Monsters

Black Library Advent Calendar 2021

by Noah Van Nguyen

A Warhammer Age of Sigmar Short Story

Whilst tracking an elusive Greater Daemon in Shyish, Yndrasta is caught in a trap with an old mortal enemy of Sigmar, who challenges her perception of what makes a monster in the Mortal Realms.

READ IT BECAUSE
Sigmar's winged beast hunter is a puissant warrior and a fascinating character, and this story is an opportunity to get to know her better.

Genres: Short Stories, Fantasy

30 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 16, 2021

About the author

I'm the author of Elemental Council, Yndrasta: The Celestial Spear, and Godeater's Son. I live in the US with my wife. In early 2025, our son's going to join us and ruin our good time. We can't wait.

Check out my blog, The Lingual Fantast! (noahvannguyen.com)

I like coffee. It's a problem. I'm decent with foreign languages. I'd love to hear from you if you care to share.

Reviews

[AA_Logan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has been sitting, waiting for me to read it for more than a year- I bought it on the strength of the author’s other works. I tried to read it several times, but didn’t get past the first page or so. “I’m not that fussed to read about Stormcast Eternals” I thought, and never got further.

Big mistake- this short is fantastic, so much more than the action-packed fight involving a flying lady with armour and a magic spear that I was expecting. I’d heard people mention the tragic nature of the Stormcast, and the more nuanced nature of Sigmar, but it wasn’t until I read this that I understood what they meant.

I absolutely loved this and am so glad that the upcoming novel prompted me to finally read it- so worth doing so.

[George Jacobs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Monsters by Noah Van Nguyen is a short story focusing on the Stormcast Eternal character Yndrasta (the angelic hero who's model came in the Dominion boxset).

This story starts off in the midst of action, and I initially found things a little disorientating. There's a battle in front of a Realmgate between Stormcast and Chaos, and Yndrasta is hunting a greater demon. From the opening, I was expecting a combat heavy story, which are not always to my taste.

However, things quickly switch gear, and instead we are treated to a very thoughtful tale, focusing on who Yndrasta is as a person and as a warrior. We learn how she sees the world and her place in it, and what she values. We also learn a nugget of the ancient history of the realms, and get some insight into the darker, proud side of Sigmar, a god who values his perception of the 'greater good.'

I enjoyed this story a lot. It added character to Yndrasta, and the setting in general. I look forward to reading more of Van Nguyen's work.

[Danny Saines · Rating 5 out of 5]

For a short story, and one that throws you into an action scene straight away, this is so much more than I expected. We get information on the Age of Myth, character development for Yndrasta herself, and some lovely discussion on who are the real monsters in a story. The setting of Age of Sigmar I find fascinating but I have not warmed to the Stormcast Eternals to date. This story has increased my interest and I’m now looking forward to the authors novel on Yndrasta releasing shortly.

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

powerful

A setting I have not thought of before and meeting a character not heard of adds much perspective to Yndrasas world.