Dark Harvest – Josh Reynolds

Published: 30 November 2019
Publisher: Black Library
Pages: 304
Series: Stand Alone
Format Read: Audible
Duration: 11h 29mins
Narrator: Jake Urry

Blurp:

Harran Blackwood was a Warrior-Priest of ruthless virtue. Now he’s a man with a scorched reputation, prowling the back alleys of Greywater Fastness, content to fight the petty wars of racketeers for survival. But when a desperate message arrives from an old friend, Blackwood is forced to confront a past he thought long buried. Summoned to the isolated village of Wald, Blackwood sets off on a perilous trek to ensure the sins of his former life remain forgotten. He soon discovers that Wald is a hostile, secretive place with sins of its own. Deep in the murky marshes, where the cruel chants of village folk echo and the stink of death hovers low, Blackwood must channel his bitterness and rage to defy the ancient darkness that now hunts him before he is devoured, body and soul.

Thoughts:

I received a copy through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. The fact that I got this ARC for free did not influence the review of this novel in any way. I would like to thank Net Galley as wel as Black Library for making it possible to request books on the platform from time to time.

It is no secret that I am not yet totally and completely sold on the Age of Sigmar setting, but after completing this novel I think it is safe to say that I am intrigued. There is a lot of lore already regarding the different worlds/settings within this setting that authors are given some free reign to expand and do with it what they want. In the case of Dark Harvest it worked out pretty decent in my opinion. Even though this novel was brought out in the Warhammer Horror collection, I still cannot see why this was so horrific, though there were some eerie themes here and there.

I liked the main character even though he was not the best character study. The book is told in his first person point of view and plays of as a kind of travel journal slash “get that guy” slash “I keep my secrets to myself” kind of thing. This made for some harder reading than what I was prepared for, but I can not say I did not enjoy the journey. Haran can be a hard basterd and can take a punch as good as he dishes it out, but I kept thinking there was something maybe not right with him. Having not read that much around the Age of Sigmar denizens and what or how the are made up of I could not quite put my finger on it.

Dark Harvest also read like it could be a D&D fetch quest, with added extra’s. Having an option to meet up with a random travel companion. Helping out random other characters while you are on your way to the ultimate goal. I had a bit of trouble at the start, but gradually fell for the backwater setting that the novel takes place in. I also felt some Cthulhu vibes got mixed in which I do not, not appreciate. It gave me that stranger in a strange place out of place kinda feel and it was nice to meet certain creatures along the way. I felt a bit sad for certain Gheists that appeared. I am intrigued in learning more as the name Syvaneth/Sylvanet?, was mentioned and I could imagine it being a faction I would be more interested in learning of.

All in all Dark Harvest was a good read for me. I gave it a 4 out of 5 on GR and can only recommend reading it to people that are clued up on Age of Sigmar. Reading this with no prior knowledge may just put you out of interest with everything that is related to WH and I do not want that. I would like to see more people dip their toes into the varied settings within Black Library’s range.