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Warhammer Age of Sigmar
Callis & Toll
A Warhammer Age of Sigmar Novel
Hanniver Toll, together with Armand Callis – warrior and confidante – plunges into Cinderfall’s dirty underbelly, to solve a mystery at the heart of which lies an evil that will take all their courage and cunning to overcome.
READ IT BECAUSE
The world-wise experience of witch hunter Hanniver Toll comes together with the rugged determination and heavy firepower of the former Freeguild officer Armand Callis. Can they get to the bottom of a brutal murder, and what other secrets will they discover buried in the ash of Cinderfall?
THE STORY
Cinderfall district, Hammerhal Aqsha. The Twin-Tailed City belches fire day and night, smoke chokes the skies, and ash lines the streets like so much filthy snow. Life is brutal in Cinderfall – crime is rife, and death is cheap. But even here, the ritualistic murder of a supremely powerful ganglord is out of the ordinary.
Dispatched by the Order of Azyr, witch hunter Hanniver Toll arrives in Cinderfall to investigate. Is this the work of a rival gang, or is something much darker afoot?
Hanniver Toll, together with Armand Callis – warrior and confidante – plunges into Cinderfall’s dirty underbelly, to solve a mystery at the heart of which lies an evil that will take all their courage and cunning to overcome.
READ IT BECAUSE
The world-wise experience of witch hunter Hanniver Toll comes together with the rugged determination and heavy firepower of the former Freeguild officer Armand Callis. Can they get to the bottom of a brutal murder, and what other secrets will they discover buried in the ash of Cinderfall?
THE STORY
Cinderfall district, Hammerhal Aqsha. The Twin-Tailed City belches fire day and night, smoke chokes the skies, and ash lines the streets like so much filthy snow. Life is brutal in Cinderfall – crime is rife, and death is cheap. But even here, the ritualistic murder of a supremely powerful ganglord is out of the ordinary.
Dispatched by the Order of Azyr, witch hunter Hanniver Toll arrives in Cinderfall to investigate. Is this the work of a rival gang, or is something much darker afoot?
292 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 23, 2024
14 people are currently reading
101 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
August 17, 2025
I really enjoyed this book all of it twists and turns as the mystery unfold to fill something a lot more sinister. I was expecting something little bit more grand for the ending but was still satisfied.
August 31, 2025
Mediocre detective novel with some signature boring warhammer action. Fell apart as soon as the mystery started to unravel.
June 23, 2024
A great murder mystery set in the Mortal Realms. Callis and Toll are interesting characters and the slow unraveling of the horrendous secret beneath Cinderfall was incredibly intriguing
December 3, 2025
If you’re looking for an unbiased review, this isn’t it! I’m a witch hunter fanatic and unapologetic Hanniver Toll fangirl, and this recent addition to the Callis and Toll series has done absolutely nothing to quell my adoration for both!
Callis and Toll is a bit of a refresh for the series. Seeing the main characters moving on from the days of fighting dastardly foes in the Realm of Beasts. Hanniver Toll has relocated to Hammerhal Aqshy and is facing the fires of Sigmar’s foes on a new front.
The change of setting has brought a new breath of fresh air to the series, which has shown the characters maturing from their early Age of Sigmar writing and adapting along with the wider world in these strange, new times. This isn’t to say that the characters have changed in their essence; Hanniver Toll is still a steadfast Sigmarite and Armand Callis is still a warrior of humble means, though some elements that aren’t touched upon from the previous offerings of their story; there’s no mention of Hanniver’s lost his arm or of Callis being a Freeguild Corporal, for example.
Callis and Toll is a book that does what Warhammer fiction does best; it homes in on a problem and the hero characters have to solve it while getting into serious trouble along the way, in a fantasy whodunit where anything is possible and even allies are dubious! You never know who the enemy of humanity is going to be, and Callis and Toll keep the reader guessing. Having said that, some of the ‘clues’ are a little on the obvious side; the story isn’t a sophisticated one that’ll keep the reader guessing right until the final reveal, but all the stepping stones of a classic fantasy/mystery novel are present.
