Dead Winter A Review

Dead Winter by CL Werner first published by Blacklibrary 2012, then republished in June 2013.

Dead Winter by CL Werner

 Book Review by Lord of Ruin

The Empire is on the verge of falling apart, due to the influences of one greedy man, Boris Gold gatherer the Emperor of the Empire. Of course where their is dissention their is always something lurking in the shadows waiting for just such an opportunity and now that, that opening has presented itself they make there move. Meanwhile, others are trying to survive the greatest plague that has ever hit the Empire; whether it’s a lonely rat catcher or a priest of Morr each has a story to tell that will lead them to ever darker places.

C L Werner has been writing warhammer fantasy for black library now for many a year, with such great titles as his Brunner the bounty hunter series or his Mathias Thulman with hunter series. But its not just series he’s done, hes also produced some excellent chaos stories whether it’s a book on the diabolical chaos God Nurgle in ‘Palace of the plague lord’ or a book dedicated to the fury of Khorne in ‘Blood for the blood god’. Buts its his dark and menacing books that he really excels, books like ‘Runefang’ and ‘The Red Duke’, even with this catalogue of books to his name, it’s really his books featuring the under folk otherwise known as the skaven, that Werner is really famous for. This led him to write the tales of grey seer Thanquol, a character that became infamous through his schemes in trying to kill the famous warhammer duo of all, Gotrek and Felix. So when black library needed a writer to write about a time of legends story set during the time of the black plague, a plague unleashed by none other than the skaven, their really was only one writer who could take up that challenge and boy has he delivered, for Dead Winter is an epic undertaking to say the least.

In order for Werner to tell this tale he has clearly had to lay the ground work for this piece as the black plague is happening all over the Empire, slowly at first but eventually it reaches the major capitals of the Empire and it’s in these capitals that Werner tells his stories. Each of the three major cities has its own set of characters that propel the story forward and it’s through these characters that Werner helps the reader understand just whats at stake, not just in one city but across all of them.

The first Empire city we go to is the new seat of power Altdorf, as the new Emperor Boris Gold gatherer sits upon his thrown pitching all the states of the Empire against one another in order to keep their attention away from him and his spoils. Werner does an admiral job here of showing us how one man can become so greedy with power, power gained through the clever use of politics and the use of a man called Adolf Kreysig. Adolf is a truly despicable character that simply drips with venom a man who will do and has done anything to gain power, a great villain of the piece indeed. The other character is Erich von Kranzbeuhler, a young but well earned knight captain of the Reiksknecht an order of knights that protect the Emperor (you will have noticed Werner’s use of names in this book only barely resembles that of current warhammer opting for a more traditional, older use of knightly orders and titles). Erich is a man who has witnessed firsthand the machinations of Emperor Boris and who is a member of a prestigious group of men who are battling with the idea that maybe its time for Emperors Boris’s reign to be finished, and only a desperate but carefully laid plan will do. This character and others that feature with him shows the reader just how desperate a state the Empire is in, something of which is conveyed more so when the reader is taken to the other capitals of the Empire.

In the once prosperous city of Nuln we follow the frowned upon Ratcatcher, Walther Schill, a man who’s luck rises in terms of income as the regular food supplies of the city start to run dry or rotten, as a consequence of this there is a massive increase in rats, a supply that later becomes valuable, however Walthers story leads him to see things from the dark that is better off being forgotten. I found this character to be a lot of fun to read, and Werner does a very good job of portraying this character that, for the lack of a better word is so ordinary, but at the same time, so compelling to read about.

‘’When battle is joined it’s more claustrophobic and desperate making the reader feel like there is so much more at stake than the characters life’’

Meanwhile in the great city of Middenheim the count has closed the gates into the city, a decision not made lightly, however his son Mandred does not see this as a solution but an act of cowardice. Prince Mandred for those not familiar with the history becomes a major character in the future, whereas here Werner is more than happy to lay the ground work for this character that will really come into his own later in the series.

Its not just the major cities of the Empire that the story is told, but in two other places as well, one of which is the back bone of the whole story, the other at first, i thought to be none other than another way for Werner to show the impacts of the plague on smaller communities, however I was dead wrong, for again here is a small story that rises up to be something else entirely, without giving away the plot to this little tale, all I will say is that I found it to be one of the most compelling of the stories to read, especially once I realised where it was leading. Werner does a great job of showing a characters downfall and eventual destination that shows why this sort of shall I say ‘profession’ is taken up.

The second place the story is told is also the very first place the book takes us, and that’s to the under warren empire of the Skaven, aptly named SkavenBilght. Its here that we get a in depth look at the conniving, scheming, internal politics of the skaven empire, and its also here that we meet the main character of the piece Puskab Foulfur, high Priest of clan Pestilens and also creator of the Black plague. Its here that Werner really shines and shows his dark talent and that’s showing and conveying the backstabbing antics of the skaven empire, I especially liked his description of the older council of the thirteen lords of decay, and I especially liked his creation of clan Verms and its leader Blight, a very refreshing and interesting take on the rising and falling clans of skaven. Another thing that I really liked, was Werner’s revealing of the skaven to the Empire, for not many characters ever see the skaven, in fact only a couple do, but when they do, you really feel the horror that one comes from encountering such monsters.

Overall Werner has put together a book that really conveys that sense of despair showing us an Empire that looks and feels like its a cold and desolate place to live in, though there is not a lot of action in this, I find that to be a good thing, for when battle is joined its more claustrophobic and desperate making the reader feel like their is so much more at stake than the characters life. Another thing that is worth mentioning is how just when you think you have everything figured out, Werner throws in a surprise or two that I for one did not see coming, one of which I was completely taken of guard with, not many warhammer writers have accomplished this of me lately.

If I had anything negative to say about this piece it would be that there is one heck of a lot of characters to follow here, maybe an appendix in the back or character list in the front would of helped me keep up with who’s who, for sometimes I would have to back track to find out who a particular character was, this is not helped much by some of the characters titles, some of them are really long, though I liked the use of the more traditional titles, it was a pain in the arse to work out just who and what they do. This was however only ever a problem for the first half of the book for by that time, I had everyone worked out, so for those who are struggling a bit in the beginning bare with it for it will sink in. The only other negative which really is only minor at best, is that I did not want this to finish, and as this is book one of three I knew that it would end on many a cliff hangers, and boy does it finish on a few, though to be fare to Werner there are plot lines that are finished nicely and neatly, the next one cannot come along fast enough!

5/5 – a fantastic addition to the Time of Legend series, Werner has set up the Black Plague trilogy with plenty of characters and of course his portrayal of the skaven is second to none. For those wishing to see more skaven, set during the Time of Legends look no further, for here is a story that will take you to the darkest places below the empire of man, and threaten to never let you go.