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Warhammer Chronicles #4
The Sundering
Malekith, betrayer and usurper, architect of the great war that will forever divide the race of elves. Alith Anar, wrathful avenger whose spirit will forever haunt the traitorous druchii. Caledor, reluctant leader, the one elf who can hold back the darkness and restore peace to Ulthuan. Witch King, Shadow King and Phoenix King. Their deeds are legend. This is their story.
Three books by Gav Thorpe - Malekith, Shadow King and Caledor, plus two short stories tells recalls the story of the Sundering of the Elves. Tempted by power Malekith succumbs to the dark power and brings the elves to civil war
Three books by Gav Thorpe - Malekith, Shadow King and Caledor, plus two short stories tells recalls the story of the Sundering of the Elves. Tempted by power Malekith succumbs to the dark power and brings the elves to civil war
- GenresFantasy
1024 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2012
109 people are currently reading
581 people want to read
About the author
Gav Thorpe
377 books576 followersGav spent 14 years as a developer for Games Workshop, and started writing novels and short stories in the worlds of Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000 when the Black Library imprint was launched in 1997.
He continues to write for Black Library, and his first 'homegrown' novel series The Crown of the Blood has been released via Angry Robot.
Currently living in Nottingham, Gav shares his home with his loving and very understanding partner - Kez, and their beautiful little boy - Sammy.
He continues to write for Black Library, and his first 'homegrown' novel series The Crown of the Blood has been released via Angry Robot.
Currently living in Nottingham, Gav shares his home with his loving and very understanding partner - Kez, and their beautiful little boy - Sammy.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
February 6, 2019
Been reading a bunch of Black Library and Ravenloft stuff recently. This one was pretty badass and Gav Thorpe's writing was very vivid as always.
September 29, 2012
Thorpe has undertaken a monumental task in putting pen to paper to create 'The Sundering' which is essentially the Elven races history in the Warhammer setting, the detail set in throughout is exceptional. The Elven history is expertly plotted out with a very well thought out cast of characters and the interplay between them all is full of intrigue, the plotting started off in the first book here (this is a trilogy) is put down with perfection, the politics and hierarchy are explained in a massive depth and constantly able to hold any readers attention, the brilliance shown in example through is that with the Elves being a long living race they do take their time with everything and are always portrayed with the wisdom I always expect them to have, they make decisions or act out an event that will have the consequence come to light up to hundreds of years into the future.
As the tale progresses into the second novel Thorpe done an excellent job of switching attention away from Malekith the witch king of the Elves who is the most focal character in the first and concentrates more on Alith Anar the last prince in a line by his own right. Instead of being a continuation this runs alongside events taking place in the before mentioned part. Instead of overloading information or slowing down the interest it does the exact opposite and fills any gaps (not that you would notice unless you read this and were showed what else is needed to be known) and then in the third part leads into the biggest and most catastrophic climax I have come across in the world of Warhammer so far bringing the first two sections together seamlessly.
Normally I tend to read a collection in the separate novels and pick up other books inbetween to break it up a bit but with the Sundering there was not really any need to do this as right from the beginning it is apparent that Gav Thorpe has employed a real no nonsense style of writing, there is not once any unnecessary description or filling out pages using long and pointless words or terms to describe anything, every single word is in there for a reason making it an easy and constantly entertaining read.
The Sundering is an essential read for anyone who has an interest in the rich history of the Warhammer setting, Elves as a race in any setting, battles, magic and just a good fantasy novel in general.
As the tale progresses into the second novel Thorpe done an excellent job of switching attention away from Malekith the witch king of the Elves who is the most focal character in the first and concentrates more on Alith Anar the last prince in a line by his own right. Instead of being a continuation this runs alongside events taking place in the before mentioned part. Instead of overloading information or slowing down the interest it does the exact opposite and fills any gaps (not that you would notice unless you read this and were showed what else is needed to be known) and then in the third part leads into the biggest and most catastrophic climax I have come across in the world of Warhammer so far bringing the first two sections together seamlessly.
Normally I tend to read a collection in the separate novels and pick up other books inbetween to break it up a bit but with the Sundering there was not really any need to do this as right from the beginning it is apparent that Gav Thorpe has employed a real no nonsense style of writing, there is not once any unnecessary description or filling out pages using long and pointless words or terms to describe anything, every single word is in there for a reason making it an easy and constantly entertaining read.
The Sundering is an essential read for anyone who has an interest in the rich history of the Warhammer setting, Elves as a race in any setting, battles, magic and just a good fantasy novel in general.
August 9, 2019
By far my favourite Warhammer fantasy trilogy, and a very good entry point to this world for those who are looking for one. Gav Thorpe manages to portray the high-fantasy isolated world of the elves of Warhammer and drag it down to dirt and blood low-fantasy through the eyes of 3 different protagonists in 3 different books, in a writing style that by itself (without story spoilers) took a shocking turn by using a tool I have not had the fortune to meet before in other books.
Malekith follows the titular character, son the late Phoenix King Aenerion, who decides to bend the knee when a different bloodline is chosen to succeed his father, and embarks on a great journey across the world to write his own pages in the history books instead of following the steps of his father. However not all likes his decision, and he arrives home to see his kingdom overtaken by cultists led by his mother, Morathi who wanted to see her son become king to enjoy her own power she had on the side of Aenerion. A horrible civil war engulfs Ulthuan, and Malekith finds himself facing his own mother, corrupting his own people who are slaughtering each other with the supposed to be good guys of other kingdoms who Malekith has to lead against his own. The protagionist is a passionate, patriotic character who holds the greater good of his people above all else - it's all the more interesting to truly understand him, his good decisions and hundreds of years of his life invested into building a better world, knowing all too well he is going to fall to darkness and become the Darth Vader of Warhammer Fantasy in a much more complex way than other media (games or wikipedia) portrays his downfall.
Shadow King follows a new protagonist, Alith Anar and without story spoiler I can tell you that halfway through this book the writer shocked me when casually wrote down I already knew about from the first book - Malekith is going to return home. I did not realize that the timeline restarted, as the writer did a fantastic job at not giving me any signs of (historically speaking) when we are in the story. So you are going to experience the same story from a very different perspective, revealing so much new information and so many misunderstandings that make the now already known, inevitable future all the more tragic, changing your opinion on many characters and events as both seemingly good guys and bad guys are getting pushed to a grey area, making the conjoined books all the more better. Speaking of Alith, he is much like Malekith: passionate, patriotic, full of good intentions, but he too develops over time into a vengeful and cruel character who we can't help but root for even as he transforms from an idealistic young man to the Shadow King, leader of freedom fighters, guerillas, terrorists, assassins, fighting a greater evil. The book ends where the first one did - save for a few pages more where the story goes on...
... just to restart again in book 3: Caledor, and introduce a new main character, Imrik. Chosen but reluctant king, iron handed but just ruler, genius strategist and noble warrior, his personality may be a bit more stoic compared to the passion driven Alith and Malekith, but in exchange the book goes through the same story real fast (20% of book 3) to give the reader a third and marvelously still equally valuable and interesting point of view of the same events, just to finally roll forward with the story in an all out deathmatch between the three main characters and entire nations behind them - all fighting for a good cause from their own point of view. But who will emerge victorious?
The Sundering is a single story told repeatedly and despite that in an ever more interesting way, to paint just how confusing and horrible war can be, let alone the political and personal reasons of a few key individuals that leads their people to war eventually. Highly recommended to any fantasy lovers, needless to say especially Warhammer fans!
Malekith follows the titular character, son the late Phoenix King Aenerion, who decides to bend the knee when a different bloodline is chosen to succeed his father, and embarks on a great journey across the world to write his own pages in the history books instead of following the steps of his father. However not all likes his decision, and he arrives home to see his kingdom overtaken by cultists led by his mother, Morathi who wanted to see her son become king to enjoy her own power she had on the side of Aenerion. A horrible civil war engulfs Ulthuan, and Malekith finds himself facing his own mother, corrupting his own people who are slaughtering each other with the supposed to be good guys of other kingdoms who Malekith has to lead against his own. The protagionist is a passionate, patriotic character who holds the greater good of his people above all else - it's all the more interesting to truly understand him, his good decisions and hundreds of years of his life invested into building a better world, knowing all too well he is going to fall to darkness and become the Darth Vader of Warhammer Fantasy in a much more complex way than other media (games or wikipedia) portrays his downfall.
Shadow King follows a new protagonist, Alith Anar and without story spoiler I can tell you that halfway through this book the writer shocked me when casually wrote down I already knew about from the first book - Malekith is going to return home. I did not realize that the timeline restarted, as the writer did a fantastic job at not giving me any signs of (historically speaking) when we are in the story. So you are going to experience the same story from a very different perspective, revealing so much new information and so many misunderstandings that make the now already known, inevitable future all the more tragic, changing your opinion on many characters and events as both seemingly good guys and bad guys are getting pushed to a grey area, making the conjoined books all the more better. Speaking of Alith, he is much like Malekith: passionate, patriotic, full of good intentions, but he too develops over time into a vengeful and cruel character who we can't help but root for even as he transforms from an idealistic young man to the Shadow King, leader of freedom fighters, guerillas, terrorists, assassins, fighting a greater evil. The book ends where the first one did - save for a few pages more where the story goes on...
... just to restart again in book 3: Caledor, and introduce a new main character, Imrik. Chosen but reluctant king, iron handed but just ruler, genius strategist and noble warrior, his personality may be a bit more stoic compared to the passion driven Alith and Malekith, but in exchange the book goes through the same story real fast (20% of book 3) to give the reader a third and marvelously still equally valuable and interesting point of view of the same events, just to finally roll forward with the story in an all out deathmatch between the three main characters and entire nations behind them - all fighting for a good cause from their own point of view. But who will emerge victorious?
The Sundering is a single story told repeatedly and despite that in an ever more interesting way, to paint just how confusing and horrible war can be, let alone the political and personal reasons of a few key individuals that leads their people to war eventually. Highly recommended to any fantasy lovers, needless to say especially Warhammer fans!
February 8, 2013
Hail reader, art thou looking for a good book to read. If steel and sorcery be thy interest by all means read The Sundering. The Sundering is a great fantasy novel written by Gav Thrope.
The story’s setting is in the fantasy world of War-Hammer, to be more specific the elven continent of Ulithan. The premis of the story is that war erupted amongst the elves. For the first time in their long history, elves are killing other elves. The two major fractions in this war are the Drucchi (or fallen ones) and those that are loyal to the crown. The Drucchi practice mass sacrificial ceremonies in order to appease the other worldly deamons and gain power.
In my opinion one of the greatest aspects of this book was the detailing. I found the battle scenes and landscape very well painted, similarly to R.A Salvator’s Drizzt series. Additionally, the author accomplished keeping the reader guessing on what happens next. The suspense was compelling me to continue reading the book. However, the best part was the emotion the author transmitted to the reader through the characters. For example, at the end of the story I really hated the antagonists for the atrocities they committed against their own people.
There was only one problem I had with the book. If one didn’t have a prior knowledge of War-Hammer’s lore, it could be confusing to the reader when they encounter events that take place outside of the continent.
Overall this was a great read with only a minor flaw. However that flaw doesn't detract from the bulk of the story. This is a very superb book and I recommend any fantasy lover to read it.
The story’s setting is in the fantasy world of War-Hammer, to be more specific the elven continent of Ulithan. The premis of the story is that war erupted amongst the elves. For the first time in their long history, elves are killing other elves. The two major fractions in this war are the Drucchi (or fallen ones) and those that are loyal to the crown. The Drucchi practice mass sacrificial ceremonies in order to appease the other worldly deamons and gain power.
In my opinion one of the greatest aspects of this book was the detailing. I found the battle scenes and landscape very well painted, similarly to R.A Salvator’s Drizzt series. Additionally, the author accomplished keeping the reader guessing on what happens next. The suspense was compelling me to continue reading the book. However, the best part was the emotion the author transmitted to the reader through the characters. For example, at the end of the story I really hated the antagonists for the atrocities they committed against their own people.
There was only one problem I had with the book. If one didn’t have a prior knowledge of War-Hammer’s lore, it could be confusing to the reader when they encounter events that take place outside of the continent.
Overall this was a great read with only a minor flaw. However that flaw doesn't detract from the bulk of the story. This is a very superb book and I recommend any fantasy lover to read it.
March 25, 2016
Malekith:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
5/5
The Bloody Handed:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
5/5
Shadow King:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
5/5
The Dark Path:
An interesting little short story that takes place during the civil war in Saphery between the High Elf Mages and the Dark Elf Sorcerers/Sorceresses(?). It's a fun little read, and helps give Thyriol some more depth, which I was really interested in, as he was a kick ass character throughout the series! Some really dark and grim stuff in this one, as a mage/magic lover!
4/5
Caledor:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
4/5
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
5/5
The Bloody Handed:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
5/5
Shadow King:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
5/5
The Dark Path:
An interesting little short story that takes place during the civil war in Saphery between the High Elf Mages and the Dark Elf Sorcerers/Sorceresses(?). It's a fun little read, and helps give Thyriol some more depth, which I was really interested in, as he was a kick ass character throughout the series! Some really dark and grim stuff in this one, as a mage/magic lover!
