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clevermird's review
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
I reviewed Ignorant Armies a few months ago and absolutely loved it. In fact, I believe it was tied for my favorite read of 2023. So looking at my TBR pile and finding another Warhammer Fantasy short story collection edited by David Pringle, I had high hopes. And while Wolf Riders doesn't quite live up to its predecessor, it's still well worth the read.
Like Ignorant Armies, this book takes place in the grim and perilous lands of the Warhamer Fantasy universe, a Tolkien-esque world with an early Renaissance flair. The eight stories cover a range of settings and topics and although the focus on the malevolent Chaos Gods is downplayed, there is slightly more attention given to non-human characters to balance it out.
"Wolf Riders" - The return of Gotrek and Felix, the Dwarf-and-Human duo from the opening story of Ignorant Armies, this time guarding a group of human refugees through a dangerous mountain journey as bad luck seems to stalk the caravan.
"The Tilean Rat" - A Halfling is hired by a mysterious Elven woman to look for the titular rat statue, supposedly of only sentimental value.
"The Phantom of Yremy" - A mysterious thief stalks the streets of a Bretonnian town, seemingly with a vendetta against the magistrate.
"Cry of the Beast" - A young man and his adopted father find an Elven girl washed up on the beach after a shipwreck
"No Gold in the Gray Mountains" - Bandits hiding out in an abandoned, supposedly-haunted castle abduct a young noblewoman and must figure out how to keep her alive long enough to ransom her
"The Hammer of the Stars" - A schoolboy and his friends suspect trouble when exotic strangers come to town.
"Pulg's Grand Carnival" - Seeking a place where he isn't outcast, a young albino is persuaded to join a carnival run by the charismatic but airheaded Pulg, but a local businessman is out do get rid of Pulg an his carnival by any means necessary.
"The Way of the Witchfinder" - A servant of one of the Gods of Law sets out on his first mission.
Of the stories, "Tilean Rat" was probably my favorite. In addition to homages to the classic film noir The Maltese Falcon, the story was just a lot of fun, with twists and turns and a brisk, lively pace that made it an easy read. The last two stories, however, are by far the weakest of the bunch, with "Pulg's Grand Carnival" being too long and having an unimpressive climax, and "Way of the Witchfinder" being too short to properly develop the characters or action.
Gotrek and Felix's return offers a lot of new development to their characters and dynamic and while I preferred " Geheimnisnacht", it was also one of the more enjoyable stories in the bunch.
This book was pretty solid. I doubt that it will become a great favorite of mine, but each story was engaging and several of them are well worth rereading.
Like Ignorant Armies, this book takes place in the grim and perilous lands of the Warhamer Fantasy universe, a Tolkien-esque world with an early Renaissance flair. The eight stories cover a range of settings and topics and although the focus on the malevolent Chaos Gods is downplayed, there is slightly more attention given to non-human characters to balance it out.
"Wolf Riders" - The return of Gotrek and Felix, the Dwarf-and-Human duo from the opening story of Ignorant Armies, this time guarding a group of human refugees through a dangerous mountain journey as bad luck seems to stalk the caravan.
"The Tilean Rat" - A Halfling is hired by a mysterious Elven woman to look for the titular rat statue, supposedly of only sentimental value.
"The Phantom of Yremy" - A mysterious thief stalks the streets of a Bretonnian town, seemingly with a vendetta against the magistrate.
"Cry of the Beast" - A young man and his adopted father find an Elven girl washed up on the beach after a shipwreck
"No Gold in the Gray Mountains" - Bandits hiding out in an abandoned, supposedly-haunted castle abduct a young noblewoman and must figure out how to keep her alive long enough to ransom her
"The Hammer of the Stars" - A schoolboy and his friends suspect trouble when exotic strangers come to town.
"Pulg's Grand Carnival" - Seeking a place where he isn't outcast, a young albino is persuaded to join a carnival run by the charismatic but airheaded Pulg, but a local businessman is out do get rid of Pulg an his carnival by any means necessary.
"The Way of the Witchfinder" - A servant of one of the Gods of Law sets out on his first mission.
Of the stories, "Tilean Rat" was probably my favorite. In addition to homages to the classic film noir The Maltese Falcon, the story was just a lot of fun, with twists and turns and a brisk, lively pace that made it an easy read. The last two stories, however, are by far the weakest of the bunch, with "Pulg's Grand Carnival" being too long and having an unimpressive climax, and "Way of the Witchfinder" being too short to properly develop the characters or action.
Gotrek and Felix's return offers a lot of new development to their characters and dynamic and while I preferred " Geheimnisnacht", it was also one of the more enjoyable stories in the bunch.
This book was pretty solid. I doubt that it will become a great favorite of mine, but each story was engaging and several of them are well worth rereading.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Animal cruelty, Gore, Ableism, Death, and Kidnapping
sean86's review
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
drwilko's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
trackofwords's review
3.0
First published way back in the mists of time (well…1990), years before Black Library as a publisher existed, Wolf Riders is an anthology of short stories set in the Warhammer Old World, and is a little…different to more modern Warhammer stories. A little over 200 pages long, it contains eight stories from seven different authors, including familiar names like William King and Sandy Mitchell, and features fan-favourites Gotrek and Felix alongside a range of less well-known characters like halfling investigator Sam Warble and various assorted heroes and ne’er do wells, plus an appearance of the haunted castle Drachenfels.
These are Warhammer stories in the vein of so many early, often pre-Black Library tales, where the Old World was pretty much fully formed geographically, but perhaps didn’t have its full identity yet. Most of these are solid stories, but it’s worth thinking of this anthology as a time capsule demonstrating the sorts of stories and inspirations Warhammer was founded upon, rather than a representation of what it ended up as. It’s definitely worth seeking out if you can find a copy, especially for long-term Warhammer fans after a bit of endearing nostalgia, but William King’s Gotrek and Felix story is probably the only one of these tales that will really last in the memory.
Read the full review at https://www.trackofwords.com/2018/08/01/wolf-riders-edited-by-david-pringle/
These are Warhammer stories in the vein of so many early, often pre-Black Library tales, where the Old World was pretty much fully formed geographically, but perhaps didn’t have its full identity yet. Most of these are solid stories, but it’s worth thinking of this anthology as a time capsule demonstrating the sorts of stories and inspirations Warhammer was founded upon, rather than a representation of what it ended up as. It’s definitely worth seeking out if you can find a copy, especially for long-term Warhammer fans after a bit of endearing nostalgia, but William King’s Gotrek and Felix story is probably the only one of these tales that will really last in the memory.
Read the full review at https://www.trackofwords.com/2018/08/01/wolf-riders-edited-by-david-pringle/
romankurys's review
3.0
So I didn't know what to actually expect from this book. This was my first foray into the world of Warhammer and at the end of it all, I think it was ok.
This is a compilation of 8 stories that are not really related to one another in any way other then they are all happening in Warhammer world. I think the book is aimed at people who have played Warhammer games or painted the figures or have basic understanding of Warhammer. I didn't, but after looking through the map included with the book and reading the stories it really gives you a general idea what Warhammer is all about.
A pretty morbid fantasy world with a strange system of government and secular authorities acting on their own, with magic being very alive and well.
William King's "Wolf Riders" and Jack Yeovil's "No Gold in the Grey Mountains" definitely made the book for me. Those two stories made the book worth reading.
Other stories were mediocre at best.
Pulg's Grand Carnival doesn't even feel like a finished tale, just kind of just ends as if author couldn't think of how to continue.
Overall I feel 3 stars was what this book deserved, given 25% of it I enjoyed greatly, 50% was ok, and last 25% were a waste of time.
Wouldn't suggest reading unless you're into Warhammer or trying to get more lore about Warhammer. Personally, I'm interested to see more about the lore, so will probably read some more Warhammer books sometimes later in the year.
Roman
This is a compilation of 8 stories that are not really related to one another in any way other then they are all happening in Warhammer world. I think the book is aimed at people who have played Warhammer games or painted the figures or have basic understanding of Warhammer. I didn't, but after looking through the map included with the book and reading the stories it really gives you a general idea what Warhammer is all about.
A pretty morbid fantasy world with a strange system of government and secular authorities acting on their own, with magic being very alive and well.
William King's "Wolf Riders" and Jack Yeovil's "No Gold in the Grey Mountains" definitely made the book for me. Those two stories made the book worth reading.
Other stories were mediocre at best.
Pulg's Grand Carnival doesn't even feel like a finished tale, just kind of just ends as if author couldn't think of how to continue.
Overall I feel 3 stars was what this book deserved, given 25% of it I enjoyed greatly, 50% was ok, and last 25% were a waste of time.
Wouldn't suggest reading unless you're into Warhammer or trying to get more lore about Warhammer. Personally, I'm interested to see more about the lore, so will probably read some more Warhammer books sometimes later in the year.
Roman
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