768
pages, The Black Library, ISBN13: 978-1844165100
Fantasy
is at its best when theres a few rough edges on things, and Nathan Long’s
aptly-named Blackhearts omnibus is a
perfect example. With a cast of unrepentant (yet sympathetic) villains and a
series of nightmare scenarios full of twists, turns, and rampant episodes of
backstabbing-for-fun-and-profit, Long creates a thoroughly engaging storyline
that more than fills the three books (and two short stories) that comprise this
omnibus. In his introduction, Long alludes to the obvious similarities between his
trilogy and The Dirty Dozen – condemned
military prisoners offered a nebulous pardon in return for performing suicide
missions – but those similarities are only skin deep. The diverse characters
who make up the titular “Blackhearts” are unique individuals, and their
conflicting personalities and quirks make for some fun (and occasionally
tragic) character interaction in between the requisite pulse-pounding action
sequences.
As
with most of the Black Library’s tie-in output, action is paramount (plot-over-plod),
but Long manages the not-so-easy trick of making the reader care about these
largely disposable characters with only a limited amount of space to work with.
Also, his deft use of several ongoing subplots help to fully flesh out the
thoroughly unpleasant world his characters inhabit. And it’s a world that is
familiar to any aficionado of Games Workshop’s output, but Long doesn’t stint
on the backdrop as some writers might be tempted to. Instead, he incorporates
as much of the “local color” as possible into things in order to firmly anchor
his contribution into the greater meta-story-arc of the Warhammer Fantasy
Universe (which is no bad thing, because as fantasy universes go, it’s an fleshed-out
one).
All in all, Blackhearts:
The Omnibus is well worth the cost, and I recommend it to any fan of dark
fantasy.
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