Hi,

I recently found warhammer fantasy roleplaying game and i have to admit it intrigues me a lot to delve into this dark world.

I know very little about the world and i would like to explore it by reading some novels. Are there any good one out there? What is the feeling and the atmosphere of the setting? (high magic? epic? gothic? political - intrigue?, etc etc...)

Maybe my "fantasy background" can give you what things i like most.

First of all I like the classic authors. I started with Tolkien and still i think his work is the best in the genre.

Ursula's Le Guin Earthsea saga is also a great favorite although i consider her work as primary a political one (which i have no objections if a fantasy novel is a highly political work- i have to say that mostly i agree with her beliefs)

The same goes for Michael Moorcock's Elric, Hawkmoon, etc... Fantasy whith many symbolisms and a strong political message underneath.

I am playing d&d rpg for more than 15 years but i consider most of the books really a big crap! However one book that can separate from the lot is Planescape - Pages of Pain. Anti-hero novel with philosofical flavor on it.

When i was younger i liked the Dragonlance Chronicles and Legends and the first Ravenloft books (i am not sure if i feel the same now about these - probably not).

Apart the d&d novels i enjoyed some works of Katherine Kerr and Robin Hobb. Also i found really entertaining the works of George Martin (Game of Thrones).

Concluding this CV i have to admit that i prefer a mature reading and probably i would prefer a low magic and probably not epic one.

Thank you in advance!

Start with Gotrek & Felix:

www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1/188-2551678-0326110

Jay H

Another option which i tried out is a compilation of short stories in the Warhammer world called:

Tales of the Olde World

It allows for many different perspectives and cultures in bite sized chucks.

P.S. I totally agree with Emerikol's suggestion as well.

Gitzman

I agree that the Gotrek novels would be a good start. You shouldn't have high expectations regarding writing style, though. It's solid heroic fantasy, nothing more. Don't know exactly how many of those novels they have published by now, I think eight. In my opinion they get a bit repetitive after a while - a major threat and in the end the Slayer slays it. I loved the Grey Seer nemesis (Omnibus 1+2) since it gives hilarious insight into the Skaven psyche. Definitely worth a read.

But the novels give some atmospheric portrayal of the grim world that is Warhammer.

I'll second the compilation Tales of the Old World.

I liked the mix of writers to give me different perspectives.

Gitzman said:

Bleah the tales book doesn't exist in kindle format

Gotrek & Felix might not be George Martin level... maybe not even THE best Warhammer. BUT they are really good and they do feature wide range of Warhammer themes (chaos champions, mutants, cultists, corruption, chaos incursions, beastmen, dwarfs, elves, vampires, daemons, greenskins, high magic, skaven...etc.).

They are now compined in couple of collections. If you start with these, you have good amount of pages to read:

• First Omnibus
• Second Omnibus
• Third Omnibus

But I think you would like more Genevieve. Following book contains multiple novels also. With more darker style. Many considere some of them best Warhammer books written (Drachenfels, Beasts in Velvet), but that is matter of opinion offcourse - There are huge amount of different style of Warhammer novels: The Vampire Genevieve

Felix and Gotrek is the right stuff. I have just got Zombislayer in german and will read it again.

But beware of letting your PCs ever met Felix and Gotrek. When they enter the scene usually everyone around them will die horribly , so that only they will survive. If someone survives, sometimes a whole army, they will be killed in the next book. It's a great read. As mentioned earlier there are sometimes skaven sheming and every human declining their existence.

Also Felix and Gotrek are Ratcatchers for a while in the early books, in Nuln I think.

Also there is a short audiodrama: Slayer of the Storm God. Short, but great. And good fighting scenes.

Glorian Underhill said:

Ratcatching would be Skavenslayer - And it was in Nuln, where they have caused "havok" few times... Even this goes away from the topic - If you are really fan of their adventures do check my timeline about them. At the very end of a long page there is also ALL the stuff published about them. I'll try to update as new stuff comes.

Gotrek & Felix Timeline and Stories

Actually, G & F were Sewerjacks in Nuln, not ratcatchers.

I haven't read many Warhammer Fantasy novels yet, just the First G&F Omnibus, Witch Hunter Omnibus (not to the end yet) and Blackhearts. I can tell you a little about those.

