Lords of Valor
reviewed by Richard Leon

For those wishing to find a selection of gritty, dark and gruesome tales set in Warhammer World will have their wish fulfilled in Lords of Valour, a collection of stories set in the "grim world of perilous adventure".

This book, published by the Black Library is filled with many accounts of high adventure. Lords of Valour contain many tales set in different locations throughout the Old World including a wide variety of characters such as Bretonnian Knights, Imperial Witch Hunters and Dwarfen Troll Slayers. Interesting enough there are several stories which do not involve giant acts of heroism. Instead many will discover that some of the tales do not have "Lords of Valour" which I find refreshing. Edited by Marc Gascoigne and Christian Dunn, these stories are taken from the pages of Inferno Magazine also a Black Library publication. (It is a shame every time I go to find a copy of this magazine in my local hobby store, they are sold out!)

In writing this review I feel that there two items that need to be made clear.
One Lords of Valour to me is a misleading title. In fact several of the stories do not have swashbuckling heroes in it, (as stated above). The front cover portrays the Hero theme to the hilt. Although it is a nice cover, it too is misleading and gives anyone who picks up a copy of this book the impression that all of the stories contain muscle bound warriors. Too many diverse stories contained herein will leave those who strictly want valiant heroes disappointed. Do not get me wrong, I like most of the stories in this book and feel these are the cream of the crop. But next time a collection of stories is put out by this company, they should come up with an appropriate title. Image is everything and this is true (as in the case of the battle strewn cover), but this myriad collection of stories should appeal to anyone who loves the Warhammer World.

Second, I will be giving short summaries and personal comments on each story. I feel each one deserves attention and will rate each one. Over all the quality of the story writing is very good and varies from each author.

Faith, by Robert Earl is the first selected story of this compilation and is in line with the front cover theme. The tale is set in a village near the Massif Oracle mountain range in Bretonnia where a Bretonnian Knight named Gilles de Moreaux along with his manservant Claude is searching for greater glory. In his quest for a beast worthy of killing, he and his old steward are tested in their faith to the lady of the lake. I feel the plot is decent and story runs good if a little wooden. The only colorful character in the story is Claude who is portrayed as the old faithful sidekick serving his master like Alfred the Butler is to Batman. Five Arrows out of Eight (see rating chart).

A Choice of Hatreds by C.L. Werner sets a good tone for the Warhammer world and all of its horrors and injustices. This is a grim tale of a Witch hunter besieged by multiple enemies in a small town called Kleinsdorf set in the Empire. A young noble is hot on this mutant killer's trail looking for revenge. This tale is good for many reasons especially the Witch hunter and his twist of logic. Six out of Eight Arrows.

Tybalt's Quest by Gav Thorpe is a heroic story of a Bretonnian knight's quest. This is a very WFB Bretonnia story with lots of dead things that go bump in the night. In Tybalt's Quest Tybalt the main character is summoned by a ghost to restore the tomb of a deceased Duke of Mousillon. In restoring the mausoleum he runs into a necromancer and his undead servants. It is a direct narrative with not much in character development or style. But it sticks to the main theme of the book. Four out of Eight Arrows.

Who mourns a Necromancer? By Brian Craig is a very good story set with moral ambiguity and dark questions that haunt all of humankind. Set in Bretonnia in the city of Gisoreux it deals with two men mourning the passing of an old friend rumored to be a necromancer. This short story is one of several that does not fit the theme designated for this collection. The plot is weak but the story is easily carried by the two men who discuss necromancy between each other (out of the earshot of others). I personally liked Brian's work on The Wine of Dreams and one can now see his writing style evident in this small tale. Six out of Eight Arrows.

Son and Heir by Ian Winterton takes place once again in Bretonnia and deals with a Grail knight who is cursed by an agent of chaos. Set in the heart of Bretonnia near the Massif Oracle and the Forest of Charons the story pits the protagonist against the evils of a warlock who attempts to destroy what the knight has in life. With his whole house under a great curse, the knight over comes adversity to win back his family. This tale is by far the better of the three knight tales in this book. The plot moves well and a satisfactory ending give an enduring quality to this narrative. Six out of Eight Arrows.

The Judas Goat by Robert Earl is a gritty tale of a Reiklander Captain Gustav Mollens and his small company of green recruits. In this yarn treachery is afoot and a traitor is found among the recruits working for the Skaven. A battle ensues late in the story between the rat-men and Imperials. This is a nice, solid narrative with good development of the main character. Six out of Eight Arrows.

The Sound Which Wakes You, by Ben Chessell composes a picture of rebellion among the poor class of Bretonnia. A Blacksmith's son named Tomas carries out a plan of open revolt against the tyrant Marquis who rules his land with an iron fist. The plot goes well, but in some parts is unbelievable. In my opinion the story could have been told better, but the idea behind it is good. Four out of Eight Arrows.

Portrait of My Undying Lady, by Gordon Rennie is another example of a story not fitting into this theme the book sets. It is a good story however. The main character a struggling artist is kidnapped to do a painting of a great vampire Lady Khemalla of Lahmia. The story shows the transformation of the starving artist as he undergoes his hardship painting this final masterpiece of his. The story is well told and has merit. There is not too much action but the quality of the characters more than make up for this. Six out of Eight Arrows.

The Plague Pit, by Jonathan Green has to be one of my favorites in this book. The tale takes place near an obscure monolith in the Ostermark region of the Empire. Torben Badenov a Kislev Mercenary Captain leads a rag tag band of Adventures accompanying a Scholarly Mage to an ancient monolith. Unbeknown to them the monolith is dedicated to Nurgle the Chaos god of pestilence. I like the camaraderie of this little band of heroes and the way each character fits in with his skills. The plot is fast pace in some parts and keeps the reader interested. This tale reminds me of some of my earlier games set in this grim world of Warhammer. I think this tale might be too high fantasy for some but I loved it! Seven out of Eight Arrows.

Ancestral Honour by Gav Thorpe takes place in the Dwarfen Community of Everpeak. The main character, a Dwarf disgraced by his heritage goes to an ancient stronghold to find his clans honour. It is a decent tale showing the perspective of a doomed dwarf looking to become a slayer. Some parts of this tale is original but the high fantasy fighting scenes of this one dwarf wreaking machine makes it too unreal. Five out of Eight Arrows.
A Gentleman's War by Neil Rutledge is a good yarn about a young noble finding out how cold and dishonorable the Warhammer World can be. Otto von Eisenkopf son of a Graf in the Empire goes along an expedition with a pistolier war band to stop Bretonnian knights from invading the Empire. The tale is good and one can see the main character develop as the plot unfolds. The supporting characters are solid and the enemy knight who swindles young Otto is done well. I liked this tale and feel the story holds its own. Six out of Eight Arrows.
Last but not least is the story The Ultimate Ritual by Neil Jones and William King. This is a wild tale of high, dark fantasy showing the quest for knowledge in a twisted new light. Two sorcerers ascend into the realms of chaos to see the ultimate truth of everything. Summoning a flying disk of Tzeentch the two demonologists make their way to the lands of the Changer of Ways. Ultimately there is a price to pay for such high knowledge. I liked this story even with the high fantasy element. Six out of Eight Arrows.

The collection of stories here is good and deserves an honest read. Hopefully those who read these tales will be inspired in the games they play set in the Warhammer World. The Book gets a Stun Factor of 8.

Authors: Gav Thorpe, William King, Gordon Rennie, Brian Craig, Neil Rutledge, Robert Earl, C.L. Werner, Ian Winterton, Ben Chessell, Jonathan Green and Neil Jones

UK ISBN 1-84154-150-8 : US ISBN 0-7434-1166-8