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Grotsnik: Da Mad Dok
A Warhammer 40,000 Novel
"I made Ghazghkull. Not the Gods. Me."
Grotsnik comes to the aid of Beastboss Bakum on Hive Prome, and it soon becomes apparent that the Mad Dok is feverishly working on something that could change the fate of ork-kind forever.
READ IT BECAUSE
How wild does a painboy have to be to earn the nickname "Mad Dok"? Find out as you follow Grotsnik – with eager scalpel in hand – as he plans his latest galaxy-changing creation. What could it be?
THE STORY
Da Mad Dok Grotsnik, creator of Ghazghkull Thraka, is a painboy beyond legend. What – and who – he harbours in his formidable brain is a mystery to every ork but himself, and an army of orderlies provides him with a constant supply of flesh with which to tinker.
So, when Grotsnik comes to the aid of Beastboss Bakmun, whose rampage on Hive Prome teeters on the brink of going out not with a Waaagh! but with a whimper, Bakmun can't believe his luck.
Following a series of increasingly unlikely accidents, however, it soon becomes apparent that the Mad Dok is working on something in the depths of his colossal Painwagon. Something big. Something that could change the fate of ork-kind forever, surpassing Grotsnik’s own forging of the Prophet of the Waaagh!…
"I made Ghazghkull. Not the Gods. Me."
Grotsnik comes to the aid of Beastboss Bakum on Hive Prome, and it soon becomes apparent that the Mad Dok is feverishly working on something that could change the fate of ork-kind forever.
READ IT BECAUSE
How wild does a painboy have to be to earn the nickname "Mad Dok"? Find out as you follow Grotsnik – with eager scalpel in hand – as he plans his latest galaxy-changing creation. What could it be?
THE STORY
Da Mad Dok Grotsnik, creator of Ghazghkull Thraka, is a painboy beyond legend. What – and who – he harbours in his formidable brain is a mystery to every ork but himself, and an army of orderlies provides him with a constant supply of flesh with which to tinker.
So, when Grotsnik comes to the aid of Beastboss Bakmun, whose rampage on Hive Prome teeters on the brink of going out not with a Waaagh! but with a whimper, Bakmun can't believe his luck.
Following a series of increasingly unlikely accidents, however, it soon becomes apparent that the Mad Dok is working on something in the depths of his colossal Painwagon. Something big. Something that could change the fate of ork-kind forever, surpassing Grotsnik’s own forging of the Prophet of the Waaagh!…
256 pages, Hardcover
First published July 1, 2025
16 people are currently reading
116 people want to read
About the author
Denny Flowers
29 books19 followersDenny Flowers is a writer of Warhammer 40k, Age of Sigmar, and Necromunda fiction. He submitted his first Black Library story during open submissions in 2018.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
May 25, 2025
Ork novels are a more common thing than they used to be and that is all for the good. But sadly this one just doesn't feel Orky, not like the Ufthak Blackhawk novels by Mike Brooks. Flower's 'Orks' nearly all have decided un-Orky names like Valtun, Zhelle or Krille which all sound more like Imperial human names, and their dialogue doesn't have any of the bizzare spelling or contractions and slang of the Orks. I know that this can be a personal choice between authors, but when the Orks dialogue reads as flowingly and erudite as a human's would, it just rips me right out of the story.
Grotsnik himself is depicted as a Frankenstein's monster of a being, cobbled together from whatever bits he finds appealing enough to take from a corpse or kill for, and his brain is no exception. Its the old parallel of how much of something can you replace before there's nothing left of the original thing, and is it still that original thing? The Grotsnik that made Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka from an unnamed Ork yoof that had half of his head blown off by a Blood Angel's bolter may not be the same Grotsnik that remade him into the Prophet of the WAAAGH! after Ragnar Blackmane took his head off entirely, and the Grotsnik in this book may be neither of them.
But apart from Grotsnik no character in the book stands out. Valtun is a patient Ork, and the Mek Ironskull is a few page wonder, but nobody else really makes an impression. Except for the cameo at the end, who dominates those scenes and was definitely one of the highlights of the book. The Imperials, though they technically weren't Imperial, were a little more interesting but they got the standard antagonist treatment for shorter books like these and thus only had a few POV segments. The image painted by Captain Wesker's sections were interesting and could have used expanding on to show more of Diodata's supposedly perfected society.
