Customer Reviews

Grudge Bearer (Warhammer)

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

 

 

Among Fantasy books, I prefer ones that have non-humans as the main characters. That's why I was overjoyed to find this book that focuses in particular on the Dwarves. They had always been my favourite part of "The Hobbit", and I always felt that Gimli wasn't given enough attention and was kind of relegated to just a supporting character in LOTR (especially in the movies). After devouring everything published so far in William King's Warhammer epic Gotrek & Felix "Slayer" series, I was left hungering for more of the Stunties.

Although we were given just a brief glimpse of a Dwarf Hold in William King's "Dragonslayer", this book takes us right inside the daily life of one such underground city stronghold of the Dwarves. In particular it focuses on the aspect of Dwarven (Dwarvish?) culture that deals with grudges, and their great relish in carrying them on for generations if need be in order to finally settle perceived wrongs against them.

There are epic battles aplenty in this book, with the Dwarves facing off against Orcs, Skaven, massive Chaos hordes and even....each other? But one part that had me questioning was that the Dwarves are depicted as very bloodthirsty when in the course of carrying out a grudge, so much so that they would even be willing to massacre innocent women and children. I wonder....?

Still, on the whole I would say that I enjoyed it and it's a pretty good book, and would rate it overall a 4.5 -- Well worth checking out while you're waiting for William King to get busy and give us more Gotrek.

Grudge Bearer is an awesome read for those interested in Warhammer Dwarf mentality, society, culture and mores. The book centers on King Barundin as the main character but spans many centuries where we witness the creation and settling of major grudges both immediate and inherited. We have a quick glimpse of events before the War of the Beard in the beggining and have a short insight on race relations from the point of view of a dwarf. We are also shown how ancestors, grudges and beer are such inescapable parts of dwarf culture. I give it 4-stars cuz the grudges settled in every chapter got a bit repetitive. Granted this is a book focusing on dwarf culture but it could have been so much more.

this book is awsome. it makes you feel like you are part of the dwarf kingdom. the action flows with the non action part and makes this book hard to put down.

As a longtime player of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, I just recently began reading Black Library novels. Grudge Bearer was the first novel I chose out of many available; I simply grabbed the first book that looked interesting.

I was expecting light fare about dwarfs, and that's what this story delivers. The tale centers on the dwarf Barundin, king of Zhufbar, as he inherits the responsibilities and grudges of his father and ancestors. The glimpse into dwarf life was a treat, and as a roleplayer I certainly came away from the book with a richer understanding of these tough folk.

The storytelling weakens during the vital battle scenes, which read like highlights from a Warhammer Fantasy Battle game on the tabletop. While most of the narrative follows Barundin, the descriptions of battle tend to focus on special units on the battlefield. To be sure, there are plenty of passages where our protagonist gets in his axe-swings, but more often the focus seems to be on special enemy units which have a habit of being terrifically devastating, only to suffer some malfunction that helps to turn the tide of the battle.

But these are minor flaws. This story has momentum, and even the lack of a readily identifiable villain doesn't stop this from being an enjoyable read. (I might argue that the greatest opposition Barundin faces is his own inherited set of grudges, which he tackles one by one as the story develops.)

Overall, Thorpe kept my interest and provided much of what I expected. I wasn't disappointed, and found myself racing through the last 100 pages. I wouldn't recommend the book as a work of literature (the reason for my 3 star rating) but I think it will be appreciated by those who enjoy the Warhammer world to begin with.

This book was a very well thought out story. I truly enjoyed this book and almost read it in one sitting. If you are searching for a good Warhammer book to read and you enjoy stories about dwarves try this book.

This book is only just the right side of middling. The cheese comes in the form of the guest appearance of the legendary 'White Dwarf', after which Games Workshops magazine is named. The writing is okay, but not spectacular, it does however move along at a reasonable clip. There are many better Warhammer novels. If you have any interest in the Dwarf elements of the Warhammer world, then I will award this 4 stars rather than 3, because you will be very happy with this book. Oh and it does involve a brewery Who would have thought beer and beardlings. Black Library had Nick Kyme write some more warhammer Dwarf oriented books, 'Oathbreaker' and 'Honourkeeper'

As I have said in other reviews of Gav's books, I see him as one the spear points at Black Library. He puts the flesh on the bones of the Warhammer Fantasy Universe in a thoughtful and, usually, psychological way. He also cares about writing and like Ben Counter, Nathan Long, and Dan Abnett produces a very readable book.

"Grudge Bearer" is not a novel; it is a series of stories organized under the aegis of various grudges that either Throndin Stoneheart or his son Barundin must fulfill during their long--really long--reigns as Kings of Zhufbar.

Through the telling of these various grudges and the way in which they are resolved, Gav delineates an exotic and somewhat seductive world of order among the dwarfs. At times I found myself wishing I were a long lived dwarf.

In regard to the franchise within which he works, Gav fulfills his duty and delineates the various groups of dwarfs, their function and their behavior, so the gamers among us are satisfied.

I gave this book four stars because of editorial problems. There were quite a few typographical errors and consistency problems that interrupted my reading. This is not Gav's fault but the publisher's.

I particularly want to applaud Gav's attempt at creating a semblance of a dwarven language and his use of poetry, which enhances his creation of verisimilitude in a fantastic setting.

This book made for an easy read, but do not expect to be enthralled by it. The best part of the book are the scenes of every day life in a Dwarven hold and the drunken revelry. The book is worth the purchase price.

The book was any easy read. If you like Dwarves, you will like this book. It gives a lot of insight about Dwarves - as a whole - and was quite enteraining.

4 1/2 stars

This was a great Read! I am not one for Dwarves, but this book was full of likeable characters. It was fast-paced, full of action, and at times - Humorous. Very enjoyable, and hard to put down.