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Konrad #3
Warblade
Konrad is plunged into a series of deadly adventures, aided only by the Warblade, a mystical sword forged especially for him, and his companions, as he sets out to uncover the mystery of his destiny and to take on his old enemies, the skaven, who are plotting against the Emperor himself. Original.
256 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 29, 1993
About the author
David S. Garnett
26 books8 followersDavid S. Garnett (born 1947) is a UK science fiction author and editor whose novels include Cosmic Carousel, Stargonauts and Bikini Planet. He edited a paperback anthology revival of Michael Moorcock's New Worlds magazine, two Zenith anthologies of original British SF stories, and three Orbit Science Fiction Yearbooks.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
October 4, 2016
I have been waiting over a decade to read this book after having read the first two multiple times and finally getting my paws on the third/last one. And honestly, if I could go back in time and talk to my younger self, I would tell them not to pick up this series of books.
To say I am disappointed is an understatement, to say I am frustrated is even more so.
Garnett, for all the issues this trilogy had, created an interesting character and storyline. Up until this book, things seemed to be building to a wonderful climax that would see the resolution of a number of events throughout Konrad's life. Finally we would find out just what has been going on!
Nope.
The reader gets none of it. In fact, they get a climax that is lackluster and uninteresting. The final confrontation (which everything has been leading to and Konrad's main goal) is over before you realize and leaves the reader stunned and asking 'that's it?'.
Garnett's writing also seems to slump in this novel, as if he stopped caring about the story and the characters. Often things are glazed over with sweeping words rather than giving any sort of details. It becomes lazy and boring extremely quickly.
Now, there are parts of this novel that are still enjoyable, but when compared to the previous books, Warblade falls short. It's not even worth reading for nostalgia purposes to see the Warhammer world when it was younger and more grit filled.
All in all, I don't recommend this book, or the entire series anymore. It's not worth your time to read, not with an ending like the one Garnett gives us.
To say I am disappointed is an understatement, to say I am frustrated is even more so.
Garnett, for all the issues this trilogy had, created an interesting character and storyline. Up until this book, things seemed to be building to a wonderful climax that would see the resolution of a number of events throughout Konrad's life. Finally we would find out just what has been going on!
Nope.
The reader gets none of it. In fact, they get a climax that is lackluster and uninteresting. The final confrontation (which everything has been leading to and Konrad's main goal) is over before you realize and leaves the reader stunned and asking 'that's it?'.
Garnett's writing also seems to slump in this novel, as if he stopped caring about the story and the characters. Often things are glazed over with sweeping words rather than giving any sort of details. It becomes lazy and boring extremely quickly.
Now, there are parts of this novel that are still enjoyable, but when compared to the previous books, Warblade falls short. It's not even worth reading for nostalgia purposes to see the Warhammer world when it was younger and more grit filled.
All in all, I don't recommend this book, or the entire series anymore. It's not worth your time to read, not with an ending like the one Garnett gives us.
November 28, 2020
Well, I've read the previous back in 2015.
This tales are all connected and you can read them as one big book.
In this tale we follow Konrad, our main protagonist from the beginning when he escapes an attacked village throughout the world, passing Kislev and other parts of the Empire.
In this tale, we begin our adventure beneath the city of Altdorfas Konrad is still searching for his lover Elyssa. 5 years have passed and many friends and colleagues have come and gone. Konrad learns of the plot of the skaven of switching Karl Franz (The Emperor) with a double. He also learns, after confining with the wrong person that there are several cults inbetween the nobility and guards of the Emperor. So, basically Chaos is everyone and everything is is connected to it.
He first escapes Altdorf and re-meets Wolf. With his help he discovers his space in the great scheme of things. With the help of two old friends they go back to Altdorf and try to help the Empire.
All in all, fully action - comparing with the previous ones. Some of Ferring beliefs were thrown here but it didn't felt forced and to be honest It goes with the old views of the Empire. If you had follow from the first books to the later ones, the Empire is quite different. In the old times, they try to go more political focus and even fluff information. Later novels, are more action and less fluff. I mean, it was interesting to know that the skaven almost put a double instead of Karl Franz.
If you go to later novles like Nathan Long trilogy of BlackHearts there is no fluff withing. Fell Cargo? Nada; Necromancer, The Enemy Within, Florian novels, Aaron Rosemborg trilogy - all of these - and I am not saying they are not good - but they have no fluff. Old novels have fluff within. This happens with 40K as well.
To be perfeclty honest - I am content I've read the three novels, because I want to read them all and it's my favorite setting. To a newcomer it's a good place to start - you got glimpses of the Empire, Chaos and Skaven. But overall I cannot say in good conscious it's a good novel or trilogy. There are way better out there...
This tales are all connected and you can read them as one big book.
In this tale we follow Konrad, our main protagonist from the beginning when he escapes an attacked village throughout the world, passing Kislev and other parts of the Empire.
In this tale, we begin our adventure beneath the city of Altdorfas Konrad is still searching for his lover Elyssa. 5 years have passed and many friends and colleagues have come and gone. Konrad learns of the plot of the skaven of switching Karl Franz (The Emperor) with a double. He also learns, after confining with the wrong person that there are several cults inbetween the nobility and guards of the Emperor. So, basically Chaos is everyone and everything is is connected to it.
He first escapes Altdorf and re-meets Wolf. With his help he discovers his space in the great scheme of things. With the help of two old friends they go back to Altdorf and try to help the Empire.
All in all, fully action - comparing with the previous ones. Some of Ferring beliefs were thrown here but it didn't felt forced and to be honest It goes with the old views of the Empire. If you had follow from the first books to the later ones, the Empire is quite different. In the old times, they try to go more political focus and even fluff information. Later novels, are more action and less fluff. I mean, it was interesting to know that the skaven almost put a double instead of Karl Franz.
If you go to later novles like Nathan Long trilogy of BlackHearts there is no fluff withing. Fell Cargo? Nada; Necromancer, The Enemy Within, Florian novels, Aaron Rosemborg trilogy - all of these - and I am not saying they are not good - but they have no fluff. Old novels have fluff within. This happens with 40K as well.
To be perfeclty honest - I am content I've read the three novels, because I want to read them all and it's my favorite setting. To a newcomer it's a good place to start - you got glimpses of the Empire, Chaos and Skaven. But overall I cannot say in good conscious it's a good novel or trilogy. There are way better out there...
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July 21, 2024The final volume of this trilogy ties up the web slowly building through the story, although quite abruptly. The growing web of connections the main character finds himself in grows tighter and tighter until he finds what he's been searching for the entire trilogy... and then the book ends. I enjoyed the over-the-top crazy violence as I always do with a Warhammer novel, but I wish the author had left some space at the end to slow down and reflect a bit. I'm still glad I read the trilogy, though, and it's a pretty good place to start Warhammer fantasy because it covers a lot of the main geography and history along the way.
November 4, 2009
The first in a series of three. These books cannot be read alone without dissapointment, as one leads into the other with cliffhangers forming one long epic story. A review of the series can be found here under the Konrad Omnibus edition.
A tense ending to the series. From the beginning you know it must end, but how, and the question from the start has always been "why?". I was certainly drawn in throughout this book, knowing the end was in sight, the last three or four chapters having me glued in tight.
The ending can be called questionable, but I myself actually liked it. I'll leave you to draw your own conclusions, but the short-sharp ending did manage to tie up a lot very quickly, much quicker than I'd expected, and leaves a few mysteries for the ages. Some things in life just aren't meant to be known, especially when it comes to Chaos, and this saga drives that home.
A tense ending to the series. From the beginning you know it must end, but how, and the question from the start has always been "why?". I was certainly drawn in throughout this book, knowing the end was in sight, the last three or four chapters having me glued in tight.
The ending can be called questionable, but I myself actually liked it. I'll leave you to draw your own conclusions, but the short-sharp ending did manage to tie up a lot very quickly, much quicker than I'd expected, and leaves a few mysteries for the ages. Some things in life just aren't meant to be known, especially when it comes to Chaos, and this saga drives that home.
July 27, 2022
Incredibly clumsy conclusion to the series, which wastes a lot of time on a plot which comes somewhat out of nowhere and completely fails to give sufficient space to subplots which have been seeded since the start of a trilogy. (At least one, which has been set up to be a huge deal, is dispatched in the space of under a page.) Screams "contractual obligations forced me to write this". Full review: https://fakegeekboy.wordpress.com/200...
March 16, 2021
2.5. A lukewarm ending to the series, nothing much is settled including the identity of Skullface or Konrad himself. More repetition of things that happened 5 minutes previously.
Has a couple of good scenes. The Slannesh party and the Inn were quite good
Has a couple of good scenes. The Slannesh party and the Inn were quite good
September 27, 2022
I'm being generous giving this book 3 stars. It's definitely the weakest book of the trilogy. In relatity, it feels more like book 2.5 of a trilogy. The ending was very unsatisfying.
July 12, 2019
I really enjoyed the series but as a previous reviewer said this one just leaves on a anticlimactic ending. All the loose threads that have been building up to the final confrontation with Skullface and Elyssa are just lacklustre and only take up the final 5 pages of the book, I felt the fact that Konrad didn’t regain his future seeing sight for at least a small fight with Skullface and killing him with it just left me frustrated.
I loved the series but this was easily the weakest of the three, if left me feeling “that’s it”? We didn’t get to know Konrads past of family history, the origin of the mailed fist and arrows crest on the shield ect and any info we did get from Skullface is potentially a lie at best, so we didn’t get any closure what so ever?
All in all the best thing about the ending of this book is the fact it ties in with what Konrad saw back in the first when looking in the hand mirror Elyssa showed him, that she would be dead and his reflection showed older a more weather beaten version of himself, now that I liked!
All in all I’d say the Konrad trilogy is a great place to start your Warhammer reading as the books are short, sharp and (for the first two anyway) sweet. My problem was with the ending. Who knows maybe we’ll get a fourth book or maybe a short story to finally tie it all up someday?
A guy can dream I guess 🙌🏻🙏🏻
I loved the series but this was easily the weakest of the three, if left me feeling “that’s it”? We didn’t get to know Konrads past of family history, the origin of the mailed fist and arrows crest on the shield ect and any info we did get from Skullface is potentially a lie at best, so we didn’t get any closure what so ever?
All in all the best thing about the ending of this book is the fact it ties in with what Konrad saw back in the first when looking in the hand mirror Elyssa showed him, that she would be dead and his reflection showed older a more weather beaten version of himself, now that I liked!
All in all I’d say the Konrad trilogy is a great place to start your Warhammer reading as the books are short, sharp and (for the first two anyway) sweet. My problem was with the ending. Who knows maybe we’ll get a fourth book or maybe a short story to finally tie it all up someday?
A guy can dream I guess 🙌🏻🙏🏻
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 11, 2011
Immédiatement après avoir terminer le deuxième livre, j'ai tout de suite entamé le dernier livre de la trilogy.
Rendu dans ce livre, Konrad est devenu un survivor/machine à tuer. Rien ne peut tuer notre héros qui réussi à survivre aux pire atrocités et à s'échapper même des pires situations critiques. C'est dans ce roman que l'on voit que le Héros était destiner à sauver la mise pour l'empire, laissant sous-entendre que Sigmar avait choisi Konrad comme avatar afin de pouvoir lui permettre d'accomplir la plus grande des mission, soit de protéger l'empereur lui-même.
