Title - The Island of Blood
Author - Darius Hinks
Year - 2010
Stand Alone or Series - Stand Alone
Pages - 124
Reading Time - 5 days (September 2010)
Rating - 8.5/10
Summary
For countless millennia the High Elves of Ulthuan have kept watch over the Island of Blood. Shrouded in elven magic and impenetrable mists, its cruel, Chaos-warped peaks hide a wealth of dark secrets – including a powerful relic from the dawn of the Old World, known as the Phoenix Stone. Now, after centuries of vigilance, the elves’ worst nightmares have come true. Their defences have been breached and Warlord Skreet Verminkin, who leads a vast invasion force of skaven, has come to seize the Phoenix Stone for himself.
The elves call on their kin for aid, but even with legendary heroes fighting by their sides, they struggle to hold back such a monstrous horde. As tides of skaven smash through their defences, the elves realise they have only one hope – they must tap into the dark magic at the island’s core and unleash the very power they have sworn to suppress.
The elves call on their kin for aid, but even with legendary heroes fighting by their sides, they struggle to hold back such a monstrous horde. As tides of skaven smash through their defences, the elves realise they have only one hope – they must tap into the dark magic at the island’s core and unleash the very power they have sworn to suppress.
Review
This book was published to coincide with the releasing of the 8th edition of warhammer fantasy battlegame. It was a nice and easing reading. The plot was simple enough. Ratchitt is an engineer for Clan Skyre and it's discovering of a weapon that could disable some ancient defences in the Island of Blood. After discovering he sets to make an rather unfriendly agreement with one part of the Clan Klaw led by Warlord Verminkin. The clanlord would have a advantage against the other part led by chieftain Spinetail. After making these agreement he made another unfriendlier agreement with three grey seers. Things were not going his way.
In the island we are presented with the defences Kortharion, an elf mage; Kalaer an old defender and leader of Sword Masters of Hoeth; and the reserves the Lothern Sea Guard; another mage called Caladris and a prince on griffon.
The chapters follow either the elves or the skaven with a couple of them another ancient race. I learn a lot about the elves ancestors and the twisted, backstabbing, unforgiving and other not so "honourable" adjectives of the skaven society.
The ending was a pyrrhic victory for the elves but predictable.It had some quite fighting images. Most of the second half of the book was a big fight sequence. It was quite good to read this. Quite different from other types of fantasy out there; this warhammer book is like a fantasy-battle centered book. Quite good. A good staring point to anyone trying to read some more novels in the warhammer world.
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