Customer Reviews

Orcslayer (Warhammer Novels)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

Gotrek and Felix arrive back to the southern coast of the Old World to discover that the orcs are running rampant. The Empire's armies, including their dwarf allies, are far north fighting off a major Chaos invasion. Gotrek wants nothing more than to quickly journey to the north and find a worthy doom. However, his one-time friend, Prince Hamnir, insists Gotrek help him reclaim his hold from the greenskins who have overrun it. Gotrek refuses to help the hateful dwarf prince until Hamnir blackmails him into it by calling upon an ancient pledge.

Gotrek and Felix travel to the Diamondsmith Clan's hold expecting the task to be simple. After all, it is only orcs. But these orcs are different. These orcs are organized, well disciplined, and clever. Magic must be involved somehow, because the rune upon Gotrek's axe glows faintly. Finding a way into the hold is all but impossible, but once accomplished, our heroic duo find a more horrific situation before them.

***** Author Nathan Long has done a very good job keeping the characters by fellow-author William King towing their normal line. Other than a slight difference in writing style, and you have to be looking for it or you may miss it, the characters seem the same as always. (Outstanding job there, Mr. Long!) By the end of this adventure, Gotrek's soul carries an even greater weight. So does Felix's, for that matter. It actually makes Gotrek seem more mortal. I have an even deeper respect for both our heroes since I have finished the novel too. This mean the author made the two main characters even more believable to me; that takes a lot of talent for an author to accomplish. Superb! *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

When I first learned that Bill King would not be writing the next Gotrek & Felix novel, I was annoyed and worried. I really didn't want to see two of my favourite heroes revised or "reimagined". I am happy to say that those concerns have been more than laid to rest; they've been split from head to groin like one of the many hapless greenskins in 'Orcslayer'.

Nathan Long takes the reins of the Black Library's longest running series with both hands and lashes it into gritty overdrive. This story starts with a literal bang and does not let up until the very end. Along the way, we learn more than ever before about Gotrek's pre-Slayer past, and even get to see him happy (if only briefly). The novel also addresses some things I have wondered about more than once: what do Gotrek and Felix talk about when they're not in danger? What do they truly think of each other? Are they really even friends?

'Orcslayer' is populated with a fine supporting cast that is mostly dwarfs, but they are all given enough personality to be distinct characters. I particularly liked Kagrin the master goldsmith, and Leatherbeard the Slayer (one of the most unconventional Slayers yet). We get more insight into the ways of dwarfs, the first such look since 'Dragonslayer'. The main plot is somewhat predictable, but the set pieces of the story are not. My only qualm was setting the story twenty years since the events of 'Giantslayer'; that is nothing to Gotrek, but Felix is not a young man anymore.

I enjoyed 'Orcslayer' thoroughly, and all the more so for having such tentative expectations. I strongly recommend this to all fans of Gotrek & Felix. It is easily the strongest entry in the series since 'Beastslayer', and in my opinion one of the best books in the series. Even if Bill King does not return to chronicle their adventures, I feel confident in saying the fates of our two heroes are in good hands with Mr. Long.

I dont know how any of you could praise this book. This book single handedly destroyed the characters and the wonderful story that had been building up in all the previous books. Every previous book had built up the character and enemies, and raised the bar eveytime. This new book smashes all that to pieces and start 20 years later. I mean come on why the hell would they goto another continent when chaos was attacking everywhere and greater dooms for the troll slayer could be around everybend. Not to mention the subtle mention that the old god were manuvering the trollslayer to where he was need. All this new Author did was piss on everything that William King had created in the previous books. I couldnt wait to see the next book and what new situation they would face. Instead everthing changes including the characters. Gotrek whines and complains with his old friend and add nothing to the story. Felix is changed from an Enlightened educated person struggling to make it by in a world that is not ready for the future that Felix represents, into a dunder head that cares about nothing. It was one of the worst revisons of any chacter that i have ever seen. Not only that none of the lore is used form the previous books. The dwarves act as if none of them have heard or Felix or Gotrek and the mighty deeds they have done for the dwarves and the world in general. In the previous books Felix is praised for his use of the dwarves mighty rune hammer and is even compared favorably to Sigmar himself. HOw the hell havent these dwarves from an active port town not heard of him? Added to that the enemies are subpar compared to the other book and i was kinda yawning at the end. In short do not support this book or its Author it is unworthy of reading. Just read the older books that were acutally good.

I must admit that like most, the word "worried" does not even come close to how I felt when I hear that King was not writing this novel. I was irritated and unsettled, reason being, I love reading his novels, several times in fact. Point is, I have always felt his novels are what fantaasy novels should be. For example, he gives you names and places on a map no one has seen or even heard of, yet, he describes the situation, area, and location so well, the reader does not need a map. That is a true writing skill. With that said, Long is just as good. Now I will say that it is different writing styles and different demeanors then the way King wrote, however, the changes were subtle and did not really alter or change the feeling while reading the book. Orcslayer is a true slayer novel with the same large and massive battles that were in the King series. I loved the book and enjoyed it and fully welcome Long's daunting challenge of filling King's shoes. I am sure he will fill them well and make a great "doom" for Gotreck.

