«Ghoulslayer» and «Gitslayer»: heroic, dark fantasy in the world of Warhammer. Review by ITC.ua

The Warhammer universe is very large. Of course, first and foremost, it is a series of board games, and only then come computer games, books, etc. Of particular note is a huge inter-author book series under the auspices of The Black Library — a division of Games Workshop that publishes everything related to Warhammer. In the West, many books on the fantasy-magical universe of Warhammer Fantasy, its rebirth as Warhammer Age of Sigmar and Warhammer 40000 are published every year. In Ukraine, these books are published by Molfar. Of course, they are still far from reaching the Western scale, but as for the Ukrainian market, they are also quite a niche market, they already have a good number of series on different Warhammer universes.

I couldn’t help but start my acquaintance with «Vaha», but I did it not with Warhammer 40000, but with Warhammer Age of Sigmar. Because Molfar has a dilogy by the English writer Darius Hinks about the dwarf Gotrek Gurnisson, who is fiercely looking for adventures on his dwarven, or Duardin, fifth point. Why I chose them and whether you should pay attention to them at all, read the article below.

Author Darius Hinks
Translator Artem Yavorsky
Publisher Molfar Comics
Language Ukrainian
Number of pages 304, 354
Cover Solid
Year of publication 2023
Size 60×90 mm
Website molfar-comics.com

The mighty and glorious dwarf warrior Gotrek Gurnisson wanders the dark depths of Shaish. Here he seeks the God of Death for revenge. In the dwarf’s chest is the powerful rune of Grimnir, the deity who disowned him. Gotrek Gurnisson’s companions are Maleneth the Witch’s Sword, who was once the daughter of Khein, and the supporter of the god Sigmar, the thunderous eternal Trakos. Each of them has their own reasons for accompanying our hero, but none of them hides them — both Malenet and Trakos want to get hold of the Grimnir rune, and each of them needs it for completely different plans. That’s why they follow Gotrek Gurnisson wherever he goes, even if he has decided to deal with the God of Death, and only danger, armies of the dead, a land of green-skinned goblins, and other equally serious troubles await them.

If the above paragraph does not make sense to you, but you are very curious, then you are not alone. Each of the Warhammer universes is very large and diverse, but Warhammer Age of Sigmar is a relatively new world. The novels «Ghoulslayer» and «Gitslayer», which are a dilogy written and presented in such a way as to entice a new reader, give them some explanation of the world and outline the existing scale, and to be a starting point for familiarization. A kind of entrance ticket.

Western fans of Warhammer are well aware of the character of Gotrek Gurnisson, who appears in various series of the Warhammer universe. There are also novels about him in English in the Warhammer Age of Sigmar segment, but by other authors. However, it is Darius Hinx’s dilogy that is considered easy to enter and relatively separate from the others. Although this is one inter-author series, and certain past adventures will be mentioned here. However, these hints and references will only be noticed by fans of the series, and for others, this will simply be part of the exposition.

We also have many adventures, heroic fantasy, action, and humor. Literally on every page, something happens, and between the intense events, the characters take a break and let the reader do the same. They talk a little and reveal themselves, strengthen relationships, and gradually introduce the reader to the world around them.

I like that in novels there is no constant exposition — that is, explanation of the world, its peculiarities, etc. And here there is something to tell. Darius Hincks skillfully manipulates this moment, carefully giving out information in small portions so as not to tire the reader, and also to keep the intrigue alive. Because the world is interesting, and after reading it, you want to go looking for more information, to be interested in this and other Warhammer universes, to dig deeper.

Both books are great fun, they are written in an easy and accessible way. There are short chapters and sentences, almost no descriptions of landscapes, but many battles and fights. Darius Hincks creates a constant tension between the characters and the world around them. That’s why it’s hard to tear yourself away from the books, and I read both of them almost without putting them down in four days. However, it was relatively easy to do because their format is not too big — 300–350 pages is more than enough to tell an interesting story, give action and finish it without dragging it out.

The main characters of the novels are worth mentioning separately. Gotrek Gurnisson is one of the most vivid characters in action fantasy I’ve ever read about. He has an unusual appearance with a mohawk on his head, a tragic and intense past. He speaks little and acts a lot, he makes unconventional decisions and is constantly grumbling. He also invents problems for himself to drag his companions into.

And while Malenet the Witch’s Sword and her relationship with Gotrek is revealed gradually but relatively quickly, we know almost nothing about Trakos. But his mysterious personality is skillfully revealed as much as possible for an immortal and powerful character who is on the verge of losing his mind but remains human.

As for the publications themselves, «Ghoulslayer» and «Gitslayer» are printed with high quality and skill. The covers make it immediately clear that we are looking at niche combat fiction and that this is a book on the Warhammer universe. The quality and detail of the artwork is excellent. The paper is yellow and pleasant to the touch, the font is adequate and easy to read. There’s no gatefold, but I didn’t expect it from a book like this, but it would have been great.