L'histoire semble aller vers un gros finale, qui je dois dire encore aujourd'hui, déçois grandement. C'est la raison pour laquelle j'ai enlever une étoile à ce roman si pationnant.
La finale désappointe assurément tous les lecteur et demande énormément de rationalisation pour l'accepter (l'alcool aide aussi :) ). C'est sûr qu'après réflexion la fin fait du sens et il est possible de deviner la suite, mais quand j'achète un livre j'aime bien pas avoir à me forcer pour écrire la suite. Je m'attend à ce que je ferme le livre satisfait et prêt à passer à la suite. Ce livre fini et fini pas en même temps. On est à la fin de l'histoire de la trilogy mais on aimerais en voir plus. Laisser sur notre faim, le roman se termine et jamais l'auteur n'a écrit de suite, voir même je crois d'autre livres.
Malgré une faim décevante je dois dire que le roman est à la hauteur des deux autres et tiendra en haleine toute personne se faisant le plaisir de lire ce roman. Soyez donc averti, ce roman bien qu'il vaille la peine, vous décevra par sa fin incomplète.
Rendu dans ce livre, Konrad est devenu un survivor/machine à tuer. Rien ne peut tuer notre héros qui réussi à survivre aux pire atrocités et à s'échapper même des pires situations critiques. C'est dans ce roman que l'on voit que le Héros était destiner à sauver la mise pour l'empire, laissant sous-entendre que Sigmar avait choisi Konrad comme avatar afin de pouvoir lui permettre d'accomplir la plus grande des mission, soit de protéger l'empereur lui-même.
L'histoire semble aller vers un gros finale, qui je dois dire encore aujourd'hui, déçois grandement. C'est la raison pour laquelle j'ai enlever une étoile à ce roman si pationnant.
La finale désappointe assurément tous les lecteur et demande énormément de rationalisation pour l'accepter (l'alcool aide aussi :) ). C'est sûr qu'après réflexion la fin fait du sens et il est possible de deviner la suite, mais quand j'achète un livre j'aime bien pas avoir à me forcer pour écrire la suite. Je m'attend à ce que je ferme le livre satisfait et prêt à passer à la suite. Ce livre fini et fini pas en même temps. On est à la fin de l'histoire de la trilogy mais on aimerais en voir plus. Laisser sur notre faim, le roman se termine et jamais l'auteur n'a écrit de suite, voir même je crois d'autre livres.
Malgré une faim décevante je dois dire que le roman est à la hauteur des deux autres et tiendra en haleine toute personne se faisant le plaisir de lire ce roman. Soyez donc averti, ce roman bien qu'il vaille la peine, vous décevra par sa fin incomplète.
September 3, 2014
Ini sebuah lagi novel yang bergenre fantasi-epik,yang saya baca tanpa menuruti susunan yang sepatutnya. Hah! Suatu perkara yang tidak dapat dielakkan. Kebiasaannya,novel yang bergenre begini mempunyai sekuel/prekuelnya yang tersendiri. Novel ini merupakan salah satu novel daripada triloginya.
Namun begitu,ada sebabnya kenapa saya membaca novel yang bertajuk Warblade ini. Sebenarnya,novel ini adalah berdasarkan dan berlatarbelakangkan sebuah permainan berbentuk tabletop yang dikenali sebagai Warhammer Fantasy Battle. Permainan ini dihasilkan oleh Games Workshop. Minat saya terhadap dunia Warhammer ini membuatkan saya teringin membaca novel ini,walaupun melangkaui turutan yang sepatutnya.
Menampilkan Konrad sebagai watak utama,tema utama novel ini menumpukan kepada kisahnya. Pengembaraan dan suratannya yang perlu dipenuhi. Untuk menjadi manusia yang lain daripada yang lain dan menguasai takdir kehidupannya sendiri. Memandangkan ini novel yang terakhir,apa yang terjadi kepada Konrad akhirnya didedahkan.
Memang terasa ketidakpuasan hati kerana tidak membaca prekuelnya. Namun demikian,boleh saya katakan gaya penceritaan novel ini agak mudah. Penulisnya juga seringkali menyatakan apa yang berlaku di dalam novel sebelumnya,di dalam naratif. Jadi,saya sedikit sebanyak mengetahui apa yang berlaku sebelumya dan tidaklah 'sesat' dan terkial-kial ketika proses pembacaan.
Namun begitu,ada sebabnya kenapa saya membaca novel yang bertajuk Warblade ini. Sebenarnya,novel ini adalah berdasarkan dan berlatarbelakangkan sebuah permainan berbentuk tabletop yang dikenali sebagai Warhammer Fantasy Battle. Permainan ini dihasilkan oleh Games Workshop. Minat saya terhadap dunia Warhammer ini membuatkan saya teringin membaca novel ini,walaupun melangkaui turutan yang sepatutnya.
Menampilkan Konrad sebagai watak utama,tema utama novel ini menumpukan kepada kisahnya. Pengembaraan dan suratannya yang perlu dipenuhi. Untuk menjadi manusia yang lain daripada yang lain dan menguasai takdir kehidupannya sendiri. Memandangkan ini novel yang terakhir,apa yang terjadi kepada Konrad akhirnya didedahkan.
Memang terasa ketidakpuasan hati kerana tidak membaca prekuelnya. Namun demikian,boleh saya katakan gaya penceritaan novel ini agak mudah. Penulisnya juga seringkali menyatakan apa yang berlaku di dalam novel sebelumnya,di dalam naratif. Jadi,saya sedikit sebanyak mengetahui apa yang berlaku sebelumya dan tidaklah 'sesat' dan terkial-kial ketika proses pembacaan.
October 8, 2009
A bad conclusion to the otherwise excellent Konrad trilogy. The first two books built up a very good story; sadly, all the questions raised earlier were very poorly answered or addressed in this book. It was as if the author himself didn't know how best to approach it but was in a hurry to finish it, so things were left hanging. The protagonist felt more like just being along the ride of scripted events rather than making conscious choices. The earlier enigmatic and strong Wolf character made a reappearance here, which is a redeeming quality.
October 9, 2014
I wanted to wirte a lot of things about this book, but I can't whithout any spoilers. The mainproblem with the book is the whole first part, because it is just a long... very long reminder of the first two books. After that the story wasn't so bad, but not too good either. One of my friend said that "this trilogy is like a bible for the WH universe, but nothing else". He was right. The twists were bad, and I mean really awful. I think they could make a good popcorn blockbuster movie about Konrad's story, but in a book, it was a waste of time.
May 4, 2014
The saving grace of this book is the few pages describing the interaction with a dwarven smith who crafts the Warblade for Konrad. The book continues the trend developed in book 2 of the series to have the main character tell you his struggles and observations, in case the read is too dumb to figure it out, and is also interspersed with some very fluffy Warhammer cosmology. Worth finishing the trilogy and the story, but just barely.
November 29, 2014
I finished up the Konrad trilogy the other day. The last book is a little weaker than the other two. It spends too much time recapping the earlier ones. Although I didn't dislike the ending, it felt like an unsatisfying payoff to the Skullface and Elyssa storyline. Overall, not a bad book but nothing special either.
February 17, 2013
A poor ending to an otherwise great series , I felt that many questions were not answered or new questions raised
Without any logical thought of plot progress
I am guessing that either there was a plan for another book or trilogy or the author just hadn't thought this plot through for this book
Without any logical thought of plot progress
I am guessing that either there was a plan for another book or trilogy or the author just hadn't thought this plot through for this book
December 19, 2013
The end of the series was better than expected. Especially towards the end it got more and more juicy! Surprisingly, at the end the reader is given enough of plot twist to seriously consider reading book 4 if it ever comes out.
3,5*/5
3,5*/5
Want to read
December 2, 2017I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/14825489
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/14825489
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