Nagash the Sorcerer

Time of Legends: Rise of Nagash #1

by Mike Lee

Two millennia before the time of Sigmar, the Nehekharan empire flourished in the hot desert lands far to the south of the Old World. Unbeknown to its people, this mighty kingdom is about to be shaken to its very foundations, when a quest for ultimate power will damn the land and its people forever.

Next in the ground breaking Time of Legends series, Mike Lee tells the bitter story of the rise of Nagash, a priest king whose quest for immortality would unleash a plague of death and evil in a time when the dead will rise again.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Novels, Horror, High Fantasy, Magic, Action

528 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published August 26, 2008

About the author

Mike Lee is an author, scriptwriter and game designer whose most recent credits include Fallen Angels, the latest installment in Black Library Publishing’s best-selling Horus Heresy series, and the dark fantasy epic Nagash the Sorcerer. Along with UK author Dan Abnett, Mike also wrote the five-volume Chronicles of Malus Darkblade, whose signature character has become a cult favorite among fans of Black Library’s Warhammer Fantasy fiction.

In addition to his novels, Mike’s scriptwriting credits include Tom Clancy’s HAWX, a game of near-future jet combat, and Splinter Cell: Conviction, the hit sequel to the popular Splinter Cell franchise published by Ubisoft Entertainment. He has also contributed to more than two dozen pen-and-paper role-playing games and supplements, including the award-winning Vampire: The Masquerade, Adventure!, Vampire: Dark Ages and Hunter: The Reckoning, published by White Wolf Games Studio.

An avid wargamer, history buff and devoted fan of two-fisted pulp adventure, Mike lives with his wife, artist JK Lee, and their family in the United States.

Reviews

[Bookwraiths · Rating 3 out of 5]

Originally reviewed at Bookwraiths.

My rating is 3.5 stars.

A calculating priest, a cunning sorcerer, a ruthless king, and a mass murdering necromancer. Nagash has been each and every one of them. This legendary figure in the Warhammer Universe as black-hearted as any being in a world populated by a pantheon of badass characters.

But Nagash is a bit different from other villains like Malekith and Archaon. From the Egyptian-inspired culture he sprang from to the complete disdain he has for all living things, this guy distinguishes himself from the others. Well, that and the fact that in this book, Nagash is still a man, a demented and diabolical one, but still a man who willing chooses to destroy everything a normal mortal holds dead – without one ounce of remorse.

Covering several centuries, Mike Lee’s Nagash the Sorcerer has a lot of ground to cover, and so his narrative resorts to time skips forwards and backwards. The past showing Nagash’s royal lineage, his jealousy and contempt for his brother, and his initial steps into necromancy, as well as highlighting the glory of the Nehekhara culture and its divinely created nature. The current scenes showing the struggle between Nagash and a group of fellow kings who risk all to desperately attempt to stop the undead hordes and seemingly unstoppable ambition of the first necromancer.

Like all Warhammer books, Nagash the Sorcerer is a fast-paced affair, heavy on bloody battles and their minute details. Numerous armies clash in titanic struggles throughout; horrible and vile deeds are done; and the slow death of a civilization is shown in detail. Definitely, things do get confusing at times, keeping all the players and their roles straight a chore, but overall, Mike Lee does a great job making the war and the different clashes noteworthy and memorable in one way or another.

As for the characters themselves, they are a mixed bag. Nagash himself is a powerful presence whenever he appears. His unquenchable lust for power at any cost, his complete lack of empathy for other human beings, and his unbridled desire to rule or ruin perfectly portrayed. There is no struggle between good and evil, right and wrong in this man. Nagash is beyond such petty human concerns and more memorable for it. Unfortunately, none of the other characters around him every develop into anything other than adequate co-stars. Sure, you feel bad for them when their brutal ends come, but you never knew them well enough to need to grieve at their demise.

What Mike Lee excels at in this novel is creating the Nehekhara culture. Reminding one immediately of ancient Egypt with some elements taken from other cultures such as the Aztecs, Nehekhara is a richly developed society built upon mystical gods, powerful magic, and a unique societal traits. This vibrant land very compelling, well worthy of grief when Nagash’s undead hordes begin to trample it into the desert sands.

