Review: The Palace of Plague Lord - C L Werner

Title The Palace of Plague Lord
Author C. L. Werner
Pages 416
Year 2007
Publisher Black Library
Reading time August 2007
Rating 10 / 10

Let us start with the cover... Isn't it great or what? It's a old cover that appear in a now quasi-mythic book called Realm of Chaos: Lost and the Damned. Published in 1988 made a great inpact... But this is not about it.
Well this book is the first depicting the forces of Chaos. There are four forces of Chaos (and Undivided but that's not a single god) who battle for supremacy. There's Khorne a God of Blood, There's Tzeentch the God of Change. There's Nurgle the God of Decay and Slaanesh the God of Hedonism. Each faction fights against themselves and against all living things human, elf, dwarf and everything else... Well why I am telling you this? Because each book tells us a story of a character than follows a faction and battle against others...

This book is one of best Black Library published and it has some elements that I've never seen on a Black Library book. On this book and the next (which I will review later) there is no "good" character. Don't expect values that you could considered to be good. The realms of Chaos are a harsh land that breeds harsh people. Either you are the hunter and a fighter or you will perish. There is evil everywhere. There is perilous situations every day. Do not expect honor or symphaty. The only rule is the rule of survival.

As you read this book you are drawn to a harsh and unforgiven battle. After the first line of the first chapter you begin to see changes in you. You begin to feel the cold weather that strikes the norcsan people. You begin to feel fear and disgust. And believe me in a good way. C L Werner can really make people grip the book until the end. He really can make you hate every character but at the same time connect to them. You hate them but you want them to succeeed.

If you are sick of reading about good characters than are perfect and almost godlike don't look here. You will not find it. And for you all that are into forgotten realms, dragonlance and warhammer... Why is Raistlin one (for me the best) character ever made? He was a true evil character and even there is was the most famous and people wanted more novels depicting his strugle. I think we are drawn to this characters that fight their way through fire and ice and still succeed. Most people who read this books will cheer for Darth Vader and his Stormtroopers but why? The Rebels are the good guys... Well it's just it. We like something different from everything that was made... (I think that's why stars wars is so special and Raistlin is the best character in the all realms).

Having said that read on...

The setting as I said is the realm of chaos.If you are a fan of Chaos then this is definetely your book. It's brings some good memories from what chaos was before the changes they made to the setting... (remember the book I told you before). Here we are presented with several characters and each are special on their own away. Werner can really make characters, there is no doubt about it.
This main character is a Tzeentch follower that fought for it against Grandfather Nurgle it return he would get another chance to get his woman back and the tribe... I will not spoil you by saying what happens but know that as I said if you want to see the Chaos on the first person read this book. It has some members from other tribes as well who help our adventurer... Well help is saying too much maybe.

Either way... I loved the book and I would advice it to anyone, being a Warhammer fan or not...
I must re-read it in a couple of years...

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