4/5
Caledor:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
4/5
January 2, 2015
The most brilliant gift I have received ever ^_^
March 24, 2019
This series for me feels like a mixed bag, most of the books start on great note but end with more dissatisfying moments and missed opportunities for greatness.
Warning!: Part below contains many spoilers for entire Omnibus.
Malekith
3/5
The Bloody Handed
2/5
Shadow King
4/5
Caledor
2/5
Final thoughts:
.
Final score in my opinion would be 2,5 for whole series.
Warning!: Part below contains many spoilers for entire Omnibus.
Malekith
3/5
The Bloody Handed
2/5
Shadow King
4/5
Caledor
2/5
Final thoughts:
.
Final score in my opinion would be 2,5 for whole series.
July 4, 2023
A poor boring end to what was the best trilogy in the warhammer fantasy universe.
Imrik is a caustic asshole who knows better than everyone else. Oh but, he's not a mary sue for he has loads of experience fighting in the colonies! Trust me bro! Bar one fight in the very start we see none of this.
The dragons, which are what sets the kingdom of Calador apart from the rest of the high elf kingdoms barely feature. A key point at the time of the sundering was that they could not wake many dragons. Why you ask? Well don't expect this book to explain or even mention it. In fact the "antagonist" shows more care and tact about this fact than the leaders of Calador. In fact they manage to rouse a total of 12... most of which die behind the scenes and are given one or two lines mentioning this, if even. Its a slog to read and I have to force myself to keep doing so. A shame as Gav Thrope had shown incredible ability as a writer with the first two books. It feels more like a bored writer jotted down some notes for potential plot points then someone else with little skill came along and edited it into a story
Imrik is a caustic asshole who knows better than everyone else. Oh but, he's not a mary sue for he has loads of experience fighting in the colonies! Trust me bro! Bar one fight in the very start we see none of this.
The dragons, which are what sets the kingdom of Calador apart from the rest of the high elf kingdoms barely feature. A key point at the time of the sundering was that they could not wake many dragons. Why you ask? Well don't expect this book to explain or even mention it. In fact the "antagonist" shows more care and tact about this fact than the leaders of Calador. In fact they manage to rouse a total of 12... most of which die behind the scenes and are given one or two lines mentioning this, if even. Its a slog to read and I have to force myself to keep doing so. A shame as Gav Thrope had shown incredible ability as a writer with the first two books. It feels more like a bored writer jotted down some notes for potential plot points then someone else with little skill came along and edited it into a story
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 9, 2020
Holy Sigmar, what a wild ride! Or, wild READ.
This is probably one of the best fantasy novel (or novelS since this is the omnibus version) I've ever read.
I am a lifelong J.R.R Tolkien fan, and forever will be, and am deeply in love with his mythology, especially the one about the Eldar. The elves.
But. After reading The Sundering, Tolkien sure has got some company at the very top.
The Sundering was all I wish Tolkien's Silmarillion should have been; filled with great characters, amazing action and beautiful scenery. Sure, the Silmarillion has that and more, but the Sundering gave it a lot more depth. More of everything.
This was a fantastic read, and I'll remember it for always.
Next up; The War of the beard! Or, if you are on the dwarfs side; the War of Vengeance!
This is probably one of the best fantasy novel (or novelS since this is the omnibus version) I've ever read.
I am a lifelong J.R.R Tolkien fan, and forever will be, and am deeply in love with his mythology, especially the one about the Eldar. The elves.
But. After reading The Sundering, Tolkien sure has got some company at the very top.
The Sundering was all I wish Tolkien's Silmarillion should have been; filled with great characters, amazing action and beautiful scenery. Sure, the Silmarillion has that and more, but the Sundering gave it a lot more depth. More of everything.
This was a fantastic read, and I'll remember it for always.
Next up; The War of the beard! Or, if you are on the dwarfs side; the War of Vengeance!
November 13, 2022
Witch King. Shadow King. Phoenix King.
Three pivotal figures and their stories amidst the backdrop of one of the most important events of the lore of Warhammer Fantasy- the Sundering, the civil war that irrevocably shattered the elven race into the High Elves (Asur) and Dark Elves (Druchii), two of my favourite factions in the setting- this omnibus is a rich tableau full of gripping, tragic and horrific characters, good and evil, battling for kingdoms, souls and the fate of the world, replete with epic battles, gorgeous world building, sacrifice, tragedy and the fate of the world at stake. Even people who aren't fans of Warhammer will appreciate the richness and depth of the story here, and fans of dark fantasy should consider this a must read...
