Empire: The Legend of Sigmar
Empire: The Legend of Sigmar by Graham McNeill
Being reasonably familiar with Games Workshop's Warhammer Fantasy Battles system and it's background setting, I used to play the game up until a few years ago, I was intrigued to read Empire: The Legend of Sigmar. It is set in an earlier period than the more familiar late medieval setting used for the Games Workshop Empire armies. As the title suggests the story revolves around Sigmar, the newly crowned Emperor, and the early years of his new Empire.
As I mentioned, rather than late medieval, it has more of a Dark Ages feel to it. I think the simplest way to describe it would be to say it feels like it is set somewhere between Beowulf(the CGI movie version) and The Thirteenth Warrior. Possibly with a little of Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen thrown in for good measure.
The plot is broken down into four separate, although linked, episodes. Each recounting escalating martial encounters, initially dealing with a Count (formerly a pre-Empire King), that seems reluctant embrace his new Empire. Eventually, after a skirmish with some demonic swamp-dwellers, the Count accepts his role within the Empire.
Now even though this book is set in a high fantasy world (with all the associated races or orcs, elves, dwarves etc.), it actually feels more like a low fantasy, sword and sorcery epic. There are very few encounters with the non-human races, a few dwarves towards the end and several mentions of Greenskins (Orcs). When it comes down to it most of the action takes place between different factions of humans, except at the end when the chaos warped Beastmen appear, and a few dwarves help relieve the siege.
Most readers of Games Workshop books will know what to expect, there are usually fairly thin plots that link plenty of battles. Games Workshop do, after all produce these books to support their wargames. In that respect, this book delivers wonderfully. The plot is interesting enough to hold the readers attention, the descriptions of the battles are well written and it is easy enough to follow all the different players through the complex battle scenes.
Characterisation is a little thin, but that only helps give the book something of the feel of the Anglo-Saxon Sagas, bringing us nicely back to the similarities with Beowulf! Some Games Workshop books have left feeling a little disappointed when I have read them in the past, and although I probably wouldn't have picked this one up through choice, I must say, I enjoyed it!
Reviewed by IronMammoth/David Drage
Being reasonably familiar with Games Workshop's Warhammer Fantasy Battles system and it's background setting, I used to play the game up until a few years ago, I was intrigued to read Empire: The Legend of Sigmar. It is set in an earlier period than the more familiar late medieval setting used for the Games Workshop Empire armies. As the title suggests the story revolves around Sigmar, the newly crowned Emperor, and the early years of his new Empire.
As I mentioned, rather than late medieval, it has more of a Dark Ages feel to it. I think the simplest way to describe it would be to say it feels like it is set somewhere between Beowulf(the CGI movie version) and The Thirteenth Warrior. Possibly with a little of Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen thrown in for good measure.
The plot is broken down into four separate, although linked, episodes. Each recounting escalating martial encounters, initially dealing with a Count (formerly a pre-Empire King), that seems reluctant embrace his new Empire. Eventually, after a skirmish with some demonic swamp-dwellers, the Count accepts his role within the Empire.
Now even though this book is set in a high fantasy world (with all the associated races or orcs, elves, dwarves etc.), it actually feels more like a low fantasy, sword and sorcery epic. There are very few encounters with the non-human races, a few dwarves towards the end and several mentions of Greenskins (Orcs). When it comes down to it most of the action takes place between different factions of humans, except at the end when the chaos warped Beastmen appear, and a few dwarves help relieve the siege.
Most readers of Games Workshop books will know what to expect, there are usually fairly thin plots that link plenty of battles. Games Workshop do, after all produce these books to support their wargames. In that respect, this book delivers wonderfully. The plot is interesting enough to hold the readers attention, the descriptions of the battles are well written and it is easy enough to follow all the different players through the complex battle scenes.
Characterisation is a little thin, but that only helps give the book something of the feel of the Anglo-Saxon Sagas, bringing us nicely back to the similarities with Beowulf! Some Games Workshop books have left feeling a little disappointed when I have read them in the past, and although I probably wouldn't have picked this one up through choice, I must say, I enjoyed it!
Reviewed by IronMammoth/David Drage
Last updated by Deborah J Miller - Award Administrator Feb 1.
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