The Chronicle of Malus Darkblade Vol. 1 (Warhammer Anthology) [Paperback]

Dan Abnett (Author), Mike Lee (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 9, 2008

This omnibus edition collects the first three Darkblade novels The Daemon's Curse, Bloodstorm and Reaper of Souls, by Dan Abnett and Mike Lee. This series has a strong sales history and is the second most popular seiries for Warhammer.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dan Abnett lives and works in Maidstone, Kent, in England. Well known for his comic work, he has written everything from Mr Men to the X-Men. His work for the Black Library includes the best-selling Gaunt’s Ghosts novels, the Inquisitor Eisenhorn and Ravenor trilogies, and the Horus Heresy novel, Horus Rising.

Product Details

• Paperback: 768 pages
• Publisher: Games Workshop (September 9, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1844165639
• ISBN-13: 978-1844165636
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #171,762 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dan Abnett is a novelsit and award-winnig comic book writer. He has written twenty-five novels for the Black Library, including the acclaimed Gaunt's Ghosts series and the Eisenhorn and Ravenor trilogies, and with Mike Lee, the Darkblade cycle. His Black Library novel Horus Rising and his Torchwood novel Border Princes (for the BBC) were both bestsellers. He lives and works in Maidstone, Kent.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars If you're in the mood for an Anti Hero, October 17, 2008

By 

Cragius - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Chronicle of Malus Darkblade Vol. 1 (Warhammer Anthology) (Paperback)

Have you ever been in the mood for something besides the normal goody two shoes fantasy star? You know what I mean. Someone who doesn't do the predictable things like save the maiden or charge off to right EVERY wrong. Ever wonder if there was more to the bad guys than them just being BAD?

If so then you might just like this series. Malus Darkblade isn't your typical blonde haired hero. In fact he's a dark elf, one of these much overused supreme evil guys who always seem to pop up when an author just wants a source of all that evil planning.

I wont say that Dan Abnett and Mike Lee's novels of Malus brings the evil dark elves into three dimensions, since I can't honestly say that the character seemed alive to me, but Malus is definitely a solid two dimensions. That's alot more than what we usually get in alot of fantasy fiction nowadays.

We get to see the characters motivations and thoughts. We can begin to understand what drives him and how his actions are driven by what his upbringing has taught him is the right way to solve problems.

As for the story? We Malus is the bastard son of a powerful noble with siblings who see him as a drain on the the family resources. He strives to make his own way and gets involved in dark elf politics, bound to a demon and driven on a quest. I won't giveaway anymore than that since it would ruin the surprise but I will say that it is a good read.

So if your in the mood for an Anti hero and a good read then get this one. I doubt you'll be disappointed.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A different sort of fantasy novel, April 6, 2009

By 

A. Valterra "AV" (Seattle) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Chronicle of Malus Darkblade Vol. 1 (Warhammer Anthology) (Paperback)

I will skip the "what happens in this book" and just say that this is a different sort of fantasy novel. The protagonist is every bit the anti-hero. He is vicious, duplicitous, corrupt, vengeful and a master at guile and betrayal. In fact the only way to stay alive around him is to be more valuable alive then dead.

But even with that the authors struggle to walk a tightrope. Malus must remain evil but he must also remain sympathetic to some degree. Sometime he is made more sympathetic by comparison to others around him (who are far worse) and sometimes he is made more sympathetic when he shows some small amount of loyalty or camaraderie. But then he start to look like he is not evil enough and the authors feel compelled to have him do something startlingly cruel.

The result is a character who is a touch uneven. But this is certainly forgivable for the effort at trying to create a truly interesting and unique protagonist.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Unique and interesting series, October 25, 2009

By 

desertrider (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Chronicle of Malus Darkblade Vol. 1 (Warhammer Anthology) (Paperback)

This first chronicle of Malus Darkblade includes books 1 - 3. The best book is the first one, "The Daemon's curse", the second and third books are weak. But the first book is really good and more than makes up for the other two and has a lot of atmosphere and great action sequences.

Be sure to buy the second chronicle which covers the last two books (4-5) which are both superb, especially the last book "Lord of Ruin" which is the best book of the series.

To summarize, these books are action extravaganzas with a lot of dark fantasy atmosphere thrown in such as dungeons, various fearsome monsters that the main character has to overcome and magical relics, and wizards or to be more precise, sorceresses. Its kind of like an old fashioned fantasy series where the emphasis is on entertainment and it succeeds rather well. The writers are very good in creating the setting with descriptive words and the action scenes are remarkable.


The main story is compelling throughout, which involves a dark elf's search for 5 magical relics of great power and the bargain he makes with a powerful daemon. Highly recommended to fantasy enthusiasts.