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Archaon: Everchosen
In the north of the world the forces of Chaos gather, awaiting their moment to strike. At their head is the Everchosen, the warrior who will lead the final, cataclysmic assault that will usher in the End Times and the reign of the Ruinous Powers. But he was not always thus - he was once a man, a devout servant of the warrior-god Sigmar. What could cause such a soul to fall to the worship of the Dark Gods? What dark events could have put a knight of the Empire on the path to becoming the harbinger of the world's end? And just who was the man who will become known to all as Archaon?
Read it because
It's the first half of one of the most epic tales in Warhammer history, delving into the past of the Chaos champion known as Archaon and exploring what can make a devout Sigmarite warrior fall into the service of the Dark Gods.
416 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2014
54 people are currently reading
230 people want to read
About the author
Rob Sanders
114 books86 followersRob Sanders is the author of twelve novels, as well as numerous anthologised short stories, novellas, audio dramas, computer games and comics. His fiction has won national writing competitions, been featured on the BBC and appeared on the New York Times Best Seller list. His poetry has been short listed in national contests. He lives off the beaten track in the small city of Lincoln, UK.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
July 14, 2014
"Does he always mutter 'blood for the blood god?'"
"No he's stopped, see?"
*silence as they travel along the path*
"... blood for the blood god, blood..."
"Your meant to be able to tell the future..."
Archaon: Everchosen is one of those novels that really seems like a 'nothing read' to begin with. It labours at the start, nothing much happens for the first thirty pages, then all of a sudden your shoved into the passenger seat where the driver is doing hundred down the motorway and there's no chance of jumping out. BOOM
This book is filled with insane battles and lovingly tendered complex characters who spring from all corners of the Warhammer world. You've Dark Elves who like to indulge in a bit of moody-sex-club-type frolics. Beastman who are just how they sound. Warped deigns of Chaos, warbands of varying types and amongst all this we've Archaon, who is forging his own path, taking the power of Chaos for himself, where he will lead the world into the End Of Times. Everyone else is just a choirboy to him! He may have been if he stayed as a Sigmar-loving young templar he was. His fall from grace from the light to the darkness is part of the story that was so well written, you can visualize him turning piece-by-piece as his path takes him from the Empire to the Northern Wastes and eventually Naggorth.
The core of the story in Everchosen covers events from Archaon's life prior to becoming the Chaos warrior, then follows his fall and a type of Hercules-labours, whereupon he has to discover six treasures of Chaos. The first being The Altar Of ULTIMATE DARKNESS (who the hell comes up with such cliché names!). Archaon knows of his fall from grace early on, he tried to get Father Dagobert to help him understand and decipher a old tome, that apparently records the future of The Everchosen.
Some of the characters and personalities Archie comes across during his journey are brilliant - you've Mother Fecund who worships Nurgle and seems to churn out 'clone' type plague-ridden meandering walkers. The Swords of Chaos (sentinel Chaos warriors who are charged to protect Archaon - charged by whom? We don't know) appear early on in the novel, when Archaon is trying to figure out his path with the help of the worldly Father Dagobert and Giselle, who are both central to the characters development. My favourite side-character was The Great Spleen, a ogre who worships the blood god. He gives us some gory action, certainly in the final half of the book. There are so many more I could mention, but I'll end with the Dark Elves Dravin Vayne and his warlock lover Sularii who is a bit of a manipulative biatch - always caressing the male form... filthy wench!
I wanted to talk about the pacing of the novel, it's rather odd from the outset. However, rather than a bad thing, it happens to make the novel exciting in the sense that it keeps you guessing what's going to happen next. From Archaon's childhood, to his time spent growing up under the tutelage of Father Dagobert. As a reader you get to experience Archaon's fall from being a book-loving child, to a entity that decides to bludgeon his way through anything or anyone who stands in his way. The bludgeoning part does grate after awhile, there's no real challenge for Archaon as a warrior - this is where Father Dagobert helps to counsel Archaon that a warrior uses both his mind and muscles to fight. Sometimes you need to think before acting, where other's you act without thinking.
I've got to throw praise on Rob Sanders as he seems to have this innate ability to show Chaos as a entity rather than a singular force. He seems to flesh out Chaos as a parasitic sadistic bastard, and I doubt he is far wrong. The whole insanity and corruptibility of Chaos are shown throughout Archaon's fall and what helps you feel Chaos is more than a whisper by a madman are the brilliant side-characters I keep on harping about. They are many and as many they show different characteristics that the four gods of Chaos can afflict on a person. The Dark Elves worship the prince of pleasure Slannash (debauchery and indulgence - what's her number??). Spleen's taking of skulls for the blood god. Mother Fecund maggot-men which she spews out as worship to Nurgle. Later the god of change entities show their face, but if I mention who and why, it's going to spoil a part of the story for you. To give them all balance, Archaon is aware that Chaos corrupts and uses humanity as a play-thing, so he decides to say no to all four gods of Chaos. He will take from them. He will use their power. He will not be cowed unlike the weak, his followers.
The ending was great, it left me thirsty for more! Sadly I'm not sure if there are going to be any more books about Archaon, I hope so. Apparently Everchosen isn't a book you should read unless you have some prior knowledge of the Warhammer world. I'd disagree with this, you've a map on the inlay - the story tells itself and gives the reader explanations that (I would argue) would allow this novel to standalone. In fact if you took out the Warhammer canon, I'd say this novel was potentially one of the best fantasy stories I've read since Prince Of Thorns. Enjoy.
"No he's stopped, see?"
*silence as they travel along the path*
"... blood for the blood god, blood..."
"Your meant to be able to tell the future..."
Archaon: Everchosen is one of those novels that really seems like a 'nothing read' to begin with. It labours at the start, nothing much happens for the first thirty pages, then all of a sudden your shoved into the passenger seat where the driver is doing hundred down the motorway and there's no chance of jumping out. BOOM
This book is filled with insane battles and lovingly tendered complex characters who spring from all corners of the Warhammer world. You've Dark Elves who like to indulge in a bit of moody-sex-club-type frolics. Beastman who are just how they sound. Warped deigns of Chaos, warbands of varying types and amongst all this we've Archaon, who is forging his own path, taking the power of Chaos for himself, where he will lead the world into the End Of Times. Everyone else is just a choirboy to him! He may have been if he stayed as a Sigmar-loving young templar he was. His fall from grace from the light to the darkness is part of the story that was so well written, you can visualize him turning piece-by-piece as his path takes him from the Empire to the Northern Wastes and eventually Naggorth.
The core of the story in Everchosen covers events from Archaon's life prior to becoming the Chaos warrior, then follows his fall and a type of Hercules-labours, whereupon he has to discover six treasures of Chaos. The first being The Altar Of ULTIMATE DARKNESS (who the hell comes up with such cliché names!). Archaon knows of his fall from grace early on, he tried to get Father Dagobert to help him understand and decipher a old tome, that apparently records the future of The Everchosen.
Some of the characters and personalities Archie comes across during his journey are brilliant - you've Mother Fecund who worships Nurgle and seems to churn out 'clone' type plague-ridden meandering walkers. The Swords of Chaos (sentinel Chaos warriors who are charged to protect Archaon - charged by whom? We don't know) appear early on in the novel, when Archaon is trying to figure out his path with the help of the worldly Father Dagobert and Giselle, who are both central to the characters development. My favourite side-character was The Great Spleen, a ogre who worships the blood god. He gives us some gory action, certainly in the final half of the book. There are so many more I could mention, but I'll end with the Dark Elves Dravin Vayne and his warlock lover Sularii who is a bit of a manipulative biatch - always caressing the male form... filthy wench!
I wanted to talk about the pacing of the novel, it's rather odd from the outset. However, rather than a bad thing, it happens to make the novel exciting in the sense that it keeps you guessing what's going to happen next. From Archaon's childhood, to his time spent growing up under the tutelage of Father Dagobert. As a reader you get to experience Archaon's fall from being a book-loving child, to a entity that decides to bludgeon his way through anything or anyone who stands in his way. The bludgeoning part does grate after awhile, there's no real challenge for Archaon as a warrior - this is where Father Dagobert helps to counsel Archaon that a warrior uses both his mind and muscles to fight. Sometimes you need to think before acting, where other's you act without thinking.
I've got to throw praise on Rob Sanders as he seems to have this innate ability to show Chaos as a entity rather than a singular force. He seems to flesh out Chaos as a parasitic sadistic bastard, and I doubt he is far wrong. The whole insanity and corruptibility of Chaos are shown throughout Archaon's fall and what helps you feel Chaos is more than a whisper by a madman are the brilliant side-characters I keep on harping about. They are many and as many they show different characteristics that the four gods of Chaos can afflict on a person. The Dark Elves worship the prince of pleasure Slannash (debauchery and indulgence - what's her number??). Spleen's taking of skulls for the blood god. Mother Fecund maggot-men which she spews out as worship to Nurgle. Later the god of change entities show their face, but if I mention who and why, it's going to spoil a part of the story for you. To give them all balance, Archaon is aware that Chaos corrupts and uses humanity as a play-thing, so he decides to say no to all four gods of Chaos. He will take from them. He will use their power. He will not be cowed unlike the weak, his followers.
The ending was great, it left me thirsty for more! Sadly I'm not sure if there are going to be any more books about Archaon, I hope so. Apparently Everchosen isn't a book you should read unless you have some prior knowledge of the Warhammer world. I'd disagree with this, you've a map on the inlay - the story tells itself and gives the reader explanations that (I would argue) would allow this novel to standalone. In fact if you took out the Warhammer canon, I'd say this novel was potentially one of the best fantasy stories I've read since Prince Of Thorns. Enjoy.
December 3, 2024
"Fear me mortals, for I am the Anointed, the favoured Son of Chaos, the Scourge of the World. The armies of the gods rally behind me, and it is by my will and by my sword that your weakling nations shall fall"
Archaon Wszechwybraniec...Herold Apokalipsy...Pan Końca Czasu...Trójoki Król.
Przerażająca opowieść jak nasze przeznaczenie determinowane jest przez istoty potężniejsze od nas. Zawsze było dobro i zło (o ile, oczywiście, dobro nie jest brakiem zła albo zło brakiem dobra). Ktoś, kto posiadł moc manipulowania dobrem i złem jest w stanie kreować następne pokolenia. Najwyraźniej, ten kto kreuje zło korzysta z mocy analogicznej do antycznego Fatum. Diederick Kastner staje się zły nie mając na to żadnego wpływu. Jego los jest przesądzony tak jak los Edypa, bo jest tworem Be'lakora tak, jak Edyp był tworem Fatum.
"Let us not seek reward. Let us not ask for power. Let us not wait on that which is given. Let us take what is ours. Darkness is ours. Ruin is ours. The world turns beneath our feet for the taking. Real power resides not with gods or any following but with those who take it from them. I am Archaon, doom to my enemies, doom to all the world, doom to all the gods invested in that world. Come with me."
Książka opowiada o rycerzu Sigmara który chce walczyć ku chwale dobra i porządku, jednak coś znacznie starszego i potężniejszego uniemożliwia mu to. Widzimy historię młodego rycerza od czasu jego strasznego poczęcia podczas najazdu norscan, poprzez jego starania się o czynienie dobra kończąc na tym, gdy coraz bardziej zatraca się w swoim oddaniu Bogom Chaosu wyszukując kolejnych artefaktów by stać się "Wszechwybrańcem".
Ciekawym zabiegiem którego użył tutaj Rob Sanders, jest pokazanie różnych zdarzeń z życia Diedricka które mogłyby spowodować, że nie zostanie jednak heroldem zła.
Archaon Wszechwybraniec...Herold Apokalipsy...Pan Końca Czasu...Trójoki Król.
Przerażająca opowieść jak nasze przeznaczenie determinowane jest przez istoty potężniejsze od nas. Zawsze było dobro i zło (o ile, oczywiście, dobro nie jest brakiem zła albo zło brakiem dobra). Ktoś, kto posiadł moc manipulowania dobrem i złem jest w stanie kreować następne pokolenia. Najwyraźniej, ten kto kreuje zło korzysta z mocy analogicznej do antycznego Fatum. Diederick Kastner staje się zły nie mając na to żadnego wpływu. Jego los jest przesądzony tak jak los Edypa, bo jest tworem Be'lakora tak, jak Edyp był tworem Fatum.
"Let us not seek reward. Let us not ask for power. Let us not wait on that which is given. Let us take what is ours. Darkness is ours. Ruin is ours. The world turns beneath our feet for the taking. Real power resides not with gods or any following but with those who take it from them. I am Archaon, doom to my enemies, doom to all the world, doom to all the gods invested in that world. Come with me."
Książka opowiada o rycerzu Sigmara który chce walczyć ku chwale dobra i porządku, jednak coś znacznie starszego i potężniejszego uniemożliwia mu to. Widzimy historię młodego rycerza od czasu jego strasznego poczęcia podczas najazdu norscan, poprzez jego starania się o czynienie dobra kończąc na tym, gdy coraz bardziej zatraca się w swoim oddaniu Bogom Chaosu wyszukując kolejnych artefaktów by stać się "Wszechwybrańcem".
Ciekawym zabiegiem którego użył tutaj Rob Sanders, jest pokazanie różnych zdarzeń z życia Diedricka które mogłyby spowodować, że nie zostanie jednak heroldem zła.
