Verminslayer: Gotrek Gurnisson: Warhammer Age of Sigmar

Gotrek Gurnisson #6

by David Guymer

A Gotrek Gurnisson Audiobook

Greywater Fastness – an industrial canker in the heart of Ghyran. Foundries and metalworks pump soot and fire endlessly into the skies of the Realm of Life. Dusty streets hide peril at every turn, and attacks by the Dreadwood Sylvaneth hamper the city’s relentless encroachment.

LISTEN TO IT BECAUSE

Gotrek takes on some of his earliest enemies again – the scheming skaven! It may be a different time, and a different world, but the legendary Slayer hasn't lost his knack for dealing with vermin.

THE STORY

Gotrek Gurnisson barges into Greywater Fastness seeking answers as to why his Fyreslayer rune is mysteriously waning. But finding them in the stronghold's clogged and blackened arteries may prove far more difficult than first thought, and with skaven warlocks building something deep underground – something that will cement their place in skavendom forever – Gotrek begins to wonder if he might instead find that which has eluded him these past ages – his doom.

Genres: Fantasy, Audiobook, Fiction, Adventure

Audible Audio

First published February 15, 2025

About the author

David Guymer is a freelance author, PhD in molecular microbiology (which still comes in more handy than you might think), and tabletop warlord based in the Yorkshire East Riding. He has written for Black Library, Marvel, Aconyte Books, Asmodee, Mantic Games, Cubicle 7, Creative Assembly, and Mongoose Publishing.

Reviews

[Gary Miller · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm sorry, I love Gotrek, I don't care that it's basically the same story rehashed everytime,and Guymer has been fantastic at portraying Gotrek so well in the Mortal Realms, but this book is lost.

It's Skavenslayer but in the Mortal Realms. We're onto another sidekick with none of the intrigue or mystery of Felix or Maleneth. The decision to kill off Maleneth from the story in Gitslayer, seems to be a mistake. I don't think this new sidekick Elsworn has any of the depth of character or complexities suitable for a long term partner for Gotrek.

I hope if Gotrek comes back, we have some really improvements. I think this is down to the BL editors rather than Guymer, as Guymer has been spot on with Gotrek upto now.

[Taylor McLaughlin · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a big fan of the Gotrek and Felix series I have found most of the Age of Sigmar Gotrek books to be very hit or miss. In this particular instance it is mostly a miss as the novel is written in a way where Gotrek does not even seem like a main character in his own novel as his new companion takes precedence over him in the story mostly. Also, as important as Skaven are within the Gotrek and Felix series as a whole they feel like just a generic "villain of the week" type of villain in this novel compared to their characterization in earlier novels such as the Warhammer Fantasy Skavenslayer novel.

[Michael Botterill]

Great story and an excellent new companion for the man himself, more please!

[Peter Parker · Rating 1.5 out of 5]

This book feels like a failed attempt to blend the gritty, urban rat-hunting of Skavenslayer with the high-stakes epic scale of Daemonslayer. And there is a smidge of Giantslayer in there too.
Unfortunately, it completely misses the mark, largely because it forgets who the main character is and fails to understand its own villains.
Gotrek is barely even in his own book. When he does actually appear, he is reduced to a cartoonish caricature—guzzling ten beers at once as a cheap gimmick, but without any of the heart or camaraderie of having Snorri Nosebiter there to compete with him. Instead of the legendary slayer, the actual focus of the book is entirely on Elsworn, a textbook "strong, diverse woman" archetype who repeatedly has to save the day because Gotrek is written as barely competent. Or sober.
The Skaven antagonists are equally disappointing. They completely lack the iconic flavor that made William King's villains so memorable. They aren't funny, and they aren't even truly menacing. They lack the madcap, scheming brilliance of Grey Seer Thanquol or the other classic Skaven characters from Skavenslayer. They just feel dull.
The final insult comes during the climax. When the villains free a massive, Verminlord, Gotrek can barely even hold his own against it. Naturally, Elsworn has to save him yet again, effortlessly decapitating a literal daemon lord with a completely ordinary, non-magical sword.
To make matters worse, the epilogue suggests that she will be back in future installments.
If you loved the original run for its organic momentum, heavy stakes, excellent villains, and actual focus on the dynamic duo, avoid this one. It completely strips away the classic Old World magic in favor of modern, poorly written tropes.

[Brian Donaghy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Should be titled 'Elsworn'

This is not a Goetrek novel in the least. Rather the Goetrek name is used to push the new character Elsworn.

This is good story and skaven are always a fun subject. However, avid Goetrek fans will feel like victims of a shell game. It would be an understatement to say that the WH's most unsuccessful doom seeker made less presence than a standard side character. Again, good story but a dishonest title to say the least.

[Mike · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a Gotrek novel.

Gotrek was hardly in the book. The newest girl-boss received most of the attention. The titular Gotrek was off-screen throughout much of the story. There are a lot of plot contrivances... even by the standards of an AOS novel.

[Tyler Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gotrek the Side Character

I was hyped expecting a return to form and finally getting to see Thanquol face off against his most ancient of adversaries. I was wrong. Instead we get a slightly boring new follower(at least it isn't Amara) with Gotrek down on his luck. The Skaven plot was mildly amusing at best.

The real kicker was it felt like Gotrek was relegated to a side character and seemed like we only barely see anything of The Slayer from the main protag or even more rarely from the antags. I felt like Gotrek lost any oomph he used to carry and was just a plot device used to move the story forward instead of an actual character with the personality we saw growing in the first books with Maleneth.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book felt like a return to form for Gotrek, especially after how blightslayer felt so out of place. The characters are all interesting and play an important role in the story, and the novel sets up well for what is to come.

I enjoyed this book, and suggest giving it a read. I look forward to Gotrek’s next adventure, and exploring more of the world of Age of Sigmar!

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gotrek does the usual, though he has to share the stage with the Skaven, Elsworn (the current companion), and a host of other characters. The dwarf just comes across as a little tired for this outing.

[Richard Cheng · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was okay felt a bit long. side characters were often forgettable.

[JorgVonRiminsk · Rating 1 out of 5]

Terrible. It`s a bleak and boring parody on Skavensayer