Riders of the Dead

Warhammer Fantasy

by Dan Abnett

Fantasy novel set in Games Workshop's Warhammer universe.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Dark Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Science Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy

288 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Phil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun read by the 'crown jewel' of the Warhammer authors, and the first Abnett I have read of his set in the fantasy realm of Warhammer. As usual, the Empire is beset by an invading horde from the North; must be the standard trope for the series. This invasion, however, is nothing like the 'normal'; the Northers, lead by a daemon, has summoned an immense host, a coordinated one at that, that may spell doom for the Empire.

The story centers on two Empire soldiers, for both their first time at war. One, Gerlach, is a rising noble with a slot for the calvary; the other, Vollen, comes from a less illustrious background; his family lost their lands eons ago it seems. Nonetheless, Vollen proudly rides his horse to battle and also has the honor of carrying the battle standard. Their muster arrives at the first battle only to find a massacre in process, with the Empire being slaughtered. Vollen gets taken prisoner by the Northers while Gerlach escapes with the aid of a proud war band from Kislev. Obviously, they are fated to meet again...

The bulk of the novel concerns the experiences of the two soldiers and their emersion with their rescuers/slavers. Vollen, appalled at his host, nonetheless becomes assimilated to them and eventually even fights for them. Gerlach, at first put off by the 'barbarians' who rescued him, also slowly becomes assimilated. The title refers to what the Kislev war band call themselves; when they ride to war, they become the riders of the dead, for every battle should be the final one of their lives. Some great action sequences (of course!), but the 'meat' of the novel revolves around Abnett's world-building, especially the cultural aspects. I came close to giving this four stars, but the abrupt, anticlimactic denouement bumped it to 3.5 battling stars.

[Jason Ray Carney · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best Warhammer Fantasy ("Old World") novels I've read in awhile. It stood out from the others I’ve been reading, particularly The End Times novels, which have a very different tone--almost mythic, MU in scope (correction: technically this is an "End Times novel, in that it is set during the campaigjs that ended the Old World, but it's not part of that named series, I don't think). In contrast, Riders of the Dead felt gritty, grounded, and at times reminiscent of historical fiction. While the content is obviously fantastical, Dan Abnett’s meticulous attention to detail, especially regarding the Norscan and Kislevite cultures, gave the story a rich texture.

The two main characters were a highlight for me. Watching their transformations over the course of the narrative was deeply engaging and tied beautifully to the theme of change, which aligns so fittingly with Tzeentch, the Chaos god of transformation, the Eye.

One critique: while later Black Library books began including cast lists, this novel would have greatly benefited from one. There were many characters with complicated names that were hard to keep track of--names like Gorble, Nazgrik, Porkchop, and Blunderblosco (obviously not real examples, but you get my point).

[Patrick Stuart · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have not read this for a long time and had forgotten how much I enjoyed it. I think this is my favourite of Abnetts books and amongst my favourite adventure stories.

What sings on a re-read is the propulsive drive of the story and the very fine detailing of the culture of the Kislevites in particular, and of the environment of the steppe.

Another thing that sticks out is the extent to which both main characters are very clearly manipulated or altered by fate, or by strange gods, each being driven into challenges and circumstances which will inevitably shape them in particular ways. The extent to which anyone in this story has free will is an interesting mystery.

Something else I like is how much of this happens in the 'backstage' of the big war against Chaos. Somewhere dragons are flying about and high-fantasy stuff is happening, but we see little of it and Abnett keeps the point of view closely bound to a low-level pseudo-history which adds weight and feeling to the tale.

[Olethros · Rating 4 out of 5]

-Brío poderoso incluso dentro de la producción bajo franquicia.-

Género. Narrativa Fantástica.

Lo que nos cuenta. En tiempos del emperador Karl-Franz, fuerzas del Imperio se desplazan a territorios de Kislev para detener los movimientos invasores de los bárbaros desde los Desiertos del Norte, lo que luego se conocerá, cuando se sepa su verdadero alcance y peligrosidad, como la Acometida de Primavera. Karl Reiner Vollen es un joven corneta de la Segunda Compañía de Lanceros ligeros de Hipparchia y Gerlach Heileman es su estandarte. Ambos hombres no pueden ser más distintos en personalidad y origen, lo que crea roces duros entre ellos. Cuando las tropas del Imperio son arrasadas en la Batalla de Zhedevka, el destino de ambos hombres será muy diferente y cambiarán para siempre.

¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:

http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...

[Jack Neighbour · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I ever recommend a Warhammer book it’s almost always by Dan Abnett. But I have to say. This is one of the most underrated books I’ve read. Also a great introduction to Warhammer fantasy. Amazing dialogue between characters that will make you laugh out loud. Just brilliant.

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

The Year that no one forgets...
The book was about two demilancers of the Empire who went to war and got separeted. It was the year of 2521 and a full scale war was goin' on. One of the empire armies march north and face the northern tribes. The northern tribes were more and outnumbered then and most of them fell. Some were made captives to their own sports and others fled south. And this is how our story begins.

Warhammer fantasy is a bit different from the sort of light-touch fantasy common in the American market. The emphasis is on the intricacy of the Warhammer setting, and the endless wars that plague its inhabitants. (As one person I knew said, Forgotten realms it's for juvinile and Warhammer / Warhammer 40k it's for young adults and adults...)

Games Workshop draws heavily on the history of Europe for its setting's richness, and Abnett does the same with RIDERS OF THE DEAD.
Dan Abnett portraits exclently the Viewpoint of Empire, of the Kislevian's (who are the empire allies but seen as under-developed people), and the Northers (Norsca) who are the antognists of the empire. The bulk of the novel takes place in Kislev, Warhammer's fantastic analog not only for medieval Russia but somethings by poland and the golden horde (mongol) and knowledgeable readers will find many familiar names and concepts buried among the sheer invention.

Dan Abnett made a story about two different friends,(Karl Vollen and Gerlach Heileman) if you can call them it. Gerlach is a young man of privilege destined for great things. His boyhood friend, Karl, had the benefit of patronage by Gerlach's household, but his low birth means he'll never amount to much in the scheme of things.
In the book they go to drastic changes. Karl, captured by the barbaric Kurgan, is initiated into dark rites and the religion of bloody slaughter. Meanwhile, the arrogant Gerlach becomes an enlightened warrior in the company of a humble troop of Kislevite lancers. Abnett takes his time progressing these parallel tales, and though the journeys both men undertake are those of internal transformation, there's plenty of gory battle to punctuate the introspection.

Dan Abnett portraits exclently the Viewpoint of Empire, of the Kislevian's (who are the empire allies but seen as under-developed people), and the Northers (Norsca) who are the antognists of the empire.

In the end I personally admire each and every other kingdom. The norcsa who aren't that all chaos and mayhem, the kisvelians who live in the stepps and aren't that under-develped but rather code and faith followers. I like the all book. If there is a part where I don't feel so excited its the end. I guess it was rather precipated. But the end after the last battle was tottaly unpredictable. (It remind me of Dan Abnett's Double Eagle)

If you want to start reading Warhammer you can start anywhere since they are all great books. But Abnett's book are just marvelous. I would recomend this one to people who love a book about war (and not afraid of and character development.

[Antonio Meridda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Per gli appassionati di Warhammer, davvero un bel libro, dove si vede in pieno l'effetto distorcente del Caos, che porta un uomo buono alla corruzione e un vile arrogante al ruolo di eroe!

[Francesca]

- Ricordate che questa è l'ultima battaglia! L'unica battaglia! Combattete come se non ci fosse un domani e lo vedrete!

I Cavalieri della morte, Dan Abnett

[Giovanni Casula · Rating 5 out of 5]

Per me questo é un libro da 5 stelle, non per la qualitá intrinseca della trama, che si svolge all inizio della Tempesta del Chaos, ma quanto per i suoi personaggi, così essenziali e comunque ben scritti e funzionali, nulla viene edulcorato, sembra di leggere un libro di abercrombie! Stra consigliato ai fan del fantasy grimdark.

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easily a 4.5 at times.

This was my first foray into Warhammer Fantasy. With the revival of the Old World, I've decided to move beyond the realms of 40k. I've got loads of Age of Sigmar stuff, but, I don't know, the lore of that realm just hasn't grabbed me as much. But I'll eventually pick up some books in that setting and see how they go. However, the return to traditional Warhammer Fantasy had me pretty excited and since I've never played that game or read any books from it, I decided to dive in. I have read a number of different things from Dan Abnett, so I figured he would be a strong choice for my first tour of Warhammer.

I should preface all of this with, I think this book will make a lot more sense to new readers if they know something about the setting. That is definitely assumed based on the way this book has been written. This is designed for readers/players familiar with the game setting and the many factions within the game. However, Riders of the Dead really focuses on two main groups, but knowledge the sub-groups this focuses on is pretty useful for getting an idea of character motivations and generally what's going on with the bad guys.

The book opens up with an Imperial force being gathered to fight back a growing army of Chaos, no doubt led by Archaon who is referenced later in the book. Archaon does not make an appearance in this novel, before you get too excited about it. (I don't feel that's a spoiler, because by the time he gets brought up, you kind of know it's outlandishly likely for him to appear.) This book is really focused on two primary characters, both of which are from The Empire. Both are from the same regiment of demilancers, Gerlach Heileman and Karl Vollen. (On a side note, I know Karl is the name of the Emperor at this time, but my god, there are too many people named Karl in this book. I'm sorry, I get it, I get why there are so many, but it's annoying.)

This novel is primarily focused on The Empire versus Chaos Warriors in terms of the game setting. There are sub-groups to each really and The Empire has many allies. One of the interesting aspects is that this battle is joined by the warriors from Kislev and I think that's what makes this book so special for people. So, the book kicks off with a huge battle, can't complain about that, but this is not a campaign of the Empire doing away with the hordes of Chaos, no, in the initial battle we find our characters being defeated!

When the forces are routed Gerlach finds himself among a band of Kislev warriors that escape with him in tow. Gerlach is really in no condition to try and find his way back to The Empire so he rides on with the Kislevite horsemen. He goes on a long and arduous journey into the Steppes and in that journey learns a lot about himself and the people of Kislev. You see, Gerlach was sort of the cliche haughty character that was of more noble birth. However, after such a devastating defeat he had to get over himself and work with this other group of warriors he had previously considered a "simple" people. To be honest, I thought such a journey into Kislev culture might be rather daunting or a slow read, but I have to hand it to Abnett, he made it really fun and interesting to read. Gerlach ends up being an pretty good character by the end of the book and his character changes quite a bit.

Karl Vollen, on the other hand, suffers a much different fate. Instead he is captured by the Armies of Chaos and sold into slavery. The particular group that purchases him are followers of Tzeentch. However, I have a bit of an annoyance here, which I do with loads of Black Library books, in this book they refer to this god as Tchar... because that's the particular dialect these warriors speak. Now, I suppose this "deepens" the world a bit more having a varied linguistic setup, but this doesn't help sell the models to me. Instead, I have no idea who Tchar even is and have never heard of it based on the products Games Workshop sells for the game. Luckily I was able to figure it out because they eventually referred to "change" a lot, since Tzeentch is the "Lord of Change". I just can't help thinking that a new reader stumbling into this book will never figure that out. Anyway, I was pretty elated to read about Tzeentch specific force, because I don't think Tzeentch is written about as much in the novels, with big battles often centering around Khorne quite often. In any event, Karl finds himself captured and this is essentially his journey into becoming a follower of Tzeentch, which was, frankly, awesome to read.

Almost everything involving Karl hit that 4.5 star mark for me. So often we read a heroes journey like Gerlach's of the noble born upstart getting his dose of reality, but the bad guys are vague or "just so" characters. Maybe the main bad guy has some depth, but the underlings or followers are just cannon fodder for the good guys. Not so with this novel! No, Karl's "hero" journey is a stark opposite. And boy is it a wild time and really enjoyable to read. Abnett flesh's out all the characters around Karl so when you hit that final climactic battle at the end of the novel that is pretty obviously inevitable... you have a really potentially tragic tale no matter who falls in battle.

I will say, at one point towards the end as the book was finishing up and the page count was dwindling they alluded to Gerlach at some point facing Archaon. I thought that was outlandish and would bring the novel in a strange ending given how many pages were left. The fall of Archaon can't possible be a 30 page stint... and it was not. The ending conflict was much more obvious, and in many ways wrapped up nicely and quite satisfying. However, I will say, I think it would have been kind of cool to set this big stage where it alluded to Gerlach facing Archao and left it up to the reader to play out such a battle on the tabletop! Go and build and paint your Gerlach hero character and take his Kislevites to the field! That would have been pretty fun to I suspect.

In the end, I quite loved this book. Abnett is, once again, a safe choice for me as I quite like his writing and consistency. I hesitate to say that any fan of the fantasy genre can pick this up, I think it would still be a good book. But, knowledge of The Empire and the Chaos Gods will make this book much more enjoyable. To be honest, you don't even need to know a huge amount of it, just a quick summary of these things and you'll be good go and dive into a fun read.

[Kyle Johnston · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was not only my first foray into the books of Warhammer, but also into adult "dark" fantasy. I didn't know exactly what to expect because I've heard the lore of Warhammer is vast in scope. However, when I read this book, I felt like I did when I read fantasy books in middle and high school. It was very difficult for me to stop reading once I started, which I take as a sign of a good book.

[Yanik · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been a big fan of the Malus Darkblade series and have been wanting to read a novel solely by Abnett. I had always had the impression that the Darkblade novels were primarily written by Mike Lee with story collaboration with Abnett. Having read Riders of the Dead now, I see a lot of style and narrative similarities with that beloved series, so I guess I’ve been an Abnett fan for years.

What struck me from the start is the fantastic writing. Detailed descriptions and often beautiful prose are constantly impressive and the story and themes are highly symbolic and poetic. This is high praise for a grimdark genre that is often seen as somewhat shallower and solely focused on the horror and violence of war.
The level of detail with which the cultures on displayed are realized is also very impressive and indeed a core part of the plot. The way in which we get to be immersed in the Kislevite and Norscan cultures through the eyes of the main characters is fantastic. By the end I felt at home and understanding of both cultures and in love with the vividness of their traditions.
Indeed, the cultures and trappings are so detailed that for a long time it feels more like reading a historical fiction rather than grimdark fantasy. As the story progresses, however, more mystical and magical elements become more prominent and I really like it that way.

That is not to say that the violence and war aren’t there, they are the backbone of the story, but there are large parts of character and word building in-between moments of violence, visceral combat. It is the way these fights are choreographed and described that reminded me the most of the Darkblade novels, and that is a very good thing. Like those novels, we often get to see grand battles obscured by the fog of war, where only the limited personal situational awareness and close combat are detailed. The chaos and brutality of these conflicts are quite impressive in those moments.

We follow 2 POV characters, first closely attached to their experiences in an alien world and traumatic events, and more and more detached from their being and more in an overarching narration as they are absorbed by the culture in which they find themselves in. This transformation is the crux of the story so I won’t say much of it, but all of it felt very natural, impactful and rewarding in the end.
Most of the story the two characters are leagues apart but this does not hinder the plot in any way. Characteristically, Karl and Gerlach already start at polar opposite ends of being and their journeys takes them both to wildly different ends.

So yeah, I really liked this and am sure to pick up more Abnett novels. It has brought me closer to my Warhammer Fantasy Chaos Warrior tabletop army and make fall in love with the Kislevite culture, that wonderful melting pot of Slavic influences.

[Peter Rybarczyk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well deserved four stars. This is one of the best Warhammer books I've read and for sure the most realistic one.
The book tells a strong of two friends from the Empire army, separated by fate, and ended in two different sides of conflict, Kislev & Chaos hordes. Abnett did a great job describing how they are changing and growing up when fighting for survival in their brutal world. The reader really can make some bonds with characters, meet their beliefs, etc.
Another big plus of this story is the fact there are almost no magic heroes or overpowered wizards. Except that we are meeting just ordinary warriors, maybe a bit mutated ones, but warriors. With their beliefs, weaknesses, and desires. Thanks to that, we can understand the culture of these nations, this worse especially great with titular Kislevite Riders of the Dead. Probably, this is the best book about Kislev in the entire Warhammer series.

So, why not five stars?
Unfortunately, the beginning is boring. For the first 50 pages, I had to force myself to read. And the ending, well, it looks like the author was entirely out of time and needed to finish the plot in few words... .

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essential Reading

A brilliantly put together novel with loads of well-conceived characters in the typical Abnett fashion. Even if you're only here for Kislev, as I was, the Chaos segments of the narrative are also really enjoyable.

Abnett does a fantastic job of, as ever, injecting logic and good sense into the previously vague mould of the Kislevite culture - fleshing it out beautifully in a hundred simple ways and making a web of small things which paint a big picture without overburdening the book or it's tale.

In the vein of other books of his, like the Ghosts series in particular, this is a story of the everyman - the little people fighting one small corner of the End Times. It is evocative and a genuine page-turner.

[Ondřej Plachý · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hoped this book would be a study of human character under duress of imprisonment as a POV. I got that but it felt half baked at times. If only the book was longer and the author spent a little more time on the character development of its two main protagonists.

Also from around its half it was painfully obvious where this was headed. Ok, no problem, this is not something that is inherently bad, but then the book did not deliver. The final part seems as if the deadline was too close to properly finish it (I'm just guessing but it really seemed super rushed).

On the positive side, despite this being a pulp fantasy book, there are some interesting things being discussed around the topics of honour, guilt, and comraderie.

[Rikky Lambert · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has easily become one of my favorite books of all time. Everything from the characters, to the foreshadowing, to the brutal, tear-jerking battle scenes, to the delightful mundane day-to-day life of the soldiers, I love it all. I am biased towards literally any "chosen one" story, and this book takes that trope in the most satisfying direction possible. I have never in my life read a book and immediately wanted to read it a second time, but this book did that for me. Highly recommended to fans of a good gritty fantasy novel!!

[Javier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Como libro para los no fans de Warhammer está bastante bien. La trama te engancha, los protagonistas tienen una evolución bien llevada, la ambientación es interesante y las escenas de combates son muy dinámicas.

Como fan de la franquicia tiene el aliciente de mostrarte aspectos poco explotados en otras novelas. La forma de vida de los kvislevitas y el punto de vista de los seguidores del archienemigo.

[Marco Landi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buon military fantasy, anche se la parte fantasy è pressappoco inesistente.. Comunque resta un buon libro, con due bei personaggi.. In certi momenti è un po' lento con info non prettamente utili, per il resto le battaglie e gli scontri sono descritti molto bene.. trama un po' semplice, ma comunque godibile.. Finale forse un po' frettoloso... Comunque Dan scrive molto bene!

[JOHN MITCHELL]

A Good, Good Book

A well researched insight into the folks of the northern steppes sits alongside a great story of two warriors. Perhaps one of Abnetts best books? If so, it's of no matter.

[David Gonzalez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un pedazo de libro dentro del mundo de Warhammer. Como explica la cultura kislevita y las diferencias culturales entre estos y los imperiales así como las costumbres de los norsca.
Sin duda alguna un libro muy recomendable para aquellos que quieran leer sobre el norte del Viejo Mundo

[Cattrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

To be honest, I didn't have very high expectations for this book before I started. I was pleasantly surprised to find it gripping enough to read in only a couple of days. It was interesting to learn more about the Northlanders and the Kislevites and I found the characters engaging.

[Tarash_bulba · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book that was somewhat rushed towards the bittersweet end. I could have easily spent another 300 pages with Gerlach and the Yetsitch Krug as well as with Azytzeen and the Kurgan warband.


P.S.: Damn Tzeentch and his schemes

[bibliophilic_existentialist · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐
Brilliant read. "Boots on the ground" type war novel with fantastic character work that kept me glued to the page. It's gritty, dark, grim and makes you really think about humanity and the cost of war.

[Luke Lybert · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 3/4. This may be one my favorite go to books for Dan Abnett. Watching his character change and grow in this short tale is very fun.

[NerdyReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great and fast paced. Probably the most realistic warhammer book you'll read.

[Ian Boyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best novels from the old world

[Christopher · Rating 3 out of 5]

***1/2: forgot how gritty the early Warhammer Fantasy novels were.

[Berylek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pierwsza książka po angielsku i mega mi się podobała ^^
Vebla!

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best warhammer books.

[Adrian Dumitru · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great!

It shows how the nordic chaos wariors live and fight and also kiselev faction .