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bujo_planbee's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Not my thing
karineik's review
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
jplayjames's review
1.5
Occasionally good atmosphere, but man did it drag.
Another reinforcement of why most horror books should be novellas imo.
Another reinforcement of why most horror books should be novellas imo.
midrel's review
4.0
[Received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review]
Summary: This story had all the classic elements of horror. The decaying, decrepit town was of course present, as were the hostile, unhelpful inhabitants and the secret cult. So were the troubling dreams had by our main character, the dread visions caught at the corner of the eyes. But these elements, unsurprising and almost token in their predictability, were woven very effectively into a compelling narrative that kept me faithfully turning the pages. They provided a journey that is likely to be of great interest to people who crave this kind of horror in a non-urban setting.
Prose: Perhaps one of my favorite elements in the book was the prose itself. The author manages to capture and paint a vivid picture of the story events and the dreariness of Wald in a way that really made the place pop in my mind. It sure made for an enjoyable read. The word green was utterly ubiquitous, but I suppose could not be helped. 4/5
Plot: As mentioned above, the particular elements of the plot fall on the table almost as a matter of course. This by itself is not necessarily a bad thing, though at times it did feel a bit too by-the-book other than the fact it was taking place in a fantasy setting. There was a points that soured my enjoyment of the story, however. 3/5
Pacing: The story felt a little plodding near the beginning. Though Harran is a very interesting character and viewpoint for most of the story, the very start of it felt a little too studded with banal introspection. 3/5
Characterization: The characters were without a doubt the most enjoyable aspect of this story, alongside the prose and the world-building. Harran, specially, and I can't help but wonder if we'll see him again in another book. 4/5
World-building: Though this was the first book I've read set in the Warhammer Fantasy universe, I feel like the author did a particularly excellent job in providing flourishes of memory of Harran's previous life to embellish his present situation and his character as a whole. The same goes with the information he provides regarding the different creatures and the setting. 4/5
Final Score: 3.6/5 rounded to 4/5.
Summary: This story had all the classic elements of horror. The decaying, decrepit town was of course present, as were the hostile, unhelpful inhabitants and the secret cult. So were the troubling dreams had by our main character, the dread visions caught at the corner of the eyes. But these elements, unsurprising and almost token in their predictability, were woven very effectively into a compelling narrative that kept me faithfully turning the pages. They provided a journey that is likely to be of great interest to people who crave this kind of horror in a non-urban setting.
Prose: Perhaps one of my favorite elements in the book was the prose itself. The author manages to capture and paint a vivid picture of the story events and the dreariness of Wald in a way that really made the place pop in my mind. It sure made for an enjoyable read. The word green was utterly ubiquitous, but I suppose could not be helped. 4/5
Plot: As mentioned above, the particular elements of the plot fall on the table almost as a matter of course. This by itself is not necessarily a bad thing, though at times it did feel a bit too by-the-book other than the fact it was taking place in a fantasy setting. There was a points that soured my enjoyment of the story, however.
Spoiler
Namely, the Old Stag not devouring Harran at the end by virtue of the latter already belonging to Sigmar. It makes sense, but it also makes all the suspense the book had been slowly building feel like a sham. The second, also concerning the Old Stag, is that his speech felt a little too refined whenever he spoke to the character. Also, Gilt's death felt utterly cheap and telegraphed from the moment he mentioned the foretelling.Pacing: The story felt a little plodding near the beginning. Though Harran is a very interesting character and viewpoint for most of the story, the very start of it felt a little too studded with banal introspection. 3/5
Characterization: The characters were without a doubt the most enjoyable aspect of this story, alongside the prose and the world-building. Harran, specially, and I can't help but wonder if we'll see him again in another book. 4/5
World-building: Though this was the first book I've read set in the Warhammer Fantasy universe, I feel like the author did a particularly excellent job in providing flourishes of memory of Harran's previous life to embellish his present situation and his character as a whole. The same goes with the information he provides regarding the different creatures and the setting. 4/5
Final Score: 3.6/5 rounded to 4/5.
jeffd's review
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This was a bit of an odd one. I contemplated dropping it out of boredom basically up to the last 30 pages, and then for those 30 pages I couldn't put it down. I've noticed that same issue in a few of the newer books from Black Library, so I'm curious if that's an intentional formula.
On paper, this is the story of a disillusioned, former Warrior Priest who goes to a swampy backwater after receiving a mysterious summons from a former friend. He sets out to solve an initial mystery, and that ends up spiralling out into a much bigger mystery. That's a great premise, but what ends up dragging this book down is the prose and pacing.
