Dead Winter Short Review

Dead Winter by C.L.Werner, is the first book placing the events of the Black Plague. As described in the Skaven timeline the plague was created by Clan Pestilens who unleashed it on the Empire with devastating results. This book plays out the crumbling of the Empire and the rising of Poxmaster Puskab. Most of the Skaven section revolves around Puskab, while the rest of the events take place in four places in the Empire.

While it's all fine and well to show the devastation forming in the various regions of the Empire, I feel it may have been spread a bit too thin as at times I found it hard to image these effects (such as the rapidly dwindling population of Nuln) and some characters probably needed some better descriptions. That said, the Skaven parts seemed most appropriate (I loved the description of the Warpmaster Sythar Doom) and the events in Altdorf really bring the downfall of the Empire into effect, right up to the end of the book. Some of the best characters to hate I found in this book and I did enjoy reading it.

I'm hoping the next one gets the ball rolling with the Skaven actually invading the Empire.