Whether Nagash the Sorcerer offers enough to keep a reader interested is up to them. Like most sword-and-sorcery, this novel is not for everyone, nor is it trying to be. This is a Warhammer book filled with magic and combat, death and necromancy, brutality and deception, war and more war. You might like or you might not based upon your expectations and your reading preferences. Try it and see for yourself if it suits your tastes or not.

[Kris43 · Rating 2 out of 5]

This felt like a jumbled mess. Very confusing at times. It uses skipping between two timelines. The problem is, that is sometimes hard to tell between them.

I really liked Nagash and his original timeline. So, we get to know how he was fighting the lizard men and how his father died and...Then you get a sudden time switch and no more interesting Nagash, instead 200 years later, we witness grueling battle... And so it skips all the time.

The other timeline felt forced and I didn't want to read about it! There Nagash was already a powerful necromancer and here and there you get a brief glimpse of him doing some awesome stuff. I wanted to know all the stuff that happened before, more about Nagash and more character development.

There was also a lot of detailed description of various battles. Very long ones. The point of this should be to make a atmosphere of danger and action. It should not seem like 5 pages of description of how a hydraulic pump works! That's how exciting it was!

[Olethros · Rating 3 out of 5]

-Tono acorde con el trasfondo del que proviene.-

Género. Narrativa fantástica.

Lo que nos cuenta. Los ejércitos de Akhmen-hotep tratan de parar el avance incontenible de las tropas del Usurpador, Nagash, que desde Khemri expande su dominio a toda la Tierra Bendita. En el pasado, Nagash fue el Gran Hierofante más joven de la historia de Nekhara pero tenía un hambre de conocimientos prohibidos tan intensa que le llevaría a consumir toda su humanidad. Primer libro de la Trilogía de Nagash.

¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:

http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...

[Mat · Rating 5 out of 5]

The barrier to entry on this book was high. Very high.

I originally bought it because the copy at the local Gaming Store was printed improperly. The cover was inside out. I knew that no one would buy such a sorry book.

I bought the book in a fit of altruism and loyalty to a hobby store that had helped me out for 3 years at Fort Bragg, NC.

I also asked for 10% off due to the poor condition of the print. When they refused, I bought the book, fearing their gazes if I were to put it back.

Right.

Well.

That kind of sets the mood for the book.

Betrayal. Nonsensical, amusing prose. The only thing missing in MY writing would be the lack of interesting words.

One reason I enjoy reading pulp fantasy novels is because of the vernacular. I love words. I like learning new words. When an uncommon word or an interesting string of words appear in novels, I often giggle out loud in delight.



Mike Lee's Nagash series starts slow, and it hits me that Mr. Lee took longer than necessary to set up the story.

I kept the book and doggedly read it simply because it was my Airport Book. I fly around the country a significant amount, due to my job.

For 50 pages, I would read a few sentences, love the descriptions of characters, but abhor the banal battle scenes. If I want to read a silly series of troop tactics and swordplay, I'll read Salvatore.

After that 50 pages, the book became amazing. I cannot pinpoint precisely what I love so much, but I adore the books after that 50 pages.

I quickly bought another 8 books by Mr. Lee after having read Nagash the Sorcerer and Nagash Undying. I do not regret that at all. I am keeping most of his books for when I am sad and want to read a bunch of fantasy to cheer me up.




This is my first written book review in nearly 10 years. Bear with my poor structure.


The entire trilogy is amazing. I love it. 5 stars, all three books. I cannot recommend them highly enough for people who enjoy the following:

Betrayal: This is pulp, dark fantasy. Moorcock and Leiber and Wagner are all three luminaries in the field, and I would not be at all surprised if Mr. Lee draws inspiration from those classic Sword and Sorcery authors. The main characters are constantly betraying one another. The protagonists are selfish and evil and I found myself enjoying it when they won grand battles. The evil characters cooperate until it is no longer useful to do so. The good characters suffer endlessly. There is no hope. The entire series is a bleak wasteland of tormented suffering. The glimmers of hope exist only so long as to bring delicious agony to the few people foolish enough to believe in goodness.

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Descriptive words and phrases: Frankly, I will have to edit this review and include some choice phrases. The intimate treatment of minute details bring scenes to life, and add dimension to intentionally 2D characters. Thus making them 3D. Rendering my description poor.

