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Warhammer Age of Sigmar
Gloomspite
A Warhammer Age of Sigmar novel
The Bad Moon looms over the city of Dracothium, and Watch Captain Helena Morthan knows it bodes ill for the town. Can she and grieving warrior Hendrick Saul defeat the plans of the Gloomspite Loonking and save their people?
READ IT BECAUSE
Andy Clark tells a twisted and disturbing tale of the grots of the Mortal Realms, delving into darkness in more ways than one. Strap in – this is going to be a wild ride…
THE STORY
In the dark corners of the Mortal Realms, the mysterious Gloomspite Gitz go to war, following the trail of their abominable deity. Nowhere is beyond the sight of the Bad Moon, not even those places under Sigmar’s protection, like the city of Draconium, sweltering beneath the scalding rain of Aqshy. In this boiling pot of tension, the regent prays to Sigmar for guidance while Captain Helena Morthan puts out fires: blades drawn in the streets, heretical doomsayers preaching the end of days, and insects eating watchmen alive.
When the grieving warrior Hendrick and his warband arrive at the gates with a prophetic warning, Captain Morthan sees a way to save her people. But with Skragrott the Loonking plotting underneath Draconium, and the Bad Moon looming in the sky above, will there be a city left to save?
Kindle Edition
First published June 29, 2019
69 people are currently reading
525 people want to read
About the author
Andy Clark
47 books50 followersAndy Clark is a background writer for Games Workshop.
Librarian note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Andy^^^^^Clark
Librarian note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Andy^^^^^Clark
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 103 reviews
May 22, 2024
Ever read a paragraph and feel the need to take a long hot shower that you know will never get you truly clean again? Do you find yourself yearining for a read that’ll have you putting down your cuppa as your lip curls like a worm trapped on a hook after devouring a passage? Do you crave books that give your stomach the good old fashioned That-Kebab-Was-A-Mistake churn? Then look no further than Gloomspite.
Oh it’s also a damn good story to boot.
The nursery rhymes which open each act set the tone for the story. They are outright creepy. Deliciously creepy in fact. So much so it’ll have your hairs will plucking themselves from your skin and sprouting legs as they make a skittering bid for freedom.
In Gloomspite a band of mercantile adventurers from across the breadth of Age of Sigmar factions receive an ill portent about the city of Draconium and set off to warn them. Going any deeper would soil the fun of discovery but I will say this; the eclectic cast of characters each has a distinctive voice and feel. It’s a joy to sit and watch them interact. Two of their number in particular deserve mention all of their own. Bartiman takes the idea of an old, hangdog mercenary and turns it up to 11 while Eleanora… Eleanora is just a masterpiece of character building. By the second chapter I found myself caring more about her than any character in a book I’ve read in 2019. Granted some characters don’t get quite enough time to shine in my opinion, but that doesn’t stop time spent with them being satisfying.
As the tale goes on and things - unsurprisingly - go sour. Horrifying events start slowly and rack up and up until sheer nightmare-fuel runs rampant on the page. Body horror meets disaster movie meets psychological and purely revolted dread throughout most of the book.
Are you a fan of porridge? Maybe eat your last bowl now before reading Chapter 8. Trust me.
It’s not just the spectacle of what goes on either. Somehow, author Andy Clark manages to whip up an alchemical broth of adjectives and verbs which leave you feeling the skitter of insects at your back and reel from the stench of what befalls Draconium. Treat Gloomspite like a trip to the pool; don’t eat an hour before diving into the heaving pool. I made the mistake of reading a particularly sickening chapter while making a lasagne.
Suffice to say it went straight in the freezer. Still haven’t gone back to eat it either.
Somehow Andy also manages to balance the here-and-now threats facing characters while giving more than enough space for the events befalling wider Draconium in a single book.
Taking all of these elements and boiling them in a soup of Age of Sigmar’s property Andy has created a book which stands entirely on its own - a tome deserving of a plinth in the Black Library grown from suppurating fungi made for Gloomspite and Gloomspite
I’ve been a fan of WHFB and Age of Sigmar for what must be approaching two and a half decades now. Guy Haley’s Skarsnik book stood for me as the epitome of Goblin writing in the World-That-Was.
What Gloomspite does is captures the very essence of the Gloomspite Gitz in Age of Sigmar.
Many books in the genre revel in making characters larger than life. So large in fact that relating to them is only possible for those of us deluded enough to believe ourselves indestructible or fated to never fail. But in Gloomspite characters do fail. They all feel alive, human - even the non-humans.
Now Gloomspite might not be for everyone. There’s no massive battle between two armies of thousands led by immortal demigods often seen in Age of Sigmar. Nor indeed does the story take its pick of larger-than-life characters from the background and parade them for the lore-lovers of the world to gaze upon and argue over as they write wiki entries. Why? Because Gloomspite doesn’t need them. The lack of Stormcast in Draconium elevates the story rather than dilutes it. The characters are real people facing an entirely unreal situation most of us couldn’t begin to describe let alone fathom.
It’s a joyride in dread. A journey in nauseation. A march through the utterly abhorrent in the best sense of the word.
And I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t wholeheartedly recommend Gloomspite to anybody out there with even the slightest bit of love for the Gloomspite Gitz or Age of Sigmar as a whole.
Oh it’s also a damn good story to boot.
The nursery rhymes which open each act set the tone for the story. They are outright creepy. Deliciously creepy in fact. So much so it’ll have your hairs will plucking themselves from your skin and sprouting legs as they make a skittering bid for freedom.
In Gloomspite a band of mercantile adventurers from across the breadth of Age of Sigmar factions receive an ill portent about the city of Draconium and set off to warn them. Going any deeper would soil the fun of discovery but I will say this; the eclectic cast of characters each has a distinctive voice and feel. It’s a joy to sit and watch them interact. Two of their number in particular deserve mention all of their own. Bartiman takes the idea of an old, hangdog mercenary and turns it up to 11 while Eleanora… Eleanora is just a masterpiece of character building. By the second chapter I found myself caring more about her than any character in a book I’ve read in 2019. Granted some characters don’t get quite enough time to shine in my opinion, but that doesn’t stop time spent with them being satisfying.
As the tale goes on and things - unsurprisingly - go sour. Horrifying events start slowly and rack up and up until sheer nightmare-fuel runs rampant on the page. Body horror meets disaster movie meets psychological and purely revolted dread throughout most of the book.
Are you a fan of porridge? Maybe eat your last bowl now before reading Chapter 8. Trust me.
It’s not just the spectacle of what goes on either. Somehow, author Andy Clark manages to whip up an alchemical broth of adjectives and verbs which leave you feeling the skitter of insects at your back and reel from the stench of what befalls Draconium. Treat Gloomspite like a trip to the pool; don’t eat an hour before diving into the heaving pool. I made the mistake of reading a particularly sickening chapter while making a lasagne.
Suffice to say it went straight in the freezer. Still haven’t gone back to eat it either.
Somehow Andy also manages to balance the here-and-now threats facing characters while giving more than enough space for the events befalling wider Draconium in a single book.
Taking all of these elements and boiling them in a soup of Age of Sigmar’s property Andy has created a book which stands entirely on its own - a tome deserving of a plinth in the Black Library grown from suppurating fungi made for Gloomspite and Gloomspite
I’ve been a fan of WHFB and Age of Sigmar for what must be approaching two and a half decades now. Guy Haley’s Skarsnik book stood for me as the epitome of Goblin writing in the World-That-Was.
What Gloomspite does is captures the very essence of the Gloomspite Gitz in Age of Sigmar.
Many books in the genre revel in making characters larger than life. So large in fact that relating to them is only possible for those of us deluded enough to believe ourselves indestructible or fated to never fail. But in Gloomspite characters do fail. They all feel alive, human - even the non-humans.
Now Gloomspite might not be for everyone. There’s no massive battle between two armies of thousands led by immortal demigods often seen in Age of Sigmar. Nor indeed does the story take its pick of larger-than-life characters from the background and parade them for the lore-lovers of the world to gaze upon and argue over as they write wiki entries. Why? Because Gloomspite doesn’t need them. The lack of Stormcast in Draconium elevates the story rather than dilutes it. The characters are real people facing an entirely unreal situation most of us couldn’t begin to describe let alone fathom.
It’s a joyride in dread. A journey in nauseation. A march through the utterly abhorrent in the best sense of the word.
And I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t wholeheartedly recommend Gloomspite to anybody out there with even the slightest bit of love for the Gloomspite Gitz or Age of Sigmar as a whole.
June 13, 2021
"Hendrick’s eyes widened as those who had had the spores fall upon them pushed themselves to their feet and began to convulse. Bloody foam squeezed between their teeth and trailed down their chins, and their veins stood out dark and purple against their skin."
My first Age of Sigmar novel - not that that's especially important, I think, I had no problem following the story. And it certainly is a Warhammer novel - people die. A LOT of people die. Most of the people die. Almost all of them die.
The story is delightfully grimdark and gruesome, with lots of explicitly described gore. Reading the book can feel like a slog, as if the reader him or herself is being pulled slime-slopped sewers.
If I have one complaint, it is that the pacing in the first two-thirds feels too slow - I'm all for building tension and atmosphere, but you can do that without minutiously introducing every character. The last third certainly picks up the pace, but I can imagine readers giving up before then.
(Thanks to the Black Library for providing me with a review copy through NetGalley)
My first Age of Sigmar novel - not that that's especially important, I think, I had no problem following the story. And it certainly is a Warhammer novel - people die. A LOT of people die. Most of the people die. Almost all of them die.
The story is delightfully grimdark and gruesome, with lots of explicitly described gore. Reading the book can feel like a slog, as if the reader him or herself is being pulled slime-slopped sewers.
If I have one complaint, it is that the pacing in the first two-thirds feels too slow - I'm all for building tension and atmosphere, but you can do that without minutiously introducing every character. The last third certainly picks up the pace, but I can imagine readers giving up before then.
(Thanks to the Black Library for providing me with a review copy through NetGalley)
July 18, 2019
This book is hands down the greatest Warhammer/Black Library publication I have read.
The book revels in graphic, twisted and horrific imagery, that comes across in the best possible way. The pure imaginitive spirit that feeds this tale will put a smile on any Warhammer or horror fan alike. Characters are great. They are relatable, likable, and I found myself genuinely wanting to see the heroes win and pull through, something that I often do not connect to within the fantasy genre. The novel is filled with twists and turns, characters die and nothing is left unscathed. The villians are disgusting, vile and properly evil. This is an amazing grim-dark world that I hope to return to very soon.
The book revels in graphic, twisted and horrific imagery, that comes across in the best possible way. The pure imaginitive spirit that feeds this tale will put a smile on any Warhammer or horror fan alike. Characters are great. They are relatable, likable, and I found myself genuinely wanting to see the heroes win and pull through, something that I often do not connect to within the fantasy genre. The novel is filled with twists and turns, characters die and nothing is left unscathed. The villians are disgusting, vile and properly evil. This is an amazing grim-dark world that I hope to return to very soon.
December 30, 2020
El mejor título que he leído este año sin lugar a dudas, hasta ahora no había tenido la oportunidad de tocar el mundo novelesco de Warhammer, en especial Age of Sigmar.
Desde el punto de vista de un gran fan de Warhammer en sus múltiples vertientes del hobby, puedo decir que me ha entretenido de principio a fin, me ha trastocado la visión que tenía de los goblins (o grots en este caso). Tras una fachada humorística que construye Games Workshop a sus razas que componen la gran alianza de la Destrucción en el mundo de Age of Sigmar, se esconde una terrible y espantosa verdad: los Gloomspite no son una simple marabunta de seres cavernosos maliciosos de los cuentos de hadas... son el terror reptante de las profundidades, la muerte putrefacta de las entrañas de los reinos, y en esta novela se describe perfectamente como proyectar ese miedo.
Personajes carismáticos, reales, en una historia aún más real (dentro de las paredes de un mundo de ficción), con momentos increíbles y que harán disfrutar a los seguidores de la Luna Malvada tanto como a cualquier fan de las múltiples historias de Warhammer.
No puedo sino dejar de recomendar que, si nunca has tocado un libro de Warhammer, este es un fantástico comienzo.
Confiero ∞/5 estrellas a este título, el top 1 de este año con diferencia.
Desde el punto de vista de un gran fan de Warhammer en sus múltiples vertientes del hobby, puedo decir que me ha entretenido de principio a fin, me ha trastocado la visión que tenía de los goblins (o grots en este caso). Tras una fachada humorística que construye Games Workshop a sus razas que componen la gran alianza de la Destrucción en el mundo de Age of Sigmar, se esconde una terrible y espantosa verdad: los Gloomspite no son una simple marabunta de seres cavernosos maliciosos de los cuentos de hadas... son el terror reptante de las profundidades, la muerte putrefacta de las entrañas de los reinos, y en esta novela se describe perfectamente como proyectar ese miedo.
Personajes carismáticos, reales, en una historia aún más real (dentro de las paredes de un mundo de ficción), con momentos increíbles y que harán disfrutar a los seguidores de la Luna Malvada tanto como a cualquier fan de las múltiples historias de Warhammer.
No puedo sino dejar de recomendar que, si nunca has tocado un libro de Warhammer, este es un fantástico comienzo.
Confiero ∞/5 estrellas a este título, el top 1 de este año con diferencia.
December 28, 2020
Primera vez que leo de Warhammer Age of Sigmar. Me han gustado los personajes, la trama, los giros repentinos y muchas cosas inesperadas... Dan ganas de seguir leyendo más basados en ese mundo.
December 6, 2024
Thoroughly enjoyed this one! Was a lot darker than an expected…
August 18, 2019
A tale of family, loyalty and heroism as the Bad Moon rises over Aqshy, Gloomspite is crammed full of insects, spiders, lurking horrors and stomach-churning fungus-based disgustingness. Grief-stricken Hendrick Saul and his Swords of Sigmar make for Draconium to deliver a hard-earned warning of dark omens and death to the city’s protectors, and honour a fallen comrade. Finding themselves trapped in a city beset by sinister disturbances and dire portents, the mercenaries begrudgingly join the defences but aren’t prepared for the darkness that’s rising to engulf Draconium.
Readers hoping for greenskin viewpoints won’t find them here, but anyone looking for a powerful, horror-tinged story exploring the impact of the Gloomspite Gitz should find an awful lot to enjoy. As Age of Sigmar stories go this is dark and disturbing and comfortably up there with the best.
Read the full review at https://www.trackofwords.com/2019/08/...
Readers hoping for greenskin viewpoints won’t find them here, but anyone looking for a powerful, horror-tinged story exploring the impact of the Gloomspite Gitz should find an awful lot to enjoy. As Age of Sigmar stories go this is dark and disturbing and comfortably up there with the best.
Read the full review at https://www.trackofwords.com/2019/08/...
August 7, 2023
This is an exciting and well-written Age of Sigmar novel that focuses on a band of mercenaries as they help to protect a city from a growing, hidden menace. It's strength is in its characters. The mercenary band is made up of several distinct personalities that seem vivid and interesting and are easy to emotionally invest in. It's weakness is the dramatic shift in pacing halfway through: around the midway point, it becomes all action and intensity (for my part, it's hard to read such high levels of intense action for 125 plus pages--you eventually get numb [think Jerry Bruckheimer--all explosions, dramatic scoring, and characters dramatically dying left and right]). Another issue I had with this is its lack of substantive lore. It only obliquely references AoS lore, or it references it insufficiently, i.e. as name-dropping rather than substantive thematic enagement. For example, in this novel Sigmar could be any old good fantasy deity and the bad guys (no spoilers here) lack any interesting motivation, are just a mindless evil horde. In summary: an entertaining popcorn-munching book crafted well.
September 8, 2022
I stopped, I just couldn't go on at around half way through. Andy Clark is a talented writer and I was enjoying the setup but the story just kept ripping me out of my suspension of disbelief.
You may not agree with this but I felt the book to be too woke! How so? We'll clearly Mr Clark was aiming for the Bechdel test when he wrote this thing and having plenty of girls in a book is fine! But having loads of women as members of the night's watch? Where they have to brave the streets alone at night? I wouldn't want to do that! None of my friends would be up for that job! Not unless we were in a group and armed to the teeth. Not to mention medieval society (even fictional ones) weren't exactly equal. It's absurd and there are lots of examples of one woman one man, one woman one man. Its as if the author lacks any sort of subtly.
Its a shame because I think there was a good story in here but I just cant be bothered to find out anymore!
You may not agree with this but I felt the book to be too woke! How so? We'll clearly Mr Clark was aiming for the Bechdel test when he wrote this thing and having plenty of girls in a book is fine! But having loads of women as members of the night's watch? Where they have to brave the streets alone at night? I wouldn't want to do that! None of my friends would be up for that job! Not unless we were in a group and armed to the teeth. Not to mention medieval society (even fictional ones) weren't exactly equal. It's absurd and there are lots of examples of one woman one man, one woman one man. Its as if the author lacks any sort of subtly.
Its a shame because I think there was a good story in here but I just cant be bothered to find out anymore!
August 13, 2022
This was a title that came highly recommended to me, and it wasn't hard to understand why. In a review of Gothghul Hollow, I half questioned if there was really a need for the Warhammer Horror line because a lot of horror is easy to find in the regular story lines, and Gloomspite exemplifies that. This is a horror story in a lot of ways, a delightful and creepy build up taking place through most of the first half of the novel before it reaches the breaking point and you find out just what has been lurking beneath the city. Once the monsters are in the open, it doesn't give up on the creepy elements either, featuring plenty of gross descriptions of certain fungal growths that you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy. Our focal point in this novel is the mercenary band of the Swords of Sigmar, brought to the city of Draconium by bad omens. Initially intending only to deliver a warning, they soon find themselves caught in the middle of the lunacy as the town is quickly spiraled into a horrible situation that only seems to get worse as it continues. Excellent read, would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a creepy read, whether you happen to be a fan of goblins or Warhammer in general.
January 12, 2022
A surprisingly brilliant, gripping and one of my favourite Warhammer novels of the last few years.
I originally got this with an interest in the Gloomspite Gitz faction and while it initially has little direct involvement from them initially in the story it still provides a great insight into their tactics from the other side.
There is also an element of horror present as the story progresses which works brilliantly and is done just right, especially as I'm not typically a fan of horror too. The story also doesn't become too fantastical or silly like I've found with other Age of Sigmar novels, causing them to typically lose any grounding in reality and a loss of interest.
A strong recommendation for any Warhammer fans and I look forward for more stories by this author.
I originally got this with an interest in the Gloomspite Gitz faction and while it initially has little direct involvement from them initially in the story it still provides a great insight into their tactics from the other side.
There is also an element of horror present as the story progresses which works brilliantly and is done just right, especially as I'm not typically a fan of horror too. The story also doesn't become too fantastical or silly like I've found with other Age of Sigmar novels, causing them to typically lose any grounding in reality and a loss of interest.
A strong recommendation for any Warhammer fans and I look forward for more stories by this author.
April 20, 2021
This novel is easily the best book from Age of Sigmar that I have read, I love that we have the perspective from a diverse group of characters that helps a lot to put us in context little by little, and the main villain is so brilliant that.... ufff I don't want to give any spoiler here but definitely is a great read, very recommended.
July 29, 2023
What. A. Book!
Fantastic tale, darkest and most horrifying I’ve read for Age of Sigmar, brilliantly written.
I usually hate books with orks, orruks, goblins and grots, the language used around them (and for them) has always made me cringe but this was done very well.
Seems slow paced to start but when it kicks off ohhh boy.
100% must read for Age of Sigmar fans.
Fantastic tale, darkest and most horrifying I’ve read for Age of Sigmar, brilliantly written.
I usually hate books with orks, orruks, goblins and grots, the language used around them (and for them) has always made me cringe but this was done very well.
Seems slow paced to start but when it kicks off ohhh boy.
100% must read for Age of Sigmar fans.
February 20, 2025
A good mix of Lovecraftian body horror and fantasy adventure! The goblins, or 'grots', and their monsters and mushrooms were a theme I really enjoyed. The horror aspect made one of the more silly Warhammer factions feel scary and respectable. A bit predictable in the second half and with so many main characters it was a bit hard to keep track of who was who and to care for those who died. All in all an enjoyable Warhammer read!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 10, 2022
A perfect example of what heroes do when the fight is already lost. A fantasy story with real stakes, but also real hope.
May 14, 2025
2,5🌟🌌🍄🌝🌜🌚
February 25, 2023
4.5 stars. I really want to give it 5, but it’s just not quite there. That said Gloomspite is easily my favourite Black Library book to date. True to lore while still being unique. Solid writing that’s ok in some parts and truly great in others. I loved the imaginative and genuinely creepy horror ideas. I loved the way the grots cackled and bickered in a foreign tongue and not the stylised, half-comedy grot-speak of Games-Workshop’s marketing department. I loved the leering Bad Moon and the rot and the spores and the vomitus turned and the disgusting skin shrooms. I loved so much. It’s not perfect and those not into the hobby wouldn’t rate it as high, but if you even half-enjoy painting gitz, then don’t hesitate to read this.
September 11, 2021
I feel like a two star rating is a bit too low. It's an ok read I didn't particularly care for, with some aspects which are genuinely impressive.
For fans of the Warhammer setting, it should not come as a surprise that this is a dark and gritty novel. The author manages to covey the horror and grossness impressively well. At times, you actively feel dirty after having read a passage. Managing to do that without becoming comical is impressive skill on the author's part. The setting also comes through wonderfully, with the fanatic zealotry on full display.
But the characters are one-dimensional and stay that way. The plot is somewhat predictable. The action scenes are perfunctory and short. Dialogue isn't particularly well-written and feels a bit rote.
Fans of the setting are going to love this. For the average reader, it's a capably written window into the grimdarkness. Nobody is going to read this without making an "Eww" face at some point.
For fans of the Warhammer setting, it should not come as a surprise that this is a dark and gritty novel. The author manages to covey the horror and grossness impressively well. At times, you actively feel dirty after having read a passage. Managing to do that without becoming comical is impressive skill on the author's part. The setting also comes through wonderfully, with the fanatic zealotry on full display.
But the characters are one-dimensional and stay that way. The plot is somewhat predictable. The action scenes are perfunctory and short. Dialogue isn't particularly well-written and feels a bit rote.
Fans of the setting are going to love this. For the average reader, it's a capably written window into the grimdarkness. Nobody is going to read this without making an "Eww" face at some point.
July 8, 2019
This was worthy of David Gemmell’s ‘Legend’. It was such a long atmospheric ramp up, full of incredible brooding, wonder and slow creeping horror to the action, which, once it started, went from half of the book to the end. Like Gemmell writing and George Martin’s ‘Game of Thrones’, characters that you think are unkillable actually die. It’s so grimdark for fantasy; so bittersweet biut, oh, so long needed! I hope to read either in prequels or future stories about the Swords of Sigmar after their attempt to save the city of Draconium.
February 7, 2023
This is exactly what I needed in a grimdark fantasy novel. A lot of deep dark lows and a few bittersweet yet heroic moments.
If you haven't read anything from Age of Sigmar, or Warhammer fantasy for that matter, this honestly might be a good start. You have a solid cast of heroes and since the entire story is contained in one city, you don't have to learn about the world too much, though the author introduces elements quite well.
Be warned... A lot of body horror between these pages, but if that's your horror jam then you will get a kick out of it.
If you haven't read anything from Age of Sigmar, or Warhammer fantasy for that matter, this honestly might be a good start. You have a solid cast of heroes and since the entire story is contained in one city, you don't have to learn about the world too much, though the author introduces elements quite well.
Be warned... A lot of body horror between these pages, but if that's your horror jam then you will get a kick out of it.
December 21, 2023
Fun and Gross.
I would say that the Loonking is not as present in the story as the blurb made it appear, but he wasn’t really all that necessary considering all the other elements working against the very vulnerable heroes.
The author worked extra hard to make the city of Draconium very unique, and that is to be appreciated. No one was safe. No one was happy. People die in droves and victory comes at huge cost.
Maybe I need to reevaluate the Age of Sigmar?
I would say that the Loonking is not as present in the story as the blurb made it appear, but he wasn’t really all that necessary considering all the other elements working against the very vulnerable heroes.
The author worked extra hard to make the city of Draconium very unique, and that is to be appreciated. No one was safe. No one was happy. People die in droves and victory comes at huge cost.
Maybe I need to reevaluate the Age of Sigmar?
December 30, 2021
There are a lot of similarities here to dnd, and often for the better, though the long (sometimes drawn out) fights with paragraphs upon paragraphs of gore really detract from the book. If they'd cut out a good part of the midsection filled with endless fighting the book would have been great.
May 7, 2020
Great fun. Don't try eating while you're reading it though.
August 10, 2025
I'll admit, the cover made me think this would be a goofy story focusing on goblins/orks (sorry, "orruks") and the fact that they all sound like Jason Statham with a head cold.
Instead, what we get is a gloomy survival horror/action movie story mostly revolving around a band of mercenaries called the Swords of Sigmar, and the town of Draconium they're called to warn about an upcoming evil.
Once the evil actually hits, things get brutal fast. I really liked the structure of this story, and overall I was a fan, but a couple of minor quibbles:
I just didn't give much of a damn about most of the characters, so the whole 'oh, man, will X survive?' quotient didn't work. I don't know if it's because the band is so big (plus whatsername's guards), but it took me a long time to figure out who was who (and, gun to my head, I still could not tell you what race/class Olt was). A couple of them (Eleanora, Aelyn) stood out to me, and of course Hendrick, the leader, but that's three out of ... nine, I believe, if we count Hendrick's brother, who died before the book started, so I don't think mentioning his death counts as a spoiler.
As the survivors get whittled down, I was a little more able to tell people apart, but I feel like more characterization earlier on would have been helpful. Or am I just daft?
Also, this was a weird thing, but it bothered me. Obviously the mayor or burgermeister or whatever the hell he's called in this was in league with the dark powers, right? Like, either that or he's dumber than rocks, but I really thought it was obviously the former, and I kept waiting for him to show up with his 'dark reward' (riding a spider or something ridiculous/gruesome). But ... he just disappears after the Bad Moon shows up. What the hell? Maybe that got cut for space reasons? Just weird that there's so much setup with that character, then he's just forgotten about (unless it's mentioned that he dies when the moon shows up and I blinked and missed it, but even so, it's weird that it went nowhere).
So, again, I like Clark's writing, I like the idea, I just felt like it fell short in the execution too much for me to love it. Which I suppose is what I generally get out of Warhammer, so all good.
Instead, what we get is a gloomy survival horror/action movie story mostly revolving around a band of mercenaries called the Swords of Sigmar, and the town of Draconium they're called to warn about an upcoming evil.
Once the evil actually hits, things get brutal fast. I really liked the structure of this story, and overall I was a fan, but a couple of minor quibbles:
I just didn't give much of a damn about most of the characters, so the whole 'oh, man, will X survive?' quotient didn't work. I don't know if it's because the band is so big (plus whatsername's guards), but it took me a long time to figure out who was who (and, gun to my head, I still could not tell you what race/class Olt was). A couple of them (Eleanora, Aelyn) stood out to me, and of course Hendrick, the leader, but that's three out of ... nine, I believe, if we count Hendrick's brother, who died before the book started, so I don't think mentioning his death counts as a spoiler.
As the survivors get whittled down, I was a little more able to tell people apart, but I feel like more characterization earlier on would have been helpful. Or am I just daft?
Also, this was a weird thing, but it bothered me. Obviously the mayor or burgermeister or whatever the hell he's called in this was in league with the dark powers, right? Like, either that or he's dumber than rocks, but I really thought it was obviously the former, and I kept waiting for him to show up with his 'dark reward' (riding a spider or something ridiculous/gruesome). But ... he just disappears after the Bad Moon shows up. What the hell? Maybe that got cut for space reasons? Just weird that there's so much setup with that character, then he's just forgotten about (unless it's mentioned that he dies when the moon shows up and I blinked and missed it, but even so, it's weird that it went nowhere).
So, again, I like Clark's writing, I like the idea, I just felt like it fell short in the execution too much for me to love it. Which I suppose is what I generally get out of Warhammer, so all good.
October 17, 2024
I've now read a few books in the Warhammer universe (Brutal Kunnin', about Orks in 40K, and Covens of Blood, about the murderous blood elves of AOS). I'm realizing maybe they're just not for me? So take my review with a grain of salt.
People really liked this one, so I was excited to give it a shot. It does pretty much exactly what you are looking for from it. It's a dark story about a goblin invasion of a city, the many different tools and methods they use to destroy it, and most notably a heavy dose of body horror as the city is destroyed from the inside via psychedelic fungal lunacy. All of it anchored by the point of view of a company of mercenaries trying to help and later survive the city. People have likened it to the Purge, which I could see. I really like the Gloomspite Gitz as a faction, so I was hoping to enjoy this.
I dunno, it just never really gripped me in a way that made me keep reading. It's a good book and does exactly what it should. I think part of my problem is I don't actually like it when the fever-dream of Warhammer lore gets translated into real, defined narratives. It should all exist in a bizarre and horrifying possibility-space. Once it gets collapsed into real places and real people doing real things, it loses some of its manic, fantastical charm. I am sure there are people who really like seeing a monster burst into a scene and recognize that as a specific unit from the game, but it just made the world feel kind of smaller to me.
Again, Andy Clark did a great job, and this book does what is on the tin. I think I just don't like this kind of novel anymore, maybe.
People really liked this one, so I was excited to give it a shot. It does pretty much exactly what you are looking for from it. It's a dark story about a goblin invasion of a city, the many different tools and methods they use to destroy it, and most notably a heavy dose of body horror as the city is destroyed from the inside via psychedelic fungal lunacy. All of it anchored by the point of view of a company of mercenaries trying to help and later survive the city. People have likened it to the Purge, which I could see. I really like the Gloomspite Gitz as a faction, so I was hoping to enjoy this.
I dunno, it just never really gripped me in a way that made me keep reading. It's a good book and does exactly what it should. I think part of my problem is I don't actually like it when the fever-dream of Warhammer lore gets translated into real, defined narratives. It should all exist in a bizarre and horrifying possibility-space. Once it gets collapsed into real places and real people doing real things, it loses some of its manic, fantastical charm. I am sure there are people who really like seeing a monster burst into a scene and recognize that as a specific unit from the game, but it just made the world feel kind of smaller to me.
Again, Andy Clark did a great job, and this book does what is on the tin. I think I just don't like this kind of novel anymore, maybe.
November 29, 2021
As if the corrosive rains were not enough the city of Draconium has been experiencing some strange occurrences as of late. Everything seems to have a dank pallor hanging over it. Food spoils way too fast, these strange mushrooms are sprouting all over the place and creepy insects are in every corner. But nothing to worry about the leadership of the city. No need to call the Stormcast in. Everything is under control. Or is it. Enter into this scene the Swords of Sigmar a mercenary group that has come to the city to deliver a dire warning. Of what, they are not quite sure but their leader died trying to relay the message so it has to be important. Right? Gloomsspite is a story made for the Halloween season when I read it. As other reviewers say the story is really not about the Gitz as they do not show up until about halfway through but I think this is really well done in that it allows the tension to build up to their final appearance. In some ways, I think this is a better way to set up the story as I am not sure that Gitz could carry a story all on their own anyway. This story unravels like a classic horror movie reminiscent of the movies Gremlins to me but far more violent. Overall I think this is a very entertaining story and I would like to see more about the Gitz in the future.
July 21, 2023
I went into this with limited expectations. The Age of Sigmar setting was always a point of contention with me. Warhammer Fantasy was this bizzarre and incredible setting which had this underlying dark humour which juxtaposed the gritty serious tone of 40k. I was bewildered when they destroyed the setting lazily to replace with fantasy space marines and other weird high fantasy bits. This book felt like a complete return to form and although it is one of my favourite black library books, I can't help but think they could have made a few changes to thid book.
This felt like a true horror book, turning the grots from silly mushroom goblins, to this insane Kronenberg cult of evil monsters infected the land with evil and decay. It's disappointing they made all the characters so likable and well writeen, because I could easily read a five book series with all these characters but the way they went with it being a stand alone story really worked as well. No silly lightning eternal warriors no weird high fantasy just an isolated story which would feel right at home in the fantasy setting too. A fantastic book and an essential read to all fantasy fans not just warhammer fans.
This felt like a true horror book, turning the grots from silly mushroom goblins, to this insane Kronenberg cult of evil monsters infected the land with evil and decay. It's disappointing they made all the characters so likable and well writeen, because I could easily read a five book series with all these characters but the way they went with it being a stand alone story really worked as well. No silly lightning eternal warriors no weird high fantasy just an isolated story which would feel right at home in the fantasy setting too. A fantastic book and an essential read to all fantasy fans not just warhammer fans.
March 1, 2021
The first Warhammer book I read (I'm familiar with the universe from some video games) and what a great introduction to the black library it is!
I was concerned that, with so many Warhammer books around, they might for the most part be badly written trashy throwaways. Like books that are based on video games like Assassin's Creed.
However, Gloomspite is greatly surprising for its well developed characters, its interesting plot and for its surprisingly plot twists. I hate to make comparisons, but the way some character fates are delivered feels very Game of Thrones esque.
I've played a lot of Total War: Warhammer and reading this book was great for remembering some of the units and monsters I encountered or recruited myself in that game. It made me even want to launch the game again to look at those monsters and armies as they're depicted in the game!
Bonus - The diction used in this book taught me a few new words (and not in a pretentious manner), which hasn't happened in ages!
Highly recommended and I will definitely be checking out other books by this author in particular.
I was concerned that, with so many Warhammer books around, they might for the most part be badly written trashy throwaways. Like books that are based on video games like Assassin's Creed.
However, Gloomspite is greatly surprising for its well developed characters, its interesting plot and for its surprisingly plot twists. I hate to make comparisons, but the way some character fates are delivered feels very Game of Thrones esque.
I've played a lot of Total War: Warhammer and reading this book was great for remembering some of the units and monsters I encountered or recruited myself in that game. It made me even want to launch the game again to look at those monsters and armies as they're depicted in the game!
Bonus - The diction used in this book taught me a few new words (and not in a pretentious manner), which hasn't happened in ages!
Highly recommended and I will definitely be checking out other books by this author in particular.
April 21, 2023
As a great fan of squigs, I was hoping this book would contain some stuff about them. Although there are squigs in it, barely, the story isn’t really about them, or even about the Gloomspite Gitz, despite their army being prominent in the plot. It’s about the coming of the Bad Moon. This story plays out like a natural disaster, a tidal wave of destruction that sweeps in and destroys and kills everything in its way. The central characters are a band of mercenaries trying foolishly to stand in the way of the incoming tide.
I thought this was going to be a fantasy story. I was wrong, so very wrong. This is a horror story. It begins with disaster and goes down from there. At some point in the book, the main theme changed from “Can they save the city?” to “Which character will meet a grisly end next?”
If you like the kind of stories where almost nothing good happens and characters are eliminated one after another in horrible ways, then this book is for you. As for me, I won’t ever read it again, and I wish I hadn’t bothered the first time.
I thought this was going to be a fantasy story. I was wrong, so very wrong. This is a horror story. It begins with disaster and goes down from there. At some point in the book, the main theme changed from “Can they save the city?” to “Which character will meet a grisly end next?”
If you like the kind of stories where almost nothing good happens and characters are eliminated one after another in horrible ways, then this book is for you. As for me, I won’t ever read it again, and I wish I hadn’t bothered the first time.
May 18, 2021
Hacia años que no disfrutaba tanto de un libro de Warhammer como este.
Es la primera vez que realmente he sentido terror por los goblins. Siempre nos los han mostrado como cobardes y temerosos, pero en este libro los goblins son lo mas hijo puta, sádicos y aterradores que he leído en tiempo.
La historia no decae en ningún momento y cada vez va aumentando la intensidad de las acciones.
Un libro que mientras lo lees vas sintiendo sensación de agobio viendo que cualquiera puede morir, sea un protagonista o un secundario porque así es la guerra que ha tocado librar a Draconium, y que por muy mal que este la cosa, en el siguiente capítulo puede estar peor.
Si este libro se hubiera ambientado en WHF y no en AoS estaríamos ante una de las mejores obras de ese universo, pero al estar en AoS habrá muchos lectores que desgraciadamente no le den la oportunidad al libro que se merece. Ellos se pierden este NOVELÓN
5/5
Es la primera vez que realmente he sentido terror por los goblins. Siempre nos los han mostrado como cobardes y temerosos, pero en este libro los goblins son lo mas hijo puta, sádicos y aterradores que he leído en tiempo.
La historia no decae en ningún momento y cada vez va aumentando la intensidad de las acciones.
Un libro que mientras lo lees vas sintiendo sensación de agobio viendo que cualquiera puede morir, sea un protagonista o un secundario porque así es la guerra que ha tocado librar a Draconium, y que por muy mal que este la cosa, en el siguiente capítulo puede estar peor.
Si este libro se hubiera ambientado en WHF y no en AoS estaríamos ante una de las mejores obras de ese universo, pero al estar en AoS habrá muchos lectores que desgraciadamente no le den la oportunidad al libro que se merece. Ellos se pierden este NOVELÓN
5/5
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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