Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

This is an excellent Warhammer story within the Dark Elves world. It tells the adventure of Malus Darkblade, a great and true Anti-hero. This is the series that drives me to read the other Black Library novels. This book is a compilation standing in two volumes. This one is the first one. It regroup book #1 to #3 of the series and contains an extra short novel about Malus. In addition there is an interview with Dan Abnett and Mike Lee.

Since it release, I had the occasion to read the 2 extra texts included in this compilation. The interview with Dan Abnett and Mike Lee on the creation of Malus Darkblade is very interesting. It doesn't spoile the story. It will give you numerous side information and comments about how they have come to create this fantastic character and environment. I found the interview well made and informative on their creative process and perspective about Malus Darkblade.

The extra Short novel is also extremely well written and thought. In this short story, we find back, right away, all the elements and mood we enjoyed so much within all the books that have made the series. I think the authors master their topic even more, because in about 40-50 pages they succeed to deliver a fluide and rich story with lots of info and plots. It also add to the whole series since it is set right before the begining of the first book, The Daemon's Curse. It give more depth to some of Malus early acolyte such as Silar. It told the story of Malus's raid to get slaves and gold, while the first book starts when he come back from this venture. In addition, the authors still succeed to include elements that will supprise the reader and enrich the main character and the environment captured and depicted throughout the whole serie.

Concerning the main story, I found it never redundant; there is full of plots and they are very well thought; there is amazing lines shots by Malus and the other characters; the Dark Elves and their mentality are very well depicted and they offer an original and truly sinister setting for this story; finally there is Malus Darkblade, an amazing character that is a step above his own kind in terms of malice.

Within this mad environment, the author succeeds to build a story that is credible and characters that we perversely enjoy to follow. The author, also, makes no compromise on how vile the Dark Elves could be. Every characters in the series is dark. Yet, the author succeeds to have them interact with each other in such way that it remains credible. That create a world where every Dark Elves felt to be on their guard and where everyone is a tool to achieve one own ends. Their relations are devoided of humanity, leaving place only to fear and cold instrumental relations. However, within this world, Malus and his kind are not paralyzed by fear, because there is hate. Hate is what keeps them moving forward: hate and maybe ambition.

This is an excellent Warhammer story within the Dark Elves world. It tells the adventure of Malus Darkblade, a great and true Anti-hero. This is the series that drives me to read the other Black Library novels. This book is a compilation standing in two volumes. This one is the first one. It regroup book #1 to #3 of the series and contains an extra short novel about Malus. In addition there is an interview with Dan Abnett and Mike Lee.

Since it release, I had the occasion to read the 2 extra texts included in this compilation. The interview with Dan Abnett and Mike Lee on the creation of Malus Darkblade is very interesting. It doesn't spoile the story. It will give you numerous side information and comments about how they have come to create this fantastic character and environment. I found the interview well made and informative on their creative process and perspective about Malus Darkblade.

The extra Short novel is also extremely well written and thought. In this short story, we find back, right away, all the elements and mood we enjoyed so much within all the books that have made the series. I think the authors master their topic even more, because in about 40-50 pages they succeed to deliver a fluide and rich story with lots of info and plots. It also add to the whole series since it is set right before the begining of the first book, The Daemon's Curse. It give more depth to some of Malus early acolyte such as Silar. It told the story of Malus's raid to get slaves and gold, while the first book starts when he come back from this venture. In addition, the authors still succeed to include elements that will supprise the reader and enrich the main character and the environment captured and depicted throughout the whole serie.

Concerning the main story, I found it never redundant; there is full of plots and they are very well thought; there is amazing lines shots by Malus and the other characters; the Dark Elves and their mentality are very well depicted and they offer an original and truly sinister setting for this story; finally there is Malus Darkblade, an amazing character that is a step above his own kind in terms of malice.

Within this mad environment, the author succeeds to build a story that is credible and characters that we perversely enjoy to follow. The author, also, makes no compromise on how vile the Dark Elves could be. Every characters in the series is dark. Yet, the author succeeds to have them interact with each other in such way that it remains credible. That create a world where every Dark Elves felt to be on their guard and where everyone is a tool to achieve one own ends. Their relations are devoided of humanity, leaving place only to fear and cold instrumental relations. However, within this world, Malus and his kind are not paralyzed by fear, because there is hate. Hate is what keeps them moving forward: hate and maybe ambition.

Villains aren't evil, they just try harder.

Concept
It's an action adventure in a world composed entirely of evil characters. These characters don't solve their problems like noble heroes where every wrong must be righted and every life is precious. On the contrary, the object here is to win at all costs. This is a refreshing change of pace because the characters are unpredictable, and at times their actions are shocking. Order and loyalty are just means to an end and are wantonly discarded with a change of the wind. After the fog of war clears, the victors are not the ones who adhered to frivolous codes and morals, but the ones who put winning ahead of everything else.

Story
Malus is a highborn slave trader who becomes involved in a tangled web of evil schemes. As the plot thickens, he gets drawn into more and more conflicts, and must make difficult decisions to save his own life and what is left of his dark soul. At times he is a pawn of more powerful characters, but as he does their bidding, he conducts his own nefarious deals as he tries to turn the tables on those who attempt to use him. The story is full of twists, turns, treachery, and action.

World
The story takes place in Naggaroth, the most vile region of the Warhammer Universe. There are demons, undead, slave traders, skinraiders, dark elves, dark magic, witches sorcerers, backstabbing nobles, assassins, vile beasts, torture, betrayal... The environments and objects are described with concise descriptions of their most interesting features. As a result, the setting is fascinating and the pacing of the story never feels drawn out.

Characters
Malus is the bastard son of a prominent highborn dark elf family. In order to survive in the world of the dark elves, Malus must earn a living in the slave trade by conducting raids on human villages. What Malus lacks in prestige, he makes up for in cunning and determination. His worst enemies are his own siblings who attempt to abuse, manipulate, and murder him. His eldest brother Barius is a respected military commander with a large army. His eldest sister Yasmir is a revered priestess of murder and a seductress. His sister, the beautiful Nagaria is a powerful sorceress and master manipulator. His brother Urial, who was born with a withered arm and leg and smoldering eyes of bronze is a powerful wizard who possesses mysterious artifacts from the Old World. All of the characters are devious and have their own vile schemes, but they share one thing in common. They all hate Malus.

Writing Style
The writing style is fast paced and descriptive when it needs to be. You won't get a two page description of a chair or building here because it isn't necessary. Instead, the environments are described just to set the scene for the drama and action. The characters are all well written and the dialogue portrays what their black hearts are feeling and their foul minds are thinking.

Action
Because this is a Warhammer book, it's loaded with action. There are battles, skirmishes, assassination attempts, monster battles, sorcery, military tactics, strategies, brawls, and fantasy creatures. Characters get decapitated, strangled, crushed, bashed, disarmed, dislegged, poisoned, tortured, skinned, stabbed, flogged, possessed, and eaten. The action is fast paced and described well. The battle scenes are great and many characters are slain.

Maturity: Adults
Visceral battles, torture, gore, orgies, gore filled orgies... gorgies? Anyway, this book isn't for kids.

Overall: 9.5
If you want to read about a character who isn't bound by any sort of moral code, this is a great book. You get a short story, AND 3 novels here for $10. If you want to complete the entire story, you need to buy the "The Chronicles of Malus Darkblade Vol. 2." That Volume contains the final two books of the series and prints of the comics that inspired the novel.

Malus is as evil as Dracula and as crafty and unpredictable as Captain Jack Sparrow. If you like action, treachery, dark environments, war, and fantasy, this is a must buy.

If you need your characters to be moral, honest, polite, and well... "good." There is nothing for you here.

If you enjoyed this book, you should also like The First Law Trilogy by Joe Abercrombie, The Dark Elf Trilogy by R.A. Salvatore, and the Mathius Thulmann Omnibus by CL Werner.

I know nothing of warhammer, I have to admit this. I picked up this book at a going out of business sale and I have to say i am glad. This book is everything I love about Dark fantasy. Murder, mayhem, blood, and a villain as the star! some would say he is an anti hero, but IMo there is nothing hero about him. he is a bad guy through and through but that is what makes this book so compelling to me. I admit I got a little sick of the never ending sea battles, and I found my attention peaked when he wasn't on board a ship, not that those parts weren't exciting as well, it just became a little too much after a while and I even had to put down the book for a while before picking it back up. I bought a lot of other books that day as well and so far this one was the one that held my attention the longest. So pick it up if you love dark fantasy and want a change from the typical snow white hero.

****My review contains a few references to events in the books that could be perceived as spoilers, so please don't read any further if you haven't read them and don't feel like discovering anything up front****

I really enjoyed all five novels compiled in the two Malus Darkblade anthologies, especially 'Bloodstorm' and the 'Reaper of Souls', both featured in this first omnibus.

I found that the author did a great job with his protagonist, who despite being reckless, untrustworthy and downright despicable, managed to keep me (and a great many other readers) interested through five entire novels. Let's face it, Naggaroth is a grim place and Malus Darkblade is a bitter, twisted character with few redeeming features. What makes him special is his cold determination in the face of distressing circumstances and ever-worsening prospects. Despite the many obstacles and odds stacked against him, he never relinquishes his dreams of power and glory. What's interesting with Malus is that although he is a loathsome bastard by anybody's standards (in fact he is technically a bastard), we discover as the character develops that he follows something akin to a code of honour and that he is not wholly ungrateful to his retainers for the assistance they provide... It's just that he has his own way of showing them how much they are appreciated.

As said above, novels two and three are my favourite. After setting the scene and the major plotline in the Daemon's Curse, Mike Lee sends Malus headlong into two fantastic adventures - one at sea (Bloodstorm), on a ship filled with Druchii corsairs, and featuring naval battles, witch elves, Nurgle cultists and lots of intrigue going on between Malus and his siblings, and the other (Reaper of Souls) in Western Naggaroth, where Malus gets his first assignment leading a dark elf army. Both stories are riveting, totally unpredictable and well written, and kept me on the edge of my seat.

Now, it wasn't all good. As anyone who knows a bit about Warhammer fantasy lore, and fantasy lore in general, there are just too many glaring mistakes to be ignored.

To list a couple:
- the author makes several mentions of the 'Seven Treacheries of Aenarion'. This makes no sense - the druchii honour and admire Aenarion as a hero of Nagarythe, wielder of the Sword of Khaine, husband to Morathi and father to the Witch King himself. The Druchii claim that they are the true followers of Aenarion, and that it was the Asur (High Elves) who turned their backs on him by choosing Bel-Shanaar in lieu of Malekith as Aenarion's successor on the Phoenix Throne
- in a later book (ok, not relevant for this review...) great strife hits the city of Har Ganeth, and we are introduced to the upper echelons of the Cult of Khaine. However there is no mention of Crone Hellebron, the supreme leader of the cult. Instead we are told that the highest ranking priest is the 'Grand Carnifex', who is never mentioned in the official lore.
- several druchii feature beards and moustaches! Now that one is just stunning. Since when do elves have facial hair?

This third point is symptomatic of my third criticism of the books. While Lee brings the land of Naggaroth to life with these novels, its inhabitants do not seem to have anything in common with the high elves. They may be evil and cruel, but otherwise they behave exactly like humans. They are often small-minded, reckless, petty, incompetent, cowardly and/or clumsy. In fact the author often refers to them as 'men', and when the term 'elf' is used, it typically refers to their island-dwelling kin. Because of this the dark elves do not appear as alien as they probably should, and the reader might wonder why they are feared as much as they are seeing as they spend most of their time bickering and scheming amongst themselves in skaven fashion.

All in all this was a good read - without the flaws listed above it would have easily warranted five stars.

I'd heard of Warhammer prior to picking up this book, but never played in the world or read other Warhammer books. I'm familiar with Forgotten Realms and /their/ dark elves, and I stumbled across this book while looking for novels featuring evil protagonists.

I've been told the book is even more enjoyable if you're already familiar with the Warhammer world, but I can assure you it is not a necessary prerequisite.

Malus Darkblade did not disappoint, to say the least! Malus is a delightfully evil character. The plot is engaging and fast-paced and the characters are easy to "love" (terrible and horrible though they are). The delivery is even better than the content, and that's saying quite a bit. Dan Abnett and Mike Lee exemplify "show, don't tell" in this work. Even in moments of excitement when I was trying to read quickly to find out what happens, I found myself pausing to read over and appreciate some sentences which evoke a powerful mental image. It's remarkably easy to see, hear and taste the world these authors skillfully and vividly paint for the reader.

I recommend this read wholeheartedly; I've already purchased the remaining Darkblade books and can't wait for them to arrive!

I'm not going to go into the pros, cons, and everything in-between. If you like character progression and suspense than this is next on your wish list. Malus, is unpredicatble, unafraid and determined to win what he doesn't want. The conclusion of the series will fill you in, but this novel does such an amazing job of developing a dark hero that will have you laughing, crying and pondering his deadly decisions... literally. 5/5 (re-read twice).