The Great Betrayal by Nick Kyme

Thousands of years before the rise of men, the dwarfs and elves are stalwart allies and enjoy a era of unrivalled peace and prosperity. But when dwarf trading caravans are attacked and their merchants slain, the elves are accused of betrayal and the peace begins to fracture..


This is the first instalment in a new six book series under the banner of the Black Library's Time of Legends series (essentially  the fantasy equivalent of the record breaking Horus Heresy saga) and delves into the story behind The War of Vengeance, the great conflict that would turn the dwarves and elves against each other.  I don't play Warhammer and only have a sketchy idea of the history behind the races, so it seemed a perfect fit to see if this was something that Joe Average could pick up off the shelf and enjoy- more often than not tie-in fiction comes across as having a lot of baggage of the do I need to read all 18 of the previous books to understand it variety. 

The novel opens with a huge, 42 page battle scene illustrating what the dwarves and elves had accomplished together, then switches to the story proper as cousins Morgrim and Snorri explore some of the ancient, abandoned tunnels beneath the mountain stronghold they call home. It's a decision that soon leads to Snorri earning his future nickname 'Halfhand' but it also sets them on a path that neither of them could have foreseen. Snorri, a prince amongst his people, burns with the desire to prove himself to his father, to try and match the glory his father earned in the long years of war it took to secure the mountains against the orks and other menaces that had plagued them. But it is a time of peace, and his ambitions are stymied and his frustration manifests itself in impetuous outbursts and biting retorts, all wedges in a widening gulf between him and his father. Morgrim is his steadying influence, a solid and sensible presence and a good foil for Snorri's brash arrogance.

The Elvish homeland at this time is beset by civil war between the High and Dark Elves, and commando- like parties of Dark Elves are loose in the mountains, seeking to stir things up between the dwarves and the High Elves. Their ruthless cunning and cruelty is matched only by their paranoia and one-upmanship, all of which is shown in the thread of the story that follows one such group. Suspicion and xenophobia soon follow in the wake of the rising bodycount in the hills, and much of the novel revolves around the resultant turmoil as the peacemakers on both sides strive to hold back the mounting tide of anger and fear. Snorri, never a friend of the elves and buoyed by the company of belligerent advisors, becomes the figurehead for the rebellion against his father's edicts while Morgrim fights to moderate his cousin's attitude and to pull his people back from a war that increasingly seems inevitable.

There are multiple storylines woven through TGB that Kyme uses to flesh out his world, providing different viewpoints on the events that Snorri and Morgrim are at the forefront of, expanding the scope of the principal thread of the story, hinting at hidden plots and generally keeping it fresh and the reader hungry. The path that the story follows twists and turns, balancing gentle worldbuilding and intrigue with beautifully savage action and this, combined with a cast of well plotted and interesting characters, is what kept me turning the pages. He's managed to seed the novel with sense of the epic scale of the brewing conflict, making it a meaty and most satisfying read right up to the merciless death that brings TGB to a close. If you've never liked or understood Dwarves, either in Warhammer or general fantasy, you'll be wanting to grow a beard and carry an axe by the time you finish this. It approaches their culture with respect, eschewing cheap shots and short cuts, and in doing so, makes it all feel very 'grown up'.

So, could Joe Average pick up and enjoy The Great Betrayal? A resounding yes- and more than that, he should. This is good, solid fantasy writing that deserves a prominent place on any bookshelf. 

You can visit Nick's website here, or read an extract of TGB here.

