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Warhammer
Knight of the Realm
Bretonnia is a land shrouded in myth and legend. Protected by its gallant knights, this magical land is ever under threat from the forces of darkness... In the aftermath of the beastmen invasion of Bordeleaux and the death of his father, Calard must face up to his responsibilities as a knight of the realm. But there is little time for respite as a new terror comes to plague the land of Bretonnia.
- GenresFantasyEpic Fantasy
416 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2009
12 people are currently reading
189 people want to read
About the author
Anthony Reynolds
93 books168 followersAnthony Reynolds was a Games Developer and manager at Games Workshop in the UK. Since then he's written freelance for a number of companies, including Black Library Publishing, Mantic Games, THQ, Bandai-Namco, Behaviour Interactive, and River Horse Games. He currently lives in California.
Librarian note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Anthony^Reynolds
Librarian note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Anthony^Reynolds
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
February 28, 2013
First off, I am a huge fan of the Warhammer world. When I saw this book i knew i had to get it. It is also based on my favorite faction within the world. The main characters hail from a faction called Bretonnia based off High Medieval France. I really liked the location of the book and who the protagonists were, even though they did seem one dimensional. The fights and battles were really written well and they were the best part of the book. There were many good portions of this book but there were bad ones too. I felt like there was no real surprises in this book I felt like i was able to predict everything that happened. The main antagonist was a little underwhelming, its a fantasy book there should've been a much tougher person for our protagonists to fight and slay. It was cool that they finally had a book written off of the Bretons but it could've been much better. I would recommend this book only if you are a fan of the Warhammer World.
March 9, 2024
Great follow up to the first book, a true sequel with just as much gory Knight combat as the first. 4 stars because some of the witch scenes just drag and aren’t fun at all. Calards overall story of progressing to grail knighthood goes hard.
December 13, 2022
I've spent the entire year reading mostly Warhammer books, and I'm happy to say what looks like it might be the final book I finish was my favorite so far.
This book picks up where the previous left off, with Calard taking over as ruler in the Garamont lands. Soon after, Skaeling warriors attack the coast, and Calard and his brother Bertelis set off to help defend the lands of Brettonia.
Led by Styrbjorn, a powerful Chaos champion, the Brettonias suffer defeat after defeat while fighting an honorable but hopeless battle. It's a little devastating and bleak, but it perfectly fits the tone that encompasses how I view Warhammer fiction, the light fighting back the dark even when all hope seems lost. All of this culminates in a final duel that can almost rival GRRM's ability to write duels to the death.
All of the plots in the first book are tied up nicely, if not some a tad quickly. It does feel like the was intended more solidly as a middle part of a trilogy, but I know this story is actually finished in a few novellas instead. But still, this worked as a duology even if you didn't keep reading on, and even plots that sometimes seem pointless finish in satisfying ways.
Further, all the characters have appropriate and understandable motives, including the villains. It's very rare that a Warhammer book has a fleshed-out villain(in my experience) but Styrbjorn ends up both an intimidating and, at the very least, an understandable villain.
One problem I could see people having with these books is that the Brettonia's are really unlikable til the very end. Pompous knights who abuse and berate peasants regularly, and see them as nothing more than literal cannon fodder. I didn't mind because it added a more nuanced tone to the story, where even the heroes had their share of blemishes that made them morally hazy.
I am surprised by the rating of this book is relatively low, but Warhammer is a hobby game, and if you are someone invested in the Brettonia army and fiction, this book is like watching your home team lose, and horribly.
But, if you like action, well-executed character arcs, siege stories, and duels to the death, this is a book you'd have a hard time not enjoying. Only Josh Reynolds rivals the writing prowess I experienced here, and I am already planning to read more books from Anthony Reynolds going forward.
This book picks up where the previous left off, with Calard taking over as ruler in the Garamont lands. Soon after, Skaeling warriors attack the coast, and Calard and his brother Bertelis set off to help defend the lands of Brettonia.
Led by Styrbjorn, a powerful Chaos champion, the Brettonias suffer defeat after defeat while fighting an honorable but hopeless battle. It's a little devastating and bleak, but it perfectly fits the tone that encompasses how I view Warhammer fiction, the light fighting back the dark even when all hope seems lost. All of this culminates in a final duel that can almost rival GRRM's ability to write duels to the death.
All of the plots in the first book are tied up nicely, if not some a tad quickly. It does feel like the was intended more solidly as a middle part of a trilogy, but I know this story is actually finished in a few novellas instead. But still, this worked as a duology even if you didn't keep reading on, and even plots that sometimes seem pointless finish in satisfying ways.
Further, all the characters have appropriate and understandable motives, including the villains. It's very rare that a Warhammer book has a fleshed-out villain(in my experience) but Styrbjorn ends up both an intimidating and, at the very least, an understandable villain.
One problem I could see people having with these books is that the Brettonia's are really unlikable til the very end. Pompous knights who abuse and berate peasants regularly, and see them as nothing more than literal cannon fodder. I didn't mind because it added a more nuanced tone to the story, where even the heroes had their share of blemishes that made them morally hazy.
I am surprised by the rating of this book is relatively low, but Warhammer is a hobby game, and if you are someone invested in the Brettonia army and fiction, this book is like watching your home team lose, and horribly.
But, if you like action, well-executed character arcs, siege stories, and duels to the death, this is a book you'd have a hard time not enjoying. Only Josh Reynolds rivals the writing prowess I experienced here, and I am already planning to read more books from Anthony Reynolds going forward.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 20, 2019
Even grimmer than its predecessor. The warriors of Chaos best the battle-hardened veterans of Brettonia a little too easily too consistently. They're belted knights, not blood-filled bags of meat wearing pretty surcoats. It gets a little tiresome knowing that the Knights of the Realm will constantly be outclassed by their evil counterparts.
But the characters are interesting and appropriately distinct from each other. Jarl Styrbjorn is genuinely impressive and has a motive that is at least vaguely relatable, as opposed to the general nihilistic fury of most of his literary brethren. Elisabet has a compelling arc that lends her a lot more depth than she previously had. Calard and Bertelis continue to grow, and the eldest son of Garamont shows, especially at the beginning, the scars of the trauma he suffered in "Knight Errant".
Reynolds keeps track of characters and their arcs and development really well in this series, and doesn't leave things hanging. There are some pretty fantastic heroics as well. Calard is no slouch, but it's the Grail Knight Sir Reolus that is the most fun - having become one of my favorite BL supporting characters of all time. Also, we get a rare Chaos Dwarf in the rogue's gallery, which is always an interesting thing. Don't get too attached to anyone, though. Reynolds isn't afraid to kill important characters.
The blood and tragedy continues to pile up. Rating should be 3.5, with my only real gripe being the imbalance on the battlefield.
But the characters are interesting and appropriately distinct from each other. Jarl Styrbjorn is genuinely impressive and has a motive that is at least vaguely relatable, as opposed to the general nihilistic fury of most of his literary brethren. Elisabet has a compelling arc that lends her a lot more depth than she previously had. Calard and Bertelis continue to grow, and the eldest son of Garamont shows, especially at the beginning, the scars of the trauma he suffered in "Knight Errant".
Reynolds keeps track of characters and their arcs and development really well in this series, and doesn't leave things hanging. There are some pretty fantastic heroics as well. Calard is no slouch, but it's the Grail Knight Sir Reolus that is the most fun - having become one of my favorite BL supporting characters of all time. Also, we get a rare Chaos Dwarf in the rogue's gallery, which is always an interesting thing. Don't get too attached to anyone, though. Reynolds isn't afraid to kill important characters.
The blood and tragedy continues to pile up. Rating should be 3.5, with my only real gripe being the imbalance on the battlefield.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 18, 2017
Another very enjoyable book concentrating on the high medieval nation of Bretonnia, nestled amidst the wider darkness of the Warhammer Fantasy world. Again it is filled with violent confrontation spiced with fantasy elements that pulls no punches (ugh, chaos spawn!) and manages to depict a feudal nation where the "good" nobles can treat the peasants as subhuman scum without feeling the need to sanitise these with out-of-setting humanitarian impulses.
June 21, 2022
OMG, a Warhammer book where !
(Spoilers ahead, just an fyi)
First, they get dunked on by beastmen, and then they get dunked on again by Norscan marauders. Wow, this series is surprisingly lore-accurate.
Let me get this out of the way, Bretonnia is a shit-hole and the Bretonnians are easily one of my least favorite factions. It's no surprise they get smashed to pieces by what are basically wild animals and cave people. That said, I still enjoyed the crap out of this book.
(Spoilers ahead, just an fyi)
First, they get dunked on by beastmen, and then they get dunked on again by Norscan marauders. Wow, this series is surprisingly lore-accurate.
Let me get this out of the way, Bretonnia is a shit-hole and the Bretonnians are easily one of my least favorite factions. It's no surprise they get smashed to pieces by what are basically wild animals and cave people. That said, I still enjoyed the crap out of this book.
May 8, 2019
Epic continuation of the two brothers and their journey now as fully fledged knights, with reintroduction of characters from the first book, a proper sequel with a new opponent and an unpredictable story line. Recommend read, especially to continue to the 3rd and 4th books.
January 29, 2011
A completely predictable story with zero surprises. All of the characters (and I mean all) are unlikeable and have no redeeming or even interesting qualities about them. All of the characters are exceptionally shallow and most are just set up to die anyway.
The vast majority of the book consist of fighting, which I guess would be fine if it didn't feel like it just dragged on and on. All of the somewhat interesting plot points are glossed over and rushed through.
At no point does the reader really connect or even care about the outcome for anything for a few reasons. First, as I stated, you can already guess what is going to happen, second, you never really connect with any of the characters because either you just don't like them or you already guess what is going to happen to them. Third, the setting itself is left pretty dry and nondescript.
If you are a Warhammer fan and are looking for some authors opinion on Britonians, check it out. Otherwise I would not recommend this book to anyone.
The vast majority of the book consist of fighting, which I guess would be fine if it didn't feel like it just dragged on and on. All of the somewhat interesting plot points are glossed over and rushed through.
At no point does the reader really connect or even care about the outcome for anything for a few reasons. First, as I stated, you can already guess what is going to happen, second, you never really connect with any of the characters because either you just don't like them or you already guess what is going to happen to them. Third, the setting itself is left pretty dry and nondescript.
If you are a Warhammer fan and are looking for some authors opinion on Britonians, check it out. Otherwise I would not recommend this book to anyone.
August 8, 2011
Not bad; though it lost some consistency with allegiance to the Lady vs. their honor. Also, the antagonists' final decision did not seem to align with his nature either.
October 14, 2024
Very good book well paced with a few twists
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews