David Guymer’s second contribution to the End Times short stories is Gotrek & Felix : Rememberers, a micro-short originally published in the Black Library Weekender III programme. Set in between the events of Kinslayer and Slayer, it sees Gotrek accompanied by past and present Rememberers as the three of them fight their way through Kurgan marauders on the way to reunite Felix with his wife in Altdorf.
Another End Times short story, this time linking to The Curse of Khaine, Graeme Lyon’s Bride of Khaine looks at the relationship between the Hag Queen Hellebron and her champion, Tullaris Dreadbringer. Set on Death Night during the Chaos invasion of Har Ganeth, it sees Hellebron old and frail, watching Tullaris from afar as she waits for the ritual that will see her rejuvenated once more, while other powers conspire to strike while she is at her weakest.
In the first of his short story contributions to the End Times series, David Guymer steps away from Gotrek and Felix to pick up a thread from the Glottkin background book, in Marienburg’s Stand. Before they could march on Altdorf the brothers Glott needed to fight their way through the independent city state of Marienburg, whose powerful fleet and strong sea defences were bolstered by unexpected allies. Here we see how that engagement plays out, as the vampire Mundvard the Cruel emerges from the shadows to fight for the city alongside its human defenders.
While it’s perhaps surprising that the short story With Ice and Sword is Graham McNeill’s only contribution to the End Times series, it’s no surprise to see him involved in some way. Here he draws upon characters from his Ambassador Chronicles novels as he tells a tale of Kislev’s final days, as a ragged band of survivors reach the shelter provided by the Ice Queen and her remaining forces. Vast numbers of beastmen are drawing close even as the Kislevites reach the ruins of Erengrad and a potential lifeline.
In typical Black Library fashion, the End Times series of novels now gets a range of supplementary short stories, filling in some of the gaps left by the books. Set immediately prior to the events of The Curse of Khaine, SP Cawkwell’s short story The Siege of Naggarond details the Chaos assault on the druchii city, led by Valkia the Bloody. After the destruction of one of the northern watchtowers, a single elf survives to carry a warning back to Naggarond, where Kouran Darkhand waits to lead the defence of the city in Malekith’s absence. Keep reading…
The fifth Black Library novel to accompany the Warhammer End Times background books, Josh Reynolds’ The Lord of the End Times finishes the series off on a high note, as the events of the End Times reach their inevitable conclusion. It follows the few remaining mortal heroes as they battle to survive against the endless hordes of Archaon, harnessing their powers and attempting to work together despite age-old grievances. From the streets of Middenheim to the glades of Athel Loren and back again, the Incarnates and their allies fight not just for their own survival, but for that of the world itself. As this is the End Times, things look bleak. Keep reading…
Five books in, and the End Times are well and truly here for the Warhammer world. The latest in the series of background books, Archaon sees the forces of Chaos poised to finally triumph over all else. Nations and races are crushed and scattered, with only a handful of heroes remaining to stand against Archaon and his armies – Karl Franz has rallied what remains of the Empire at Averheim, supported by a handful of remaining Bretonnians and dwarfs, while the elves battle to keep Athel Loren free of taint from within and without. Even Nagash is assailed on multiple fronts. Things look bleak for the world.
The longest-running series of Warhammer novels by far, the Gotrek and Felix series reaches novel number sixteen with David Guymer’s Kinslayer, book one of The Doom of Gotrek Gurnisson. Returning to the ‘nounslayer’ style books and set a year after Nathan Long’s Zombieslayer, we see Felix dragged from a quiet life in Altdorf by the appearance of the vampire Ulrika to help rescue the wizard Max Schreiber, who has been kidnapped by the Troll King and imprisoned in the enemy-held city of Praag. With his loyalties torn between helping Max and being with his frail wife Kat, and still struggling to deal with his feelings for Ulrika, Felix finds himself back in his old life of adventuring once again, and soon reunites with more familiar faces than just Ulrika.
The Warhammer End Times series of novels gets its 4th instalment with Guy Haley’s The Rise of the Horned Rat, accompanying the Thanquol background book and exploring the skaven’s involvement in the series. In a similar way to The Fall of Altdorf this avoids trying to cover everything that happens in the background book, instead focusing on the ratmen’s all-out assault on the dwarfs. Queek Headtaker returns to the war-torn Karak Eight Peaks to finally cast out his great rivals, Skarsnik and King Belegar, while the all across their realm the dwarfs see only darkness and death. In the shadows, pulling strings, lurk the daemonic Verminlords.
For the fourth Warhammer End Times background book, the focus is on the skaven as they attempt to put aside their traditional backstabbing and double-dealing, and work together for once. Emerging from their tunnels all across the world, they lay siege to the lizardmen cities of Lustria, the remaining cities of the Empire and the scattered dwarf holds in the mountains. In typical skaven fashion however, things don’t turn out to be so simple; the grey seers are in disgrace, Verminlords are getting personally involved in the various plots and plans, and both the dwarfs and lizardmen are determined to make the skaven pay for every victory.