Time of Legends: Heldenhammer (Book 1) [Mass Market Paperback]

Graham McNeill (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 29, 2008 | Series: Time of Legends (Book 1)

Launch title of a major new fantasy series that brings the history of the Warhammer world to life. This novel kicks the series off with a bang with the story of Sigmar Heldenhammer, the legendary hero who founded the Empire.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Hailing from Scotland, Graham McNeill narrowly escaped a career in Surveying to join Games Workshop, where he worked for six years as a games developer. As well as seven novels, Graham has written a host of sf and fantasy short stories. He lives in Nottingham, UK.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Games Workshop (April 29, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1844165388
• ISBN-13: 978-1844165384
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #221,962 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Hailing from Scotland, Graham McNeill narrowly escaped a career in Surveyinh to join Games Workshop, where he worked for six years as a games developer. In addition to many novels, including False Gods, Fulgrim and Mechanicum for the prestigious Hoeus Hersey series, Graham has written a host of sf and fantasy short stories. He lives in Nottingham, UK.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Do you like it Hard?, June 16, 2008

By 

John F. Reed "Bookworm" (Alexandria, Virginia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Time of Legends: Heldenhammer (Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

When I think of Fantasy, I tend to think of Jerry Pournelle, Robert Jordan, Terry Brooks, Dragonlance stuff, and then Christian fantasy like Tolkein.

I like the nuance of some of the author's I've mentioned and that they've successfully created a wondrous world with a degree of versimillitude.

I like Graham McNeill's Heldenhammer because Graham is a fine writer. His characterization is great. His dwarves are better than Tolkein's. Oops, I just got struck by lightning. Anyhow, this wasn't like a long drawn-out novel other authors would have written; replete with some long grail quest, etc. Reading this is like watching your own movie. I had a real visual trip with the book.

I recommend Heldenhammer for fans of MacBeth's witches, Braveheart, LOTR, Conan the Barbarian, and heavy hard rock & roll.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars By the Hammer of Sigmar!, May 12, 2008

By 

Apollo Reader (Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Time of Legends: Heldenhammer (Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

Having been a long-time fan of Warhammer Universe, although we are not gamers, we have seen a handful of writers emerge through the years that have created the Warhammer logo to more than just game merch, as well as a few well written books, to a huge mega-star conglomeration that covers both fantasy and sci-fi genres and taking them to all-time highs in the annals of both genres.

If you still think that Warhammer is just a game, or just blood and gore, then you haven't read the most recent novels in the last few years.

Such great authors like Graham McNeill are proving more and more that they are just as good - if not better - than their earlier counterparts of such authors as Raymond Feist, Tolkien, Eddings, Robert E. Howard, and George R. R. Martin, just to name a few. And McNeill's latest fantasy epic proves all that - and more!

Time of Legends: Heldenhammer definately catapults and proves once and for all that writers like this are at the top of their game. Putting epic back in epic fantasy is this. we'd venture to say that this novel alone is definately McNeill's magnus opus in the fantasy field.

This is Sigmar's time, a legend heard about and only mentioned as a wargod through numerous novels in the Warhammer universe. Well, some genius over at the Black Library studios decided - hey, let's make a series out of all these legendary gods that all of our past novels only hint and mention at! And bingo, you have top-notch writers going for it.

Heldenhammer has it all, from larger-than-life heroes to a dark and colorful world, chock full of warriors and creatures out of myth. Barbarians and sorcerers abound. Love and mystery also mix with bloody carnage that blend perfectly to this first of a trilogy that will surely fulfill fans of such epic fantasy novels that we named above by any author. Creative and top-notch writers such as Dan Abnett, Ben Counter, James Swallow, and Graham McNeill have most definately brought the Warhammer universe out of the pulp fiction genres of sci-fi and fantasy and made them worthy to be held up to such standards as even Best_selling authors such as Terry Goodkind, and even give more consistent and better fantasy of such authors.

Sigmar, prince and son of King Bjorn of the Unberogen tribe has a vision to unite the tribes of man, changing the course of history forever. Heldenhammer is like Thor, filled to the brim with the story of the rise to power of one of the most influential characters in the Warhammer universe. Whether you are a Warhammer gamer or not, or have never even read a Warhammer book - it doesn't matter! This is a great place to start.

If you like epic quests, characters that are well-rounded and memorable, all-out action/adventure, with an epic feel to the whole storyline - then this one is for you!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "I have a dream" : the tale of a legendary character, bearer of a great ideal., September 27, 2008

By 

Entomophobie (Canada, Montreal) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Time of Legends: Heldenhammer (Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

The will and the vision Sigmar has for the construction of a unified empire of all men to cope against their aggressor and to become something greater than their mere tribal's belonging is what force the admiration in this tale. This is what makes the greatness of this character. The book succeed very well to tell the story of this dream.

Sigmar is depicted mostly as an exemplar of goodness. He is a model of virtue that contrasts pretty much with the usual moral ambivalency that marks Warhammer's characters. Ironically, I could illustrate this by asserting that Sigmar doesn't turn out to be a Chaos devote at the end of the novel like the warhammer cliché would be.

Because Sigmar is an unfaltering becon of light in a world that takes pride to be portrayed as dark and grim, this novel could disappoint some fans. Personnally, I haven't been turn off by this representation of Sigmar. However, it makes the character less original, since it place him among the other heros of this sort that it is very often met in fantasy literature and in other kind of stories.

The book wants to be epic and succeed to reach this level in the display of Sigmar's hope and vision concerning the Empire he wants to build for the humankind. Indirectly, we can find back the tragedy and the ambivalency cherish in Warhammer universe if we compared this dream with what it became and how it is carry now in the current Warhammer period.

The book is also epic in the battles and combats it display. However, telling the tale of this sorte into one book leave little place between each climax. The epical aspect the novel wants to build up is, then, a bit affected, because the action from one scene to another feel sometimes to be a bit precipitated, since few space is availible to develop other aspects than Sigmar's ideals and battles.

The book remain discreet about the ascension of Sigmar to godhood station. The novel leave place to interpretation concerning this part of Sigmar's Legend. It is either possible to presume Sigmar succeed to became one god among the other divinities; while it is also possible to imagine that it is not Sigmar himself who became a god, but his hope and vision of a unify Empire of men who became transcendent.

Overall, I did enjoy this story and the portrait it makes of Sigmar. However, I haven't find it very unique, since many stories and myths have already made tales of such kind of hero.