Grimblades [Mass Market Paperback]

Grimblades is Nick Kyme's addition to the Warhammer Armies line of books from Black Library. It follow a band of halberders as they try to survive one of the bloody devastation of the goblin warlord Grom the Paunch. The Paunch is a massive orc warloard who has eaten troll meat which has made him massive, intelligent, and unstoppable. With a vast army of trolls, orcs, snotlings, and goblins, he is murdering and plundering his way across the empire.

Only one man, Prince Willhelm has managed to summon an army and the courage to face this menace. Part of this army are the Grimblades. Each man has his own past that will confront him over the course of the book, and each will face demons real and imagined. All they have to rely on is each other as they face the meat cutter machine that is the Paunch. But he is not the only threat to this band of brothers. There is treason in the empire, a plan from within to kill the prince, and the Grimblades are the only ones that can uncover the true masters behind the plot and save the prince. In so doing, they can save their entire empire.

No matter what I write, it isn't enough praise to heap upon Kyme for this magnificent book. I have easily read 100 books in the last two years, and this was easily the best. I have given others 5 stars, but that isn't high enough for this book. Usually in fantasy books, you have a pretty good grip on character relationships but this has more twists and turns that a spine wrenching roller coaster. There are also unexpected deaths, plot twists, and the end made me laugh and even shed a tear. When a book can elict enough emotion from you that you look schizophrenic reading it, the writer has been able to do something amazing, and Kyme has done that.

Even though this book takes place in the Warhammer universe, you do not need to know anything about Warhammer to enjoy this book as it is entirely self contained. It is simply the best fantasy book to come out in years, and the best war fiction as well.

If you've been waiting to try Warhammer, jump on and check this one out. If you are a veteran of Black Library's books, than add this one as quick as you can get your hands on it. You will not be disappointed.

Highest Recommendations.

Grimblades is a novel about a group of mostly ordinary men who make up the majority of the Empire's fighting forces. There are a few other books in the Empire Army series, I have not read them and so I can't compare the quality.

Grimblades is a very good novel that has one drawback that keeps it from five stars. First the good parts. The men who make up the Grimblades are fully developed characters for the most part. Although the traditional bully role is boring, the roles of sarge and the captain are fresh enough that they don't get boring. The fighting is very well written, as are the descriptions of the settings encountered.

What keeps this from five stars? It seems a little too formulaic. Having read Gaunts Ghost's, some of the characters remind me a little too much of those more famous Guardsmen. Those similarities wouldn't be enough, but the villians just aren't different enough for me. The Emperor is weak and stupid, and Grom is vicious. Got it, but I would have liked more. However, neither of these complaints are enough to keep the overall experience of reading from being great.

If you want to find out how ordinary men of the Empire think and fight, this is a good book for you. The characters are believable and the action scenes are intense, all that any Warhammer fan can ask for.

The Empire Army novel series showcases the Halbider units that form much of the backbone of any Empire army. Such a unit called the Grimblades. Men who have fought against beastmen and other horrors must now deal with a new threat. When a Reikland Prince tries to rally the elector counts and urge the current Emperor Deiter IV to take action against the horde he is refused.
Prince Wilhelm has no choice but to take what soldiers he has and make his way to the lands of Averland where Grom the Paunch is plundering the land and trying to sack Averland captial. Along the way the Grimblades must deal with internal strife between there fwllow soliders, other units trying to kill them for interfearing and even a royal plot to kill Prince Wilhelm himself.
The Grimblades must fight to keep the lands of man safe and to keep themselves from dying at the hands of orcs, goblins and all manner of creatures rallying to Grom's banner. Can they surivve to see this war to its end or will they be crushed under the massive Waghhh! that Grom is bringing to the Empire?