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[Marc · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very disappointing, and I blame BL who seem to be fostering this jumping back and forth between the past (the really interesting part but only 1/3 of the book) and the "present" which has very little to do with the main plot. Yes, there are battles and thanks for letting us know about Khemri culture, but that's not why I bought the book! Give more on Nagash (since you skipped his childhood and teen years), and give him a bit more depth of character!

[Kaohlir · Rating 4 out of 5]

A superb tale of the rise and fall of the vile Priest King Nagash. Full of riveting action-sequences, the novel sets a fast, yet steady pace, following the ill-fated campaigns of the loyal Kings of Nehekhara, in defiance to the Usurpur`s Undead Hosts. Punctuated by interesting chapters, before the storm of the Undead is unleashed upon the land of men, detailing the origins of the Necromancer`s Art and his claim upon the Throne of Khemri; Nagash the Sorcerer is a classic Fantasy tale, enjoyable to those with a deep yearning of swords, spears and magical duels, albeit within a wierdly successful Egyptian-esque setting.

[Terrible Reviewer · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Sweeping, grand and epic. Vile, horrific and sorcerific. I hope you enjoy those analogies, as they all fit in well with the narrative."

Two millennia before Sigmar, the Nehekaran empire stood emblazoned in the south of the Old World. The core of the story is really two-fold. Firstly you have present is how Nagash actually became a necromancer and his subjugation conquering of the various Nehekara cities (set around -1900 by Imperial reckoning). The early sections revolve around Nagash and his resentment towards his brother who is king of Khermi. First-born sons are given to the gods as priests and second-born are given the crown. This is the way of things, but not so for Nagash who's thirst for power pushes him towards his unfettered dreams of bringing back the Settra empire.

Slaves are a commodity in the Old World, when the death of Nagash's father takes place, there is a offer of slaves from a particular city. What happens then is the real beginnings of Nagash's treachery. The real problem up until this point is the ponderous pace set - a lot of talking and no real 'doing' (I'm not talking about clash of arms here). One example is Nagash and his nobles (who will later become his Immortals) sitting around discussing food income and tax within the city of Khermi. It doesn't really help the theme of "Time of Legends" when they are engaged in such dull rhetoric.

Secondly (around 1700- by Imperial reckoning), begins with Nagash engaging his undead forces against the city of Ka-Sabar, and from extension of this his further conflicts with various other Nehekaran cities.

What really brings the first book to the thaw, is the rich history weaved within the narrative. Mike Lee invented a lot of the lore from Nagash and his time slots in within the Warhammer canon. Remember this is before the Empire and even before Sigmar. You can see close examples with the Egyptian gods and goddesses within this lore. There is also elements taken from the Chinese, Japanese and Aztec cultures. For me personally, Mike Lee has done a fantastic job in combing these elements subtly and hasn't mishandled or over-used these extensions where you would think "hold on, is this a history book or a fantasy novel?" This is a common theme within Warhammer and Warhammer 40K. Greek, Latin and Egyptian cultures weigh in heavily with certain authors of those universes.

As for character creation and advancement, given a book that covers 250 years, you think there wouldn't be a problem. Well for me there is. Other than Nagash himself, the supporting characters such as; Arkhan the Black and the various city kings are woeful inept. There should be a type of archetypical character who plays the foil for Nagash. Arkhan was a role that could have perfectly played this part, but was only half used. The problem is there is so many characters going on during the narrative, it's hard to keep pace at times. It reminds me of a 'shortened' version of "A Game of Thrones" rather less deaths and a lot of characters not dying! I'll also mention the cringe-worthy banter between certain characters. It's a mess in there, but once of start putting the puzzle together the picture begins to converge into something interesting.

Mike Lee has done a fantastic job weaving together different cultures. There is a Eastern feel (think Chinese) with their hidden secret of gunpowder, along with Arabian tribes (the cities of Bhagar and Ka-Sabar) and Egyptian beliefs (which can be seen through the comparison of their Nehekaran gods). There is a very rich story here, if you are the sort who can grit your teeth through a lot of narrative that woffles on, then give it ago. It's a good read and some fundamentals Mike Lee handles well is lore and battles. Two posits that should sit well with Black Library and fantasy fans combined.

Please note - This review is also listed under my Heresy Online username Sequere_me_in_Tenebras.

