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escapistreading's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
manthespace's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
vincentknotley's review against another edition
5.0
Ever read a paragraph and feel the need to take a long hot shower that you know will never get you truly clean again? Do you find yourself yearining for a read that’ll have you putting down your cuppa as your lip curls like a worm trapped on a hook after devouring a passage? Do you crave books that give your stomach the good old fashioned That-Kebab-Was-A-Mistake churn? Then look no further than Gloomspite.
Oh it’s also a damn good story to boot.
The nursery rhymes which open each act set the tone for the story. They are outright creepy. Deliciously creepy in fact. So much so it’ll have your hairs will plucking themselves from your skin and sprouting legs as they make a skittering bid for freedom.
In Gloomspite a band of mercantile adventurers from across the breadth of Age of Sigmar factions receive an ill portent about the city of Draconium and set off to warn them. Going any deeper would soil the fun of discovery but I will say this; the eclectic cast of characters each has a distinctive voice and feel. It’s a joy to sit and watch them interact. Two of their number in particular deserve mention all of their own. Bartiman takes the idea of an old, hangdog mercenary and turns it up to 11 while Eleanora… Eleanora is just a masterpiece of character building. By the second chapter I found myself caring more about her than any character in a book I’ve read in 2019. Granted some characters don’t get quite enough time to shine in my opinion, but that doesn’t stop time spent with them being satisfying.
As the tale goes on and things - unsurprisingly - go sour. Horrifying events start slowly and rack up and up until sheer nightmare-fuel runs rampant on the page. Body horror meets disaster movie meets psychological and purely revolted dread throughout most of the book.
Are you a fan of porridge? Maybe eat your last bowl now before reading Chapter 8. Trust me.
It’s not just the spectacle of what goes on either. Somehow, author Andy Clark manages to whip up an alchemical broth of adjectives and verbs which leave you feeling the skitter of insects at your back and reel from the stench of what befalls Draconium. Treat Gloomspite like a trip to the pool; don’t eat an hour before diving into the heaving pool. I made the mistake of reading a particularly sickening chapter while making a lasagne.
Suffice to say it went straight in the freezer. Still haven’t gone back to eat it either.
Somehow Andy also manages to balance the here-and-now threats facing characters while giving more than enough space for the events befalling wider Draconium in a single book.
Taking all of these elements and boiling them in a soup of Age of Sigmar’s property Andy has created a book which stands entirely on its own - a tome deserving of a plinth in the Black Library grown from suppurating fungi made for Gloomspite and Gloomspite
I’ve been a fan of WHFB and Age of Sigmar for what must be approaching two and a half decades now. Guy Haley’s Skarsnik book stood for me as the epitome of Goblin writing in the World-That-Was.
What Gloomspite does is captures the very essence of the Gloomspite Gitz in Age of Sigmar.
Many books in the genre revel in making characters larger than life. So large in fact that relating to them is only possible for those of us deluded enough to believe ourselves indestructible or fated to never fail. But in Gloomspite characters do fail. They all feel alive, human - even the non-humans.
Now Gloomspite might not be for everyone. There’s no massive battle between two armies of thousands led by immortal demigods often seen in Age of Sigmar. Nor indeed does the story take its pick of larger-than-life characters from the background and parade them for the lore-lovers of the world to gaze upon and argue over as they write wiki entries. Why? Because Gloomspite doesn’t need them. The lack of Stormcast in Draconium elevates the story rather than dilutes it. The characters are real people facing an entirely unreal situation most of us couldn’t begin to describe let alone fathom.
It’s a joyride in dread. A journey in nauseation. A march through the utterly abhorrent in the best sense of the word.
And I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t wholeheartedly recommend Gloomspite to anybody out there with even the slightest bit of love for the Gloomspite Gitz or Age of Sigmar as a whole.
Oh it’s also a damn good story to boot.
The nursery rhymes which open each act set the tone for the story. They are outright creepy. Deliciously creepy in fact. So much so it’ll have your hairs will plucking themselves from your skin and sprouting legs as they make a skittering bid for freedom.
In Gloomspite a band of mercantile adventurers from across the breadth of Age of Sigmar factions receive an ill portent about the city of Draconium and set off to warn them. Going any deeper would soil the fun of discovery but I will say this; the eclectic cast of characters each has a distinctive voice and feel. It’s a joy to sit and watch them interact. Two of their number in particular deserve mention all of their own. Bartiman takes the idea of an old, hangdog mercenary and turns it up to 11 while Eleanora… Eleanora is just a masterpiece of character building. By the second chapter I found myself caring more about her than any character in a book I’ve read in 2019. Granted some characters don’t get quite enough time to shine in my opinion, but that doesn’t stop time spent with them being satisfying.
