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Book One of the Sigmar Trilogy

It is a time of legends. The lands of the old World are wild and untamed, where the primitive tribes of men struggle for survival. In this time of peril, by virtue of his valorous deeds, a young man claims leadership of the Unberogen tribe. His name is Sigmar Heldenhammer, and his actions will change history forever. This is the story of how Sigmar rose to power, culminating in the Battle of Black Fire Pass, where men and dwarfs fought against the vast hordes of orcs in their quest to safeguard the future of the Empire.

416 pages, Paperback

First published April 29, 2008

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About the author

Graham McNeill

339 books903 followers
Hailing from Scotland, Graham McNeill narrowly escaped a career in surveying to work for Games Workshop as a games designer. He has a strong following with his novels Nightbringer, Warriors of Ultramar, Dead Sky, Black Sun and Storm of Iron.

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5 stars
332 (29%)
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440 (38%)
3 stars
284 (24%)
2 stars
73 (6%)
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15 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
Profile Image for Markus.
489 reviews1,960 followers
June 18, 2016
This is a dark age, a bloody age, an age of daemons and of sorcery. It is an age of battle and death, and of the world's ending. Amidst all of the fire, flame and fury it is a time, too, of mighty heroes, of bold deeds and great courage.

Fantastic introduction to the Warhammer universe. Hardly a work of art, but surprisingly enjoyable.

Full review to come.
Profile Image for Sade.
343 reviews48 followers
February 3, 2022


Someone hold my Croissant and Coke, cos McNeill will be hearing from me!!!!

Dear McNeill,

I acknowledge that 2008 must seem like a long time. Maybe in your mind women hadn't really gotten a foot hold into fantasy writing/reading. Maybe writing fantasy then, was considered to still be some sort of elitist boy's club thing. I dunno, maybe you thought 2008 was a shitty time and the fantasy world needed He-Man , Thor ugh Sigmar to step in and slay mythical demons. Maybe your editor or the War Hammer world explicitly states women have to be depicted as over sexualised. Or maybe you just thought 'fuck it. I'm doing women a favour anyway by having "Jessica Rabbit" turn up in her birthday suit and go to war'. Because for some reason someone going to war naked makes sense never mind that it was just the women it made sense for.

Yeah i know, you're probably going to conviniently hide behind the "but it's fantasy" schtick, while continually perputuating real life sexist bullshit into your book. You've basically written real world sexist men into your book and they are somehow the prize.

"Our sons will be strong and courageous and our daughters will be dutiful and pretty"

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I have never understood why most male fantasy authors continually drag in dragons, orcs, magic and pretty much whatever out-worldly can never exist in reality shit you can find but for some reason have to make women jump through the same equality hoops as they would in reality.
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Like y'all need to realise how ridiculous this book is. The only woman with a modicum of power in this book goes around naked, and sleeping with everyone. Like!!! for what reason??? Even in battle, she's fucking naked and leaves her long as shit hair streaming about...Who does that?Did you never associate with women in your entire life??? Meanwhile Sigmar and all the other male characters wear clothes.. Shit, even the bloody orcs have clothes on but heaven forbid McNeil allows the only powerful woman in this book to match her male counterparts in any way... Why he doesn't empower men by letting them swing their penises is beyond me.

This book has zero redeeming factors. I have truly never read any character as one dimensional as Sigmar in my entire life. Like i'm honestly racking my brain really hard but i can't come up with any. McNeill gives Sigmar zero oppositions in his quest to basically take over the world. Dude is basically, like:

Sigmar: yeahhh sooo i'm going to unite y'all into one empire and you know since it's my project, i'm going to be the one in charge.
*Cut to close up of Sigmar

Narrator:Like a savage warrior of a forgotten age, he stands tall in the wind, his hair a golden stream behind him and the muscles of his chest pumped for battle
(The Narrator's words with the exception of one or two words, are from the book)

Other kings : Yeah sure, take our kingdoms we don't mind. Rule the world. Such a good lad.