About 4/5 of the book is just a slog - we follow Harran around while he does uninteresting things and grumbles an endless stream of cool noir dude one-liners. In fact, every character in the book is a cool noir dude/dudette with a chip on their shoulder; and while that's interesting at first, after a few hundred pages it becomes annoying that none of the characters can make it through a conversation or even convey information to eachother without the conversation abruptly ending with some iteration of "Forget it, I don't care." It reads like gritty noir written by someone unfamiliar with gritty noir.
However, I think the most frustrating part was in the writing itself - if Brando Sando catches flak for over-describing everything, this is the opposite end of the spectrum. Descriptions are so sparse that they're often confusing, and painting a mental picture of whatever scene Harran is standing in at any particular moment can often be a real challenge. The same can be said of the characters, who pop in and out of the story so frequently, but are all so similar, that it's hard to keep them apart. Even the names are tough to differentiate - I finished the book an hour ago, and while I know there are two recurring characters name Pender and Fulder, I couldn't really tell you anything about them.
Alright, so that's a lot of real estate in this review dedicated to the negative aspects of the book. But overall, it's not a bad book, per se - I didn't DNF it, after all - but what's frustrating is that it had the potential to be so much better. But as-is, much like Harran's trek through the swamps of Wald, an overwhelming majority of this book is a dreary slog that will leave you feeling fatigued and wishing you were somewhere else.
On paper, this is the story of a disillusioned, former Warrior Priest who goes to a swampy backwater after receiving a mysterious summons from a former friend. He sets out to solve an initial mystery, and that ends up spiralling out into a much bigger mystery. That's a great premise, but what ends up dragging this book down is the prose and pacing.
About 4/5 of the book is just a slog - we follow Harran around while he does uninteresting things and grumbles an endless stream of cool noir dude one-liners. In fact, every character in the book is a cool noir dude/dudette with a chip on their shoulder; and while that's interesting at first, after a few hundred pages it becomes annoying that none of the characters can make it through a conversation or even convey information to eachother without the conversation abruptly ending with some iteration of "Forget it, I don't care." It reads like gritty noir written by someone unfamiliar with gritty noir.
However, I think the most frustrating part was in the writing itself - if Brando Sando catches flak for over-describing everything, this is the opposite end of the spectrum. Descriptions are so sparse that they're often confusing, and painting a mental picture of whatever scene Harran is standing in at any particular moment can often be a real challenge. The same can be said of the characters, who pop in and out of the story so frequently, but are all so similar, that it's hard to keep them apart. Even the names are tough to differentiate - I finished the book an hour ago, and while I know there are two recurring characters name Pender and Fulder, I couldn't really tell you anything about them.
Alright, so that's a lot of real estate in this review dedicated to the negative aspects of the book. But overall, it's not a bad book, per se - I didn't DNF it, after all - but what's frustrating is that it had the potential to be so much better. But as-is, much like Harran's trek through the swamps of Wald, an overwhelming majority of this book is a dreary slog that will leave you feeling fatigued and wishing you were somewhere else.
nightshade_novels's review
4.0
This is the first Warhammer Horror book and the first non-40k book that I've read, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect going into it. I really enjoyed it.
Reynolds did a very good job in building up the creepy atmosphere in Wald and I loved the middle-of-the-swamp setting. The world-building was great and I liked Reynolds writing. Right from the start as they are travelling it is made clear that it is not safe to leave the road and I loved all the creatures hiding in the woods and waters, particularly the treekin. There are a lot of mysteries that build up throughout the book, but everything is resolved nicely by the end, with basically all the questions answered.
There were a lot of interesting and fun characters introduced. I liked Harran's no-nonsense way of getting things done and his interactions with the people of Wald were fun. I liked watched his friendship grudgingly develop with Gint, leading to some fun scenes.
Overall I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to jumping into another Warhammer Horror story soon.
Reynolds did a very good job in building up the creepy atmosphere in Wald and I loved the middle-of-the-swamp setting. The world-building was great and I liked Reynolds writing. Right from the start as they are travelling it is made clear that it is not safe to leave the road and I loved all the creatures hiding in the woods and waters, particularly the treekin. There are a lot of mysteries that build up throughout the book, but everything is resolved nicely by the end, with basically all the questions answered.
Spoiler
I actually quite liked the fact that Harren survived his experience in Wald, as it was unexpected. I found myself routing for him, despite being sure he was going to be killed, so it was fun to see him survive.There were a lot of interesting and fun characters introduced. I liked Harran's no-nonsense way of getting things done and his interactions with the people of Wald were fun. I liked watched his friendship grudgingly develop with Gint, leading to some fun scenes.
Spoiler
With The Stag's foretelling at the end of the story, that there are worse things awaiting Harren, I would like to see what happens to Harren next. Another book that covers these predicted future events would be great.Overall I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to jumping into another Warhammer Horror story soon.
owarcher's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
songwitch's review
4.0
Very immersive, I wish there was a second book, I’d read this if it were a series. I want a prequel and a sequel
swamplander's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5