Robert Rath makes an impressive Black Library debut with The Garden of Mortal Delights, an Age of Sigmar short story which manages to explore interesting angles on both Slaanesh worship and the mindset of the Sylvaneth. Branchwych Kurdwen has been held captive for a full season, serving the whims of Revish the Epicurean and tending to his pleasure garden. Grown bored of the more visceral excesses, Revish has turned to culinary pleasures to sate his desires, utilising Kurdwen’s talents to nurture his garden. As he increasingly relies upon her skills, however, the branchwych has plans of her own in motion.
It’s an accomplished and engaging story, cleverly plotted so as to feel familiar and comfortable but also hold a few surprises, and neatly encompassing the identities (and unexpected sympathies) of both the Sylvaneth and the Slaaneshi within its main characters. These are familiar archetypes seen from unexpected angles, and both characters are vividly drawn without relying on obvious tropes or in-universe jargon. Focused as it is away from the battlefield – essentially a story of the long-gestated aftermath of one of Revish’s raids – it paints an intriguing picture of (grim) everyday life in this corner of the Mortal Realms, and balances out the expected action and excitement with a little bit of subtle darkness. Very much recommended.
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