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Warhammer: The End Times #4
The Rise of the Horned Rat: Warhammer Chronicles: The End Times, Book 4
Book 4 of The End Times
In the tunnels of Karak Eight Peaks, the final battle begins. Dwarf, goblin and skaven clash as the world burns around them. And in Karaz-a-karak, the dwarf high king faces the end of his empire…
Listen to it because
Another long-running storyline comes to its end as the eternal war for Karak Eight Peaks is finally lost… Guy Haley will bring tears to your eyes as several fan-favourite Warhammer characters meet their demise.
The story
The End Times are coming. In the warrens of Skavenblight, a new power is rising. The verminlords walk the earth and they plan to lead the skaven to their destiny as rulers of the world. But for Queek Headtaker, the only destiny that matters is his own, as he plans his final assault on Karak Eight Peaks. In the depths of that ancient city, two rival kings - the goblin Skarsnik and the dwarf Belegar - prepare to meet the onslaught. And in Karaz-a-Karak, High King Thorgrim Grudgebearer presides over what he knows, in his heart, is the end of the dwarf empire. The Horned Rat rises and nothing will ever be the same…
In the tunnels of Karak Eight Peaks, the final battle begins. Dwarf, goblin and skaven clash as the world burns around them. And in Karaz-a-karak, the dwarf high king faces the end of his empire…
Listen to it because
Another long-running storyline comes to its end as the eternal war for Karak Eight Peaks is finally lost… Guy Haley will bring tears to your eyes as several fan-favourite Warhammer characters meet their demise.
The story
The End Times are coming. In the warrens of Skavenblight, a new power is rising. The verminlords walk the earth and they plan to lead the skaven to their destiny as rulers of the world. But for Queek Headtaker, the only destiny that matters is his own, as he plans his final assault on Karak Eight Peaks. In the depths of that ancient city, two rival kings - the goblin Skarsnik and the dwarf Belegar - prepare to meet the onslaught. And in Karaz-a-Karak, High King Thorgrim Grudgebearer presides over what he knows, in his heart, is the end of the dwarf empire. The Horned Rat rises and nothing will ever be the same…
Audible Audio
First published May 12, 2015
27 people are currently reading
341 people want to read
About the author
Guy Haley
288 books718 followersGuy Haley is the author of over 50 novels and novellas. His original fiction includes Crash, Champion of Mars, and the Richards and Klein, Dreaming Cities, and the Gates of the World series (as K M McKinley). However, he is best known as a prolific contributor to Games Workshop's Black Library imprint.
When not writing, he'll be out doing something dangerous in the wild, learning languages or gaming.
When not writing, he'll be out doing something dangerous in the wild, learning languages or gaming.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
January 30, 2015
At first I was really concerned with the author. I was hoping for CL Werner or maybe David Guymer to write the Skaven part of End Times, but it turns out just fine.
Everything is wonderful. Majestic and epic storyline. All of the Skaven character sounds just right. My only problem is that some issue left unexplained. What about the Skyre plan to blow the moon? Did Ikit Claw really survived?
Everything is wonderful. Majestic and epic storyline. All of the Skaven character sounds just right. My only problem is that some issue left unexplained. What about the Skyre plan to blow the moon? Did Ikit Claw really survived?
December 12, 2024
Good, fun story. Decent Skave and Greenskin antics. Missing some of the spectacular skaven tech mishaps, but fun all the same.
Worth the read.
Worth the read.
December 9, 2021
This might be my favorite now in the End Times. Have never read a book with so much Skaven speak. The first book in the End Times has Craventails view for a very short bit. But this was so much better, Queek Headtaker is fantastic to read about because he is also a little mad. Add in Skarsnik, who is a rather funny fellow because he is a goblin, and it gets even better. The three key factions in this are just great to see together. All around a great book for fans of Warhammer Fantasy.
February 6, 2018
It must be difficult as hell to write these End Times books, at least the ones that have to cover a WIDE array of topics. Guy Haley, generally one of my favorite Black Library authors, here delivers ... meh, I'll say a mixed bag.
The book starts off strong, setting up a monumental battle between the skaven & the dwarves for control of ... oh, hell, all the dwarven strongholds sound the same to me. Karaz a Karak? Whatever. Anyway, lots of fun is had with the skaven, and the dwarves are plenty stolid and interesting. I'd say I overall enjoyed the first third of the book.
Then, for ... some reason, goblins/orcs show up & wreck the party, seemingly only there to whittle down the skaven forces so that the skaven/dwarf fight isn't a complete massacre. There's a little too much filler in the middle of the book, but finally, the end battle between the dwarven king and Headtaker occurs! Then ... we skip forward three years & jump to Nuln, where Thanquol is ... trying to take over or whatever. It's such a harsh narrative leap, and I find Thanquol dull as hell, so it was difficult to pay attention to the last third. Still, I'm assuming this was editorial fiat, not authorial intention, so I'll forgive it mostly.
A couple of awesome scenes (the last stand of the women & children is pretty teeth-gritting), but overall pretty skippable.
The book starts off strong, setting up a monumental battle between the skaven & the dwarves for control of ... oh, hell, all the dwarven strongholds sound the same to me. Karaz a Karak? Whatever. Anyway, lots of fun is had with the skaven, and the dwarves are plenty stolid and interesting. I'd say I overall enjoyed the first third of the book.
Then, for ... some reason, goblins/orcs show up & wreck the party, seemingly only there to whittle down the skaven forces so that the skaven/dwarf fight isn't a complete massacre. There's a little too much filler in the middle of the book, but finally, the end battle between the dwarven king and Headtaker occurs! Then ... we skip forward three years & jump to Nuln, where Thanquol is ... trying to take over or whatever. It's such a harsh narrative leap, and I find Thanquol dull as hell, so it was difficult to pay attention to the last third. Still, I'm assuming this was editorial fiat, not authorial intention, so I'll forgive it mostly.
A couple of awesome scenes (the last stand of the women & children is pretty teeth-gritting), but overall pretty skippable.
March 14, 2015
The Warhammer End Times series of novels gets its 4th instalment with Guy Haley’s The Rise of the Horned Rat, accompanying the Thanquol background book and exploring the skaven’s involvement in the series. In a similar way to The Fall of Altdorf this avoids trying to cover everything that happens in the background book, instead focusing on the ratmen’s all-out assault on the dwarfs. Queek Headtaker returns to the war-torn Karak Eight Peaks to finally cast out his great rivals, Skarsnik and King Belegar, while the all across their realm the dwarfs see only darkness and death. In the shadows, pulling strings, lurk the daemonic Verminlords.
Read the rest of the review at https://trackofwords.wordpress.com/20...
Read the rest of the review at https://trackofwords.wordpress.com/20...
August 28, 2023
I didn't realise was the fourth book in the series set during the End Times. The focus is on the Skaven and the Dwarfs that they are fighting, and sucked into all these are the Goblins.
There's plenty of big battle sequences, and sometimes you feel like it's trying to sell you some Warhammer fantasy miniatures. The dwarfs felt underwritten compared to the Skaven and Goblins; the latter were voiced with various British accents on the audiobook and added a touch of humour to an otherwise grim affair.
To me, the best part was exploring the societies and tactics of the various races. Might seek out the others or jumping to the final book of the series.
Enjoyed my time with it, though there was a time jump that was kind of abrupt.
There's plenty of big battle sequences, and sometimes you feel like it's trying to sell you some Warhammer fantasy miniatures. The dwarfs felt underwritten compared to the Skaven and Goblins; the latter were voiced with various British accents on the audiobook and added a touch of humour to an otherwise grim affair.
To me, the best part was exploring the societies and tactics of the various races. Might seek out the others or jumping to the final book of the series.
Enjoyed my time with it, though there was a time jump that was kind of abrupt.
July 7, 2024
This is by far the best book in the End Times series so far! The author manages to perfectly describe the thoughts and feelings of the characters we've known for years.
May 5, 2020
CAUTION HERE MAY BE SPOILERS!!!
This book played me. Pure and simple. Let me explain. When I first started reading it I thought it was great, we get a great window in the Skaven hierarchy and the Verminlords. Thanquel is back which is a total win for me. Everything was going so well. Up until the last 100 pages. Something was nagging at me I couldn't figure what it was. Oh, yea, the book is supposed to be about the end times of the Skaven and the Dwarfs and yet we spend the whole book about the Skaven and some Goblins fighting a bunch of Dwarfs for an empty dwarf kingdom Karak Eight Peaks. Which is a great storyline except how is fighting for a lost hold and a bunch of dwarfs End Times? This isn't about the Dwarf kingdom of Karaz-A-Karak (forgive the wrong spelling) and even if they loose which they do, how is that the end times for the dwarfs? Like I said. The book played me.
Until they pull a freaking hail mary of an ending. The last what was it 20 pages? Where they assassinate the high king of the dwarfs! 😱 just when I thought the book was an utter failure as an end-times novel it pulls it back.
As I said, the book played me. And played me well.
The Good Stuff
- Well, first of all, we get to see the Vermin Lords for the second time in my Warhammer reading years and the first time the Horned Rat himself makes a guest appearance.
- Thanquel is back and up to his old tricks. He even goes so far as to think that he can outsmart one of them.
- I've never been a fan of books that centre around Dwarfs but this writer does a damn good job of it. Even the humour is well written and doesn't come off cheesy.
- The battle scenes in this book truly live up to End Times standard and I couldn't be happier.
- How this guy has so many characters doing so much stuff and switching the point of view from on to another chapter by chapter made me think I was reading a Game of Thrones novel, he packs so much into so small a novel and it plays out so well.
- That ending got me, here I was loving it but hating it because it didn't have much to do with the end of the Dwarf race and what happens? That ending that's what. Pulled me in and sucker-punched me in the face.
- Shout out to the author Guy Haley. It's not often I come across an author of Warhammer novels that I haven't come across yet and it's always a case of is this guy going to be good or bad? And this guy was great, hope he has more to do with the franchise in the future.
Man, this book was good, as I said on my Curse of Khaine review these 4 books are so good I'm almost worried the final and 5th book won't be able to do the series justice. How are they going to end this glorious series? Well, I guess I'll find out in a few weeks. 🙌🏻🙏🏻
This book played me. Pure and simple. Let me explain. When I first started reading it I thought it was great, we get a great window in the Skaven hierarchy and the Verminlords. Thanquel is back which is a total win for me. Everything was going so well. Up until the last 100 pages. Something was nagging at me I couldn't figure what it was. Oh, yea, the book is supposed to be about the end times of the Skaven and the Dwarfs and yet we spend the whole book about the Skaven and some Goblins fighting a bunch of Dwarfs for an empty dwarf kingdom Karak Eight Peaks. Which is a great storyline except how is fighting for a lost hold and a bunch of dwarfs End Times? This isn't about the Dwarf kingdom of Karaz-A-Karak (forgive the wrong spelling) and even if they loose which they do, how is that the end times for the dwarfs? Like I said. The book played me.
Until they pull a freaking hail mary of an ending. The last what was it 20 pages? Where they assassinate the high king of the dwarfs! 😱 just when I thought the book was an utter failure as an end-times novel it pulls it back.
As I said, the book played me. And played me well.
The Good Stuff
- Well, first of all, we get to see the Vermin Lords for the second time in my Warhammer reading years and the first time the Horned Rat himself makes a guest appearance.
- Thanquel is back and up to his old tricks. He even goes so far as to think that he can outsmart one of them.
- I've never been a fan of books that centre around Dwarfs but this writer does a damn good job of it. Even the humour is well written and doesn't come off cheesy.
- The battle scenes in this book truly live up to End Times standard and I couldn't be happier.
- How this guy has so many characters doing so much stuff and switching the point of view from on to another chapter by chapter made me think I was reading a Game of Thrones novel, he packs so much into so small a novel and it plays out so well.
- That ending got me, here I was loving it but hating it because it didn't have much to do with the end of the Dwarf race and what happens? That ending that's what. Pulled me in and sucker-punched me in the face.
- Shout out to the author Guy Haley. It's not often I come across an author of Warhammer novels that I haven't come across yet and it's always a case of is this guy going to be good or bad? And this guy was great, hope he has more to do with the franchise in the future.
Man, this book was good, as I said on my Curse of Khaine review these 4 books are so good I'm almost worried the final and 5th book won't be able to do the series justice. How are they going to end this glorious series? Well, I guess I'll find out in a few weeks. 🙌🏻🙏🏻
February 19, 2025
Way better than Curse of Khaine, bringing together some heavy hitters of Warhammer such as Skarsnik, Queen Headtaker, Grey Seer Thanquol, and Dwarven high king Thorgrim Grudgebearer.
Unlike the previous volume whose ending made the entire book seem utterly pointless, this one builds to a satisfying conclusion.
The dwarves have been in decline for a long time. King Belegar has sought to reclaim old dwarf mountains, but has stretched their limited resources too far. Goblin king Skarsnik and mostly insane skaven warlord Queek Headtaker have wittled his kingdom to near nothingness, and the skaven are ready to finally complete thier genocide of the dwarves after four thousand years of war. Will the dwarves pull through, or be drowned in a sea of ratmen? Will the goblins bring the wrath of Gork and Mork?
Great fun. Lots of irritating skaven-speech, but that's just something you get used to.
Unlike the previous volume whose ending made the entire book seem utterly pointless, this one builds to a satisfying conclusion.
The dwarves have been in decline for a long time. King Belegar has sought to reclaim old dwarf mountains, but has stretched their limited resources too far. Goblin king Skarsnik and mostly insane skaven warlord Queek Headtaker have wittled his kingdom to near nothingness, and the skaven are ready to finally complete thier genocide of the dwarves after four thousand years of war. Will the dwarves pull through, or be drowned in a sea of ratmen? Will the goblins bring the wrath of Gork and Mork?
Great fun. Lots of irritating skaven-speech, but that's just something you get used to.
February 7, 2024
A great book for anyone interested in Dwarf, Skaven and even Goblin lore with a heavy focus around Karak Eight Peaks and the ongoing conflict between these factions here. The key characters are engaging and well done across all these factions and voiced extremely well in the audio book. Favourite is Skarsnik, the Goblin warlord who is just entertaining to listen to.
It loses out on five stars though due to the ending being just terrible and rushed. You can see there's defintely 3 parts to this book, and part 3 feels just tacked on. At times this books feels like it was meant to be a stand alone story about Karak Eight Peaks and the End Times outer plot (which heavily occurs in part 3) was stuck on at the last minute.
Still is a great book for Warhammer Fantasy and Old World fans!
It loses out on five stars though due to the ending being just terrible and rushed. You can see there's defintely 3 parts to this book, and part 3 feels just tacked on. At times this books feels like it was meant to be a stand alone story about Karak Eight Peaks and the End Times outer plot (which heavily occurs in part 3) was stuck on at the last minute.
Still is a great book for Warhammer Fantasy and Old World fans!
November 12, 2021
Squeek!!!
I loved everything about those ratties. Their language, hierarchy, fears and hopes, the way that Mr. Haley has carried the skaven horde from the page one to the end. Also, the dwarves felt precisely as they should be - stubborn, proud, unmoving and hard as a living rock.
What a great journey was this one!
I loved everything about those ratties. Their language, hierarchy, fears and hopes, the way that Mr. Haley has carried the skaven horde from the page one to the end. Also, the dwarves felt precisely as they should be - stubborn, proud, unmoving and hard as a living rock.
What a great journey was this one!
January 16, 2024
This is a tough read. I had to push myself to get through all of the "double speak" by the skaven, and the story is disjointed at best. If you're merely trying to complete the final story of the End Times, you do need to read it, but be prepared for a grind.
July 6, 2021
Only essential for fans of the end times or warhammer fantasy battles
September 6, 2024
Good book. It's weird that this series about the apocalypse is so small in scope, following just a few characters.
November 6, 2025
minus 1 star bc of what they did to gobbla
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 4, 2025
Perhaps the End Times book I struggled the most to get my teeth into; Guy Hayley writes excellent Skaven and Goblins and Andrew James Spooner narrates them wonderfully, but I did initially struggle to get into this because of their vocal tics, yes-yes. However, once I got over that initial bump it was an awful lot of fun, even if it was appropriately bleak at times.
January 23, 2023
Me ha flipado cómo aparecen literalmente dos mujeres en 360 páginas de libro (una vez) xd
November 28, 2015
Stunty Liga Feeling pur!
All unsere Lieblingsskaven sind dabei! Thanquol und Boneripper! Queek the Headtaker! Dazu der schlauste Goblin der Welt, Skarsnik und sein mörderisches Haustier Gobbla!
The Breaking of the Mountains! Was für ein Titel. Und dann brechen die Berge. Auf wenigen Seiten. Es geht bergab mit den Zwergen.
Guy Haley hat keine ganz leichte Aufgabe, in diesem vorletzten Teil der End Times Serie. Gilt es doch, einige der Helden und Rassen zu einem Ende zu führen. Es gelingt ihm aber meisterhaft. Und mir gefallen die Geschichten rund um Goblins und Skaven einfach.
All unsere Lieblingsskaven sind dabei! Thanquol und Boneripper! Queek the Headtaker! Dazu der schlauste Goblin der Welt, Skarsnik und sein mörderisches Haustier Gobbla!
The Breaking of the Mountains! Was für ein Titel. Und dann brechen die Berge. Auf wenigen Seiten. Es geht bergab mit den Zwergen.
Guy Haley hat keine ganz leichte Aufgabe, in diesem vorletzten Teil der End Times Serie. Gilt es doch, einige der Helden und Rassen zu einem Ende zu führen. Es gelingt ihm aber meisterhaft. Und mir gefallen die Geschichten rund um Goblins und Skaven einfach.
January 23, 2015
The best End Times novel so far. The book does a great job presenting the Skaven, Queek, Skarsnik and Belegar in a way that is both believable and enjoyable to read. The book also actually has a proper plot. The biggest gripe I have with the book is the huge time jump between part 2 and 3.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews