Hammers of Ulric

Rating:
Summary: Very pleasant surprise
Review: This book turned out to be a most pleasant surprise. As a collector of Warhammer products in the past, I was intrigued to find that a book had appeared about the White Wolves. That alone made me buy it. But what I did not expect was the high quality of the story-telling. Although the plot is not original, and the resolution rather unimpressive, the biggest asset of the story is - well, the story-telling itself. The three authors succeed in creating a very authentic Warhammer atmosphere, gritty, grim, and believable. Characters from many different backgrounds take part in the story - priest of a death god, rogues, servant girl, nobles, determined knights, arrogant knights, wizard, old crone, etc. - very many of whom contribute significantly to the weaving, but not complicated, plot. And the wonder is that they are all weaved together into a fascinating story that keeps the reader in suspense - we are not even given a clear picture of the Big Foozle until about 60 pages from the end. But the destruction of the Foozle is not important in this book - it is the telling and the growth of all the characters in the book that give it its magic. Everything is there - the grim funeral rites, the training lesson, the chance meetings, the amusing love relationship, the treasure-hunting, the possession, the search for things lost... Resolutions come both in expected ways and unexpected ways - there are little lessons of sacrifice, honour, friendship, personal growth and even about death. The only flaw with the book, perhaps, is that its plot could have easily been stretched over a trilogy - which would give much more breathing space for the telling of the story. Nevermind - still highly recommended!