Dale Lucas is an established fantasy writer, and for his Black Library debut – Age of Sigmar short story Blessed Oblivion – he delivers a fresh, assured look at the cost paid by the Stormcast Eternals for their Reforging. Klytos is a Liberator of the Celestial Vindicators, bound by brotherhood and duty, his Stormhost tasked with protecting refugees fleeing through Shyish from the predations of rampaging Khornate hordes. Before each battle he holds tight to his few remaining memories from his first life, and when an unlikely alliance offers the opportunity to reclaim his memories in full he can’t help but put himself first for once.
The subject of Stormcasts’ memories has been covered lots before, but Lucas takes an interesting approach by giving Klytos both an unusual and potentially damning choice, and an ongoing dilemma which plays upon his faith and sense of self. It’s quite long as Black Library short stories go, but avoids getting bogged down in fighting (of which there’s plenty, but judiciously used) and instead concentrates on Klytos’ internal conflict and his uncomfortable, bickering relationship with his morally ambiguous ally. It’s an engaging read, emphasising the human side of the Stormcast, and draws a bleakly compelling conclusion which feels entirely in keeping with the direction Age of Sigmar is taking.
Check out the main Age of Sigmar reviews page on Track of Words.
