The seventeenth Gotrek & Felix novel, David Guymer’s Slayer completes the two-part Doom of Gotrek Gurnisson arc within the wider Warhammer End Times series. Following on from the events of Kinslayer it sees Gotrek and Felix heading south with a ragtag force of men to try and reach Altdorf and Felix’s young family. In the way are whole armies of marauding northmen, while the shadowy presence of Be’lakor works to fulfil a prophecy and at last bring Gotrek’s doom down upon him. Despite their badly damaged friendship, the two adventurers fight side by side for what might be the last time.
Even more than Kinslayer, this has a darker tone than most Gotrek & Felix stories, because of both the ongoing End Time narrative (it is the end of the world, after all) and the blows that the relationship between the two characters has taken. It does, in fact, feel more like an End Times novel than a Gotrek and Felix novel for large parts of the book, although there are still moments – usually involving another familiar character from previous books – where the series’ DNA shines through. While most of the ‘nounslayer’ books saw a largely unchanged relationship between the two characters, this is all about the barriers that time, life and age have made between them, which makes for an interesting chance to see these characters in a slightly different light.
Gotrek seems even more sullen and withdrawn than usual, while Felix is really feeling his age and questioning his choices, but the distance between them – as well as the chance to see them from other characters’ perspectives – helps add context to what they’re going through. That’s all nicely shown, although the wider narrative within which it all takes place is perhaps not quite so well constructed. Be’lakor is the key antagonist, but he’s largely on the fringes of the story, influencing things via prophecy and dark magic while his champions chase after Gotrek and Felix. The pacing feels a little tangled up and bogged down in multiple viewpoints, mystical visions and questions of destiny which all seem like a rather complicated way of dealing with Felix having to decide what his priority is. Even with the bad blood between him and Gotrek, his arc always feels fairly inevitable despite all the talk of important choices.
For the most part Guymer’s writing does a good job of fitting in with the Gotrek & Felix style, as introduced by William King, although sometimes it can prove a little tricky to follow just what’s going on. It must have been a tricky balancing act, however, to remain true to the series while also fitting in with the End Times narrative, so a few slightly contrived moments linking in with wider events taking place elsewhere can be forgiven. Thankfully, when the real essence of Gotrek & Felix does come to the fore, it’s everything you want to see and a powerful reminder of why these characters are so popular. Without spoiling anything, it all wraps up with a suitably heroic send off for Gotrek, even if some fans might have wished for something a bit more epic, and if the ending is a little nebulous in terms of some of the other characters, well…sometimes it’s best to leave a little up to the imagination.