The plot felt rather like Grotsnik, cobbled together, and only made sense by the end when we finally found out what Grotsnik had been doing the entire time. But until then it felt much like Valtun, wandering from place to place alongside Grotsnik and just observing the battle rather than being a part of it. It got there in the end, but felt meandering the entire way.
I really wanted to like this book because I love an Ork story, but this one lacked any of the joy that Ork stories do. Uncomplicated and boisterous, now obviously Grotsnik is definitely not the former and unlikely the latter, but none of the Ork sections had that straight-forward and uncomplicated nature that other Ork stories by Mike Brooks, Nate Crowley or others have done so well. Flowers does really good work with Imperial stories, his Lucille von Shard series is excellent, and after reading Grotsnik: Da Mad Dok I think maybe he should stick to those.
Grotsnik himself is depicted as a Frankenstein's monster of a being, cobbled together from whatever bits he finds appealing enough to take from a corpse or kill for, and his brain is no exception. Its the old parallel of how much of something can you replace before there's nothing left of the original thing, and is it still that original thing? The Grotsnik that made Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka from an unnamed Ork yoof that had half of his head blown off by a Blood Angel's bolter may not be the same Grotsnik that remade him into the Prophet of the WAAAGH! after Ragnar Blackmane took his head off entirely, and the Grotsnik in this book may be neither of them.
But apart from Grotsnik no character in the book stands out. Valtun is a patient Ork, and the Mek Ironskull is a few page wonder, but nobody else really makes an impression. Except for the cameo at the end, who dominates those scenes and was definitely one of the highlights of the book. The Imperials, though they technically weren't Imperial, were a little more interesting but they got the standard antagonist treatment for shorter books like these and thus only had a few POV segments. The image painted by Captain Wesker's sections were interesting and could have used expanding on to show more of Diodata's supposedly perfected society.
The plot felt rather like Grotsnik, cobbled together, and only made sense by the end when we finally found out what Grotsnik had been doing the entire time. But until then it felt much like Valtun, wandering from place to place alongside Grotsnik and just observing the battle rather than being a part of it. It got there in the end, but felt meandering the entire way.
I really wanted to like this book because I love an Ork story, but this one lacked any of the joy that Ork stories do. Uncomplicated and boisterous, now obviously Grotsnik is definitely not the former and unlikely the latter, but none of the Ork sections had that straight-forward and uncomplicated nature that other Ork stories by Mike Brooks, Nate Crowley or others have done so well. Flowers does really good work with Imperial stories, his Lucille von Shard series is excellent, and after reading Grotsnik: Da Mad Dok I think maybe he should stick to those.
May 25, 2025
I’m glad that ork novels are now more commonplace, especially when they’re this good.
The Character Series of 40k novels was launched with Ghazghull, which remains the high water mark, but Grotsnik has the brilliance I’ve come to expect from Denny Flowers. It’s a lot shorter than some of his other works, and perhaps suffers a little because of that- I’m surprising myself here by hoping for more human PoV scenes, but the defenders of Hive Prome ooze narrative potential- but I guess being left wanting more is no bad thing.
With his other works Flowers explores the cost that the eternal war of the Imperium ekes out from its citizens, here he takes a surprisingly existential dive into the very nature of orks and their fundamental nature. Yes, there is more to them than screaming Waaaagh. I’m not sure if fatalist is the best way of describing how Flowers depicts them, and they are far from passive but there is a nuance and self-reflection in both his orks and grots that is really illuminating.
Grotsnik is one of the oldest characters in the setting, whilst the Beast Snaggas are relatively new; Valten, who features as much if not more than the titular mad doc, is a really compelling character, one of those outliers who help the reader understand the cultural norm better. The faction does not feel tagged on here, they are every bit as much a part of ork Kultur as the longer-established klans and factions.
Tonslly different to Brooks’ Ork books, this is every bit as much as enjoyable as they’ve been, whilst the homework the author refers to in the afterword pays off as it shares the same vibe as Crowley’s Ghaz.
The Character Series of 40k novels was launched with Ghazghull, which remains the high water mark, but Grotsnik has the brilliance I’ve come to expect from Denny Flowers. It’s a lot shorter than some of his other works, and perhaps suffers a little because of that- I’m surprising myself here by hoping for more human PoV scenes, but the defenders of Hive Prome ooze narrative potential- but I guess being left wanting more is no bad thing.
With his other works Flowers explores the cost that the eternal war of the Imperium ekes out from its citizens, here he takes a surprisingly existential dive into the very nature of orks and their fundamental nature. Yes, there is more to them than screaming Waaaagh. I’m not sure if fatalist is the best way of describing how Flowers depicts them, and they are far from passive but there is a nuance and self-reflection in both his orks and grots that is really illuminating.
Grotsnik is one of the oldest characters in the setting, whilst the Beast Snaggas are relatively new; Valten, who features as much if not more than the titular mad doc, is a really compelling character, one of those outliers who help the reader understand the cultural norm better. The faction does not feel tagged on here, they are every bit as much a part of ork Kultur as the longer-established klans and factions.
Tonslly different to Brooks’ Ork books, this is every bit as much as enjoyable as they’ve been, whilst the homework the author refers to in the afterword pays off as it shares the same vibe as Crowley’s Ghaz.
August 14, 2025
Last few chapters were cinema
July 2, 2025
It’s an ok story and written well, the battle scenes are fun and really orkish. What I didn’t like was the dialogue, that didn’t feel at all like how orks would talk to each other.
July 23, 2025
WAAAAAAAGH!!!!!!
September 28, 2025
I am honestly surprised by the 4,13 rating this book has, because it's not good. I actually started to take notes and make a reading journal because of it.
As the rumors for 11th edition of Warhammer 40k are centered around Orks being in the starter once more are circulating, and the story blurb made it seem that Grotsnik is working on something big that can even surpass Ghazgkull, I wanted to see if it could also strengthen these rumors or give some hints what might come next. I don't think it gave any pointers, and I am rather disappointed in this book.
I guess other reviews have already discussed the plot, so I will not waste any time on it, let's just go with the list I wrote:
- Ork and gretchin names are really strange, especially for the snaggas. In the second half, when the kommandos arrive, it seems that the writer noticed he needs more orky names.
- "Orky" talk is also not prevalent, and again, it is picked up more in the second hand. If you are familiar with any Warhammer 40k literature, you will know this - 'ere we go, da 'umies, beakies, crude and simple words, similar to the football fans the orks originate from.
- The description on the back of the book does not match the story. There it says Grotsnik arrives to help Snagga Boss Bakmun to help with the Waaagh that is about to go out with a whimper rather than a bang - simply not true. Bakmun dies DUE to the arrival of Grotsnik to the snaggas, and the meks are the ones already building the barges to cross the sea filled with bioacid.
- The "guardsmen" defending the last hive on the planet act oddly. Yes, they are odd (more on this later), but they are oddly cheerful and upbeat for being the last stronghold as the orks have conquered the planet.
- They are also oddly unaware of how orks fight despite the planet being overran by them.
- And my biggest issue - lasguns. They are laser guns, thus the name, but apparently the author made a hybrid of a lasgun and an autogun as they fire "lasbolts", that are solid bullets and not laser. Maybe he was afraid that giving them autoguns would have given away exactly what they are too early? Could be, but then why not just give them proper lasguns? Also "lasguns barked" - no they did not.
- The feeling of time and space is really awful. Environments are not described well, so you are confused what is happening and where, how much time passes between events (seemingly not much), most notable when Valtun landed on the beach, head first into sand, he mucks around, seemingly alone, then a guardsman runs past him for some reason...also a bit later as the guard captain notices how the orks are climbing the wall, and...excuse me, what wall? My impression so far was that they are on the beach, in trenches, I rechecked and did not see a wall mentioned.
- However there was mention of a dragon banished in the water in just a half sentence, that eventually came back to destroy some of the ork barges. Odd thing how it did not hurt humans, and the creature itself had human features, and "purplish red blood" - it was here where I started to have a hunch of what exactly is happening. Both Valtun and his saddlegit, Ikor notes how humies are spared by the monster.
- Circling a bit back to speech patterns, grots use words that I doubt they could pronounce, let alone comprehend, like "reconnaisance". It could have worked - "We go and do sum rekunin'." "Wot's dat?" "Sneakin' an' lookin'." or something in such fashion, like they heard the word somewhere, vaguely understand what it means, but simplified for their method of speech. Just find a Norf FC fan if you are having issues with ork speech for Mork's sake!
- Valtun's nickname is "the Patient", which is a nice story motif that I liked, he was even given a small backstory how he hunted down some necrons, got an orb (gotta read up on this, as the orb from necron lore I'm familiar with is the Resurrection Orb, and this one does not sound like that), and even Ikor mentions that he likes this in Valtun, as it makes him similar to a grot, a sentence he would not dare to say out loud to him.
- Ikor's "know when to hold on to the saddle and when to let it go" thought was also a nice recurring motif that helped building him as a character, another point I enjoyed.
- The scale of the conflict is not really felt. The guards' captain only commands three squads - so a platoon. A bit few for her rank, but besides this, the ork forces are not very well shown how big are either. This combined with the bad descriptions of the environment made the book feel like a handful of actors are on the stage, otherwise it's empty - like Bakmun, the beastboss only commanding a handful of snagga boyz? He was barely a nob then, let alone a boss.
- Ghazgkull is indirectly mentioned in the first few chapters, when he calls a Waaagh that is felt by every orks on the planet, and he is one of the main motivations for Grotsnik, but this only comes up later properly. I feel like this should have been received some more emphasis to properly build up for the finale.
- The snaggas' wurrboy mentioned that he sees Ghazgkull differently than other orks, as he is the prophet of the Waaagh, a conduit for the Big Green - another storybeat I liked.
- Grotsnik's name means killer of grots, which was a setup for the finale that had a decent payoff. Only thing I did not understand if if he had this name, why did he bother to have his grots muted? Granted it's not clear if it was he himself who sew their mouths shut, or the head grot, but still.
- The Ship of Theseus comes up with two characters, once for Ironskull, a mekboy who replaced his bodyparts with metal bits, and Grotsnik, who replaces his brain with parts from other orks.
- Way too many guardsmen got names and attributes or short backstories. We know they will die. They live for one sentence in the book. No need to try and make them as characters, the only one that mattered was the captain (called Wesker, which made me think of Resident Evil...ah well, the bioengineering stuff was not too far from the truth, so it was another reference I suppose)
- Nurz as Grotsnik's head grot and "head nurse" was a funny name, I liked it.
- The Great Work was not as prevalent as it could have been, but this is due to the point of view of the books. If I recall correctly, only one or two chapters are written from Grotsnik's perspective, the rest are from Valtun, Ikor, or Wesker.
- Initially I thought that the "Angels" mentioned by Wesker would be Space Marines (the Angels of Death), but nope, it's genestealers. The hive city is fully taken over by Genestealer Cults. This is finally confirmed in a scene where Wesker encounters a medicus and an aberrant, a failed hybrid, and further built upon when Valtun and Grotsnik find a laboratory where they are growing more hybrids in vats, encounter some kommandos (with some proper orky banter, and a comedic scene of a kommando getting stuck on the ceiling due to his ropes getting tangled, his nickname being "Spider" - again some orky humor I enjoyed), then get ambushed by genestealers. There were clues about this previously, when Valtun mentiones how the humies smell wrong.
- the Kommando kaptin is shown chomping on a human cigar, a nice touch, Valtun spots him in the shadow because of the cigar's light too.
- They later find Ironskull, who, along with parts of his barge got teleported due to a Shokk Attack Gun malfunction into the city, and the mek is molten - his grot in shock, and as Grotsnik interrogates him, he finds that Ironskull fully replaced himself with metal, even his brain, and the tracking device in there was now in the grot's brain, along with the mekboy's last remaining brain matter. Angrily he kills the grot and removes brain bit, intent on placing it in his own head to get Ironskull's knowledge, asking Nurz to help with this, as originally he thought only Ironskull could assist in finishing his Great Work - but then he realized that Nurz was taking some of the dok's brain too, that's why he was too smart for his own good, and he was manipulating Grotsnik - fun story beats once more, maybe a bit too close to each other for basically the same "grot steals brain" motif.
- As Valtun tries to finally get away, and he needs his squig that Grotsnik promised to heal, he finds out the dok lied to him, they start to fight, Grotsnik gets the upper hand and almost rips Valtun's head off when Ikor stabs the dok with his own syringe containing some ork concoction that turns off his violent personality, and he dismembers Valtun but does not kill him, intent on rebuilding him into a tinboy later.
- They finally arrive to the Genestealer patriarch's throne room, where Ghazgkull is sitting on its throne, the genestealer lies dead in front of him, and Grotsnik releases the ork-genestealer-squig hybrid he created, that spits acid, has thick carapace, regenerates quickly, and is as big as Ghaz. They fight, but Ghaz wins, as Grotsnik describes him as a bucket for the Big Green, that if gets holes on it, the Big Green starts flowing out. I enjoyed this part, Ghaz was a rather imposing figure the other orks revered, and in the end he basically congratulates Grotsnik for creating a suitable challenge for him, but tells the dok do not create something so foul and un-orky the next time as it won't be just his hand he rips off.
- The book ends with Valtun's torso in Grotsnik's painwagon being constantly operated on, new stuff added, basically making him his new Great Work. Ikor slides in, apologizing to him, and a rather confused and dazed Valtun asking him to always remind him who he is and who he was, so despite the Dok replacing his every part, he should always come back and once he's off the operating slab, he can have his revenge. I actually felt sorry for Valtun at this point.
Overall it was not a good book due to the points mentioned above. The overall story was good, with some better descriptions it could have been great, so a rewrite would have been something I would have considered. I have read the finale in one sitting, as the story really picked up in the end, and compared to itself, the book ended on a high note. Not wort the 4 stars it has I feel, but 3 for sure. It is only recommended for 40k fans who will pick up on the references as not much is explained properly, some nudges, some winks, and that's it, figure it out for yourself.
As the rumors for 11th edition of Warhammer 40k are centered around Orks being in the starter once more are circulating, and the story blurb made it seem that Grotsnik is working on something big that can even surpass Ghazgkull, I wanted to see if it could also strengthen these rumors or give some hints what might come next. I don't think it gave any pointers, and I am rather disappointed in this book.
I guess other reviews have already discussed the plot, so I will not waste any time on it, let's just go with the list I wrote:
- Ork and gretchin names are really strange, especially for the snaggas. In the second half, when the kommandos arrive, it seems that the writer noticed he needs more orky names.
- "Orky" talk is also not prevalent, and again, it is picked up more in the second hand. If you are familiar with any Warhammer 40k literature, you will know this - 'ere we go, da 'umies, beakies, crude and simple words, similar to the football fans the orks originate from.
- The description on the back of the book does not match the story. There it says Grotsnik arrives to help Snagga Boss Bakmun to help with the Waaagh that is about to go out with a whimper rather than a bang - simply not true. Bakmun dies DUE to the arrival of Grotsnik to the snaggas, and the meks are the ones already building the barges to cross the sea filled with bioacid.
- The "guardsmen" defending the last hive on the planet act oddly. Yes, they are odd (more on this later), but they are oddly cheerful and upbeat for being the last stronghold as the orks have conquered the planet.
- They are also oddly unaware of how orks fight despite the planet being overran by them.
- And my biggest issue - lasguns. They are laser guns, thus the name, but apparently the author made a hybrid of a lasgun and an autogun as they fire "lasbolts", that are solid bullets and not laser. Maybe he was afraid that giving them autoguns would have given away exactly what they are too early? Could be, but then why not just give them proper lasguns? Also "lasguns barked" - no they did not.
- The feeling of time and space is really awful. Environments are not described well, so you are confused what is happening and where, how much time passes between events (seemingly not much), most notable when Valtun landed on the beach, head first into sand, he mucks around, seemingly alone, then a guardsman runs past him for some reason...also a bit later as the guard captain notices how the orks are climbing the wall, and...excuse me, what wall? My impression so far was that they are on the beach, in trenches, I rechecked and did not see a wall mentioned.
- However there was mention of a dragon banished in the water in just a half sentence, that eventually came back to destroy some of the ork barges. Odd thing how it did not hurt humans, and the creature itself had human features, and "purplish red blood" - it was here where I started to have a hunch of what exactly is happening. Both Valtun and his saddlegit, Ikor notes how humies are spared by the monster.
- Circling a bit back to speech patterns, grots use words that I doubt they could pronounce, let alone comprehend, like "reconnaisance". It could have worked - "We go and do sum rekunin'." "Wot's dat?" "Sneakin' an' lookin'." or something in such fashion, like they heard the word somewhere, vaguely understand what it means, but simplified for their method of speech. Just find a Norf FC fan if you are having issues with ork speech for Mork's sake!
- Valtun's nickname is "the Patient", which is a nice story motif that I liked, he was even given a small backstory how he hunted down some necrons, got an orb (gotta read up on this, as the orb from necron lore I'm familiar with is the Resurrection Orb, and this one does not sound like that), and even Ikor mentions that he likes this in Valtun, as it makes him similar to a grot, a sentence he would not dare to say out loud to him.
- Ikor's "know when to hold on to the saddle and when to let it go" thought was also a nice recurring motif that helped building him as a character, another point I enjoyed.
- The scale of the conflict is not really felt. The guards' captain only commands three squads - so a platoon. A bit few for her rank, but besides this, the ork forces are not very well shown how big are either. This combined with the bad descriptions of the environment made the book feel like a handful of actors are on the stage, otherwise it's empty - like Bakmun, the beastboss only commanding a handful of snagga boyz? He was barely a nob then, let alone a boss.
- Ghazgkull is indirectly mentioned in the first few chapters, when he calls a Waaagh that is felt by every orks on the planet, and he is one of the main motivations for Grotsnik, but this only comes up later properly. I feel like this should have been received some more emphasis to properly build up for the finale.
- The snaggas' wurrboy mentioned that he sees Ghazgkull differently than other orks, as he is the prophet of the Waaagh, a conduit for the Big Green - another storybeat I liked.
- Grotsnik's name means killer of grots, which was a setup for the finale that had a decent payoff. Only thing I did not understand if if he had this name, why did he bother to have his grots muted? Granted it's not clear if it was he himself who sew their mouths shut, or the head grot, but still.
- The Ship of Theseus comes up with two characters, once for Ironskull, a mekboy who replaced his bodyparts with metal bits, and Grotsnik, who replaces his brain with parts from other orks.
- Way too many guardsmen got names and attributes or short backstories. We know they will die. They live for one sentence in the book. No need to try and make them as characters, the only one that mattered was the captain (called Wesker, which made me think of Resident Evil...ah well, the bioengineering stuff was not too far from the truth, so it was another reference I suppose)
- Nurz as Grotsnik's head grot and "head nurse" was a funny name, I liked it.
- The Great Work was not as prevalent as it could have been, but this is due to the point of view of the books. If I recall correctly, only one or two chapters are written from Grotsnik's perspective, the rest are from Valtun, Ikor, or Wesker.
- Initially I thought that the "Angels" mentioned by Wesker would be Space Marines (the Angels of Death), but nope, it's genestealers. The hive city is fully taken over by Genestealer Cults. This is finally confirmed in a scene where Wesker encounters a medicus and an aberrant, a failed hybrid, and further built upon when Valtun and Grotsnik find a laboratory where they are growing more hybrids in vats, encounter some kommandos (with some proper orky banter, and a comedic scene of a kommando getting stuck on the ceiling due to his ropes getting tangled, his nickname being "Spider" - again some orky humor I enjoyed), then get ambushed by genestealers. There were clues about this previously, when Valtun mentiones how the humies smell wrong.
- the Kommando kaptin is shown chomping on a human cigar, a nice touch, Valtun spots him in the shadow because of the cigar's light too.
- They later find Ironskull, who, along with parts of his barge got teleported due to a Shokk Attack Gun malfunction into the city, and the mek is molten - his grot in shock, and as Grotsnik interrogates him, he finds that Ironskull fully replaced himself with metal, even his brain, and the tracking device in there was now in the grot's brain, along with the mekboy's last remaining brain matter. Angrily he kills the grot and removes brain bit, intent on placing it in his own head to get Ironskull's knowledge, asking Nurz to help with this, as originally he thought only Ironskull could assist in finishing his Great Work - but then he realized that Nurz was taking some of the dok's brain too, that's why he was too smart for his own good, and he was manipulating Grotsnik - fun story beats once more, maybe a bit too close to each other for basically the same "grot steals brain" motif.
- As Valtun tries to finally get away, and he needs his squig that Grotsnik promised to heal, he finds out the dok lied to him, they start to fight, Grotsnik gets the upper hand and almost rips Valtun's head off when Ikor stabs the dok with his own syringe containing some ork concoction that turns off his violent personality, and he dismembers Valtun but does not kill him, intent on rebuilding him into a tinboy later.
