*sigh* So it's finally come to this. I've held off doing this for too long and so yesterday I finally got the book and read through it and despite my feelings over the End Times, I have to be fair to the book. It's a good read, though as with the previous books you will need to have read the previous books and/or have a good knowledge of Warhammer to understand it.
The book is broken into three acts as like the others. The first part is the fall of Middenheim, the second takes place (mostly) in Athel Loren and the final takes place in the ruins of Middenheim. As usual, the book is filled with the killing off of many named characters as they try to wrap things up and if you don't know the ending by now, then you've managed to avoid it well. Too bad that ends here. So let's start with a story summery, so yeah, this will spoil Nealy everything.
The fall of Middenheim is based around four characters: Valten the exalted of Sigmar, the knight Wendel Volker, Supreme Patriarch Gregor Martak and the Chaos Warrior Canto Unsworn. It also brings forth the godspark of Ulric. Thanks to the Skaven, Archaon's forces easily invade and it's a blood bath. We see a couple of named chaos heroes, with Valnir the Reaper killed by Wulfrik the Wanderer in a duel to see who fights Valten, with Wulfrik being killed by Valten. The flame of Ulric dies, but the God hides in Martak, but in the end they realise they can't escape and so Martak passes the visions and the god spark to Volker who flees. Martak dies by Archaon and before the Chaos Lord can kill the Valten, the Verminlord Deciever kills him from the shadows, causing Archaon to want vengeance on the Skaven. We also learn from Valten's conversation with Martak early on that Luthor Huss is also dead. The Hammer of Sigmar is now in the Lord of End Times possession.
The second act takes place close to a year later, with the remnants of the Empire, Dwarfs and Bretonnia fleeing to Athel Loren in search of allies and it's here they meet the remaining Elves. I won't go into the whole cast of characters for this one as it's very long and would take some explaining. As expected, things don't start off well and it's only made worse when Nagash and co arrive. It's here that two revelations are made (for those who weren't paying attention). The first is that we get the slowly evolving plot that Karl Franz is not who he is and that he's dead and that Sigmar is inhabiting his body. The second is that one of the Elves is Lileath, the Elvish Goddess in mortal form, that was the one who manipulated Teclis to start these events and that she is the Bretonnian's Lady of the Lake. We also learn that she had no hope in saving this world and was only using the Elves and Bretonnian's to create another, one which she now has lost her connection with and could have already be destroyed. The Revelation also causes the Bretonnian faith to collapse, with them leaving the group to return to join the last stand of Bretonnia, knowing that everything they had ever known was a lie. This follows with Bel'akor showing up and with his capture, learn that Archaon has found a third gate of the Old Ones and by activating it, it displaces the order of balance and would destroy and suck the world into the void that is the Realm of Chaos.
It gets worse as Archaon lets the Bloodthurster Ka'bandha to lead a Blood Hunt against the Emperor, whom they still believe is Karl Franz (it's also pointed out that Archaon had killed Kairos Fateweaver for his failure to kill Karl Franz).By this point the Bret's leave, the Daemons attack and by this point Lileath sacrifices herself so Teclis can teleport everyone to Middenheim, but it doesn't go well.
The final battle has the various forces split across Middenheim as they fight to get to the Temple of Ulric. Here the remaining Chaos Heroes are revealed and are sent to fight back (it also mentions that Archaon killed one of the Verminlords and even Thanquol). Most named heroes die and the Incarnates head to the centre, the temple of Ulric. It's reveled that also Grimgor is the Incarnate of Beasts and that Malekith tricks him into wanting to kill Archaon. It's by this point that the final part of the book reaches it's pinnacle, but does try to add actual emotion into, as it's refered to as, the last roll of the dice. The Dwarfs make a last stand, the Daemon Ka'bandha arrives and kills Caradryan, who by this book now is the Incarnate of Fire. Sigmar is reunited with his Hammer, which had the other half of his soul and thus is once more the mighty Sigmar, Founder of the Empire and it's God. The final battle goes ahead and despite Grimgor's death at Archaon's hands, Teclis still attempts the closing by channeling the powers of Fire and Beasts through himself. Sigmar beats Archaon, revealing a tragic story behind the fallen man and is thrown into the void. But as anyone who's followed thus far knows, it all goes wrong. Mannfred Von Carstein, who by this point despite everything going wrong because of what he does and still refusing to believe he is to blame, kills Belt and boasts how he'll gain the power to be like Nagash. This one act fails, stripping all of the Incarnates of their power and killing Teclis and Nagash. Archaon somehow emerges from the void and drags Sigmar into it. And so we finish with the love story of Arkhan and Neferata, followed by the final moments between the Queen and her cousin Khalida. The world ends, it's final passage suggests hope and a miracle.
I know a lot was cut from that summery, but with so much to go through that I did cut a few plot points out, but let's get back on track. How was the story. Like most of the books in this Saga, it cuts some major pieces out (like what did happen at the battle of Averheim?), but if you look past it the book is not that bad. I was aware of how it would end (we've known for a while), so I wasn't surprised that the good guys lost, but found that there were parts that I was emotionally attached to. The final battle of the Dwarfs got me misty-eyed and the final moments for Arkhan, Neferata and Khalida was heart breaking. I really enjoyed it, though I must point out I really hate these sad endings.
I do have a few complaints, but I can't tell if it's because of the novel or due to Games-Workshops Lore in the final book. First off, did Archaon really kill Thanquol? It was mentioned so quickly that I was unsure if it was true or not. I've looked around on the Internet to see if anyone mentioned it or if it could be confirmed, but to no avail. I just don't understand how a major contender in the series would be killed off without a mention. Every other major player got a part, yet nothing on the great Grey Seer.
My second revolves around the Dwarfs. No Dwarf was at the battle around the gate. How is it that a race that's played such an important part in the world suddenly gets shelved as Incarnates? It just seems wrong that the Elves got four and the Dwarfs got none. Sure the Dwarfs first had two, but they just got rid of them and handed them to others. I just feel that with the world now ending, that with all that's occurred, the Dwarfs never got a part. I mean, they even bring in the White Dwarf himself, even a quick part with Malekith to conferm that he was indeed his old friend Snorri, and yet even he never got a part as an Incarnate (though he did show up at the last battle of the Dwarfs on a shield borne by Gotrek and Bugman, which is bloody awesome). Again, these points may have been decided by those above and so Josh Reynolds may not have had a choice. I don't know.
Overall, if I put aside my distaste of the End Times, this was a good book. I still prefer the fourth (Skaven) one, but this would be a close second, mostly due to the feels. I'm just glad to be done with all this.
And thus, the end has come. Lost-lost is Man-things, Elf-things and those blasted Bearded-things.
.............
Wait-Wait, this means Skaven gone too. No-No, Skaven can't loose, Great Horned Rat saved us no? Are we truly dead-gone. But.....if world gone.....how am I still here?
~Grey Seer Skratchnsniff
I ask myself that everyday.
~Zargooran
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