What do you think?
Rate this book
The Vampire Genevieve #4
Silver Nails: Vampire Genevieve: Warhammer Horror, Book 4
A Warhammer Horror anthology.
Not all heroes in the Empire are what you'd call good...discover the murky world of such notable figures as Harald Kleindeist, Detlef Sierck and the vampire Genevieve in an anthology of creepy short stories.
Listen to it because
Explore the world-that-was through the twisted imagination of a master of horror, as he takes established fantasy tropes and turns them into terrors.
Description
In the dark and dangerous Warhammer world, the desperate and the depraved live hand in glove. In this anthology of stories, reacquaint yourself with some of its more morally ambiguous denizens, including ‘Filthy’ Harald Kleindeinst and the scryer Rosanna Ophuls, Baron Johann von Mecklenberg, playwright and self-confessed genius Detlef Sierck and, of course, the vampire Genevieve.
Written by Kim Newman (writing as Jack Yeovil). Narrated by Antonia Beamish.
Not all heroes in the Empire are what you'd call good...discover the murky world of such notable figures as Harald Kleindeist, Detlef Sierck and the vampire Genevieve in an anthology of creepy short stories.
Listen to it because
Explore the world-that-was through the twisted imagination of a master of horror, as he takes established fantasy tropes and turns them into terrors.
Description
In the dark and dangerous Warhammer world, the desperate and the depraved live hand in glove. In this anthology of stories, reacquaint yourself with some of its more morally ambiguous denizens, including ‘Filthy’ Harald Kleindeinst and the scryer Rosanna Ophuls, Baron Johann von Mecklenberg, playwright and self-confessed genius Detlef Sierck and, of course, the vampire Genevieve.
Written by Kim Newman (writing as Jack Yeovil). Narrated by Antonia Beamish.
Audible Audio
First published January 1, 2002
19 people are currently reading
327 people want to read
About the author
Kim Newman
288 books948 followersNote: This author also writes under the pseudonym of Jack Yeovil.
An expert on horror and sci-fi cinema (his books of film criticism include Nightmare Movies and Millennium Movies), Kim Newman's novels draw promiscuously on the tropes of horror, sci-fi and fantasy. He is complexly and irreverently referential; the Dracula sequence--Anno Dracula, The Bloody Red Baron and Dracula,Cha Cha Cha--not only portrays an alternate world in which the Count conquers Victorian Britain for a while, is the mastermind behind Germany's air aces in World War One and survives into a jetset 1950s of paparazzi and La Dolce Vita, but does so with endless throwaway references that range from Kipling to James Bond, from Edgar Allen Poe to Patricia Highsmith.
In horror novels such as Bad Dreams and Jago, reality turns out to be endlessly subverted by the powerfully malign. His pseudonymous novels, as Jack Yeovil, play elegant games with genre cliche--perhaps the best of these is the sword-and-sorcery novel Drachenfels which takes the prescribed formulae of the games company to whose bible it was written and make them over entirely into a Kim Newman novel.
Life's Lottery, his most mainstream novel, consists of multiple choice fragments which enable readers to choose the hero's fate and take him into horror, crime and sf storylines or into mundane reality.
An expert on horror and sci-fi cinema (his books of film criticism include Nightmare Movies and Millennium Movies), Kim Newman's novels draw promiscuously on the tropes of horror, sci-fi and fantasy. He is complexly and irreverently referential; the Dracula sequence--Anno Dracula, The Bloody Red Baron and Dracula,Cha Cha Cha--not only portrays an alternate world in which the Count conquers Victorian Britain for a while, is the mastermind behind Germany's air aces in World War One and survives into a jetset 1950s of paparazzi and La Dolce Vita, but does so with endless throwaway references that range from Kipling to James Bond, from Edgar Allen Poe to Patricia Highsmith.
In horror novels such as Bad Dreams and Jago, reality turns out to be endlessly subverted by the powerfully malign. His pseudonymous novels, as Jack Yeovil, play elegant games with genre cliche--perhaps the best of these is the sword-and-sorcery novel Drachenfels which takes the prescribed formulae of the games company to whose bible it was written and make them over entirely into a Kim Newman novel.
Life's Lottery, his most mainstream novel, consists of multiple choice fragments which enable readers to choose the hero's fate and take him into horror, crime and sf storylines or into mundane reality.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
May 21, 2023
all reviews in one place:
night mode reading ;
skaitom nakties rezimu
About the Book: Lots of strange things, creatures, monsters, roam this world. From cursed to afflicted, from blessed to gifted. Genevieve, with her long, enduring vampire life, gets to watch it all, passing by, with the most unusual characters occasionally entering her space. After all, if gruesome murders by a trained to kill bird keeps happening all through a city, does it even really happen if she’s not there to witness it?…
My Opinion: Bandits whose heist went awry, some kind of Wild Hunt with whom people, closing their doors for the night, merely live, ignoring the war noises coming from the outside, and so on. Each tale was pretty good, but kept getting gradually worse. Slowly starting to lack in atmosphere, more solid scene building, or provide ideas of interest. The last one ending up the worst, and once again I wonder if Genevieve, being author’s favorite, is simply thus so very underdeveloped that she ends up ruining good tales with the Mary Sue Gaze.
night mode reading ;
skaitom nakties rezimu
About the Book: Lots of strange things, creatures, monsters, roam this world. From cursed to afflicted, from blessed to gifted. Genevieve, with her long, enduring vampire life, gets to watch it all, passing by, with the most unusual characters occasionally entering her space. After all, if gruesome murders by a trained to kill bird keeps happening all through a city, does it even really happen if she’s not there to witness it?…
My Opinion: Bandits whose heist went awry, some kind of Wild Hunt with whom people, closing their doors for the night, merely live, ignoring the war noises coming from the outside, and so on. Each tale was pretty good, but kept getting gradually worse. Slowly starting to lack in atmosphere, more solid scene building, or provide ideas of interest. The last one ending up the worst, and once again I wonder if Genevieve, being author’s favorite, is simply thus so very underdeveloped that she ends up ruining good tales with the Mary Sue Gaze.
March 14, 2020
Not Recommended.
Silver Nails is a bit of an incoherent collection of shorts, so difficult to review coherently. It provides a fitting end to The Vampire Genevieve, since the Shorts all tie-in one way or another to the plot and characters of previous books. However, a lot of them seem unearned - In a long-running series, a momentary 'episode' (to use TV parlance) that does away with the focus of the main character and instead focuses on the history or adventures of a side character can be a welcome change, serving to show the world in a different light and develop these side characters in ways that would be impossible in the 'main narrative.' I think that that was the goal of Silver Nails, but it falls flat. Nonetheless, it is only fair to look at each in it's own right.
Silver Nails is book-ended by two decent (3 stars each) Shorts following Genevieve, though each has it's problems, and filled in the middle by some fairly uninspiring works.
The first, Red Thirst, should probably have been a novel itself. It takes a look at an one of Genevieve's adventures prior to the main overarching plot of the series, and does a decent job of drawing the reader through the action-adventure. The main problem is it's all payoff and no setup - and that's why it should have been a novel in its own right, or at least double the length. Without giving too much away, the main antagonist is overcome (that's not a spoiler, of course the antagonist was overcome - it's a prequel) via clever stratagems, while we are assured the they are, actually, quite powerful. It's difficult to appreciate the cleverness of the trick without being brought to the edge of seeing the character's fail, and so there is just no emotional impact here, though there very well could have been.
The second short, No Gold in the Gray Mountains, has little to commend it. The characters are all one-dimensional, and aside from a few passing references, have nothing to do with anything else going on in the Adventures of Genevieve. The suspense and turn relies entirely on an unreliable narrator - but not in the sense that the narrator is a character you come to know and (dis)trust - more in the sense that the twist relies on ret-conning things previously established, an impressive feat in such a short work.
The Third, Ignorant Armies, is another prequel short delving into the backstory of some of the characters from the 3rd book. Since the third book, Somewhat unfathomably, has absolutely nothing to do with The Vampire Genevieve, neither, then, does this short. Again, it's a fairly straightforward plot with one-dimensional characters, and doesn't even really manage to shed any light on the story as established in the third book. Of course it's filled with it's share of nonsensical happenings, too (Armies converge to fight a bloody battle every night (why?) but only at night (why?) and also no one seems to notice (what...))