- They finally arrive to the Genestealer patriarch's throne room, where Ghazgkull is sitting on its throne, the genestealer lies dead in front of him, and Grotsnik releases the ork-genestealer-squig hybrid he created, that spits acid, has thick carapace, regenerates quickly, and is as big as Ghaz. They fight, but Ghaz wins, as Grotsnik describes him as a bucket for the Big Green, that if gets holes on it, the Big Green starts flowing out. I enjoyed this part, Ghaz was a rather imposing figure the other orks revered, and in the end he basically congratulates Grotsnik for creating a suitable challenge for him, but tells the dok do not create something so foul and un-orky the next time as it won't be just his hand he rips off.
- The book ends with Valtun's torso in Grotsnik's painwagon being constantly operated on, new stuff added, basically making him his new Great Work. Ikor slides in, apologizing to him, and a rather confused and dazed Valtun asking him to always remind him who he is and who he was, so despite the Dok replacing his every part, he should always come back and once he's off the operating slab, he can have his revenge. I actually felt sorry for Valtun at this point.
Overall it was not a good book due to the points mentioned above. The overall story was good, with some better descriptions it could have been great, so a rewrite would have been something I would have considered. I have read the finale in one sitting, as the story really picked up in the end, and compared to itself, the book ended on a high note. Not wort the 4 stars it has I feel, but 3 for sure. It is only recommended for 40k fans who will pick up on the references as not much is explained properly, some nudges, some winks, and that's it, figure it out for yourself.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 7, 2025
Orks doing ork things!
July 14, 2025
It had an interesting ending, but the beginning and middle dragged heavily. It felt like the majority of the opening at least was written for comedic effect rather than any kind of plot relevance, and overall the book just didn't feel very orky. It more felt like a regular 40k book where the author just occasionally made the characters speak in an accent.
December 24, 2025
One of my favourite Warhammer 40,000 authors, Denny Flowers, returns with one of the more entertaining novels of 2025 with Grotsnik: Da Mad Dok.
Plot Synopsis:
"I made Ghazghkull. Not the Gods. Me."
Grotsnik comes to the aid of Beastboss Bakum on Hive Prome, and it soon becomes apparent that the Mad Dok is feverishly working on something that could change the fate of ork-kind forever.
READ IT BECAUSE
How wild does a painboy have to be to earn the nickname "Mad Dok"? Find out as you follow Grotsnik – with eager scalpel in hand – as he plans his latest galaxy-changing creation. What could it be?
THE STORY
Da Mad Dok Grotsnik, creator of Ghazghkull Thraka, is a painboy beyond legend. What – and who – he harbours in his formidable brain is a mystery to every ork but himself, and an army of orderlies provides him with a constant supply of flesh with which to tinker.
So, when Grotsnik comes to the aid of Beastboss Bakmun, whose rampage on Hive Prome teeters on the brink of going out not with a Waaagh! but with a whimper, Bakmun can't believe his luck.
Following a series of increasingly unlikely accidents, however, it soon becomes apparent that the Mad Dok is working on something in the depths of his colossal Painwagon. Something big. Something that could change the fate of ork-kind forever, surpassing Grotsnik’s own forging of the Prophet of the Waaagh!…
Denny Flowers continues to showcase why he is one of the fastest-rising authors of Warhammer 40,000 fiction with this highly entertaining and addictive new novel. Perfectly taking on the always entertaining Warhammer orks, including the over-the-top titular character, Grotsnik: Da Mad Dok was an absolute hoot from the very beginning, and I laughed my way through the entire epic story. One of the most hilarious novels of 2025, Grotsnik: Da Mad Dok gets a five-star rating from me due to the pure fun it contained.
To see the full review, click on the link below:
https://unseenlibrary.com/2025/12/24/...
For other exciting reviews and content, check out my blog at:
https://unseenlibrary.com/
Plot Synopsis:
"I made Ghazghkull. Not the Gods. Me."
Grotsnik comes to the aid of Beastboss Bakum on Hive Prome, and it soon becomes apparent that the Mad Dok is feverishly working on something that could change the fate of ork-kind forever.
READ IT BECAUSE
How wild does a painboy have to be to earn the nickname "Mad Dok"? Find out as you follow Grotsnik – with eager scalpel in hand – as he plans his latest galaxy-changing creation. What could it be?
