Orcslayer (Warhammer Novels) [Mass Market Paperback]

Nathan Long (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 14, 2006 | Series: Warhammer Novels

Gotrek and Felix arrive back on the southern coast of the Old World to discover that the orcs are running rampant as the Empire fights off a Chaos invasion futher inland. To honour an ancient pledge, Gotrek agrees to help a dwarf prince reclaim his hold from the greenskin invaders who have siezed it, but our intrepid heroes find more than they bargain for in the cold depths of the mountains.

"A snappy serial in the Tolkein vein draws its heroes and villains from a somewhat tired set of fantasy tropes, but Long's storytelling ability makes it worthwhile?the narrative maintains the momentum throughout. An engaging if derivative fantasy tale."

-Kirkus Discoveries, VNU US Literary Group

Editorial Reviews

Review

Nathan Long does a wonderful job of capturing the gritty elements of the dark world of Warhammer fantasy - JT McMahon, Amazon.com

About the Author

Nathan Long has worked as a screenwriter for fifteen years, during which time he has had three movies made and a handful of live-action and animated TV episodes produced. He has also written three novels, and several award winning short stories. He lives in Hollywood.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Games Workshop (November 14, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1844163911
• ISBN-13: 978-1844163915
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,084,094 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Nathan Long is a screen and prose writer, with two movies, one Saturday-morning adventure series, and a handful of live-action and animated TV episodes to his name, as well as ten fantasy novels and several award-winning short stories.

He hails from Pennsylvania, where he grew up, went to school, and played in various punk and rock-a-billy bands, before following his writing dreams to Hollywood - where he now plays in various punk and country bands - and writes novels full time.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not a bad story, just not necessarily a Gotrek and Felix novel, January 10, 2007

By 

Greg R. Pettit (London, England) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Orcslayer (Warhammer Novels) (Mass Market Paperback)

I don't think that any of us are looking for a literary masterpiece when we pick up a Gotrek and Felix novel. That being said the story flowed well, and was full of action.

Unfortunately, the story could have been about any two characters and may have damaged the Felix and Gotrek franchise beyond repair. The book completely ignores the plot hooks left dangling at the end of Giantslayer and deposits the characters in the badlands after a 20 year hiatus from the familiar parts of the "old world". This move back to the badlands where the pair started their adventuring career together seems to parallel a step back for the series away from the epic and towards the peripheral struggles of the warhammer world. This plot could have occurred in virtually any fantasy setting without using the established characters.

SPOILER WARNING

Finally, I found the use of a non-GW Cannon monster as the penultimate antagonist to be very disappointing. I was hoping for at least the destruction of an enormous orc warboss. I guess "Bug Slayer" wouldn't have sold very well.

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Waited A Long Time For This, November 16, 2006

By 

S. Davis "black library fan" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Orcslayer (Warhammer Novels) (Mass Market Paperback)

Wow. How many of us have been waiting for another Gotrek & Felix novel? It seems like it has been years. The two stars of the Black Library are finally back....and it was worth waiting for this. Big time kudos to the Black Library, because they actually did this book right. Nathan Long has written a fantastic story.

The opening of the book tells how it has been 20 years since Gotrek and Felix left the Empire. As I stated, Nathan Long did a great job with the story. The two heroes arrive in the Old World after a lenghty journey. He avoided cramming those 20 years of adventures into Orcslayer, so they do not take away from the action. And there is plenty of action. Those of you who buy this and have not read another Slayer book before will not feel left out of the loop, because Nathan Long does not draw on any previous books to add to the plot.

I will not give anything away about what happens, but I for one am very pleased with the approach Nathan Long has taken. Gotrek and Felix do not rush off to confront the Everchosen, they do not meet any old characters from the previous books, what happened in Araby is not even mentioned, and we see a softer, deeply hidden side of Gotrek in the novel. They do encounter an old evil that they alone are capable of taking care of, and this creature is a new addition to the Warhammer world; there has never been a baddy like this one before.

I suspect that not everyone will like this, but I am happy that Nathan Long has made these two characters and their story his.

Welcome back guys. Those of us who have been reading novels from the Black Library for a long time have missed you.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing Replacement, June 1, 2007

By 

Edward Dunlap (München, Deutschland) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Orcslayer (Warhammer Novels) (Mass Market Paperback)

I was quite disappointed by this installment of Gotrek & Felix. It sounds extremely nerdy to say this, but Long just doesn't get the essence of dwarves. If you are going to write from the perspective of fantasy races, at least let them be a bit different than humans. That's the whole fun of the matter. Who wants a whole novel about stumpy, bad-smelling humans that drink alot?

Also, the realism (sic) of the battle scenes suffers quite a bit. William King never let us forget that Gotrek was a mortal with an axe. Long makes something of a cartoonish super hero out of him.