What do you think?
Rate this book
Call of Archaon #8
See No Evil
Sigmar’s warriors have attacked Chaos strongholds in the Shatterlands, driving the servants of the Ruinous Powers out and bringing hope to the people living a precarious existence in the region, and beyond. This insult cannot stand, and Orphaeo Zuvius, now one of Archaon’s trusted Varanguard, rides to war against the Stormcast Eternals with the twisted, numberless hordes of the Everchosen.
Read it because
It's the epic conclusion to the saga of the Call of Archaon, and throws Zuvius into battle in ways he – and you – have never imagined.
54 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 7, 2015
About the author
Rob Sanders
123 books89 followersRob Sanders is the author of twelve novels, as well as numerous anthologised short stories, novellas, audio dramas, computer games and comics. His fiction has won national writing competitions, been featured on the BBC and appeared on the New York Times Best Seller list. His poetry has been short listed in national contests. He lives off the beaten track in the small city of Lincoln, UK.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 25, 2016
Review also published here
See No Evil is the final story of the Call of Archaon series. I'd be lying if I was saying I wasn't glad about that - the constant battles pushing character development and interactions aside are wearisome to me. But hey, this is another big battle - who would have thought?
This story returns to Orphaeo Zuvius, the Prince of Embers. As per the end of Blood and Plague , both other champion-candidates are dead and SURPRISE! Archaon had picked Zuvius all along anyway. So Zuvius is now Varanguard, and joining his brothers in arms for his first big battle under the Everchosen.
The story starts out showing Archaon and the Many-Eyed Servantin conversation: Sigmar's Stormcast Eternals have taken Cape Desolation, and the big bad does not like that one bit. He musters his armies to take it back and send the golden boys home crying. Thankfully, this marks the first time in the series that Archaon himself is taking to the field, and it is about time that he does.
Following on from that, the short story reintroduces the changed Zuvius and the company he is in. It is a diverse bunch from all aspects of Chaos, minus Skaven, and they are bound for the cape. Archaon is leading a fleet of dreadships, riding his steed Dhorgar (which looks hideous now, thanks to Age of Sigmar redesigns...), and spearheading the assault. This sparks a lot of excitement for his Varanguard, and Zuvius is eager to make a name for himself.
This early part is probably the coolest of the story. The crash-landing of the Varanguard's dreadship was awesome, and Zuvius really is showing off, with the rest of the group close behind. However, none of the characters beyond the Prince of Embers actually get much spotlight, and usually just to die. The death count of Archaon's elite seems to go through the roof here, which makes me even more disappointed that he didn't recruit all three candidates.
Which also brings me to my next complaint: With so many new, blank slate characters introduced to accompany Zuvius into battle, it would have been preferable to see the Mir and Bule with him instead. That way readers would have had more familiar characters and found a greater payoff, while allowing for more character interactions that Zuvius never had access to - his journey was entirely isolated from those of the other two.
As a result of the overarching plot, however, this story suffers from having a cast that, while reasonably large, is pretty unrelatable and irrelevant.
Another disappointment to me was that Archaon himself is only seen fighting in passing, and in the distance. There is no PoV section for him, and usually it comes down to Orphaeo admiring the Everchosen. It might be a good idea to keep Archaon more aloof and enigmatic, but it also made for a lackluster climax for a series/novel called Call of Archaon.
The Stormcast Eternals were business as usual, with some kickass scenes involving Zuvius and the leaders of the golden boys. However, at this point, that too is business as usual. To me, the Stormcasts need some serious updates to their lore and plot to excite again. Been there, done that, and the likes.
At the end of See No Evil, I saw a lot of flaws, some cool scenes, but a noticeable let-down. While the action was competent, I was hoping for more. I was hoping for a bigger audience with the Everchosen, to see him being tackled hands-on - he's on the cover of the print collection! Instead, it was yet another massive battle piece of epic proportions. It had variety, yes, but the overall finale felt like more of the same rather than something unique and impressive. A shame.
See No Evil is the final story of the Call of Archaon series. I'd be lying if I was saying I wasn't glad about that - the constant battles pushing character development and interactions aside are wearisome to me. But hey, this is another big battle - who would have thought?
This story returns to Orphaeo Zuvius, the Prince of Embers. As per the end of Blood and Plague , both other champion-candidates are dead and SURPRISE! Archaon had picked Zuvius all along anyway. So Zuvius is now Varanguard, and joining his brothers in arms for his first big battle under the Everchosen.
