Soul Wars

A wonderful tour de force! Reynolds captures the mystery and violence of Warhammer perfectly with Soul Wars. A fantastic, thrilling, and adventurous tale told with an expert's hand, Soul Wars is a must read for any fantasy fan.

Josh Reynolds’ seventh (!) Age of Sigmar novel, Soul Wars sees the Mortal Realms take a darker turn, as the dead begin to rise in horrifying numbers all across the Realms. In the Realm of Shyish, the Free City of Glymmsforge is under the protection of the Anvils of the Heldenhammer, but as Nagash grows bolder Sigmar reinforces the city with warriors from the secretive Sacrosanct Chambers. For Lord Arcanum Balthus Arum, the deployment to Shyish is an opportunity to atone for a mistake, but even his prodigious powers are tested by the Nighthaunt hordes flocking to Glymmsforge.

Until this point the Age of Sigmar novels we’ve seen have, to a greater or lesser extent, had a relatively hopeful tone…but that’s changed here. It’s dark and creepy right from the off, most noticeably when events are happening in Shyish but even in the sections set in Azyr, with a pervasive, inevitable sense of doom looming throughout. Reynolds does a great job of bringing his locations to life, from the lifeless streets of Nagashizzar to a first glimpse of the Anvil of Apotheosis in Sigmaron, but the greatest focus is on Glymmsforge and the (fairly horrifying) nature of life in Shyish – it may be a city of Order, but it’s not an easy place to live, for Stormcast and mortals alike. It’s particularly interesting to see the relationship between its mortal citizens and the Stormcast, before then exploring the difference in how the Sacrosanct Stormcast see their peers and the rest of the city.

It’s hard to say much about the plot or the specifics of the characters without spoiling things, but it’s worth mentioning that while this takes place before and during the Battle of Glymmsforge, the siege itself isn’t the focus of the book. There’s plenty of action, as you’d expect, which feels nice and fresh by virtue of not featuring Chaos for a change, and with the inclusion of Stormcast who think and act differently to what we’ve seen before. As a whole, though, it feels less interested in fighting for the sake of it, and more in examining its characters and making thought-provoking comparisons between Sigmar and Nagash, and their respective philosophies and forces. It’s quite long as Black Library books go, and nicely paced to allow Reynolds time to really get under his characters’ skins, from the arrogant, closed-off Balthas to the conflict and confusion at the heart of Nagash’s newest dreadlord.

There’s a lot for this to deal with, not least introducing both the Nighthaunt and the Sacronsanct Chambers of the Stormcasts, but that’s handled subtly and without drawing attention away from the plot or the themes running through the book. Reynolds does an impressive job of depicting the grand sweep of events taking place in Shyish and across the Realms while maintaining a cohesive story that feels personal to these characters who are relatable and, largely, very human. Reading this you feel that it marks a change in Age of Sigmar, reminding us that while Chaos is still a huge threat, the terrifying power of Nagash is going to be very present from now on. It’s pretty much essential reading for any Age of Sigmar fan.

I love Warhammer novels so much, and really need to read more. So, despite taking too long to get around to reading it, I was so happy when I got this ARC. I wasn't sure what to expect with this one, since I wasn't really following anything else Warhammer related, but I was super happy reading this novel, pretty much from page 1.

The story moves through the domains of two warring gods, and a story unfolds following individuals from both sides. Between Sigmar's Stormcast Eternals - huge warriors whose souls are reforged when defeated in battle - and Nagash's undead advisors, the fate of pretty much everything is well outside the control of mortals.

I was worried at first that the writing would obstruct some of the greater story elements, but was happily mistaken. It doesn't move too quickly, and the rich description doesn't create awkward stops along the way. The motion of the story is carried by a number of characters who come to the fore as needed, focusing on a handful of Sigmar's warriors.

I had expected a novel way more exciting and packed with action coming from the Warhammer lore. It's the very reason I picked this up and thus were my expectations crushed when I read more of the interactions between the characters and dialogue. Setting was definitely the novel's greatest feat.

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Undying King, Nagash, has decided it’s time to move on Glymmsforge, and calls up his fiercest subjects to deliver him his prize. This move disorders everything, but most especially the guardian of the Ten Thousand Tombs, Lord-Castellant Phraus Thaum. As the threat evolves, the Anvils of Heldenhammer and ancient Stormcast Eternals are dispatched to protect Glymmsforge and the mortals within.

I went into this book not knowing too terribly much about the Age of Sigmar, but extremely eager to learn more. This was a wonderful book to introduce concepts of this side of the Warhammer coin, in my opinion. The characters are clear and well-introduced, the threats and the stakes are delineated clearly. I greatly enjoyed Reynolds’ descriptions of not only the various battles, but also of the individual characters who interacted throughout the story. The battles themselves were clear, as brutal as a Warhammer reader could wish, but not overwhelming or so drawn out that I became bored. I loved the various descriptions of the characters and factions, and how the author managed to keep the participants in the story separate and distinct. The conflict fit neatly into the book with a definite beginning and end, though it’s titled ‘Age of Sigmar, book1’, so I can’t help but hope that it’s only the first of a series of some sort that I can look forward to continuing, but even if it’s not, this book had enough about various characters that I definitely want to read up more on. I’m not sure how, but Warhammer fiction is addictive, and Soul Wars is a great story to keep you wanting to read more!