Reviewed by Karl Voss of Averland
I’ve been eyeing Warhammer Fantasy fluff for awhile now and this is the first book I have picked up regarding the subject – and my second Warhammer novel ever (the other being Fifteen Hours by Mitchel Scanlon). I can’t compare Mark of Chaos to any other Warhammer novels, and I’m sure there are better books out there, but for a fantasy book dealing with the Empire fighting the evils of Chaos, it was a great read. It is also roughly based on Namco’s popular real-time strategy game of the same name.
The book sets the scene during the rule of Magnus the Pious just after the Great War against Chaos. The Empire, though victorious is slowly rotting away from various raids from the north and corruption within. The book follows the story of two characters, Stefan von Kessel the young Captain of Ostermark, and Hroth the Blooded, a Khorne champion. The book alternates chapters telling each character’s story.
Stefan’s grandfather, the former Elector Count of Ostermark, was found worshipping a chaos god and killed by the inquisition. Gruber, a fat sickly man took over as the Elector Count and had Stefan’s face branded with a hot iron when he was born – giving him a “mark of chaos”. Stefan is wary of having the taint of chaos within him and is consequently self-conscious and unsure. His story follows mostly his search for reclaiming his good name and saving his province of Ostermark from Chaos and corruption within.
Hroth the Blooded is a Chaos champion for the Blood God Khorne. He and his war band along with the sorcerer Sudobaal travel around raiding Ostermark. His band of Warriors slowly grow in power and size as Hroth battles other Chaos champions to prove his worthiness and his favor in the eyes of the Chaos god’s.
The book also weaves the stories of these two characters together with others, such as the High Elves in the North and the Norsicans, until they all collide in an epic conclusion. The author does an excellent job of depicting all sorts of Empire units familiar to players of the table top game. Stefan meets the Marshall of the Reiklandguard (later to become the Reiksguard), a quirky engineer and his Hellblaster Volleygun, a mighty Warrior priest, and a host of other recognizable characters that really put me into the Warhammer world. The author’s description of the towns, winter terrain and even the mighty fortress of Talabheim really set the scenes well. You’ll shiver as the soldiers march over the frosty, muddy ground. Your heart will pump as the author describes the tense combat between characters in gory detail. You’ll puke when Stefan meets the evil spawn of the Chaos God Nurgle.
Overall I’d say this is a must read for someone looking to get into Warhammer novels or an Empire fluff connoisseur. The author tells a magnificent story that even made me start writing a story of my own. The book does suffer a little from “fantasy formula” syndrome, but what fantasy novel doesn’t? The book does become “predictable” here and there, but even in the most predictable areas I still couldn’t put the book down. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone interested in the subject!
Rating: 4 Great Cannons out of 5