Jessica Rabbit Queen: Let's have sex and after that you can take my kingdom too.. Such a virile lad.


I could go on but you get the gist. A truly irredeemable, book.

Profile Image for Eric Smith.
334 reviews31 followers
March 8, 2018
After everything I have heard about the god Sigmar I was very interested in seeing the history of the man that built the Empire and went from emperor to god and I was not disappointed with the beginning of that tale. Its a solid rise to power story of a young war chief of a warrior clan dreaming of more and a united country and then pursuing that goal. There was a nice steady mix of diplomacy and warfare along with some pretty impressive personal feats by Sigmar himself in this book and while its wasn't just absolutely amazing or an irresistible read it was solid and well written and did what it intended. I enjoyed it and am looking forward to the next one.
Profile Image for Jason Ray Carney.
Author 39 books76 followers
November 11, 2023
This is an excellent Warhammer Fantasy novel and a great fantasy novel in general. It chronicles the youth and initial rise of Sigmar, a heroic warrior destined to become the first Emperor of the Empire of Man. Unlike most Warhammer Fantasy novels, which are set in an imaginary late Medieval Europe, this novel is set in something inspired by the milieu of 700 to 800 AD Germany, around the time of Charlemagne (envision Germanic tribes striving to forge a new alliance). One aspect that makes this novel stand out is its tone of brightness. Most Warhammer fantasy is known for its grimdark tone, but this book diverges from that path. Being the origin story of the Empire and a tale of a hero, the narrative carries a different, more hopeful tone. Sigmar is portrayed as a genuine hero: integrated, selfless, focused, and powerful.
Profile Image for Yszky the Goblin.
8 reviews2 followers
April 6, 2025
Nie mogę się zdecydować czy dać 4 czy 5, mam wrażenie że tutaj idealnie sprawdziłaby się ocena 4.25/4.5

Ogólnie, pozycja obowiązkowa dla kogoś kto chce poznać historię Sigmara, Imperatora, Boga.

W innym przypadku czytadło heroic fantasy jakich wiele ;)
130 reviews
May 9, 2025
I always like these rags to riches type stories, or I guess like “tribesman to emperor” story in this case.

I’m not super familiar with the Warhammer Fantasy setting but this was really good nonetheless. Sigmar is the most famous character to come out of that universe, and this as a prequel novel all about the origins of that legendary character really works.

