Black Library’s Age of Sigmar anthology Champions of the Mortal Realms collects together four novellas originally published in 2018 as part of the ‘Black Library Novella Series 1’ – Warqueen by Darius Hinks, Heart of Winter by Nick Horth, The Red Hours by Evan Dicken and The Bone Desert by Robbie MacNiven. All four novellas are excellent, and as an anthology this offers great value for a collection of stories covering a wide variety of characters, locations and themes from across the Mortal Realms. It’s had a slightly strange publication history, however (as has its 40k companion Servants of the Imperium), so I’ll talk a bit about that as well as taking a quick look at each story and linking out to my individual reviews.
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Gods & Mortals – an Age of Sigmar anthology
In three and a half years the Age of Sigmar setting has grown from fairly humble beginnings into something wild and imaginative, with vast scope for storytelling and almost unlimited potential. In that time, alongside a couple of dozen novels we’ve seen a whole host of short stories published, some tying in with ongoing narratives and others standing alone. Over a whopping 400+ pages Gods & Mortals collects together eighteen short stories into an impressive anthology, eight of which are brand new while the other ten are drawn from those previously-published tales. Eighteen stories, nine authors, and lots to enjoy.
Heart of Winter – Nick Horth
Nick Horth’s Age of Sigmar novella Heart of Winter features the aelf Fleetmaster Arika Zenthe – originally introduced as a secondary character in City of Secrets, she’s now front and centre in her own story. A Scourge Privateer of considerable reputation, Zenthe leads her crew into Ghur, the Realm of Beasts, intending to kill her father and see out a decades-long grudge. Little does she know that her mission will eventually take her from her father’s Black Ark to the frozen darkness of a sylvaneth-infested forest in search of a powerful artefact known as the Heart of Winter.
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.
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.
QUICK REVIEW: The Old Ways – Nick Horth
A sequel of sorts to City of Secrets, Nick Horth’s short story The Old Ways once again features Armand Callis and Hanniver Toll, sent by the Order of Azyr out through the marshlands outside Excelsis to settle a dispute between two rival houses. Exploring the dangerous Ulwhyr Forest on the trail of a missing – supposedly murdered – young nobleman, Callis and Toll find themselves tangled up in not just a feud between rivals, but also a conflict between the old and the new.