Eight days into Black Library’s 2015 Advent Calendar and it’s Rob Sanders’ second contribution, with the Age of Sigmar short story Daemon of the Deep. Set in the idyllic, utopian kingdom of Ersatz Island, when the ruling Sheldrac family make an alliance with a neighbouring kingdom they ruthlessly sacrifice the malformed Silas in an attempt to prove the purity of their line. Nominally done in the name of Sigmar, it’s an action that conceals a darker side to the perfection otherwise attained on Ersatz Island. Meanwhile Silas, abandoned and left for dead amongst the filth and detritus, turns to a different power to find his vengeance.
A fresh, individual new setting, this really shows the scope of the Age of Sigmar, and is the sort of outlandish new world that would never have fitted in with the old Warhammer. Despite that there’s quite a familiar feel to the story, with plenty of old school grit and a delightfully bleak plot full of betrayal and revenge. Sanders revels in the gruesome details and vividly-drawn action, and if it does get a little exaggerated at times it’s still a satisfying story that maintains an impressive balance between freshness and familiarity.
Click here to go to the main Black Library Advent Calendar post and see the other reviews.
2 comments