Tales of the Old World

Warhammer

by Marc Gascoigne (Editor), Christian Z. Dunn (Editor)

Repeating the winning formula established by Let the Galaxy Burn, this bumper anthology unites classic short stories with brand-new tales. An attractive package that will appeal to Warhammer fans and all lovers of great fantasy fiction.

Genres: Fantasy, Anthologies, Fiction

768 pages, Paperback

First published April 24, 2007

About the author

Publisher, editor, designer – a lifetime in books. Previously publisher of Aconyte, Angry Robot, Black Library, and Solaris. Before that, responsible for a whole bookcase worth of books, both fiction and non-fiction, tie-ins and original works, as well as games design, journalism, computer game scripting, etc. Winner of both the World Fantasy Award and British Fantasy Award.

Reviews

[Gianfranco Mancini · Rating 4 out of 5]

A massive tome collecting lots of the best heavy metal/grimdark fantasy Warhammer short stories from Black Library, previously published in the anthologies "Realm of Chaos", "Herous of Valour" and in Games Workshop's late "Inferno!" magazine.
Lots of stories here are really good, some not.

Click on the spoiler for reviews of the individual tales.



Tales of Honour & Heroism

Freedom's home or Glory's grave: 3, 5 stars

A tale about a Bretonnian knight and his squire fighting against a necromancer and his undeads, and when sir Leofric meets a group of freedom fighters in the woods, he finds much more than he bargained and his concept of honour and what is right or wrong is going to change for good.
A good story so different from most of Warhammer tales set in the Empire, but leaves you wanting read much more about the past of Leofric and the menace of the vampire knight Red Duke, so now I really have to read Graham McNeill's "Guardians of the forest" and "The Red Duke" by C.L. Werner (buried somewhere in my crowded bookshelves...).

Ancestral honour: 5 stars

"I am a dwarf, my honour is my life and without it I am nothing. I shall become a Slayer, I shall seek redemption in the eyes of my ancestors. I shall become as death to my enemies until I face he that takes my life and my shame"

Grimli Blacktooth is determined to take the Oath of the Slayer and seek redemption in the eyes of his ancestors, after his forefather Okrinok Skrundigor put his family to shame for seventeen generations fleeing from goblins, but he's going to find out in the deeps of lost Karak Azgal that sometimes there is more than meets the eye.

A great epic dwarven tale by Gav Thorpe.

A gentleman's war: 3 stars

Young noble Otto von Eisenkopf can't wait for his first battle against Bretonnians raiding border coal mines.
He's going to learn the hard way that there is no chivalry honor code in war.

The doorway between: 4 stars

Witch hunter Frantz Heidel is hired by baron Ludwig Heitz to take back his family heirloom from a rampaging Chaos warband, but in the grim world of Warhammer appearances can be often deceptive.
An enjoyable tale with lots of the thademark elements of the grimdark setting.
The twist was predictable but I really liked very much story, characters and ending.

Birth of a legend: 3 stars

Dwarven King Kurgan is prisoner after a surprise attack by Orcs.
He and his companions are going to die eaten soon, but a band of human barbarian huntersrun to the rescue... Not a bad tale, but if you know basics of Warhammer lore, you already know the story, the twists and the identity of the barbarian chief.

Tales of Adventure & Mistery

Haute cuisine: 3, 5 stars

Florin D'Artaud, and his manservant Lorenzo, come back home after treasure hunting in the swampy jungle of Lustria. They took with them a cargo of gold and an egg...
One year later, the harbour of Bordeleaux is infested by giant man-eater lizards and the Hero of Lustria is "gently convinced" by city authorities to take care of the pest problem.
A funny tale about a couple of unsung Warhammer heroes less famous than Gotrek & Felix, but not less enjoyable at all. It left me wanting to read their omnibus, I have it somewhere buried in my ever growing Black Library collection... Time to make order on my bookshelves for good.

Paradise lost: 2, 5 stars

A funny tale about a mercenary band, Grunsonn's Marauders, cast away on a lost island inhabited by lizardmen after an unlucky encounter with pirates. Not bad, but the adventurers band (a dwarf, an elf, an ex imperial envoy and a Norsca barbarian speaking with german accent) really seem too much out from a Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay or a Dungeons & Dragons old edition manual. A story not aged well at all.

Night too long: 3, 5 stars

A mistery tale about two officers of the Palisades, a minor imperial army division, looking for the ones that are trying to kill an Elector Count and for missing women in Altdorf. This Hexensnacht, the Night of the Witches, is going to be a real long one for them. A nice investigation action packed story, but the ending was maybe too much "Deus ex machina" for me.

Grunsonn's Marauders: 2 star

Another tale about the mercenary adventurers met previously in "Paradise lost".
A dungeon quest more D&D style than Wfrp and missing for good the grimdark feeling of the Warhammer setting, but I've read Grunsonn's Marauders were the test group of Warhammer Quest tabletop game at Games Workshop so that's ok. In the "Realm of Chaos" anthology this story, an introduction to the characters, was published in order before the other one, why here not? Editors of this antology were tricked for good by the Dark Gods...

The man who stabbed Luther Van Groot: 4 stars

A very enjoyable mistery murder tale set in Marienburg, mercantile centre of the Old World.
The man famed for killing the owner of a protection racket hires Sam Warble, an halfling detective, after recieving threatening letters. But sometimes some things are best left a mistery.
Loved the story, the characters, the humour and the unexpected ending twist.
Sandy Mitchell is a real good Black Library author, sooner or later really have to read his Ciaphas Cain W40k novels too.

Tales of Revenge & Betrayal

The faithful servant: 4 stars

Markus, a warrior priest of Sigmar, is the only survivor after a great battle where Kislevite Lancers, Knight Panther and the combined forces of Kislev and the Empire fought against the rampaging hordes of Chaos.
Crushed under his horse, Markus is waiting for rescue. Sadly, the only rescue coming for him is Estebar, Master of Slaughter and Chaos Champion of Slaanesh, the Lord of Pleasure.
A great tale of faith and corruption by Gav Thorpe.

The sound which wakes you: 4 stars

Tomas, son of a bretonnian town blacksmith, is looking for vengeance after the soldiers of the Marquis ruling Montreuil like a tyrant killed his brother.
But sometimes the cost of rebellion is just too high and things are more bearable as they are.
A nice tale of vengeance and in some parts you just think Tomas is going to say Inigo Montoya's quote from "The Princess bride": "My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die." ...

The sleep of the dead: 5 stars

A great horror tale by Darius Hinks. The dark fantasy version of Mary Shelley's "ghost story challenge" night at Villa Diodati meets Lovecraft's "At the mountains of madness" in the grim world of Warhammer.

Path of warriors: 5 stars

Life in a quiet coast village of Kislevite fishermen is going to change after they see the ships coming from the frightening North. And the door on young Stefan's childhood is going to be shut forever. A great origin story that leaves you wanting to read as soon as possibile Neil McIntosh's Stefan Kumansky trilogy.

Rat trap: 4 stars

Mercenary Hoffman is hired to check if a tailors compound water pit is infested by hideous rat-men... the easy contract he thougth is going is going to be a real rat trap, but who is the rat here? A nice tale of suspence by Robert Earl.

Tales of Deceit & Obsession

Rotten fruit: 5 stars

Being witness of their own hanging was a privilege for Reiner Hetsau and his companions, but after Archaon's aborted invasion, Count Manfred Valdenheim and the Empire need them 'executed' so that they would be perfect, invisible, spies and agents not existing in the eyes of the world. But after the Chaos hordes retreated to the North, not just outlaws stir in the woodlands around Altdorf...
An awesome grimdark tale of Nathan Long's Blackhearts and I liked a lot the "I am no man!" Tolkien reference. Another Warhammer omnibus to read as soon as possible!!! Damn!

Faith: 3, 5 stars

A bretonnian knight and his older squire, a village in the woods, people missing, the Lady of Lake and a monster lurking in the dark. A nice arthurian tale mixed with horror and mistery by Robert Earl.

Portrait of my Undying Lady: 4, 5 stars

Giovanni Gottio, former great artist from Tilea, is painting portraits no more, just spending his days and nights drinking and so on. But when he's adducted by a vampire and awaken in an old abandoned villa filled with paintings all of the same subject, an alabaster-skinned noblewoman of a striking but glacial beauty, is he going to paint his masterwork or die?
An amazing vampire story with an Ann Rice feeling, with humour and great references (Gottio, Da Venzio and so on, you know who they are, no?) by Gordon Rennie. Already printed in the "Lords of Valour" anthology, you can download and read it here in .PDF for free: http://www.blacklibrary.com/Downloads...

Seventh Boon: 3 stars

A faustian pact tale full of twists and action by Mitchell Scanlon, but the end was lame for me.

Rattenkrieg: 5 stars

A scared child kidnapped by hideous ratmen walking on two legs coming out of her closet at night: a chilling incipit for a tale by Robert Earl about the silent war fought in the deeps under Magdeburg between human mercenaries and the vile Skaven. And the ending was really great.

Tales of Tragedy & Darkness

Mormacar's lament: 5 stars

A real amazing tale of courage, tragedy and darkness by Chris Pramas.
Prisoner of the Forsworn Dark Elves, long time nemesis of his people, Mormacar the Shadow Dancer escapes from Gag Craef together with Einar the Norsman. He's going to learn that can be friendship and honour between humans and elves, but can they warn in time Ulthuan's fortress city of Arthuan about the coming surprise attack? Fate is cruel and Kaine the Murder God is laughing.

The Chaos beneath: 3 stars

A witch hunter investigating about cultists under the sewers of Marienburg finds out more than he can handle. A nice action packed tale by Mark Brendan about Chaos, deceit, demonic possession, ancient necromancers and their dangerous books, and a young apprentice sorcerer changing his life and career for good.

Wolf in the fold: 4 stars

Before dying "The Thousand Faces of Magritta", one of the most famous assassins in the Old World, wants to confess his sins. But in his tale about his last contract and his love for a werewolf there is much more than meets the eye. A great story by Ben Chessell.

The Blessed Ones: 5 stars

An unlucky thief, a painting giving to the owner the gift of immortality, flashing blades in the night. A grim action packed tale in the dirty alleys of the academic city of Nuln by Rani Kellock, mixing for good the classic fantasy theme of the thief run out of luck with Warhammer setting elements. Maybe the ending was not a surprising one, but I really enjoied a lot this short story.

Dead's Man Hand: 3, 5 stars

A noble knight taking back home his father's body from the crusades in the Land of the Dead. An assassin escaping from prison to complete his mission of death, leaving after him a trail of corpses with scarabs carved on their right cheeks. A witch hunter and his retinue of knights of the Fiery Hearth investigating. A group of templars of Morr, the God of Death.
An ancient evil waiting to rise again from the sands of desert.
A death count rising hour by hour while people are murdered in a keep under an unending flood.
This. short tale from Nick Kyme could been a great full lenght novel, but there are just too many irons in the fire in this novella.
And the rushed hanging ending was not much satisfying at all.

Tales of Death & Corruption

Shyi-Zar: 5+++ stars

The forces of Chaos are gathering again in the far North to unleash again a storm of carnage and mayhem on the bloodless southern Empire under the banner of Archaon, the demon who is man. But before that there is a pledge to Tchar (Tzeentch) needing to be adsolved. A savage and fiery warband of Kurgan warriors is going on a quest in the Chaos Wastes to became the Shyi-Zar of High Zar Surtha Lenk, a rank filled with power, honor and a tragic doom.
An awesome tale about what is being a Chaos Warrior, showing again why Dan Abnett is the best author of Black Library.
Best story collected in this anthology.

Tybalt's Quest: 3, 5

A young questing bretonnian knight fighting a necromancer and his undead minions in an ancient graveyard on the mountains by night. A nice tale of chivalry and faith by Gav Thorpe.

A choice of hatreds: 5 stars

A great tale full of action and twists of C.L.Werner's Mathias Thulman witch hunter, a Solomon Kane style grim character. Planning to rest in the backwater town of Kleinsdorf, celebrating the killing of a minotaur lord and his chaos beastmen spawn centuries past, Mathias and his nasty henchman Streng are not looking for trouble. A young noble in search of vengeance for his love burned at stake by the templar of Sigmar and a rich merchant worshipper of the Ruinous Powers are going to ruin it for good when their murderous intents collide in this long festive night.

Who mourns a necromancer: 4 stars

When Lanfranc Chazal, old magister at the University of Gisoreux, pass away, famed for being a necromancer and shunned by people, only two men mourn him at his funeral: Alpheus Kalispera, his former colleague at the University and priest of Verena, benevolent Goddess of Wisdom, and their former student Cesar Barbier, who needs to make a confessione. A grim chilling tale by Brian Craig about love beyond the grave and how life and death are bonded, far away by usual fantasy cliches.

The Hanging Tree: 5 stars

On a rainy and stormy night, two strangers arrive in the Slaughtered Calf inn in the backwater town of Viehdorf: an imperial Road Warden looking for his former partner, a missing witch hunter, and a fire wizard of the Bright Order. But here in the forests of the Middenland-Hochland border is Beastmen territory, and the good people of Viehdorf know what to do. Strangers have their uses after all, and the forest guardian is waiting for his sacrifice tonight!
A great horror tale with all the classical elements of the Warhammer setting by Jonathan Green, that I am sorry had not read years ago when game-mastering Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay to make it a road-encounter-adventure for my dear players. Damn!

Tales of Madness & Ruin

The doom that came to Wulfhafen: 2 stars

The good fishermen of the coastal town of Wulfhafen are keeping for good the old traditions since their founder, the pirate Wulfaert (that reminded me Jebediah Springfield from the Simpsons XD), started luring ships sailing the rouge between Erengrad and Marienburg on the craggy rocks of Wrecker's Point to sink and plunder them. But when they sink and kill the survivors of a rich merchantile traveling all across the Old World, the sea God Manann's wrath fall on them.
Not best C.L.Werner tale ever, and a giant lizardman as big as an house surviving the ship wreckage and starting killing the pirates was a real "meh" twist for me.

Hatred: 2 stars

A lame story about witch hunter bearing the same mark of the corruption he is hunting for by Ben Chessell. Storyline and characters were not much interesting at all.

Son and heir: 3, 5 stars

A noble bretonnian knight is going to become father of his first son and heir, but Chaos has different plans about it. A grim and twisted tale by Ian Winterton, but the ending was not much a surprise.

Ill met in Mordheim: 4 stars

Two bands of mercenaries, a Reiklander Sigmarites one and another one of Marienburgers lead by an Estalian adventurer, join forces in the quest for the Heart of Sigmar, the Warrior God, the core of the fiery twin tailed comet that destroyed the sinners city of Mordheim 5 years ago. A long action packed tale by Robert E. Waters based on the miniatures skirmishes tabletop game by Games Workshop (there is a recent videogame too).

Totentanz: 5+ stars

An awesome tale about life and death that leaves you thinking a lot.
Prisoner of Cimejez the Tomb King, an undead Lord of Death master of a Necromancy, who likes to talk about philosophy with the living, Amaimom, a vizir from Araby, argues that the dead cannot dance as good as the living. An amazing contest follows where a magically reincarned dancer performing the Dance of Seven Veils, not a mere striptease but an artistical performance where each one of the veils symbolizes one of the curses afflicting human life and, as are discarded the dancer advances toward joy and freedom. But will be Celeme's dance be judged better than the Totentanz, the Dance of Dead?
One of the best tales in this anthology by Brian Craig.

The Ultimate Ritual: 4, 5 stars

Two scholars in Nuln use a forbidden tome to summon a demonic steed and fly across the Old World to the Chaos Wastes and to the Dea of Souls in their quest for knowledge.
But is just that what they are looking for from Tzeentch the Great Mutator?
A cherry on cake final story by Neil Jones and William King.

[Bartek Maciej · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bardzo duża antologia opowiadań, jedne lepsze drugie gorsze, naprawdę fajnych może 5-6

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good collection of short stories set in the world of Warhammer. The stories focus mainly humans with a little sprinkling of dwarves and elves. The human are stories are quite diverse though, showcasing the different human nations and different levels of society.

As with most anthologies, you'll find different quality levels as you read through some. I found this collection to be rather satisfactory, with quite a few being top-notch; I only found myself disliking a very small number. Special mention goes to those stories by Andy Jones, Robert Earl

The stories are grouped into seven themes, with each theme loosely encompassing five or six stories. I'll do a listing of the stories, so you can see the authors you can expect to read.

Honour & Heroism
* Freedom's Home or Glory's Grave by Graham McNeil - 3/5
* Ancestral Honour by Gav Thorpe - 5/5
* A Gentlemen's War by Neil Rutledge - 3/5
* The Doorway Between by Rjurik Davidson - 3/5
* Birth of a Legend by Gav Thorpe - 4/5

Adventure & Mystery
* Haute Cuisine by Robert Earl - 5/5
* Paradise Lost by Andy Jones - 5/5
* Night Too Long by James Wallis - 4/5
* Grunsonn's Marauders by Andy Jones - 5/5
* The Man Who Stabbed Luther van Groot by Sandy Mitchell - 4/5

Revenge & Betrayal
* The Faithful Servant by Gav Thorpe - 2/5
* The Sound Which Wakes You by Ben Chessel - 2/5
* The Sleep of the Dead by Darius Hinks - 3/5
* Path of Warriors by Neil McIntosh - 5/5
* Rat Trap by Robert Earl - 5/5

Deceit & Obsession
* Rotten Fruit by Nathan Long - 2/5
* Faith by Robert Earl - 3/5
* Portrait of my Undying Lady by Gordon Rennie - 4/5
* Seventh Boon by Mitchell Scanlon - 4/5
* Rattenkrieg by Robert Earl - 3/5

Tragedy & Darkness
* Mormacar's Lament by Chris Pramas - 4/5
* The Chaos Beneath by Mark Brendan - 4/5
* Wolf in the Fold by Ben Chessell - 3/5
* The Blessed Ones by Rani Kellock - 3/5
* Dead Man's Hand by Nick Kyme - 3/5

Death & Corruption
* Shyi-Zar by Dan Abnett - 5/5
* Tybalt's Quest by Gav Thorpe - 2/5
* A Choice of Hatreds by C L Werner - 2/5
* Who Mourns a Necromancer by Brian Craig - 2/5
* The Hanging Tree by Jonathan Green - 4/5

Madness & Ruin
* The Doom that Came to Wulfhafen by C L Werner - 4/5
* Hatred by Ben Chessell - 1/5
* Son and Heir by Ian Winterton - 3/5
* Ill Met in Mordheim by Robert Waters - 4/5
* Totentanz by Brian Craig - 4/5
* The Ultimate Ritual by Neil Jones and William King - 2/5

[Batsap · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good mix of styles and settings. Most of the Warhammer novels I read are set in the Empire, so it made a change to read about the Kislevites, Bretonnians etc. Most of the stories in this collection are different from the usual set-up for short stories in that they feel like miniature, condensed novels. There are some of the standard short story formats in here too though. Definitely worth reading.

[Justin · Rating 5 out of 5]

If anyone wants to get into the setting of Warhammer, this is the best place to start. It covers all of the races and shows off the great elements that make the setting such a treat to read. Plus the fact that the stories were divide by theme, just makes it all the better. Not in the mood for horror today? No problem, pop over the adventure section.

[Clickety · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent collection of short stories set in a fairly grim fantasy world full of monsters and plagues. While the stories are quite depressing, so far they haven't gotten into angsty DRAHMA, and when I put the book down I invariably feel a good bit better about my own life!

[Jakob · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very pulpy. Kind of uneven - some of the stories are among the best Warhammer fiction I've read, others are terrible. And even good Warhammer fiction is obviously still super pulp. But decent entertainment if you take it for what it is.

[Rsoeffker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading this one now. Good so far, but not great. I got turned on to warhammer books from the Gotrek and Felix novels.

[Cody]

I've read the first four stories and have enjoyed them all to various degrees...