Time of Legends: Heldenhammer (Time of Legends; Sigmar Trilogy)

I was surprised at just how good this novel really is, not really being a fan of Warhammer I was a bit weary start this new trilogy, but I'm glad that I did. McNeil has created an amazingly vivid world filled with great evils and greater heroes, his writing skill is very good and you can feel yourself being pulled into the world he has created. You can imagine the Ork armies as they mass at Black Fire Pass and hissing of arrows over head, this to me is the difference between a good author and a great one. The battle scenes are vivid and bloody with action and adventure abound. Signar is the Prince of the Unbergoen, he dreams of one day uniting the troublesome world of men and creating an Empire that will be a force for good in the world and also a force the will fight the chaos that spreads throughout the land. But first he must survive the hordes of Orcs and Goblins that wish to destroy the world of men, he must survive assassins and betrayal, only then may his dreamed come true. If you love Fantasy then this is a great piece of Fantasy fiction that will make you hungry to read the next two books in this series.

The first entry in the new Times of Legend book series and the first of the Sigmar trilogy, Heldenhammer is an epic tale telling the beginnings of Sigmar and how he had come to unite 12 tribes of Men into the Empire. Not only as a competent author, but a game developer for Games Workshop, McNeill uses his creative writing and deep knowledge of the Warhammer universe to weave this great tale of one of the game's most celebrated heroes. There appears to be a lot of gripes about this book. Mainly that Sigmar isn't this nigh invincible warrior wreaking havoc and destruction against the enemies of Men. Instead, the book portrays the destined founder and god of the Empire as a man. I think this is what makes the book good actually because it makes Sigmar more believable. Besides, there's two more books left to make Sigmar into the more godlike warrior that most people expect him to be. Sigmar is a great warrior. There's no doubting that. But again, there are some readers who just want more. My personal opinion regarding this is that this was also done so that McNeill could expand on Sigmar's battles and add tension while reading, instead of a short description on how Sigmar won because of his demi-God strength. And even without his fabled godlike strength, he still perform great deeds of heroism and courage that match with the universe's past heroes and other literary heroes. While not quite as manly as Conan per say, the story of Sigmar Heldenhammer is a great read for any fan of the Warhammer universe or avid fantasy genre fan. The old Teutonic and epic saga feel of the entire setting of the book is a nice thing to see after seeing so much of the later medieval Germany inspired feel of the modern Empire. I can't wait for the sequel to Sigmar's story.

When I think of Fantasy, I tend to think of Jerry Pournelle, Robert Jordan, Terry Brooks, Dragonlance stuff, and then Christian fantasy like Tolkein. I like the nuance of some of the author's I've mentioned and that they've successfully created a wondrous world with a degree of versimillitude. I like Graham McNeill's Heldenhammer because Graham is a fine writer. His characterization is great. His dwarves are better than Tolkein's. Oops, I just got struck by lightning. Anyhow, this wasn't like a long drawn-out novel other authors would have written; replete with some long grail quest, etc. Reading this is like watching your own movie. I had a real visual trip with the book. I recommend Heldenhammer for fans of MacBeth's witches, Braveheart, LOTR, Conan the Barbarian, and heavy hard rock & roll.

An excellent book! Similar to the works of Jeff Grubb in so much as it is epic in scope without losing important characterzation. A truly masterful work.

Having been a long-time fan of Warhammer Universe, although we are not gamers, we have seen a handful of writers emerge through the years that have created the Warhammer logo to more than just game merch, as well as a few well written books, to a huge mega-star conglomeration that covers both fantasy and sci-fi genres and taking them to all-time highs in the annals of both genres. If you still think that Warhammer is just a game, or just blood and gore, then you haven't read the most recent novels in the last few years. Such great authors like Graham McNeill are proving more and more that they are just as good - if not better - than their earlier counterparts of such authors as Raymond Feist, Tolkien, Eddings, Robert E. Howard, and George R. R. Martin, just to name a few. And McNeill's latest fantasy epic proves all that - and more! Time of Legends: Heldenhammer definately catapults and proves once and for all that writers like this are at the top of their game. Putting epic back in epic fantasy is this. we'd venture to say that this novel alone is definately McNeill's magnus opus in the fantasy field. This is Sigmar's time, a legend heard about and only mentioned as a wargod through numerous novels in the Warhammer universe. Well, some genius over at the Black Library studios decided - hey, let's make a series out of all these legendary gods that all of our past novels only hint and mention at! And bingo, you have top-notch writers going for it. Heldenhammer has it all, from larger-than-life heroes to a dark and colorful world, chock full of warriors and creatures out of myth. Barbarians and sorcerers abound. Love and mystery also mix with bloody carnage that blend perfectly to this first of a trilogy that will surely fulfill fans of such epic fantasy novels that we named above by any author. Creative and top-notch writers such as Dan Abnett, Ben Counter, James Swallow, and Graham McNeill have most definately brought the Warhammer universe out of the pulp fiction genres of sci-fi and fantasy and made them worthy to be held up to such standards as even Best_selling authors such as Terry Goodkind, and even give more consistent and better fantasy of such authors. Sigmar, prince and son of King Bjorn of the Unberogen tribe has a vision to unite the tribes of man, changing the course of history forever. Heldenhammer is like Thor, filled to the brim with the story of the rise to power of one of the most influential characters in the Warhammer universe. Whether you are a Warhammer gamer or not, or have never even read a Warhammer book - it doesn't matter! This is a great place to start. If you like epic quests, characters that are well-rounded and memorable, all-out action/adventure, with an epic feel to the whole storyline - then this one is for you!