Nagash the Sorcerer

I was marginably disappointed by Heldenhammer, the first of the Time of Legends books. While the character devlopment was good, certain aspects of the story were a bit of a let down. Not so with Nagash, the first of three novels detailing the exploits of the Great Necromancer. Nagash exudes evil like stars exude light. It isn't overblown until his rise to power, and his balancing act of politics and his horrific experiemnts and magical study will make your skin crawl. The supporting characters, a motley collection of scum and villany, are well fleshed out and still manage to appear as individuals, rather than being lumped into the general thug and important thug categories. The scenery and culture of Nehekhara is incredibly vivid and well described. The plot bounces around at times, sometimes forcing you to make educated guesses for certain terms until they're defined later. However, it proceeds at a decent pace, slowing for background, and picking up steam during the great war between Nagash and the other Priest-Kings of his homeland. There are some significant and some not so significant deviations from accepted lore. The Blessed Land apparently had their own pantheon of gods, which provided very real, very tangible rewards to their worshippers, and are incredibly entertaining, though they're essentially molded after the major egyptian pantheon, though few people could miss that subtle reference. A couple other points can be glossed over or easily retconned, but quite a few definitely are different from fluff provided for the tabletop game. The in-depth lore is what makes the book 5 stars. The building of the Black Pyramid, Nagashs education in dark magic by the Dark Elves, his monstrous attacks and atrocities performed during the war give the novel a punch I was not expecting so early in the trilogy. The only downside is some of the macroed text. They apparently did a lot of metal beating back in the day, as every descriptive of armor and equipment includes the word "hammered" at least twice. While I appreciate detail and visual cues as much as the next reader, a thesaurus would've helped. However, my annoyances at lack of descriptive terms pale beside the entertainment and depth of the book. While you might shake your head at the stupidity of some of the other characters for their actions towards Nagash, you'll find yourself rooting them on. Definitely looking forward to his dealings with the Skaven in book 2.

Mike Lee is a notorious lore butcher, he writes beautiful stories, but fails to follow what warhammer has set the lore to be. with the nagash book it was no different. i loved the book and will purchase all sequals, but am disappointed that he got only the general outline of nagashes history. *SPOILER WARNING* the general lore is accurate, yes...but on most details he fails to stay true to the lore, the vampires (called "immortals" in the book) are not weak to sunlight until nagash curses them with this affliction for betraying him. in the end, when nagash is defeated, he is not betrayed by arkhan, arkhan gives his live to save nagash. nagash also escapes into the desert, where he almost dies and becomes a liche, he does not get transported straight to the brittle peaks and to the warpstone surplus located there. these are the three biggest lore-faults that i found with this book. once again, i loved this book, and would recommend it to any1 who likes nagash, just be warned that it is only partially accurate.

This book succeeds where books like Heldenhammer fall almost flat. In the ancient empire of Nehekhara Nagash's father dies and he begins plotting to seize total power. As royalty and a high ranking priest in the Mortuary cult, he is delighted when dark elf prisoners fall into his hands and he strikes a deal with the dangerous followers of Malekith to learn the black arts from them in order for sparing their lives. From their it only gets better, as an epic story of world gripping ambition, black treachery and the epic struggle of Ancient civilization whose covenant with their Old Gods is threatened by the Dark Forces Nagash threatens to unleash upon the entire world. Brave Kings and Priests of Old Gods of Nehekhara must take a stand against one of the greatest evils the world has ever seen and beware treachery from their own as they fight to preserve their way of life against the undead legions of Nagash and his evil folllowers. It all leads to an epic showdown at the most ancient city of Nehekhara between the heroes of that great civilization and the Black Necromancers evil sorcery.