wittdooley
02-05-2010, 12:21 PM
Since there isn't any background/fluff section for WHFB, I'll just post here. Another review. Enjoy.
[WHFB Review] Reiksguard – Richard Williams
I have to admit that, despite the numerous times I’ve visited the Warhammer literature section of my local Borders, I’ve never really been that interested in reading books about the Old World and Warhammer Fantasy. I’ve heard good things about the exploits of Florin & Lorenzo and Gotrek & Felix, but I’ve never had a huge urge to pick them up. That’s not to say I’m opposed to fantasy literature--I love Tolkien and Salvatore—but were I to choose, I’d probably pick up a 40k book 9 out of 10 times. I’ve thumbed through the Empire army book a number of times and quite enjoyed the background, but what really made me interested was WAR Online; despite it’s shortcomings, the game oozes with theme and character, and really increased my interest in the WHFB universe. With that being said, the new Empire Army Novel series intrigued me.
What better to explore than the different branches and facets of the Empire military structure? With so much diversity in the Empire, I had great hopes for Reiksguard. It was, however, a very hit or miss experience.
The book focuses on Delmar Reinhardt, a Reikland noble, and Siebrecht von Matz, a Nuln[ian] hotshot as it’s protagonist. This is important because much of the book centers on the idea that the Reiklanders and the Provincials are very much at odds with each other, with Delmar falling somewhere in the middle in terms of his allegiances. As the novel is, for the most part, a character driven affair, there are times when the narrative can be slow. Painfully slow. Glacially slow. The first few chapters are hard to get through for a few reasons: first, there is a lot of setup for the Empire and the Reiksguard; second, Williams throws far too many characters at us in a very short time. I found myself confused on more than one occasion as to the heritages of the characters. I really think that this book would have benefitted from a cast of characters list akin to those found in the Horus Heresy books (and, for that matter, all the W40k books should).
In spite of those first few chapters, beyond lies a pretty decent character driven story. Both Reinhardt and von Matz are interesting characters faced with as much internal conflict about their stations in the noble hierarchy as they are with their Reiksguard training; Reinhardt the loyal son of the Empire, devoted to his country, von Matz battling with the conflict his more self-serving upbringing creates with his Reiksguard training.
Said Reiksguard training is also a huge focal point in the novel. We get to see various training events and lessons the Reiksguard initiates are put though, and for the most part they’re interesting, easy to read, and provide some depth to the nature of the Brotherhood. Conversely, there are times when the training sessions play out like extended Rocky montages—the only thing we’re missing is 80s music in the background.
But be warned: while there are battle scenes that are interesting and compelling, they are not designed for the blood seeker. Sure, there are some particularly descriptive lines, but the battles are focused more on the Reiksguard tactica and less on bloody individual exploits. This is, in my opinion, a very good thing, as it highlights what the Reiksguard is about (brotherhood) , but for someone expecting the visceral description of decapitated heads, you’ll need to look elsewhere.
Reiksguard really was a mixed bag for me. I enjoyed reading the novel, but certainly found faults in it. The pacing can be all over the place. Some chapters feel like marathon sessions while others feel like cobbled together montages. However, I think Richard Williams gets more right than he gets wrong. The characters of Reinhardt and von Matz are interesting and likeable, and most importantly believable. The action scenes are interesting, though they are not graphic. And the background information and depth given to the Reiksguard as a brotherhood is superb. While not my favorite book, Reiksguard has me interested enough to look for more from the Empire Army series in the future.
The Good
+ Good character development with interesting characters
+ Great background on the Reiksguard
The Bad
- Pacing is bad at times, with the book starting very slowly
- Lots of characters to keep track of can leave you grasping
[WHFB Review] Reiksguard – Richard Williams
I have to admit that, despite the numerous times I’ve visited the Warhammer literature section of my local Borders, I’ve never really been that interested in reading books about the Old World and Warhammer Fantasy. I’ve heard good things about the exploits of Florin & Lorenzo and Gotrek & Felix, but I’ve never had a huge urge to pick them up. That’s not to say I’m opposed to fantasy literature--I love Tolkien and Salvatore—but were I to choose, I’d probably pick up a 40k book 9 out of 10 times. I’ve thumbed through the Empire army book a number of times and quite enjoyed the background, but what really made me interested was WAR Online; despite it’s shortcomings, the game oozes with theme and character, and really increased my interest in the WHFB universe. With that being said, the new Empire Army Novel series intrigued me.
What better to explore than the different branches and facets of the Empire military structure? With so much diversity in the Empire, I had great hopes for Reiksguard. It was, however, a very hit or miss experience.
The book focuses on Delmar Reinhardt, a Reikland noble, and Siebrecht von Matz, a Nuln[ian] hotshot as it’s protagonist. This is important because much of the book centers on the idea that the Reiklanders and the Provincials are very much at odds with each other, with Delmar falling somewhere in the middle in terms of his allegiances. As the novel is, for the most part, a character driven affair, there are times when the narrative can be slow. Painfully slow. Glacially slow. The first few chapters are hard to get through for a few reasons: first, there is a lot of setup for the Empire and the Reiksguard; second, Williams throws far too many characters at us in a very short time. I found myself confused on more than one occasion as to the heritages of the characters. I really think that this book would have benefitted from a cast of characters list akin to those found in the Horus Heresy books (and, for that matter, all the W40k books should).
In spite of those first few chapters, beyond lies a pretty decent character driven story. Both Reinhardt and von Matz are interesting characters faced with as much internal conflict about their stations in the noble hierarchy as they are with their Reiksguard training; Reinhardt the loyal son of the Empire, devoted to his country, von Matz battling with the conflict his more self-serving upbringing creates with his Reiksguard training.
Said Reiksguard training is also a huge focal point in the novel. We get to see various training events and lessons the Reiksguard initiates are put though, and for the most part they’re interesting, easy to read, and provide some depth to the nature of the Brotherhood. Conversely, there are times when the training sessions play out like extended Rocky montages—the only thing we’re missing is 80s music in the background.
But be warned: while there are battle scenes that are interesting and compelling, they are not designed for the blood seeker. Sure, there are some particularly descriptive lines, but the battles are focused more on the Reiksguard tactica and less on bloody individual exploits. This is, in my opinion, a very good thing, as it highlights what the Reiksguard is about (brotherhood) , but for someone expecting the visceral description of decapitated heads, you’ll need to look elsewhere.
Reiksguard really was a mixed bag for me. I enjoyed reading the novel, but certainly found faults in it. The pacing can be all over the place. Some chapters feel like marathon sessions while others feel like cobbled together montages. However, I think Richard Williams gets more right than he gets wrong. The characters of Reinhardt and von Matz are interesting and likeable, and most importantly believable. The action scenes are interesting, though they are not graphic. And the background information and depth given to the Reiksguard as a brotherhood is superb. While not my favorite book, Reiksguard has me interested enough to look for more from the Empire Army series in the future.
The Good
+ Good character development with interesting characters
+ Great background on the Reiksguard
The Bad
- Pacing is bad at times, with the book starting very slowly
- Lots of characters to keep track of can leave you grasping