Hammers of Ulric

This novel is written as a series of interlocking short stories. It has a fairly large cast of characters, but the relatively narrow focus of each story helps keep them all straight. The characterization is limited for most of the characters. This novel does not have the annoying flaw so common in Warhammer fiction of the central characters surviving regardless of how improbable the odds. These characters pay heavily for their victories. It gives it a dark and gritty feel, very Warhammer, but lacking in many of the novels. A nice insight into the Knights of the White Wolf and the city of Middenheim. The events of the book are not (to the best of my knowledge) part of the canon Warhammer world (making it harder to intergrate in the Roleplay Game). This book is worth reading for any fan of the Warhammer World.

This book looks like a case of the book having material cut to keep within BL target page length. Most notably, the stand-alone story of the priest of morr abruptly ends after the affair of the countess and the assassin despite many implied events later when he re-enters the story. this fantasy story, at times in spite of itself, was enjoyabe to read. the plot was nothing complex and the end result somewhat cliche, but the multi-thread storyline made up for many flaws. I was surprised to learn that a sword could slice (not stab) through plate mail like a 'hot iron through ice.' additionally, it is annoying to read about men running around in full plate all the time, that stuff is HEAVY. knights would never put all that on except to be mounted before combat. this is a common issue in warhammer in general, not just here, and reminds me of the movie excalibur with knights going to dinner in full plate. maybe warhammer plate mail is lighter? in any event, this is still a fun book. if you like the genre, good way to spend a few hours.

Genre:Science Fiction Author:Dan Abnett Three Sentence Summory:This book is about a new templer Alric who wants to join the order of the Wolf Priests, who are known for their massive hammers and battle skills. Alric and the wolves later discover a evil choas scheme working in their city and set out to destroy it before it destroys them. They manage to find the layer in which it dwells and together they vaquish it but not after taking some dear losses. What I liked about this book:The Wolves would never stop fighting even when the odds were completely against them. What I didn't like:Some of the wolves minds became clouded by chaos and passion. A paassage in the book that relates to me (page number):page 236 "Let the hammers ride again!" Thats a qoute that has tons of power behind it and show that the Wolves fear little to nothing. A question I have after the book:The Oder of the Wolf was heavyly damaged during the book and i wandered if they were ever able to fully repair the damage.

... isn't something you normally expect from joint-effort novels, but this book turned out to be a nice surprise. Being my first Warhammer novel, I dont really know how it compares to the others, but I was really impressed. The world of Warhammer is just what I've been looking for. Mature fantasy in a dark and magical world. Good vs. Evil and intriguing characters that dont really fit into either of those categories. If other Warhammer novels are as good as this one, I'll be reading many more. Hammers of Ulric is an exciting and fun book to read. The story line is intense and suspensful, the characters are awesome. The whole story is full of mayhem and destruction, even some of my favorite characters meet brutal ends (which makes the story more realistic and interesting). The White Wolves of Ulric are nearly unstoppable and really fun to read about. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for some hack-and-slash/dark fantasy adventure.

This book turned out to be a most pleasant surprise. As a collector of Warhammer products in the past, I was intrigued to find that a book had appeared about the White Wolves. That alone made me buy it. But what I did not expect was the high quality of the story-telling. Although the plot is not original, and the resolution rather unimpressive, the biggest asset of the story is - well, the story-telling itself. The three authors succeed in creating a very authentic Warhammer atmosphere, gritty, grim, and believable. Characters from many different backgrounds take part in the story - priest of a death god, rogues, servant girl, nobles, determined knights, arrogant knights, wizard, old crone, etc. - very many of whom contribute significantly to the weaving, but not complicated, plot. And the wonder is that they are all weaved together into a fascinating story that keeps the reader in suspense - we are not even given a clear picture of the Big Foozle until about 60 pages from the end. But the destruction of the Foozle is not important in this book - it is the telling and the growth of all the characters in the book that give it its magic. Everything is there - the grim funeral rites, the training lesson, the chance meetings, the amusing love relationship, the treasure-hunting, the possession, the search for things lost... Resolutions come both in expected ways and unexpected ways - there are little lessons of sacrifice, honour, friendship, personal growth and even about death. The only flaw with the book, perhaps, is that its plot could have easily been stretched over a trilogy - which would give much more breathing space for the telling of the story. Nevermind - still highly recommended!