The Third, Warhawk, is my least favourite, and reads like an extended explanation to a fairly major plot hole introduced in Book Two of the series. Let me explain, but in doing so there will be some minor Book Two spoilers - In Book Two, one of the antagonists is randomly murdered by a serial killer, with no foreshadowing, and who never shows up again. It just sort of happens, and i feel like the author wrote themselves into a hole, didn't know how to write themselves out, and so invented a serial killer to murder the antagonist, then peppered some thrown-in references to the serial killer earlier in the book as 'foreshadowing.' I was annoyed at it then, and am more annoyed now. The Third Short in Silver nails appears to be an attempt to contextualise it a little, and follows the detectives from the Third Book tracking the serial killer from the Second. Even ignoring the mess this Short has to deal with just by beginning, it's just not very good. Warhawk is a fantastic - and the most egregious - example of the author's weakest point, his characters suffer no consequences for their actions. Spoilers for 'Warhawk', after failing to track the murderer in the conventional way, the detective decides to do something unconventional -- by going down to the gang district, beating up several gang members, trashing their trade and taverns, and saying he'll do it again unless they tell him the name of the criminal. I don't understand why no one just shot him. Really, I get that the main character is meant to be a 'tough as nails copper' who doesn't mind 'going behind the book to get the bad guy,' but this is just a fantastic example of Yeovils characters duing stupid things to get the author out of holes he's dug, and facing no consequences because the ending was written before any of the characters made decisions about anything.
The Fourth and Final Short in Silver Nails, The Ibby The Fish Factor, aside from being the worst named, is the best of the lot - and that's not really a surprise, given it's the only one that focuses on Genevieve as a main character and isn't a prequel, so it can make use of the capital built up in the previous stories. Even so - and despite a lack of many of the systematic issues that plague most of the others (Although we do see the return of a character who seems to have had an utter personality shift. It almost feels like they were written as a different character originally, with the name hastily changed to allow a tie in) - it doesn't rise beyond 'okay.' It's certainly okay enough, and I enjoyed it.
Overall, Most of what's here is average in theory and poorly executed, but I suppose if you read and enjoyed the first three, knock yourself out. If you're stubbornly sticking on because it's not quite bad enough to throw the book away, but really you want it over, at least the forth short provides a good, satisfactory and emotionally fulfilling to the story of Genevieve and Detlaf.
Silver Nails is a bit of an incoherent collection of shorts, so difficult to review coherently. It provides a fitting end to The Vampire Genevieve, since the Shorts all tie-in one way or another to the plot and characters of previous books. However, a lot of them seem unearned - In a long-running series, a momentary 'episode' (to use TV parlance) that does away with the focus of the main character and instead focuses on the history or adventures of a side character can be a welcome change, serving to show the world in a different light and develop these side characters in ways that would be impossible in the 'main narrative.' I think that that was the goal of Silver Nails, but it falls flat. Nonetheless, it is only fair to look at each in it's own right.
Silver Nails is book-ended by two decent (3 stars each) Shorts following Genevieve, though each has it's problems, and filled in the middle by some fairly uninspiring works.
The first, Red Thirst, should probably have been a novel itself. It takes a look at an one of Genevieve's adventures prior to the main overarching plot of the series, and does a decent job of drawing the reader through the action-adventure. The main problem is it's all payoff and no setup - and that's why it should have been a novel in its own right, or at least double the length. Without giving too much away, the main antagonist is overcome (that's not a spoiler, of course the antagonist was overcome - it's a prequel) via clever stratagems, while we are assured the they are, actually, quite powerful. It's difficult to appreciate the cleverness of the trick without being brought to the edge of seeing the character's fail, and so there is just no emotional impact here, though there very well could have been.
The second short, No Gold in the Gray Mountains, has little to commend it. The characters are all one-dimensional, and aside from a few passing references, have nothing to do with anything else going on in the Adventures of Genevieve. The suspense and turn relies entirely on an unreliable narrator - but not in the sense that the narrator is a character you come to know and (dis)trust - more in the sense that the twist relies on ret-conning things previously established, an impressive feat in such a short work.
The Third, Ignorant Armies, is another prequel short delving into the backstory of some of the characters from the 3rd book. Since the third book, Somewhat unfathomably, has absolutely nothing to do with The Vampire Genevieve, neither, then, does this short. Again, it's a fairly straightforward plot with one-dimensional characters, and doesn't even really manage to shed any light on the story as established in the third book. Of course it's filled with it's share of nonsensical happenings, too (Armies converge to fight a bloody battle every night (why?) but only at night (why?) and also no one seems to notice (what...))
