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Rob Sanders
Call of Archaon is the fourth book in the Age of Sigmar: The Realmgate Wars series. It is yet another anthology, and a mixed bag. I wrote the individual reviews over the course of months as I could be bothered to squeeze the stories into my schedule. As a result, length and depth of the individual sections will vary.
The Story:
"Three champions of Chaos are roused from the ongoing war against Sigmar's servants and compelled to journey into the heart of darkness. Their goal? To serve at the side of the Everchosen himself, Archaon, as one of his Varanguard. But the trials before them are many, and not all will survive...
Of the many champions of Chaos, none are as great or as feared as mighty Archaon. He is the Everchosen, Exalted Grand Marshal of the Apocalypse and Ender of Worlds, and it is a worthy warrior indeed who can fight by his side. Such Knights of Ruin are known as the Varanguard. Only by answering the call of Archaon can a warrior of Chaos ascend to their ranks, and acceptance is never guaranteed, for their mettle must first be proven. In this dark tale, three fell champions of the Chaos Gods all heed the call of the Everchosen. Each desires the ultimate prize: to become part of the Varanguard. But where one is chosen, others will fail, for Archaon’s will is cruel and his trials exacting..."
Of the many champions of Chaos, none are as great or as feared as mighty Archaon. He is the Everchosen, Exalted Grand Marshal of the Apocalypse and Ender of Worlds, and it is a worthy warrior indeed who can fight by his side. Such Knights of Ruin are known as the Varanguard. Only by answering the call of Archaon can a warrior of Chaos ascend to their ranks, and acceptance is never guaranteed, for their mettle must first be proven. In this dark tale, three fell champions of the Chaos Gods all heed the call of the Everchosen. Each desires the ultimate prize: to become part of the Varanguard. But where one is chosen, others will fail, for Archaon’s will is cruel and his trials exacting..."
The Review:
Call of Archaon was originally released over the course of many months via 8 short stories by various authors. It isn't a novel as the publisher advertises, and more of an anthology.
Since I reviewed the short stories individually as I read them, I will just paste them here, and then add a full verdict down below. That seems the best way to do it to me.
However, the battle felt disjointed, more confusing than it should have been.
At some point it is said that Bule's hordes numbered at around 100,000, with over half of them elsewhere at the time of battle. Still, even at 10,000 I'd have to wonder how losing a dozen of Blightkings here and there to meteorite magic would put any kind of dent into them.
Seeing how the Rotbringers were decimated during the battle with the Lizardmen (now called "Seraphon"), even though their numbers didn't seem to come even close to those of Bule's (their scout detachment of chameleonskinks numbed in the hundred, for example), made me shake my head as a result.
Not that I'd disagree that Lizardmen are mighty indeed - they are my favorite faction in WHFB and Blood Bowl, and got me into the hobby in the first place - but that was a bit much.
Adding to that the concept that the "Seraphon" now house starlight inside them (it is said to be shimmering between their scales, and breaking free upon death), I barely recognized my favorite faction. But then, the focus wasn't on them anyway.
But indeed, I would call this story "disjointed". There were many things not elaborated on that would have made me care more about the characters, but it also seemed unfocused and confusing. There were many hints and hooks pointing to more things possibly explored elsewhere, but for me those fell flat for the time being. Maybe future releases will clear things up.
On the positive side, I still think David has a solid grip on Skavendom. The characters here lacked the depth of characters like Queek and his rivals in the novel Headtaker, but they were amusing and readily apparent as skaven. Bule also felt like an intriguing character with a lot of potential, though the battle for his Realmgate distracted from more significant character development, and the closing of the story left me wondering.
At least this story had a certain amount of humor and atmosphere, which The Gates of Azyr lacked.
I would like to see Copsys Bule and his lieutenant Fistula back in another story. Hopefully that one won't be focusing as much on messy battlescenes, although that seems to be the core of every Age of Sigmar story I have flipped through so far. Battle for battle's sake, with negligible stakes and characters who feel powerful but not exactly relatable.
As it stands, I feel that Age of Sigmar, and the direction Games Workshop and Black Library are taking with it, doesn't play to their authors' strengths well, and indeed makes me think that they get hamstrung by the battle requirements when their talents lie in character development, dialogue and world building.
This is mostly due to the comparatively few and short battles in the short story, but also because it used them as a means to an end, rather than coming up with contrived reasons to get to the fighting. Featuring the Stormcast Eternals as targets to be slain did help, too, I admit.
Eye of the Storm tells of a Champion of Tzeentch, Zuvias, Prince of Embers, and his quest to be judged worthy by Archaon, Everchosen of Chaos, and join his ranks.
No, the being depicted on the cover of the book is not him, but the Many-Eyed, a servant of Archaon. Despite its incredibly creative name and very brief appearance at the start, it was intriguing. It seems to be a connecting factor in the Call of Archaon stories so far, which I like.
Getting back to Zuvias, our protagonist: I like him. He is treacherous, clever, twisted and has an actual silver tongue, a gift of his patron god. He proves that he knows to use it, too - by lying and cheating a Champion of Khorne (with a horde large enough to wipe the floor with him and his own retinue) into believing it is he who Archaon calls for to join him, rather than the Tzeentchian himself.
This leads to a curious chain of manipulations and half-truths, just how I've come to expect it from the followers of the Changer of Ways. The whole plot culminates in a confrontation between the followers of Chaos and Sigmar's Stormcasts, which would have been impossible to beat without the Khornates - delivering a direct payoff for the Prince of Embers' schemes.
