Josh Reynolds (1)

After the fourth omnibus contained some killer novels I have been awaiting this one with trepidation. Two novels and seven short stories, none of which are crap. One interesting thing about this collection is that none of these stories fit into the linear history so far - a couple of them mention the airship and a couple mention Ulrika, so we know what they're after, but there is no indication as to whether or not they are in order with the others - and one of them doesn't fit in at all, in show more any way.

Road of Skulls is a fine rollocking action read that takes us to a dwarf hold being attacked by a chaos horde. The leader of the chaos horde is a Knornate warrior smarter and saner than most - he has divided his consciousness into a giant chaos monster and keeps all his Khorny bloodlust crazyness there. There's some good characterisation on the chaos side, and lots of action. It ends with Gotrek persuing the monster towards the north.

The Serpent Queen is probably my favourite of these stories. Its a lot of fun, shows parts of the Warhammer world that we haven't seen before, and some Tomb Kings characters that really work. Its fast paced stuff and well worth a read. How did Gotrek get from the North to the Southern Lands? Who knows! We're non-linear now, baby!

Charnel Congress is another vampire story, setting G & F against a reborn Manfred von Carstein. It's a good read, but fairly unremarkable.

The Reckoning takes G & F into a Skaven-inhabited dwarfhold to liberate a book of grudges. There are some great moments here and the mad Skaven baddies are gloriously OTT.

Into the Valley of Death is a G & F story without G. It's not very good to be honest, but it has the kernel of a good story in there, if only for a better editor. There was no need at all for Felix to be the protagonist. It doesn't fit into the storyline, it doesn't retcon it either. The character could have another name, and perhaps did until someone ctrlF ctrlR.

Curse of the Everliving is alright and bodes well for David Guymer's G&F stories, but its fairly unremarkable. A good monster though!

Marriage of Moment is a silly bit of nonsense that sees Felix betrothed to a halfling in the Border Princes. Reynolds has added a running joke throughout his Gotrek stories that Gotrek hates halflings, for reasons unclear. Along with lots of references to other events that we haven't seen, its clear that Reynolds was telling us that there is plenty of space in the story for new events and historical stories to fit in the gaps between the earlier novels. I think this is a good idea, but a bugger for trying to work out how it all fits together (if that's your bag). Did you know jabberslythes reproduced from blisters on dead jabberslythes?

Berthold's Beard is a bit of gross horror silliness. Reynolds should have looked at hair under a microscope before writing this, because hair is even grosser than what he wrote!

The Contest is a bar room brawl piece of fluff that is pleasant enough but nothing to tell your mother about.

All in all a mixed bag but one that I enjoyed. show less

Wrath of N'kai is the first of a new series of licensed novels from publisher Aconyte Books set in the Arkham Horror game milieu. Unlike the recent investigator novellas from the game publisher Fantasy Flight, this one is at full novel length. It also lacks an established player character from the game for its protagonist. Instead, it has international adventuress and "gentlewoman thief" Countess Alessandra Zorzi as the principal investigator of the story. She is assisted by plucky trans-man show more cabbie Pepper Kelly. Neither of these have appeared in the games as far as I know. But the setting is unmistakably the Arkham of the games: various player characters do appear, such as Harvey Walters, Preston Fairmont, Tommy Muldoon, and Daisy Walker. Organizations like the O'Bannion gang and the Silver Twilight Lodge are also important to the story, which takes place entirely within the city limits of Arkham, starting with Alessandra's arrival by train.

Despite ample stigmata of the Arkham Files universe, the narrative continuity of this story has in one case been better conformed to the original pulp-era literature. The underearth kingdom of K'n-yan is here given as lying beneath Oklahoma as it does in "The Mound" (1940) by Zealia Bishop and H.P. Lovecraft. The game designers had transferred K'n-yan to Mexico in the adventure "Heart of the Elders" for the Forgotten Age cycle of Arkham Horror: The Card Game. The plot of Wrath of N'kai centers on a scrimmage for a mummy recovered from K'nyan by a Miskatonic University archaeological expedition.

Author Josh Reynolds is a veteran at writing fiction for game universes such as the various Warhammer worlds, and he has also written some occult adventure in his "Tales of the Royal Occultist" novels. His reading in the relevant literature is signaled by clever allusions like Alessandra's mentor Nuth (lifted from a story by Lord Dunsany). Wrath of N'kai has a lively pace, and I often read multiple short chapters at a single sitting. It is definitely more pulp adventure than weird horror, despite the Lovecraftian praeternatural elements. The prose isn't highly polished, but it is engaging. I enjoyed it, and I would be willing to read a sequel about Alessandra's adventures beyond Arkham. show less

Shadows of Pnath is a return to the Countess Alessandra Zorzi character and continues about a year on after her fantastic adventure in 'Wrath of N'kai' which kicked off the new wave of Arkham Horror stories. This time, she has to steal back a book she stole before, whilst negotiating the pitfalls of multiple opposing cults who also want the book and struggling with her new understanding that the world hides a lot more shadows and secrets than she previously knew..

The Countess Zorzi is show more arguably the best protaganist in the franchise with one of the most well fleshed out back stories to boot and her second adventure continues to develop her character arc to show her growth into a morally improved person alongside her new best friend and apprentice from the first book - the spunky Boston cab driver Pepper.

The Arkham Horror franchise has changed a bit since it first began and whilst it still happily delves into the more obscure Mythos writings of Lovecraft and Clark Ashton Smith, it has become a lot more adventurous and action packed compared to the tonally darker or more atmospheric earlier novels and novellas where it felt like the characters were genuinely testing their sanity against the unknown. Shadows of Pnath - much like The Deadly Grimoire and Lair of the Crystal Fang before it - leans heavily into the newer trend, albeit building to a spectacularly monstrous finale worthy of the mythos it borrows from. Fans of Indiana Jones and more traditional adventure pulp will be right at home here and there is no shortage of action, banterous dialogue, mystery and monsters. But, as our characters outgrow their own sceptism and horror as they do here, many of the terrors become a bit too watered down.

As a result if I'm honest, I prefer the slower builds, the character innocence and the more ever-present darker tone of Wrath of N'kai and other earlier works, but I'm still enjoying these faster paced yarns. They're great entertainment and there's an increasing level of consistency across the board game and novels as other franchise characters are starting to cross over now. For example, here we have Trish Scarborough and The Red Coterie make an appearance from the Secrets in Scarlet anthology. And Carl Sanford has another cameo. Whilst I admit to also not being as closely familiar with some of the more obscure Mythos references, I have enjoyed picking up my Lovecraft, Belknap Long and Ashton Smith anthologies to explore the works further and thanks to the author's intimate knowledge with the old stories, there are plenty of Easter eggs here to pick up.

If you want a good, old fashioned bit of pulp adventure with a big epic climax and teasers of even more weird to come, then Shadows of Pnath will scratch that itch easily, although it's perhaps recommended to read some of the older books first just to get a better context for some of the characters and their back stories. I am definitely looking forward to Zorzi's third book, which I think may have been sown in this book in readiness for something quite interesting indeed.. show less

Son of Crane, sleuth extraordinaire!

Delving once more into the feudal fantasy world of the Five Rings, the realm of Rokugan, it’s a pleasure to follow the exploits of one of my favorite sleuths, Daidogi Shin, nobleman from the House of Cranes, and amateur detective!
The one great rule this society adheres to, “Uphold your honor, lest you lose everything in pursuit of glory.”
I love the voice of Shin—languid, biting, self deprecating—he slays me with his many humorous lines. Like show more his opinion of horse riding, “While he could ride a horse as well as any bushi, he found them largely disagreeable beasts, prone to biting and bouts of flatulence. Much like some samurai he could name.”
In many ways Shin reminds me of the universal trickster, although things do have a habit of backfiring on him. Or maybe it’s just that new possibilities open up to him? Without a doubt Shin does see more than others comprehend. He’s the bane of his bodyguard/ samurai Kasami’s life. Forever going his own way.
Slightly bored with restoring his newly acquired theatre, Shin doesn’t deliberate for too long when the request comes to solve a murder. Hmm! No prizes for guessing what this seemingly flighty son of the Crane chooses!
Shin undertakes a journey to the city of Hisatu-Kesu, in the mountain areas of the Unicorn lands. He goes as an investigator at the behest of a Unicorn representative known to him, the Lady Iuchi Konomi. It seems a devoted yojimbo (bodyguard), Katai Ruri, has killed her mistress’s fiancé. Death of the ronin is called for. Her mistress Zeshi Aimi has delayed the penalty hoping Shin can turn the tide.
Shin finds that an old friend, Iuchi Batu, is the clan magistrate. They have history...and then some. The atmosphere in the city is tense. Mysteries underlie mysteries. Leading Shin to question who might be orchestrating the situation? Who gains what? Looking for the power balances.
The solving of the situation is somewhat harrowing, bringing to bear all of Shin’s Holmesian like capabilities and insights.
Shin leaves with a debt owed, albeit at a time and place of his choosing. The future beckons! I’m left feeling like Oliver with my metaphorical bowl outstretched, “Please sir, I want some more!”

An Aconyte Books ARC via NetGalley
Please note: Quotes taken from an advanced reading copy maybe subject to change show less