The story starts out showing Archaon and the Many-Eyed Servantin conversation: Sigmar's Stormcast Eternals have taken Cape Desolation, and the big bad does not like that one bit. He musters his armies to take it back and send the golden boys home crying. Thankfully, this marks the first time in the series that Archaon himself is taking to the field, and it is about time that he does.
‘Send word to my warlords, my champions and the fell kings of the surrounding regions. Summon my unholy Varanguard. I shall lead the Knights of Ruin myself in a counter invasion. Those bastions shall be mine again. The God-King’s light shall be banished and his warriors shall flee for the skies. I want Sigmar to know that he will find no purchase in lands forever dedicated to the Chaos gods.’
Following on from that, the short story reintroduces the changed Zuvius and the company he is in. It is a diverse bunch from all aspects of Chaos, minus Skaven, and they are bound for the cape. Archaon is leading a fleet of dreadships, riding his steed Dhorgar (which looks hideous now, thanks to Age of Sigmar redesigns...), and spearheading the assault. This sparks a lot of excitement for his Varanguard, and Zuvius is eager to make a name for himself.
This early part is probably the coolest of the story. The crash-landing of the Varanguard's dreadship was awesome, and Zuvius really is showing off, with the rest of the group close behind. However, none of the characters beyond the Prince of Embers actually get much spotlight, and usually just to die. The death count of Archaon's elite seems to go through the roof here, which makes me even more disappointed that he didn't recruit all three candidates.
Which also brings me to my next complaint: With so many new, blank slate characters introduced to accompany Zuvius into battle, it would have been preferable to see the Mir and Bule with him instead. That way readers would have had more familiar characters and found a greater payoff, while allowing for more character interactions that Zuvius never had access to - his journey was entirely isolated from those of the other two.
As a result of the overarching plot, however, this story suffers from having a cast that, while reasonably large, is pretty unrelatable and irrelevant.
Another disappointment to me was that Archaon himself is only seen fighting in passing, and in the distance. There is no PoV section for him, and usually it comes down to Orphaeo admiring the Everchosen. It might be a good idea to keep Archaon more aloof and enigmatic, but it also made for a lackluster climax for a series/novel called Call of Archaon.
The Stormcast Eternals were business as usual, with some kickass scenes involving Zuvius and the leaders of the golden boys. However, at this point, that too is business as usual. To me, the Stormcasts need some serious updates to their lore and plot to excite again. Been there, done that, and the likes.
At the end of See No Evil, I saw a lot of flaws, some cool scenes, but a noticeable let-down. While the action was competent, I was hoping for more. I was hoping for a bigger audience with the Everchosen, to see him being tackled hands-on - he's on the cover of the print collection! Instead, it was yet another massive battle piece of epic proportions. It had variety, yes, but the overall finale felt like more of the same rather than something unique and impressive. A shame.
April 18, 2021
Orphaeo Zuvius, having been picked by Archaon for taking a more "outside the box" approach than the late Copsys Bule and Ushkar Mir, is now a member of the Varanguard and goes on his first campaign in the service of the Everchosen/Grand High Poobah of the Really Big Mess. Off to clobber some Stormcast Eternals who have DARED to retake some territory in the Mortal Realms and participate in the ongoing conflict of a mythical setting based on a wargame, Archaon saddles up his horrible whatever-it-is and brings a numberless fleet with him.
This one gets some originality points for not being yet another story where the SEs duff the Chaos-worshippers again, but you can see it coming a mile away. GW/BL are not going to let Chaos' top hard man get pushed over in his first literary outing in the new setting. Another reviewer has pointed out that it would have been more compelling reading to have had Copsys Bule and Ushkar Mir survive to take part in this battle, where their passing would have meant a lot more than the barely-introduced spear-carrier officers that get splattered by sigmarite hammers and fried by lightning-arrows to show the seriousness of the situation, and I would agree.
It's a "battle report" to tie the whole thing up, and while it's got some good fight scenes and atmosphere, it's still subject to the usual issues for AoS fiction of this type.
This one gets some originality points for not being yet another story where the SEs duff the Chaos-worshippers again, but you can see it coming a mile away. GW/BL are not going to let Chaos' top hard man get pushed over in his first literary outing in the new setting. Another reviewer has pointed out that it would have been more compelling reading to have had Copsys Bule and Ushkar Mir survive to take part in this battle, where their passing would have meant a lot more than the barely-introduced spear-carrier officers that get splattered by sigmarite hammers and fried by lightning-arrows to show the seriousness of the situation, and I would agree.
It's a "battle report" to tie the whole thing up, and while it's got some good fight scenes and atmosphere, it's still subject to the usual issues for AoS fiction of this type.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews