Customer Reviews

Gotrek & Felix: The First Omnibus (Gotrek & Felix Novels)

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This collection of the first three books in the series of Gotrek and Felix covers Trollslayer, Skavenslayer and Daemonslayer. From the very first short-story this book had me hooked and didn't let me go until the very end of the book. I devoured the 763 pages in record time (for me at least, which was under one week). If you love fantasy adventures with great characters that you can identify with, I heartily recomment this book. I found it to be a great value over purchasing the books separately (though this does make it less portable if you enjoy reading while on-the-go).

I am not a player of the Warhammer games, so I did not quite know what to expect going into this book. I had originally picked it up to gain some background on the Warhammer universe for a job interview with the Warhammer Online development team. And even though I didn't get the game programming job, I was happy to have found this treasure.

The first two books are in a short story format which made me eager to read several in a single sitting. Looking at the table of contents I was leery that the final book, Daemonslayer, was not in the short story format as I had come to enjoy it so much. But the chapters flow so well in Daemonslayer that I didn't want the excitement to end. I'm eagerly looking forward to the second and third omnibi (omnibuses?) of Gotrek and Felix.

I am very impressed with this Omnibus. The characters are interesting, the combat is described with just the right amount of detail, and the pacing of the stories is just as good.

The biggest criticism I can throw at the first Omnibus is that there isn't much character development in the first novel, as it is more a collection of short, intense stories than a full-fledged novel. However, if you stick with it you'll find that the characters themselves, as well as their supporting cast, grow steadily from the second novel and forward into the following novels.

I'd recommend this Omnibus to anyone who likes the fantasy genre and, particularly, anyone who likes well described combat and richly described settings. I suppose that if you prefer incredibly deep prose, you may be slightly turned off by the topical approach these novels take, but I can't imagine too many people feeling that way.

Hero looking to find a doom fitting for himself along with a companion
that comes along to chronicle the adventures. That about sums it up - you
get exactly what you expect here. Bodies pile up at great speed. A few
minor boss encounters culminate in a great showdown. It's an undemanding,
quick read that will be fun for most that will not be turned off by the cover.

This omnibus contains the first three novels staring Gotrex and Felix, the dwarf in search of an honourable death and his human companion the warrior poet Felix, here is a small amount of information about the first three books.

Book 1, TROLLSLAYER.

In Trollslayer you see Gotrex and Felix travel through different lands and fight different agents of chaos. Basically this first work of King's is made up of several very small stories, all the stories are great, plenty of action and adventure, but they are nowhere near as good King's later work, but these small stories are still a must to read, just to gather a lot of the back ground story.

Book 2, SKAVENSLAYER.

This is book two in the Gotrex and Felix saga, like book one these are more small stories, but based around one place the city of Nuln, in this book we see the two heroes face the might of the Skaven, the Skaven are evil half rat half human monsters changed by the dark forces of chaos.

Gotrex and Felix face this evil vermin in the sewers under the city of Nuln, here they face the rat men in battle many times, hoping to stop the invasion of Nuln by the gray wizard and hid rat subjects.

This part of King's sage is brilliant you have everything you could want from a fantasy series, epic battles, heroes, great and funny villain's a bit of romance, over all a great edition to the Gotrex and Felix saga.

Book 3, DAEMONSLAYER.

Unlike the first two books in this omnibus series that where all short stories, Daemonslayer is one long story, and I must admit it is much better for it, far better than the first two books.

We have Gotrex and Felix fighting there way through the chaos wastes in order to find some lost dwarf treasure, like the others this is epic in every sense, battles, monsters, heroes and some romance to add to the mix, this book is by far the best of the trilogy in this omnibus.

I am somewhat new to the Warhammer Fantasy universe's novels and found this to be a great read. The author did a good job of putting you right in the action and the stories where interesting and fun to read. Definitely am hooked on the series and planning to purchase the rest of the series.

This is the first Warhammer book I have read. This book tells the tale of two companions. A mighty dwarf sworm to die a heroic death as punishment for a bad deed (unknown to the reader) and a scholar/warrior who has pledged to follow him, fight beside him, and record his tale. There is no great character development or plot, but you do get a fun tale of our heros defeating mutant hordes, devious rat men, and demons.

The basic plot for the Gotrek and Felix series is closer to cop/buddy movies than most fantasy books. Gotrek is a dwarf warrior, driven by some great shame to seek out a great death in battle in a suicidal fashion. Felix is a poet and fencing master who, in a drunken stupor after Gotrek had saved his life swore a bloodoath to follow Gotrek and record his epic feats. Both characters are often comically at odds, with Felix often playing the straight man to Gotrek's temerity.

I'd heard that this series is generally considered the cornerstone of Warhammer Fantasy, and I can see why. King is one of the best pulp fantasy writers I've read in years. The characters are great. Gotrek is a bit of an enigma (which makes for interesting reading). Felix is the dashing black sheep of a wealthy family. The stories are exciting, and never get bogged down in the excessive description of authors like Salvatore. The dialogue is crisp, and it's easy to distinguish between characters. I chuckled every time I heard Gotrek say "manling." There are character sequences and there are action sequences. There are monsters and there are creatures and encounters worthy of Weird Tales.

The omnibus is comprised of 3 separate novels - Trollslayer, Skaveslayer and Daemonslayer. The first novel, Trollslayer is really short stories that are loosely connected (generally through epigraph references). They have plenty of ghosts, and trolls, and mutants. The second book Skavenslayer is a more closely knit collection of short stories about Gotrek and Felix fighting a recurring nemesis for the first time. The Skaven are a group of scheming rat people. Their Grey Seer Thanquol proves to be a great series villain. The third book Daemonslayer, is a proper novel. It starts off slow, but becomes a riproaring pageturner once it gets going. It deals with the dwarves (and dwarf-friend Felix) visiting the dangerous Chaos Wastes to find a long since lost dwarf treasure in an ancient dwarf settlement.

All of these books have vivid characters, plenty of action, and a decent dose of humor, despite the dark fantasy Warhammer Fantasy setting. This book gave me that same sense of wonder I don't think I've felt since reading Asimov's Foundation. I feel like I'm 30-going-on-13 when I read these books. It reminded me why I started reading fantasy and sci-fi books in the first place.

Highest Possible Recommendation to fantasy fans.

Mindless action and adventure really is all these are. If your looking for a book to pick up and jump into non-stop action with very little plot and char developement, then this is for you. Usually that sort of review would be negative, but it works well with this arthor.
The action is non-stop and neverending. Has quite a bit of comedy as well. Lots of gore and darkness but the good guys always pull through.
One of the best characters is also evil, and it's the Skaven Grey Seer Thanquol, who's endless pursuits at greatness keeps getting thwarted by our hero's.
I'm just finnishing the second omnibus and already looking forward to the third, I just hope Nathan Long writes as well as William King.

Ron

Really good book it was the first one I ever read in the Warhammer series at all. I will definetly be look more into the Warhammer books.

One is on a quest to die, the other is on a quest to help.

Story:
This omnibus contains 13 short stories ranging from 20-60 pages and a full length novel at the end. This Omnibus chronicles the adventures of a pair of warriors as they battle their way through the Warhammer Universe. The stories are in chronological order and the characters gain new gear, experiences, and scars as they battle their way across the World of Warhammer. Gotrek has committed a crime against his people and has been sentenced to die in glorious battle against overwhelming odds. Felix is a fencer and a scholar who accompanies Gotrek and wants to write an epic saga of his death. Together, they rush headlong into danger as they make enemies and allies in a world at war.

World:
All of the stories take place in the Warhammer Universe. The world 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 Hearty Dwarves, Bloodlusted Orcs, Chaos Spawned Beastmen, and Treacherous Skaven.

Characters:
Despite the fact that Gotrek has committed a serious crime, he is noble and lusts for the battle that will give him a glorious death. Felix owes Gotrek his life and accompanies him on his quest to die. Because Felix has spent so much of his life behind books, the travels across the world are new and exciting to him. The reader experiences Nuln, Kislev, and the Chaos Wastes through the eyes of Felix. In addition to the deadly duo, this omnibus features an array of other heroes and villains. The characters are interesting, funny, entertaining, and you find yourself cheering for them.

Writing Style:
The writing style is fast paced heroic fantasy. But it's not just swords swinging and axes chopping, there's a great deal of humanity in the characters. Settings are majestic, battles are bloody, characters are memorable, and dialogue is entertaining. It's the complete package. If you're looking for some background material on the Warhammer universe, the descriptions of the cities, dungeons, wastes, ruins, and battlefields are inspirational.

Action:
As you may have guessed, this book is loaded with cover to cover action. There are massive battles, skirmishes, assassinations, brawls, duels, more battles, deadly magic, beastmen, armies, ratmen, and even more battles. In the battles, it's not just about who won, you actually feel adrenaline rushes as you read them. Limbs fall, heads roll, blood splatters... Daemonslayer does a fantastic job at describing the horrors of war. Feelings of anxiety, dread, relief, victory, and loss are expertly portrayed through the book.

Maturity: Teens
There are loads of fantasy violence and gore and non-descript sexual situations. (Basically the lights go out and a couple wakes up happy the next morning.)

Overall: 9.5
For $10 you get 13 short stories and a full novel. All of the stories are good and the book gets better as it progresses. This is a GREAT read for Warhammer enthusiasts and fans of high adventure. You'll laugh, cringe, cheer, and learn a great deal about the World of Warhammer.

If you enjoyed this, definitely pick up Robert E. Howard's Conan the Barbarian Stories or the Savage Sword of Conan Comics. You will probably also like the Drizzt books by R.A. Salvatore. And if you like Epic Heroes, definitely pick up Legend by David Gemmell. If you like Fun and Entertaining fantasy, you should read Lankhmar by Fritz Leiber.