Zuvias himself comes with a good look at his origin, and the root of his corruption. It comes in the form of the bird-like creature called Mallofax, who whispers Tzeentch's promises to the young prince's ears. Their dynamic throughout the story was a bit simple, especially taking into account that Mallofax showed no ill towards the Prince - something unusual for Tzeentch. Still, their relationship allowed for Zuvius to open up a little more by having a confidant outside of his warband of mutated knights and blind sorcerers.
The Khornates were... well, berserkers. Not too bright, easily manipulated despite their suspicions - you just don't turn down the Everchosen. Following a lie is far less risky than refusing Archaon's offers. The big bad, Skargan Fell-of-Heart (who was obviously a direct stand-in for the Exalted Deathbringer miniature), was enjoyable enough to read, despite his credulity.
The few battles in the short story were mostly brief (thankfully), although the final confrontation stretched a little longer. Still, it was handled well, and I found the length appropriate for its purpose and the story's pace. It did not detract from the story Sanders wanted to tell. He even explored the mortal realms in the Age of Sigmar setting a bit further, even though the world still feels barren and lifeless like the Chaos wastes in the Old World of WHFB.
Like with Beneath the Black Thumb's Copsys Bule, I would definitely like to see Orphaeo Zuvias and Mallofax in another story. They made for an entertaining read and showed that Rob Sanders does well with Chaos even if the protagonist isn't Archaon himself.
Although at the end of the day, I'd say that this is a story that did not really need Age of Sigmar to work. It could have been easily told as a Warhammer Fantasy story set in the Chaos wastes, with some minor adjustments and the exclusion of Stormcasts.
Either way, I enjoyed this read and would recommend it as one of the current top stories in this new franchise.
In true Age of Sigmar fashion, this story has a high percentage of battle scenes. Unusually, it also features Khorne champions debating who should take up leadership of their tribe, after their previous warlord was slain in battle. When I say debating, I mean exactly that: Discussing, arguing with words, not blades. Well, they certainly do that, too, and plenty of it, but it feels much less mindless for the two rival Deathbringers than it usually does with anything related to the blood god.
The story continues the theme of having the Many-Eyed, servant of Archaon, searching the realms for worthy champions for his master. His gaze falls upon the Realm of Beasts and the spat between the deathbringers Mathror and Ushkar Mir, the two candidates for leadership which haven't already taken up a different position in the upper echelon of the Bloodslaves warband. Pretty much all the special character classes from the Khorne Bloodbound faction are in this story, with all their silly names - that's just the way it has to be now, I suppose.
Mathror and Mir are very different from one another. Where the former seems to be fighting for glory in Khorne's name, is ambitious and wears heavy plate armor, Mir, our protagonist, is a defiant, mute and blinded berserker wielding twin daemon axes. He hates what he has become, though he joined the Khornates willingly - for revenge against Khorne himself. The Chaos God struck him with muteness for his insolence, yet enjoys his defiance. It makes for an interesting character, and reflects Archaon himself in a way - a point that the Many-Eyed observer finds amusing himself.
The writing style feels somewhat top-down, like it is being told to the reader by a third party, describing monumental events, rather than making the reader an integral part of the action. The narrative voice is strong as a result, but people who prefer the more hands-on approach might need some getting used to it first. I personally enjoyed this style very much - especially since it reinforced the point of the Many-Eyed being our eyes on the events, rather than us being directly involved in the action. It fits the theme of the collection so far quite well.
The Many-Eyed himself received more attention and page time than in the previous two Call of Archaon stories so far, which I appreciate. David Guymer's Beneath the Black Thumb did very little with him, introducing him as a shadowy messenger, while Rob Sanders' Eye of the Storm gave him an identity. The Solace of Rage gives him a stronger purpose and the inklings of a character arc I am interested in following further.
True to form, the Many-Eyed also provides this third champion of Chaos with a challenge, not unlike Bule's or the Prince of Embers. This time it isn't Lizardmen/"Seraphon" or Stormcast Eternals, however. Instead we get to see our first slice of "Ogor" (Ogre) action in Age of Sigmar. There are some curious implications about the nature of the Great Maw, too, which I liked.
One point I was a little underwhelmed by was the Realm of Beasts. This, of course, has a lot to do with the way Age of Sigmar was designed. Unlike Haley's descriptions of the Realm of Metal, this one doesn't have too much going on yet. It is described as a realm of wide steppes, and while I liked the idea of the Bloodbloom Fields the story takes place on, and the initial setting of the stage had me wondering what could be done with this environment, the wider story didn't much interact with the world. Had this taken place in the Realm of Fire, it would have been quite the same regardless.
Overall, though, I'd very much like to recommend this as one of the top stories in the Age of Sigmar setting to date. It gave the usually-bland Khorne characters a great amount of depth and much-needed structure, while creating a compelling anti-hero in Ushkar Mir. There is a lot of promise in this character and his spokesman Skull, even though, yes, this was still a Khorne story at the core.
This story supposedly introduced the third and final of the champions the Call of Archaon series focuses on, and all in all, I like this trio of villains. Seeing that David Annandale's Knight of Corruption returns to Copsys Bule, I am confident that we will be seeing Ushkar Mir and Skull again soon. I welcome the reunion.
After escaping the Lizardmen/"Seraphon" through a Realmgate in the previous story, Bule and his warband arrive in an unknown realm (which I suspect to be the Realm of Life, as it is heavily corrupted by Nurgle).
Their lieutenant, Fistula, is unhappy about their flight from battle, yet Bule is convinced of a higher power calling for him.
Of course, we as the reader know that it is the Many-Eyed beckoning him through a cloud of flies, and issuing the Call of Archaon, but the plaguelord is oblivious to the true nature of it all. In this, he stands out from the other two champions in the series, who got rather clear ideas of who or what is expecting them.
In theory I quite like the different approach, yet somehow it also makes Bule appear a little bit... dense. I don't think that either of the two authors tackling his plotline is to fault for that, though - it just comes down to the contrast to the other two.
Thankfully, the Many-Eyed comments on this too, and even communicates with Archaon himself about it.
However, the true strength of this story is down to the featured human characters, although I was hoping for more of them than I got in the end. Through them, David Annandale got to introduce a very cool theme into the story: Faith, or rather the contrasting faiths in a savior god banishing the plagues of Nurgle, and Bule's own devotion to the Grandfather.
Now, religious themes and spirituality are a common theme in many, if not most of David's stories, whether it be for Black Library or others. His story in Kaiju Rising: Age of Monsters, for example, features a giant monster inspired by the bible, for example. The Death of Antagonis meanwhile tackles of the subject of divine retribution in a different way, and his Yarrick: Imperial Creed again plays with themes of spirituality, organized religion and has Yarrick become the living symbol of the God-Emperor's will.
Seeing this theme continue in Knight of Corruption didn't feel like a surprise to me, then, but I welcomed it nonetheless.
The story itself is at its best and most enjoyable early on, up until about the halfway mark. Up until that point, it plays with these themes more strongly, and puts the Chaos warband in direct opposition of the normal humans. These free people have come together after the Stormcast Eternals had scoured parts of the region from the blight of Nurgle, and build a temple to them, believing them to be demigods.
Bule and co, meanwhile, think the men and women easy prey - which, in a direct confrontation, they clearly would be. Things aren't quite as simple, however, as they lock themselves into their temple and pour pure, unblighted water onto Bule and friends. This, again, makes for an interesting contrast between Nurgle's and Sigmar's blessings.
But, just in time, the Stormcasts themselves arrive to lend the humans a hand before they'd be overwhelmed by corruption. I say lending a hand, but actually, it felt more like they sidelined the other characters for more of the typical combat we already had in spades.
However, at least it was Bule's first encounter with the, up to that point, mythical beings he believed to be a mere fancy. Both sides call upon their patrons' blessings throughout the melee, too.
While Copsys Bule is prepared to fight to the death, the Call of Archaon resonates more strongly as the battle progresses, and beckons him towards his unknown destination: An innate Realmgate. Once again Bule quits the field, abandoning the better part of his warband in favor of a higher calling.
Overall, I enjoyed this entry to the series. It had some shortcomings, though mostly down to my own ever-growing boredom with Stormcast Eternals being everywhere, when a different faction would have been far more interesting to read about. Where the human faithful in this story offered creative, if ultimately futile ways of combating Nurgle's servants, the Stormcasts just feel generic at this point.
There is bound to be at least one more, possibly two stories that will be featuring Bule and Fistula, so I am curious where the character will be taken next, now that revelation finally appeared to him...
Haley has thought up clever trials for the champion, which reflect the specific gods' area of expertise and make sense for the Everchosen's lieutenants to go through. It forces them to step out of their patron god's shadow and embrace Chaos Undivided.
The battles here are relatively light, which is good in my opinion. They are best used when they serve a purpose beyond trying to hold the reader's attention in the absence of something substantial as far as plot and character developments go. Ironically, they tend to lose me that way. Here, every battle has a point and is part of the Bloodslaves' journey to Archaon.
I think this was the most enjoyable story so far, at least as far as the three champions' individual tests go. It did well all around without overdoing the things that make Age of Sigmar fiction a chore in a lot of cases.
The combat is visceral and involves all manner of Chaos champions and warbands, as well as daemon-entities, but then it just drowns the story with its need for violence and death. There is little opportunity for Zuvius to shine, like he did with his deceptions in Eye.
The twist at the very end almost makes it worth putting up with, however. It is a grim end, utterly fitting of the Everchosen of Chaos and his servants. This short story needed more of that, and less of murder, kill, awesome.
For the first time, Archaon actually appears in front of one of the champions - and two at once.
This raised the excitement quite high, as not only does it mean that either Mir or Bule would have to die, but also that their entire leftover warbands would need to be culled from potential rivals. Tensions from previous parts in their respective plotlines flare up, and both champions are forced to find suitable ways of disposing of their rivals, while also keeping up with the opposing force and wrenches thrown at them by the Everchosen and his servants.
The ways the champions achieved the purge were amusing and proved good thinking on their parts, and are some of the highlights of the story.
I didn't know who to expect winning this battle. I liked both characters, and they are markedly different types. Bule is more laid back and trusting in his patron god, whereas Mir hates Khorne with a passion and is using his position as a way of getting revenge at him. Their attitudes are both enjoyable, and I wanted to see both of them succeed in their ambitions. Mir would have seemed like a better fit for the Varanguard, however, as Copsys is a gardener at heart, while Mir's defiance of his god meshes well with Archaon's own refusal to bow to any one Chaos entity.
In the end, though, I was surprised and a little bit disappointed. The twist was good, but the outcome felt odd to me, especially after how In the Lands of the Blind turned out. In parts, I felt it a little too dismissive, too quick and stereotypical, while the final scene was very satisfying and unexpected.
Had it been up to me, I would have chosen all three champions for the Varanguard. They all contribute their own strengths to the mix, and seeing how many of them drop dead in the final story of Call of Archaon, the numbers might be needed.
This story returns to Orphaeo Zuvius, the Prince of Embers. As per the end of Blood and Plague, both other champion-candidates are dead and SURPRISE! Archaon had picked Zuvius all along anyway. So Zuvius is now Varanguard, and joining his brothers in arms for his first big battle under the Everchosen.
The story starts out showing Archaon and the Many-Eyed Servantin conversation: Sigmar's Stormcast Eternals have taken Cape Desolation, and the big bad does not like that one bit. He musters his armies to take it back and send the golden boys home crying. Thankfully, this marks the first time in the series that Archaon himself is taking to the field, and it is about time that he does.
Following on from that, the short story reintroduces the changed Zuvius and the company he is in. It is a diverse bunch from all aspects of Chaos, minus Skaven, and they are bound for the cape. Archaon is leading a fleet of dreadships, riding his steed Dhorgar (which looks hideous now, thanks to Age of Sigmar redesigns...), and spearheading the assault. This sparks a lot of excitement for his Varanguard, and Zuvius is eager to make a name for himself.
This early part is probably the coolest of the story. The crash-landing of the Varanguard's dreadship was awesome, and Zuvius really is showing off, with the rest of the group close behind. However, none of the characters beyond the Prince of Embers actually get much spotlight, and usually just to die. The death count of Archaon's elite seems to go through the roof here, which makes me even more disappointed that he didn't recruit all three candidates.
Which also brings me to my next complaint: With so many new, blank slate characters introduced to accompany Zuvius into battle, it would have been preferable to see the Mir and Bule with him instead. That way readers would have had more familiar characters and found a greater payoff, while allowing for more character interactions that Zuvius never had access to - his journey was entirely isolated from those of the other two.
As a result of the overarching plot, however, this story suffers from having a cast that, while reasonably large, is pretty unrelatable and irrelevant.
Another disappointment to me was that Archaon himself is only seen fighting in passing, and in the distance. There is no PoV section for him, and usually it comes down to Orphaeo admiring the Everchosen. It might be a good idea to keep Archaon more aloof and enigmatic, but it also made for a lackluster climax for a series/novel called Call of Archaon.
The Stormcast Eternals were business as usual, with some kickass scenes involving Zuvius and the leaders of the golden boys. However, at this point, that too is business as usual. To me, the Stormcasts need some serious updates to their lore and plot to excite again. Been there, done that, and the likes.
At the end of See No Evil, I saw a lot of flaws, some cool scenes, but a noticeable let-down. While the action was competent, I was hoping for more. I was hoping for a bigger audience with the Everchosen, to see him being tackled hands-on - he's on the cover of the print collection! Instead, it was yet another massive battle piece of epic proportions. It had variety, yes, but the overall finale felt like more of the same rather than something unique and impressive. A shame.
The book suffers from many problems. One of them is that it wasn't written as a novel, or even a trilogy of novellas with a cherry on top.
The serialized format is a killer to pacing and balance I find, and CoA proves that. The incessant need to provide bombastic battles takes away from the quiet time you could set aside for a longer story, something that is needed to provide character growth and let the reader anticipate the next big development. Instead this quiet time is relegated to the first few pages of a story, if even that.
Battles drown out things that could have been, had it not been written piecemeal. While there are some parts that were pretty good and creative, as well as well delivered, the pacing seems nightmarish to me. I read the stories over the course of many months with breaks between most installments, but even then reading this 8 part story felt exhausting. Especially the final three parts seemed to be hitting me around the head with murder-kill-death scenes. Even the clever and interesting ideas the authors put into the mix seemed hamstrung by the format restrictions.
I have been observing similar with Black Library's other serializations, including Legends of the Dark Millennium: Space Wolves or the other Age of Sigmar series. As a proponent of the first stand-alone serialization BL did with Scars, I am honestly disappointed that it turned out this way. Scars wasn't afraid of giving the reader time to contemplate and to build up the plot and characters, but then again, that serialization was always intended to be read as one novel, not as individual "Quick Reads" you could dive into out of order. Issues also released on a weekly basis rather than once a month, if subscribers were lucky.
Another big problem I found with this book was the lack of Archaon for 95% of the whole thing. He appeared in passing to the Many-Eyed Servant, and in person in the final two parts, but it still felt like too little, too late. While we have been told about the Call of Archaon sounding to the champions, it was all the Many-Eyed Servant's doing, at Archaon's command. He himself didn't seem to lift the finger until the very end. He lacked presence, and I am afraid dominating the cover artwork won't make up for it.
On top of that, the Lord of the End Times felt diminished. Stereotypical Dark Lord material. He was so much more than that in Archaon: Everchosen, Archaon: Lord of Chaos and The Lord of the End Times. There was more to him than a dominating presence and flying a three-headed dragon-daemon thingy into battle and laughing about his subordinates slaughtering one another for his amusement. I was really disappointed that Rob Sanders of all people didn't give him more attention in the finale, seeing how much I loved his depiction of the character's origin story.
Call of Archaon isn't the worst Age of Sigmar book I have read. Not by a long shot. It is even great at times. But it is so bogged down by more or less generic battle scenes and format-specific problems, that I felt exhausted and bummed out after being done with it. It turns out that if you hear the Call of Archaon, you're better off picking up the WHFB novels about him than this collection.
Since I reviewed the short stories individually as I read them, I will just paste them here, and then add a full verdict down below. That seems the best way to do it to me.
Beneath the Black Thumb by David Guymer
Beneath the Black Thumb is another Age of Sigmar story that is almost completely dedicated to one single battle, with a tiny bit of plague-gardening in the first and last parts. The "Black Thumb" Copsys Bule's gardening efforts, stringing corpses up and digging the soil to spread Nurgle's rot, was a nice theme that I appreciated.However, the battle felt disjointed, more confusing than it should have been.
At some point it is said that Bule's hordes numbered at around 100,000, with over half of them elsewhere at the time of battle. Still, even at 10,000 I'd have to wonder how losing a dozen of Blightkings here and there to meteorite magic would put any kind of dent into them.
Bule commanded the souls of a hundred thousand, and although more than half were scattered wide over the Corpse Marshes and beyond, what remained was a mighty host indeed.
Seeing how the Rotbringers were decimated during the battle with the Lizardmen (now called "Seraphon"), even though their numbers didn't seem to come even close to those of Bule's (their scout detachment of chameleonskinks numbed in the hundred, for example), made me shake my head as a result.
Not that I'd disagree that Lizardmen are mighty indeed - they are my favorite faction in WHFB and Blood Bowl, and got me into the hobby in the first place - but that was a bit much.
Adding to that the concept that the "Seraphon" now house starlight inside them (it is said to be shimmering between their scales, and breaking free upon death), I barely recognized my favorite faction. But then, the focus wasn't on them anyway.
But indeed, I would call this story "disjointed". There were many things not elaborated on that would have made me care more about the characters, but it also seemed unfocused and confusing. There were many hints and hooks pointing to more things possibly explored elsewhere, but for me those fell flat for the time being. Maybe future releases will clear things up.
On the positive side, I still think David has a solid grip on Skavendom. The characters here lacked the depth of characters like Queek and his rivals in the novel Headtaker, but they were amusing and readily apparent as skaven. Bule also felt like an intriguing character with a lot of potential, though the battle for his Realmgate distracted from more significant character development, and the closing of the story left me wondering.
At least this story had a certain amount of humor and atmosphere, which The Gates of Azyr lacked.
I would like to see Copsys Bule and his lieutenant Fistula back in another story. Hopefully that one won't be focusing as much on messy battlescenes, although that seems to be the core of every Age of Sigmar story I have flipped through so far. Battle for battle's sake, with negligible stakes and characters who feel powerful but not exactly relatable.
As it stands, I feel that Age of Sigmar, and the direction Games Workshop and Black Library are taking with it, doesn't play to their authors' strengths well, and indeed makes me think that they get hamstrung by the battle requirements when their talents lie in character development, dialogue and world building.
Eye of the Storm by Rob Sanders
Eye of the Storm is the first Age of Sigmar story I have finished to date that I would describe as good and enjoyable.This is mostly due to the comparatively few and short battles in the short story, but also because it used them as a means to an end, rather than coming up with contrived reasons to get to the fighting. Featuring the Stormcast Eternals as targets to be slain did help, too, I admit.
Eye of the Storm tells of a Champion of Tzeentch, Zuvias, Prince of Embers, and his quest to be judged worthy by Archaon, Everchosen of Chaos, and join his ranks.
No, the being depicted on the cover of the book is not him, but the Many-Eyed, a servant of Archaon. Despite its incredibly creative name and very brief appearance at the start, it was intriguing. It seems to be a connecting factor in the Call of Archaon stories so far, which I like.
Getting back to Zuvias, our protagonist: I like him. He is treacherous, clever, twisted and has an actual silver tongue, a gift of his patron god. He proves that he knows to use it, too - by lying and cheating a Champion of Khorne (with a horde large enough to wipe the floor with him and his own retinue) into believing it is he who Archaon calls for to join him, rather than the Tzeentchian himself.
This leads to a curious chain of manipulations and half-truths, just how I've come to expect it from the followers of the Changer of Ways. The whole plot culminates in a confrontation between the followers of Chaos and Sigmar's Stormcasts, which would have been impossible to beat without the Khornates - delivering a direct payoff for the Prince of Embers' schemes.
Zuvias himself comes with a good look at his origin, and the root of his corruption. It comes in the form of the bird-like creature called Mallofax, who whispers Tzeentch's promises to the young prince's ears. Their dynamic throughout the story was a bit simple, especially taking into account that Mallofax showed no ill towards the Prince - something unusual for Tzeentch. Still, their relationship allowed for Zuvius to open up a little more by having a confidant outside of his warband of mutated knights and blind sorcerers.
The Khornates were... well, berserkers. Not too bright, easily manipulated despite their suspicions - you just don't turn down the Everchosen. Following a lie is far less risky than refusing Archaon's offers. The big bad, Skargan Fell-of-Heart (who was obviously a direct stand-in for the Exalted Deathbringer miniature), was enjoyable enough to read, despite his credulity.
The few battles in the short story were mostly brief (thankfully), although the final confrontation stretched a little longer. Still, it was handled well, and I found the length appropriate for its purpose and the story's pace. It did not detract from the story Sanders wanted to tell. He even explored the mortal realms in the Age of Sigmar setting a bit further, even though the world still feels barren and lifeless like the Chaos wastes in the Old World of WHFB.
Like with Beneath the Black Thumb's Copsys Bule, I would definitely like to see Orphaeo Zuvias and Mallofax in another story. They made for an entertaining read and showed that Rob Sanders does well with Chaos even if the protagonist isn't Archaon himself.
Although at the end of the day, I'd say that this is a story that did not really need Age of Sigmar to work. It could have been easily told as a Warhammer Fantasy story set in the Chaos wastes, with some minor adjustments and the exclusion of Stormcasts.
Either way, I enjoyed this read and would recommend it as one of the current top stories in this new franchise.
The Solace of Rage by Guy Haley
The Solace of Rage was a welcome surprise to me. I outwardly groaned about the repetitive use of Khorne characters in Age of Sigmar so far, but in the end, this was an... unusual tale about the bloody berserkers of the blood god. And I enjoyed it as a result.In true Age of Sigmar fashion, this story has a high percentage of battle scenes. Unusually, it also features Khorne champions debating who should take up leadership of their tribe, after their previous warlord was slain in battle. When I say debating, I mean exactly that: Discussing, arguing with words, not blades. Well, they certainly do that, too, and plenty of it, but it feels much less mindless for the two rival Deathbringers than it usually does with anything related to the blood god.
The story continues the theme of having the Many-Eyed, servant of Archaon, searching the realms for worthy champions for his master. His gaze falls upon the Realm of Beasts and the spat between the deathbringers Mathror and Ushkar Mir, the two candidates for leadership which haven't already taken up a different position in the upper echelon of the Bloodslaves warband. Pretty much all the special character classes from the Khorne Bloodbound faction are in this story, with all their silly names - that's just the way it has to be now, I suppose.
Mathror and Mir are very different from one another. Where the former seems to be fighting for glory in Khorne's name, is ambitious and wears heavy plate armor, Mir, our protagonist, is a defiant, mute and blinded berserker wielding twin daemon axes. He hates what he has become, though he joined the Khornates willingly - for revenge against Khorne himself. The Chaos God struck him with muteness for his insolence, yet enjoys his defiance. It makes for an interesting character, and reflects Archaon himself in a way - a point that the Many-Eyed observer finds amusing himself.
The writing style feels somewhat top-down, like it is being told to the reader by a third party, describing monumental events, rather than making the reader an integral part of the action. The narrative voice is strong as a result, but people who prefer the more hands-on approach might need some getting used to it first. I personally enjoyed this style very much - especially since it reinforced the point of the Many-Eyed being our eyes on the events, rather than us being directly involved in the action. It fits the theme of the collection so far quite well.
The Many-Eyed himself received more attention and page time than in the previous two Call of Archaon stories so far, which I appreciate. David Guymer's Beneath the Black Thumb did very little with him, introducing him as a shadowy messenger, while Rob Sanders' Eye of the Storm gave him an identity. The Solace of Rage gives him a stronger purpose and the inklings of a character arc I am interested in following further.
True to form, the Many-Eyed also provides this third champion of Chaos with a challenge, not unlike Bule's or the Prince of Embers. This time it isn't Lizardmen/"Seraphon" or Stormcast Eternals, however. Instead we get to see our first slice of "Ogor" (Ogre) action in Age of Sigmar. There are some curious implications about the nature of the Great Maw, too, which I liked.
One point I was a little underwhelmed by was the Realm of Beasts. This, of course, has a lot to do with the way Age of Sigmar was designed. Unlike Haley's descriptions of the Realm of Metal, this one doesn't have too much going on yet. It is described as a realm of wide steppes, and while I liked the idea of the Bloodbloom Fields the story takes place on, and the initial setting of the stage had me wondering what could be done with this environment, the wider story didn't much interact with the world. Had this taken place in the Realm of Fire, it would have been quite the same regardless.
Overall, though, I'd very much like to recommend this as one of the top stories in the Age of Sigmar setting to date. It gave the usually-bland Khorne characters a great amount of depth and much-needed structure, while creating a compelling anti-hero in Ushkar Mir. There is a lot of promise in this character and his spokesman Skull, even though, yes, this was still a Khorne story at the core.
This story supposedly introduced the third and final of the champions the Call of Archaon series focuses on, and all in all, I like this trio of villains. Seeing that David Annandale's Knight of Corruption returns to Copsys Bule, I am confident that we will be seeing Ushkar Mir and Skull again soon. I welcome the reunion.
Knight of Corruption by David Annandale
Knight of Corruption takes the Call of Archaon series back to its first champion of Chaos: Plaguelord Copsys Bule. It leads on from shortly after David Guymer's Beneath the Black Thumb, so I'd suggest reading that first.After escaping the Lizardmen/"Seraphon" through a Realmgate in the previous story, Bule and his warband arrive in an unknown realm (which I suspect to be the Realm of Life, as it is heavily corrupted by Nurgle).
Their lieutenant, Fistula, is unhappy about their flight from battle, yet Bule is convinced of a higher power calling for him.
Of course, we as the reader know that it is the Many-Eyed beckoning him through a cloud of flies, and issuing the Call of Archaon, but the plaguelord is oblivious to the true nature of it all. In this, he stands out from the other two champions in the series, who got rather clear ideas of who or what is expecting them.
In theory I quite like the different approach, yet somehow it also makes Bule appear a little bit... dense. I don't think that either of the two authors tackling his plotline is to fault for that, though - it just comes down to the contrast to the other two.
Thankfully, the Many-Eyed comments on this too, and even communicates with Archaon himself about it.
However, the true strength of this story is down to the featured human characters, although I was hoping for more of them than I got in the end. Through them, David Annandale got to introduce a very cool theme into the story: Faith, or rather the contrasting faiths in a savior god banishing the plagues of Nurgle, and Bule's own devotion to the Grandfather.
Now, religious themes and spirituality are a common theme in many, if not most of David's stories, whether it be for Black Library or others. His story in Kaiju Rising: Age of Monsters, for example, features a giant monster inspired by the bible, for example. The Death of Antagonis meanwhile tackles of the subject of divine retribution in a different way, and his Yarrick: Imperial Creed again plays with themes of spirituality, organized religion and has Yarrick become the living symbol of the God-Emperor's will.
Seeing this theme continue in Knight of Corruption didn't feel like a surprise to me, then, but I welcomed it nonetheless.
The story itself is at its best and most enjoyable early on, up until about the halfway mark. Up until that point, it plays with these themes more strongly, and puts the Chaos warband in direct opposition of the normal humans. These free people have come together after the Stormcast Eternals had scoured parts of the region from the blight of Nurgle, and build a temple to them, believing them to be demigods.
Bule and co, meanwhile, think the men and women easy prey - which, in a direct confrontation, they clearly would be. Things aren't quite as simple, however, as they lock themselves into their temple and pour pure, unblighted water onto Bule and friends. This, again, makes for an interesting contrast between Nurgle's and Sigmar's blessings.
But, just in time, the Stormcasts themselves arrive to lend the humans a hand before they'd be overwhelmed by corruption. I say lending a hand, but actually, it felt more like they sidelined the other characters for more of the typical combat we already had in spades.
However, at least it was Bule's first encounter with the, up to that point, mythical beings he believed to be a mere fancy. Both sides call upon their patrons' blessings throughout the melee, too.
While Copsys Bule is prepared to fight to the death, the Call of Archaon resonates more strongly as the battle progresses, and beckons him towards his unknown destination: An innate Realmgate. Once again Bule quits the field, abandoning the better part of his warband in favor of a higher calling.
Overall, I enjoyed this entry to the series. It had some shortcomings, though mostly down to my own ever-growing boredom with Stormcast Eternals being everywhere, when a different faction would have been far more interesting to read about. Where the human faithful in this story offered creative, if ultimately futile ways of combating Nurgle's servants, the Stormcasts just feel generic at this point.
There is bound to be at least one more, possibly two stories that will be featuring Bule and Fistula, so I am curious where the character will be taken next, now that revelation finally appeared to him...
The Trial of the Chosen by Guy Haley
The Trial of the Chosen carries on the Call of Archaon plotline centered on Ushkar Mir and his quest to join Archaon's ranks. This storyline was started in The Solace of Rage, which I enjoyed for its unusual take on Khorne warbands. This story continues with a pretty neat roulette of trials for Mir, one for each of the gods of Chaos.Haley has thought up clever trials for the champion, which reflect the specific gods' area of expertise and make sense for the Everchosen's lieutenants to go through. It forces them to step out of their patron god's shadow and embrace Chaos Undivided.
The battles here are relatively light, which is good in my opinion. They are best used when they serve a purpose beyond trying to hold the reader's attention in the absence of something substantial as far as plot and character developments go. Ironically, they tend to lose me that way. Here, every battle has a point and is part of the Bloodslaves' journey to Archaon.
I think this was the most enjoyable story so far, at least as far as the three champions' individual tests go. It did well all around without overdoing the things that make Age of Sigmar fiction a chore in a lot of cases.
In the Lands of the Blind by Rob Sanders
In the Lands of the Blind was a surprising letdown after Sanders' previous Zuvius story in Call of Archaon, Eye of the Storm. It consists almost entirely of battle scenes and carnage, with little of the devious, tzeentchian spirit that made the former tale great.The combat is visceral and involves all manner of Chaos champions and warbands, as well as daemon-entities, but then it just drowns the story with its need for violence and death. There is little opportunity for Zuvius to shine, like he did with his deceptions in Eye.
The twist at the very end almost makes it worth putting up with, however. It is a grim end, utterly fitting of the Everchosen of Chaos and his servants. This short story needed more of that, and less of murder, kill, awesome.
Blood and Plague by David David Annandale
Blood and Plague is, once more, a battle-focused story. Almost the entire thing is set in an arena for the Everchosen's amusement, with two of the three champions from the rest of the series meeting in battle at last. Unlike the previous story, it actually has some decent character development for Copsys Bule and Ushkar Mir as well as their warbands.For the first time, Archaon actually appears in front of one of the champions - and two at once.
‘Champions,’ Archaon said, ‘I welcome you to the Ossuar Arena. You have fought well. Now you are at the end of a journey. One will be found worthy to join my Varanguard. One.’ Archaon paused. His great horned helm tilted downward. He was gazing at the two warbands.
‘You will exact your own judgement,’ he said.
This raised the excitement quite high, as not only does it mean that either Mir or Bule would have to die, but also that their entire leftover warbands would need to be culled from potential rivals. Tensions from previous parts in their respective plotlines flare up, and both champions are forced to find suitable ways of disposing of their rivals, while also keeping up with the opposing force and wrenches thrown at them by the Everchosen and his servants.
The ways the champions achieved the purge were amusing and proved good thinking on their parts, and are some of the highlights of the story.
I didn't know who to expect winning this battle. I liked both characters, and they are markedly different types. Bule is more laid back and trusting in his patron god, whereas Mir hates Khorne with a passion and is using his position as a way of getting revenge at him. Their attitudes are both enjoyable, and I wanted to see both of them succeed in their ambitions. Mir would have seemed like a better fit for the Varanguard, however, as Copsys is a gardener at heart, while Mir's defiance of his god meshes well with Archaon's own refusal to bow to any one Chaos entity.
In the end, though, I was surprised and a little bit disappointed. The twist was good, but the outcome felt odd to me, especially after how In the Lands of the Blind turned out. In parts, I felt it a little too dismissive, too quick and stereotypical, while the final scene was very satisfying and unexpected.
Had it been up to me, I would have chosen all three champions for the Varanguard. They all contribute their own strengths to the mix, and seeing how many of them drop dead in the final story of Call of Archaon, the numbers might be needed.
See No Evil by Rob Sanders
See No Evil is the final story of the Call of Archaon series. I'd be lying if I was saying I wasn't glad about that - the constant battles pushing character development and interactions aside are wearisome to me. But hey, this is another big battle - who would have thought?This story returns to Orphaeo Zuvius, the Prince of Embers. As per the end of Blood and Plague, both other champion-candidates are dead and SURPRISE! Archaon had picked Zuvius all along anyway. So Zuvius is now Varanguard, and joining his brothers in arms for his first big battle under the Everchosen.
The story starts out showing Archaon and the Many-Eyed Servantin conversation: Sigmar's Stormcast Eternals have taken Cape Desolation, and the big bad does not like that one bit. He musters his armies to take it back and send the golden boys home crying. Thankfully, this marks the first time in the series that Archaon himself is taking to the field, and it is about time that he does.
‘Send word to my warlords, my champions and the fell kings of the surrounding regions. Summon my unholy Varanguard. I shall lead the Knights of Ruin myself in a counter invasion. Those bastions shall be mine again. The God-King’s light shall be banished and his warriors shall flee for the skies. I want Sigmar to know that he will find no purchase in lands forever dedicated to the Chaos gods.’
Following on from that, the short story reintroduces the changed Zuvius and the company he is in. It is a diverse bunch from all aspects of Chaos, minus Skaven, and they are bound for the cape. Archaon is leading a fleet of dreadships, riding his steed Dhorgar (which looks hideous now, thanks to Age of Sigmar redesigns...), and spearheading the assault. This sparks a lot of excitement for his Varanguard, and Zuvius is eager to make a name for himself.
This early part is probably the coolest of the story. The crash-landing of the Varanguard's dreadship was awesome, and Zuvius really is showing off, with the rest of the group close behind. However, none of the characters beyond the Prince of Embers actually get much spotlight, and usually just to die. The death count of Archaon's elite seems to go through the roof here, which makes me even more disappointed that he didn't recruit all three candidates.
Which also brings me to my next complaint: With so many new, blank slate characters introduced to accompany Zuvius into battle, it would have been preferable to see the Mir and Bule with him instead. That way readers would have had more familiar characters and found a greater payoff, while allowing for more character interactions that Zuvius never had access to - his journey was entirely isolated from those of the other two.
As a result of the overarching plot, however, this story suffers from having a cast that, while reasonably large, is pretty unrelatable and irrelevant.
Another disappointment to me was that Archaon himself is only seen fighting in passing, and in the distance. There is no PoV section for him, and usually it comes down to Orphaeo admiring the Everchosen. It might be a good idea to keep Archaon more aloof and enigmatic, but it also made for a lackluster climax for a series/novel called Call of Archaon.
The Stormcast Eternals were business as usual, with some kickass scenes involving Zuvius and the leaders of the golden boys. However, at this point, that too is business as usual. To me, the Stormcasts need some serious updates to their lore and plot to excite again. Been there, done that, and the likes.
At the end of See No Evil, I saw a lot of flaws, some cool scenes, but a noticeable let-down. While the action was competent, I was hoping for more. I was hoping for a bigger audience with the Everchosen, to see him being tackled hands-on - he's on the cover of the print collection! Instead, it was yet another massive battle piece of epic proportions. It had variety, yes, but the overall finale felt like more of the same rather than something unique and impressive. A shame.
To Sum It All Up
The book suffers from many problems. One of them is that it wasn't written as a novel, or even a trilogy of novellas with a cherry on top.
The serialized format is a killer to pacing and balance I find, and CoA proves that. The incessant need to provide bombastic battles takes away from the quiet time you could set aside for a longer story, something that is needed to provide character growth and let the reader anticipate the next big development. Instead this quiet time is relegated to the first few pages of a story, if even that.
Battles drown out things that could have been, had it not been written piecemeal. While there are some parts that were pretty good and creative, as well as well delivered, the pacing seems nightmarish to me. I read the stories over the course of many months with breaks between most installments, but even then reading this 8 part story felt exhausting. Especially the final three parts seemed to be hitting me around the head with murder-kill-death scenes. Even the clever and interesting ideas the authors put into the mix seemed hamstrung by the format restrictions.
I have been observing similar with Black Library's other serializations, including Legends of the Dark Millennium: Space Wolves or the other Age of Sigmar series. As a proponent of the first stand-alone serialization BL did with Scars, I am honestly disappointed that it turned out this way. Scars wasn't afraid of giving the reader time to contemplate and to build up the plot and characters, but then again, that serialization was always intended to be read as one novel, not as individual "Quick Reads" you could dive into out of order. Issues also released on a weekly basis rather than once a month, if subscribers were lucky.
Another big problem I found with this book was the lack of Archaon for 95% of the whole thing. He appeared in passing to the Many-Eyed Servant, and in person in the final two parts, but it still felt like too little, too late. While we have been told about the Call of Archaon sounding to the champions, it was all the Many-Eyed Servant's doing, at Archaon's command. He himself didn't seem to lift the finger until the very end. He lacked presence, and I am afraid dominating the cover artwork won't make up for it.
On top of that, the Lord of the End Times felt diminished. Stereotypical Dark Lord material. He was so much more than that in Archaon: Everchosen, Archaon: Lord of Chaos and The Lord of the End Times. There was more to him than a dominating presence and flying a three-headed dragon-daemon thingy into battle and laughing about his subordinates slaughtering one another for his amusement. I was really disappointed that Rob Sanders of all people didn't give him more attention in the finale, seeing how much I loved his depiction of the character's origin story.
Call of Archaon isn't the worst Age of Sigmar book I have read. Not by a long shot. It is even great at times. But it is so bogged down by more or less generic battle scenes and format-specific problems, that I felt exhausted and bummed out after being done with it. It turns out that if you hear the Call of Archaon, you're better off picking up the WHFB novels about him than this collection.
DarkChaplain is a big nerd who spends too much time reading and thinking about books, organizing them on his ever-growing shelves, and yet increases his backlog by the month. DC is also an avid Gamer and owns more PC games than he'll ever be able to play. He is certainly spoiled for choice!
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