Call to Arms

I have not read any of the Empire Army series nor have I played Warhammer. This was a curiosity read and it wasn't bad. It's quick and if I could describe it I would say the book feels like a board game rather then a story. I wondered if this was a continuation of the series but it has enough to be it's own story. The story line centers on young Dieter Lanz who seeks to be a recruit of the sword infantry known as the "The Scarlets" His retired foster father Helmut Schau, a respected warrior of the unit, trained him in the ways of soldiering since he was a child. Over time Dieter developed a child's admiration of Scarlets. His fantasy starts to change when he meets Holst who is a member of the Scarlets. Holst is nothing like his imagination of a grand soldier of the Scarlets. They bribe a ride on a support wagon and head off toward the regiment which was called out to deal with a large raiding force of greenskins(Orcs and Goblins). The idealistic Dieter quickly learns about the realities of war especially when he witnesses the defeat of the army poorly led by a political general rather then a combat general. His dreams of heroics are replaced by flight and fight as the Greenskins hunt the survivors. I liked the characters and did find the banter between them funny at times. The ending was predictable and the story felt like it ended before it was finished. I will admit I wanted more. Dieter learned the battle was won but the war goes on. However, this is probably it for Dieter and the Scarlets.

"Call To Arms" is yet another good read from the Empire Army Series. Third entry in the series, it differs from its two predecessors in that, whereas "Reiksguard" and "Iron Company" focused on the roles, respectively, of elite knights and gunnery engineers in the Imperial Army, this novel gives the spotlight to the Scarlets, a well-regarded infantry regiment. The novel, which can be read as a standalone, has three parts. Part One introduces us to young Dieter Lanz, a new recruit to the Scarlets and foster son of a retired Scarlet who is now a miller. Taught how to fight with a sword since he can walk, Dieter gets to see battle right away, for non-human enemies -- beastmen, goblins, and orcs -- of the empire, newly united by a cunning orc chieftain named Ironfang have invaded a province, and the army in that province has mobilized quickly to fight the enemies. Within a short time, Dieter gets to show his mettle and bravery, which win him the respect and friendship of Sgt. Bohlen, Rieger, Gerhardt, and Holst. These four men are older than Dieter and protect his back when he gets into trouble with two shady Scarlets. Unfortunately for the Scarlets, their commanding general makes a fatal mistake. Thousands of the empire army are killed. The remaining men have to flee from the enemies. Part Two opens with the Count responsible for defending the imperiled province welcoming the Emperor's personal emissary. A decision is made that a general who has previously been forced to retire should be called back to duty. We learn that Dieter, his comrades, and the two shady Scarlets are alive, but even as they continue to fight the enemies, and Dieter gets to put his experience working at a mill to good use in fighting a feared monster troll, Dieter also grows increasingly afraid of getting ambushed by the two shady Scarlets. Part Three is when the newly recalled general makes his move. Commanding an army that is much, much smaller than the enemy's, the general can only win by outmaneuvering Ironfang. Will he succeed? Of the first three books in the series that I've read, this one, in my opinion, has the best mix of good dialog (lots of funny banter!), character development (Dieter grows up quickly after getting thrown into battle immediately after becoming a Scarlet), and exciting battle scenes (the wolf riders and trolls are fearsome!). It's still not great literature, but it's a really fun and satisfying read!