When placed against Warhammer’s 40K setting, the Old World (we’re talking fantasy here for those newcomers) always seems to come in second place to 40K’s vicious heroes toting seriously heavy firepower in the direction of the alien menace. In some ways you can understand this but there is a lot of quality Warhammer fantasy fiction out there that isn’t getting the attention it deserves and I’ve set out to see if I can redress the balance a little bit :o)
As far as the ‘Sigmar’ trilogy goes, the first two books I read have done plenty to even things out. When I read ‘God King’ I found myself saying that ‘if the previous two books were anything like this then I’ll have to pick them up very soon’. ‘Heldenhammer’ was up next and once I’d finished reading that I said ‘Heldenhammer’ suffers from its flaws but manages to rise above these to become an entertaining read that more than rewards the persistent reader. Bring on ‘Empire...’
Well, I’ve finished reading ‘Empire’ and (no pun intended) it’s the ‘Empire Strikes Back’ of this trilogy, the best of the lot...
The orc invaders have been pushed back into the mountains and Sigmar’s fledgling empire can finally begin to grow and prosper. All is far from well though, not in a land still mostly untamed where danger can still spring from dark forests and foreboding mountains. Sigmar still has plenty to do to hold things together, especially when the discovery of an ancient artefact threatens to undo everything that he has worked for. All this pales into insignificance though when an army of Chaos sweeps down from the icy wilds of Norsca. Blood and death is the aim of these invaders and Sigmar’s armies must fight as never before if they are to safeguard their homes...
Just recently, I’ve really been after reading books full of blood and thunder where I can be taken away from daily stuff and get a real dose of adrenalin. I’m not done with this urge yet (and suspect I never will be thanks to the dull grind of London commuting...) but ‘Empire’ did an amazing job of plugging the gap in the meantime. It’s one of those books where you put it down and realise that you’ve been holding your breath, for several pages, and your face has gone a interesting shade of red...
Most, if not all, of this is down to the enemies that Sigmar’s armies must face this time round (and it’s not like they’ve had much of a chance to rest from the last battle). There wasn’t really a lot to identify with as far as the orcs of ‘Heldenhammer’ go; they fight just because they can and that isn’t much to hang a story off. Same deal with the living dead in ‘God King’. There is some personality to the force controlling them but essentially what you’re left with is a horde of zombies that drive the plot without necessarily adding anything to it.
Not so with the hordes of Chaos. There are motives and aspirations aplenty in this slavering horde that stretch far beyond just wanting to hit someone with something sharp. Revenge is on the mind of a lot of people and the re-introduction of one character in particular adds pathos and depth just where it’s needed. The end result becomes far more than fighting for the sake of it. We know why Sigmar’s armies fight but having the other side treated in the same way gives the battle scenes that much more impact.
Not that McNeill needs any extra impact at these moments as he proves just as capable as ever at delivering those pivotal battle scenes where everything can hang on a sword stroke delivered at just the right moment. Set against some gorgeously described backdrops (forests, mountains and inside mountains...) McNeill chronicles the ebb and flow of battle like a conductor wielding a sword instead of a baton. You’re drawn right into the thick of things and McNeill leaves you very glad that you have the choice to close the book and step away when things get too manic, and they do...
It’s a shame then that the rest of the book doesn’t live up to the momentous standards set by this particular plot...
The other main plotline involves the discovery of an artefact that gradually bends Sigmar to its will and has him ruling his empire in a way that threatens it’s very existence. This is all well and good and you do get to find out a lot more about Sigmar and the way in which he deals with this threat. I’m sure that fans of the setting will appreciate the insight that we get here. I wasn’t so sure though...
Sigmar has basically been built up to be such a fearsome character that the threat posed doesn’t quite seem big enough to be that much of a threat at all, especially when set against the Chaos threat which really is a threat that could fell Sigmar and his empire. What we have here is a threat that we know Sigmar will overcome and that kind of destroys the point of the whole thing. The end result is a bit of a mess, at least as far as I was concerned. Is Sigmar really going to fall for something that isn’t worth his time on any other day? Of course he’s not; not when the format of the book demands his presence at the final battle.
It’s a good job then that the ‘Chaos’ plotline carries the whole book almost effortlessly with a hefty dose of everything that you’ve come to like about what McNeill has done with this character and setting. Triumph, tragedy and warriors in that endless cycle of kill or be killed. While you can’t help but wonder what might have been (if the other plotline had been handled better) ‘Empire’ still ended up being just what I was after. You could do a lot worse than check it out, read the series in order though... ;o)
Nine and a Quarter out of Ten
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