It was great to see the titular characters carry the story; in previous offerings in the series, it felt as though the author became bored with Callis and Toll themselves and drifted from them. This is far from the case here, and I am all the more thankful for it. David Annandale was an inspired choice for writing these two; he has a flair for the dramatic, disgusting and dangerous. All work in perfect harmony here in offering a thrilling read, with characters I personally adore. And, I am humbly sorry for expressing any doubts to the contrary. I sincerely hope that Annandale can write more adventures with these two because he took them in a new direction perfectly. His description of everything horrible and gross is perfectly in keeping with what I expect from the author, and this new Callis and Toll book ticked all of my fangirl-y boxes!
There are scenes in the book that had me turning the pages at a rapid pace because I just had to know what would happen, who would be saved, who wouldn’t and the resolution of the overall mystery, which has been left sufficiently open-ended (while still being resolved enough for reader satisfaction) for another book at the very least!
I would have loved for there to be a bit of background to the characters to be explored; what there is, is brief. Something was going on between Callis and one of their allies that I felt was a bit glossed over, too. So, there may be a bit of a lack in interpersonal relationships between the titular characters and side characters, but is that really why we read Black Library fiction? It would also be great to see how Callis and Toll got from where they were, in Ghyr, to Aqshy, but maybe that’s just me looking for wish-fulfilment? I also discovered that Callis and Toll have an animation in Hammer and Bolter, which I am going to subscribe to Warhammer TV for, my love for these two is that great!
So, yep, I loved this book. I am thrilled that they’ve been given a new book and a new lease of life, and that the book was such a fun and fantastic read!
Callis and Toll is a bit of a refresh for the series. Seeing the main characters moving on from the days of fighting dastardly foes in the Realm of Beasts. Hanniver Toll has relocated to Hammerhal Aqshy and is facing the fires of Sigmar’s foes on a new front.
The change of setting has brought a new breath of fresh air to the series, which has shown the characters maturing from their early Age of Sigmar writing and adapting along with the wider world in these strange, new times. This isn’t to say that the characters have changed in their essence; Hanniver Toll is still a steadfast Sigmarite and Armand Callis is still a warrior of humble means, though some elements that aren’t touched upon from the previous offerings of their story; there’s no mention of Hanniver’s lost his arm or of Callis being a Freeguild Corporal, for example.
Callis and Toll is a book that does what Warhammer fiction does best; it homes in on a problem and the hero characters have to solve it while getting into serious trouble along the way, in a fantasy whodunit where anything is possible and even allies are dubious! You never know who the enemy of humanity is going to be, and Callis and Toll keep the reader guessing. Having said that, some of the ‘clues’ are a little on the obvious side; the story isn’t a sophisticated one that’ll keep the reader guessing right until the final reveal, but all the stepping stones of a classic fantasy/mystery novel are present.
It was great to see the titular characters carry the story; in previous offerings in the series, it felt as though the author became bored with Callis and Toll themselves and drifted from them. This is far from the case here, and I am all the more thankful for it. David Annandale was an inspired choice for writing these two; he has a flair for the dramatic, disgusting and dangerous. All work in perfect harmony here in offering a thrilling read, with characters I personally adore. And, I am humbly sorry for expressing any doubts to the contrary. I sincerely hope that Annandale can write more adventures with these two because he took them in a new direction perfectly. His description of everything horrible and gross is perfectly in keeping with what I expect from the author, and this new Callis and Toll book ticked all of my fangirl-y boxes!
There are scenes in the book that had me turning the pages at a rapid pace because I just had to know what would happen, who would be saved, who wouldn’t and the resolution of the overall mystery, which has been left sufficiently open-ended (while still being resolved enough for reader satisfaction) for another book at the very least!
I would have loved for there to be a bit of background to the characters to be explored; what there is, is brief. Something was going on between Callis and one of their allies that I felt was a bit glossed over, too. So, there may be a bit of a lack in interpersonal relationships between the titular characters and side characters, but is that really why we read Black Library fiction? It would also be great to see how Callis and Toll got from where they were, in Ghyr, to Aqshy, but maybe that’s just me looking for wish-fulfilment? I also discovered that Callis and Toll have an animation in Hammer and Bolter, which I am going to subscribe to Warhammer TV for, my love for these two is that great!
So, yep, I loved this book. I am thrilled that they’ve been given a new book and a new lease of life, and that the book was such a fun and fantastic read!
April 1, 2024
4.5*
I loved the previous Callis and Toll stories and myriad of secondary characters they interacted with and they were the primary reason for being interested in AOS. However, it had been four years or so that we had heard anything and I was worried they had been buried like many other BL characters before them. Thankfully this was not the case and this recent new addition was announced. My main concern was that it wasn’t Horth writing them anymore.
This addition was very good, it was a very enjoyable, well written mystery that kept an excellent pace throughout. The characters are largely the same as before and Annandale has delivered on the early beats of their personalities. Where he does struggle in comparison to Horth is his humour where he misses far more than the few hits. The secondary characters also aren’t as interesting as previous in the series.
In addition, there isn’t anything that connects this story to the previous works and maybe there will be time to fill those gaps in upcoming works but something tells me that is unlikely. I would like to know how Toll now has his arm back though.
Overall, I’m very glad that the characters haven’t been forgotten and I did thoroughly enjoy the story. It’s also left open enough for stories both looking forward and behind and I’m more than happy that Annandale has continued the series and hopefully will moving forward.
I loved the previous Callis and Toll stories and myriad of secondary characters they interacted with and they were the primary reason for being interested in AOS. However, it had been four years or so that we had heard anything and I was worried they had been buried like many other BL characters before them. Thankfully this was not the case and this recent new addition was announced. My main concern was that it wasn’t Horth writing them anymore.
This addition was very good, it was a very enjoyable, well written mystery that kept an excellent pace throughout. The characters are largely the same as before and Annandale has delivered on the early beats of their personalities. Where he does struggle in comparison to Horth is his humour where he misses far more than the few hits. The secondary characters also aren’t as interesting as previous in the series.
In addition, there isn’t anything that connects this story to the previous works and maybe there will be time to fill those gaps in upcoming works but something tells me that is unlikely. I would like to know how Toll now has his arm back though.
Overall, I’m very glad that the characters haven’t been forgotten and I did thoroughly enjoy the story. It’s also left open enough for stories both looking forward and behind and I’m more than happy that Annandale has continued the series and hopefully will moving forward.
August 7, 2024
Overall: I don’t think this is a classic of literature, but it’s a ton of fun and well worth reading.
The Good: Callis and Toll have phenomenal chemistry. The structure is ingenious (it’s structured like an episode of Law and Order, where the Callis and Toll encounter a new situation or interesting character every few pages, backstory is kept to a minimum, and each vignette contains some interesting bit of texture of characterization and leads to either a clue or an action scene. It’s basically a perfect way of introducing a new fantasy world without drowning the reader in exposition or making it boring for people who are familiar with the setting). The central mystery is engaging. The writing itself is quite good.
The bad: I didn’t find the climax that exciting.
The Good: Callis and Toll have phenomenal chemistry. The structure is ingenious (it’s structured like an episode of Law and Order, where the Callis and Toll encounter a new situation or interesting character every few pages, backstory is kept to a minimum, and each vignette contains some interesting bit of texture of characterization and leads to either a clue or an action scene. It’s basically a perfect way of introducing a new fantasy world without drowning the reader in exposition or making it boring for people who are familiar with the setting). The central mystery is engaging. The writing itself is quite good.
The bad: I didn’t find the climax that exciting.
September 19, 2024
For good and bad, it read like a role playing campaign with the characters investigating a murder mystery that leads them to a deeper conspiracy with different helping characters and battles along the way. I really liked the setting but the characters were a bit flat and the storytelling was pretty linear and predictable. All in all I enjoyed it but I had higher hopes since the miniatures based on the characters in the book are so cool! I thought they would play a bigger part in the story besides the main characters.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 3, 2024
Murder mystery and intrigue in the Age of Sigmar. Callis & Toll are great characters and their investigation among the smoke-choked streets of Cinderfall is one of the best Black Library titles I’ve read. This isn’t your standard Warhammer fare, full of battles, blood and gore. Instead, the plot is slowly revealed as we follow our heroes around the city, with plenty of unpredictable twists and turns along the way, culminating in some high action drama at the end.
It’s a fantastic work that I’d recommend to every AoS fan.
It’s a fantastic work that I’d recommend to every AoS fan.
August 4, 2024
Disclaimer: I love AoS horror stories with human protagonists and this is an excellent example of it. It’s well written, it’s well paced, the characters are good (Eisenhorn wishes he was Toll) and the story is just plain awesome. It’s not a big army or major scale book, but it’s an excellent AoS book. You don’t need to have read the previous Callis and Toll stories to read it, you can dive right into it.
August 20, 2025
Okay this book was better than I expected a proper mystery book that had hints scattered through it from the very start.
The character are great and the action fast and not overwhelming. It really did seem like the heroes were struggling at times rather than being over powered saving the day.
It definitely made me want to know what happens next if they go on more adventures and uncover more mysteries.
The character are great and the action fast and not overwhelming. It really did seem like the heroes were struggling at times rather than being over powered saving the day.
It definitely made me want to know what happens next if they go on more adventures and uncover more mysteries.
July 28, 2025
I think this book works great as an introduction to the age of sigmar lore, as it shows a specific city of Sigmar, namely Cinderfall, as well as the way different factions interact with one another. Looking at this book as a standalone I found it very enjoyable to read as it offers lots of tension, as well as twists while skillfully guiding the reader on Callis' and Tolls search.
September 3, 2025
A great Warhammer-noir tale. Quite investigative but with enough action to keep it exciting. I quite enjoyed seeing where these two characters have ended up in the lore as of late, as their original novel (The Silver Shard) was one of my first, and favorite entries into the Age of Sigmar narrative universe.
September 9, 2024
High speed action
There had better be a sequel to this tale, way too much unfinished work for Callis and Toll. It's also nice to have a non Chaos (so far) involved adventure. Good and nasty. Check it out.
There had better be a sequel to this tale, way too much unfinished work for Callis and Toll. It's also nice to have a non Chaos (so far) involved adventure. Good and nasty. Check it out.
October 24, 2025
This book expertly combined several elements I love horror, fantasy, buddy action, and crime into a heady and highly satisfying story cocktail. Another great one from David Annandale who is one of my favorite writers to pen Warhammer fiction.
June 21, 2024
A solid novel with familiar characters and a plot that has decent substance. Some good world building in the AoS universe, and a bit reminiscent of old world Warhammer fantasy.
August 25, 2024
A good detective tale set in the AoS universe, no Sherlock and Holmes but C&T are a good team and the story kept me engaged all the way
Great narration
Great narration
November 3, 2025
Just a fun time to read through it.
October 22, 2024
One of the better A of Sigmar novels.
September 3, 2025
Fun detective mystery, lots of interesting wrinkles that all tie together. Listened to the audiobook: this narrator wasn't my favorite, but I did overall enjoy the story.
Unfortunately, if you are familiar with a certain army in Age of Sigmar, the twists are no surprise: it's fun to follow along and theorize if you're new to the setting, but knowing the setting / faction severely stunts the intrigue early on. Incredibly disappointing to discover the mystery wasn't unique, but instead lead to known and established lore (for us, if not for the characters).
Characters are fairly one-note, and the eponymous protagonists are COMPLETELY different than portrayed in the Nick Horth novels: they might as well be different people entirely, so do not expect continuity coming in.
I got a bit tired of the action sequences, though that comes with the territory in Black Library.
Unfortunately, if you are familiar with a certain army in Age of Sigmar, the twists are no surprise: it's fun to follow along and theorize if you're new to the setting, but knowing the setting / faction severely stunts the intrigue early on. Incredibly disappointing to discover the mystery wasn't unique, but instead lead to known and established lore (for us, if not for the characters).
Characters are fairly one-note, and the eponymous protagonists are COMPLETELY different than portrayed in the Nick Horth novels: they might as well be different people entirely, so do not expect continuity coming in.
I got a bit tired of the action sequences, though that comes with the territory in Black Library.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews