Bloodstorm

Darkblade #2

by Dan Abnett, Mike Lee

In the savage kingdom of the dark elves, life is a constant fight for survival, and no member of this doomed race is more cruel or devious than Malus Darkblade. Possessed by a daemon, Malus is forced to seek a number of magic artefacts or his soul will be forfeit. In this tale, Darkblade must brave a magic labyrinth and defeat its fearsome guardian to recover the Idol of Kolkuth.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Dark Fantasy, Science Fiction Fantasy, 40k, Ebooks

413 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Federico DN · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brotherly Love.

Malus Darkblade, the dark elf, the ever evil druchii, having lost his soul to the demon Tz'arkan, frantically tries to scheme a way out of his home city of Hag Graef; before his half-sisters, half-brothers and even his own father skin him alive on the spot for his past failures. And while everybody is busy trying to kill him, Malus secretly planning a quest to the Island of the Lost, in an attempt to recover the Idol of Kolkuth, the second of five ancient relics needed to reclaim his soul back.

This was a very entertaining sequel, although not as good as the first entry. As with any Warhammer novel this was plagued with more than enough action and gore to satisfy anyone’s hunger. The highlights in this installment being the confrontation with the Slaanesh cult and his half-sister Nagaira ; the sea battle against the dreadful Skin Rider pirates, worshipers of the fetid god Nurgle; and the final duel with his half-brother Bruglir and his reaver fleet. ; and lastly, the Labyrinth of Eradorius in the island of Morhaut, which was very nicely done, but ultimately a bit far-fetched and disappointing, leaving sadly a certain feeling of unfulfilling ending. Still, overall, a very decent sequel. Malus unimaginably resourceful, cruel, and a backstabbing prick as always, the sonofa elf.

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PERSONAL NOTE :
[2005] [413p] [Fantasy] [3.5] [Almost Recommendable]
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★★★★☆ 1. The Daemon's Curse
★★★☆☆ 2. Bloodstorm [3.5]
★★★★☆ 3. Reaper of Souls
★★★☆☆ 4. Warpsword [3.5]
★★★★★ 5. Lord of Ruin

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Amor de Hermanos.

Malus Darkblade, el elfo oscuro, el siempre malvado druchii, habiendo perdido su alma al demonio Tz'arkan, frenéticamente trata de maquinar una salida de su ciudad natal de Hag Graef; antes de que sus medio hermanas, medio hermanos, e incluso su propio padre lo despellejen vivo en el lugar por sus fracasos pasados. Y mientras todos tratan de matarlo, Malus secretamente planeando una misión a la Isla de los Perdidos, en un intento por recobrar el ídolo de Kolkuth, la segunda de cinco antiguas reliquias necesarias para poder reclamar su alma devuelta.

Esta fue una muy entretenida secuela, aunque no tan buena como la primera. Como cualquier novela Warhammer esto estuvo plagado con más que suficiente acción y sangre para para satisfacer el apetito de cualquiera. Lo más destacable de esta entrega siendo la confrontación con el culto de Slaanesh y con su media hermana Nagaira ; la batalla marítima contra los temidos piratas Despelleja Piel, adoradores del fétido dios Nurgle; y el duelo final con su medio hermano Bruglir y su flota rebelde. ; y por último, el Laberinto de Eradorius en la isla de Morhaut, que fue muy bien hecho, pero en última instancia lamentablemente un poco demasiado increíble y decepcionante, dejando un cierto sabor de final un poco insatisfactorio. Igual, dentro de todo, una muy decente secuela. Malus inimaginablemente ingenioso, cruel, y un maldito traicionero como siempre, el muy hijo de elfo.

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NOTA PERSONAL :
[2005] [413p] [Fantasía] [3.5] [Casi Recomendable]
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[Dirk Grobbelaar · Rating 4 out of 5]

This isn’t an updated review as much as an addendum to my previous review. I don’t want to change anything too much, since I had some particular views about it at the time, but now that I have finished Reaper of Souls I believe I have a much clearer understanding about the protagonist and, possibly more importantly, the cultural quirks of the Dark Elves in the Warhammer universe.

The Dark Elves, or Druchii, are morbidly fascinating. They worship the God of Murder and live in an environment where wanton destruction and cruelty is the norm. Or at least, what we would generally perceive as “evil” within our own particular societal framework. If it feels like the authors are laying it on a bit thick, it’s because they are operating within the parameters (or constraints?) of this cultural framework. Consider: all the politics and confrontations take place within the arena of Druchii society, hence the particularly unbalanced moral underpinning of the story. My “gripe”, if you will, was that the story did not have what you might a complete spectrum of morality (not on an individual or societal level). I.e. there aren’t grey areas here. This doesn’t make for a lot of character development or internal tension with regards to choices and outcomes, but the reality is that this simply isn’t that kind of story.

Below is my original (rather ranty in retrospect) review:

I enjoyed this book but I do have a slight complaint. At times I felt as if the author thought I was slow on the uptake. OK, so Malus Darkblade is not a good guy. OK, so Malus Darkblade is rather evil. The Druchii in general: they're all evil. I got it the first time ‘round. The references to human hide and glistening human skin do get tedious after the umpteenth time. Also, there aren't any gray areas here. The protagonists, being inherently evil (remember), will ALWAYS do the predictably evil thing when confronted with a choice. Slay the human slave? Or do something else? Description of glistening human skin will soon follow. Another thing: the reader never actually feels anything for the characters. They are so unemotional it's to cry for.

This book is saved by its awesome action sequences. Dan Abnett is a very visual author, and in the Warhammer universe that is certainly a boon. There is also the added gimmick of reading from the viewpoint of traditionally evil characters. Just remember, they're EVIL.

I'm probably making it sound a bit worse than it is. As I mentioned in starting, I actually enjoyed the book, and will read the next in the sequence. This is certainly some of the better writing the Warhammer universe has on offer.

Previously I had rounded my rating down from 3.5 to 3, but I am now rounding it up to 4.

[Paulo "paper books only" · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book of the five books series about Malus Darkblade. Damn.. only five? This is probably the best series I've ever read or knew that exist where the main character is a evil character. He is evil and almost more evil than the daemon inside him. I remenber reading the comic book (which the story is a bit different of this one) when Malus kills his father and the daemon upon hearing malus saying "goodbye father", the daemon ask... "You killed your own father? Somethimes you even scare me.. and I am a daemon." and the dark elf responded "Good!" That sentence never left my mind and from that point on I've loved Malus Darkblade.

So in this book the dark elf returns to his hometown. He is not received well. Captured and beaten (well there were too many ways of punish to put here...) by his father. His father wouldn't dare to kill him because of his mother so he try to punish him beyond limits so Malus could give up. That don't happen. He find out that he must go to some forsaken isle to retrieve the second artifact. To do this, Malus must betray, double cross, and even triple cross his dark elf siblings as he uses them to locate an island belonging to their enemies, the Skinriders. When I say triple cross I should say fourth and fifth cross eheh.

Just to give an example. Malus has four brothers so he must plan with each to do what he wants (all of them against another). They all want another of his brothers dead so it will be difficult to him to deliver what everybody wants.
One of the characters I like most (besides Malus) was his new retainer Hauclir. I just like him. And I don't wanted him to die. He's a good character and even if he was a Dark Elf he isn't that dark (but dark still). He responds back to Malus but was never kill because of it. Well in Malus defense he did threat him a lot.

Well... The final conclusion is this.. In the first book you see a lot of fights. Here we see a well conceived plot with a good knowleadge of the dark elf court and principles (or lack of them). But don't be alarm. The blood in this book flows in every page. One thing I like is the humans. They are slave and seen as pure livestock. Excelent.

[Terence · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blood-storm is the second book in the Malus Darkblade series and tied for my favorite, the other book being "Lord of Ruin." Malus has just forfeited his soul to a (Implied Slaaneshi) daemon who had been orchestrating a grand plan that has spanned well over 2000 years, sealed in ages past by foolish chaos sorcerers and their mummified acolytes.Now in order o retrive his soul from the daemon he must find six artifacts of these great sorcerers to unbind the daemon and cast it out of his mind forever!

What follows is a brutal tale of decadence, incest, hedonism, and murder(driven by Nagria and her cult of pleasure, followers of the Chaos God Slaanesh the Great Keeper of Secrets.) contrasted by a tale of bloodshed, gore, terror, and more murder. (Driven by the Druchii Lord of Murder Khela Mensha Khaine the Arch-nemesis of slaanesh, who may or may not be the Chaos God Khorne, Lord of Skulls.) as the travel to find the reality warping idol of kolkuth in the warp changed land of chill and the seas beyond.

But those chaos gods are not the only ones who have a stake in this, the Chaos God Nurgle and his rotting legions pour into the seas to keep the artifact for himself, for the Plague Crow...the Lord of All, does not give his possessions up easily...

Overall the story is well put togetheer, and sets the stage well for the next four books, Malus struggles between Slaanesh and Khaine as they fight over his immortal soul, things aren't helped by his hated siblings, Nagria follower of Slaanesh and Maluses lover, and the cripple Ulral priest of Khela mensha Khaine. in the end Malus is destined to ruin them all...

