Category Archives: Books

Callis & Toll: The Silver Shard – Nick Horth

An Age of Sigmar story set in the Realm of Ghur, Nick Horth’s novel Callis & Toll: The Silver Shard is a direct sequel to the short but very enjoyable City of Secrets, and explores Witch Hunter Hanniver Toll’s single-minded pursuit of ex-High Arbiter Ortam Vermyre. Leaving Excelsis behind, Toll and ex-Freeguild soldier Armand Callis pursue their enemy across the land, sea and air as Vermyre seeks out a long-lost artefact with the power to inflict untold damage on the Mortal Realms. It’s a journey that forces them to call upon all their skill and determination, and allies, just to survive.

Keep reading…

Slaves to Darkness – John French

Book fifty-one in the Horus Heresy series, John French’s novel Slaves to Darkness is a rare beast – a Heresy novel focusing entirely on unambiguously traitor perspectives. As Horus is brought bleeding from the surface of Beta Garmon to the Vengeful Spirit, Maloghurst issues orders to gather Horus’ brothers together. While Lorgar and Perturabo are tasked with finding and controlling their daemonic brothers Fulgrim and Angron, Maloghurst calls on all of his political nous and accumulated power to steer the overall campaign in Horus’ absence. With Abaddon away chasing the Wolves, Maloghurst is left clashing with what remains of the Mournival.

Keep reading…

Eight Lamentations: Spear of Shadows – Josh Reynolds

Josh Reynolds’ Eight Lamentations: Spear of Shadows is the first in a planned Age of Sigmar trilogy about the search for eight powerful weapons scattered across the Mortal Realms. In the city of Excelsis, the crippled god Grungni gathers together adventurers from different Realms to seek out one of the eight, the Spear of Shadows, before it falls into the wrong hands. Grungni isn’t the only power seeking the spear, however – the Khornate forgemasters who first forged the eight weapons compete against each other, while both Archaon and Neferata send their own champions even as the skaven of Clan Rictus join the hunt for it.

Keep reading…

Neferata: Mortarch of Blood – David Annandale

Click here to check out my Rapid Fire interview with David Annandale about Neferata: Mortarch of Blood.

For David Annandale’s first Age of Sigmar novel he’s tackled one of the surviving characters from the World-that-Was, in Neferata: Mortarch of Blood. It’s a two-strand novel, one taking place in the distant past and the other immediately after the events of CL Werner’s Lord of Undeath. In the Age of Myth, Neferata fights to maintain control of her city Nulahmia against an uprising of once-loyal citizens inciting rebellion, while in the Age of Sigmar she works to regain control of Nulahmia after Nagash punished her by granting control of half the city to Arkhan the Black and his servants.

Keep reading…

Mechanicum – Graham McNeill

Graham McNeill’s Horus Heresy novel Mechanicum is book nine in the series, and McNeill’s third contribution, but it’s a book of firsts as well – the first proper look at Mars and the Mechanicum (ever, really, but certainly in the Heresy series), the first depiction of Imperial Knights in Black Library fiction, and the first female-led Heresy novel. Young scribe Dalia Cythera is whisked off to Mars by Adept Koriel Zeth, who puts her innate understanding of technology to use working on a ground-breaking project. Meanwhile tensions are mounting between rival factions on Mars, even bringing the Titan Legions into conflict.

Keep reading…

Ghost – James Swallow

The third book in James Swallow’s high-tech thriller series featuring ex-MI6 agent Marc Dane and the Rubicon Group, Ghost provides another relevant, contemporary story as Dane tackles a mysterious hacker collective tapping into the world’s digital weaknesses. Marc is mid-mission gathering information on a link to the sinister Combine when sudden new orders arrive, sending him to Malta to investigate an unusually public assassination. Who the victim is, why he was killed and what it means for Rubicon all come to light as Marc, Lucy and co. chase digital ghosts and fight back from a devastating betrayal.

Keep reading…

City of Secrets – Nick Horth

Nick Horth’s Age of Sigmar book City of Secrets, set in the city of Excelsis in the realm of Ghur, was the first to deal predominantly with mortal characters rather than Stormcast Eternals. Armand Callis is a corporal in the Coldguard, one of only three Freeguild regiments left behind to defend Excelsis while the majority of its forces march to deal with a vast gathering of Orruks. After stumbling upon a sinister plot and accidentally experiencing a powerful prophecy, Callis finds himself working alongside the Witch Hunter Hanniver Toll as they race against time to prevent the city’s destruction.

Keep reading…

Overlords of the Iron Dragon – CL Werner

Overlords of the Iron Dragon is CL Werner’s third Age of Sigmar novel, and the first to ever feature the Kharadron Overlords. Taking place mostly in the skies of Chamon, it follows sky-captain Brokrin Ullissonn and the crew of the Iron Dragon, a ship with a growing reputation for ill fortune. When they stumble upon the location of a strike of incredibly potent aether-gold, Brokrin’s lieutenants are desperate to go all in and claim a fortune that could spell the end of their troubles. Brokrin, however, remains cautious and suspects that it might just be too good to be true.

Keep reading…

Hammerhal – Josh Reynolds

Josh Reynolds’ Age of Sigmar novella Hammerhal is a surprisingly ambitious tale filled with action, adventure, faith and dark magic. Spanning the Realms of Ghyran and Aqshy, the twin cities of Hammerhal Ghyra and Hammerhal Aqsha are protected by powerful wards – but a darkness nevertheless grows within their walls, and in the dark Hexwood of the Nevergreen Mountains in Ghyran the beastkin gather. While Lord-Celestant Gardus Steel-Soul lends the Hallowed Knights’ strength to the sylvaneth against the tzaangor beastkin, knight of the Order of Azyr Sol Gage leads his comrades in excising the darkness that lurks within Hammerhal.

Keep reading…

Hallowed Knights: Plague Garden – Josh Reynolds

Continuing one of the most enjoyable storylines from the Age of Sigmar Realmgate Wars series, Josh Reynolds’ novel Hallowed Knights: Plague Garden returns to the Hallowed Knights’ campaign in Ghyran against the forces of Nurgle. As Lord-Castellant Grymn leads his warriors against the sargasso-citadels of the Order of the Fly, Lord-Celestant Gardus Steel Soul prepares to return to Ghyran and rejoin his warrior-chamber, accompanied by the contentious figure of Tornus the Redeemed. When Grymn is lost to the Garden of Nurgle, Gardus leads a rescue mission that risks the very souls of the Hallowed Knights.

Keep reading…