Tuesday 26 June 2012

FANTASY REVIEW: Warhammer Fantasy: Valkia the Bloody - Sarah Cawkwell

Release Date: 26/06/12

SYNOPSIS:

Warrior-maiden and consort of the blood god Khorne, the name Valkia the Bloody is feared among all the tribes of the north - friend and foe alike. From her earliest days as a shield bearer for her father King Merroc, she has known nothing but unending warfare and the brutal politics of the tribal leaders, and soon reaches out to seize power for herself. Though her feral beauty might attract unlikely suitors and her enemies may plot against her in secret, Valkia holds the patronage of the Ruinous Powers, and Khorne will not allow his chosen queen to fall.


REVIEW:

Sarah is a relatively new find to the Black Library and having loved her short stories alongside her ability to add write a solid tale in the 40K Universe I was left wondering how her style of storytelling would adapt to the Warhammer world, after all, she creates believable characters with a sense of depth that war not only on the battlefield but face the emotional turmoil of an internal war between themselves.

Everything within is calculated to bring the best elements to the readers attention with solid prose and great dialogue but for me Sarah’s triumph is the lead characters who take the world by the horns and get what they damn well want, there’s honour, there’s conscious double-dealing and when backed with an author who can twist the readers imagination to see both sides of the coin, makes this a hard to put down book.

All in this is a great book and one that really demonstrates not only her own talent but proves that she’s one of the black horses to watch who may well work her way up, backstab whoever has it and capture the fantasy crown in her own name. Great stuff.



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