[Vicente Ribes · Rating 5 out of 5]

El segundo libro de esta saga supera al anterior. Malus poseido por un demonio se embarca en una expedición para encontrar un medallón en una isla peligrosa y llena de magia. Traiciones, asesinatos, enemigos horribles y horrendos, accion pirata enmedio del mar, brujeria,ect . La forma de ser de los druchii y los interesantes y cómicos secundarios que aparecen en el libro hacen de esta una obra de fantasía bastante original.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

the interesting thing about series where all the characters are evil is who you end up routing for

[Jason Ray Carney · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second novel in the Malus Darkblade series. It treats Malus's attempt to seize the Idol of Kolkuth. The first third takes place in the dark elf city of Hag Graef and features conspiracy and internecine slulduggery. The rest relates the bloody "high seas" adventure to recover the artifact. This book so many cool elements: the Nurgle worshipping "Skinriders," Slaanesh worshipping sex cults, a sorcerer's tower that warps space and time, and layers upon layers of cloak and dagger backstabbing. To an extent, this reminds me of Dashiell Hammett's *Red Harvest* (even the name, *Bloodstorm,* brings Hammett's novel to mind). In a similar way to the Continental Op, Malus plays all of the various evil players against eachother. Another interesting feature of this novel is Malus's developing relationship to his retainer, Hauclir. Even though I get the sense Malus would betray his retainer the first time their interests conflicted, it is intriguing to see something like cooperation and respect emerging between the two of them. I liked this one better than the first Malus Darkblade novel, *The Demon's Curse.* The first one is great but this second one really works. I'm eager to read book 3, *Reaper of Souls.*

[Jack Neighbour · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another enjoyable book. More action the daemons curse and set at sea. Recommend.

[Kris43 · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fantastic book this is! It was a joy to read.

The first one had a general feeling of slipping,uncontrollable falling deeper and deeper into the abyss. This one starts with the same general feeling. Malus returns from the wastes and he is in a sorry state indeed, about to collapse from hunger and fatigue. He also has a pack of pursuers after his hide.

And from there it only gets worse, like the first one, this is a very dark book. Despite a successful expedition, nothing really changes in Malus position or standing in his household. It even manages to deteriorate. So for a moment i was wondering like, what else can go wrong? Quite a lot, actually. You'll have to read and find out.

And then we get to part where this book differs from the last one. In one critical moment Malus manages to turn the tide, and takes advantage of the whole complicated plot of circumstances.

He takes the plunge and succeeds! In-spite all the negative stuff around him he finds his equilibrium and thrives! From then on, all the things that where before contributing to all the slipping and falling, feel like they only add to the whole burning inferno of passion that drives Malus on. I loved the feeling! Feels like flying:)

This book is full of complicated schemes and plots and there are many layers of happenings, i loved the whole complexity.

There are also many many scenes full of all kinds of un-describable body fluids and lots of disgusting deeds and parts flying around to satisfy even the most hardened reader:))

And the best part? Malus stays true to him self! No sell-outs happening here. So if you didn't like him before, because he wasn't a Goody Two-Shoes, there's no chance of you suddenly having a epiphany and realizing he's really a nice guy. (Here i must congratulate the author for personal integrity!) But if you did like him before, you're going to LOVE him now.

And in the end? Malus gets the most awesome mask!
Daddy's gonna love him when he gets home with it:)))

[Batsap · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one more than the first in the Malus Darkblade series.
I liked the new retainer Hauclir, I hope he sticks around for the next book. He was probably the most fun character. It was interesting getting to see more of Malus' brother Urial, as he only had a small role in the first book. Tanithra was a good character too, I would have liked to have seen a little more of her.
As for Malus... for a bad dude, there's a lot of much badder dudes that seem to spend their time finding inventive ways to torture him. At times he seemed like he was more bark than bite. Something that was highlighted in a scene between him and Hauclir.
The over-the-top violence for violence sake seemed to have been toned down a little for this book, which was good. I know that by reading Warhammer, I'm signing on for grim and bloody madness, but I do like there to be more of a reason behind it than senseless shock value.

[Alexander Draganov · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as crazy the first part, but still a very good swords&sorcery action with great battles :)

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

The twisted tale of Malus Darkblade continues in Bloodstorm. This time, Malus embarks on a journey to recover a fabled idol. This book is lightning fast and it roars with thunderous actions. Like the previous book, Bloodstorm features a cast of evil, self-serving characters who try to outdo each other with betrayals and murders. However Malus stands out from the flock as a grade-A villain and a master of cunning and guiles. It suffices to say that Malus's dark attributes made this book amusing and fun to read. Furthermore this book also introduced Hauclir, a roguish character who joined Malus's warband and became his right-hand man in this book. I really like Hauclir, his dialogues with Malus are funny and often made me laugh out loud. And I was surprised to see a budding of "friendship" between Malus and him. Well, that is, if an utterly selfish person like Malus can ever have a friend.

I never imagined a book featuring a chaotically evil protagonist can be so much fun to read. Malus appalls me but I applaud his tenacity and cunning. The fascinating characters and the gripping story make Bloodstorm a page-turner. Onto the next book!

[A.J Ito · Rating 2 out of 5]

Vale. En la primera entrega de esta saga yo estaba convencido de que era una comedia. No como un insulto, sino que veía todo tan exagerado que rozaba la ridiculez. Me encantaba ese concepto, pero en este libro, el autor se lo toma más en serio, y desde el final del primer acto hasta mediados del tercero, me da la impresión de que se alarga demasiado.

Le pongo dos estrellas porque no me pareció tan hilarante como el primero, pero la historia sigue siendo buena. Aparte, al final del libro vuelve a soltar aquello que yo adoré del primer libro. Frases como "cuando odio, vivo". Es simplemente genial.

Quiero seguir leyendo sobre este personaje, eso si.

[Annemary Noble · Rating 5 out of 5]

So I'm starting to believe that this series is rather one big book and not a couple separate storylines. Meaning these books are a continual mess - in a good sense.
I love that Malus is not really the best at anything, except that he's smart but sometimes his plans go wrong as well. I guess his biggest merit is his willpower. Anyways, he's still such an interesting character.
Also Urial grew to be an interesting guy too.
I don't know what to say I just like this series so much. Even with the edgyness and all the bloodthirst and treachery of the dark elves. Great read.

[Luke Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

A grim, brutal tale of treachery, scheming and epic battle as Malus Darkblade, seeking the second of five artefacts needed to save his soul from the daemon T'zarkan, must battle his way through a horde of Chaos-corrupted pirates, find an island lost to the mists of time, and avoid getting killed by his own allies in the process...

[Sergio Armisén · Rating 4 out of 5]

Siguen las aventuras de Malus Darkblade, el más infame y cabrón de los elfos oscuros. Y sigue la diversión a raudales. Aventuras a la antigua usanza pero con el toque gore y diferencial que el “héroe” sea más malo que pegarle a un padre. Muy entretenido, vamos a por la tercera entrega.

[Tomáš Drako · Rating 4 out of 5]

Malus sa vydáva pre ďalší artefakt, a čitateľ cestou spozná bližšie Malusovu rodinku, a pozrieme sa na Pirátov karibiku, Warhammer edíciu.
Ani pri druhej knihe tempo nepoľavuje, a stále je to riadna jazda.

[Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was awesome! A good bit better than the first one. The machinations between Malus and the various family members he's plotting to outmaneuver were believable and exciting. Very excited to finish the series now

[Robert Wise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best but not the worst. It was good but the beginning was slow, and the end was crammed with a lot of word building. Also, I dislike alternating universes, and this book had that near the end.

[Justin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't say I am a fan of the treachery rampant in Druchii society. Dark Elves in any series are too perfidious to comprehend. I guess it's one of things, similar to how modern people react to how humans acted in history.

[José Ernesto · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un excelente libro como parece ser todos libros de esta saga lo unico que siempre le saco mal a estos libros es que tiene problemas con el ritmo, pero cuando agarra el ritmo el libro es excelente.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

the darkblade series is my close second favorite after the slayer set. malus is loathsome yet likeable. starting the next book immediately

[Mattias · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read. Not for the faint of heart. Better than the first Malus Darkblade book!

[Joshua · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a figurative bloodstorm, rather than a literal one. I can't help feeling a little cheated. :(

[David Holec · Rating 5 out of 5]

Výborný Warhammer. Důstojné pokračování Malusovy cesty.

[Brad · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the first book more. This suffered from sequel syndrome. Still excited to read more in the series, hoping this was a set up to keep things moving along.

[Mr. Forester · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very brutal, lots of fun AND skinless Pirates!

[Kenneth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Malus searches for the 1st relic in uncharted waters.

[Sean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoy this book as it got better and better I hope the series will continue with the upwards arc

[Darrian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great second book

Loved the place and character descriptions and the pace was excellent. Reminded me of a Dungeons and Dragons story I grew up with.