As the tale goes on and things - unsurprisingly - go sour. Horrifying events start slowly and rack up and up until sheer nightmare-fuel runs rampant on the page. Body horror meets disaster movie meets psychological and purely revolted dread throughout most of the book.
Are you a fan of porridge? Maybe eat your last bowl now before reading Chapter 8. Trust me.
It’s not just the spectacle of what goes on either. Somehow, author Andy Clark manages to whip up an alchemical broth of adjectives and verbs which leave you feeling the skitter of insects at your back and reel from the stench of what befalls Draconium. Treat Gloomspite like a trip to the pool; don’t eat an hour before diving into the heaving pool. I made the mistake of reading a particularly sickening chapter while making a lasagne.
Suffice to say it went straight in the freezer. Still haven’t gone back to eat it either.
Somehow Andy also manages to balance the here-and-now threats facing characters while giving more than enough space for the events befalling wider Draconium in a single book.
Taking all of these elements and boiling them in a soup of Age of Sigmar’s property Andy has created a book which stands entirely on its own - a tome deserving of a plinth in the Black Library grown from suppurating fungi made for Gloomspite and Gloomspite
I’ve been a fan of WHFB and Age of Sigmar for what must be approaching two and a half decades now. Guy Haley’s Skarsnik book stood for me as the epitome of Goblin writing in the World-That-Was.
What Gloomspite does is captures the very essence of the Gloomspite Gitz in Age of Sigmar.
Many books in the genre revel in making characters larger than life. So large in fact that relating to them is only possible for those of us deluded enough to believe ourselves indestructible or fated to never fail. But in Gloomspite characters do fail. They all feel alive, human - even the non-humans.
Now Gloomspite might not be for everyone. There’s no massive battle between two armies of thousands led by immortal demigods often seen in Age of Sigmar. Nor indeed does the story take its pick of larger-than-life characters from the background and parade them for the lore-lovers of the world to gaze upon and argue over as they write wiki entries. Why? Because Gloomspite doesn’t need them. The lack of Stormcast in Draconium elevates the story rather than dilutes it. The characters are real people facing an entirely unreal situation most of us couldn’t begin to describe let alone fathom.
It’s a joyride in dread. A journey in nauseation. A march through the utterly abhorrent in the best sense of the word.
And I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t wholeheartedly recommend Gloomspite to anybody out there with even the slightest bit of love for the Gloomspite Gitz or Age of Sigmar as a whole.
alextrev's review against another edition
4.0
Needed more villain. Loved the characters of the Freeguilds though.
drwilko's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
rivers_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
antkneeomonster's review against another edition
4.0
Engaging, and occasionally surprising, slice of fantasy Warhammer with an emphasis on beasties and body horror.
Offers loads of brisk, pulpy shenanigans if you're in the mood for that sort of thing.
Offers loads of brisk, pulpy shenanigans if you're in the mood for that sort of thing.
patchie's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
3.0
trackofwords's review against another edition
5.0
A tale of family, loyalty and heroism as the Bad Moon rises over Aqshy, Gloomspite is crammed full of insects, spiders, lurking horrors and stomach-churning fungus-based disgustingness. Grief-stricken Hendrick Saul and his Swords of Sigmar make for Draconium to deliver a hard-earned warning of dark omens and death to the city’s protectors, and honour a fallen comrade. Finding themselves trapped in a city beset by sinister disturbances and dire portents, the mercenaries begrudgingly join the defences but aren’t prepared for the darkness that’s rising to engulf Draconium.
Readers hoping for greenskin viewpoints won’t find them here, but anyone looking for a powerful, horror-tinged story exploring the impact of the Gloomspite Gitz should find an awful lot to enjoy. As Age of Sigmar stories go this is dark and disturbing and comfortably up there with the best.
Read the full review at https://www.trackofwords.com/2019/08/18/gloomspite-andy-clark/
Readers hoping for greenskin viewpoints won’t find them here, but anyone looking for a powerful, horror-tinged story exploring the impact of the Gloomspite Gitz should find an awful lot to enjoy. As Age of Sigmar stories go this is dark and disturbing and comfortably up there with the best.
Read the full review at https://www.trackofwords.com/2019/08/18/gloomspite-andy-clark/