Firedrake - Nick Kyme

When Chaplain Elysius of the Salamanders is taken captive by Dark Eldar, he faces a fight for survival at the hands of these cruel aliens. The Firedrakes of 1st Company attempt a daring rescue mission, but much more is at stake than the Chaplain’s life. He holds the key to secrets buried beneath Mount Deathfire, secrets that could reveal the damnation – or salvation – of their home world. The Salamanders must penetrate the Port of Anguish and defeat the xenos threat there if they are to unveil the mysteries within the Tome of Fire. Meanwhile, Dak’ir battles to survive the brutal Librarian training, and in his visions lies an even darker future…

Firedrake is the second book in Nick Kyme’s Tome of Fire trilogy and picks up shortly after the events of Salamander. It kicks off with Chaplain Elysius leading the Salamanders as they prosecute a bloody campaign against the sadistic Dark Eldar who aren’t behaving quite as they should be. . there’s little to prepare Elysius and his squads for the uniquely Dark Eldar ambush that awaits them. While they’re struggling for survival in a nightmarish cityscape riddled with hunting parties, cannibalistic vermin and shifting geography, Dak’ir is coming to grips with his new role as Librarian under the rigorous tutelage of Pyriel, who is realizing the potency of Dak’ir’s gift.. a gift which lies at the centre of an ancient prophecy that could spell either the doom or the salvation of their Chapter.

And that’s just the start of it. There’s so much crammed into it that I’m not going to try covering it all here- you’ll have to take my word that there’s no shortage of blistering action, savagery, heroism and betrayal. Otherwise this piece will be at least 3+ pages long, and neither do I want to give anything away. Nick’s worked hard to infuse the book with a sense of dramatic urgency that translates in frantic page turning and I don’t want to dilute that. He puts his cast of characters, both new and familiar, through hell and offers no assurances that any of them are actually going to make it, but those that do won’t be the same either, and it’s good to see them growing in reaction to their experiences.

He keeps a tight rein on the various threads, weaving them around each other but keeping each distinct, which is no mean feat given the amount of cool stuff crammed between the covers. I’d strongly recommend you read Salamander before approaching Firedrake- once you open it, it won’t let you go until you reach the end.

The picture above doesn’t do Cheoljoo Lee’s awesome artwork justice- you can see a larger version here and read an extract of the book here.

++ Salamander Competition ++

To celebrate the forthcoming launch of Nick Kyme's fantastic new novel 'Salamander', the awesome crew at the Black Library have donated two signed copies for us to give away.

The rules are simple- all you need to do to enter is send us an email with 'Salamander' as the subject, and your name and location (e.g Bob from Exeter) before 6pm GMT on Tuesday 4th August. We'll pick the winner at random (with a little help from random.org) and post the announcement here on Tuesday evening.

We'll contact the winners directly by email to confirm the other bits

Good luck!

Salamander is released in September and is also available on pre-order from the Black Library.

Salamander - Nick Kyme

Hailing from the volcanic world of Nocturne, Space Marines from the Salamanders Chapter are in search of an ancient artefact that leads to a world overrun by Chaos. They are the fire–born: implacable warriors with iron hard determination. But all is not what it seems as far more dangerous foe is revealed. As bitter rivalries break out amongst the Salamanders their endurance will be tested to the limit. Will the Salamanders survive long enough to discover the truth about this world and the revelations that will shake the very foundations of this Chapter forever?

Salamander (book one of the Tome of Fire trilogy) follows the Marines of the 3rd Company as they recover from their loss of their captain at the hand of traitor marines. It's a loss that draws simmering tensions and rivalries to the surface, threatening to undermine his replacement and weaken the company as they follow a trail of strange portents that lead to a doomed world and a 10,000 year old engima.

Nick wastes no time in bringing on the action and manages to sketch the cast of characters in the midst of introducing a Space Marine company on the verge of crisis. The two principal characters, the noble Tsu'gan and the loner Dak'ir, while genetically enhanced to be superhuman, retain a definite humanity that flavours their thoughts and actions, emphasising rather than diluting the scope of their actions.

I sat for a while and tried to quantify what it was that kept me turning the pages in a blur; fact is, there's no single element- it's the combination of the action, pace, tension and mystery that creates the buzz that keeps you hooked.

It's a cracking read and, if this is what we have to look forward to from the Tome of Fire, bring it on!

You can read an excerpt here.