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Warhammer Age of Sigmar
Soul Wars
It is said that all who live belong ultimately to the Undying King. In the shadowy lands of Shyish, Nagash, God of Death, calls forth his soulless legions to reassert his dominion. His dread advance begins with the free city of Glymmsforge, bastion of Azyr in the Realm of Death. Standing between Nagash and his prize are the brooding Anvils of the Heldenhammer, an ancient host of Stormcast Eternals, and LordCastellant Pharus Thaum, guardian of the Ten Thousand Tombs. As battles between the living and the dead rage throughout the Mortal Realms, the War of Heaven and Death begins anew. But even Sigmar’s chosen may not be enough to cease the onslaught. For how does one destroy what is already dead?
Read by Andrew Wincott.
Audiobook
First published June 16, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews
September 13, 2018
While I appreciate that this novel focuses on character, setting, and dialogue instead of battles and combat, it sometimes felt like nothing much was happening. None of the characters, even Pharus, changes enough to warrant the number of pages devoted to them. The setting falls back on the same descriptions over and over (I wish I'd kept track of the number of times the sky was described as "purple the color of a bruise"). The dialogue is good, but not much separates one character from another.
Basically, while I think these novels do better when they focus on characters and setting - and it's admirable that the author tried - there needs to be a bit more meat in those areas to sustain it. I didn't think it was bad, but either the character arcs needed to be more robust, or it needed to be edited down a good deal.
Basically, while I think these novels do better when they focus on characters and setting - and it's admirable that the author tried - there needs to be a bit more meat in those areas to sustain it. I didn't think it was bad, but either the character arcs needed to be more robust, or it needed to be edited down a good deal.
February 28, 2019
I really wanted to like this book. I really want to like an "Age of Sigmar" novel. I am trying hard moving from one "best Age of Sigmar novel to date" to the next but failing utterly and feeling bored and uninspired after a few chapters.
Soul Wars is yet another fantasy novel full of narrative clichés and one-dimensional characters. “Half orphan girl street urchin with a drunk father and only cats as friends”. “Grumpy wizard sage that loves book more than people”.
Seriously?
The sad truth is that a book that was written on demand to support a commercial product (the AoS Soul Wars boxed set). It is not born out of a writer’s need to say something to the world. Good fantasy like good science fiction is usually allegorical. Such books use a fantastic setting to speak about our present, our lives, our fears and agonies. About the human condition ultimately. AoS novels instead have no reference back to real human beings. They use shallow caricatures of humans to sustain romantic heroic stereotypes. Motivations are black and white, characters are either heroes or villains. Worse of all there is the same ever repeating narrative of heroic destiny. Heroes fulfilling their pre-destined purpose in life. Solid unbend linear narratives of the universe where each one of us lies in its center surrounded by an immense cast of extras set there to assist us on the fulfillment of such destiny
Meh...
Soul Wars is yet another fantasy novel full of narrative clichés and one-dimensional characters. “Half orphan girl street urchin with a drunk father and only cats as friends”. “Grumpy wizard sage that loves book more than people”.
Seriously?
The sad truth is that a book that was written on demand to support a commercial product (the AoS Soul Wars boxed set). It is not born out of a writer’s need to say something to the world. Good fantasy like good science fiction is usually allegorical. Such books use a fantastic setting to speak about our present, our lives, our fears and agonies. About the human condition ultimately. AoS novels instead have no reference back to real human beings. They use shallow caricatures of humans to sustain romantic heroic stereotypes. Motivations are black and white, characters are either heroes or villains. Worse of all there is the same ever repeating narrative of heroic destiny. Heroes fulfilling their pre-destined purpose in life. Solid unbend linear narratives of the universe where each one of us lies in its center surrounded by an immense cast of extras set there to assist us on the fulfillment of such destiny
Meh...
August 21, 2020
By far the best Age of Sigmar book I have read so far. Finally some civilian characters and the storm-cast don't all seem like carbon copies of each other.
May 15, 2023
This is a fun Age of Sigmar novel that is a little thin in parts of the story. It focuses on the city of Glymmsforge in the realm of Shyish and concerns the efforts of the Stormcast Eternals to defend the city from Nagash, who desires the network of tombs beneath the city, known as the Ten Thousand Tombs. It also focuses on Phraus Thaum, a Lord-Castellant, and his demise after the Necroquake (a storm of death summoned by Nagash) and how he is transformed into a Knight of Shrouds to lead an army of the dead against the city he once protected.
The story isn't anything new. The trope of the paladin becoming a reverse paladin is familiar to fans of fantasy literature and fantasy gaming (e.g., Arthas Menethil and the Lich King in Warcraft). The strength of the novel is probably in its dialogue. The characters are somewhat two-dimensional, but they speak in a vibrant, stylized way that is very appropriate to the setting. The writing style is polished, but there are so many pages of battle that these scenes all start to blur together, and the stakes are lost. For example, I read about Stormcast Eternals smashing Chainrasps and Gravewalkers more than enough by the middle of the novel, but there was way more to come.
There was one scene with a Celestor-Prime, Helios, who faces down Pharus Thaum, and Helios is very arrogant and somewhat mischievous. I don't want to spoil this scene, but it will stick with me. I also really enjoyed being able to see the Anvil of Apotheosis in the Sigmarabulum. As far as I can recall, this was the first novel to include a scene in that hallowed location.
The Lord Arcanum, Balthus Arum, was a cool character, but he was so motivated and focused on the task at hand that it was hard to relate to him. He was basically a steamroller of indignation. Elya, the orphan child, was a great addition to the cast of characters, as she provided a bit of change from the predominantly good and evil characters. However, she was used more as a MacGuffin for the good guys to protect than anything else.
I enjoy Josh Reynolds' Age of Sigmar novels and will read more, but this one felt like thin gruel for much of its 400 pages. Like a lot of Black Library novels, it was sufficiently entertaining and a lot of fun to read for relaxation and distraction, but it occasionally tested my patience. I found myself ready for the book to end with about 50 pages remaining, but the final pages pulled me back in and enthralled me with the intriguing conclusion.
The story isn't anything new. The trope of the paladin becoming a reverse paladin is familiar to fans of fantasy literature and fantasy gaming (e.g., Arthas Menethil and the Lich King in Warcraft). The strength of the novel is probably in its dialogue. The characters are somewhat two-dimensional, but they speak in a vibrant, stylized way that is very appropriate to the setting. The writing style is polished, but there are so many pages of battle that these scenes all start to blur together, and the stakes are lost. For example, I read about Stormcast Eternals smashing Chainrasps and Gravewalkers more than enough by the middle of the novel, but there was way more to come.
There was one scene with a Celestor-Prime, Helios, who faces down Pharus Thaum, and Helios is very arrogant and somewhat mischievous. I don't want to spoil this scene, but it will stick with me. I also really enjoyed being able to see the Anvil of Apotheosis in the Sigmarabulum. As far as I can recall, this was the first novel to include a scene in that hallowed location.
The Lord Arcanum, Balthus Arum, was a cool character, but he was so motivated and focused on the task at hand that it was hard to relate to him. He was basically a steamroller of indignation. Elya, the orphan child, was a great addition to the cast of characters, as she provided a bit of change from the predominantly good and evil characters. However, she was used more as a MacGuffin for the good guys to protect than anything else.
I enjoy Josh Reynolds' Age of Sigmar novels and will read more, but this one felt like thin gruel for much of its 400 pages. Like a lot of Black Library novels, it was sufficiently entertaining and a lot of fun to read for relaxation and distraction, but it occasionally tested my patience. I found myself ready for the book to end with about 50 pages remaining, but the final pages pulled me back in and enthralled me with the intriguing conclusion.
June 15, 2020
The Warhammer 40,000 novels published by Black Library are what brought me into the actual game. So when I picked my armies and started building and painting miniatures I was already well versed in 40K lore. I started playing Warhammer: Age of Sigmar (40K’s sister miniature game of fantasy battles) though without any real knowledge of the lore or having read any novels. As a horror and heavy metal fan I thought the ghostly Nighthaunt army was really cool looking, and one year a very generous friend got me a starter set of Nighthaunt models. From there I got the Nighthaunt Battletome and Age of Sigmar rule book.
I really liked the lore I read there especially about the Nighhaunts and the other legions of the death god Nagash. So, I started to look around at some of the Black Library Age of Sigmar novels. Initially I couldn’t find any about my army that grabbed my interest. Then I stumbled upon Soul Wars by Josh Reynolds. I became intrigued and decided it would be my first Age of Sigmar novel. I just finished it and I’m so glad I did. It was a story that was both epic and intimate. It featured warring gods, their servants, the people caught in the crossfire, vast interdimensional realms, and one very important city.
One of the most fascinating things for me about the Age of Sigmar set up is the backdrop of the multiple realms. It’s like Dungeons and Dragons if it was set against a backdrop like the nine realms of Asgard. In Soul Wars Reynolds did an amazing job bringing those realms to life. We got little glimpses of several realms, a sizable glance at the god Sigmar’s heavenly realm, and a major exploration of Shyish, the land of the dead and purview of Nagash.
I especially loved the scenes in the two contrasting Shyish city’s, Nagash’s capital Nagashizzar and Sigmar’s foothold metropolis in the land of the dead, Glymmsforge. The way life and unlife was compared and contrasted in the two cities was really cool. Half the fun of reading 40K novels is the rich and vibrant settings authors create and bring to life. If Soul Wars is any indication I’m going to have a lot of fun visiting the various realms in Age of Sigmar novels too.
Soul Wars is jam packed with fascinating characters too. As a Nighthaunt player I joshua-reynoldsappreciated a chance to see some of my models brought to life as characters. They felt fun, fascinating, and very true to form. It was also interesting to meet Nagash and some of his servants. I especially loved the scheming lich known as Arkhan.
The most fascinating and surprising characters for me though were the Nighthaunt’s enemies in the book, Sigmar’s Stormcast Eternals. Before reading Soul Wars I had written them off. They struck me as fantasy Space Marines. In a way they are that, but as Reynolds shows in Soul Wars they’re so much more too. They’re complex and kind and compassionate in way Space Marines are often not (the exception being my favorite Loyalist chapter, the Salamanders). They’re also a diverse lot whose ranks include both men and women. I liked that a lot. My favorite Stormcast ended up being a veteran and scholarly warrior mage named Balthas and a woman assigned to the streets and tombs of Glymmsforge named Calys Eltain. There’s another Stormcast character I really enjoyed reading about, but I can’t talk at all about them because of spoilers. Let’s just say that character goes on an incredible journey over the course of the book.
There’s also some great human characters like a brave and daring girl named Elya. Also there are cats! Yes, cats play a pretty fun and interesting role in Soul Wars
Reynolds is also great with epic action. A large part of the story is about an army of ghosts and zombies laying siege to a medieval city. So take Game of Thrones Battle of Winterfell and transport it into Gondor from Lord of the Rings That’s what the battles in Soul Wars felt like to me. They were that cool.
So, Soul Wars was a very welcome initial venture into the world of Age of Sigmar novels. I look forward to reading more and more books by Josh Reynolds as well.
I really liked the lore I read there especially about the Nighhaunts and the other legions of the death god Nagash. So, I started to look around at some of the Black Library Age of Sigmar novels. Initially I couldn’t find any about my army that grabbed my interest. Then I stumbled upon Soul Wars by Josh Reynolds. I became intrigued and decided it would be my first Age of Sigmar novel. I just finished it and I’m so glad I did. It was a story that was both epic and intimate. It featured warring gods, their servants, the people caught in the crossfire, vast interdimensional realms, and one very important city.
One of the most fascinating things for me about the Age of Sigmar set up is the backdrop of the multiple realms. It’s like Dungeons and Dragons if it was set against a backdrop like the nine realms of Asgard. In Soul Wars Reynolds did an amazing job bringing those realms to life. We got little glimpses of several realms, a sizable glance at the god Sigmar’s heavenly realm, and a major exploration of Shyish, the land of the dead and purview of Nagash.
I especially loved the scenes in the two contrasting Shyish city’s, Nagash’s capital Nagashizzar and Sigmar’s foothold metropolis in the land of the dead, Glymmsforge. The way life and unlife was compared and contrasted in the two cities was really cool. Half the fun of reading 40K novels is the rich and vibrant settings authors create and bring to life. If Soul Wars is any indication I’m going to have a lot of fun visiting the various realms in Age of Sigmar novels too.
Soul Wars is jam packed with fascinating characters too. As a Nighthaunt player I joshua-reynoldsappreciated a chance to see some of my models brought to life as characters. They felt fun, fascinating, and very true to form. It was also interesting to meet Nagash and some of his servants. I especially loved the scheming lich known as Arkhan.
The most fascinating and surprising characters for me though were the Nighthaunt’s enemies in the book, Sigmar’s Stormcast Eternals. Before reading Soul Wars I had written them off. They struck me as fantasy Space Marines. In a way they are that, but as Reynolds shows in Soul Wars they’re so much more too. They’re complex and kind and compassionate in way Space Marines are often not (the exception being my favorite Loyalist chapter, the Salamanders). They’re also a diverse lot whose ranks include both men and women. I liked that a lot. My favorite Stormcast ended up being a veteran and scholarly warrior mage named Balthas and a woman assigned to the streets and tombs of Glymmsforge named Calys Eltain. There’s another Stormcast character I really enjoyed reading about, but I can’t talk at all about them because of spoilers. Let’s just say that character goes on an incredible journey over the course of the book.
There’s also some great human characters like a brave and daring girl named Elya. Also there are cats! Yes, cats play a pretty fun and interesting role in Soul Wars
Reynolds is also great with epic action. A large part of the story is about an army of ghosts and zombies laying siege to a medieval city. So take Game of Thrones Battle of Winterfell and transport it into Gondor from Lord of the Rings That’s what the battles in Soul Wars felt like to me. They were that cool.
So, Soul Wars was a very welcome initial venture into the world of Age of Sigmar novels. I look forward to reading more and more books by Josh Reynolds as well.
May 1, 2026
A decent intro to the lore introduced in Age of Sigmar 2nd edition and an important event and turning point in the necroquake.
It’s obvious that author Josh Reynolds is a capable fantasy writer and I really enjoyed the characters and world building set up in this novel. Unfortunately as a novel that is tied to the introduction of a new edition it’s pretty obvious that a lot of terms and character descriptors are ham fisted in the story to sell minis.
I think this would have been a great book if the author had more freedom to craft his own story instead of something that had to very clearly stick to an outline. There were also ALOT of characters and different POVs to keep track of.
Overall pleased with this entry and will continue to dip my toes into AoS fiction.
3.75 stars rounded up.
It’s obvious that author Josh Reynolds is a capable fantasy writer and I really enjoyed the characters and world building set up in this novel. Unfortunately as a novel that is tied to the introduction of a new edition it’s pretty obvious that a lot of terms and character descriptors are ham fisted in the story to sell minis.
I think this would have been a great book if the author had more freedom to craft his own story instead of something that had to very clearly stick to an outline. There were also ALOT of characters and different POVs to keep track of.
Overall pleased with this entry and will continue to dip my toes into AoS fiction.
3.75 stars rounded up.
September 20, 2025
Fantastic dark high fantasy vibe with clearly characterised stormcast - just what I was looking for. First twist hooked me IMMEDIATELY. Loved the scene with the vampires and undead at their bad guys council. Pharus’ story is obviously the mainstay, but I am OBSESSED that the stormcast eternals have REAL personalities that are exciting to watch. Very solid.
I do think this is a perfect start to Age of Sigmar. Opening was hard to follow but the rest was very solid.
I do think this is a perfect start to Age of Sigmar. Opening was hard to follow but the rest was very solid.
December 16, 2020
Another one from the Black Library 2020 Humble Bundle. https://www.humblebundle.com/books/vo...
In the beginning I was actually positively surprised, because in Soul Wars you get Gods and Commanders as the main players, contrary to other WH novels where we are transported onto some random planet/city with some random armies having their little conflict. This novel actually deals with some central events in the WH lore. It's just sad that all the characters are such mindless strawmen, in essence mindless followers or puppets of the Gods, repeating the religious dogma.
In retrospect of course I understand why nothing is resolved in this novel - it's just a glorified setup for the miniature painting game. The goal is not to resolve any tension, but rather give you some poor excuse why WAR is in the name of the game.
Maybe a short memo on the places: Azyr is world (planet) of God-King Sigmar and Stormcast Eternals. Shyish is the world (planet/plane/dimension?) of Nagash, the God of Death who once was a man, wizard. In the past called Age of Chaos, the Chaos gods invaded this world of death and Sigmar allied with Nagash to fend them off. They won at least some ground during the Age of Sigmar, I think. But Nagash was building some magical pyramids for the ritual of Necroquake which destabilized Shyish by raising innumerable amount of undead, because he really needed to betray his allies. The setup to the dance between three main factions - order vs undead vs chaos.
All these super-beings seem to have lived for centuries, but are still only puppets for the uber-gods. Why do they even bother trying to portray them as "characters"?
There is some talk of the "Universal Wheel" that goes around as the history repeats itself during the eons, because gods are allknowing and allpowerful, but yet they are unable to learn anything. I sense faint echoes of a far better fantasy, also with massive magical battles, but at least with some interesting rules, intrigue, logic and narrative - Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan.
The main weight of the novel takes place in the "free city" of Glymmsforge in these lands of Death and it is being guarded by an army or "host" called Anvils of the Heldenhammer, a department of Sigmar's Stormcast Eternals.
What does a "free city" in undead lands of Shyish actually means and who would want to live there, you might ask? Why would anyone want to live in this barren land? Why would you put somebody into this terrible tactical position of defending a single outpost in a totally overwhelming hostile environment?
None of that is explained probably because the whole WH universe would probably collapse into a singularity, so it's much easier to never explain anything with logic. Just increase speed. Maybe the narrative can free us of the gravity well of dull pompous monologues. Nagash is all, much eternal wow. Not By Sigmar's lightning hammer, do not think he's Thor. He's not, it's written into his legal agreement with Games Workshop. Also please do not confuse Nagash with Kel'Thuzad of Warcraft. I think they have cleanly replace-all'd his name from all the legal documents.
In the beginning I was actually positively surprised, because in Soul Wars you get Gods and Commanders as the main players, contrary to other WH novels where we are transported onto some random planet/city with some random armies having their little conflict. This novel actually deals with some central events in the WH lore. It's just sad that all the characters are such mindless strawmen, in essence mindless followers or puppets of the Gods, repeating the religious dogma.
In retrospect of course I understand why nothing is resolved in this novel - it's just a glorified setup for the miniature painting game. The goal is not to resolve any tension, but rather give you some poor excuse why WAR is in the name of the game.
Maybe a short memo on the places: Azyr is world (planet) of God-King Sigmar and Stormcast Eternals. Shyish is the world (planet/plane/dimension?) of Nagash, the God of Death who once was a man, wizard. In the past called Age of Chaos, the Chaos gods invaded this world of death and Sigmar allied with Nagash to fend them off. They won at least some ground during the Age of Sigmar, I think. But Nagash was building some magical pyramids for the ritual of Necroquake which destabilized Shyish by raising innumerable amount of undead, because he really needed to betray his allies. The setup to the dance between three main factions - order vs undead vs chaos.
All these super-beings seem to have lived for centuries, but are still only puppets for the uber-gods. Why do they even bother trying to portray them as "characters"?
There is some talk of the "Universal Wheel" that goes around as the history repeats itself during the eons, because gods are allknowing and allpowerful, but yet they are unable to learn anything. I sense faint echoes of a far better fantasy, also with massive magical battles, but at least with some interesting rules, intrigue, logic and narrative - Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan.
The main weight of the novel takes place in the "free city" of Glymmsforge in these lands of Death and it is being guarded by an army or "host" called Anvils of the Heldenhammer, a department of Sigmar's Stormcast Eternals.
What does a "free city" in undead lands of Shyish actually means and who would want to live there, you might ask? Why would anyone want to live in this barren land? Why would you put somebody into this terrible tactical position of defending a single outpost in a totally overwhelming hostile environment?
None of that is explained probably because the whole WH universe would probably collapse into a singularity, so it's much easier to never explain anything with logic. Just increase speed. Maybe the narrative can free us of the gravity well of dull pompous monologues. Nagash is all, much eternal wow. Not By Sigmar's lightning hammer, do not think he's Thor. He's not, it's written into his legal agreement with Games Workshop. Also please do not confuse Nagash with Kel'Thuzad of Warcraft. I think they have cleanly replace-all'd his name from all the legal documents.
July 15, 2018
Josh’s seventh (!) Age of Sigmar novel, Soul Wars sees the Mortal Realms take a darker turn, as the dead begin to rise in horrifying numbers all across the Realms. In the Realm of Shyish, the Free City of Glymmsforge is under the protection of the Anvils of the Heldenhammer, but as Nagash grows bolder Sigmar reinforces the city with warriors from the secretive Sacrosanct Chambers. For Lord Arcanum Balthus Arum, the deployment to Shyish is an opportunity to atone for a mistake, but even his prodigious powers are tested by the Nighthaunt hordes flocking to Glymmsforge.
There’s a lot for this to deal with, not least introducing both the Nighthaunt and the Sacronsanct Chambers of the Stormcasts, but that’s handled subtly and without drawing attention away from the plot or the themes running through the book. Reynolds does an impressive job of depicting the grand sweep of events taking place in Shyish and across the Realms while maintaining a cohesive story that feels personal to these characters who are relatable and, largely, very human. Reading this you feel that it marks a change in Age of Sigmar, reminding us that while Chaos is still a huge threat, the terrifying power of Nagash is going to be very present from now on. It’s pretty much essential reading for any Age of Sigmar fan.
Read the full review at https://www.trackofwords.com/2018/07/...
There’s a lot for this to deal with, not least introducing both the Nighthaunt and the Sacronsanct Chambers of the Stormcasts, but that’s handled subtly and without drawing attention away from the plot or the themes running through the book. Reynolds does an impressive job of depicting the grand sweep of events taking place in Shyish and across the Realms while maintaining a cohesive story that feels personal to these characters who are relatable and, largely, very human. Reading this you feel that it marks a change in Age of Sigmar, reminding us that while Chaos is still a huge threat, the terrifying power of Nagash is going to be very present from now on. It’s pretty much essential reading for any Age of Sigmar fan.
Read the full review at https://www.trackofwords.com/2018/07/...
January 17, 2021
Bueno, ha costado, pero a veces es sólo un poco de disciplina lo que falta para acabar un libro de 230 páginas y nada más (no os dejéis engañar por la cintilla de Goodreads de que tiene 320). El confinamiento paró mi lectura (al faltarme el necesario paseo en bus diario que tantas horas de lectura me daba), pero aquí estoy de nuevo, review en mano, para ofreceros mis pensamientos.
Intentaré evitar los spoilers, aviso, pero reconozco que me costará horrores. Es grande el clímax de esta novela. Más de lo que habría esperado. Y más, considerando que el clímax estaba un poco... ¿vendido? No importa, no quiero hablar de eso.
De lo que quiero hablar es de como esta novela supera, sin lugar a dudas, mi anterior intento de meterme en la novelesca de la Edad de Sigmar, que fue el Jardín de Nurgle. Josh Reynolds, tal y como aparece en el pequeño fragmento al final de esta novela, es el autor de Fulgrim: the Palatine Phoenix, todo un clásico. Pero en el Jardín de Nurgle, ya fuera por el material, o por las presiones de la empresa, no brillaba en absoluto. Bolter porn en exceso, un clímax demasiado "over the top" y la sensación constante de que se te olvidaba que un secundario existía, de parecidos que son todos entre sí. Soul Wars viene a superar todos esos problemas, o si no todos, una gran parte de ellos.
¿Qué hace fuerte a esta obra por encima de la que leí antes? Que es todo mucho más humano. Glymmsforge (Forjaglymm en la traducción oficial española) es una ciudad humana, y se siente como tal: barrios bajos, gente con preocupaciones normales, que ven la guerra entre dioses como Sigmar o Nagash como los figurantes de una peli de Marvel verían las guerras de los superhéroes: desde abajo y con dudas. Y es que, de hecho, esta novela se hace muy afín a una peli del MCU o un capítulo de The Mandalorian: un poco de humor brutote, un poco de sentimiento básico, unos cuantas peleas bien ejecutadas y un clímax de gritar "SSIIIIII" y "NOOOOO" a lo largo de todo su desarrollo. Y revelaciones espectaculares al final, para que te hagas teorías con la siguiente peli.
Pero, me desvío. Lo importante aquí es la humanidad: vemos a los Stormcasts, los ángeles de Sigmar, hablando de cosas tan inconsistentes como patatas y manzanas, o intentando comprender la vida mortal. Y vemos a los habitantes de las ciudades de Sigmar hablando de evadir impuestos o querer escribir novelas que se recuerden. O de alcohol y comida. Dioses, ¿alguna vez te ha dado hambre una novela de Warhammer?
Por supuesto, los protas son muy, muy predecibles y tópicos, pero lo bueno es que los tópicos estaban relativamente bien escogidos. Además, como en una buena producción Disney, empiezan de un modo y acaban de otro, al aprender unos de otros. No son santos aquiescentes: algunos Stormcasts como Balthas son directamente insoportables, y otros que son más santurrones como Calys o Pharus Thaum, acaban sufriendo cambios o directamente viendo todos sus ideales hechos caquita.
No esperes tampoco, bua, una revelación espectacular, si acaso entretenimiento. Esto, como el MCU o The Mandalorian, o como todas las otras novelas de GW, sigue siendo merchandising. Y funciona como tal. Pero eh, la gente disfruta con el merchandising, y yo he disfrutado con este merchandising. Bastante más que con el anterior, de hecho.
Así pues, cuatro estrellas: la de protas, la de worldbuilding, la de narrativa de entorno y la de sensaciones especiales. Si le quito una estrella es porque quiero ser objetivo y serio, o desearía serlo al menos, y es que esta novela sigue sin corregir un problema de la anterior: llega un momento en el que hay tantos secundarios con nombres acabados en "-us", y muchos de ellos tan parecidos, que no logras recordarlos a todos y a veces reaparecen en la narración provocándote la sensación de que te has saltado algo. Y es una pena, porque algunos secundarios (especialmente los que no son Stormcasts) están bastante bien diferenciados, y los protas que son Stormcasts son muy reconocibles entre sus compañeros.
Finaliza aquí, por ahora, mis lecturas de Josh Reynolds, aunque no serán las últimas mucho me temo, pues ha conseguido atraer mi atención con las revelaciones finales y su sabio uso de la humanidad en los Stormcasts. Pero, hasta que llegue el momento de seguir con este autor, creo que dedicaré mis esfuerzos a otras sagas de fantasía, y (dentro de la prosa de GW) a David Guymer, que le tengo que coger un mordisco a su novela de elfos merluza y a la de los guerreros de calcio.
Nos vemos en otra review, chavalada, y recordad: "son las pequeñas cosas las que hacen la vida" y "una patata es una patata, haga el tiempo que haga".
Intentaré evitar los spoilers, aviso, pero reconozco que me costará horrores. Es grande el clímax de esta novela. Más de lo que habría esperado. Y más, considerando que el clímax estaba un poco... ¿vendido? No importa, no quiero hablar de eso.
De lo que quiero hablar es de como esta novela supera, sin lugar a dudas, mi anterior intento de meterme en la novelesca de la Edad de Sigmar, que fue el Jardín de Nurgle. Josh Reynolds, tal y como aparece en el pequeño fragmento al final de esta novela, es el autor de Fulgrim: the Palatine Phoenix, todo un clásico. Pero en el Jardín de Nurgle, ya fuera por el material, o por las presiones de la empresa, no brillaba en absoluto. Bolter porn en exceso, un clímax demasiado "over the top" y la sensación constante de que se te olvidaba que un secundario existía, de parecidos que son todos entre sí. Soul Wars viene a superar todos esos problemas, o si no todos, una gran parte de ellos.
¿Qué hace fuerte a esta obra por encima de la que leí antes? Que es todo mucho más humano. Glymmsforge (Forjaglymm en la traducción oficial española) es una ciudad humana, y se siente como tal: barrios bajos, gente con preocupaciones normales, que ven la guerra entre dioses como Sigmar o Nagash como los figurantes de una peli de Marvel verían las guerras de los superhéroes: desde abajo y con dudas. Y es que, de hecho, esta novela se hace muy afín a una peli del MCU o un capítulo de The Mandalorian: un poco de humor brutote, un poco de sentimiento básico, unos cuantas peleas bien ejecutadas y un clímax de gritar "SSIIIIII" y "NOOOOO" a lo largo de todo su desarrollo. Y revelaciones espectaculares al final, para que te hagas teorías con la siguiente peli.
Pero, me desvío. Lo importante aquí es la humanidad: vemos a los Stormcasts, los ángeles de Sigmar, hablando de cosas tan inconsistentes como patatas y manzanas, o intentando comprender la vida mortal. Y vemos a los habitantes de las ciudades de Sigmar hablando de evadir impuestos o querer escribir novelas que se recuerden. O de alcohol y comida. Dioses, ¿alguna vez te ha dado hambre una novela de Warhammer?
Por supuesto, los protas son muy, muy predecibles y tópicos, pero lo bueno es que los tópicos estaban relativamente bien escogidos. Además, como en una buena producción Disney, empiezan de un modo y acaban de otro, al aprender unos de otros. No son santos aquiescentes: algunos Stormcasts como Balthas son directamente insoportables, y otros que son más santurrones como Calys o Pharus Thaum, acaban sufriendo cambios o directamente viendo todos sus ideales hechos caquita.
No esperes tampoco, bua, una revelación espectacular, si acaso entretenimiento. Esto, como el MCU o The Mandalorian, o como todas las otras novelas de GW, sigue siendo merchandising. Y funciona como tal. Pero eh, la gente disfruta con el merchandising, y yo he disfrutado con este merchandising. Bastante más que con el anterior, de hecho.
Así pues, cuatro estrellas: la de protas, la de worldbuilding, la de narrativa de entorno y la de sensaciones especiales. Si le quito una estrella es porque quiero ser objetivo y serio, o desearía serlo al menos, y es que esta novela sigue sin corregir un problema de la anterior: llega un momento en el que hay tantos secundarios con nombres acabados en "-us", y muchos de ellos tan parecidos, que no logras recordarlos a todos y a veces reaparecen en la narración provocándote la sensación de que te has saltado algo. Y es una pena, porque algunos secundarios (especialmente los que no son Stormcasts) están bastante bien diferenciados, y los protas que son Stormcasts son muy reconocibles entre sus compañeros.
Finaliza aquí, por ahora, mis lecturas de Josh Reynolds, aunque no serán las últimas mucho me temo, pues ha conseguido atraer mi atención con las revelaciones finales y su sabio uso de la humanidad en los Stormcasts. Pero, hasta que llegue el momento de seguir con este autor, creo que dedicaré mis esfuerzos a otras sagas de fantasía, y (dentro de la prosa de GW) a David Guymer, que le tengo que coger un mordisco a su novela de elfos merluza y a la de los guerreros de calcio.
Nos vemos en otra review, chavalada, y recordad: "son las pequeñas cosas las que hacen la vida" y "una patata es una patata, haga el tiempo que haga".
May 21, 2023
Un libro che pur avemdo una trama interessante non mi ha convinto.
Trovo gli stormcast sempre tutti uguali e terribilmente piatti, non riuscendo quasi a distinguerli durante la lettura, idem l ambientazione, rispetto al vecchio mondo questo mi sembra un high fantasy come ce ne sono tanti. Ma ammetto che le macchinazioni di Arkham il nero e il personaggio di Balthas mi sono piaciuti, per questo lascio 3 stelle invece di 2.
Trovo gli stormcast sempre tutti uguali e terribilmente piatti, non riuscendo quasi a distinguerli durante la lettura, idem l ambientazione, rispetto al vecchio mondo questo mi sembra un high fantasy come ce ne sono tanti. Ma ammetto che le macchinazioni di Arkham il nero e il personaggio di Balthas mi sono piaciuti, per questo lascio 3 stelle invece di 2.
June 8, 2019
DNF 15%
the book i suppose would have been more interesting and cool if i had been invested in warhammer and it's game. But sadly i am not, and thus the book did not appeal to me at all. I was confused and bored, even that i tried to invest in the character. That said, i liked the writing and how it was put up, i just had problems invest with the characters.
the book i suppose would have been more interesting and cool if i had been invested in warhammer and it's game. But sadly i am not, and thus the book did not appeal to me at all. I was confused and bored, even that i tried to invest in the character. That said, i liked the writing and how it was put up, i just had problems invest with the characters.
July 27, 2020
Great worldbuilding and great characters. I might actually prefer AoS to Warhammer Fantasy or 40K.
December 5, 2023
Exciting setting and theme but I think it didn’t live up to its potential. I would have wished for the story to have better pacing.
October 30, 2020
My first forray into Age of Sigmar and I have to say - it was pretty good, though I found the same metaphors used over and over again very grating. Still, a decent introduction to WH Fantasy.
January 22, 2022
Amazing book and a great introduction to a war between light and dark, armies of heaven and hordes of death, Sigmar and Nagash.
October 28, 2024
Es leible y hay partes que no estan mal! Si eres fan le pondrás un 4 y si pasabas por aquí le pondras un 2!
June 3, 2020
The Age of Sigmar is Games Workshop’s successor to Warhammer Fantasy, and I know close to nothing about either. My experience with Warhammer Fantasy is the few hours I’ve spent playing Total War Warhammer and so far with Age of Sigmar, I’ve built some of the models and organised the folder that comes with a Mortal Realms subscription. However, as more cool models arrive in the post, I want to understand who these little ghosts and knights are and why they are so darn angry with each other. This is where the novel Soul Wars by Josh Reynolds comes it as it centres around the conflict of the Nighthaunts and Stormcast Eternals. As somebody who almost zero context and understanding of this expansive, complex Universe I found it to be a great place to start. Let’s take a look at why.
Admittedly one of the main reasons I found Soul Wars such a great start is that the two factions you get from the Mortal Realms subscription are Nighthaunts and Stormcast Eternals. If you decide to start your Age of Sigmar adventure elsewhere, then you might not get the same level of enjoyment from the book. However, with that said this is still an enjoyable story that delves into the lore and setting of the Age of Sigmar. So even if you collect Skaven or Seraphon, you will still get a certain amount of understanding and context to the Universe.
But what is Soul Wars about? It is pretty much exactly as it sounds, as it revolves around the war between Nagash, the Lord of Death and Sigmar, the God-King, as they fight for control over a tomb of souls. Each wants them for their own purposes and amongst this, we spend a lot of time with various Stormcast and servants fo Nagash including Nighthaunts and other undead.
For the full review please visit Bits & Pieces - https://bitsandpieces.games/2020/06/0...
Admittedly one of the main reasons I found Soul Wars such a great start is that the two factions you get from the Mortal Realms subscription are Nighthaunts and Stormcast Eternals. If you decide to start your Age of Sigmar adventure elsewhere, then you might not get the same level of enjoyment from the book. However, with that said this is still an enjoyable story that delves into the lore and setting of the Age of Sigmar. So even if you collect Skaven or Seraphon, you will still get a certain amount of understanding and context to the Universe.
But what is Soul Wars about? It is pretty much exactly as it sounds, as it revolves around the war between Nagash, the Lord of Death and Sigmar, the God-King, as they fight for control over a tomb of souls. Each wants them for their own purposes and amongst this, we spend a lot of time with various Stormcast and servants fo Nagash including Nighthaunts and other undead.
For the full review please visit Bits & Pieces - https://bitsandpieces.games/2020/06/0...
April 20, 2019
Tomes from the Black Library are probably best enjoyed when you’re actually part of the world of Warhammer i.e. you’re a table top gamer. There’s something about taking part in the narrative play and painting the miniatures that brings you close to the characters and the world (or in this case realms) they live in. That’s not to say this book can’t be appreciated without playing Age of Sigmar, but it certainly helps. As to the story; well, I’d say it was pretty good. Some reviewers have commented that it seems to consist of many dramatic characters and demi-gods making grand, doom-filled speeches, and this is true. But if you’re Nagash, Lord of the Undead, used to whiling your time for centuries regenerating your body and inner energy, then what else have you got left to do? Andrew Wincott’s narration is superb in this respect, and his narration of the different Nighthaunt characters is immensely entertaining. Who knew there were so many ways to speak in the voices of the undead? In places the story is a bit repetitive. I lost count of the number of times that someone said ‘... all are one in Nagash’. There’s also no trace of romance or development of ‘relationships’ if you”re looking for those elements. This is probably the ethos of Warhammer, and aficionados won’t miss this, but it does tend to make you not care as much for the characters if you don’t think they have much to lose. It also doesn’t help knowing that you can always be reforged by Sigmar or recast by Nagash if you happen to fall by the Lord Executioner’s axe or mashed by a stormsmite maul. But overall I enjoyed this story and it will certainly colour my perceptions when launching my Nighthaunts in future battles!
Read
April 18, 2021Remember, I write the following as a fan of the universe on offer here. I don't think there's anything wrong with or lesser-than about shared universes, even when they exist primarily as marketing tools for games. Games are possibility spaces just like good stories are. Anyway--
This has all the ingredients for quite a dish (if you're the sort who are the fan of the universe Games Workshop has built here), but like the other novel I've read by this author, it comes out a soggy dud.
Like most game-related fiction, what's cool about this story is all in the broad strokes -- showing you how elements of this universe that you are a fan of (if you're not a fan, no need to apply) works and raising questions that can be endlessly quibbled about and picked apart on the internet or at the game store. You know, it's the kind of popular fiction that brings people together, like Marvel movies.
Unfortunately, that's really all on offer here. In order to keep up on "the lore", I'd have preferred to listen to a synopsis of this. The problem is that Mr. Reynolds has some potentially compelling characters, but he doesn't seem to know what to make of them or what to do with them, other than to have them march toward plot points and ring them like a bell with their swords. The book involves a conflict between a God of Order and a God of Death. One of the main characters served the God of Order, but when he died the God of Death was able to get hold of his soul. Reynolds takes us through a number of scenes where the character seems to be undergoing some sort of trial, some crisis of faith, whereby the God of Death tempts him to see things from his perspective, and to see the God of Order as a liar. Essentially, tempting this character into his service.
But...it never really happens. There's no epiphany, there's no moment where the character changes, he's just the servant of God A in one scene and the servant of God B in the next. I imagine Mr. Reynolds couldn't create a conflict here because there are no stakes for the character--we don't really know who he is or why he serves either God. He just does, and then he doesn't, and then he smashes his sword into someone. All the main characters are like this. The stakes simply are not properly set up.
Even the main set-piece battle (this is a Warhammer novel, remember) is like this. There's a crypt of 10,000 souls that God of Order owns and God of Death wants. But we're never given any indication of what's at stake should God of Death, as he begins assaulting it, win. Since I'd set the book aside for nearly a week after reading about half of it (never a good sign), I thought maybe I'd forgotten. But no, just as the battle is getting underway, we are reminded what's at stake here, what all the conflicts in the book have been escalating to:
Might...ONE DAY? Then why is this conflict happening here, now?
Unfortunately, this book reads exactly like what it is--pulp without any verve or soul.
3S
This has all the ingredients for quite a dish (if you're the sort who are the fan of the universe Games Workshop has built here), but like the other novel I've read by this author, it comes out a soggy dud.
Like most game-related fiction, what's cool about this story is all in the broad strokes -- showing you how elements of this universe that you are a fan of (if you're not a fan, no need to apply) works and raising questions that can be endlessly quibbled about and picked apart on the internet or at the game store. You know, it's the kind of popular fiction that brings people together, like Marvel movies.
Unfortunately, that's really all on offer here. In order to keep up on "the lore", I'd have preferred to listen to a synopsis of this. The problem is that Mr. Reynolds has some potentially compelling characters, but he doesn't seem to know what to make of them or what to do with them, other than to have them march toward plot points and ring them like a bell with their swords. The book involves a conflict between a God of Order and a God of Death. One of the main characters served the God of Order, but when he died the God of Death was able to get hold of his soul. Reynolds takes us through a number of scenes where the character seems to be undergoing some sort of trial, some crisis of faith, whereby the God of Death tempts him to see things from his perspective, and to see the God of Order as a liar. Essentially, tempting this character into his service.
But...it never really happens. There's no epiphany, there's no moment where the character changes, he's just the servant of God A in one scene and the servant of God B in the next. I imagine Mr. Reynolds couldn't create a conflict here because there are no stakes for the character--we don't really know who he is or why he serves either God. He just does, and then he doesn't, and then he smashes his sword into someone. All the main characters are like this. The stakes simply are not properly set up.
Even the main set-piece battle (this is a Warhammer novel, remember) is like this. There's a crypt of 10,000 souls that God of Order owns and God of Death wants. But we're never given any indication of what's at stake should God of Death, as he begins assaulting it, win. Since I'd set the book aside for nearly a week after reading about half of it (never a good sign), I thought maybe I'd forgotten. But no, just as the battle is getting underway, we are reminded what's at stake here, what all the conflicts in the book have been escalating to:
Ten thousand dead are interred in this well of souls. Ten thousand warriors who might one day serve to turn the tide of the war we wage.
Might...ONE DAY? Then why is this conflict happening here, now?
Unfortunately, this book reads exactly like what it is--pulp without any verve or soul.
3S
January 9, 2026
My second Joshua Reynolds joint, and first Age of Sigmar book. I was told this is a core book to read to understand two of the major factions, as well as being a good book in general. I agree with one of those two statements.
Nagash, lord of the dead, does a "Necroquake" (funny word) that basically means that the immortal Stormcasts, the good guys, can't get resurrected reliably and instead get sucked down to Nagash. This is no bueno for Sigmar and his Stormfolk, so they send Balthasar Gelt from Old World (yes, it's him, in Stormcast form) to the Crypt of Ten Thousand Tombs, basically a treasure trove for Nagash's necromancers. Why he couldn't have gotten this before the Necroquake (or what exactly the necroquake is or why he needs it) isn't really explained here, just that it makes dead stuff show up.
On the side a Stormcast called Pharris, who is killed and doesn't get to go to Stormcast Valhalla (Or Sig-halla) instead gets sucked to Nagash's house and turned into an undead knight. A very "Paladin turns dark knight" thing aka literally every Blizzard game plot arch since they can't think of different ones (Arthas, etc).
For lore, there's a lot here and it's helpful to set the stage for the Stormcasts, the realms of death, and how that all kind of ties together. Also Reynolds gets to write all the same death related folk like Archan the Black from his End Times books again which is neat. Also Reynolds, in terms of prose, is decent in this one, and overall I think in all his books he has excellent descriptions.
Sadly, the book has two big flaws.
The first is "space marine syndrome" which is an issue where Stormcasts have to be stoic and cool, which makes all of them extremely boring. There's exactly one interesting Stormcast, a weird poet guy, and he's only in like 1% of the book. The rest are brooding, duty-bound, built for war, etc. and incredibly boring. Even Gelt, who is all of those traits just extra cynical.
The second is the pacing is atrocious, which might just be Reynolds. From a high level the book's structure is completely fine: plot points lead into each other at a decent clip, with breaks in between high octane scenes. But within those scenes it's an absolute slog. Repeating information over and over, characters talking about nothing that matters to move the plot, and just general stalling. I'm convinced these Black Library books are paid by the word, or at least have a minimum word count requirement, because if you cut this book by 30% it's pace would be brisker and the book would be much more exciting and considerably better.
It got so bad I almost didn't finish it, and had to resort to throwing the audiobook to 2x speed (I usually don't dare go past 1.5x) so I'd actually get through it, and even then I was zoning out near the end.
So if you like AoS I'd say it's maybe worth reading, but as a whole this isn't a strong intro to the universe for me. Here's hoping other books can actually make the Stormcast's interesting.
Nagash, lord of the dead, does a "Necroquake" (funny word) that basically means that the immortal Stormcasts, the good guys, can't get resurrected reliably and instead get sucked down to Nagash. This is no bueno for Sigmar and his Stormfolk, so they send Balthasar Gelt from Old World (yes, it's him, in Stormcast form) to the Crypt of Ten Thousand Tombs, basically a treasure trove for Nagash's necromancers. Why he couldn't have gotten this before the Necroquake (or what exactly the necroquake is or why he needs it) isn't really explained here, just that it makes dead stuff show up.
On the side a Stormcast called Pharris, who is killed and doesn't get to go to Stormcast Valhalla (Or Sig-halla) instead gets sucked to Nagash's house and turned into an undead knight. A very "Paladin turns dark knight" thing aka literally every Blizzard game plot arch since they can't think of different ones (Arthas, etc).
For lore, there's a lot here and it's helpful to set the stage for the Stormcasts, the realms of death, and how that all kind of ties together. Also Reynolds gets to write all the same death related folk like Archan the Black from his End Times books again which is neat. Also Reynolds, in terms of prose, is decent in this one, and overall I think in all his books he has excellent descriptions.
Sadly, the book has two big flaws.
The first is "space marine syndrome" which is an issue where Stormcasts have to be stoic and cool, which makes all of them extremely boring. There's exactly one interesting Stormcast, a weird poet guy, and he's only in like 1% of the book. The rest are brooding, duty-bound, built for war, etc. and incredibly boring. Even Gelt, who is all of those traits just extra cynical.
The second is the pacing is atrocious, which might just be Reynolds. From a high level the book's structure is completely fine: plot points lead into each other at a decent clip, with breaks in between high octane scenes. But within those scenes it's an absolute slog. Repeating information over and over, characters talking about nothing that matters to move the plot, and just general stalling. I'm convinced these Black Library books are paid by the word, or at least have a minimum word count requirement, because if you cut this book by 30% it's pace would be brisker and the book would be much more exciting and considerably better.
It got so bad I almost didn't finish it, and had to resort to throwing the audiobook to 2x speed (I usually don't dare go past 1.5x) so I'd actually get through it, and even then I was zoning out near the end.
So if you like AoS I'd say it's maybe worth reading, but as a whole this isn't a strong intro to the universe for me. Here's hoping other books can actually make the Stormcast's interesting.