Really great action sequences too, which is to be expected from McNeill who wrote some really good 40K stuff too.
249 reviews2 followers
September 10, 2021
When this came out way back in 2008, I eagerly bought and read it, and in turn loved it. Rereading it now, I wondered if it would still hold up. For me at least, it did. Yes, the female characters are severely lacking. Yes, Sigmars motivation to build his empire is barely mentioned. And yes, the romance is kinda trashy. Yet, despite all this, it's an excellent sword and sorcery tale. The characters are likable and interesting, the action and battles bloody and vivid, and the world easy to get lost in. As a now older and more experienced reader,I see the writing influences of Robert Howard. It's a damn fun low fantasy read, and reccommended not just for Warhammer fans but for fans of the fantasy genre in general.
Profile Image for Traci Lee.
37 reviews13 followers
March 28, 2013
This book is fantastic, but then I'm never disappointed by Graham McNeill. While I love the Warhammer fantasy universe, I'm not overly interested in stories just about humans. McNeill makes them much more exciting than some other writers. Sigmar is such a legendary character, and I love how heroic he is. The book really is a page turner. I'm reading the whole series in The Legend of Sigmar compilation, and I'm excited to start reading the second book!
435 reviews
January 22, 2022
I enjoyed this one quite a bit. As someone who’s very fond of Warhammer fantasy, I was initially reluctant to see the figure of Sigmar elaborated on, but the writing and its setting greatly grew on me throughout the book, and I found myself greatly enjoying it. I think that the final act was a little short and the ending a little abrupt, but overall, I really enjoyed this, and it was a fine insight into the early days of the setting.
7 reviews
February 12, 2022
Fantastic story of the beginning of the empire of man
74 reviews
January 22, 2017
Sigmar.
I like him. You could easily argue he’s a one-dimensional character, a conventional hero, a man of honour, a defender of mankind. And he is, but I don’t think that’s a bad thing. The world of literature needs those characters. Just like Kenshiro in Fist of the North Star, or Goku in Dragon Ball.
The writing is decent, and combats, in particular the 50 page finale of the battle at Blackfire Pass, is evocative.
There’s some rather obvious flaws though. Namely that the story itself is quite bland and predictable. Nothing unexpected happens. None of the characters are especially memorable, and over the course of the novel 15 or so years pass, and often 3 or 5 year pass at a time between chapters. The main issue is that for a story of epic scale, it’s quite brief, and this gives a sense of it being rushed, as we jump so many years and events. But it’s understandable, I think, considering this is a Black Library novel, and most likely a planned trilogy. It lacks the complexity of the best epic fantasy series, but for what it is, it’s fun and entertaining, even if very much unrealistic. For much of the middle of the novel Sigmar is travelling—alone or with his Unberogen warriors—to various nations in the Old World to win their sword oaths. To be honest, these sections read a little like filler. Each nation has a few quirks which are elaborated, but really it’s just marking time, all in preparation for Blackfire Pass.
Will I read the second? You know, I might. This is definitely the sort of book which sets up a great deal, and McNeill proves he isn’t a bad author, and chances are will do more interesting things in the books to come. The major loose thread is Gerreon—Ravenna’s brother and the man who attempted to murder Sigmar—who’s fled to the Chaos wastes and is destined to become a leader for the Chaos gods.
A fun little book. That’s the best I can say about it, and hope that future books get better.
Profile Image for AshBornd.
44 reviews
August 9, 2021
Hola Amigos! Как всегда пройдемся по пунктам:

О чем:
Сеттинг Warhammer FB. Так называемое время легенд, после Истории Раскола и цикла о Нагаше.
Молодой сын короля одного из народов решает во что бы то ни стало объединить разрозненные племена людей с целью выживания и процветания своей расы, постоянно находящейся под угрозой истребления орками, хаоситами и прочей мерзостью.
Имя ему Зигмар и эта история - о его свершениях.

Персонажи:
Главный герой романа - Зигмар является хорошим проработанным персонажем, хоть и специфически описанным (см. повествование). Окружающие его персонажи не могут похвастаться раскрытием или глубокой драмой, но все же имеют свою особенность и характер, что уже неплохо.

Повествование:
Грэм Макнилл просто спасает цикл книг о "Времени Легенд". По-графомански раздутая хроника событий под названием "История Раскола" и неплохо написанный, но скучный и однобокий цикл о Нагаше не идут ни в какое сравнение с первым романом из цикла о Зигмаре.
Но всё же, это всё равно не привычное литературное произведение, свойственное современной фантастике.
"Молотодержец" - это образцовый, практически древнегреческий эпос.
В возвышенном и пафосном тоне рассказывается история великих свершений героя древности, в подробностях описываются битвы и сражения.
При этом, не смотря на мифический стиль повествования, автор умело вписывает в историю мысли и переживания персонажа, не самые скучные диалоги, немного юмора и в целом хорошо держит заданный темп так, что книга читается довольно легко и вызывает интерес.

Мнение:
Я рад, что хотя бы третий цикл Хроник Warhammer FB оказался для меня читабельным, даже не смотря на "эпический" стиль повествования.
Лично мне, в отличие от совсем юного возраста, типичные мифы Древней Греции кажутся теперь весьма странными и скучными произведениями. И то же самое должно было бы произойти с Молотодержцем, но Грэм Макнилл умело внёс в свою легенду элементы современного художественного произведения, чем сильно его осовременил.
Молотодержец представляет собой героическую историю о благородном воине, бьющемся за правое дело (причем успешно). И это позволяет неплохо отдохнуть от постоянной безнадеги в книгах о сороковом тысячелетии, что я и сделал.
Надеюсь знакомство с остальным циклом о похождениях Зигмара будет не менее увлекательно.

Оценка 8/10.
Не хватило: "эпический" стиль повествования интересен, но, для меня, уступает современному литературному стилю, в виду своих особенностей. Возвышенному слогу и подробным битвам я предпочел бы межличностную драму и внутренний конфликт.
Рейтинг "goodreads" - 3.86/5
Моя группа Вконтакте - https://vk.com/ashborndetv
Profile Image for Lenny.
38 reviews1 follower
April 8, 2020
Heldenhammer reads like an a Greek myth or a romanticised historical biography. It feels as it it could have been written in universe, as it this is a chapter of the Sigmar play written by Detlef Sierck from Kim Newman's novel Drachenfels. I loved it since I thoroughly enjoy Warhammer Fantasy and the book does a great job at fleshing Sigmar's story out.

However it does lean a lot on world building and references to things to come. Furthermore since the plot is already "fixed" the motivation of some characters feel forced and some characters could do with more fleshing out. I thus wouldn't recommend it as a first introduction to Warhammer Fantasy. Though this books had me hooked and loving every moment of it. Which means I'm off scouring ebay for a decent looking copy of the the next books in this series, since Black Library has kept almost no Warhammer Fantasy books in print.
Profile Image for Daniel.
297 reviews8 followers
May 6, 2020
My fascination with Warhammer continues and so my next stop is the saga of Sigmar, who is a very important character in the Warhammer fantasy mythos. Heldenhammer is the opening chapter to Sigmar's tales. I realized, after reading this book, that Heldenhammer is a good entry point for the new comer to the Warhammer fantasy world. The book is fast paced and the story is gripping. It feels like an ancient epic. The characters are a bit too "good" to be realistic, but they are interesting and memorable nevertheless. The best thing about this book though is the actions. Fantasy books usually have battle scenes but the battles in Heldenhammer are especially memorable due to the heart pounding, single combats. Sigmar fought many single combats in this book and each one is as grand as the tales about the heroes of the old. Overall Heldenhammer is more of a traditional fantasy book but it is a very enjoyable read. I look forward to reading next book.
3 reviews
September 17, 2017
Představte si fádní látku, kterou autor odstřihává z role své fantazie a posílá ji nakladatelství, aby měl na chleba a dětem mohl zaplatit autobus do školy. Objektivními měřícími metodami je výsledkem jeho práce brak vzdálený slovu umění na tři abecedy ALE.....
Tohle je braková heroická fantasy ve své nejčistší podobě, s hrdinou nezměrné statečnosti, která aby měla smysl, tak je podepřena ctí a ušlechtilým cílem záchrany lidstva před sebou samým i cizáckými pleniteli. Je to přesně takový příběh, který vyvolá to škubavé stažení a relaxaci srdečních síní, jaké zaživali malí Anglosasíci při vyprávění o králi Artušovi nebo čínská děcka během příběhu o statečné Mulan.
A je tam Sigmar. Pro většinu lidí neznámý týpek, ale já si jeho jménem nadepisuji i ponožky.
Profile Image for Henry.
8 reviews
June 12, 2024
I read this for some background lore to both fantasy and age of sigmar. I guess it served it's purpose but my god I think most people would struggle to write a more generic fantasy story.

I know this is the case for many warhammer novels, I try to rate them on the basis that most are just easy and entertaining reads. However, the amount of generic tropes in this one really sapped my enjoyment. Not sure if I will bother with the remaining two books.