[Michael Haase · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nagash the Sorcerer has a lot going for it, interesting lore, compelling characters, a plot full of exciting and disturbing events (and this coming from someone who used to think the whole "ancient Egypt" cliché was overused). However, the book has some major flaws which I've seen people complaining about in their reviews, the main one being that the timeline is befuddled by frequent skipping back and forth. One second we're witnessing some huge battle and the next we're 200 years in the past at some temple. Then it's back to the battle again. Back and forth. The author should have just stuck to a single, cohesive timeline instead of hopping around. It's hard to make sense of what's happening because of it and the battles aren't as impactful because they keep getting interrupted by time-skips.

Personally, my main issue is that it's marketed as a book about Nagash, with his name in the title, but actually Nagash is constantly side-lined by other, less interesting characters. The very first chapter begins by talking about some dude named Akhmen-hotep. Later on you hear about Arkhan the Black, and Rakh-amn-hotep, and Neferem and that would be all well and good if they weren't taking up space that could have otherwise been used for Nagash. As it happens, for such a long book, there's just not enough of Nagash in it. I was expecting the book to be an origins story, and it is to some degree, but most of the book takes place after he's already gained his powers. A large portion of it is given to battles involving characters whose names I keep mixing up (Akhmen-hotep and Rakh-amn-hotep; honestly, they sounded the same in my audiobook). Half of the time, major events are unfolding and Nagash isn't even there. At times, it feels like Nagash is a side-character in his own book.

All the same, the book is still enjoyable and worth recommending if you're a Warhammer fan like me. It got me interested in this part of the lore and I plan to continue reading this series in the future.

[Grace Mulvey · Rating 5 out of 5]

When origin stories of “villains”are relayed, authors will often attempt to insert some facet of the character that is meant to make the reader sympathize with them. Sometimes this attempt is successful, but most often, it fails, coming across as forced and making the character feel soft and weak. Mike Lee makes no such attempt to make Nagash a sympathetic character, and as the reader I could not be more grateful for that. It’s fascinating to witness the development of Nagash’s cold, unbridled rage and determination to achieve his goals at any cost. That’s why he’s successful- he is willing to do absolutely anything to get what he wants, no matter the cost. Weirdly, it’s horrifying and admirable at the same time.

I do wish we got to see some more chapters with the earlier timeline- the one where Nagash progresses towards usurping his brother Thutep’s throne and delves into the dark magic taught to him by the druchii. Those chapters were instrumental in constructing my understanding of the power Nagash obtained for himself, so I would’ve liked to see more sections about his learning process and experimentation with the power he was uncovering in his Black Pyramid.

I read this series probably 6-7 years ago (and liked it) but I was only 12-13 years old then, and probably could not comprehend the vastness of this universe Lee has created. When I read it these past few weeks, the book was 100x better than I remember, likely due in large part to my increased ability to understand and remember all the timelines, storylines, and characters as I progressed through the novel. Can’t wait to start the next one!!!

[Terence · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nagash the sorcerer follows the exploits of one of the Warhammer worlds most horrific monsters(And in the setting of warhammer thats saying alot) and power sorcerers, who even thousands of years after his reign could contend with the likes of Teclis and Malekith, indeed contrary to most forms of thought in the warhammer world at the time(and thousands after) Nagash's very existence dispels the thought that humans could not wield the powers of magic as the elder races, however this comes at a price, the nefarious dark elves who taught him could not even begin to comprehend the level of cruelty and darkness welling inside him, indeed the force of his will becomes so crushing that even the ancient gods of Khemeri bend new to him in his new dark land of the dead. as their gods fail and turn on them the priests of Khemari turn their blades from the vast undead legions and upon their own throats in terror and despair. for anyone who enjoys reading about a great and timeless villain this is a must read.

[Dylan Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hot damn Mr. Lee! This tale of dark knowledge, war, and treachery was amazing.
Throughout the whole book, as both the Undying King and Nagash the grand heirophant, Nagash had an amazing "stage presence. Every time he was in the page he filled the book with his menace and will. From his first appearance you could tell he was one terrifying bastard!
The war scenes were riveting and visceral in all their (mostly) undead glory. The rise and fall of Nagash's would-be empire was phenomenal to read about.
I also really liked that it jumped in time from his war on the Blessed Land to his learning and setting up his undead empire some 200 years before. Both arcs had amazing stuff going for it, and it really kept me wanting to read each chapter since it always stayed fresh.
The cast of characters was awesome. The various Priest Kings all felt like their own fleshed out character, as did all of Nagash's immortals/allies.
The novel was superb and I cannot wait to start the next one!