Three pivotal figures and their stories amidst the backdrop of one of the most important events of the lore of Warhammer Fantasy- the Sundering, the civil war that irrevocably shattered the elven race into the High Elves (Asur) and Dark Elves (Druchii), two of my favourite factions in the setting- this omnibus is a rich tableau full of gripping, tragic and horrific characters, good and evil, battling for kingdoms, souls and the fate of the world, replete with epic battles, gorgeous world building, sacrifice, tragedy and the fate of the world at stake. Even people who aren't fans of Warhammer will appreciate the richness and depth of the story here, and fans of dark fantasy should consider this a must read...
January 31, 2019
What an epic tale! I love how real the Warhammer world and characters became, Thorpe is skilled at incorporating detail, history, and deep emotion of the elves into his writing. Malekith is my favorite character, and it was so hard to put the book down when reading the first book that took place from his perspective. I would say though, that Alith's story (The Shadow King) was actually my favorite to read. So emotional, and his story brought the other two together.
If you love Warhammer, and want to gain a deeper understanding of the story of The Sundering, then this is for you. I absolutely loved this epic tale!
If you love Warhammer, and want to gain a deeper understanding of the story of The Sundering, then this is for you. I absolutely loved this epic tale!
November 9, 2019
No Elf on the shelf
This read right here was a little more drawn out than the last two Warhammer legacy books I’ve read. However, it covers so much history and shows how Malekith basically turned Ulthuan from the power house it was into a fragmented society. Soo much Elf death.
This read right here was a little more drawn out than the last two Warhammer legacy books I’ve read. However, it covers so much history and shows how Malekith basically turned Ulthuan from the power house it was into a fragmented society. Soo much Elf death.
August 3, 2024
Good overall, but does have some pacing issues as well as telling the the same event through various characters (this occurred for multiple events). The first time was interesting, the third time of going through the same event became tedious.
August 23, 2025
un gran libro que te enseña muy bien las causas de la guerra civil elfica, se puede hacer pesado en algunas partes pero en general una lectura muy agradable incluso con algún momento que te ablanda el corazon
March 24, 2020
Wonderful storytelling in the Warhammer world.
June 22, 2020
Two years later and I finally got round too round the 3rd part of the trilogy. Loved all the books but felt like the end of the last one was a bit rushed. Good fun anyway.
August 15, 2020
Norm book
February 23, 2021
Gav Thorpe does an excellent job bringing a mythical and fantastical world that we all know and love, to life
December 24, 2024
Great book combining all three stories of Malekith, Shadow King and Caledor. Loved all three and they are all origins stories. The Shadow King was definitely my favorite but all were great.
February 17, 2025
Details of the conflict were intricate but not too overly detailed.
June 12, 2025
Awesome
Excellent read, great bit of history about the Elves. Would definitely recommend if you are interested in the history of this major area in Warhamer Fantasy.
Excellent read, great bit of history about the Elves. Would definitely recommend if you are interested in the history of this major area in Warhamer Fantasy.
January 24, 2014
Let me start this by saying I am not a fan of Gav Thorpe. I dread when his books come up in series that I am reading. I've written a whole blog post on how much I dislike his writing style, so I won't go into too much detail here. The Sundering includes all 3 books on the split between the High Elves and the Dark Elves in the Warhammer universe. There are page after page where Thorpe actually just cut and paste from the first book. Word for word. I felt like he was told the books had to be a certain length and he didn't feel like writing that much, so he repeated himself. Over and over. The stories drag out and I just wanted him to get to the point!
Take away my annoyance at the writing style, the story was fantastic. If you are familiar with the Warhammer series, you know it is based on the tabletop game, so the outline of the stories already exist. It is up to each writer to flesh the story out, and some do this better than others. As far as storytelling goes, I can't complain too much about Thorpe. But I still dread reading his books. If you are a Warhammer fan, and particularly a fan of the Elves, read this book. You see what caused the split and caused the factions to be created. If you have not read a Warhammer book before, I suggest starting with one by Graham McNeill or William King.
Take away my annoyance at the writing style, the story was fantastic. If you are familiar with the Warhammer series, you know it is based on the tabletop game, so the outline of the stories already exist. It is up to each writer to flesh the story out, and some do this better than others. As far as storytelling goes, I can't complain too much about Thorpe. But I still dread reading his books. If you are a Warhammer fan, and particularly a fan of the Elves, read this book. You see what caused the split and caused the factions to be created. If you have not read a Warhammer book before, I suggest starting with one by Graham McNeill or William King.
September 8, 2014
What? It ends like that?! That was epic though! :D :D so good. Is there a book after this?! I wanna know what happens!
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews