Customer Reviews

Bloodborn (Warhammer 40000)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Ulrika is a character who started out in the Gotrek and Felix series, and has now been chosen for her own series. As a love interest for Felix, I always felt she could have had a little more character. In this novel, Nathan Long expands her motives, and comes off with a great read.

My only complaint in this book is how dark the ending is, but I can't expect much different given that the main character is a monster trying to live among ordinary people.

This book has a good bit of mystery, but more than that I think it is intended to show what life would be like for someone struggling against the inevitable. Ulrika is filled with self-loathing but she also loves living(or unliving). Nathan Long has written better action books in G&F series, and he has written better overall stories in the Blackhearts omnibus. He has never written better characters than this novel.

If you want to find out more about a main character from the past Gotrek and Felix stories, read this book. If you like Vampires (not the sparkling kind) and want to see how they live beneath the surface of the Warhammer world, read this book.

In the Gotrek & Felix series, Ulrika Magdova was Felix's former love interest. She was a Kislevite noble, daughter to Ivan Straghov, the March Warden of the Border, fighting against the Chaos hordes in the north. Before Ulrika was turned into a vampire, she traveled with Gotrek, Felix, and Max Schreiber during an expedition to Karag Dum. After this she was kidnapped by Krieger in Sylvania, who gave her the "blood kiss." In Manslayer, she wanted to get back together with Felix, but their differences were too great.

Bloodborn takes place between her last appearance in Vampireslayer, and her return in Manslayer. Ulrika has only been a vampire for a couple of weeks, and is having a terrible time controlling her urge to feed. The story begins with her running naked in a forest, about to feed on a victim, when her mistress Countess Gabriella and her blood-swain, Rodrik, stop her. The Countess takes Ulrika back to her castle, and continues her attempts to teach Ulrika to not only controls her hunger, but to control how much blood she takes, when she is allowed to feed.

Before the Countess is able to fully train Ulrika in the Lahmian ways, the vampire queen instructs Gabriella to go help her sisters in Nuln. There were originally six sisters, but two of them were ripped apart by an unknown assailant. The corpses were left in public areas, with their claws and fangs extended, causing a panic among the human population, and attracting the wrath of the witch hunters.
Once Gabriella and Ulrika arrive in Nuln, it is obvious that internal politics between the sisters is going to impede the investigation into the deaths. Ulrika is ordered to do some spying, when it is clear that Gabriella's sisters are too paranoid to trust one another; they suspect each other of the murders. While searching for clues, Ulrika comes face to face with a witch hunter named Templar Friedrich Holmann, who does not realize that she is a vampire. They eventually agree to hunt together, which furthers complicates Ulrika's situation with her mistress and the other vampire sisters.

I think Nathan Long did a great job of writing a strong, female character as a tragic heroine. With all the clawing, sword-fighting, and ghoul attacks, these vampires were far from the fops that are usually found in vampire tales. As a matter of fact, this particular novel was more horror than fantasy. There were just enough flashbacks to tie this book into the Gotrek & Felix series, without it being necessary to have actually read the other Warhammer books. Even though this is just the first in an Ulrika series (the next one will be Bloodforged), I still thought the ending was a bit too abrupt; there was an element of this story, a mysterious voice, which was never revealed. Everything else was wrapped up into Ulrika's training with the Countess.

I love the Gotrek & Felix series, and the Thanquol & Boneripper series that branched off, but if you don't have time to catch up or backtrack the Warhammer timeline (for ex: Gotrek & Felix: The First Omnibus (Warhammer), you can learn more about the characters in Ulrika's world in the collection, Death & Dishonour, which includes vampires, witch hunters, and more.

What's not to like? This was only my second Warhammer Fantasy novel I've read, after William King's Trollslayer (Gotrek & Felix), and I loved every bit of it! Lots of good action, witch hunters, and vampires, oh my! I was a bit surprised it didn't have quite the same level of overwhelming grimness present in the Warhammer Fantasy setting. I like that - it was a nice change-up. There was still some pretty grim scenes though, so don't believe this one is all bright sunshine and rainbows! Variety is a good thing. This was an easy and very rewarding read. I thought the setting of Nuln was great, and loved the descriptions of the different areas in the city. Ulrika as a character was great and I empathized with her agonizing situation. I only knock this book one star for being just a little bit too predictable in it's plot, but other than that it was wonderful, and I can't wait for the next one to see what Nathan Long has planned for the series!

Ulrika Magdova had been the daughter of a Troll Country boyar until she died two weeks ago. Back then her closest friends and companions had been Max Schreiber (a wizard), Felix Jaeger (poet, fighter, and lover), and two dwarf slayers named Gotrek Gurnisson and Snorri Nosebiter. They had traveled far to rescue Ulrika from the vampire who had abducted her, but they had been too late. The vampire, Adolphus Krieger, had already given Ulrika his poisoned kiss. Denied their goal of rescuing Ulrika, her companions decided it best to put her body to rest. However, the men had (reluctantly) teamed up with another vampire, Countess Gabriella von Nachthafen, in order to rescue Ulrika and destroy Adolphus. Gabriella convinced the men to allow her to take Ulrika under her wing. Gabriella promised to teach Ulrika to do no harm. (These events happened in Vampireslayer (A Gotrek & Felix novel).)

As this story opens, Ulrika is still struggling to control her thirst for blood. Gabriella is a firm, but fair, mistress. If Gabriella had the choice, she would have kept her new protégéé at Nachthafen castle until Ulrika had adapted to her life in darkness. But the vampire queen commands Gabriella to go to Nuln and assist her dark sisters. (They are called the Lahmian sisterhood.)

Something is preying on the vampires in the city of Nuln and threatening to expose their existence to the nation. A witchhunt has begun and the people are becoming more and more violent. When Gabriella and Ulrika first arrive they learn that the two highest ranking vampires are dead. Lady Hermione von Auerbach is now the senior Lahmian in Nuln. Problem is that Gabriella and Hermione have a history, so Gabriella cannot expect complete and/or cordial cooperation from her vampire sisters. As events escalate, Hermione's paranoia (of looking bad to the queen) gets worse. So while Ulrika and her mentor, Gabriella, are trying to find the killer, Hermione's actions keep hampering them.

While out spying for her mistress, Ulrika runs into an Imperial Witch Hunter. Templar Friedrich Holmann soon believes Ulrika to be a fellow vampire hunter. (Seeking revenge for her sister.) As long as Friedrich does not learn the truth all will be well.

**** FOUR STARS! For those who may not have read the Gotrek & Felix series, the first paragraph of my synopsis tells how Ulrika ultimately became a vampire. (The events happened in Vampireslayer (A Gotrek & Felix novel)by William King. The Gotrek & Felix series is still ongoing. Nathan Long has taken over as the author for the series.)

Though William King wrote the Gotrek & Felix stories in which Ulrika appeared, as well as the tale of her rebirth as a vampire, I feel that Nathan Long has managed to capture her warrior's spirit. Long has his own, unique, writing style and he utilizes his talent to bring Ulrika's story to vivid (un)life. Before Ulrika's transformation, the character was portrayed as a brave and honorable fighter. Nathan Long clearly shows the inner struggle the character must now deal with. Ulrika has to overcome a lifetime's worth of weaponry training and fighting in order to survive as a vampire, which demands that she retreat often and use human pawns to do much of her work for her. In short, Ulrika must become the exact opposite of what she once was. The author clearly depicts the vampire fledgling's turmoil in such a way that I bounced between feeling sorry for her and pride in her accomplishments, no matter how minor those triumphs may have been.

Warhammer stories by Nathan Long are so brilliantly done, they seem to actually leap off the pages. This is one trilogy that should not be missed! ****


Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

I'm a long-time fan of Gotrek & Felix, and Ulrika is one of my favourite supporting characters in their stories. Her doomed romance with Felix was by turns charming, aggravating, and painful. Her first solo outing continues to deliver the Warhammer action and drama that Nathan Long consistently provides. Ulrika remains a strong character, even though she's far out of her element and at a deep disadvantage as a fledgling vampire in 'Bloodborn'. The depiction of Nuln is first rate: you can almost smell the gunpowder and despair in the air. As usual the book is fleshed out with interesting supporting characters, the most intriguing of which is neophyte witch hunter Friedrich Holmann. His reluctant and deeply strained friendship with Ulrika is very well depicted, and I sympathized for both of them. Countess Gabriella is her usual unflappable self, and I liked the bawdy Mathilda as well.

I had only two very minor quarrels. The first was how deliberately, almost obnoxiously, obtuse Lady Hermione was; for a 1000 year old vampire she had all the sense of your average spoiled teenage heiress. Her shortsightedness was necessary to the plot, but it seemed to me that her excessive shortcomings should have kept her from ever being put in a position of authority. The other minor quarrel was that since this book takes place shortly after Ulrika is turned, fans of the G&F series already know (from the events of Manslayer) that whatever scrapes Ulrika gets into she's going to get out of. That diminishes the sense of danger and risk a bit, although all bets are off for the supporting characters.

