Tag Archives: Warhammer

QUICK REVIEW: Beneath the Black Thumb – David Guymer (Call of Archaon part 1)

The first of eight short stories making up The Call of Archaon, book four in Black Library’s Realmgate Wars series for Age of Sigmar, David Guymer’s Beneath the Black Thumb introduces Copsys Bule, Lord of Plagues. After years tending his garden in Nurgle’s name, he knows his work is looked on with favour by Grandfather Nurgle, and he keeps to his path despite the machinations of his allies. When the great ritual to open a realmgate is disrupted by forces of Light, however, he begins to hear the pull of another call.

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Forgotten Texts: James Wallis Talks The Dead Among Us

For an earlier Forgotten Texts article I looked at the short story The Dead Among Us by James Wallis, an old-school Warhammer story set in the city of Middenheim, which might be familiar to fans of the classic Warhammer book Hammers of Ulric. If you haven’t checked out that article, you can find it here. James has generously agreed to answer a few questions about writing this story, and his thoughts on the Warhammer setting today. Without further ado, let’s go straight onto the interview…

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Forgotten Texts: The Dead Among Us by James Wallis

“You’re not the man you were. What have they done to you in that temple of ghouls?”

Set in the cold heights of Middenheim in winter, James Wallis’ short story The Dead Among Us is a bleak tale of death and dark magic in the Warhammer Old World. When the murder of an anonymous woman draws his attention, the man who was Dieter Brossmann – once a wealthy man, now a black-clad priest of Morr – sets out to discover her identity but finds himself facing something dark and insidious. Troubled by his past and determined to walk a grim, lonely path, he’s well placed to uncover the truth behind what’s happening in the City of the White Wolf.

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Forgotten Texts: Grunsonn’s Marauders by Andy Jones

“Yer one of us now, lad.”

An early Warhammer story from back in 1997, Andy Jones’ Grunsonn’s Marauders introduced readers to the titular band of roguish adventurers – the dwarf Grimcrag Grunsonn, Jiriki the elf, young Imperial Envoy Johann Anstein, and the wonderfully named barbarian Keanu the Reaver. You can probably work out the tone of the story just from the names! It sees the four marauders taking on a quest to find a powerful magical relic, on behalf of a friendly old wizard. As you might expect, things don’t turn out quite as simple as they hope, and much adventure ensues.

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QUICK REVIEW – Gotrek & Felix : Rememberers – David Guymer

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.

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QUICK REVIEW : Bride of Khaine – Graeme Lyon

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.

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QUICK REVIEW : Marienburg’s Stand – David Guymer

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.

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QUICK REVIEW : With Ice and Sword – Graham McNeill

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.

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QUICK REVIEW : The Siege of Naggarond – SP Cawkwell

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 Lord of the End Times – Josh Reynolds

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…