February 22, 2020
Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Undying King, Nagash, has decided it’s time to move on Glymmsforge, and calls up his fiercest subjects to deliver him his prize. This move disorders everything, but most especially the guardian of the Ten Thousand Tombs, Lord-Castellant Phraus Thaum. As the threat evolves, the Anvils of Heldenhammer and ancient Stormcast Eternals are dispatched to protect Glymmsforge and the mortals within.
I went into this book not knowing too terribly much about the Age of Sigmar, but extremely eager to learn more. This was a wonderful book to introduce concepts of this side of the Warhammer coin, in my opinion. The characters are clear and well-introduced, the threats and the stakes are delineated clearly. I greatly enjoyed Reynolds’ descriptions of not only the various battles, but also of the individual characters who interacted throughout the story. The battles themselves were clear, as brutal as a Warhammer reader could wish, but not overwhelming or so drawn out that I became bored. I loved the various descriptions of the characters and factions, and how the author managed to keep the participants in the story separate and distinct. The conflict fit neatly into the book with a definite beginning and end, though it’s titled ‘Age of Sigmar, book1’, so I can’t help but hope that it’s only the first of a series of some sort that I can look forward to continuing, but even if it’s not, this book had enough about various characters that I definitely want to read up more on. I’m not sure how, but Warhammer fiction is addictive, and Soul Wars is a great story to keep you wanting to read more!
The Undying King, Nagash, has decided it’s time to move on Glymmsforge, and calls up his fiercest subjects to deliver him his prize. This move disorders everything, but most especially the guardian of the Ten Thousand Tombs, Lord-Castellant Phraus Thaum. As the threat evolves, the Anvils of Heldenhammer and ancient Stormcast Eternals are dispatched to protect Glymmsforge and the mortals within.
I went into this book not knowing too terribly much about the Age of Sigmar, but extremely eager to learn more. This was a wonderful book to introduce concepts of this side of the Warhammer coin, in my opinion. The characters are clear and well-introduced, the threats and the stakes are delineated clearly. I greatly enjoyed Reynolds’ descriptions of not only the various battles, but also of the individual characters who interacted throughout the story. The battles themselves were clear, as brutal as a Warhammer reader could wish, but not overwhelming or so drawn out that I became bored. I loved the various descriptions of the characters and factions, and how the author managed to keep the participants in the story separate and distinct. The conflict fit neatly into the book with a definite beginning and end, though it’s titled ‘Age of Sigmar, book1’, so I can’t help but hope that it’s only the first of a series of some sort that I can look forward to continuing, but even if it’s not, this book had enough about various characters that I definitely want to read up more on. I’m not sure how, but Warhammer fiction is addictive, and Soul Wars is a great story to keep you wanting to read more!
January 17, 2023
Probably closer to 3.5 - 3.75 stars.
Josh Reynolds knows how to paint a scene, how to incite dread. He makes you care about the characters, and really takes you into a character's psyche. There were a few characters in this book I absolutely loved. Elya, Calys, Grip especially. In some regards, Pharus as well. The duplicity in his character was a really interesting insight.
I think writing from both Sigmar & Nagash's sides was both a good and a bad thing. Good, because it was really interesting to see the cause and effect, action and the response. The lines of thought and reasoning in both. But it also led to me not really being as engaged and caring as much as I could have been, had we had all of this from either Stormcast/order or Nighthaunt point of view.
But I couldn't shake the feeling throughout the whole book, like I was missing something. Like there was backstory and lore that I was supposed to already know but didn't. At times, there were too many characters introduced, too many small storylines. These storylines didn't always feel like they fulfilled a purpose and often were too short or small. By the time I'd gotten a clear view of what and who the characters were, they disappeared from existence.
Spoilers/discussion of the ending of the book:
Overall - not my favorites of Joshua Reynolds', but very well worth a read.
Josh Reynolds knows how to paint a scene, how to incite dread. He makes you care about the characters, and really takes you into a character's psyche. There were a few characters in this book I absolutely loved. Elya, Calys, Grip especially. In some regards, Pharus as well. The duplicity in his character was a really interesting insight.
I think writing from both Sigmar & Nagash's sides was both a good and a bad thing. Good, because it was really interesting to see the cause and effect, action and the response. The lines of thought and reasoning in both. But it also led to me not really being as engaged and caring as much as I could have been, had we had all of this from either Stormcast/order or Nighthaunt point of view.
But I couldn't shake the feeling throughout the whole book, like I was missing something. Like there was backstory and lore that I was supposed to already know but didn't. At times, there were too many characters introduced, too many small storylines. These storylines didn't always feel like they fulfilled a purpose and often were too short or small. By the time I'd gotten a clear view of what and who the characters were, they disappeared from existence.
Spoilers/discussion of the ending of the book:
Overall - not my favorites of Joshua Reynolds', but very well worth a read.
November 27, 2025
Took far, far too long to even introduce a plot, then took far, far too long to progress said plot.
It's main hook is the one of the characters being turned from loyal to the nice god to loyal to the God of Death. There are a lot of pages purporting to be a philosophical battle, but it doesn't actually mean anything, because the God of Death magic-drugged him to think exactly what the God of Death wanted. When Horus turns to the side of Chaos in the Horus Heresy, and likely elsewhere in similar GW situations, he is actually convinced through argument: there is a way you can appeciate a certain logic to it. Here you have to read page after page of what amounts to fairly meaningless ramblings (given that the guy has no choice in the matter).
There is also far, far too much description of every single detail of every single place in every single scene.
It didn't make much sense to make the Macguffin a troop of 10 000 warriors, even elite ones, given that the numbers involved in freeing them were much higher. If it was 100 000 or something, it might have justified better the obviously intended scale of the event.
There was so much wittering and description, it even overwhelmed the rare times when actual battles happened. This is Warhammer, for fuck's sake: if I have to sit through this much filler, at least gimme some dramatic battle porn.
The concepts and characters worked well enough, although if I have to hear 'All is Nagash, and all are one in Nagash' again, then I will cut myself.
It's main hook is the one of the characters being turned from loyal to the nice god to loyal to the God of Death. There are a lot of pages purporting to be a philosophical battle, but it doesn't actually mean anything, because the God of Death magic-drugged him to think exactly what the God of Death wanted. When Horus turns to the side of Chaos in the Horus Heresy, and likely elsewhere in similar GW situations, he is actually convinced through argument: there is a way you can appeciate a certain logic to it. Here you have to read page after page of what amounts to fairly meaningless ramblings (given that the guy has no choice in the matter).
There is also far, far too much description of every single detail of every single place in every single scene.
It didn't make much sense to make the Macguffin a troop of 10 000 warriors, even elite ones, given that the numbers involved in freeing them were much higher. If it was 100 000 or something, it might have justified better the obviously intended scale of the event.
There was so much wittering and description, it even overwhelmed the rare times when actual battles happened. This is Warhammer, for fuck's sake: if I have to sit through this much filler, at least gimme some dramatic battle porn.
The concepts and characters worked well enough, although if I have to hear 'All is Nagash, and all are one in Nagash' again, then I will cut myself.
March 28, 2024
This is one of the cases where I want to like a book more than I did at the end. This was my first Age of Sigmar book and in many ways, it was pretty good. I'm intrigued by the setting, I immediately liked the Stormcast much more than I like the 40k Space Marines and the characters while not super deep are interesting enough to keep me invested.
But then the plot is just _super_ "on rails". Like, if after 5-6 chapters you had me write up a synopsis of where I think this was heading, I'd have been spot on. And not just in a general sense, there is very, very little that happens beyond the very obvious. For the last third or so of the book, I started skip-reading many scenes since they just felt like plodding through stuff we already knew would happen, waiting for a twist or surprise that just never comes. Even the one thing that arguably could qualify as a surprise is telegraphed pretty much from the beginning of the book.
So in the end, it's not an awful read, if you're interested in the Stormcast or Nagash's forces, there is some fun to be had here, and the overall plot is appropriately epic and it has the pathos to boot, there just needed to be more to make this into a great book.
But then the plot is just _super_ "on rails". Like, if after 5-6 chapters you had me write up a synopsis of where I think this was heading, I'd have been spot on. And not just in a general sense, there is very, very little that happens beyond the very obvious. For the last third or so of the book, I started skip-reading many scenes since they just felt like plodding through stuff we already knew would happen, waiting for a twist or surprise that just never comes. Even the one thing that arguably could qualify as a surprise is telegraphed pretty much from the beginning of the book.
So in the end, it's not an awful read, if you're interested in the Stormcast or Nagash's forces, there is some fun to be had here, and the overall plot is appropriately epic and it has the pathos to boot, there just needed to be more to make this into a great book.
November 25, 2019
As is to be expected with anything written by Josh Reynolds, this was a beautifully written book. The descriptions are superb, the world building is fantastic, and the action is excellent.
So then, why three stars?
Because, not much happens overall. While there are a few truly excellent scenes that are epic and fascinating, such as the necroquake, or the damage done to the Forges of Azyr, in truth, there is very little that actually happens in this novel.
Mostly, I lay the blame not on Josh, who is one oft he very best in Black Library's stable, and a great genre writer period, but rather the Age of Sigmar setting.
It is simply too bare of flesh on the bones. It is, still, mostly a skeletal framework which lacks a deep, historic lore and a feeling of place. A place that the reader can identify with, and feel devoted to. If said place is threatened, like the Empire in the Old World, it creates a bond between reader and writer that, sadly, AoS still lacks.
This novel, while giving some detail on the Death faction, of Nagash's plans and grand strategic vision, and of Shyish in general, it doesn't really do anything else.
While well written, it was sadly a bit forgettable.
So then, why three stars?
Because, not much happens overall. While there are a few truly excellent scenes that are epic and fascinating, such as the necroquake, or the damage done to the Forges of Azyr, in truth, there is very little that actually happens in this novel.
Mostly, I lay the blame not on Josh, who is one oft he very best in Black Library's stable, and a great genre writer period, but rather the Age of Sigmar setting.
It is simply too bare of flesh on the bones. It is, still, mostly a skeletal framework which lacks a deep, historic lore and a feeling of place. A place that the reader can identify with, and feel devoted to. If said place is threatened, like the Empire in the Old World, it creates a bond between reader and writer that, sadly, AoS still lacks.
This novel, while giving some detail on the Death faction, of Nagash's plans and grand strategic vision, and of Shyish in general, it doesn't really do anything else.
While well written, it was sadly a bit forgettable.
March 5, 2019
This is the first Age of Sigmar book I've read and it was a very enjoyable experience. From the start we are embroiled in the affairs of Nagash and Sigmar, even coming almost face to face with the Ruinous powers at one point. From this grand scale, the crux of the story hinges on a very human story which manages to humanise both the Stormcast Eternals and Deathlords and connect both to the mortals caught between them which is impressive and sorely needed as the new setting finds its feet.
My only complaint is that the final battle scene is a bit lengthy and confusing and the ultimate confrontation has a little too much Nagash & Sigmar involved, rather than letting the mortals resolve the conflict on their own merits.
Reynolds really likes the words 'cerulean' and 'tatterdemalion' but I can hardly blame him for that. They are very nice words.
All in all this is a compelling book, very much one for fans of Games Workshop's IP but it has considerably increased my interest in the Age of Sigmar setting.
My only complaint is that the final battle scene is a bit lengthy and confusing and the ultimate confrontation has a little too much Nagash & Sigmar involved, rather than letting the mortals resolve the conflict on their own merits.
Reynolds really likes the words 'cerulean' and 'tatterdemalion' but I can hardly blame him for that. They are very nice words.
All in all this is a compelling book, very much one for fans of Games Workshop's IP but it has considerably increased my interest in the Age of Sigmar setting.
June 26, 2019
I love Warhammer novels so much, and really need to read more. So, despite taking too long to get around to reading it, I was so happy when I got this ARC. I wasn't sure what to expect with this one, since I wasn't really following anything else Warhammer related, but I was super happy reading this novel, pretty much from page 1.
The story moves through the domains of two warring gods, and a story unfolds following individuals from both sides. Between Sigmar's Stormcast Eternals - huge warriors whose souls are reforged when defeated in battle - and Nagash's undead advisors, the fate of pretty much everything is well outside the control of mortals.
I was worried at first that the writing would obstruct some of the greater story elements, but was happily mistaken. It doesn't move too quickly, and the rich description doesn't create awkward stops along the way. The motion of the story is carried by a number of characters who come to the fore as needed, focusing on a handful of Sigmar's warriors.
The story moves through the domains of two warring gods, and a story unfolds following individuals from both sides. Between Sigmar's Stormcast Eternals - huge warriors whose souls are reforged when defeated in battle - and Nagash's undead advisors, the fate of pretty much everything is well outside the control of mortals.
I was worried at first that the writing would obstruct some of the greater story elements, but was happily mistaken. It doesn't move too quickly, and the rich description doesn't create awkward stops along the way. The motion of the story is carried by a number of characters who come to the fore as needed, focusing on a handful of Sigmar's warriors.
January 8, 2025
A great story that sets the tone for what to expect in the Age of Sigmar.
I am new to Age of Sigmar and used to think of Stormcast Eternals as the Ultramarines of AoS, but the author showed me that they have much more depth than I originally thought.
The novel shows the conflict between Sigmar and Nagash, and I saw myself rooting for both sides at various points of the story. This pleasantly surprised me, as I thought it was going to be a story just focusing on the Stormcast as protagonists.
The hardest part for me was trying to keep track of so many named characters, and visualizing what they looked like. Sometimes I’d google a specific unit name (like Sequitors) and look at the minis if I struggled to picture anything other than a gold-plated Stormcast. Though, this isn’t a negative for me, as this was my first foray into anything Age of Sigmar related.
Thoroughly enjoyed the book and recommend to anyone looking to dip their toes into the Age of Sigmar IP.
I am new to Age of Sigmar and used to think of Stormcast Eternals as the Ultramarines of AoS, but the author showed me that they have much more depth than I originally thought.
The novel shows the conflict between Sigmar and Nagash, and I saw myself rooting for both sides at various points of the story. This pleasantly surprised me, as I thought it was going to be a story just focusing on the Stormcast as protagonists.
The hardest part for me was trying to keep track of so many named characters, and visualizing what they looked like. Sometimes I’d google a specific unit name (like Sequitors) and look at the minis if I struggled to picture anything other than a gold-plated Stormcast. Though, this isn’t a negative for me, as this was my first foray into anything Age of Sigmar related.
Thoroughly enjoyed the book and recommend to anyone looking to dip their toes into the Age of Sigmar IP.
August 30, 2018
Soul Wars sums up what Age if Sigmar has become.
When the games first came out, the accompanying novella was good but so much was unknown about the new background the the book felt like it was missing something.
Reynolds presents what the background has become brilliantly. He brings us a story which makes Age of Sigmar feel like Warhammer.
The story itself is well crafted and populated with characters I would love to see more of. I particularly love Balthas as, without giving too much away, he’s not the the typical heroic leader type you expect from a Stormcast Eternal.
I highly recommend Soul Wars as a brilliant introduction to Warhammer Age of Sigmar and as a generally good fantasy novel.
When the games first came out, the accompanying novella was good but so much was unknown about the new background the the book felt like it was missing something.
Reynolds presents what the background has become brilliantly. He brings us a story which makes Age of Sigmar feel like Warhammer.
The story itself is well crafted and populated with characters I would love to see more of. I particularly love Balthas as, without giving too much away, he’s not the the typical heroic leader type you expect from a Stormcast Eternal.
I highly recommend Soul Wars as a brilliant introduction to Warhammer Age of Sigmar and as a generally good fantasy novel.
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