I give 'Bloodborn' four stars rather than five not for any major shortcoming, only that (in my opinion) it falls short of the very best Warhammer fiction (such as the 'Blackhearts' Omnibus, by the same author). It is still a fun, action-packed read, and I look forward to the next installment.

Ulrika former Kislevette warrior of the far north has died and in her place has arisen Ulrika vampire and the latest member into the Lhaimian sisterhood of female vampires. Under the protection and guidance of the Countess Gabriella she must learn to harness her undead powers or become a slave to her baser insticts.
Several months have past since Ulrika said goodbye to her freinds Gotrex and Felix her human lover and began her new life with the Countess. Still having to learn how to control her feeding she is still young and has much to learn for if she doesn't she could be sent to a true death and the Countess doesn't wish for that. Ulrika realizing that no choice must learn and in doing so begins to see the world of vampires in a new light. In the dark lands of Sylvania where the Countess has held watch over the lands and waiting for one of the Von Carstein's to rise and take a new army to the heart of the empire she has recived a summons from the Queen of the Silver mountain. She along with Ulrika must travel to the empire city of Nulun and investigate the deaths of two of her sisters. For both were outed as vampires and clues as to who is revealing these dark ladies true identies is scarce. With all haste The Countess and Ulrika along with her blood swains make way to the city and come to thier first obsticale in the form of another sister who rules Nulun in the Queen's name. She belives the Countess is responsable for the deaths of her sisters and wants nothing to do with her or her newest sister. Else while with the news of vampies loose in Nulun the witch hunters are loose and charging any and all ladies who they think are vampires. Ulrika is chanrge by the Countess to search for clues as she is now trapped within a game with her sister. Can Ulrika find out who is killing other vampires or will her short time as one come to a bloody end?

Ulrika Magdova, a young Kislevite noble woman, first appeared in William King's Daemonslayer (Games Workshop 2003), and should be familiar to all readers of the Gotrek and Felix novels. Alive, she is brave, beautiful, and maddening, especially for Felix. In death, she is still brave and beautiful but now also ruthless and deadly.

Nathan Long, creator of the Black Hearts trilogy, sets the first novel of this new Vampire series for Black Library a few weeks after the action of William King's Vampireslayer (Games Workshop 2004). Ulrika's abductor, Adolphus Krieger, dies at the hands of Snorri Nosebiter, and Ulrika, a fledgling vampire, tormented by an insatiable hunger and under the control of Gabriella, her mistress (figurative mother), is deserted by her friends. Gotrek and Felix, knowing they cannot help her, leave, as she struggles to come to grips with her destiny.

Bloodborn (Games Workshop 2010) and Bloodforged (Games Workshop 2011)are the first two volumes of a Bildungsroman, or a coming-of-age novel. But this theme is just one aspect of the multi-layered plot. Long has shown himself to be adept at genre fiction and has melded several forms into this novel to great success. On one level it is a vampire story but on another it is the story of a young woman deserted by her friends, who must learn how to live in an alien culture and environment. On another, it is a truly suspenseful detective story accompanied by horror tropes.

In keeping with the idea of the Bildungsroman in Bloodborn, Ulrika is reborn both literally and figuratively. And as a newborn (born of blood), she is, in every sense of the word, a child. At times she is petulant, demanding, selfish, reckless, and stubborn; and, throughout, her mistress, Gabriella, like a stern mother, has to rein her in and instruct her to focus and be disciplined and sensible. In that regard, Long accomplishes the near impossible; he creates an action novel, a swashbuckler, that both demonstrates a feminine voice and churns out a healthy dose of mayhem and action, while clearly delineating the birthing pains of a newborn vampire.

Irrespective of its vampire setting or the fact it operates as a Bildungsroman, the novel ultimately succeeds as a mystery set in a horrific Gothic environment, where sword and sorcery rule the day. Ulrika and Gabriella are sent to the city of Nuln to investigate the very public and brutal murders of several vampires. The exposure of vampires in the midst of the city sets off panic in the streets and Long minutely describes the city and its inhabitants' fears as well as their brutalities as days pass and the number of corpses increases. He also describes the social castes of the city and the various organizations that run it as well as the empire. Witch hunters follow the vampires and ghouls spring from the cemeteries. Long even sends his characters into the famous sewers of Nuln, the home of the skaven, to ferret out clues.

In Bloodforged, Long moves the action from Nuln to Praag, Ulrika's starting point. Like a petulant teenager now, she rebels against her Lahmian mother, Gabriella, and heads north, vowing to use her supra-human strength to fight the creatures of the Ruinous Powers. Her goal is to be a Vampire avenger, protecting the weaker humans, who she feels a closer affinity to than the vampires that now control and protect her. When she strikes out for home, she is seeking freedom, family, and friendship.

At the beginning of the novel, Mr. Long brilliantly captures the anger and frustration of a young vampire (teenager), showing her virtually tearing apart her safe home in Nuln in a youthful rage and fleeing her sisters for her human home in Praag. Once there she makes contact with Snorri Nosebiter and discovers that Gotrek and Felix have disappeared. She also tracks down Max Schreiber, an ex-lover, only to discover that he is has taken another lover. This discovery results in unnatural paroxysm of jealousy, which demonstrates Ulrika's immaturity. "Quivers of rage made Ulrika's arms shake, and her claws dug deep into the bark of her branch. A growl started low in throat and she crouched forward like a hunting cat. How dare he take another lover!" (Bloodborn p.111)

Without friends and family, Ulrika, now truly alone, takes up residence in an abandoned and ruined bakery; however, because of her self-imposed rule--she can only feed on villains--she finds herself hungry most of the time. When she sees some abusive men, running a protections racket, rob a poor blind singer she quickly acts to avenge the wrong. However, in a scene, somewhat reminiscent of Aragorn's meeting with the Hobbits in The Fellowship of the Ring, she is seen by another vampire, a handsome and dashing male. This moment--this discovery by a male--acts as the exciting point of the story's main plot lines: the life and death struggle between the van Carstein vampires and the Lahmians, Ulrika's inability to tell friend from foe, Ulrika's acceptance that she is a vampire and no longer human, and Ulrika's sexual awakening.

Both Bloodborn and Bloodforged are exciting reads: well-plotted, with fully-developed characters. Mr. Long carefully charts out and illustrates a definite movement in Ulrika's character; she matures (very, very slowly) from a child-like creature in the first novel to a figurative teenager in the second. However, the novels stay true to their roots: they are rollicking adventure tales that roll along a fair clip like the Saturday morning serials I watched at the theaters when I was a kid, never really pausing to examine the psychological manifestations that occur simultaneously with the full-throttle action of their full-bodied (and charismatic) protagonist. This is because Mr. Long has demonstrated over and over again that he is the master of what he calls sabrepunk; that is, an adventure tale similar to those written by Robert E. Howard, Fritz Leiber, Alexander Dumas, and Raphael Sabatini. To quote Mr. Long's own definition: "Sabrepunk is swashbuckling, street-wise sword and sorcery that draws from low fantasy, hard-boiled pulp, cloak-and-dagger thrillers, and old-fashioned romantic adventure. It is visceral and immediate. It is crude and sly. It is red and black and break-neck. The doings of sorcerers and kings may spark the action, but rarely are they the story themselves. Instead, the tales are of hard men and dangerous women whose lives are mauled by the whims of the powerful, and who must therefore draw swords and fight in order to survive. There are heroes here, but no saints."

Finally, I want to comment on the vampire as meme, which ultimately complicates Mr. Long's job. A vampire by definition is an evil predator that feeds on human beings. Once a writer decides to make one of these beings his/her protagonist, he/she must twist the genre into a virtual pretzel of contra-factual implausibilities. Mr. Long has come up with a nifty solution: Ulrika doesn't really identify with her "family"; she does not yet realize (she knows it but doesn't quite believe it) she is dead. He then uses this devise to form the main psychological thread of his Bildungsroman, which adds depth and weight to this genre fiction.

Vampire Countesses are being staked and impaled on the filthy streets of Nuln. It is up to Ulrika's mentor, Gabriella, to find out who is behind these assassinations before the population panics and attempts to uproot their secret society.

Funny Story Actually:
I bought this book because I was impressed with the cover art for Bloodforged (Book 2). I had read the Gotrek and Felix Omnibus #1 and I liked it, so I ordered their second Omnibus, this book, and Bloodforged. I read the second Omnibus and really liked how Ulrika's character was introduced. She was the daughter of a Kislevite Noble who grew up on the northern borders of the empire. Under the constant threat of attack from Chaos Warriors, both men and women must remain battle ready at all times. Ulrika was interesting because she was a beautiful battle-hardened warrior and she became Felix's love interest. They skipped the whole hand holding and dating part and jumped right into bed because if you are a warrior in the north, you can die at any time.

