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Warhammer Fantasy
Age of Legend
The dark origins of the Warhammer World are soaked in blood. Epic wars between kindred races reshaped continents, vast civilisations rose and fell, the dead walked the earth in legions. This is an age of mighty heroes whose like will never be seen again, such as the mangod Sigmar and Caledor, the Phoenix King of the elves. It is also an era of dread villains like the Witch-King Malekith and Nagash, the Lord of the undead. In these troubled times, dragons still flock the skies and magic exists that can doom or save the world.
- GenresFantasyAnthologies
300 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 27, 2011
About the author
Christian Z. Dunn
140 books64 followersChristian Dunn, sometimes credited as C.Z. Dunn, is a senior editor for Black Library.
Librarian note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Librarian note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
October 22, 2014
Originally reviewed at Bookwraiths Reviews
Age of Legend is an anthology of tales devoted to one of the most interesting fantasy lands around – Warhammer! While I haven’t read many of the stories from this brainchild of Games Workshop, I have enjoyed a few, and that sword and sorcery fun led me to dig up this book of ten, pulse-pounding, gore-coated, sorcery-singed short stories. So let me tell you about them.
A SMALL VICTORY by PAUL S. KEMP (3 STARS)
I realize that it is hard to find very interesting zombie stories these days. There are just so many of them it seems they all recycle the same tired, old ideas. But, even though this one started out as a pretty standard zombie apocalypse (fantasy-style, of course), its twisted ending made it stand out from the zombie hordes.
BLOODRAVEN by SARAH CAWKWELL (3 STARS)
I’m a sucker for dwarves. Just love the bearded dudes. The warhammer dwarves are some of my favorites, because they are just so stubborn, vicious, and brilliant. So this tale about a dwarven stronghold being overrun by a vile horde of Chaos followers from the icy north was right up my alley. The only reason I only gave it three stars is because I didn’t like the ending. Dwarves are too damn vindictive not to take everyone down with them.
CITY OF DEAD JEWELS by NICK KYME (3 STARS)
A monster has overrun a dwarven keep. A group of warriors sent in by a dying king to destroy the monster within. Lots of fighting and dying. Plus, there are dwarves. I mentioned that I dig dwarves, right? But anyway, this story was a really entertaining monster hunt.
THE LAST CHARGE by ANDY HOARE (2 STARS)
An aged knight of Bretonnia who wants to die in glorious battle rather than succumb to the decrepit state of old age. His prayer to a goddess does not go unanswered. The arrival of an enemy well-worthy of the famous knights final battle. I couldn’t have written a better setup for a story, but the ending left me flat. It was too abrupt and not epic enough.
THE NINTH BOOK by GAV THORPE (3 STARS)
A group of mercenaries ends up in a crumbling hunting lodge in the middle of a dark forest. Little do they know they are being followed by Chaos followers – and by another entity who is far more dangerous. The nightmarish tale that follows is sword and sorcery fun – even if you, sort of, know how it will all end.
THE GODS DEMAND by JOSH REYNOLDS (3 STARS)
A city in the Empire is being attacked by a vicious horde of beastmen, led there by Gorthor the Beastlord upon the orders of the Chaos gods themselves. The valiant defenders are led by their elector duke, who is almost as bloodthirsty and mad as his enemies. Soon, both the duke and the beastlord discover what the gods really demand of them. What follows is a very nice, twisted ending. Exactly what I love in short stories.
PLAGUE DOCTOR by C.L. WERNER (3 STARS)
Plague has struck the Empire, spreading its misery across the land as it devastates whole villages and towns. But desperate times are also the best time to make gold for some people, and so it is that our main characters find themselves traveling the land, pretending to be plague doctors, who – for a considerable sum – will help any township ward off or cure themselves of the deadly disease. But naturally, fate has a terrible sense of humor.
THE CITY IS THEIRS by PHILIP ATHANS (3 STARS)
An orc and goblin horde is about to overrun a major city of the Empire. There doesn’t seem to be anyway for its duke to save his people – until an alchemist comes to him with a possible secret weapon. Now, the only problem is how to use its devastating power to best affect with killing anyone in the city as well. This one was a decent story, just a bit too sappy in some parts for me.
THE SECOND SUN by BEN COUNTER (4 STARS)
A human wizard braves the icy north to uncover a mysterious entity. He hopes to awaken it and gain untold knowledge and power. In the future, a mysterious book is discovered. It winds up in the hands of an Associate Comprehender at the Bright College of the Empire. This studious flame wizard braves the most secret knowledge of his order to piece together a forgotten secret. But neither man knows the twisted fate that awaits them. Great story with a really intriguing ending.
AENARION by GAV THORPE (5 STARS)
The First Phoenix King of the Elves has spent years attempting to hold back the Chaotic hordes. His unbreakable will and mighty prowess in battle are the foundation upon which his race’s hopes of salvation have been built. But what happens when a grief so great occurs that Aenarion himself begins to lose faith? And how can this indomitable king be turned aside when he has chosen to journey down a path so terrible that it will lead to the downfall of his entire race? Read this one and find out. As for me, I love anything Aenarion related, so this story was going to be a 5 star no matter what.