March 3, 2016
I understand it when writers are trying something new in a genre or niche market that has a rather typical trope that is used over and over again. I get it that just because someone tries and isn't the most successful in this endeavor that it isn't something to boo or hiss, but rather applaud the author's audacity. However, in this case Mr. Sanders failed so utterly that it is a fitting allegory to the ending of the End Times series.
In most Warhammer novels we are given a very simplistic formula where the author follows some hero around until it all culminates in some grand battle, sometimes this is repeated several times in the same book. It's a tired trick, but an effective one. This method of storytelling allows for some entertaining hours of escapism that doesn't really require a large amount of investment in order to enjoy the story even understanding that you know what the ending will be even from the onset of the story. Mr. Sanders did not try to reinvent this cycle of storytelling, even though he tried to throw in some new twists into the mix, some of these worked, some were forgivably forgettable, and some were rather pretentious and poorly executed.
We'll start with the good. The first chapters were a bit jarring at first (or should I say the first chapter which was repeated three different times til we got the story straight) due to the unintuitive nature of re-telling the story as though viewing the various ways a scene might have played out, each with a more malevolent deity guiding the strands of fate. While a bit confusing and annoying as it caused the reader to basically reset and start the book three different times, I saw the purpose of this idea and it was laudable in its approach to trying something new. It got across that Archaon had no choice in his fate and that he was doomed right from the start. This act was repeated at random intervals throughout the story and each time was a little bit better than the last, but at times it seemed like a ploy to take up space.
The easily forgettable was the unending descriptions of battle. I found myself skipping entire pages when the battles hit because of the absolute yawn-inducing depictions of what should have been some of the more exciting scenes in the book. Mr. Sanderson literally took an entire page describing how the pressure of a bunch of knights was pushing the air out of Archaon's lungs at one point. This is not an exciting action sequence! This was boring, plodding writing that literally put me to sleep on multiple occasions. I began to dread the battle scenes as it meant more tedium. The only battle that didn't seem to do this was the first half of the battle for the Fortress of Spite. But then as soon as Archaon got into the bowels of the citadel, it once again reverted to ongoing repetitions involving more squeezing and gasping for breath. The battle scenes rarely contributed to the overall storyline and obviously didn't build any tension, and so therefore I could easily skip past the majority of them with little to no impact on the story. Thus this was a large but inconsequential detriment to the story.
The real problem was Sanders presumptuous and egotistical meanderings that had no point. Archaon waded through the wastes for 40 pages of pedantic text and descriptions of "crazy" things that would break a human's mind. 40 pages! I can honestly say that at that point I was ready to throw the book against the wall. It was the most tedious and boring writing I have ever read, and I've read Moby Dick, yet this was more painful than learning about whale anatomy. Mr. Sanders seems like he wants to be literary with his descriptions, but there isn't any point to his endless descriptions. He attempts to wax poetic, but he just comes across as needlessly obsessed with mindless details. The whole time Archaon was in the wastes there was constant descriptions of "weird" things, or "crazy" happenings that seemed to be placed there to emphasize the "chaos-y" ness of the wastes. This could have been accomplished in easily a fifth of the amount of time that Mr. Sanders utilizes to describe the wastes. This isn't the only time he does this, either, the whole scene inside the Citadel of Spite was mind numbing in its ongoing descriptions of the darkness and the creatures that came to face Archaon. Tedious and boring in the extreme.
But right beside these attempts at high art and prolonged descriptions Mr. Sanders employs some of the worst dialogue I have ever read in a fantasy book. At one point Archaon literally bellows out "Come get some!" I read the sentence several times before I could bring myself to accept that Joe Dirt had suddenly taken over the script of this story. There are so many other things, the name "The Altar of Ultimate Darkness" sounds like something a 7th grader dreamed up in their attempts to make a final scene for their first D&D encounter. The attempts at making complex characters was a joke... Giselle's sudden love/hate relationship with Archaon doesn't make her deep or complex, it makes her a victim of Stockholm Syndrome, especially since there was no buildup to that, she literally one day seems to wake up and decide that she wants to jump Archaon's bones all the while shanking him in the gut. Dagobert is a little bit more believable and pitiable, but he, too seems to make his descent into madness between one chapter and the next with no descriptions as to his fall. If Mr. Sanders were to want to make long and ponderous musings perhaps he could have focused on the people and less on the surroundings in the wastes.
I am normally a much more forgiving person when it comes to reviews, but perhaps it was because I am a Chaos Warrior player and I wanted a story that worked well with the character that I knew from the codexes. Or perhaps I thought a book by the Black Library (a publisher not known for its high brow style of writing) would have more action and less pretentious rambling. But this book seemed an immature and amateur telling of a story that should have been more exciting and introspective than it was. This truly was a story of missed opportunities and misspent efforts in the case of the writer.
In most Warhammer novels we are given a very simplistic formula where the author follows some hero around until it all culminates in some grand battle, sometimes this is repeated several times in the same book. It's a tired trick, but an effective one. This method of storytelling allows for some entertaining hours of escapism that doesn't really require a large amount of investment in order to enjoy the story even understanding that you know what the ending will be even from the onset of the story. Mr. Sanders did not try to reinvent this cycle of storytelling, even though he tried to throw in some new twists into the mix, some of these worked, some were forgivably forgettable, and some were rather pretentious and poorly executed.
We'll start with the good. The first chapters were a bit jarring at first (or should I say the first chapter which was repeated three different times til we got the story straight) due to the unintuitive nature of re-telling the story as though viewing the various ways a scene might have played out, each with a more malevolent deity guiding the strands of fate. While a bit confusing and annoying as it caused the reader to basically reset and start the book three different times, I saw the purpose of this idea and it was laudable in its approach to trying something new. It got across that Archaon had no choice in his fate and that he was doomed right from the start. This act was repeated at random intervals throughout the story and each time was a little bit better than the last, but at times it seemed like a ploy to take up space.
The easily forgettable was the unending descriptions of battle. I found myself skipping entire pages when the battles hit because of the absolute yawn-inducing depictions of what should have been some of the more exciting scenes in the book. Mr. Sanderson literally took an entire page describing how the pressure of a bunch of knights was pushing the air out of Archaon's lungs at one point. This is not an exciting action sequence! This was boring, plodding writing that literally put me to sleep on multiple occasions. I began to dread the battle scenes as it meant more tedium. The only battle that didn't seem to do this was the first half of the battle for the Fortress of Spite. But then as soon as Archaon got into the bowels of the citadel, it once again reverted to ongoing repetitions involving more squeezing and gasping for breath. The battle scenes rarely contributed to the overall storyline and obviously didn't build any tension, and so therefore I could easily skip past the majority of them with little to no impact on the story. Thus this was a large but inconsequential detriment to the story.
The real problem was Sanders presumptuous and egotistical meanderings that had no point. Archaon waded through the wastes for 40 pages of pedantic text and descriptions of "crazy" things that would break a human's mind. 40 pages! I can honestly say that at that point I was ready to throw the book against the wall. It was the most tedious and boring writing I have ever read, and I've read Moby Dick, yet this was more painful than learning about whale anatomy. Mr. Sanders seems like he wants to be literary with his descriptions, but there isn't any point to his endless descriptions. He attempts to wax poetic, but he just comes across as needlessly obsessed with mindless details. The whole time Archaon was in the wastes there was constant descriptions of "weird" things, or "crazy" happenings that seemed to be placed there to emphasize the "chaos-y" ness of the wastes. This could have been accomplished in easily a fifth of the amount of time that Mr. Sanders utilizes to describe the wastes. This isn't the only time he does this, either, the whole scene inside the Citadel of Spite was mind numbing in its ongoing descriptions of the darkness and the creatures that came to face Archaon. Tedious and boring in the extreme.
But right beside these attempts at high art and prolonged descriptions Mr. Sanders employs some of the worst dialogue I have ever read in a fantasy book. At one point Archaon literally bellows out "Come get some!" I read the sentence several times before I could bring myself to accept that Joe Dirt had suddenly taken over the script of this story. There are so many other things, the name "The Altar of Ultimate Darkness" sounds like something a 7th grader dreamed up in their attempts to make a final scene for their first D&D encounter. The attempts at making complex characters was a joke... Giselle's sudden love/hate relationship with Archaon doesn't make her deep or complex, it makes her a victim of Stockholm Syndrome, especially since there was no buildup to that, she literally one day seems to wake up and decide that she wants to jump Archaon's bones all the while shanking him in the gut. Dagobert is a little bit more believable and pitiable, but he, too seems to make his descent into madness between one chapter and the next with no descriptions as to his fall. If Mr. Sanders were to want to make long and ponderous musings perhaps he could have focused on the people and less on the surroundings in the wastes.
I am normally a much more forgiving person when it comes to reviews, but perhaps it was because I am a Chaos Warrior player and I wanted a story that worked well with the character that I knew from the codexes. Or perhaps I thought a book by the Black Library (a publisher not known for its high brow style of writing) would have more action and less pretentious rambling. But this book seemed an immature and amateur telling of a story that should have been more exciting and introspective than it was. This truly was a story of missed opportunities and misspent efforts in the case of the writer.
April 18, 2025
I understand that, even if there is an author credited with the writing of it, Games Workshop's shadow looms large over every aspect of this book. No one came to a book about the Big Bad of a Warhammer's End Times arc expecting high literature. So when I say "the prose reminded me of stuff I wrote when I was 15," I do not think it reflects on the author. I think he understood the assignment, and that the story didn't go through many drafts.
The structure of the first section of this book didn't make a whole lot of sense on the first read, but it was a very interesting concept that I came around to as time went on. "This is the darkest timeline." Creative decisions like this prove that this book has merit, and that a real attempt was made to make it something special.
Story-wise, all of my complaints come back to one basic concept: Too Many Steps! Nothing ever just goes from A to B. Its A to F to O- to @ to G to C^Q to B, and somehow the plot hasn't advanced all that much in spite of it. I am aware that part of this is in service of a novel-length word count built off of a pretty limited prompt. Commission work is fun like that. But I had to read it, so I'm going to talk about it.
The character himself was fine. As someone who read this book because I enjoyed the concept of Archaon as a character and wanted to see his backstory play out in prose, I had a good time. He is an austere and zealous man, he just changed what he was zealous about.
All and all, I enjoyed reading the book for what it was. I skimmed a lot of the battles when they reached the third or fourth page. But I could see how Warhammer fans might like that, considering the nature of the tabletop game.
The structure of the first section of this book didn't make a whole lot of sense on the first read, but it was a very interesting concept that I came around to as time went on. "This is the darkest timeline." Creative decisions like this prove that this book has merit, and that a real attempt was made to make it something special.
Story-wise, all of my complaints come back to one basic concept: Too Many Steps! Nothing ever just goes from A to B. Its A to F to O- to @ to G to C^Q to B, and somehow the plot hasn't advanced all that much in spite of it. I am aware that part of this is in service of a novel-length word count built off of a pretty limited prompt. Commission work is fun like that. But I had to read it, so I'm going to talk about it.
The character himself was fine. As someone who read this book because I enjoyed the concept of Archaon as a character and wanted to see his backstory play out in prose, I had a good time. He is an austere and zealous man, he just changed what he was zealous about.
All and all, I enjoyed reading the book for what it was. I skimmed a lot of the battles when they reached the third or fourth page. But I could see how Warhammer fans might like that, considering the nature of the tabletop game.
August 10, 2016
Review also published here
What an excellent novel.
Short version: I loved it, go pick it up.
Read on for the long version:
Everchosen is part one of Rob Sander's duology, dedicated to telling the story of Archaon, he who would become the Everchosen of Chaos, Lord of the End Times (which is the title of the second novel).
Archaon's character first appeared in Warhammer Fantasy lore as far back as 1998, in the 5th edition book Champions of Chaos. His entry in the book described him as a former templar who was corrupted by unknown means, disowned his old name and became henceforth known as Archaon. His path took him to the great northern wastes, following the prophecies of Necrodomo the Insane, towards his fate as the death to all existence.
To lay claim to his destiny, he would need to gather the treasures of Chaos and unite the rivaling tribes of marauders and worshippers of the dread pantheon.
Fans of the franchise will be aware that Archaon, at the height of his power, led the Storm of Chaos from the front, ravaging the world of men, elves and dwarves. In 2004, Games Workshop turned this war of a massive scale into a whole summer campaign for their tabletop game, with further lore on Archaon being added via the campaign book.
I have been involved in the Warhammer franchises, Fantasy and 40k both, since that time. My first White Dwarf magazines depicted scenarios and new releases from the Storm of Chaos campaign. I marveled at the new Warriors of Chaos miniatures, the Dark Prince Be'lakor's model which still has not lost its charme 10 years later, and, of course, Archaon himself, sitting atop his Hellsteed.
With that in mind, you will hopefully see that I was absolutely excited for this novel. Archaon was one of my first points of interest when I entered the hobby, and his legacy in the Warhammer World was gigantic. I was ecstastic about the novel's announcement and the promise of seeing Archaon's rise to power.
Now, having finished Everchosen, I can only offer my thanks to Rob Sanders for writing this novel, and its sequel. It exceeded my expectations.
Unlike many Warhammer Fantasy or 40k novels, Everchosen is not a story of massive armies marching to war, or about the triumph of good men over evil gods. Archaon is not a hero, even though his origins could have led him further down that way. If fate had permitted it.
What we got with Everchosen is, at its core, an (Anti-)Hero's Journey. We follow Archaon's life from before his inception, through his childhood, his righteous hate for the ancient foe, to his eventual fall from grace and the vengeance he seeks to bring upon the world.
Rob Sanders managed to construct an initially complex, yet at the same intuitive and natural way of telling his story. He succeeded in showing the reader just how inevitable Archaon's destiny is, by employing more than a few clever tricks. This allows the reader to see the hero live, struggle, and succumb. We get to see him at his best and at his worst, and all the shades in between those extremes.
Most importantly, we get to see a villain in the making, and are allowed to understand what made him so. I am not exaggerating when I say that Rob Sanders has managed to present me with the best-written villain I have seen in years, while still making me root for him to succeed. That takes some serious skill.
Rob Sander's prose, as usual, felt very colorful and laden with meaning. I would not describe this novel as an easy, or quick read. It surprised me more than once just how much content he was able to squeeze into a matter of pages, without making me feel like he was rushing things.
The pacing, overall, was very, very good, despite the first half of the book jumping through the protagonist's childhood and early manhood. Key events are shown, while the author also hinted at things that could have been under different circumstances.
About halfway through the book, things slow down and a lot of characters from Archaon's hordes of followers get introduced, which worked wonders in showing us the exploits of the warlord without bogging the reader down with engagement after engagement. Things picked up soon after with more significant battles and encounters, however.
But that is not to say that Everchosen lacks in the visceral action department - no, sir! In fact, the action scenes in this novel are particularly eventful and exciting. More than once did I catch myself thinking "this would look awesome in a movie!" when Archaon went about to show how bad his backside is.
Sanders essentially managed to spend enough time with the important bits that developed Archaon as a character, warlord, villain but also a tragic figure, in very creative and reader-engaging ways.
As a result, he turned the legendary Chaos Champion into a well-rounded, relatable and even sympathetic character, while keeping him despicable enough for the reader to realize that he should actually feel bad about wanting to see him succeed.
For this I tip my hat to Rob Sanders.
I easily got my money's worth out of this shiny hardback release, and am eagerly awaiting spring 2015 so I may pick up Lord of the End Times. Archaon still has a few treasures of Chaos to collect, and face his dark patron. I cannot wait to see how things will turn out for him in the sequel.
Archaon: Everchosen gets my seal of approval and a well-deserved recommendation to fans of Warhammer Fantasy and grim fantasy stories alike.
What an excellent novel.
Short version: I loved it, go pick it up.
Read on for the long version:
Everchosen is part one of Rob Sander's duology, dedicated to telling the story of Archaon, he who would become the Everchosen of Chaos, Lord of the End Times (which is the title of the second novel).
Archaon's character first appeared in Warhammer Fantasy lore as far back as 1998, in the 5th edition book Champions of Chaos. His entry in the book described him as a former templar who was corrupted by unknown means, disowned his old name and became henceforth known as Archaon. His path took him to the great northern wastes, following the prophecies of Necrodomo the Insane, towards his fate as the death to all existence.
To lay claim to his destiny, he would need to gather the treasures of Chaos and unite the rivaling tribes of marauders and worshippers of the dread pantheon.
Fans of the franchise will be aware that Archaon, at the height of his power, led the Storm of Chaos from the front, ravaging the world of men, elves and dwarves. In 2004, Games Workshop turned this war of a massive scale into a whole summer campaign for their tabletop game, with further lore on Archaon being added via the campaign book.
I have been involved in the Warhammer franchises, Fantasy and 40k both, since that time. My first White Dwarf magazines depicted scenarios and new releases from the Storm of Chaos campaign. I marveled at the new Warriors of Chaos miniatures, the Dark Prince Be'lakor's model which still has not lost its charme 10 years later, and, of course, Archaon himself, sitting atop his Hellsteed.
With that in mind, you will hopefully see that I was absolutely excited for this novel. Archaon was one of my first points of interest when I entered the hobby, and his legacy in the Warhammer World was gigantic. I was ecstastic about the novel's announcement and the promise of seeing Archaon's rise to power.
Now, having finished Everchosen, I can only offer my thanks to Rob Sanders for writing this novel, and its sequel. It exceeded my expectations.
Unlike many Warhammer Fantasy or 40k novels, Everchosen is not a story of massive armies marching to war, or about the triumph of good men over evil gods. Archaon is not a hero, even though his origins could have led him further down that way. If fate had permitted it.
What we got with Everchosen is, at its core, an (Anti-)Hero's Journey. We follow Archaon's life from before his inception, through his childhood, his righteous hate for the ancient foe, to his eventual fall from grace and the vengeance he seeks to bring upon the world.
Rob Sanders managed to construct an initially complex, yet at the same intuitive and natural way of telling his story. He succeeded in showing the reader just how inevitable Archaon's destiny is, by employing more than a few clever tricks. This allows the reader to see the hero live, struggle, and succumb. We get to see him at his best and at his worst, and all the shades in between those extremes.
Most importantly, we get to see a villain in the making, and are allowed to understand what made him so. I am not exaggerating when I say that Rob Sanders has managed to present me with the best-written villain I have seen in years, while still making me root for him to succeed. That takes some serious skill.
Rob Sander's prose, as usual, felt very colorful and laden with meaning. I would not describe this novel as an easy, or quick read. It surprised me more than once just how much content he was able to squeeze into a matter of pages, without making me feel like he was rushing things.
The pacing, overall, was very, very good, despite the first half of the book jumping through the protagonist's childhood and early manhood. Key events are shown, while the author also hinted at things that could have been under different circumstances.
About halfway through the book, things slow down and a lot of characters from Archaon's hordes of followers get introduced, which worked wonders in showing us the exploits of the warlord without bogging the reader down with engagement after engagement. Things picked up soon after with more significant battles and encounters, however.
But that is not to say that Everchosen lacks in the visceral action department - no, sir! In fact, the action scenes in this novel are particularly eventful and exciting. More than once did I catch myself thinking "this would look awesome in a movie!" when Archaon went about to show how bad his backside is.
Sanders essentially managed to spend enough time with the important bits that developed Archaon as a character, warlord, villain but also a tragic figure, in very creative and reader-engaging ways.
As a result, he turned the legendary Chaos Champion into a well-rounded, relatable and even sympathetic character, while keeping him despicable enough for the reader to realize that he should actually feel bad about wanting to see him succeed.
For this I tip my hat to Rob Sanders.
I easily got my money's worth out of this shiny hardback release, and am eagerly awaiting spring 2015 so I may pick up Lord of the End Times. Archaon still has a few treasures of Chaos to collect, and face his dark patron. I cannot wait to see how things will turn out for him in the sequel.
Archaon: Everchosen gets my seal of approval and a well-deserved recommendation to fans of Warhammer Fantasy and grim fantasy stories alike.
June 26, 2015
I don't envy Sanders at all for having to write about Warhammer Fantasy's primo villain. There's a lot to write about, and a lot that he would have to capture. I was excited to sit down with this book and read about this fallen Templar's travels, and in the end, got something else entirely...
