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bi_bibliophile's review
3.0
I'll start off by saying that I know nothing about Warhammer so I am probably not the target demographic for this book, however it does have a lot of fantasy elements so it seemed like a book I could still enjoy. Sadly this book just didn't seem to deliver. It follows a Prince who wants to create a play based on the story of how he and his friends defeated a dark wizard called Drachenfels. He brings his friends together to help create the play properly only things start to go wrong the closer they get to bringing the Prince's vision to life.
Genevieve, a vampire who was part of the band of heroes who took on Drachenfels, is barely actually in the book and when she is she does very little which is a shame given this is supposedly the "Vampire Genevieve" series. I get that their were quite a few characters that needed their time in the spot light too but they did were quite forgettable themselves and did little to drive the plot forward. The character that showed up most was probably Detlef Sierck the playwright but he seemed quite dull too.
In all honesty I found most of the characters and plot lacklustre and the big plot twist at the end was fairly predictable. Thinking back I can't really remember much I actually liked about this book except that it made me laugh occasionally and the locations were quite interesting. Sadly I was let down by the characters and plot, no manner of demons, creatures or strange happenings could bring this book to life for me.
Just like the vampire I expected more from, this book seems to lack a pulse.
Rated: 2.5/5 Stars (rounded up to 3)
Genevieve, a vampire who was part of the band of heroes who took on Drachenfels, is barely actually in the book and when she is she does very little which is a shame given this is supposedly the "Vampire Genevieve" series. I get that their were quite a few characters that needed their time in the spot light too but they did were quite forgettable themselves and did little to drive the plot forward. The character that showed up most was probably Detlef Sierck the playwright but he seemed quite dull too.
In all honesty I found most of the characters and plot lacklustre and the big plot twist at the end was fairly predictable. Thinking back I can't really remember much I actually liked about this book except that it made me laugh occasionally and the locations were quite interesting. Sadly I was let down by the characters and plot, no manner of demons, creatures or strange happenings could bring this book to life for me.
Just like the vampire I expected more from, this book seems to lack a pulse.
Rated: 2.5/5 Stars (rounded up to 3)
romankurys's review
3.0
All things considered, this was a good read.
After having read a few short story compilations that took place in Warhammer universe, I was interested enough to read more about that world.
Admittedly I have never played anything Warhammer and have no idea what the rules are, so the review is just how I felt about the story Jack Yeovil had told.
Characters: 3
I really enjoyed the set up for characters here. There were a bunch of them and many viewpoints in a story have a special place in my heart.
I did not expect Vampires for one reason or another, however so got caught by surprise. What is even more surprising is that it is acceptable for vampires to just walk among the rest of the populace. Then when there was a monastery for vampires to just spend an eternity in to relax, that made my day.
I guess, all things considered, what I felt was that I enjoyed the variety of the side characters more that the two main ones. Although Genevieve is an intriguing femme fatale, she also felt like a side character.
From perspective of character development there isn’t much going on, but there are enough variety to keep things interesting. Good enough for me.
Plot: 4
Call me simple, but I was intrigued right from the start. I simply cannot recall the last book I have read that had anything to do with play making. Now, play making in fantasy universe with all sorts of dark gods and weird creatures is just weird.
I like weird.
It was obvious from the beginning that something had happened and we were in a journey to find out what. I knew something was sort of up in the air, but could not really guess for whatever reason what happened until the very end. In retrospect, I don’t know how I had not seen it, it probably was my fascination with all the dark mythical setting.
Setting: 3
Talking about the setting, that was the glue holding it all together. The more books in Warhammer universe I read, the more I enjoy it. It’s sort of like a compilation of a bunch of mythologies plopped together and then any happiness there is gets sucked out of it all.
BAM.
We’ve got Warhammer. What’s not to like?
Overall, nothing groundbreaking here. However, it is a solid, fun to read story with its own quirks and interesting world to delve into. It’s pretty short and definitely worth the read.
Roman “Ragnar”
After having read a few short story compilations that took place in Warhammer universe, I was interested enough to read more about that world.
Admittedly I have never played anything Warhammer and have no idea what the rules are, so the review is just how I felt about the story Jack Yeovil had told.
Characters: 3
I really enjoyed the set up for characters here. There were a bunch of them and many viewpoints in a story have a special place in my heart.
I did not expect Vampires for one reason or another, however so got caught by surprise. What is even more surprising is that it is acceptable for vampires to just walk among the rest of the populace. Then when there was a monastery for vampires to just spend an eternity in to relax, that made my day.
I guess, all things considered, what I felt was that I enjoyed the variety of the side characters more that the two main ones. Although Genevieve is an intriguing femme fatale, she also felt like a side character.
From perspective of character development there isn’t much going on, but there are enough variety to keep things interesting. Good enough for me.
Plot: 4
Call me simple, but I was intrigued right from the start. I simply cannot recall the last book I have read that had anything to do with play making. Now, play making in fantasy universe with all sorts of dark gods and weird creatures is just weird.
I like weird.
It was obvious from the beginning that something had happened and we were in a journey to find out what. I knew something was sort of up in the air, but could not really guess for whatever reason what happened until the very end. In retrospect, I don’t know how I had not seen it, it probably was my fascination with all the dark mythical setting.
Setting: 3
Talking about the setting, that was the glue holding it all together. The more books in Warhammer universe I read, the more I enjoy it. It’s sort of like a compilation of a bunch of mythologies plopped together and then any happiness there is gets sucked out of it all.
BAM.
We’ve got Warhammer. What’s not to like?
Overall, nothing groundbreaking here. However, it is a solid, fun to read story with its own quirks and interesting world to delve into. It’s pretty short and definitely worth the read.
Roman “Ragnar”
bhalpin's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Got the audio version in the Humble Bundle. I know nothing about Warhammer but love Kim Newman's writing. The reader is excellent, and the story is very satisfying, with some quibbles: the ending is very deus ex machina-y. Why can Detlef get the power of the hammer but Oswald couldn't? Also I don't love that the only character identified as black is enslaved and the only character with a Jewish-sounding name is treacherous . Still, it's a really clever story--I've certainly never read a fantasy with a plot anything like this. Also I'm a sucker for behind-the-scenes theatrical drama, even in a fantasy setting. And Genevieve is great.
Content Warnings
Minor: Racism and Antisemitism
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