Also, memo to all Black Library authors: please stop describing every single attack from a large enemy as being "faster than you could believe from something so large". Every book in any series seems to have 4-5 lines to this effect, what is going on!
Profile Image for Hunter82.
65 reviews1 follower
November 30, 2020
Eine neue Ära beginnt
Wer in die Welt von Warhammer Fantasy eintauchen möchte, der wäre mit diesem Band genau richtig. Da hier die Entstehung des Imperiums, sowie seines größten Helden erzählt wird.
Mit Sigmar kommt hier jemand, der das Umdenken der anderen Menschenstämme fördert und Ihnen zeigt das man nur gemeinsam gegen die Feinde bestehen kann.
Sigmar muss so einiges an Herausforderungen, aber auch Schicksalen überstehen um zu dem Herrscher zu werden, der er sein möchte.
Das Buch ist sehr flüssig geschrieben, wer sich gut in Bücher hineinversetzten kann und es gerne auch ein wenig brutal und blutig mag ist hier richtig.
Denn Warhammer ist auch keine Welt für schwache Nerven.
Profile Image for Craig Schorling.
2,263 reviews11 followers
April 1, 2024
This was a lot of fun, which is what I've come to expect from Warhammer stories. Sigmar kills a lot of stuff and starts to build his empire of man. There are countless moments of over the top action and gory viscera. It ends in a way that gives some closure but also leaves things hanging for the next book. I enjoyed bouncing around all the different locations and meeting many characters along the way. This isn't the best fantasy out there but it is damn entertaining and is a quick, fun read.
22 reviews
March 24, 2019
This is absolutely the worst of all the Time of Legends books from the Warhammer World. The plot is completely predictable, the characters are all completely flat, the action has nothing special. The worst thing is you can see McNeill tried to weave in some Conan references (the only rrason the book gets a second star), but the result falls short as even Conan wasn't as perfect as Sigmar.

The blandness of this book makes me think the author somehow knew the Age of Shitmar was coming...
Profile Image for Niccolò Ceresa.
92 reviews
January 9, 2018
A must-read for every Empire player.

This book talks about the dreaming of a young Sigmar about a unite nation of men against the perils of the old world and how he achieved it.

Well written and full of useful information about the Old World, it is not just a sequence of battles but give also a view of the early 12 tribes of men and of their way of life.
Profile Image for Jarrod.
151 reviews6 followers
May 2, 2018
At its best, Heldenhammer reads like a modern day work of mythology as you follow the heroic exploits of its hero protagonist. At its worst, it reads like there is only on character and he is mowing down enemies like they are grass by just charging in again and again with no real thought. The end result is a mixed bag.
Profile Image for Conan The Librarian .
451 reviews26 followers
February 25, 2022
Fue todo lo que esperaba y más, mucho más. Batallas épicas, mucha sangre, drama, hazañas heroicas, armas legendarias. Fue genial, pero lo más genial es que aún quedan otros dos libros más para terminar la leyenda de Sigmar.
Profile Image for Matthew Taylor.
383 reviews5 followers
February 10, 2023
I was thoroughly pulled into this enjoyable fantasy romp, although a Warhammer 40,000 fan, I'm not so big on Warhammer Fantasy Battles and so I suspect I may have missed a fair few references for those in the know, but still had a great time.
Profile Image for Lanfear.
533 reviews
July 21, 2025
La historia de la leyenda de Sigmar, de la unificación del imperio y las batallas que lo hicieron posible. La idea que tenía yo de este libro era que iba a ser algo bastante soso y aburrido con la típica historia de bárbaros luchando contra orcos y hombres bestia pero no es del todo cierto, esta es la historia de como un joven príncipe llamado Sigmar tiene la idea de que para sobrevivir el pueblo de los hombres debe unificarse y luchar juntos. No está mal
12 reviews
June 21, 2017
The story within the book was pretty engaging. I really like how Sigmar's character was really developed through the losses of his father, Bjorn, Trinovantes and Ravenna.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Eric.
268 reviews2 followers
January 13, 2019
I couldn’t even get to page 40. This book is awfully written. The writing is like a rejected Conan the Barbarian movie script. Don’t waste your time.
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