The third book in the Time of Legends series begins the epic tale of the Sundering. Malekith triggers a tragic sequence of events that plunges the realm of the elves into a civil war from which they will never recover.
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About the Author
Gav Thorpe works for Games Workshop in his capacity as Lead Background designer, overseeing and contributing to the Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000 worlds. He has written the Last Chancers series, and numerous other novels and short stories set in the fictional worlds of Games Workshop.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sins of the Fathers,
By
This review is from: Malekith (Time of Legends) (Mass Market Paperback)
Although Gav Thorpe's new novel is entitled, "Malekith," its scope is greater than the story of one man. Instead, it delineates the development of the Warhammer world as we know it and recounts the rise and fall of Malekith. In a sense, the story of Malekith is a tragedy rather than an epic. Although the novel has "epic" qualities--the expansion of the elves and the exploration of the unknown world--it is ultimately the story of one man's greed and lust for power. Like Macbeth, a great warrior is lured from the light to the dark by greed and the ministrations of a woman. In Malekith's case it is the greed and ambition of his Mother, Morathi, that taunts him, goads him, and tricks him. Thorpe's Malekith, however, is not one dimensional. Throughout the novel, the reader feels that the means, no matter how despicable, have within Malekith's twisted thinking a logical and noble end--to protect the elves from the Chaos gods. It is this element that raises Thorpe's novel from simply being a good Warhammer story to being a great Warhammer story.The first novel of the planned trilogy begins with the end of Aenarion and concludes with the death of Bel Shanaar, the Phoenix King. The narrative involves four major set pieces: the expansion of the elves in the east and the alliance with the dwarves; Malekith's exploration of the west and the Chaos waste; Malekith's war against the cultists in Nagarythe; and the betrayal of the Phoenix King. Thorpe handles the exploration of the east and the establishment of the elven colonies in the old world brilliantly. His description of the dwarven cities is meticulous in its detail. However, the dwarven segment is not simply a side show; it is important to the development of Malekith's character and to the reader's understanding of that character. Although Malekith's anger and ambition are apparent from the beginning of the novel, Malekith truly respects the dwarves and their king. At the end of Part One, Malekith mourns for his lost friend and intends to honor his oath to the Snorri Whitebeard. However, the next section of the novel finds Malekith on his way to the Chaos wastes in the west, where he discovers an ancient city of the Old Ones and discovers a magic circlet that imbues him with new power and insight into the threat of the Chaos gods. From this point on, Malekith moves toward his inevitable fate. His hubris ultimately leads him to the Shrine of Asuryan. As I read the novel I was struck by several things: the psychological complexity of Malekith's character; the clear detailed descriptions of all the locations; the distinct personality and character of the various Warhammer races; an abiding continuity to Warhammer lore and fluff; and the lucid prose. I have read most of Gav Thorpe's work and I think this may be his best. I am quite anxious to read the second volume of the trilogy. I highly recommend this novel to both fantasy lovers and gamers. The Warhammer intellectual property is so rich and so developed that it transcends tie-in fiction. With the Time of Legends series, it seems Black Library has decided to up the ante; to create epic works that can proudly compete with any non-IP fantasy fiction. As a companion piece to this work I recommend Graham McNeill's "Guardians of Ulthuan," and "Heldenhammer," Mike Lee and Dan Abnett's Malus Darkblade series, Mike Lee's "Nagash the Sorcerer," and Nathan Long's "Elfslayer."
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic start for a new ToL trilogy,
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This review is from: Malekith (Warhammer Time of Legends) (Paperback)
Malekith follows the titular Witch King throughout the early days of his life, his rise to power in what would eventually become the realms of Men. He is arrogant, elitist, and condescending to everything and everyone around him. Whats so surprising around that with regards to an elf? Nothing. That's what is so surprising in the initial chapters of the book. Theres no blood-spitting megalomania, no thirst for the throne, aside from a brutal disappointment for not being raised at the opportunity.Malekiths travels take him to his eventual meeting with the dwarves and the initiation of the golden age of the elves, which begins the same way. Elitism which slowly fades to grudging respect and even friendship. There's even some hard-drawn admiration for the first humans, though they're treated more as animals that learned a difficult trick. One major deviation from the previous evil-incarnate series, Nagash, is that Malekith is within inches of being an anti-hero. He genuinely wanted to save his people. He wanted to be in charge, to have power to be sure, but he saw his kingdom softening, weakening, and sincerely thought that his plan was the only possibility of saving the Elves from eventual ruin. This sets up the tragedy well, as you're not rooting for it to happen, though there is some bitter joy at the scene with the Eternal Flame. There aren't as many battle scenes apart from the beginning. Its mostly empire building, politics, and personal encounters with several famous characters and locations, especially the discovery of the Iron Circlet, which opens up the possibility of even more ancient history fluff. Regardless, the story flows well, is well written and exquisitely detailed, and differentiates in tone between the elves and the dwarves in such a way that it feels neither dry nor repetitious.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great story.,
This review is from: Malekith (Time of Legends) (Mass Market Paperback)
Aenarion the Defender was the first of the Phoenix Kings. After dying for his elven people most believed his son, Malekith, would take up the crown. Aenarion had raised his son with that assumption and trained Malekith in warcraft and ruling. Malekith also inherited his mother's gift for magic. Morathi, the Seeress, taught Malekith how to harness and use the power of Chaos for the good of Ulthuan's people. However, the First Council passed over Malekith and decreed Bel Shanaar to be the new Phoenix King.Morathi, the queen-regent, is furious that her son has been overthrown. For the sake of peace, Malekith abides by the First Council's decision. Malekith gives the stewardship of Nagarythe to Morathi and sets off on an expedition to the lands of the east. Malekith's actions and battles make him legendary. Not only does he discover and fight beasts unknown to the elven people before, but he also meets the short and fearsome dwarfish people. Prince Malekith and the High King Snorri Whitebeard spend decades fighting at each other's side against trolls, giants, beastmen, and more. They even swear an oath of brotherhood. All is well while Bel Shanaar cared not for the colonies and stayed in Ulthuan. But after one thousand two hundred years, Bel Shanaar comes to meet the dwarfs' ruler, Snorri. With only a few sentences, Bel Shanaar takes credit for all Malekith's actions and negotiations. Bel Shanaar declares to Snorri that Malekith is only the Phoenix King's "embassy". The slight does not go unnoticed by Prince Malekith or his mother, Morathi. She has never stopped telling Malekith that he should return to Ulthuan and claim his birthright as Phoenix King. Malekith's bitterness begins to grow ... **** FOUR STARS! My synopsis must stop there. To tell more would be to give major spoilers. Much more is going on than I reveal. There are more beasts, battles, magic, dark cults, back stabbing and ancient artifacts than I even hint at. The story is written in two parts. Most of the writing is narration style. The ending feels rushed to me and Malekith's actions unwise. I, as the reader, feel that the ending should have been crafted better. Yet as a whole, this "Time of Legends" story is full of action and adventure. A very good read indeed. **** Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.
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