There are a lot of things Sanders does write with this book. Archaon's younger years, with its time jumping and multiple paths where he dies and then essentially reboots. It fits the theme of Archaon's journeys and is an interesting literary device when it plays out. The only issue is, after a certain point, it doesn't really happen again.
The way of Archaon's fall is handled well, and Sanders did a good job in dealing with the Templar's inner turmoil and slow decent into corruption. More so with those that drive him to his eventual complete corruption. His change into a knight of chaos is also handled well, which was nice to see.
But where Sanders does extremely well was the other denizens of the chaos wastes. It is here, where he could be truly creative and it shows. I really enjoyed the characters that Sanders brings into the story. In many cases, they were more interesting than Archaon himself.
Sanders is a good writer, and his ability to carry Archaon's story is amazing. Throughout most of the story, he handles the action and plot advancement really well. There are points where his descriptions capture the moment beautifully and creates amazing mental images. A lot of the action scenes flow smoothly and there are none of the general glitches one comes across when writing close combat and melee battles.
All that said, you can sort of tell where Sanders lost his steam with this book. From that point on, the battles, the storyline, the characters, everything just feels like they are plodding along and Sanders is just writing to fill space. Nothing feels the same as they did earlier in the novel and it makes it very hard to continue to the end of the novel. That said, I don't really blame him for this, as this is a pretty thick book and I am sure anyone would have struggled to fill in the pages.
All in all, this is an alright book. There are points where it plods and was hard to read, and there were points that I honestly really, really enjoyed. Anyone interested in Chaos or Archaon will love this book, but anyone else will probably struggle through points to keep their interest. Still, this book is worth a read to anyone who is a Warhammer Fantasy player, though the ebook is priced far higher than it should be. But, that's not Sander's fault...
There are a lot of things Sanders does write with this book. Archaon's younger years, with its time jumping and multiple paths where he dies and then essentially reboots. It fits the theme of Archaon's journeys and is an interesting literary device when it plays out. The only issue is, after a certain point, it doesn't really happen again.
The way of Archaon's fall is handled well, and Sanders did a good job in dealing with the Templar's inner turmoil and slow decent into corruption. More so with those that drive him to his eventual complete corruption. His change into a knight of chaos is also handled well, which was nice to see.
But where Sanders does extremely well was the other denizens of the chaos wastes. It is here, where he could be truly creative and it shows. I really enjoyed the characters that Sanders brings into the story. In many cases, they were more interesting than Archaon himself.
Sanders is a good writer, and his ability to carry Archaon's story is amazing. Throughout most of the story, he handles the action and plot advancement really well. There are points where his descriptions capture the moment beautifully and creates amazing mental images. A lot of the action scenes flow smoothly and there are none of the general glitches one comes across when writing close combat and melee battles.
All that said, you can sort of tell where Sanders lost his steam with this book. From that point on, the battles, the storyline, the characters, everything just feels like they are plodding along and Sanders is just writing to fill space. Nothing feels the same as they did earlier in the novel and it makes it very hard to continue to the end of the novel. That said, I don't really blame him for this, as this is a pretty thick book and I am sure anyone would have struggled to fill in the pages.
All in all, this is an alright book. There are points where it plods and was hard to read, and there were points that I honestly really, really enjoyed. Anyone interested in Chaos or Archaon will love this book, but anyone else will probably struggle through points to keep their interest. Still, this book is worth a read to anyone who is a Warhammer Fantasy player, though the ebook is priced far higher than it should be. But, that's not Sander's fault...
July 2, 2017
You can not write so well about dark side and not have dark soul, can you?
January 20, 2020
Caution here may be spoilers
First of all I was excited to read this book. What if it being about the harbinger of the End Times and some other Warhammer books I've been reading mentioning him. And it started of really well, I found my self constantly asking g myself "is this guy him"? "Is this how it happens"? But I was wrong, it all starts with a baby and I liked how he started of as a devout man before realising who he is and deciding to follow his dark destiny. Its not often I come across a author of Warhammer that I haven't already read somthing of so this was a bit of a surprise to me and it was all going so well. Then things took a turn for the worse 😪
The Good Stuff - I love the origin story, everything from the way he was conceived to the piece of wrydstone lodged in his eye, it just works so well for this back story.
His travel companions are great from the cynical girl who hates him and what he will become to the his adopted father who just wants to try and save his immortal soul.
One thing I really liked is that even though he's willing turnt to chaos he's doing not out of devotion but because he hates them just as much as Sigmar and he sees it as a way of getting enough power to hopefully eliminate them also.
The Bad Stuff - I have just one problem with this book and it took it down from a possible 5 to a maybe 4 to a damn definite 3 star review and that's because half way through the book when Archaon decides to travel into the Chaos wasted the book becomes less about dialogue between cha and more of a narrative of events, seriously it was just pages of things happening with no talking between characters and I just got so bored I couldn't wait for someone to talk, I actually counted ten pages where no one said anything to each other it was all moving about here and this person doing that and it actually felt like someone's else took over the writing for the last half. It bored me senseless. If this book wants crucial to the end times and other books I wouldn't have bothered with it past the halfway mark and honestly? I worry about the next Archaon book, I really can't deal with 400+ pages of narrative with no dialogue 😪🙌🏻🙏🏻
First of all I was excited to read this book. What if it being about the harbinger of the End Times and some other Warhammer books I've been reading mentioning him. And it started of really well, I found my self constantly asking g myself "is this guy him"? "Is this how it happens"? But I was wrong, it all starts with a baby and I liked how he started of as a devout man before realising who he is and deciding to follow his dark destiny. Its not often I come across a author of Warhammer that I haven't already read somthing of so this was a bit of a surprise to me and it was all going so well. Then things took a turn for the worse 😪
The Good Stuff - I love the origin story, everything from the way he was conceived to the piece of wrydstone lodged in his eye, it just works so well for this back story.
His travel companions are great from the cynical girl who hates him and what he will become to the his adopted father who just wants to try and save his immortal soul.
One thing I really liked is that even though he's willing turnt to chaos he's doing not out of devotion but because he hates them just as much as Sigmar and he sees it as a way of getting enough power to hopefully eliminate them also.
The Bad Stuff - I have just one problem with this book and it took it down from a possible 5 to a maybe 4 to a damn definite 3 star review and that's because half way through the book when Archaon decides to travel into the Chaos wasted the book becomes less about dialogue between cha and more of a narrative of events, seriously it was just pages of things happening with no talking between characters and I just got so bored I couldn't wait for someone to talk, I actually counted ten pages where no one said anything to each other it was all moving about here and this person doing that and it actually felt like someone's else took over the writing for the last half. It bored me senseless. If this book wants crucial to the end times and other books I wouldn't have bothered with it past the halfway mark and honestly? I worry about the next Archaon book, I really can't deal with 400+ pages of narrative with no dialogue 😪🙌🏻🙏🏻
April 26, 2025
Honestly, the first half of this book is a 5, the second 1/3 is a 3, and then the last 1/6th of this book is back to a 5. Seriously, the character work early on is great, and some of the stylistic gimmicks Sanders uses to build the themes of the text
Unfortunately, the second section of the novel somewhat takes you out of that. It falls into largely describing the events of the narrative without much dialogue or reflection, and -while explicable in the story as the time negating effects of the Chaos Wastes -the way Sanders just kinda has time skips in the middle of paragraphs along with dropping characters and locations as quickly as he introduces them might rub some readers the wrong way.
The second section of the novel is also where we get some of the more decadent aspects of grimdark: Archaon killing entire armies with his bare hands, tearing out an enemy's still beating heart, eternal misery, you name it. What makes it both particularly entertaining and captivating is how Sanders goes to such silly, b-moviesque places but never steps off the straight and narrow in terms of delivery. The story takes itself fully seriously, but not in a way where it feels pretentious; the hilarious degree of violence is just par-for-the-course in The Old World, and Sanders isn't about to apologize for that.
Overall Archaon: Everchosen is an entertaining romp with no misgivings about the story it wants to tell. With all the subtlety and style of an 80s metal album cover, Sanders delivers an engaging and delightfully grimdark novel that is a fun read for anyone interested in the Warhammer Fantasy setting or dark high-fantasy in general.
Unfortunately, the second section of the novel somewhat takes you out of that. It falls into largely describing the events of the narrative without much dialogue or reflection, and -while explicable in the story as the time negating effects of the Chaos Wastes -the way Sanders just kinda has time skips in the middle of paragraphs along with dropping characters and locations as quickly as he introduces them might rub some readers the wrong way.
The second section of the novel is also where we get some of the more decadent aspects of grimdark: Archaon killing entire armies with his bare hands, tearing out an enemy's still beating heart, eternal misery, you name it. What makes it both particularly entertaining and captivating is how Sanders goes to such silly, b-moviesque places but never steps off the straight and narrow in terms of delivery. The story takes itself fully seriously, but not in a way where it feels pretentious; the hilarious degree of violence is just par-for-the-course in The Old World, and Sanders isn't about to apologize for that.
Overall Archaon: Everchosen is an entertaining romp with no misgivings about the story it wants to tell. With all the subtlety and style of an 80s metal album cover, Sanders delivers an engaging and delightfully grimdark novel that is a fun read for anyone interested in the Warhammer Fantasy setting or dark high-fantasy in general.
November 13, 2021
It was a decent one. Not great, not bad. Decent.
The story is plodding sluggisly. Here and there there was a way too much filler that drags the reader into the boredom.
Archaeon himself, however, was not badly depicted. Though sometimes seems that his actions are not entirely into the character he should've represent. From a subjectiv POV, I expected more bada** attitude, more agression and ruthlesness.
Part where he roams the vastes of north feels like it is missing something... just the way at one point he's alone and in the other there's a whole armies behind him and he controls the powers of Chaos in all of its capacity. The story is missing the details of gathering such masses around oneself, and it is rather filled with oneself pondering about the philosophical aspects. Though the both sides are necessary for the character development, the details are those that give the depth to the creation of one.
Battle scenes seemed inconsistent. While sometimes described in a full potential of the maihem the Chaos is offering, at other occasion it failed to deliver the overall feeling.
In the end, I did enjoy reading and would gladly take another novel written by Mr. Sanders.
The story is plodding sluggisly. Here and there there was a way too much filler that drags the reader into the boredom.
Archaeon himself, however, was not badly depicted. Though sometimes seems that his actions are not entirely into the character he should've represent. From a subjectiv POV, I expected more bada** attitude, more agression and ruthlesness.
Part where he roams the vastes of north feels like it is missing something... just the way at one point he's alone and in the other there's a whole armies behind him and he controls the powers of Chaos in all of its capacity. The story is missing the details of gathering such masses around oneself, and it is rather filled with oneself pondering about the philosophical aspects. Though the both sides are necessary for the character development, the details are those that give the depth to the creation of one.
Battle scenes seemed inconsistent. While sometimes described in a full potential of the maihem the Chaos is offering, at other occasion it failed to deliver the overall feeling.
In the end, I did enjoy reading and would gladly take another novel written by Mr. Sanders.
February 11, 2021
I read the reviews. They seemed generally mixed. Had planned to read this regardless, so I could better understand the End Times event. I enjoyed the first half, though a few things were confusing. The second half for myself dragged a bit. Many of the battles while having good descriptive words, felt very confusing as well. I suppose you could say that's the confusion of battle! But no. The relationship with Archaon and Giselle, which started ok, was rather poor and unnecessary I felt. Really the last half just dragged and killed the book a bit for me. But I also dislike characters that are in this vein. Cool models on the tabletop though.
May 21, 2020
I very rarely don’t finish a book but this was turgid and finally gave up half way through. I know books tied to popular game’s can be hit and miss but this is shockingly poor. The writing style is very reminiscent of school day essays trying to fit as many long descriptive words as possible without context or meaning. Character development is non existent, large chunks are left unexplained and even for a fantasy novel the believability is on par with a children’s comic. Unless you are a staunch GW devotee I wouldn’t bother wasting the over priced cost as it will only disappoint.
October 7, 2022
Giselle
Book was good. But I had to Abstract from the romance. Second book saves it. But I could not get over the fact it was basically a "saw her grow up to be A fine and comely woman, that proceeded to romance" situation. How old was she when they first met? It's a question I don't care to truly ask.
If you like Archaon I cannot recommend this enough. Else it has, like the second book, the occasional maxim for aspirants of the ruinous powers. If one is new to The star undivided I recommend the liber chaotica.
Book was good. But I had to Abstract from the romance. Second book saves it. But I could not get over the fact it was basically a "saw her grow up to be A fine and comely woman, that proceeded to romance" situation. How old was she when they first met? It's a question I don't care to truly ask.
If you like Archaon I cannot recommend this enough. Else it has, like the second book, the occasional maxim for aspirants of the ruinous powers. If one is new to The star undivided I recommend the liber chaotica.
June 1, 2019
The trick dembski-bowden manages to pull off in his 40k chaos novels is in letting you understand how they see the world, giving you a glimpse into their mind. Sanders isn't able to give us anything like that; the central character wants to destroy the world because he's fated to, which isn't exactly compelling. I don't need to agree with the guy, but there's not much of interest here, especially considering this is not a short book.
December 11, 2024
Dark, Violent, and a pretty thin plot tells the story of a paladin already disillusioned with his past oaths and on a quest to kill the god he once favored. The plot is a vehicle to get the titular Archaon from fight to fight while slowly progressing north, while also searching for the McGuffin armor that will seal his fate as the "Everchosen". If you want an easy read while commuting, or are really into the Slaves to Darkness, give it a read.
March 9, 2023
The road to hell is paved with skulls and blood.
I was bought this book as a gift although I'm more of a 40k fan but I'm very glad I got it.
A very solid story about a man's road to madness and tyrant, I'd rank it alongside the good Horus Heresy books. Doesn't quite reach legendary status but I'll be looking to read more in the fantasy series after this.
I was bought this book as a gift although I'm more of a 40k fan but I'm very glad I got it.
A very solid story about a man's road to madness and tyrant, I'd rank it alongside the good Horus Heresy books. Doesn't quite reach legendary status but I'll be looking to read more in the fantasy series after this.
October 2, 2020
The story is well written and I enjoyed it, but I found the numerous pages of exposition a little tedious. I have read many Warhammer novels, and IMHO, my reading experience would have been greater if the story lost about 50 pages of description.
November 27, 2020
I just ... like starting and restarting chapters I get that the hes supposed to be an unstoppable force but this just lost my interest and I found it hard to read due to the over extraordinary abilities of the character himself.
November 26, 2021
It was overall good with 2 issues imho:
- the pacing of some battles and some scenes is slooooow and keeps on dragging unnecessarily
- the fall of Diedrick to chaos still feels abrupt and not believable even if the setup was long in the making.
- the pacing of some battles and some scenes is slooooow and keeps on dragging unnecessarily
- the fall of Diedrick to chaos still feels abrupt and not believable even if the setup was long in the making.
April 25, 2023
This book has two parts, the Empire part and Chaos part. I found both entertaining and liked the evolution of the main character.
It was bloody, gory and mind-bendingly chaotic.
The only issue I had was that everything was predictable, other than that it was a fun read.
It was bloody, gory and mind-bendingly chaotic.
The only issue I had was that everything was predictable, other than that it was a fun read.
May 6, 2022
More like 3.5 stars. I want to give it 4 stars, but the plot holes are frustrating.
July 18, 2024
Me encanta como evoluciona el personaje y entender lo que se oculta detrás de la mascara
April 18, 2022
Dark, gritty and violent
September 10, 2014
Short critique: READ IT NOW!!!!!
Slightly longer critique: a wonderful story about the travails of a little boy who at each turn, nook and cranny stumbles deeper down the path to damnation and his eventual doom to lay waste to the known world.
Especially fascinating is his eventual acceptance of this doom and his burning desire to end the fates of both men and chaos gods so in the end there will be no all-powerful entities who use the creatures of the Old World as their playthings, be they human, elf, beast or daemon. At all points in the book, I found myself wishing both for Archaon to fail, thus saving humans, and succeed brilliantly, thus putting the chaos gods into their places.
Also very nicely done was that while the story has its fair share of visceral battles, not every event hinges on blade and blood, which would have been quite boring in a voyage as long as we were presented with in this volume.
I really look forward to read the continued story how Archaon continued to become the bane of all living things on Old World... Spring 2015, can't you come earlier this time? Please? Pretty Please?
Slightly longer critique: a wonderful story about the travails of a little boy who at each turn, nook and cranny stumbles deeper down the path to damnation and his eventual doom to lay waste to the known world.
Especially fascinating is his eventual acceptance of this doom and his burning desire to end the fates of both men and chaos gods so in the end there will be no all-powerful entities who use the creatures of the Old World as their playthings, be they human, elf, beast or daemon. At all points in the book, I found myself wishing both for Archaon to fail, thus saving humans, and succeed brilliantly, thus putting the chaos gods into their places.
Also very nicely done was that while the story has its fair share of visceral battles, not every event hinges on blade and blood, which would have been quite boring in a voyage as long as we were presented with in this volume.
I really look forward to read the continued story how Archaon continued to become the bane of all living things on Old World... Spring 2015, can't you come earlier this time? Please? Pretty Please?
April 2, 2015
Despite a fun as hell premise (the origins of the Everchosen, the fated leader of Chaos armies during the End Times), a badass cover, and a strong first half, this book sadly devolves into a morass of interchangeable characters and battles during the second half, to the point that I skimmed most of it & didn't feel like I missed anything.
This book employs what has to be the strangest conceit I've ever seen in a book, oftentimes ending chapters with the main character's death, then repeating the chapter, but this time he lives because a Chaos god has nudged fate in order for him to reach his final destiny. I was baffled as to why there were so many Chapter I's at the beginning, and really confused (did that woman get raped three years running?). Eventually I figured out what was going on, and started to roll with the punches.
The second half of this was just a mess. I sincerely hope the sequel is planned a little better, as I think it could be extremely enjoyable. For now, call this a case of frustrated expectations.
This book employs what has to be the strangest conceit I've ever seen in a book, oftentimes ending chapters with the main character's death, then repeating the chapter, but this time he lives because a Chaos god has nudged fate in order for him to reach his final destiny. I was baffled as to why there were so many Chapter I's at the beginning, and really confused (did that woman get raped three years running?). Eventually I figured out what was going on, and started to roll with the punches.
The second half of this was just a mess. I sincerely hope the sequel is planned a little better, as I think it could be extremely enjoyable. For now, call this a case of frustrated expectations.
January 26, 2015
Published in early 2014 before anyone had even an inkling of just how much Warhammer was about to change with the world-shattering End Times arc, Rob Sanders’ book Archaon: Everchosen sets out to tell the full story of the Everchosen of Chaos, the driving force behind the single biggest change in Warhammer’s 30+ years. From humble (and fairly grim) beginnings to his life as a templar of Sigmar and the events that turn him to a darker path, we watch as one man’s fate is manipulated for sinister purposes that will see the world drenched in blood.
Read the rest of the review at https://trackofwords.wordpress.com/20...
Read the rest of the review at https://trackofwords.wordpress.com/20...
November 17, 2014
The book has a beginning so slow, that I couldn't got trough it. For such biography to work, the author needed a jump trough the action a la "Darth Bane - Path of Destruction" and lots of retrospection like in "Batman Begins" (the movie, not the novelization). As it is, the novel starts awfully boring (and with absurd poetry interrupting the action) and I gave up. Pity, because I was interested in Archaon.
July 3, 2023
This was almost two books. Before he became archaon and why he did … this part of the book was excellent.
The second half post becoming archaon was less so. Slightly ridiculous as you already knew he has to survive due to the lore, but it just got more silly as it went. Really had to push through some of those battle scenes which were just… silly.
The second half post becoming archaon was less so. Slightly ridiculous as you already knew he has to survive due to the lore, but it just got more silly as it went. Really had to push through some of those battle scenes which were just… silly.
January 18, 2015
Not a bad book, but it did drag on a bit and the first half was a bit drab. But once the ball got rolling it didn't stop and I ended up enjoying it a lot. There is always more to the villains than you first think.
June 12, 2014
More !!! Please
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews