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Warhammer
Red Thirst
The "Warhammer" world is a land of grim fantasy and perilous adventure, threatened by the Dark Powers. This anthology of six stories features Genevieve the vampire, Vokutich the mercenary, Buttermere Warble the halfling investigator, and troll-slayer Gotrek and his human companion Felix.
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1990
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 11, 2025
bardzo fajne opowiadania, zwłaszcza opowiadanie o Genevieve mi się podobało
June 20, 2026
Warhammer Fantasy released a lot of short story collections in the early days, presumably as an easy way to get people into different parts of their universe without the commitment of reading multiple full novels. Red Thirst is the last of the three that were released in the very early days of publication, and sadly, it’s probably my least favorite.
We get six stories here and as is usual for anthologies, I’ll just go story-by-story to break it down.
“Red Thirst” by Jack Yeovil - An adventure featuring the vampire Genevieve Dieudonne, who we first met in Drachenfels. Like in that book, Genevieve herself is a bit of a side character, mainly seen as an object of interest for the PoV character. In this case, a mercenary from the icy land of Kislev finds himself caught up in a moral crusade and escapes from prison while handcuffed to a beautiful young vampire, requiring them to work together to crush the sinister forces seeking to manipulate the revival. This one was just okay - no point at which I genuinely went “this is bad”, but never really excited me either. I also found that the portrayal of the villain (who is from Cathay) leaned far too heavily on racist stereotypes of the Chinese for me to recommend this one. 5/10
“The Dark Beneath the World” by William King - Dwarf Trollslayer Gotrek and his human chronicler Felix return, this time seeking a lost treasure in an old dwarfhold that has recently been reopened. Obvious shoutouts to The Fellowship of the Ring’s Mines of Moria aside, this was a fun one! Some action and adventure and the classic Warhammer Fantasy worldbuilding with decent pacing and solid plotting. 8/10
“The Spells Below” by Neil Jones - A wizard’s apprentice tries to help him out when he runs afoul of the city’s witch hunters, learning a few things of her own in the process. This one was pretty workmanlike, nothing to write home about. I guessed the twist right away and it might have benefited from a bit longer to build up, but it wasn’t bad either. 6/10
“The Light of Transfiguration” by Brian Craig - A Bretonnian lord sponsors the setup of a temple to Shallya, goddess of healing, but one of the priestesses discovers a broken stained glass window and a puzzle. I guessed the twist of this one right away as well, but I didn’t mind nearly as much since the horror of the inevitable is the point here, rather than being an adventure tale. Short, but to-the-point and enjoyable. 8/10
“The Song” by Steve Baxter - a halfing investigator tells a drunken tale of why he no longer gambles, involving ogres, elves, and a very talented young woman. This was a fun, light-hearted romp with some humor and overall I quite enjoyed it. 7/10
“The Voyage South” by Nicola Griffith - After a tainted batch of drugs kills her sister, a young Bretonnian noblewoman sets out to find the truth behind who would do such a thing and why. This probably had the most potential out of the stories in this book, which kind of works to its detriment. I wanted a whole novel of it, at points the story really needed a whole novel, but we just didn’t get it. It feels weird to mark down a story for saying “I wanted more”, but I did. There were a lot of cool characters and concepts here, but we just wound up getting teased with them. 7/10
Overall, I’d say this was another 7/10, although the slow start made it hard for me to see that initially. It’s still my least favorite of the three Pringle-edited anthologies, but it wasn’t a waste of my time by any means.
Warnings: In addition to the previously-mentioned racist elements in “Red Thirst”, expect plenty of general low fantasy nastiness, although less than is typical for Warhammer Fantasy books. One story contains brief references to mind-control-aided sexual assault
We get six stories here and as is usual for anthologies, I’ll just go story-by-story to break it down.
“Red Thirst” by Jack Yeovil - An adventure featuring the vampire Genevieve Dieudonne, who we first met in Drachenfels. Like in that book, Genevieve herself is a bit of a side character, mainly seen as an object of interest for the PoV character. In this case, a mercenary from the icy land of Kislev finds himself caught up in a moral crusade and escapes from prison while handcuffed to a beautiful young vampire, requiring them to work together to crush the sinister forces seeking to manipulate the revival. This one was just okay - no point at which I genuinely went “this is bad”, but never really excited me either. I also found that the portrayal of the villain (who is from Cathay) leaned far too heavily on racist stereotypes of the Chinese for me to recommend this one. 5/10
“The Dark Beneath the World” by William King - Dwarf Trollslayer Gotrek and his human chronicler Felix return, this time seeking a lost treasure in an old dwarfhold that has recently been reopened. Obvious shoutouts to The Fellowship of the Ring’s Mines of Moria aside, this was a fun one! Some action and adventure and the classic Warhammer Fantasy worldbuilding with decent pacing and solid plotting. 8/10
“The Spells Below” by Neil Jones - A wizard’s apprentice tries to help him out when he runs afoul of the city’s witch hunters, learning a few things of her own in the process. This one was pretty workmanlike, nothing to write home about. I guessed the twist right away and it might have benefited from a bit longer to build up, but it wasn’t bad either. 6/10
“The Light of Transfiguration” by Brian Craig - A Bretonnian lord sponsors the setup of a temple to Shallya, goddess of healing, but one of the priestesses discovers a broken stained glass window and a puzzle. I guessed the twist of this one right away as well, but I didn’t mind nearly as much since the horror of the inevitable is the point here, rather than being an adventure tale. Short, but to-the-point and enjoyable. 8/10
“The Song” by Steve Baxter - a halfing investigator tells a drunken tale of why he no longer gambles, involving ogres, elves, and a very talented young woman. This was a fun, light-hearted romp with some humor and overall I quite enjoyed it. 7/10
“The Voyage South” by Nicola Griffith - After a tainted batch of drugs kills her sister, a young Bretonnian noblewoman sets out to find the truth behind who would do such a thing and why. This probably had the most potential out of the stories in this book, which kind of works to its detriment. I wanted a whole novel of it, at points the story really needed a whole novel, but we just didn’t get it. It feels weird to mark down a story for saying “I wanted more”, but I did. There were a lot of cool characters and concepts here, but we just wound up getting teased with them. 7/10
Overall, I’d say this was another 7/10, although the slow start made it hard for me to see that initially. It’s still my least favorite of the three Pringle-edited anthologies, but it wasn’t a waste of my time by any means.
Warnings: In addition to the previously-mentioned racist elements in “Red Thirst”, expect plenty of general low fantasy nastiness, although less than is typical for Warhammer Fantasy books. One story contains brief references to mind-control-aided sexual assault
June 25, 2018
A solid collection of stories set in the Warhammer world. They have the traditional themes of the setting, vengeance, Faustian bargains and the inevitable end of hubris - but are none the worse for that.
Jack Yeovil’s (the always splendid Kim Newman) contribution “Red Thirst” is the stand out of the piece. Genevieve, his vampire heroine, is always great fun and she does a fine job here. The mix of humour, action and intrigue is pitch perfect.
The other stories are good with the exception of Stephen Baxter’s “The Song”. The idea of doing a Chandler-esque hobbit story isn’t the worst one in the world, but the execution is very poor and I was willing the whole thing to end by page three. The illustration of a Humphrey Bogart like hobbit is probably the best thing about it.
Nicola Griffin’s “The Voyage South” is a lot better, but fails to deliver on its premise, which is a damn shame as I was enjoying it.
A decent collection, worth picking up for Yveoil alone - but uneven.
Jack Yeovil’s (the always splendid Kim Newman) contribution “Red Thirst” is the stand out of the piece. Genevieve, his vampire heroine, is always great fun and she does a fine job here. The mix of humour, action and intrigue is pitch perfect.
The other stories are good with the exception of Stephen Baxter’s “The Song”. The idea of doing a Chandler-esque hobbit story isn’t the worst one in the world, but the execution is very poor and I was willing the whole thing to end by page three. The illustration of a Humphrey Bogart like hobbit is probably the best thing about it.
Nicola Griffin’s “The Voyage South” is a lot better, but fails to deliver on its premise, which is a damn shame as I was enjoying it.
A decent collection, worth picking up for Yveoil alone - but uneven.
August 13, 2024
A chance to spend more time in the world of Warhammer. This short tale follows up with the protagonists from Drakenfels. Detlef and Geneviene take center stage (literally) in this rematch with an ancient evil.
February 26, 2012
Red Thirst - Jack Yeovil (Silver Nails)
The Dark Beneath the World - William King (Trollslayer)
The Spells Below - Neil Jones
The Light of Transfiguration - Brian Craig
The Song - Steve Baxter (Not Re-Released)
The Voyage South - Nicola Griffiths (Not Re-Released)
Review
The first tale I didn't read it. The second is on Trollslayer and it's the centerpiece on this anthology. Like the previous books. In these tale they travel to the mountains and battle goblins and a troll. These tale we learn more about Gotrek and Felix and how Felix got his sword. Nice tale.
The Spells Below by Neil Jones is a tale of a wizard, a young woman and a familiar. He being a wizard is considered a follower of chaos and she tries to make them see that he isn't. Another tale that could belong to Forgotten Realms.
The Light of Transfiguration - Brian Craig is a story about a nun and the temptation by some chaos relics. Quite dark and fully fit on the gothic world of warhammer. Again Craig gives the story something that reminds us of Poe. Nice tale about Shallya and how they work. Quite good.
The Song - Steve Baxter (Not Re-Released)
Another Halfling detective of some kind and his work by a sinister elf. Nothing that will make you think twice. Despensable on these tale.
The Voyage South - Nicola Griffiths (Not Re-Released)
Nothing spectacular that after some years I don't remember a bit.
The Dark Beneath the World - William King (Trollslayer)
The Spells Below - Neil Jones
The Light of Transfiguration - Brian Craig
The Song - Steve Baxter (Not Re-Released)
The Voyage South - Nicola Griffiths (Not Re-Released)
Review
The first tale I didn't read it. The second is on Trollslayer and it's the centerpiece on this anthology. Like the previous books. In these tale they travel to the mountains and battle goblins and a troll. These tale we learn more about Gotrek and Felix and how Felix got his sword. Nice tale.
The Spells Below by Neil Jones is a tale of a wizard, a young woman and a familiar. He being a wizard is considered a follower of chaos and she tries to make them see that he isn't. Another tale that could belong to Forgotten Realms.
The Light of Transfiguration - Brian Craig is a story about a nun and the temptation by some chaos relics. Quite dark and fully fit on the gothic world of warhammer. Again Craig gives the story something that reminds us of Poe. Nice tale about Shallya and how they work. Quite good.
The Song - Steve Baxter (Not Re-Released)
Another Halfling detective of some kind and his work by a sinister elf. Nothing that will make you think twice. Despensable on these tale.
The Voyage South - Nicola Griffiths (Not Re-Released)
Nothing spectacular that after some years I don't remember a bit.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 19, 2016
Mixed bag of Warhammer short stories. Some are really good, most are merely writeups of gamingsessions or character backgrounds and some are pure garbage. Fun read if you are a Warhammer fan, otherwise you can safely steer away
February 23, 2018
The Song 7.5 Good loveable funny halfling character. Original.
The Light of Transfiguration 5.0 Bland writing, cool idea badly executed
The Voyage South 6.0 Ended to quickly and not enough detail in last battle didn't even describe greater daemons.
The Spells Below 7.0 Cool, could have been longer and more detailed. Wizard dies and soul goes into homoculmus.
The Dark Beneath the World 8.0 Awesome, warhammer world with good writing and a cool D&D-like plot.
Red Thirst 6.5 Great monsters and magic but it seemed kind of contrived and the writing left me flat.
The Light of Transfiguration 5.0 Bland writing, cool idea badly executed
The Voyage South 6.0 Ended to quickly and not enough detail in last battle didn't even describe greater daemons.
The Spells Below 7.0 Cool, could have been longer and more detailed. Wizard dies and soul goes into homoculmus.
The Dark Beneath the World 8.0 Awesome, warhammer world with good writing and a cool D&D-like plot.
Red Thirst 6.5 Great monsters and magic but it seemed kind of contrived and the writing left me flat.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews