Gotrek and Felix 4th omnibus (Elfslayer, Shamanslayer, Zombieslayer)

The 4th omnibus see's Nathan Long become far more comfortable with his Gotrek and Felix writing, or rather, he settles into a medium where the story feels much more like a Gotrek and Felix novel should, and thus you can enjoy the story instead of feeling like a slightly less than Gotrek and Felix are playing out before you.

Elfslayer takes Gotrek and Felix via Marenburg, and then beyond, as unsurprisingly they find themselves involved with Elves (of the less nice kind). Obviously I don't want to give to much away, but if you enjoyed the banter between Teclis and Gotrek in Giantslayer then you'll definitely enjoy this. Elves have the potential to be much tougher appoints than your average human, and when you think that some of those he fights are born kills who've lived for hundreds of years training day in day out to be lethal it's all the more satisfying when he kicks ass. It also sees the return of two characters from the past both who make an enjoyable addition to the story. Elfslayer is kind of where I wish Giantslayer and lead directly onto, though without a lot of the back story it might not make any sense. Likeliness is if you've read all the stories this far you'll definitely enjoy this one.

Elfslayer 8/10

Shamanslayer see's the commencement of a story arc involving Gotrek and Felix and the return of another 2 important Gotrek and Felix characters. One of them we haven't seen since the original Trollslayer, and I think it's a sign of Nathan's growing skill that he reinvents them in the way he does. Overall for me that particular arc is the more interesting then the end result of the story, though in truth Shamanslayer and Zomebieslayer are tied/linked quite closely, and could be argued to be all part of the same story. Shamanslayers main protagonist are a horde of beastmen, and they've got a nifty trick up their sleeve which if used in a human city could spell the doom of the Empire.  It also includes a little side story involving Karaghul, and it's nice to see the special blade get it's own attention in the novel. Overall the story is probably better than Manslayer, but not as good as Elfslayer. Still very much worth a read, just wish he had continued with the Gotrek novels, who knows maybe he will come back to finish the story he was trying to tell.

Shamanslayer 7.5/10

Zomebieslayer is currently the last novel written by Nathan Long, and is a hell of a novel if you like the whole siege warfare/never ending horde appeal of the Undead. Caught after the events of Shamanslayer, Gotrek, Felix and co end up at Castle Reikgard, and important bastion against the forces arrayed against the Empire. If it falls death will surely come to the Empire, but how can the defenders stand against the horde outside of their walls when thing start happening which is undermining the defence, leading to questions about what is really going on at Castle Reikgard. Zombieslayer has elements of Beastslayer (siege warfare) to the story, but has a definitely different feel from say, Vampireslayer, which based on the name might have been what people were expecting. Overall it was a good story, though a bit bleak at points, but does that really surprise you when you see undead and siege beside each other?

Zombieslayer 8/10 if you love siege warfare, zombies and the undead and can face a very bleak ending. Otherwise probably a 7.5

Dwarven christmas painting

Rumour is that 2014 is going to see the release of the much anticipated 8th edition dwarf army book. On top of this a number of resculpts and new units should hopefully be joining the dwarven ranks. In anticipation I finally got around to painting a number of my models, though in truth I have an entire battalion box to put together let alone paint the 30+ more warriors (maybe longbeards) I need to paint.

 So first up I painted my small unit of slayers. Its a small unit for a couple of reasons. Firstly everything I've read about slayers and even my own gut feeling has always been that they are just not very effective in games, not matter how epic they're fluff/background is. Secondly I have know for a few years that when they did redo dwarfs (which if I'm honest I had hoped would have been sooner but hey) that they would redo the metal models, i.e. slayers, hammerers and ironbreakers. So I got this bunch second hand and I'm'm pretty happy with the way they look. technically I have 2 of the deamonslayer models in the unit (you can see a photo of one of them below) so I may leave it as a unit of 10 and have the deamonslayer hiding somewhere, not sure. Also in this batch is a dwarf slayer from the oathsworn kickstarter (see link below), he's a fantastic looking model, and encouragingly he fits in reasonably well with the other slayers, despite being a little more normal in proportions than those old models used to be (dwarves with big heads and hands). It's encouraging because the newer plastic models will if I'm' right look closer to this oathsworn model than the current ones do, so hopefully I can just buy a regiment and mix and match happily. Of course all of this depends on how they change the rules, so here is hoping for some runic tattoos for ++ invulnerable saves.  (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/oathsworn/oathsworn-heroes-of-the-dwarfs)

I had some old school dwarf warrior back from early 2000, and then I also got hold of some more because I was ambivalent about some aspects of the newer dwarf warriors (which were rumoured to be replaced, though my gut tells me not). I've put together 20 warriors with great weapons (and i'm tempted to put throwing axes on their backs to potentially make them rangers). Another unit is armed with hand weapons and shields, and contains about ~25 models. I painted the line models first which is why the command models are at the back.

This is a single model close up shot. I've based the models with the mournfang snow texture paint.

Lastly I painted a regiment of Ironbreakers. Personally these were my favourite to paint, partially because I love the models, and the also because they were probably the easiest to paint. I'll be interested to see how the new models look. I can see them being pretty kick-ass, but likeliness is it is a shared box with hammerers, and as i don't have any of those and anticipate them looking epic i'll likely make them as hammerers. Either way though i'm pretty excited. I've included a close of the champion (cannot remember his name right now, I want to say Lodewarden but that might be Miners)

 (Grombrindal the White dwarf is accompanying this unit, which is somewhat coincidental as news that the old white dwarf magazine is changing to a weekly event with the warhammer visions taking the monthly role having been sprung on us yesterday (or rather that was the first announcement, it had been news for a week beforehand)

Gotrek and Felix 3rd omnibus (Giantslayer, Orcslayer, Manslayer)

The 3rd Gotrek and Felix omnibus include the transition from the original author William King to the new author Nathan Long. Willaim King is probably my favourite Black Library author, and the Gotrek saga was a big mantel for Nathan to take over from. In all honesty, and especially in light of recent attempts by authors such as Josh Reynolds, Nathan does a pretty good job of taking on the mantel. Gotrek still feels like Gotrek and Felix the same, though obviously subtle differences may sometimes occur. The biggest change (and one which retrospectively makes sense) is that Nathan jumps 20 odd years into the future, which on the one hand leaves the ending of Giantslayer a little frustration, it does however all start to balance out as the series continues.

Giantslayer is the last Gotrek and Felix book by Willaim King, and follows on directly after the events of Vampireslayer. Inside Gotrek and Felix are magically transported to the fabled island of Albion, a island normally wreathed in mist to prevent outsiders from landing on mass, the island itself was the setting of those summer campaigns Games Workshop used to run (sadly it has been a while since they've done one, and they used to be something particularly to look forward to. Here's hoping that recent changes in company policy will eventually lead to their return). For clarification for those without any knowledge of the island, it's pretty much Scotland, with magic and giants. Gotrek and Felix are brought to the island, and seek to undo the scheming plot of two twin sorcerers of Tzeentch introduced back in Beastslayer (or Dragonslayer in reference). Along the way they meet a companion which Gotrek struggles not to put and axe through almost as much as the forces of Chaos. I'm talking about none other then the High-Mage Teclis himself who is a very interesting companion for the duo to travel alongside.

Giantslayer: 8/10 (Simply for the bit where Gotrek chops through a whole tree, otherwise a 7)

Orcslayer sees Gotrek and Felix return to the Old world, specifically the Dwarf port/Fortress of Barak Varr, and later the dwarf hold of Karak Hirn. Full of dwarf characters galore, and a substantial orc army, Orcslayer has a lot of what I personally enjoy in a Gotrek and Felix novel. It also investigates a lots of Gotrek past, and presents a very unique insight into his past before becoming a slayer. In many ways this book is just a enjoyable and captivating to read as previous novels such a Beastslayer and Vampireslayer, and it's hard to put my finger on many bad things in the novel to separate it from earlier works. There is plenty of dwarfy-ness, often a sure fire way for me to enjoy a book, but if i put it next to Dragonslayer or Skavenslayer I just feel that maybe the switch over to Long from King takes a few books to really get into.

Orcslayer 7/10

Manslayer see's Gotrek and Felix return to Nuln, the ill-fated city from the previous novel Skavenslayer. Manslayer has a lot in common with Beastslayer, in that the adventure's find themselves involved in plots and intrigue meant to case harm to the Empire and undermine it's efforts in the war against chaos in the ongoing invasion by Archaon. It has sees the re-appearance of a previous cast members, further deepening the plot (and giving room for a spin-off series "hint hint-nudge nudge"). I think Manslayer (for me atleast) see's Nathan getting to grip with the Gotrek and Felix series, and whilst it's not the best one i've ever read, I do feel it's a good stepping stone in his telling of the saga.

Manslayer 7/10

Gotrek and Felix 2nd omnibus (Dragonslayer, Beastslayer, Vampireslayer)

The 2nd Gotrek and Felix omnibus follows on with another 3 books from William King, taking the story forward from the events at the end of Daemonslayer. Further involvement from their nemesis Thanquol, and the introduction of a new character in Ulrika are key inclusions. Questions like what is Gotrek's shame, what was his past life like, and what is the back story regarding Felix's blade are all delved into. A great selection of enemies in their myriad forms are included, and cover areas ranging from Kislev, and the World's Edge Mountains to Sylvania. Also I failed to mention in the earlier review the addition of Snorri Nosebitter (how i could forget is a great shame, in fact I may shave my head and dye it orange). Snorri often fills comic relief in the book, as well as showing another of the slayer cult in a different light. The companions go through their adventures together about the Old Word as the slayers seek their dooms.

Dragonslayer is possibly my second favourite book of the Gotrek Saga. Filled with lots of Dwarfs and their engineering innovations (I'm an engineer by trade, and have a preference for dwarfs if it wasn't obvious, which probably explains my personal bias to some of the novels). Heading back to the Old world after the events of Daemonslayer, the companions return to Karak Kadrin with Malakai Makaisson (another dwarf introduced in Daemonslayer I should have introduced). Unsurprisingly the events involve a dragon, and begin to show a plot line that is woven into the following 3-4 books in the series. The inclusion of a variety of slayers start to delve into dwarven culture a little more, and how various members of that grim society may become slayers. Also present are a nice handful of orcs and bandits for your pleasure. This story along with Skavenslayer probably rank joint second, as it really depends on whether your more in the mood for some comic skaven warfare or a little more dangerous foe for Gotrek and Felix (and Co.) to face.

Dragonslayer: 9/10

Beastslayer brings out group back to the chaos wastes, looking to help save the Empire from a huge Chaos Invasion (not an Archaon one for those who keep track of those things). Going to the citadel/fortress city of Pragg, the first bastion against against the chaos hordes, they seek to help the defenders in repelling the invaders. But Pragg is a bastion which would take months to wear down and, unsurprisingly, the chaos horde is fractious, only held together by its warmaster and leader Arek Daemonclaw, a follower of Tzeentch. So when events seem to undermine the city of Praag's ability to holdout against the invading force, treachery is assumed. What follows is a story that further delves in Gotrek's past, and continues the build suspicion about the grand fate which waits for the Slayer. Beastslayer almost has the feel of a murder/cop drama, with investigate and intrigue rife. Tzeentch is the Weaver of Fate and the Great conspirator, and unsurprisingly the story involves a great deal of intertwining plots. The score for Beastslayer is only 8 due to my (somewhat personal) bias towards Skavenslayer and Dragonslayer, but it is still a great William King novel.

Beastslayer: 8/10

Vampireslayer rounds up the 3rd book in the second omnibus, and like the name implies involves the undead of the warhammer world. Warhammer Fantasy vampires have a certain appeal to them, not only do they come in a variety of forms (Necrarch, Von Carstein, Blood Dragon, Lahmian and Strigoi to name the main few), but represent a force of evil in the warhammer world which isn't a follower of chaos (unlike skaven and dark elves, which in many ways are tools of/or twisted by the dark powers, vampires supposedly are a anathema to the powers of chaos, and both forces reject each other). Thus they often seek to dominate the worlds of men, rather than annihilate them. Often beings of immense age and magical powers, they present a very intriguing character for Gotrek and Felix to face. Unlike Daemons and Dragons, a vampire is or was a man(woman) at some point or another, and often has character features or flaws which are entirely human. This story presents a more Von Carstein vampire (for those that don't know, think standard Dracula style, with a bit of necromancy).Vampireslayer is probably a little bitter-sweet by Gotrek and Felix standards, and whilst gripping, doesn't leave me with that same feeling to grab my axe and go to the pub. For that i give it an 8.

Vampireslayer: 8/10

P.S.  I found this whilst double checking i wasn't making any mistakes, someone has gone to the trouble of creating as accurate a timeline for the Gotrek and Felix saga. It's an impressive piece of work, so I thought I'd'd post it here and give full kudos to kalevalahammer, the site it is hosted on, great work :) http://kalevalahammer.webs.com/timelinegotrekfelix.htm