I do think The Witch Hunter brings a good atmosphere, but I kinda grew tired with the narrative. It's good reading though, suggests a little about Witch Hunter's politcs, mostly is about hunting the monster and dealing with the grim aspects of the Empire. It's really not incredible writing, but it's enjoyable.

I agree completely with Treehorn regarding Gotrek and Felix.

And about The Blackhearts... IMHO, I think it's the best. I'm actually wanting to go faster through G&F to get to the Third Omnibus, when Nathan Long, who wrote The Blackhearts, starts writing G&F stories.

The Blackhearts is about soldiers, but strange, convicted soldiers who are chosen to do that which the other wouldn't: go in an almost suicidal mission. Also, they come from quite different backgrounds, and the protagonist is far from heroic. And than they have to deal with much more than they though they would have. and they thought they would have to deal with a lot of things...

I highly recommend it! I do think it's great literature!

If you can get a hold of Ignorant Armies, by David Pringle, I'd recommend it (you should be able to get a used copy pretty cheaply via Amazon). If I remember correctly, it was the first of the Warhammer fiction published. It's a collection of short stories covering various Old World topics, and while some if it is probably a bit outdated, fluff/canon-wise, it gives a nice broad overview at some of the important aspects that make Warhammer different from other game worlds.

Thank you very much for all the suggestions!

I think i should try the first Gotrek and Felix omnibus. Too bad Blackheart and Tales of the Old World are out of pring in amazon (and not available in my country).

As i can understand Gotrek is kind of heroic fantasy. Is there any quality anti-heroic book? Or do you suggest that it would be better to start Gotrek and Felix (who present pretty good the world of warhammer) and then to move on to something more specific and maybe more dark and anti heroic?

Thank you again!

Beasts in Velvet by Jack Yeovil. Best WFRP novel ever printed.

Drachenfels by the same author was pretty good too.

Most recent WRFP novels are pretty predictable and blandly written. Sorry !

Gotrek and Felix appeal because of the characters, but the writing is average and the intrigues are... simple ?

C.L. Werner's books are generally pretty good at evoking a sense of the warhammer world. His plots and pacing are sometimes at odds with each other, but it's hard to deny that Mathias Thulman (Witch Hunter/Finder/Killer series) is a pretty good modern pastiche of Solomon Kane.

If you can get them (ebay maybe?) there are two good books called Life of Sigmar and Witch Hunters handbook. Both are written as if they were actual books for the faithful, good reads in themselves, and give a lot of flavour. Plus make nice 'handouts' to bring the game to life.

The first is Book about the Empires founder, king, hero and now patron god - Sigmar. It reads like a fantasy version of a Saints life but with a lot more battles.
The witchhunters handbook is what it says it is - a handbook for Sigmarite Witchhunters.

Two good sets of books are the Witchhunters omnibus and the new Ulrika the Vampire ones (bloodborn etc.) Both are more rooted in personal dramas in comparison to the time of heroes and regiment based soldiers lives series etc. also out now. They are good, as wel lthough - especially thr time of legends one as they give a lot of the history and legends upon which the current times are based.

I enjoy the Warhammer books immensely. That said though they are pulp fiction, hack fiction, or whatever you want to call it, so expect cliches and for it all to finish in one big climatic ending in the last few pages. Etc. Still good fun though.

Stuntie brings in something good: Warhammer in-world books are amazing! I never found one which I didn't like: Words of Magic, The Life of Sigmar, The Witch Hunters Handbook, Blood on the Reik, Grudgelore, The Empire at War, Darkness Rising... Gives a lot of the feel of the universe and you can actually pass them to your players as literature their characters find themselves.

Yusaku, if you have interest in them, mail me (pedrolunaris at gmail). Maybe we can work something out!

Also, I re-recommend you reading The Blackhearts. Seems to me it's exactly what your looking for. Get an used copy or something.

But CL Werner has some work in a bounty-hunter called Brunner. I have the omnibus, didn't read it yet, but it seems to be the anti-heroic type.

The Black Library webpage is a good place to take a look from time to time. Last year I was able to buy the complete Liber Chaotica, and I didn't think I would get so lucky in this lifetime. Now it's out of stock again - but as it was prior to that, I got the impression they sometimes bring a good title back from the shadows.

Good reading!