[Craig Little · Rating 3 out of 5]

As gaming tie-in fiction, I didn't have especially high expectations for this. The book exceeded them.

The book interleaved two stories, one on the rise of a dark power, and the other being the rebellion and military campaign against that power.

I think Lee would have been better off presenting the story in chronological order rather then going for the interleaved approach. I realize that Black Library house style is to start in an action sequence, but story should have prioritised over style.

Also, with many characters having similar pseudo-Egyptian names, the book would have benefited from a Dramatis Personae section at the start to help keep track. I discovered that there was such a section at the end of the novel, but as I refuse to skip ahead I didn't know that.

Overall, I enjoyed the story and am looking forward to cracking open the second book in the trilogy.

[Niccolò Ceresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was painful read this book.

Everyone knows the story of Nagash and the end of the land of Khemri and discover the beautiful background of these cities, the covenant with gods, the characterization of the city created by Mike Lee, is quite displeasing.

In just one book, Lee created a deeply and very well described and coherent setting for a civilization, quite a waste that it was created just to be destroied.

I really appreciate how Nagash was considered by other khemrian nobles and priest: not a simple villain to stop but the master of their mortuary cult and the herald of a new religion, I really liked thier religious struggles.

On the other hand I think that failed to deeply characterise Nagash and, sometimes, the story is a little boring: nothing that happen to Nagash is a problem and he move form one success to another, except for the messy ending.

[Yuning · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 stars, elevated to 4 in the last chapter when a practically all-powerful, death-conquering, landscape-shifting sorcerer of Death meets the business end of a Glock. Absolutely hilarious.

Jokes aside, this is a pretty decent narrative, brought down by the incessant and pointless time-skipping. Seems to be a trend amongst Warhammer novels unfortunately. When I have to keep skipping back and forth between chapter titles, trying to keep track of a large year number, I'm not having a good time. Especially when the stories are practically indistinguishable, flipping back and forth between some GW's stylized ancient Egyptian names fighting Arkhan or Nagash. Seriously, until other factions appeared, I really couldn't care less which actual battles were being fought.

[Darkcharade · Rating 3 out of 5]

While not a horrible novel the word "disappointing" comes to mind. Nagash is one of the preeminent figures in Warhammer and this novel details his rise. You would think this would be an easy home run but some weird style choices make this book read less like fantasy and more like a history book. The characters are relatively mundane and easy to forget with one another and the author chose to make the story even harder to follow by taking it out of chronological order to introduce different characters. Certainly give it a read if you're a fan.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

How the greatest necromancer in the Warhammer fantasy world rose to power. I've loved ancient Egypt and seeing it reproduced in a warhammer fantasy setting was satisfying.

Finished this a second time and I've found things that I didn't notice before. The story becomes a bit more in to focus on later readings. Still love this one, I hope my wife will enjoy it too.

[Ian Drew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite the dual timeline structural mess, the thin characters, the lack of any narrative impact of major events, the typos, the weak prose, the gruesome for gruesome's sake violence, and a myriad of other issues I had with the book, I still had some fun reading it.

Was it trashy? You bet. Will I read the next one in the series? You bet.

[Damian · Rating 3 out of 5]

It wasn't bad, mebbe a bit long-winded on occasion. Didn't really empathise with any characters. Wish I could 've for Nagash but he just seemed too elusive.

[La librairie de Charron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Et bien, ce fut une autre découverte d'un personnage majeur dans l'univers de Warhammer Age of Sigmar (AoS). Nagash, l'homme, le sorcier, l'homme qui a vaincu la mort en devenant son incarnation ...

Le roman en lui-même est divisé en deux timelines différentes, ce qui parfois peut être perturbant. J'avoue que j'ai été un peu troublé à certains moments car j'ai dû faire quelques aller-retour pour me souvenir de quelques personnages et me rappeler un peu ce qui s'était passé quelques chapitres auparavant mais en gros, ça va encore on s'y retrouve. Donc, les deux timelines, nous avons tout d'abord la premi��re timeline où le père de Nagash meurt à la suite d'une bataille puis le couronnement de son second fils et la seconde timeline, on retrouve ce dernier, plus âgé, qui entreprend la conquête des autres cités-états. Dans la tradition des cités-états où Nagash vit, le fils ainé est destiné à rejoindre la religion et c'est au second fils que revient le trône.

On ressent vraiment tout au long l'influence égyptienne du coup : les cités-états se trouvent dans une région désertique, nous avons des prêtres, des cérémonies comme dans l'Egypte ancienne, des armes ... Tout est vraiment bien décrit et l'ensemble fait que l'on est pris dans l'histoire, que l'on avance bien et « vite » sans s'en rendre compte. Bref, ce n'est que le premier tome mais on se rend compte que Nagash n'est pas quelqu'un à prendre à la légère mais comme l'un des personnages l'a dit dans le roman, « Son arrogance sera sa perte ».

En conclusion, un premier tome vraiment sympa, très correct et on en apprend mieux sur Nagash, ses débuts et bien sûr, ce n'est que le premier tome et au vu du personnage, je sens que les prochains tomes vont être aussi intéressants.

[Jonas Dröge · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lust auf Warhammer war der Grund für die spontane Mitnahme dieses Auftaktbandes und enttäuscht hat die Geschichte nicht.
Schnelllebig mit Hintergrundinfos zu Nehkhara und Nagash, sowie vielen der Priesterkönige, aber auch einer Vielzahl an kurzweiligen Schlachtszenen und Palastintrigen liest sich die Geschichte durchaus sehr gut.
Mir persönlich kommt der wirkliche Teil von Nagash Aufstieg und seine Entdeckung der Nekromantie leider viel zu kurz.
Von den zwei Zeitreihen, welche wir hier verfolgen, liefert eine einen Großteil der Informationen, während die andere einen Großteil der Action Szenen erhält. Diese später stattfindende Handlung wird zu Meist aus der Perspektive von Nagash Widersachern beschrieben. Diese bleiben trotz großem Handlungsanteil doch meist sehr blass und so kümmert uns ihr Schicksal nicht übermäßig.
Ich hätte mir noch deutlich mehr von Nagash Zeit als Hierophant gewünscht. Ebenso von seinem Aufstieg zum größten Nekromanten der Warhammer Welt.

Buch ist definitiv nicht etwas für jedermann. Vertrautheit mit der Warhammer-Welt ist von Vorteil.
Fast paced Sword&Sorcery mit sich rasch entwickelnder Handlung.
Wenig Fokus auf Charakterentwicklung. Schöne Darstellung der Wüstenkultur. Hoffe in der Fortsetzung, aber auf tiefere Einblicke in mehrere Nebencharaktere. Gerade im Verhältnis zum Zeitaufwand den man in verschiedenen Perspektiven verbringt.
Gerade von Arkhan, Lahmashizzar und seiner Frau erhoffe ich mir als Warhammer Fan noch mehr!
Daher demnächst die Fortsetzung mit Nagash der Unbeugsame (Time of Legends)

[Kyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nagash the Sorcerer is a dark fantasy novel, the first book in the Rise of Nagash Trilogy from the Black Library. Written by Mike Lee, the book takes place within the Warhammer Fantasy universe created by Games Workshop. The setting is the land of Nehekhara, which is heavily inspired by Ancient Egyptian lore, mythology and history, with some unique flavour of it's own. The events of the book follow the actions (as well as impact and consequences thereof) of the titular character and primary antagonist Nagash, while also viewing the events through several other key characters as the story progresses over almost two-hundred years of fictional time.

The story has all the fictional charm that any Warhammer universe-inspired novel carries with it: the writing is simple yet colourful, making it easy to read and a joy to do so. The horror and violence strewn throughout the story hit the right notes without becoming too distasteful, and help satisfy the overall desire for great accounts of war and conquest which readers of these novels--myself included--look for when reading them. Another great pleasure was the depth of the world which surrounds the story, and where I would usually find exposition to be incredibly boring, I did not find that here.

Despite my overall enjoyment of the story, however, I do have two major criticisms. Firstly and perhaps most importantly, the way in which time is used: Every two or three chapters you can find yourself going to events that take place two-hundred years prior to or a few years after the events of the previous chapter. While I can appreciate the intent behind this and in some way it does pay off, it ultimately undermines the tempo and pacing of the story, so that moments that were clearly meant to have some impact on the reader really don't end up having the intended effect. My next major criticism comes in the form of the characters: some were clearly more lovingly crafted than others, and while I can understand that in a setting such as this where death is a common occurrence you may not want to invest too much in a character lest the reader does, it did cause me to constantly wonder how many of the characters weren't ultimately necessary. Furthermore, some of the motives and consequent actions of characters--usually those that received more focus--made sense, while others were less so and came completely out of nowhere. While such things can be a pleasant surprise, I didn't find that to be so in this case.

Overall however I did still find that I enjoyed the story and the ending was satisfying enough that I am compelled to by the next book and continue reading. If you're a fan of the Warhammer universe, or have never touched it before but enjoy dark fantasy, horror and gore but want all of those in an easily digestible read, then this is a book I can definitely recommend.

[Melkor von Moltke · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was told that this book was a bit of a slog but decided to dive in anyway because I wanted to dig into some Old World lore for Neferata she is apparently in this trilogy. I was pretty pleasantly surprised pretty early on, and this is definitely on my list of favorite Warhammer books now.

The story is the origins of Nagash, the would be god of death himself. I'm just getting into Warhammer Fantasy and Age of Sigmar lore, but it quickly became apparent that he is a major player in the lore (and had a very lovely mini). In the book Nagash is still mortal and just in the early stages of his grand plan to conquer the world. About a third is devoted to how he came to power and the other two thirds are his wars with his neighbors. There are plenty of battle tactics and on the ground combat are in the book, along with creative magical elements. The kings all feel unique, even if they aren't the most fleshed out characters.

Of the few Fantasy and AOS books that I've read, there has thankfully been very little "bolter porn." There is plenty of action and battles but I didn't find any of it repetitive. Each big battle felt distinct and didn't devolve into a drawn out description of super soldiers stabbing each other.

As a note, the book does not take place in strict chronological order. Instead, we alternate between the current war of kings and the rise of Nagash to power. I didn't have any problems following along, but some might.

Ultimately, I'm glad that I read the book, it was a nice sword and sandle epic and I hope the rest of the trilogy maintains this standard.

[David Gonzalez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nagash es el primer nigromante y uno de los grandes villanos del mundo de Warhammer Fantasy y en el primer libro de esta trilogía nos muestran su ascenso.
En primer lugar debo decir que este libro me ha gustado bastante por el contexto "historico" de la trama, tanto la Guerra contra el Usurpador como el propio ascenso de Nagash al poder. Es muy interesante como este primer libro presenta una época dorada y de esplendor en Nehekhara así como su cultura, religión y costumbres y como es época de apogeo va decayendo durante la guerra contra Nagash.
El personaje de Nagash, principal protagonista y a la vez antagonista esta construido como un personaje ambicioso y que tiene un ejemplo al que seguir y superar, hablo de Settra el Magnífico, aquel que unificó las ciudades de Nehekhara en un gran imperio y que intentó por todos los medios vencer a la muerte.
Que Nagash vaya evolucionando de ser un simple sacerdote a un gran liche capaz de incluso acabar con el vínculo entre los hombres y los dioses es algo que este libro nos presenta a lo largo de los capítulos.
No obstante, hay que decir que la lectura se puede hacer en algunas ocasiones pesada dependiendo el capítulo o momento, entre estos momentos cabe decir que la propia Batalla por Mahrak se hace pesada, y está es la última batalla de Nagash y su ejército de Khemri y se hace (a mi gusto) demasiado pesada y lenta para lo que tendría que haber sido un desenlace frenético.

[Grayson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Nagash trilogy is my second foray into the world of the Old World. Nagash the Sorcerer follows the rise to power of the infamous necromancer, whose terrible powers are seen in The Legend of Sigmar: God King. It takes place in a different part of the Warhammer world, in the Egypt-inspired Nehehkara.

The world building done in this book is absolutely fantastic. The descriptions of the different city-states, the cultures, the religion. All of it is very well done, and all supported by fantastic prose. The initial battle scene is also extremely gripping! I felt like I was there, and it genuinely was exciting. Further along, when Nagash is more powerful, there are battles with his undead, and they are genuinely slightly terrifying. The part where he defiles the holy water with corpses was disturbing, and it is all owed to the author’s fantastic writing.