Overall, this was a really enjoyable collection of warhammer stories. Sure, they tended to be heavy on the gore-coated combat and vile twists of fate, but still, every one of them was very enjoyable to read and a few were outstanding. So if you love warhammer, dwarves, elves, fierce combat, vile villains, and twisted endings, I’d recommend you picking this one up.
Age of Legend is an anthology of tales devoted to one of the most interesting fantasy lands around – Warhammer! While I haven’t read many of the stories from this brainchild of Games Workshop, I have enjoyed a few, and that sword and sorcery fun led me to dig up this book of ten, pulse-pounding, gore-coated, sorcery-singed short stories. So let me tell you about them.
A SMALL VICTORY by PAUL S. KEMP (3 STARS)
I realize that it is hard to find very interesting zombie stories these days. There are just so many of them it seems they all recycle the same tired, old ideas. But, even though this one started out as a pretty standard zombie apocalypse (fantasy-style, of course), its twisted ending made it stand out from the zombie hordes.
BLOODRAVEN by SARAH CAWKWELL (3 STARS)
I’m a sucker for dwarves. Just love the bearded dudes. The warhammer dwarves are some of my favorites, because they are just so stubborn, vicious, and brilliant. So this tale about a dwarven stronghold being overrun by a vile horde of Chaos followers from the icy north was right up my alley. The only reason I only gave it three stars is because I didn’t like the ending. Dwarves are too damn vindictive not to take everyone down with them.
CITY OF DEAD JEWELS by NICK KYME (3 STARS)
A monster has overrun a dwarven keep. A group of warriors sent in by a dying king to destroy the monster within. Lots of fighting and dying. Plus, there are dwarves. I mentioned that I dig dwarves, right? But anyway, this story was a really entertaining monster hunt.
THE LAST CHARGE by ANDY HOARE (2 STARS)
An aged knight of Bretonnia who wants to die in glorious battle rather than succumb to the decrepit state of old age. His prayer to a goddess does not go unanswered. The arrival of an enemy well-worthy of the famous knights final battle. I couldn’t have written a better setup for a story, but the ending left me flat. It was too abrupt and not epic enough.
THE NINTH BOOK by GAV THORPE (3 STARS)
A group of mercenaries ends up in a crumbling hunting lodge in the middle of a dark forest. Little do they know they are being followed by Chaos followers – and by another entity who is far more dangerous. The nightmarish tale that follows is sword and sorcery fun – even if you, sort of, know how it will all end.
THE GODS DEMAND by JOSH REYNOLDS (3 STARS)
A city in the Empire is being attacked by a vicious horde of beastmen, led there by Gorthor the Beastlord upon the orders of the Chaos gods themselves. The valiant defenders are led by their elector duke, who is almost as bloodthirsty and mad as his enemies. Soon, both the duke and the beastlord discover what the gods really demand of them. What follows is a very nice, twisted ending. Exactly what I love in short stories.
PLAGUE DOCTOR by C.L. WERNER (3 STARS)
Plague has struck the Empire, spreading its misery across the land as it devastates whole villages and towns. But desperate times are also the best time to make gold for some people, and so it is that our main characters find themselves traveling the land, pretending to be plague doctors, who – for a considerable sum – will help any township ward off or cure themselves of the deadly disease. But naturally, fate has a terrible sense of humor.
THE CITY IS THEIRS by PHILIP ATHANS (3 STARS)
An orc and goblin horde is about to overrun a major city of the Empire. There doesn’t seem to be anyway for its duke to save his people – until an alchemist comes to him with a possible secret weapon. Now, the only problem is how to use its devastating power to best affect with killing anyone in the city as well. This one was a decent story, just a bit too sappy in some parts for me.
THE SECOND SUN by BEN COUNTER (4 STARS)
A human wizard braves the icy north to uncover a mysterious entity. He hopes to awaken it and gain untold knowledge and power. In the future, a mysterious book is discovered. It winds up in the hands of an Associate Comprehender at the Bright College of the Empire. This studious flame wizard braves the most secret knowledge of his order to piece together a forgotten secret. But neither man knows the twisted fate that awaits them. Great story with a really intriguing ending.
AENARION by GAV THORPE (5 STARS)
The First Phoenix King of the Elves has spent years attempting to hold back the Chaotic hordes. His unbreakable will and mighty prowess in battle are the foundation upon which his race’s hopes of salvation have been built. But what happens when a grief so great occurs that Aenarion himself begins to lose faith? And how can this indomitable king be turned aside when he has chosen to journey down a path so terrible that it will lead to the downfall of his entire race? Read this one and find out. As for me, I love anything Aenarion related, so this story was going to be a 5 star no matter what.
Overall, this was a really enjoyable collection of warhammer stories. Sure, they tended to be heavy on the gore-coated combat and vile twists of fate, but still, every one of them was very enjoyable to read and a few were outstanding. So if you love warhammer, dwarves, elves, fierce combat, vile villains, and twisted endings, I’d recommend you picking this one up.
December 26, 2015
Warhammer was one of the best fantasy worlds ever: grim, dark and with a good dose of twisted humour, fatalism and heavy-metal awesomess.
In this very good anthology you can find all of that.
A SMALL VICTORY by PAUL S. KEMP (5/5 STARS):
This is Paul Kemp's first step in Warhammer universe after his Forgotten Realms and Star Wars novels, a fantasy zombie-apocalypse with a great dark twisted ending.
A good debut, can't wait for a full lenght novel from him... Just a shame that after The End of Times storyline, Warhammer's Old World and Time of Legends settings are no more...
BLOODRAVEN by SARAH CAWKWELL (4/5 STARS):
A dwarven stronghold under siege by northern chaos marauders and their demonic leader: Valkia the Bloody, known also the Gorequeen.
The atrocity of the bloodraven rite that gives the name to the tale was inspired by ancient vykings blood-eagle one, but after all chaos warriors are just overpowered demon-worshippers vykings so that's it.
CITY OF DEAD JEWELS by NICK KYME (3/5 STARS):
Another dwarven keep overrun by Orcs, Skavens and a Dragon waking up into its deep: just imagine The Hobbit treasure hunt with more action, blood and mayhem.
THE LAST CHARGE by ANDY HOARE (3/5 STARS):
An aged Bretonnian knight wanna die leading a last charge agains the Dark Elves enslavers sieging his city.
No surprises or twists at all, but you can really feel the doom atmosphere of this tale.
THE NINTH BOOK by GAV THORPE (4/5 STARS):
A group of mercenaries and an ancient monster join forces against a chaos warband. Another straight tale without twistes, if you know just a few of Warhammer lore you already know WHO wrote the book of the title and how the story is going to end.
THE GODS DEMAND by JOSH REYNOLDS (5/5 STARS):
An imperial city overrun by a savage Beastmen horde and an imperial count as bloodthirsty as his enemies.The final duel between him and the beastman leader is just brutal, epic and with a surprising end twist when they finally discover what the Gods demand...
PLAGUE DOCTOR by C.L. WERNER (5/5 STARS):
A couple of mercenaries pretending to be a plague doctor and his retinue in a doomed village are going to get more than their fee..
THE CITY IS THEIRS by PHILIP ATHANS (4/5 STARS):
The emperial city of Nuln overrun by orcs and goblins in an apocalyptic (litterally!) tale of sacrifice and doom.
THE SECOND SUN by BEN COUNTER (4/5 STARS):
A wizard on his quest to awake the ancient God of the Mountain in the wasted and dangerous north.
A scholar on his quest for forbidden knowledge.
A gild of fire wizards with a dark secret.
Another great story with the themes of betrayal, doom and "the enemy within" that made the Warhammer fantasy setting so great.
AENARION by GAV THORPE (4/5 STARS):
The fall from grace of Aenarion, the First Phoenix King of the Elves, and his quest for the Sword of Khaine, the bloody handed elven god of murder and war, in this prequel to Gav Thorpe's Sundering trilogy.
The story is great, but it reminds too much Moorcock's Elric and his more famous sword: Stormbringer.
Ulthuan's elves have a gread debt with Melnibone's Dreaming City too.
But of that this is still a great tale.
So, if you like fantasy "grimdarks" worlds, this anthology is just what you need to start your trip in the grim and perilous world of Black Library's Warhammer.
Just beware: heroes here die or worst, happy endings are rare, and with The End of Times all is going to die..
Enjoy your ride.
In this very good anthology you can find all of that.
A SMALL VICTORY by PAUL S. KEMP (5/5 STARS):
This is Paul Kemp's first step in Warhammer universe after his Forgotten Realms and Star Wars novels, a fantasy zombie-apocalypse with a great dark twisted ending.
A good debut, can't wait for a full lenght novel from him... Just a shame that after The End of Times storyline, Warhammer's Old World and Time of Legends settings are no more...
BLOODRAVEN by SARAH CAWKWELL (4/5 STARS):
A dwarven stronghold under siege by northern chaos marauders and their demonic leader: Valkia the Bloody, known also the Gorequeen.
The atrocity of the bloodraven rite that gives the name to the tale was inspired by ancient vykings blood-eagle one, but after all chaos warriors are just overpowered demon-worshippers vykings so that's it.
CITY OF DEAD JEWELS by NICK KYME (3/5 STARS):
Another dwarven keep overrun by Orcs, Skavens and a Dragon waking up into its deep: just imagine The Hobbit treasure hunt with more action, blood and mayhem.
THE LAST CHARGE by ANDY HOARE (3/5 STARS):
An aged Bretonnian knight wanna die leading a last charge agains the Dark Elves enslavers sieging his city.
No surprises or twists at all, but you can really feel the doom atmosphere of this tale.
THE NINTH BOOK by GAV THORPE (4/5 STARS):
A group of mercenaries and an ancient monster join forces against a chaos warband. Another straight tale without twistes, if you know just a few of Warhammer lore you already know WHO wrote the book of the title and how the story is going to end.
THE GODS DEMAND by JOSH REYNOLDS (5/5 STARS):
An imperial city overrun by a savage Beastmen horde and an imperial count as bloodthirsty as his enemies.The final duel between him and the beastman leader is just brutal, epic and with a surprising end twist when they finally discover what the Gods demand...
PLAGUE DOCTOR by C.L. WERNER (5/5 STARS):
A couple of mercenaries pretending to be a plague doctor and his retinue in a doomed village are going to get more than their fee..
THE CITY IS THEIRS by PHILIP ATHANS (4/5 STARS):
The emperial city of Nuln overrun by orcs and goblins in an apocalyptic (litterally!) tale of sacrifice and doom.
THE SECOND SUN by BEN COUNTER (4/5 STARS):
A wizard on his quest to awake the ancient God of the Mountain in the wasted and dangerous north.
A scholar on his quest for forbidden knowledge.
A gild of fire wizards with a dark secret.
Another great story with the themes of betrayal, doom and "the enemy within" that made the Warhammer fantasy setting so great.
AENARION by GAV THORPE (4/5 STARS):
The fall from grace of Aenarion, the First Phoenix King of the Elves, and his quest for the Sword of Khaine, the bloody handed elven god of murder and war, in this prequel to Gav Thorpe's Sundering trilogy.
The story is great, but it reminds too much Moorcock's Elric and his more famous sword: Stormbringer.
Ulthuan's elves have a gread debt with Melnibone's Dreaming City too.
But of that this is still a great tale.
So, if you like fantasy "grimdarks" worlds, this anthology is just what you need to start your trip in the grim and perilous world of Black Library's Warhammer.
Just beware: heroes here die or worst, happy endings are rare, and with The End of Times all is going to die..
Enjoy your ride.
March 26, 2021
I enjoyed this collection of stories. They are from a time of legend, and the Old Worlds history is grim. I enjoyed every story, but I had a few favorites:
“Bloodraven” by Sarah Cawkwell. Dwarves! Beastmen and Valkia the Bloody. Great stuff.
“City of Dead Jewels”, Nick Kyme. I seem to be the minority with other reviewers. I enjoyed this. It felt much like a grim re-telling of The Hobbit, minus any hobbits. Fantastic.
“The City is Theirs”, Philip Athans told a story of a halfling and her sacrifice.
Solid book for Warhammer-Heads.
“Bloodraven” by Sarah Cawkwell. Dwarves! Beastmen and Valkia the Bloody. Great stuff.
“City of Dead Jewels”, Nick Kyme. I seem to be the minority with other reviewers. I enjoyed this. It felt much like a grim re-telling of The Hobbit, minus any hobbits. Fantastic.
“The City is Theirs”, Philip Athans told a story of a halfling and her sacrifice.
Solid book for Warhammer-Heads.
April 19, 2016
A Small Victory by Paul S. Kemp:
A very nice, very dark short story set during Nagash’s second war for Nehekhara. It follows a young man searching for his beloved at the forefront of the Nagash’s unloving armies, and man was it good! Wish they had done a little more with it, as I haven’t read any of Nagash’s glory in far too long!
4/5
Blood Raven by Sarah Cawkwell:
A very well done and insanely entertaining story about Valkia the Bloody and her war in the North by Sarah Cawkwell. I’ve always immensely enjoyed Sarah’s work in Black Library fiction, and am always disappointed there isn’t more of it! Her talent at writing shows here, with the dwarfs of Karak Ghulg being immensely likable and memorable even though it is just a short story. I honestly wish she could have done this as a longer release, as it was damn good! The story went on to be even more glorious in the scenes involving Valkia herself as well as her warhost of bloody madmen. The action was amazing, and I really had the feeling Valkia was trying to make Chaos Dwarfs the entire time! Oh man I think that story would have been perfect for Mrs. Cawkwell as well! So, a profoundly fun short story that is definitely worth the read!
5/5
City of Dead Jewels by Nick Kyme:
The City of Dead Jewels was a fairly entertaining story following a group of Dwarf adventurers tasked with slaying a monster. As a whole, I didn’t like how the first half of the story was told, chopping it up to flash backs seemingly at random made the story difficult to get in to, and slightly confusing while you worked out which character was which and where this “chapter” sat in the general time-line of the story. That said, the second half of the story was awesome. The action was great, the story was intense, and the emotions ran high. I found the end to be a little unbelievable, but then all great deeds have their embellishments and exaggerations, right? Overall, a very solid story that showcases the dwarfs pretty damn well. It felt like a Warhammer Quest story almost, or a fantasy version of an Space Marine Deathwatch team made of dawrfs.
3/5
The Last Charge by Andy Hoare:
My first glimpse at Brettonia in Black Library fiction, and it was pretty Damn good. They have an entirely different feel compared to the empire, and definitely have their own culture that was interesting to get a glimpse at. The story itself is probably my favourite of Andy Hoare's that I have read so far, as it was excellently written and Duke Corentin was an awesome character. You could really feel his faith, age and wisdom in the pages. The action was great, and I hope there are more stories about The Beastlord out there, as he was pretty Damn awesome!
4/5
The Ninth Book by Gav Thorpe:
A superb short story focusing on the Vampires of Warhammer Fantasy, and one certain Vampire’s quest for the Ninth Book of Nagash. It was an exciting read full of suspense and mystery and really left me wanting more! The action was phenomenal and the characters were pretty memorable. Really can’t wait to read more of my glorious Undead!
5/5
The Gods Demand by Josh Reynolds:
The Gods Demand was an amazing short story, easily one of the most exciting in this anthology, featuring the Empire under siege by marauding beastmen. It provided an extremely interesting and entertaining look at the Beastmen, while showing a pretty awesome bit of the Empire's culture as well. The action was amazing, and the politics that were involved were great. Josh Reynolds really does a Damn good job at writing warhammer fantasy!
5/5
Plague Doktor by C. L. Werner:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Well, the story was wonderful. Full of the moral questions and ambiguity that often accompanies mankind when it falls into tragedy and pandemics. The characters were well done, both being memorable, as well as both being well written in their good points as well as their pitfalls. The end of the story was probably the best part, the action was awesome, and the ironic twists was a real treat to read!
4/5
The City is Theirs by Philip Athans:
I have slightly mixed feelings about this story. By and large it was an damned entertaining read. I loved getting to see Nuln on the edge of destruction, and seeing what humanity can do against the living green tide of war that is the orcs is always fun. I think what struck me as most awesome was the University (or Universe-City!), and the explosives. The world building on Nuln(with this being only my 2nd time reading about the city) was great. I could see the sprawling town and majestic bridge besieged by monsters, really hear the roars of battle and almost smell the burning city. The description of the explosives really…. Blew me away though. The earth-shattering power that none present had even known was possible was wonderful. I found the Halfling to be annoying, and that the story didn’t show any of the defense of the citadel was a little disappointing. I would definitely like to see this author write more Black Library fiction, as I think this was one of his only contributions?
4/5
The Second Sun by Ben Counter:
Second Sun was an awesome story. Focusing on one of my all time favourite parts of the Old World, the College of Magic. There were 2 story-lines playing in this short, one was wonderfully epic while the other was marvelously intimate. I thought Ben Counter did some really fantastic story-telling here. From memorable characters and exciting events, to intense politics and a massive cliffhanger for the warhammer world(which I really hope sees the light of day in some way or another!). Definitely one of the best stories in the whole anthology, and that is saying something, because almost every story was really damned good!
5/5
Aenerion by Gav Thorpe:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Oh man, how I wish that we got 2 trilogies for the Elves during the Time of Legends.
1 Trilogy for Malekith and such as it is now, and another for the glorious war against the Daemons waged by Aenarion!
The story was epic, less action packed than I thought it would be, but what it lacked in action it made up for in displaying Aenarion and his Dragon friend.
The story was great, showing Aenarion's life before the Sword of Khaine, and his quest to retrieve it. Damn good stuff, I really wish they had made more warhammer fantasy audio dramas.... before... you know..... blowing the whole fucking world up.
The Undead voices would have been so good.
Well, either way, I really enjoyed it!
5/5
A very nice, very dark short story set during Nagash’s second war for Nehekhara. It follows a young man searching for his beloved at the forefront of the Nagash’s unloving armies, and man was it good! Wish they had done a little more with it, as I haven’t read any of Nagash’s glory in far too long!
4/5
Blood Raven by Sarah Cawkwell:
A very well done and insanely entertaining story about Valkia the Bloody and her war in the North by Sarah Cawkwell. I’ve always immensely enjoyed Sarah’s work in Black Library fiction, and am always disappointed there isn’t more of it! Her talent at writing shows here, with the dwarfs of Karak Ghulg being immensely likable and memorable even though it is just a short story. I honestly wish she could have done this as a longer release, as it was damn good! The story went on to be even more glorious in the scenes involving Valkia herself as well as her warhost of bloody madmen. The action was amazing, and I really had the feeling Valkia was trying to make Chaos Dwarfs the entire time! Oh man I think that story would have been perfect for Mrs. Cawkwell as well! So, a profoundly fun short story that is definitely worth the read!
5/5
City of Dead Jewels by Nick Kyme:
The City of Dead Jewels was a fairly entertaining story following a group of Dwarf adventurers tasked with slaying a monster. As a whole, I didn’t like how the first half of the story was told, chopping it up to flash backs seemingly at random made the story difficult to get in to, and slightly confusing while you worked out which character was which and where this “chapter” sat in the general time-line of the story. That said, the second half of the story was awesome. The action was great, the story was intense, and the emotions ran high. I found the end to be a little unbelievable, but then all great deeds have their embellishments and exaggerations, right? Overall, a very solid story that showcases the dwarfs pretty damn well. It felt like a Warhammer Quest story almost, or a fantasy version of an Space Marine Deathwatch team made of dawrfs.
3/5
The Last Charge by Andy Hoare:
My first glimpse at Brettonia in Black Library fiction, and it was pretty Damn good. They have an entirely different feel compared to the empire, and definitely have their own culture that was interesting to get a glimpse at. The story itself is probably my favourite of Andy Hoare's that I have read so far, as it was excellently written and Duke Corentin was an awesome character. You could really feel his faith, age and wisdom in the pages. The action was great, and I hope there are more stories about The Beastlord out there, as he was pretty Damn awesome!
4/5
The Ninth Book by Gav Thorpe:
A superb short story focusing on the Vampires of Warhammer Fantasy, and one certain Vampire’s quest for the Ninth Book of Nagash. It was an exciting read full of suspense and mystery and really left me wanting more! The action was phenomenal and the characters were pretty memorable. Really can’t wait to read more of my glorious Undead!
5/5
The Gods Demand by Josh Reynolds:
The Gods Demand was an amazing short story, easily one of the most exciting in this anthology, featuring the Empire under siege by marauding beastmen. It provided an extremely interesting and entertaining look at the Beastmen, while showing a pretty awesome bit of the Empire's culture as well. The action was amazing, and the politics that were involved were great. Josh Reynolds really does a Damn good job at writing warhammer fantasy!
5/5
Plague Doktor by C. L. Werner:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Well, the story was wonderful. Full of the moral questions and ambiguity that often accompanies mankind when it falls into tragedy and pandemics. The characters were well done, both being memorable, as well as both being well written in their good points as well as their pitfalls. The end of the story was probably the best part, the action was awesome, and the ironic twists was a real treat to read!
4/5
The City is Theirs by Philip Athans:
I have slightly mixed feelings about this story. By and large it was an damned entertaining read. I loved getting to see Nuln on the edge of destruction, and seeing what humanity can do against the living green tide of war that is the orcs is always fun. I think what struck me as most awesome was the University (or Universe-City!), and the explosives. The world building on Nuln(with this being only my 2nd time reading about the city) was great. I could see the sprawling town and majestic bridge besieged by monsters, really hear the roars of battle and almost smell the burning city. The description of the explosives really…. Blew me away though. The earth-shattering power that none present had even known was possible was wonderful. I found the Halfling to be annoying, and that the story didn’t show any of the defense of the citadel was a little disappointing. I would definitely like to see this author write more Black Library fiction, as I think this was one of his only contributions?
4/5
The Second Sun by Ben Counter:
Second Sun was an awesome story. Focusing on one of my all time favourite parts of the Old World, the College of Magic. There were 2 story-lines playing in this short, one was wonderfully epic while the other was marvelously intimate. I thought Ben Counter did some really fantastic story-telling here. From memorable characters and exciting events, to intense politics and a massive cliffhanger for the warhammer world(which I really hope sees the light of day in some way or another!). Definitely one of the best stories in the whole anthology, and that is saying something, because almost every story was really damned good!
5/5
Aenerion by Gav Thorpe:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Oh man, how I wish that we got 2 trilogies for the Elves during the Time of Legends.
1 Trilogy for Malekith and such as it is now, and another for the glorious war against the Daemons waged by Aenarion!
The story was epic, less action packed than I thought it would be, but what it lacked in action it made up for in displaying Aenarion and his Dragon friend.
The story was great, showing Aenarion's life before the Sword of Khaine, and his quest to retrieve it. Damn good stuff, I really wish they had made more warhammer fantasy audio dramas.... before... you know..... blowing the whole fucking world up.
The Undead voices would have been so good.
Well, either way, I really enjoyed it!
5/5
December 3, 2021
It's a short story anthology, something which is usually pretty hit-and-miss, but to my surprise I found all the titles here a blast to read (except for maybe one, I wasn't much a fan of "The City is Theirs"). With this anthology, you get a pretty diverse collection of moments in the history of the Warhammer universe, sometimes featuring important characters to the lore. Characters like Valkia the Bloody, Rakarth, Gorthor the Beastlord, Aenarion, etc. You also get a taste of writing from the best authors the Black Library has to offer: Gav Thorpe, C. L. Werner, Nick Kyme, Josh Reynolds, and so on. No King, Savile, or McNneill though. That notwithstanding, I would hesitate to recommend this book to newcomers to Warhammer Fantasy, since they'd probably not understand some of the stories without further context. "Plague Doktor" and "A Small Victory" for example, wouldn't make sense without some understanding of the Skaven and Nagash.
Though as a Warhammer junkie, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. "Plague Doktor" was amazing (loved the just deserts at the end), and "Bloodraven" was epic and brutal. "The Gods Demand" has made me like a human character more than I ever have in Warhammer books and "Second Sun" is like Lovecraft meets Lord of the Rings, which is to say everything I could want from a Warhammer story and then some.
The only dud in my opinion was "The City is Theirs," mainly just because I didn't really get it. Things happened too randomly and the writing felt contrived. Plus I didn't care for any of the characters either.
Though as a Warhammer junkie, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. "Plague Doktor" was amazing (loved the just deserts at the end), and "Bloodraven" was epic and brutal. "The Gods Demand" has made me like a human character more than I ever have in Warhammer books and "Second Sun" is like Lovecraft meets Lord of the Rings, which is to say everything I could want from a Warhammer story and then some.
