In the bonkers world of Blood Bowl that isn’t even the craziest thing to happen in this story!
Blood Bowl has always been a little left of centre compared to the rest of Warhammer, and this is no different. It’s definitely not an Age of Sigmar tale (orks, not Orruks for example), but it’s not exactly set in the Old World either, despite the brief appearance of a familiar pair of characters. What it is though is darkly funny, channelling the raucous spirit of Blood Bowl alongside hints of Pratchett and a strong sense of fun that’s often a feature of Reynolds’ work. Look elsewhere if you’re after a detailed depiction of an actual Blood Bowl game, but as a glimpse into the murky world of inter-species warfare ball sports this is well worth checking out.
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