Customer Reviews

Vampireslayer (A Gotrek & Felix novel)

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

 

 

King needs to slow down. This book is not nearly as good as the others in the series. Fans of the series should find it tolerable, but disapointing. I think King is cranking out too many books, and has definitely entered hack territory.

Slayer Gotrek Gurnisson is a dwarf on a death quest. He roams the land searching for the mightiest of evils to fight and slay until he is finally rewarded with a glorious death that will long be remembered and talked about for generations to come. Felix Jaegor is sworn to accompany the Slayer, however long it takes, even though it could end in his own death. Should he survive, it will be Felix's job to record and report the heroic dwarf's many battles, as well as how Gotrek fell in combat.

Nearly a quarter of Praag's population is dead after their recent battle with the minions of Darkness. The same numbers again are expected to perish of hunger, disease and exposure to the northern winter chill. Times are hard and a few suspicious deaths foreshadow of worse to come. A few recent corpses have been drained of blood and have strange marks upon them. Though Felix is not sure why, these particular bodies give him very bad feelings. It is during these odd times that a rich antique collector approaches them for help and protection.

To make a long story short, Adolphus Krieger (a vampire) and Roche (his hulking henchman) have been trying to convince the collector to hand over a certain talisman, the Eye of Khemri. Adolphus is holding off a blood-feeding madness lately and must continue to do so until he fulfills Nospheratus's ancient prophesy. Battle Mage Max is studying the talisman, accidentally springs an ancient trap, and rendered unconscious. Therefore, when Adolphus steals the Eye from a vault, Max is unable to keep the blood sucker from kidnapping Ulrika (the lovely warrior).

Once Max is again conscious, the group must move quickly. Max's magic allows him and the group to follow the Eye, out and away from Praag, until Max's magical tracking spell is broken. If Ulrika still lives, she is more than likely being used as the vampire's portable blood supply, or worse, turned into a vampire herself. Time is of the essence not only to rescue Ulrika, but to keep Adolphus from becoming Lord of the Night and beginning the Age of Blood.

***** The Skavens Thanquol and Lurk take a back seat in this episode of the Gotrek & Felix adventures. This time the author, William King, gives the main bad guy, Adolphus Krieger, a decent amount of scene time. For the first time in several Gotrek & Felix titles, the creature within the book's title is neither seen only in small, brief scenes, nor just a group name for an army or horde. Readers get to see an equal amount of the good guys and the bad guys.

The author puts the female warrior, Ulrika, in the spotlight for a change as well. The love triangle between Ulrika, Felix, and Max broadens, expands, and some new information is given to the readers. In my opinion, there is a lot more action in this story than in the previous two. (On a side note, three titles - Dragonslayer, Beastslayer, and Vampireslayer - may be purchased and read under one cover titled GOTREK & FELIX: THE SECOND OMNIBUS!) With each story William King's writing gets better and better. *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

This is the 6th book in the Felix & Gotrek series and the 6th one that I've read, but unfortunately it is also the first one I am giving less than a perfect 5-star rating to.

Briefly put, the story this time out seems very drawn out and not that interesting. Unlike the previous books in the series which I could not keep myself from reading page after page, at some points in this book I found it an effort to keep going.

Over half the book seems devoted to an overly lengthy account of the pursuit of the villain. Also, I am not sure exactly what the problem is, but King does not seem that comfortable writing the character of the Vampire, and the genres of Horror and Fantasy do not achieve a very satisfying blend in this book. The overall result ends up coming off as rather bland.

Gotrek doesn't get much action in this one, and there seems to be too much weight given to introspection, as the narrative moves from one character's inner thoughts to the next to the next without sufficient events or action in between to add a bit of colour and interest.

As a huge fan myself, I can only recommend this one to the really die-hard fans of this series who just can't get enough of Gotrek & Felix.

I picked up this book expecting Gotrek and Felix to hack and slash their way to hordes and hordes of ghouls and the undead. But instead, I got a book that has its first half focusing on the aftermath of the siege of Praag and its title characters seeing miniscule amount of action. I have no expectations of philosphical quandaries or moral dilemmas for this series. I want action, action, action and action. Sadly, there are few and far between and Gotrek is given little chances to plow through hordes of enemies. Heck, he didn't even get to face mano-a-mano the title villain.

I've been reading the Felix and Gotrek series as I come across them, and not in any particular order, enjoying them as I get the chance. I actually came across them purely by chance and offhand, I think the Warhammer series by William King are a superb collection of game-based literature, bringing the game's atmosphere to life quite credibly.

The series is written in chronological order, following the adventures of Felix Jaeger and the Dwarven Slayer Gotrek Gurnisson, ostensibly told in a series of volumes by Felix Jaeger entitled "My Travels with Gotrek." It's definitely not a series for the faint at heart who dislike blood, gore and mindless violence. On the other hand, if you enjoy a well-written tale involving the afore-mentioned subjects, this series is for you.....

This particular book takes up where the last in the series, Beastslayer, leaves off, with Felix, Gotrek and Snorri Nosebiter (another Dwarven Slayer and compatriot of Gotrek's) in Praag where they have assisted in defeating a Chaos Army. I won't reveal the plot, such as it is, in any detail, but suffice it to say that as per the book's title, our adventurers trek south away from the Armies of Chaos in pursuit of a Vampire.

That said, as other reviewers have noted, this particular book has a bit less hack and slash gore and violence and a bit more in the way of scene setting, character development (for Felix Jaegar at least) and plot than others in the series. For readers that have enjoyed the previous books in the series and want action, action and more action, this may be somewhat of a disappointment. On the other hand, for those of us who like a little depth at times, this may come as a welcome interlude. Or maybe not. Anyhow, I enjoyed it. As with all the series, it's fast-paced, although the first half is a little slower than one has come to expect as it sets the scene for what's to come, the plot moves relatively quickly and settles down to the violence we've come to expect in the second half, there's some lovely little fights although perhaps not on the same epic scale as in other books in the series.

The sixth installment in King's Slayer series picks up almost immediately where the last Beastslayer left off. While the Massed Chaos horde still threatens the old world Gotrek and Felix must combat a more urgent threat A Vampire count and his undead minions. And sicnce this is a Warhammer novel that means lots of bloodshed and the profound lack of melodrama that lurks within most modern fantasy. Fast paced, bloody, and often time, blackly comedic this book is not to be missed

I think this book is really good. It is full of action and it kept me reading. It is very discriptive and not predictable. Keep in mind that this book is not for faint hearted people because it is pretty gory.

King does it again! I have throughly enjoyed every book in this series and was again throughly pleased. He provides all you need from the gore, to the mystery, to the darkness that is warhammer. I have been reading fantasy for twenty years and the warhammer series is some of the best i've come across. No romance, boring dialogue, or feelings here--just blood and guts action--the way it should be.