The only dud in my opinion was "The City is Theirs," mainly just because I didn't really get it. Things happened too randomly and the writing felt contrived. Plus I didn't care for any of the characters either.
January 6, 2018
As a rule I don't like story collections by games workshop.
Most of the time they are a bit pointless odds and ends that read as failed ideas that get bundled and sold for that extra cash grab.
This bundle would almost qualify for that category, it does have some stories that feel as pointless side tracks especially the ones whose lore content seriously differs from what has come to be accepted as canon. However the bundle does have several interesting stories with strong characters and little bits and pieces that do seem to fill in gaps or expand upon existing lore in a satisfying way and well written at that.
So worthwhile if you find it somewhere second hand.
Most of the time they are a bit pointless odds and ends that read as failed ideas that get bundled and sold for that extra cash grab.
This bundle would almost qualify for that category, it does have some stories that feel as pointless side tracks especially the ones whose lore content seriously differs from what has come to be accepted as canon. However the bundle does have several interesting stories with strong characters and little bits and pieces that do seem to fill in gaps or expand upon existing lore in a satisfying way and well written at that.
So worthwhile if you find it somewhere second hand.
June 29, 2012
Shadowhawk reviews the first anthology for the popular Time of Legends meta-series for Warhammer Fantasy, a collection of short stories by new and old authors alike.
“A superb collection that collects together some of Black Library’s finest with an added dose of two new authors to the setting, Age of Legend is a great read.” ~The Founding Fields
As I mentioned in my review of Josh Reynolds’ Knight of the Blazing Sun back in February, I’ve been working on getting back into the fantasy fiction side of Black Library. Warhammer Fantasy is one of the best fantasy universes I’ve come across and the moralistic duality of its heroes and villains and everybody else is one of its biggest draws. Anthologies are a great place to start off reading in such big universes, and is especially true for Black Library fiction in particular, so combined with the fact that I had been waiting for Age of Legend for quite a while now, it was only natural that I was going to pick it up at Black Library Live last month. Mostly I was driven to read the stories by Josh Reynolds, Sarah Cawkwell, C. L. Werner, Gav Thorpe and Nick Kyme, authors I’ve enjoyed reading in the past and look forward to with great anticipation pretty much always.
The first story in the anthology is Paul S. Kemp’s A Small Victory, a tale that is set in the lands near Nehekhara in the time of Nagash’s rise to power. A short, good-paced, and punchy story, this was a good story from Paul, this being his first for Black Library. It gives a nice little teaser into the lives of people beyond just the lands of Nehekhara and is a very personal, moving story of a man trying to protect the woman he lives and his dutiful brother’s attempts to keep him safe in turn.
I enjoyed this quite a bit and would like Paul to write more Warhammer fiction. I’ve interviewed him previously and he has expressed an interest in the setting so that’s great news. Having just recently read his Star Wars novel Deceived, a tie-in novel of sorts to the game Star Wars: The Old Republic, I do like his work. I also have the Erevis Cale Omnibus on my to-read pile, a collection of the first three Erevis Cale novels set in Forgotten Realms setting from Wizards of the Coast. Looking forward to that one and will post my thoughts when I’m done with it.
Rating: 8.5/10
Second is Sarah’s Bloodraven, a story featuring Khorne’s prime consort and champion Valkia the Bloody. Publication-wise, this is her first Valkia story, as she has a novel coming out in less than two months and did another short story featuring her for the Black Library Live Chapbook and did one of the special occasion eShorts for the 15 years of Black Library celebration, also last month. I have to say that Bloodraven definitely proves why Sarah is such an upcoming star in the ranks of BL’s authors. She makes writing looks so natural and easy that it is impossible not to get lost in the narrative. This is a story that pretty much says Time of Legends on the tin: it is about a dwarf hold near/in the Chaos Wastes. We know how that is gonna end!
A seriously enjoyable story because it is chock full of some serious close combat action scenes, some really callous actions by the Chaos soldiery and in particular the Bloodraven itself. Nothing speaks mind-frakkery better than some Bloodraven, umm, action. I was expecting something quite different with regards to what or who Bloodraven is, but I was still surprised to see the reveal of it. Valkia is certainly solidified as a strong, no-nonsense character because of it and I have to admit that she creeps me the hell out. The only downside to the novel is that there just isn’t enough Valkia in it and the early scenes with her Chaos warriors were a little odd but all good, all good.
Rating: 9.5/10
The third story is Nick’s City of Dead Jewels, another Dwarf tale for the mix. This is somewhat of a traditional kill-the-monster quest story but frankly speaking, the short story is enjoyable for that very reason. Dwarfs hunting a monster in the depths of their hold? More please! My only previous exposure to Nick and his Dwarfs is the novel Oathbreaker. It was a decent enough story although certainly not something I enjoyed particularly. But this short story is ample motivation to go back and give it a re-read.
A good pace, with a good monster, some nice slayer action, lots of oath and honour talk between the characters, some great heroism, sacrifice and typical Dwarf stubbornness, City of Dead Jewels is a great addition to the anthology. Contrasted with Sarah’s Dwarfs, Nick’s Dwarfs are more traditional in the way they are portrayed but both are equally well-defined and presented. That we get two such different portrayals of the same race back-to-back with each other is a fantastic idea. Loved it. The only place I’d fault the story at is that it didn’t give us enough tension between the characters. There was a good amount of it sure, but for the type of story this is, more would have been great.
Rating 8.5/10
You can find the full review over at The Founding Fields:
http://thefoundingfields.com/2012/04/...
“A superb collection that collects together some of Black Library’s finest with an added dose of two new authors to the setting, Age of Legend is a great read.” ~The Founding Fields
As I mentioned in my review of Josh Reynolds’ Knight of the Blazing Sun back in February, I’ve been working on getting back into the fantasy fiction side of Black Library. Warhammer Fantasy is one of the best fantasy universes I’ve come across and the moralistic duality of its heroes and villains and everybody else is one of its biggest draws. Anthologies are a great place to start off reading in such big universes, and is especially true for Black Library fiction in particular, so combined with the fact that I had been waiting for Age of Legend for quite a while now, it was only natural that I was going to pick it up at Black Library Live last month. Mostly I was driven to read the stories by Josh Reynolds, Sarah Cawkwell, C. L. Werner, Gav Thorpe and Nick Kyme, authors I’ve enjoyed reading in the past and look forward to with great anticipation pretty much always.
The first story in the anthology is Paul S. Kemp’s A Small Victory, a tale that is set in the lands near Nehekhara in the time of Nagash’s rise to power. A short, good-paced, and punchy story, this was a good story from Paul, this being his first for Black Library. It gives a nice little teaser into the lives of people beyond just the lands of Nehekhara and is a very personal, moving story of a man trying to protect the woman he lives and his dutiful brother’s attempts to keep him safe in turn.
I enjoyed this quite a bit and would like Paul to write more Warhammer fiction. I’ve interviewed him previously and he has expressed an interest in the setting so that’s great news. Having just recently read his Star Wars novel Deceived, a tie-in novel of sorts to the game Star Wars: The Old Republic, I do like his work. I also have the Erevis Cale Omnibus on my to-read pile, a collection of the first three Erevis Cale novels set in Forgotten Realms setting from Wizards of the Coast. Looking forward to that one and will post my thoughts when I’m done with it.
Rating: 8.5/10
Second is Sarah’s Bloodraven, a story featuring Khorne’s prime consort and champion Valkia the Bloody. Publication-wise, this is her first Valkia story, as she has a novel coming out in less than two months and did another short story featuring her for the Black Library Live Chapbook and did one of the special occasion eShorts for the 15 years of Black Library celebration, also last month. I have to say that Bloodraven definitely proves why Sarah is such an upcoming star in the ranks of BL’s authors. She makes writing looks so natural and easy that it is impossible not to get lost in the narrative. This is a story that pretty much says Time of Legends on the tin: it is about a dwarf hold near/in the Chaos Wastes. We know how that is gonna end!
A seriously enjoyable story because it is chock full of some serious close combat action scenes, some really callous actions by the Chaos soldiery and in particular the Bloodraven itself. Nothing speaks mind-frakkery better than some Bloodraven, umm, action. I was expecting something quite different with regards to what or who Bloodraven is, but I was still surprised to see the reveal of it. Valkia is certainly solidified as a strong, no-nonsense character because of it and I have to admit that she creeps me the hell out. The only downside to the novel is that there just isn’t enough Valkia in it and the early scenes with her Chaos warriors were a little odd but all good, all good.
Rating: 9.5/10
The third story is Nick’s City of Dead Jewels, another Dwarf tale for the mix. This is somewhat of a traditional kill-the-monster quest story but frankly speaking, the short story is enjoyable for that very reason. Dwarfs hunting a monster in the depths of their hold? More please! My only previous exposure to Nick and his Dwarfs is the novel Oathbreaker. It was a decent enough story although certainly not something I enjoyed particularly. But this short story is ample motivation to go back and give it a re-read.
A good pace, with a good monster, some nice slayer action, lots of oath and honour talk between the characters, some great heroism, sacrifice and typical Dwarf stubbornness, City of Dead Jewels is a great addition to the anthology. Contrasted with Sarah’s Dwarfs, Nick’s Dwarfs are more traditional in the way they are portrayed but both are equally well-defined and presented. That we get two such different portrayals of the same race back-to-back with each other is a fantastic idea. Loved it. The only place I’d fault the story at is that it didn’t give us enough tension between the characters. There was a good amount of it sure, but for the type of story this is, more would have been great.
Rating 8.5/10
You can find the full review over at The Founding Fields:
http://thefoundingfields.com/2012/04/...
September 9, 2023
Not bad for a $3.99 book of grimdark fantasy short stories. Some talented authors.
May 5, 2012
Hack and slash fantasy fiction from the Warhammer universe. No big surprises and some are straightforward, with Chaos frequently winning in the end, though there are nice pieces from the authors, such as Paul Kemp's. Even if some read like descriptions of various WH battles they are still well-written for the genre.
October 11, 2014
a good collection of short stories with grimdark endings and a healthy dose of fatalism.
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