The Third, Warhawk, is my least favourite, and reads like an extended explanation to a fairly major plot hole introduced in Book Two of the series. Let me explain, but in doing so there will be some minor Book Two spoilers - In Book Two, one of the antagonists is randomly murdered by a serial killer, with no foreshadowing, and who never shows up again. It just sort of happens, and i feel like the author wrote themselves into a hole, didn't know how to write themselves out, and so invented a serial killer to murder the antagonist, then peppered some thrown-in references to the serial killer earlier in the book as 'foreshadowing.' I was annoyed at it then, and am more annoyed now. The Third Short in Silver nails appears to be an attempt to contextualise it a little, and follows the detectives from the Third Book tracking the serial killer from the Second. Even ignoring the mess this Short has to deal with just by beginning, it's just not very good. Warhawk is a fantastic - and the most egregious - example of the author's weakest point, his characters suffer no consequences for their actions. Spoilers for 'Warhawk', after failing to track the murderer in the conventional way, the detective decides to do something unconventional -- by going down to the gang district, beating up several gang members, trashing their trade and taverns, and saying he'll do it again unless they tell him the name of the criminal. I don't understand why no one just shot him. Really, I get that the main character is meant to be a 'tough as nails copper' who doesn't mind 'going behind the book to get the bad guy,' but this is just a fantastic example of Yeovils characters duing stupid things to get the author out of holes he's dug, and facing no consequences because the ending was written before any of the characters made decisions about anything.
The Fourth and Final Short in Silver Nails, The Ibby The Fish Factor, aside from being the worst named, is the best of the lot - and that's not really a surprise, given it's the only one that focuses on Genevieve as a main character and isn't a prequel, so it can make use of the capital built up in the previous stories. Even so - and despite a lack of many of the systematic issues that plague most of the others (Although we do see the return of a character who seems to have had an utter personality shift. It almost feels like they were written as a different character originally, with the name hastily changed to allow a tie in) - it doesn't rise beyond 'okay.' It's certainly okay enough, and I enjoyed it.
Overall, Most of what's here is average in theory and poorly executed, but I suppose if you read and enjoyed the first three, knock yourself out. If you're stubbornly sticking on because it's not quite bad enough to throw the book away, but really you want it over, at least the forth short provides a good, satisfactory and emotionally fulfilling to the story of Genevieve and Detlaf.
October 13, 2021
Well that was very stupid of me. I've read this one thinking this was the third novel and alas, idiot.
This is a collection of short stories - the first one Red Thirst, the second No Gold in the Gray Mountains and Ignorant Armies is the third; This one is a prequel for Beasts in Velvet so there's that.
These three stories were published previously in three anthologies made pre-Black Library by Boxtree.
The Warhawk (the fourth story) is a sequel of Beasts of Velvet. Nothing really worth mentioned. It's a mystery, police procedure , if you can call it procedure story. Nice conclusion.
The Ibby The Fish Factor it's the ending of everything and we get to see Detlef again (see book one) and this is a mystery / vampires stories where we again see Geneviere. Since it's no prequel I really think it was a plus. The problem with prequels with some characters is that first; you know what is going to happen BUT also you can change the character that much - well due to continuity. Sequels is another thing - to be honest I enjoy the ending of the tales of Genevieve. It's a ending that could easily be reopen and new tales being written but the writer didn't write any more stories to Black Library but with the ongong of Horror stories I believe Kim could return a write a couple more.
Talking about horror - not all writers know how to do it. These tales are not horror at all, unless just because there is a vampire you consider horror story. But Black Library could have approach some horror writers to write in that brand instead of using fantasy/sci-fi. That's why most horror stories by them suck on horror (not the stories themselves)
As said previously the first story should be a novella length or novel. But alas...
This is a collection of short stories - the first one Red Thirst, the second No Gold in the Gray Mountains and Ignorant Armies is the third; This one is a prequel for Beasts in Velvet so there's that.
These three stories were published previously in three anthologies made pre-Black Library by Boxtree.
The Warhawk (the fourth story) is a sequel of Beasts of Velvet. Nothing really worth mentioned. It's a mystery, police procedure , if you can call it procedure story. Nice conclusion.
The Ibby The Fish Factor it's the ending of everything and we get to see Detlef again (see book one) and this is a mystery / vampires stories where we again see Geneviere. Since it's no prequel I really think it was a plus. The problem with prequels with some characters is that first; you know what is going to happen BUT also you can change the character that much - well due to continuity. Sequels is another thing - to be honest I enjoy the ending of the tales of Genevieve. It's a ending that could easily be reopen and new tales being written but the writer didn't write any more stories to Black Library but with the ongong of Horror stories I believe Kim could return a write a couple more.
Talking about horror - not all writers know how to do it. These tales are not horror at all, unless just because there is a vampire you consider horror story. But Black Library could have approach some horror writers to write in that brand instead of using fantasy/sci-fi. That's why most horror stories by them suck on horror (not the stories themselves)
As said previously the first story should be a novella length or novel. But alas...
November 15, 2024
A moderately interesting collection of sorts.
A collection of short stories and last book of the series featuring the adventures of the vampire Genevieve Dieudonné, in the Warhammer Universe.
RTC
Go for the Best, consider the Good, whatever the Meh.
The Best :
★★★★☆ "The Ibby The Fish Factor." [3.5]
The Good :
★★★☆☆ "Red Thirst."
The Meh :
★★☆☆☆ "No Gold In The Grey Mountains." [2.5]
★★☆☆☆ "Ignorant Armies." [2.5]
★★☆☆☆ "Warhawk." [1.5]
-----------------------------------------------
PERSONAL NOTE :
[2002] [320p] [Fantasy] [2.5] [Partly Recommendable] [Genevieve Sandrine du Pointe du Lac Dieudonné]
-----------------------------------------------
★★★★☆ 1. Drachenfels [4.5]
★★★☆☆ 2. Genevieve Undead [2.5]
★★☆☆☆ 3. Beasts in Velvet [1.5]
★★★☆☆ 4. Silver Nails [2.5]
-----------------------------------------------
Una moderadamente interesante colección de especies.
Una colección de cuentos y último libro de la serie de aventuras que protagoniza la vampira Genevieve Dieudonné, en el Universo Warhammer.
RTC
Ir por lo Mejor, considerar lo Bueno, loquesea lo Meh.
Lo Mejor :
★★★★☆ "El Factor Ibby el Pescado." [3.5]
Lo Bueno :
★★★☆☆ "Sed Roja."
Lo Meh :
★★☆☆☆ "No hay Oro en las Montañas Grises." [2.5]
★★☆☆☆ "Ejércitos Ignorantes." [2.5]
★★☆☆☆ "Halcón de Guerra." [1.5]
-----------------------------------------------
NOTA PERSONAL :
[2002] [320p] [Fantasía] [2.5] [Parcialmente Recomendable]
-----------------------------------------------
A collection of short stories and last book of the series featuring the adventures of the vampire Genevieve Dieudonné, in the Warhammer Universe.
RTC
Go for the Best, consider the Good, whatever the Meh.
The Best :
★★★★☆ "The Ibby The Fish Factor." [3.5]
The Good :
★★★☆☆ "Red Thirst."
The Meh :
★★☆☆☆ "No Gold In The Grey Mountains." [2.5]
★★☆☆☆ "Ignorant Armies." [2.5]
★★☆☆☆ "Warhawk." [1.5]
-----------------------------------------------
PERSONAL NOTE :
[2002] [320p] [Fantasy] [2.5] [Partly Recommendable] [Genevieve Sandrine du Pointe du Lac Dieudonné]
-----------------------------------------------
★★★★☆ 1. Drachenfels [4.5]
★★★☆☆ 2. Genevieve Undead [2.5]
★★☆☆☆ 3. Beasts in Velvet [1.5]
★★★☆☆ 4. Silver Nails [2.5]
-----------------------------------------------
Una moderadamente interesante colección de especies.
Una colección de cuentos y último libro de la serie de aventuras que protagoniza la vampira Genevieve Dieudonné, en el Universo Warhammer.
RTC
Ir por lo Mejor, considerar lo Bueno, loquesea lo Meh.
Lo Mejor :
★★★★☆ "El Factor Ibby el Pescado." [3.5]
Lo Bueno :
★★★☆☆ "Sed Roja."
Lo Meh :
★★☆☆☆ "No hay Oro en las Montañas Grises." [2.5]
★★☆☆☆ "Ejércitos Ignorantes." [2.5]
★★☆☆☆ "Halcón de Guerra." [1.5]
-----------------------------------------------
NOTA PERSONAL :
[2002] [320p] [Fantasía] [2.5] [Parcialmente Recomendable]
-----------------------------------------------
August 24, 2023
This short story collection was far more mixed than the previous collection, and while it did contain one of my favorite short stories by Newman, overall this was definitely the weakest entry in the Vampire Genevieve "series."
The story of Johann tracking down his brother Wolf, while the outcome predetermined since Beasts in Velvet came first, was still a very engaging and creative story. It, ironically, did not include Genevieve, even by cameo, nor vampires at all, but was a fantastic read nonetheless. Ibby the Fish Factor, meant to conclude Newman's time in the Warhammer universe, was also very good, but ended far too abruptly. It was clear that Newman could have given us another book, but was perhaps crubed by editors.
The other stories were just middling, in my opinion. Red Thirst had a strange George Lucas -esque moment where Genevieve meets Detlef as a kid, retconning thier first meeting in Drachenfels. The story about Melisa was a little too short for me to enjoy, but was a fun romp for what it was. And finally the Warhawk, which had been hinted at in several stories before it and promised to be the next Beast in Velevt mystery, was ultimately just okay. A real shame for the build up!
And thus ends the Vampire Genevieve series. A fun look into the Warhammer universe, and great stories by one of my new favorite authors. STILL NOT A WARHAMMER FAN!
The story of Johann tracking down his brother Wolf, while the outcome predetermined since Beasts in Velvet came first, was still a very engaging and creative story. It, ironically, did not include Genevieve, even by cameo, nor vampires at all, but was a fantastic read nonetheless. Ibby the Fish Factor, meant to conclude Newman's time in the Warhammer universe, was also very good, but ended far too abruptly. It was clear that Newman could have given us another book, but was perhaps crubed by editors.
The other stories were just middling, in my opinion. Red Thirst had a strange George Lucas -esque moment where Genevieve meets Detlef as a kid, retconning thier first meeting in Drachenfels. The story about Melisa was a little too short for me to enjoy, but was a fun romp for what it was. And finally the Warhawk, which had been hinted at in several stories before it and promised to be the next Beast in Velevt mystery, was ultimately just okay. A real shame for the build up!
And thus ends the Vampire Genevieve series. A fun look into the Warhammer universe, and great stories by one of my new favorite authors. STILL NOT A WARHAMMER FAN!
May 20, 2021
5 short stories featuring the vampire Genevieve and her friends. This fills in the gaps around the previous stories as well as deepening some of the other characters stories. From bandit attacks in the Grey mountains, to 2 run ins with religious extremists and a battle at the end of the world, there are some great stories here. Though I would say the characterisation of the 'celestial' feels a little old fashioned though I think the writer was channelling Fun Machu type archetypes rather than being deliberately offensive.
March 18, 2025
The stories here felt... stilted, or rather hampered somehow, as if something was keeping Newman from getting into proper swing, and I don't mean the franchise's requirements, or, not just them. Some stuff was pretty good, the jokes carrying over from one story to another, but still three and a bit stars are the most I can justify.
October 23, 2025
A selection of short stories, featuring characters from past books, as well as a cameo from another famous Warhammer Fantasy pair.
The nostalgia I have for the old days of Warhammer fiction made this feel fun to listen to, but it's definitely feeling its age as classic WHF novels do. I enjoyed most of it, but none of the short stories are especially good compared to the original Drachenfells.
The nostalgia I have for the old days of Warhammer fiction made this feel fun to listen to, but it's definitely feeling its age as classic WHF novels do. I enjoyed most of it, but none of the short stories are especially good compared to the original Drachenfells.
August 2, 2022
Drops the ball, in part because it's trying to keep the whole Vampire Genevieve conceit going when the setting had largely diverged from any interpretation where that would work. Full review: https://fakegeekboy.wordpress.com/200...
December 3, 2023
2.5/5 Stars
A hard book to rate due to it being a collection of multiple stories.
One of the stories are easily worth 4-stars, while I'd consider another one a very bland 1-star read. Most stories being stuck somewhere in between.
A hard book to rate due to it being a collection of multiple stories.
One of the stories are easily worth 4-stars, while I'd consider another one a very bland 1-star read. Most stories being stuck somewhere in between.
April 17, 2021
More disjointed than I had hoped. I wanted it to be better. That's not to say it was bad - but it also wasn't as good as I had hoped.
January 14, 2022
Watch my spoiler-free review here: https://youtu.be/9T1BodRkamI
April 2, 2022
I liked this batch of short stories. Lots of tie-ins and characters from prior Genevieve tales, none of which overstay their welcome.
June 22, 2022
Listened to the audio. The reader is so damn good.
December 18, 2023
Maybe I need to re-read Drachenfels, which I absolutely hated. Everything else by Yeovil I've enjoyed.
January 15, 2025
The series let me down a bit. Didn't find any charecters or the story in general that interesting. Hopefully the other warhammer vampire stories are better.
June 28, 2025
Another entertaining and exciting instalment in the tales of Genevieve, told with Newman’s intrinsic style and swagger. Great stuff.
August 3, 2019
A collection of Kim Newman's stories from the very first of his in Warhammer (Ignorant armies) to the last (The Ibby The Fish Factor), each one a great read.
Red Thirst - one of the earlier Warhammer stories is great fun but ends a little too abruptly, it would have made a great full length novel.
No Gold In The Grey Mountains - seems to be the odd one out as it doesn’t follow any of Newman's familiar Warhammer characters. Still a good read however.
Ignorant Armies - The prequel to Beasts In Velvet with some great scenes and characters in the chaos wastes, a very quintessential Warhammer story.
The Warhawk - a novella and sequel to Beasts In Velvet and very well paced and focused.
The Ibby The Fish Factor - Back with Genevieve and Detlef, this novella is my favourite of the collection, and it’s quite comedic with some great jokes in a serious plot.
This collection is my favourite of Newman’s Warhammer anthologies.
Red Thirst - one of the earlier Warhammer stories is great fun but ends a little too abruptly, it would have made a great full length novel.
No Gold In The Grey Mountains - seems to be the odd one out as it doesn’t follow any of Newman's familiar Warhammer characters. Still a good read however.
Ignorant Armies - The prequel to Beasts In Velvet with some great scenes and characters in the chaos wastes, a very quintessential Warhammer story.
The Warhawk - a novella and sequel to Beasts In Velvet and very well paced and focused.
The Ibby The Fish Factor - Back with Genevieve and Detlef, this novella is my favourite of the collection, and it’s quite comedic with some great jokes in a serious plot.
This collection is my favourite of Newman’s Warhammer anthologies.
September 21, 2014
As is usual for books from the Genevieve series, this is a collection of several novellas. Although I continue to find Genevieve as a character interesting, the re-spins on old tales are getting tired. The first story, Red Thirst, was an interesting story dealing with the befriending of a vampire under inconvenient circumstances. The second story, No Gold in the Grey Mountains, was more interesting, as Genevieve was "under cover" playing along with bandits. In The Ignorant Armies, the eternal battle ground was a great vignette. The Warhawk was a mediocre tale of a villain's genesis. The Ibby the Fish Factor was the best story of the lot, with a nice twist on how vampires could deal with a zealot trying to wipe them out, prepared to die for the cause.
September 20, 2016
I could go back to this world again and again. It isn't really the Warhammer World of the game, with it's eternal miserable darkness, but instead that of WFRP - grimey and medieval but with a hell of a lot of fun humour in it. Yeovil/Newman never takes his settings or work too seriously, and that's a pleasant change from the traditional grimdark of the Warhammer World. I'd cheerily read more Genevieve novels, alas they'll never exist now.
July 24, 2014
Just like the other Vampire Genevieve novels set in the Warhammer Universe that Kim Newman (under the pen name Jack Yeovil) wrote, this one plays with genre conventions, and the conventions of other genres, to make for an entertaining read. Not really a novel so much as a collection of stories, it fills some of the background for stuff alluded to in the previous three books.
September 24, 2016
Read as part of The Vampire Genevieve omnibus.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews