Warhammer Chronicles: The Gotrek & Felix Novels by William King and Nathan Long are Back in Print
I became a fan of Warhammer through Relic’s Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War series of computer games, and eventually became a huge fan of their audiobooks. But people I respect have been telling me for years that their fiction is worth reading. Howard Andrew Jones in particular recommended Clint Werner’s Brunner novels and Nathan Long’s Blackhearts volumes as fine examples of modern sword & sorcery.
But the series I’ve heard the most about is the long-running Gotrek and Felix, which currently stands at no less than 17 volumes, written by William King, Nathan Long, Josh Reynolds, and David Guymer. King is the originator of the series and he wrote the first seven volumes, which I’ve heard described as “the reference series for Warhammer fantasy.”
The early editions are long out of print, and in fact the original omnibus reprints, which collected three novels each and were issued in 2003-2004, are out as print as well. They’re expensive collectors editions today. So are the second batch of reprints, published by Black Library in 2006-2013, which gathered the first 12 novels.
So I was pleased to see Games Workshop issue a third edition of this classic adventure fantasy series, and bought the first volume as soon as it became available. The second volume arrived in February. and the third is due in June. Here’s the details.
[Click the images for dwarf-sized versions.]
Here’s the description for Volume One.
This fantastic collection of much loved classics includes: Trollslayer, Skavenslayer and Daemonslayer, plus a number of bonus short stories. Gotrek and Felix: The First Omnibus is packed with fantasy adventure.
Gotrek and Felix: unsung heroes of the Empire, or nothing more than common thieves and murderers? The truth perhaps lies somewhere in between, and depends entirely on who you ask…
Relive the early adventures of the Slayer and his human companion. From the haunted forests of the Empire to the darkness beneath the World’s Edge Mountains, Gotrek and Felix face demented cultists, sinister goblins and a monstrous troll. In the city of Nuln, they get involved in an invasion by the sewer-dwelling skaven. And in the frozen north, an expedition to the lost dwarf hold of Karag Dum brings Gotrek and Felix face to face with a dread Bloodthirster of Chaos…
And here’s a look at some of the earlier omnibus editions, most now out of print for a decade.
Some of the earlier Gotrek and Felix omnibus reprints
Here’s the complete details for the new volumes.
Gotrek & Felix Volume 1, by William King (960 pages, $21 in trade paperback/$18.99 digital, October 16, 2018)
Gotrek & Felix Volume 2, by William King (960 pages, $21 in trade paperback/$18.99 digital, February 19, 2019)
Gotrek & Felix Volume 3, by William King and Nathan Long (848 pages, $21 in trade paperback/$18.99 digital, June 11, 2019)
See all our previous Warhammer coverage here.
I like the cover art, for both series. Honestly don’t know if I have the energy to read these, but then again if they are the seminal work that will let someone get to grips with the daunting vastness of Warhammer, then maybe I must! Will be interesting to read your reviews of these in due course John…
Oddly enough, I prefer the original set of covers, which I find both more varied and more colorful. Though I note the same pair of wild blue striped pants features prominently in both versions…
As for the vastness of Warhammer… there’s a whole lot to take in, I’ll grant you that!
I know I read most of the William King-penned Gotrek & Felix novels and enjoyed them. The omnibi are tempting — if nothing else, the pricing for the eBook versions is more reasonable that GW’s pricing for the individual volumes.
Joe — I’m kinda surprised the ebook pricing is so high, actually. Well above what Amazon discounted the paperback too. Are there cheaper places to get e-versions?
Well, no, but the individual volumes are like $11.99 each, so $18.99 for the omnibus is a (relative) “bargain”.
Basically, it’s the GW “surcharge”.