Fixed by Robbie MacNiven is the sixth story in Black Library’s 2016 Advent Calendar, and the first of three Blood Bowl escapades. When Nordland Raiders star blitzer Greig Garr undergoes unorthodox surgery after suffering a potentially career-ending injury, he’s approached by a decidedly shady character who offers to have him back on his feet in no time…for a price. With the Raiders’ promotion to play for in a crucial match against arch rivals the East End Boyz, and his own career at stake, Garr is faced with a tricky decision to make.
Unlike Manglers Never Lose, this is a Blood Bowl story that puts the reader front and centre in the carnage of the game. Tactics are chosen, passes made, blocks thrown and body parts lost or mangled as we’re swept up in the excitement of this brutal sport, equal parts slapstick and eye-watering. The trademark sense of bonkers fun is present and correct, with the right balance of familiar (but subtly different) grim fantasy and catastrophically exaggerated contact sport, and while things get a little confused once or twice in the orchestration of the action, overall this is a deeply enjoyable story that fits the bill beautifully.
Click here for an overview of the Black Library Advent Calendar 2016.
Thanks for the review, glad you enjoyed it. It was certainly a lot of fun to write!
Thanks for the review, glad you enjoyed it. It was certainly a lot of fun to write!