After tackling the human followers of Chaos in his debut novel for Black Library, Richard Strachan returns to Age of Sigmar with The End of Enlightenment but focuses on two very different factions – the Lumineth Realm-Lords and the Ossiarch Bonereapers. In the wake of the Necroquake, the Lumineth march on Shyish determined to bring Nagash to account. Stonemage Carreth Y’gethin holds himself aloof from the war, determined to leave behind the violence of his youth during the Spirefall, but when his sister is killed fighting the Bonereapers he finds himself drawn into the conflict regardless. Tasked by Teclis himself with defeating a dangerous general of the Ossiarch legions and staving off a terrible future, Carreth struggles to balance his god-given duty with his own spiritual equilibrium.
After a brief but bruising, action-packed opening which introduces Carreth’s doomed sister Tuareth and sets the plot in motion, things settle down to a relatively gentle pace, slowly building momentum as Carreth and his opposite number – Liege-Kavalos Akridos – move towards an inevitable confrontation. Grieving for his sister, troubled by Teclis’ commands and his own reticence to commit to a path of violence, Carreth gathers his forces and prepares for an uncertain war, while Akridos confidently leads his Bonereapers forward into Hysh. Both characters have long histories of warfare and fame – or infamy – and for all their obvious differences the two of them share surprising similarities too, and are clearly bound by fate. There are some spectacular moments of grand, powerful pitched battles between the two forces, but the core of the story is the main characters wrestling with conflicting emotions that are pulling them in different directions. Set primarily in Hysh, the measured pace allows for fascinating, evocative exploration of this strange realm, which is calm and soothing but also mysterious and at times even sinister.
It’s very much a Lumineth novel, but Strachan puts considerable effort into developing Akridos and the Bonereapers too, to great effect. While there are clear High Elf references (from the world that was) in the Lumineth, they’re nonetheless their own thing, and Strachan does a great job of tying together their powerful spirituality and complex emotions with the dichotomy between the fragile aelves and their mountainous solidity. The Lumineth are in tune with nature and the landscape of their realm, while the Bonereapers grind their way over any obstacles in their path, but there’s so much more to them in this depiction than just mindless, shambling undead. Defined by Nagash but given free will of sorts, Akridos makes for an intriguing (and almost sympathetic) antagonist, fiercely proud of his martial prowess and his past glory, dangerous and driven but flawed in a way that undead characters rarely are. There’s plenty for fans to enjoy in the little details, too – look out in particular for the necropolis library with its strange little bibliopomps and the devious soulmason Kathanos.
This is a novel which does for the Lumineth and Bonereapers what Josh Reynolds’ Soul Wars did for the Stormcast Eternals and Nighthaunt, telling a compelling, standalone story that represents the wider conflict (in this case the ongoing Broken Realms narrative) while keeping things focused and adding personality to both sides. It cleverly represents the turning point for the Lumineth (exemplified by Carreth) in terms of their engagement with the present and the wider narrative of the Mortal Realms, without requiring the reader to have any great knowledge of other events. It also continues to demonstrate Strachan’s skill as a writer, from his elegant prose and ability to generate an evocative sense of tone and place, to his eye for strong, engaging characters. Whether keen to get to know two still-new factions, looking for a powerful hit of nostalgia, or just in search of a great character-driven fantasy story, there’s a lot for Age of Sigmar fans to enjoy in this gripping, entertaining and brilliantly written novel.
Review copy provided by the author – many thanks to Richard Strachan for sending me a copy of The End of Enlightenment, in exchange for my honest review.
See also: my Rapid Fire interview with Richard Strachan talking about The End of Enlightenment.
See also: the main Age of Sigmar reviews page on Track of Words
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