THE STORY
Da Mad Dok Grotsnik, creator of Ghazghkull Thraka, is a painboy beyond legend. What – and who – he harbours in his formidable brain is a mystery to every ork but himself, and an army of orderlies provides him with a constant supply of flesh with which to tinker.
So, when Grotsnik comes to the aid of Beastboss Bakmun, whose rampage on Hive Prome teeters on the brink of going out not with a Waaagh! but with a whimper, Bakmun can't believe his luck.
Following a series of increasingly unlikely accidents, however, it soon becomes apparent that the Mad Dok is working on something in the depths of his colossal Painwagon. Something big. Something that could change the fate of ork-kind forever, surpassing Grotsnik’s own forging of the Prophet of the Waaagh!…
Denny Flowers continues to showcase why he is one of the fastest-rising authors of Warhammer 40,000 fiction with this highly entertaining and addictive new novel. Perfectly taking on the always entertaining Warhammer orks, including the over-the-top titular character, Grotsnik: Da Mad Dok was an absolute hoot from the very beginning, and I laughed my way through the entire epic story. One of the most hilarious novels of 2025, Grotsnik: Da Mad Dok gets a five-star rating from me due to the pure fun it contained.
To see the full review, click on the link below:
https://unseenlibrary.com/2025/12/24/...
For other exciting reviews and content, check out my blog at:
https://unseenlibrary.com/
July 7, 2025
Overall, I thought that this book was fantastic (obviously, since I'm giving it 5 stars). I very much enjoyed that the orks in this one actually had individual personalities, as opposed to all just being the same; violent and dumb.
The literal only issue I had with this book -- and obviously it wasn't enough of an issue to not give it five stars -- was that it had some things in it that were a little... Un-orkish. Like their names being 'Klerval', and such. But, you know, there are people in the world who are French who have Greek names, etc. It obviously happens. I thought they didn't always seem to speak in their typical accent, too.
Beyond these very minor things, this novel was a treat. I wish that it had been longer, and I desperately hope that there's a sequel on the way! No pressure, of course.
The literal only issue I had with this book -- and obviously it wasn't enough of an issue to not give it five stars -- was that it had some things in it that were a little... Un-orkish. Like their names being 'Klerval', and such. But, you know, there are people in the world who are French who have Greek names, etc. It obviously happens. I thought they didn't always seem to speak in their typical accent, too.
Beyond these very minor things, this novel was a treat. I wish that it had been longer, and I desperately hope that there's a sequel on the way! No pressure, of course.
September 30, 2025
Attempting to describe it to a friend led me to "imagine a Cronenberg mad scientist film but all the cast are played by football hooligans".
While Mike Brooks's previous ork books have been fun romps and focus on the interplay of the orks with different factions (Mechanicus, Dark Eldar), I was curious to see how it would be handled by other authors and Denny Flowers has done a fantastic job of keeping the lighthearted humour, the twists and turns, that cadence and simplicity/complexity balance of ork speech and thought.
An absolute ripper of a read.
While Mike Brooks's previous ork books have been fun romps and focus on the interplay of the orks with different factions (Mechanicus, Dark Eldar), I was curious to see how it would be handled by other authors and Denny Flowers has done a fantastic job of keeping the lighthearted humour, the twists and turns, that cadence and simplicity/complexity balance of ork speech and thought.
An absolute ripper of a read.
July 22, 2025
I was not expecting such darkness from Grotsnik. Reminded me of a dream I had some 10 years back. I loved the book. I know some are disappointed with the unorky names or unorky dialogue. However, I think it works, especially with Grotsnik, given how he likes to trade out pieces of himself. Grotsnik himself is decidedly unorky. I am trying not to give anything away, so I'm just going to say I enjoyed the humans(wink) that was nice.
November 26, 2025
This was a good novel, but not for me personally. It didn’t feel very orky there was a lot of conversation, which was extremely well written and enjoyable but unorky. I would recommend this as a great book but it didn’t quite scratch that itch for a ork novel for me
July 1, 2025
Reading about orcs is great. It's like listening to two big bald guys from Liverpool talking about their lives and their crazy pitbull called princess.
January 16, 2026
DNF at about 50%. Life is too short to waste our times on boring things. NOTHING FREAKING HAPPENS.
February 1, 2026
By far one of my favorite Ork POV books written to date! This was a wild ride start to finish! 100% will read again!
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