‘Luthor Huss’ – Chris Wraight (Black Library)

Over the last couple of years I’ve really come to look forward seeing more of Chris Wraight’s work, whether it’s set in the far future universe of Warhammer 40K or the fantasy setting of the Old World. I haven’t been a fan of the Black Library all that long but even I can see that Wraight ‘gets it’ in such a way that his tales will always engage long term fans as well as fantasy fans coming across his work for the first time. From where I’m sat, the Warhammer 40K stuff is coming along nicely but Chris’ forte is very much the stuff set in Old World. Long term readers (hi guys!) already know that I love Wraight’s ‘Warhammer Heroes’ books but if you don’t, well… have a click Here and Here to get an idea of what I’m on about.

The merest mention then of another ‘Warhammer Heroes’ book, from Chris Wraight, was more than enough to have me looking forward to 2012 and checking the doorstep with an obsession that wasn’t appreciated by my wife (I was letting the draught in apparently…) The book arrived, and got me through some particularly grim last few days at work, but it wasn’t quite the read that I was expecting. It was very good indeed but… let me try and explain…

The Empire is always under threat from forces on its borders as well as those chipping away from within. Witch Hunter Lukas Eichmann is a man whose calling it is to halt that threat from within; a series of bizarre murders will lead him into the depths of the Empire at the head of his own army. The warrior priests of Sigmar have that very same calling and Luthor Huss battles to free the denizens of the Drakwald forest from a plague of the walking dead. Little do they know it but the fates of these two men will come together in such a way that not only will the true threat to the Empire be revealed but one of the men will find out that he is integral to that threat’s fruition. But that’s only if both Eichmann and Huss can hack their way through the absolute worst that the Drakwald forest has to offer first; a forest that brims over with all that is worst in both men and beasts…

I didn’t need to get too far into ‘Luthor Huss’ to see that Chris Wraight has done it again as far as I’m concerned. ‘Luthor Huss’ has everything in it that made ‘Sword of Justice’ and ‘Sword of Vengeance’ such gripping and compelling reads; there are several other writers producing novels for the ‘Warhammer Heroes’ range but right now, this is a series that Wraight has made all his own. As always, any more books from Wraight would be more than welcome in this house.

The setting is as grim and bleak as ever with danger lurking in the shadows as well as in plain site where you can’t quite make it out until it’s too late. A setting like this is just what the doctor ordered for this kind of book and Wraight delivers on that score. We’re looking at a backdrop where you’re left in no doubt as to the dangers that ordinary citizens of the Empire face on a daily basis. It’s a wild country out there and even the strongest of men and women might not be able to stop a sudden knife in the dark or the clawed shadow that lurks in the trees… Such a setting also highlights the resolve of such men and women to carve out a life for themselves, in this inhospitable wilderness, and beat back the encroaching darkness. This series focuses on heroes for a very good reason, there are loads of them out there and their stories all need to be told. It’s not just Luthor Huss who is the focus in this respect (although his story does take centre stage, more on that later on), there is heroism in the most unlikely of places and Wraight does well to shine a piercing light on all of it. Whether it’s Rickard’s quest for redemption through fanaticism, Mila constantly testing her own boundaries or Huss himself; all bases are very much covered here. The result is a work that is at times very stirring as people push themselves to the absolute limit and will not back down.

Wrapped all around this is a tale of darkness and horror where there is more than one surprise waiting to catch the unwary (and I’m talking about the characters as well as the readers here…) There is plenty going on here to hold your interest and it’s punctuated with bursts of warfare and combat so intense and bloody that I found myself holding my breath until it was all done. Wraight knows only too well how bloody and capricious combat can be in the Old World, especially when you’re trying to face down a Beast Man twice the size of you…

Where the problem came for me (and it was the only problem I had with in the entire book) was with the character of Luthor Huss himself, which was a bit of an issue seeing as the whole book is based around him. Here is a guy who is simply unable to form any meaningful relationship with the world around him; not only does his calling take priority but there are also other issues which you find out about towards the end of the book. What this means is that, for the larger chunk of the book, you are following a character whom it’s more or less impossible to engage with; he’s just not built that way. His heroism is never in doubt but you never really get an idea of why that is. You are told at the very end of the book but by then it’s far too late…
I’m going to give Wraight the benefit of the doubt and say that perhaps he wrote Huss a little too well here, read the book and you’ll understand what I mean. Even so, this approach can make for frustrating reading at times…

Stick with it though and you’ll be rewarded with a stirring tale of pitched battles and heroism that won’t fail to hit the spot. Wraight cannot write quickly enough for me, more please!

Nine out of Ten