From there, Ulrika's character went downhill. Her relationship with Felix just sort of evaporated and she hung out with a wizard named Max, while she and Felix just exchanged confused glances and awkward moments. Then she sort of lingered around until the Vampireslayer book. She was kidnapped by an evil aristocratic vampire and taken to a faraway castle. Felix and the party chased her all the way across the frozen north of the empire. Throughout the chase, Felix had a bad cold and between runny noses and headaches, he questioned why he was chasing Ulrika across the frozen north. Did he have feelings for her? Did she like him? Is she worth the trouble? Should he just go to an Inn and have some chicken soup? So, instead of the "Vampire stole my true love" story we got the "Vampire stole my estranged ex-girlfriend" story which is far less dramatic. And so, Ulrika was turned into a vampire and adopted by Gabriella. At this point, I really didn't like Ulrika. It wasn't her fault. She was just written into a really long and uneventful story arc with no payoff. But I already bought the books so...

Story:
Ulrika is sired by a Vampire Mage named Gabriella. At first Ulrika is overcome by bloodlust and runs naked through the woods tearing apart peasants so she can feed. Gabriella teaches Ulrika to control her urges and takes her on a mission to Nuln. Vampires are being slain and exposed and the elite vampire council wants Gabriella to find out who is murdering them and restore peace between the vampire countesses. This book is about 60% mystery and 40% action. It's a change of pace from the typical Warhammer books.

World:
The Warhammer Universe is a blend between Lord of the Rings and Germany when it was under the rule of the Holy Roman Empire. It's Gritty High Fantasy in a state of perpetual war and turmoil. This book focuses on the secretive Vampire covens of Nuln, undead, and the fanatical Witch Hunters.

Characters:
The characters would have been well written if they weren't vampires. Instead, they act just like normal heroes with vampiric powers in battle. It's not bad, but it seems to be missing dark gothic horror elements. It's as if the author forgot that the characters were 1000 year old vampires halfway through the book and just went through the motions. As a result, the book feels a bit flat.

***Minor Spoiler Section***

In the beginning, Ulrika is driven insane with bloodlust, but later on after not feeding for a few days, and being severely injured, and having a bloody human right in front of her, she doesn't even really crave it. She shows more restraint than I do with a bag of M&M's.

Another problem is that the 1000 year old vampire mages are thwarted by things like bedroom doors. "Oh, darn, the door is locked, what shall we do?" I'm not talking about a Castle Keep Door or a Garrison Gate. I'm talking about the door that connects the master bedroom to the bathroom.

At times, the Vampires seem to lose their 1000 years of wisdom and special senses, too. Aside from the fangs and special attack moves, they act like regular aristocrats.

***END SPOILERS***

Writing Style:
This is a fast paced book full of action and suspense. There isn't any great dialogue or anything extra ordinary about the book, but it is a fun read as Ulrika sneaks around the city and searches for clues that lead to the bad guys while hiding from Vampire Hunters. You also gain some insight to the structure of Vampire Nobility.

Action:
Throughout most of the book, the action takes a back seat to the mystery and suspense. This is rare for a WARHAMMER Novel, but the action scenes become more intense as the book progresses. There are mostly battles with undead in the book. Limbs roll, heads roll, ghouls bite...

Maturity: Teen
There are some sexually suggestive scenes at a brothel, but nothing explicit and lots of fantasy gore and violence.

Overall:
It would have been a better book if it was about assassins and aristocrats. The horror elements are surprisingly light and the vampires act too much like regular people. I was hoping that the book would push the boundaries a bit more and really get into the Vampires of WARHAMMER. An excellent comparison would be the Malus Darkblade Omnibus. Malus (a Dark Elf) and his siblings are PURE EVIL. As you read the books, you understand what it is like to be a dark elf. After reading this book, the Vampires seem like regular people who drink blood instead of wine and swing claws instead of a sword. I'm hoping the next book is better!

Edit: I gave the next book, Bloodforged 5 stars!!!

If you want dark protagonists, I HIGHLY recommend the Malus Darkblade Books, the RA Salvatore Dark Elf Trilogy, or Erevis Cale and the Twilight War Trilogies from Paul Kemp. If you want intrigue and political drama, pick up 'A Game of Thrones' from George RR Martin.

A very bright and predictable novel, that is far away from the dark and grim ambiance of Warhammer. It's not the display of a love relationship between a Lahmian vampire and a Witch Hunter that is the most problematic, that could be original, given the context of Warhammer. It is everything around these two characters that is rather bland, overall.