Gloomspite – Andy Clark

Published: 7 January 2020
Publisher: Black Library
Pages: 368
Series: Stand Alone
Format Read: Audible

Blurp:

In the dark corners of the Mortal Realms, the mysterious Gloomspite Gitz go to war, following the trail of their abominable deity. Nowhere is beyond the sight of the Bad Moon, not even those places under Sigmar’s protection, like the city of Draconium, sweltering beneath the scalding rain of Aqshy. In this boiling pot of tension, the regent prays to Sigmar for guidance while Captain Helena Morthan puts out fires: blades drawn in the streets, heretical doomsayers preaching the end of days, and insects eating watchmen alive.

When the grieving warrior Hendrick and his warband arrive at the gates with a prophetic warning, Captain Morthan sees a way to save her people. But with Skragrott the Loonking plotting underneath Draconium, and the Bad Moon looming in the sky above, will there be a city left to save?

Thoughts:

This book was given to me by NetGalley, the fact that it was free did not influence my review in any way, shape or form. I would like to extend my thanks to, not only NetGalley, but also Black Library for making it a possibility to read this advanced copy.

Upon finishing this novel I was kind of wondering why this book was not also among in B.L’s expanding “Horror” entries. Then I remembered that Gloomspite, the novel came out to promote some backstory to the Gloomspite Gitz, the new miniatures that were brought out in the Age of Sigmar range. I have not started collecting any miniatures in this range, or really, any other range that Gamesworkshop has brought out apart from a starter set a few years ago, of which I still need to get to slapping paint on at some point… I am also happy that I finally got to take another Netgalley book of off that long list I have piled up over the course of the past few years. I am very close to having my piled up books being on only one page as opposed to the 2 it has been hanging at the last year.

What are the Gloomspite Gitz? Initially, in my view, goblins, goblins riding spiders, enslaving Trogoths, mounting squigs, and most importantly worship the Bad Moon (yes Bad Moon Rising was playng in my throughout this novel). The Bad Moon that somehow corrupts all it touches with flies abound and pustules and spores, makes me believe that they are just a gobo cult in sway of Nurgle. I am, Ofcourse, just speculating here as I do not know all the ins and outs of all things Age of Sigmar, but some of the standalone novels are catching my attention.

What made this novel great for me was the people going up against all odds stacked against them were not some godly Sigmar magicked band of unfeeling, uninteresting group. It was a group consisting of many races that also piqued my interest as to how a dwarf (Duardin) can fight alongside an Elf (Aelf) and not want to rip out on another’s throats and how well they meshed with their human counterparts. I think that this book appealed to me a bit more because it read more like a D&D story than a Warhammer novel. That is not in any way a bashing on B.L’s choice of direction that they went with this one, I am more than happy to read a D&D novel ever now and then. Each person in the “party” had a role, the healer, the warrior, the priest, the engineer and the mercenary, while the whole “band” were initially a mercenary group. This also read very much like a “we stick together through thick and thin and therefore we are family” kind of novel. I do not know, maybe I was just in the right frame of mind to read a “we stand together in a world as grim as A.o.S”.

I gave this a 4 out of 5 on GR. I would recommend to anyone looking for more standalone novels that do not all follow the same plot line as the main series, whatever the main series is these days… I was also reading this as I thought the fact that it had Gitz in it, it would count towards the Orktober event the lads Wudagast and Imperialrebelork are hosting, but now I hope I can at least earn a half mark for participation, if you take that normally where there are gobbo’s, there are bound to be an ork nearby…