Character-wise, we learn about many. The Priest Kings of the land are all really interesting. Nagash is also a cool character, being so vile. This also introduces the Druchi, or Dark Elves. Though, not much is spoken on them, they are just a tool to teach Nagash sorcery.

Overall, I liked this better than the Legend of Sigmar’s first book, and am looking forward to the rest of the Nagash trilogy!

[Eric Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

The biggest problem I had with this book was that there just not enough time with Nagash. I was hoping for more of his motivations and more time watching him learn his mastery of the power of necromancy but a lot of time was spent on the battles after he has already harnessed a good amount of control and power. Now don't get me wrong I know its Warhammer and that very often means massive battles and descriptions of tactics and troops but there is a balance that's necessary between characters and combat that gives the stories the depth they need to hold my interest and this was slightly too skewed on the side of the battles.
Still there was enough there to keep me engaged and the fact that it explores a part of the Warhammer universe I knew almost nothing about kept me interested. I liked it mostly and am hoping the next book in the series gets a little more personal with the characters.

[Luke Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the annals of the Warhammer Fantasy universe, Nagash is perhaps the greatest of all evils. A once mortal man, a high priest in Nehekara, a culture analogous to ancient Egypt, resentful that his place as firstborn denied him the throne and instead consigned him to a life toiling for gods he disdains (I always enjoyed that twist on the usual "resentful younger son"). However, when a trio of barbarian sorcerers fall into his clutches, Nagash senses an opportunity to attain power beyond the mumbling incantations of the priesthood, power that could put everything he covets in his grasp...

From his chilling willingness to murder kinsmen standing in his way, his casual use of necromancy (reanimating eels swallowed whole to eat their way out of someone's stomach was spinetingling) and his sheer irredeemability, the first book of the Nagash trilogy does a great job in setting up how one of the worst monsters in this particular fantasy universe got started...

[Patrick Correal-Winters · Rating 5 out of 5]

Peak Warhammer. The novel is split between chronicling the hopeless struggle against Nagash's necromantic grip on Nehekhara and the story of how he came to have the dark powers which fuel his reign.

Make no mistake, Nagash the Sorcerer is not a feel-good book; the titular character is just the worst guy imaginable, driven by a singular lust for power and narcissistic self-assurance that makes him so hateable but so compelling. Nagash's immortal generals are also a point of interest in the book, especially the singular POV underling, Arkhan the Black.

The chapters from the perspective of the kings and priests trying to overthrow Nagash gave me someone to genuinely root for, but were also a perfect vehicle for exploring the moustache twirling villainy that keeps Nagash and the immortals so entertaining.

I initially rated this book 4/5 stars, but honestly just Arkhan's intrigue throughout the novel bumps it up to 4.5/5, which naturally compels me to give it a 5/5 here. Such is the power of Nagash.

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

When origin stories are told about villains, it feels like there's a trend at the moment to make the villain a sympathetic character. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Thankfully, that's not a problem here. The titular Nagash is an irredeemable monster, and Mike Lee does not shy away from that. He defiles and desecrates everything his people hold sacred in his pursuit of immortality and truly believes that it is his right to do so. The supporting cast, in this case those brave men who stand against Nagash, are the real stars of this story. They are well written and really draw you into their struggle and the terror they feel at having to face a foe like Nagash. A strong start to his trilogy, would recommend to anyone interested in a dark fantasy story about a society based on Egyptian myth.

[Stefan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not too familiar with Warhammer, I read the Malus Darkblade books (which I loved) as a teenager and I'm a pretty big Total War Warhammer fan. The Tomb Kings are by far my favourite race in the game so I wanted to dive deeper into the lore of them by reading this book.

It was quite the struggle to get through this book and I was constantly debating with myself whether I should abandon the book or continue reading on. If it weren't for the interesting moments focused on Nagash' schemes and necromancy every other chapter I definitely would have quite.

The book constantly switches between time periods and keeps focusing on characters I simply didn't care about.

[Heinz Reinhardt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Warhammer Fantasy never got the recognition it deserved for having some really outstanding dark fantasy stories with excellent characters, inventive and intricate plotting, and superbly well done story arcs.
This one, no hyperbole here, is one of the best of the line.
A very good dark fantasy tale, filled with arcane magic and lore, evil, twisted villains (but one's who are driven that way logically), outstanding set piece battles, and plenty of twists and turns.
This has to stand as Mike Lee's best work.
Highly recommended.