I read the first few Gotrek and Felix novels a couple years ago and I absolutely loved them. For one reason or another I never kept up with it but they were always one of my favorite adventures. Recently I went ahead and bought all the books they were featured in, Omnibus 1-3 + (Shaman and Elfslayer) and started from the beginning to refresh my memory. I was thoroughly enjoying it until I got to Orcslayer and had my enthusiasm of finishing the series was crushed. Like some have stated, Nathan Long has completely ruined the essence and personality of the pair.


**SPOILERS**




The Story itself is decent, there are many twists and situations that are fun to read. However Long has completely ignored the past 7 books and the way Gotrek and Felix had handled themselves. Gotrek is now vulnerable in almost every scenario, and Felix has to save him more and more. This makes no sense, the Slayer wants a great death, why is Felix saving him, and even more puzzling, why is Gotrex allowing himself to be saved? He also needs light to fight (and locate his weapon at one point), since Long has ignored the numerous citations of dwarfs and their excellent night vision.

Gotrek has also become mopey and soft, I do not think anyone wanted to know of his past that much, and it should not have been revealed unless it was epic. We got a taste of what went on in his life when they traveled to the Chaos Waste and it was so intriguing with the limited details of how he got his axe, it was perfect. Gotrek also talks too much now and shows compassion. When did he ever care how another Slayer(Leatherbeard) or anyone for that matter felt? Aside from that, the small inconsistencies that I have found were just enough to irk me, it seemed no one compared facts to the first set of books by King (Runes on the axe are red now instead of white etc).

I guess I am more worked up about it because I got to read all the books by King first then immediately read this one. The differences were very noticeable in that case and I felt it did not do the series justice. I will finish reading the rest, mostly because I already bought them, but I am also hoping it is salvaged in the end.

I agree with many of the previous reviewers. Long has destroyed what William King was creating and Felix and Gotrex have been sent to the second tier hero level. King was creating characters that were developing into something special and Long has obliterated the potential. He also completely reversed the attitude and character of the dwarf nation with this book. They have gone from an honerable elder race to a petty, greedy, self involved bunch of bigots. This is a semi-entertaining book with some good action but completely destroyed the wonderful characters that William King created. He has stuck fairly closely to Felix but Gortex has turned into a self-pitying; self absorbed and less than heroic character until the very end where he does have to make a tragic choice. Gotrex is no longer an unstoppable slayer. Long has tried to turn him into a somewhat pathetic figure who can't achieve his goal and never will. Gotrex is still tough but he is no where near as tough as King's slayer. Felix is still tougher than any human should be and still wonders how he will survive the situations he's found himself in. Unfortunately for Felix the Slayer is not what he used to be an Felix takes alot more abuse than he would if King were at the helm. Too bad Long didn't read the books King wrote before he tried this one. He definately did not have a real feel for the characters before writing this. He writes some good action but has destroyed the heart of the characters. I see the series being somewhat entertaining in the future just for the action but not special like it was with Willian King at the helm. A very unfortunate changing of the guard from William King to Nathan Long. The series had so much potential but Long has killed it with this book. I hope he can bring the series back but he has dug a deep hole with this one. Please bring back Gotrex the Slayer instead of Gotrex the average dwarf who likes to drink alot a swim in his own misery. WE WANT THE UNSTOPPABLE ONE BACK!!!!!!!!

When I first saw this new title in the Gotrek and Felix series, I was a little apprehensive with a new author taking over from Mr. King. Despite that feeling, I had to get this book because it was continuing the story of some of my favorite characters in fantasy. It did not disappoint, in fact, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
This book has elements of humor and lots of dwarfs with Felix being the only human around so he, and you as the reader, get to learn a bit more of dwarf society. Poor Felix's interactions consequently are both amusing and annoying for him.
I really liked how we got to learn more of Gotrek's past...and yet here is one nitpick...the timeline is changed from what is learned in King's books. [Small spoiler alert ahead but nothing crucial to plot] In this book Gotrek mentions that he's been a Slayer for eighty years!! I thought he got his axe a little over forty years ago, which can be gleaned from the books of Daemonslayer and Beastslayer. Unfortunately, or fortunately, I am one of those avid readers who tends to remember details even years after the first reading, so even though things like this stick out to me, it doesn't always ruin my overall reading experience. This is one such book. I just felt that I had to point out that there can and will be discrepancies between the new and old, it's probably very hard to keep facts straight or consistent. Mr. Long did a great job and I'd recommend this for any fan of Gotrek and Felix.
Mr. Long also managed to keep me wondering who the baddie was going to be almost to the end of the book! That was cool. And yes, I did buy this soon after it was released, I am just super late in reviewing.