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Warhammer Age of Sigmar
Shadespire: The Mirrored City
A Warhammer Underworlds: Shadespire novel
Amidst the ruins of the once-great Mirrored City, cursed by Nagash himself, ex-freeguild soldier Seguin Rayner and his allies seek secrets – but even if they retrieve them, can they ever escape Shadespire?
READ IT BECAUSE
It's a whole novel exploring the treacherous streets and mysterious curse of the City of Mirrors – and it's by Josh Reynolds, so you know it's going to be packed with fascinating characters and awesome battles.
THE STORY
Shadespire. Throughout the Realm of Death, the name is but a tremble upon the lips of fools who utter it. Once a glittering metropolis, its soaring towers and palaces of glass pierced the funereal skies of the underworld, a bold testament to mortal enterprise. Now all that remains of the city is its withered husk, and those who speak of it do so at their peril. For it is a place of damnation; a shadow in the desert that echoes with the howl of wretched souls.
Doomed to wander this endless purgatory are the citizens of Shadespire, a punishment for their crime against the God of Death himself. Such was the severity of their offence that Nagash’s curse was one of cruel and twisted artistry and all that was once glorified about the city has become a perverse reflection of itself. In streets swathed in fog lurk every horror of death’s creation, and a darkness has settled within every heart.
But there are still those who will brave its ruins. Ex-Freeguild soldier, Seguin Reynar, ventures forth in search of his fortune and he is not alone. Whilst Sigmar’s heroes seek to unsnarl this labyrinthine nightmare, hordes of Chaos revel in its madness. But whether compelled by duty or the lure of ancient treasure, the same fate is promised to all. This is a hell of madmen and monsters, and for those who dare enter, there is no turning back.
Amidst the ruins of the once-great Mirrored City, cursed by Nagash himself, ex-freeguild soldier Seguin Rayner and his allies seek secrets – but even if they retrieve them, can they ever escape Shadespire?
READ IT BECAUSE
It's a whole novel exploring the treacherous streets and mysterious curse of the City of Mirrors – and it's by Josh Reynolds, so you know it's going to be packed with fascinating characters and awesome battles.
THE STORY
Shadespire. Throughout the Realm of Death, the name is but a tremble upon the lips of fools who utter it. Once a glittering metropolis, its soaring towers and palaces of glass pierced the funereal skies of the underworld, a bold testament to mortal enterprise. Now all that remains of the city is its withered husk, and those who speak of it do so at their peril. For it is a place of damnation; a shadow in the desert that echoes with the howl of wretched souls.
Doomed to wander this endless purgatory are the citizens of Shadespire, a punishment for their crime against the God of Death himself. Such was the severity of their offence that Nagash’s curse was one of cruel and twisted artistry and all that was once glorified about the city has become a perverse reflection of itself. In streets swathed in fog lurk every horror of death’s creation, and a darkness has settled within every heart.
But there are still those who will brave its ruins. Ex-Freeguild soldier, Seguin Reynar, ventures forth in search of his fortune and he is not alone. Whilst Sigmar’s heroes seek to unsnarl this labyrinthine nightmare, hordes of Chaos revel in its madness. But whether compelled by duty or the lure of ancient treasure, the same fate is promised to all. This is a hell of madmen and monsters, and for those who dare enter, there is no turning back.
- GenresFantasy
400 pages, Paperback
First published September 22, 2018
20 people are currently reading
172 people want to read
About the author
Joshua Reynolds
313 books339 followersJosh Reynolds’ work has previously appeared in such anthologies as Historical Lovecraft from Innsmouth Free Press and Horror for the Holidays from Miskatonic River Press, and his novel, Knight of the Blazing Sun, is currently available from Black Library. He can be found at: http://joshuamreynolds.wordpress.com
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
October 4, 2018
This book is a different beast from the other Age of Sigmar books I've read. In a way, in perfect harmony with what the city represents in the setting. Shadespire was a city cast down by a god, and thrown from the light of the realms. Beyond the eyes of chaos, order, death and destruction and into the dark eddies of elder things and territories better left unknown. Shadespire: The Mirrored City is glimpse into a world without natural laws. A fever dream of glass and ghosts from which there is no hope of waking.
The story follows Seguin Reynar, a deserter of the Faithful Blades Freeguild Army, and Isengrim Khorneson of the Red Reef, a Bloodreaver tasked by Khorne to take Reynar's skull. Both find themselves involved in something grander than they could have possibly imagined.
I wouldn't dare go too much in depth of what occurs as far as plot, as I think the experience of reading it and having the realization dawn on you is a big factor in what makes it great. There is a lot to take in, and a second read will probably reveal even more.
I don't want anyone to approach this book as if it were the standard whimsical fantasy affair. There are no clear cut heroes nor is there a sunrise after the storm. The Mirrored city begins in the rumbling twilight and ends in the bowels of midnight with nothing but lightning on the horizon. It is a very dark read. Even when I was warned it was "a book of bastards" I was blindsided by it, but it was exactly my sort of book. I have already recommended it to my friends under the pretense of "Horror with some action thrown in," and I would do the same here.
It is absolutely worth your time.
The story follows Seguin Reynar, a deserter of the Faithful Blades Freeguild Army, and Isengrim Khorneson of the Red Reef, a Bloodreaver tasked by Khorne to take Reynar's skull. Both find themselves involved in something grander than they could have possibly imagined.
I wouldn't dare go too much in depth of what occurs as far as plot, as I think the experience of reading it and having the realization dawn on you is a big factor in what makes it great. There is a lot to take in, and a second read will probably reveal even more.
I don't want anyone to approach this book as if it were the standard whimsical fantasy affair. There are no clear cut heroes nor is there a sunrise after the storm. The Mirrored city begins in the rumbling twilight and ends in the bowels of midnight with nothing but lightning on the horizon. It is a very dark read. Even when I was warned it was "a book of bastards" I was blindsided by it, but it was exactly my sort of book. I have already recommended it to my friends under the pretense of "Horror with some action thrown in," and I would do the same here.
It is absolutely worth your time.
November 7, 2021
"Do you know what hell is, Reynar? he asked softly. "Monotony. Endless cycles, repeated endlessly. That's what this place is - an oubliette of damned souls gnawing on each other for an eternity."
I scroll through the critical reviews and go "Yeah", "Fair point", "Yip", "Very Reasonable".
Everything is confusing and there is an "unsatisfying" denoument. The lead characters try to shift things in their favour and achieve their goals, only for it to be all kinda pointless. Disheartening even.
For me, Reynolds gets it right, just. There's something I like about it all not working out. That it all struggles to make sense. It fits within the theme of the story, with the constant cycle of deaths and games being played by Shadespire's former inhabitants. It's oppressive, and I actually felt the darkness in which the story is set.
The protagonist is mostly dull but he's worth the twist in the end. The antagonist was goal orientated and sufficiently built up, if subverted in the end. Shadespire isn't Shakespeare but it is a pleasant-unpleasant diversion.
The book also serves in the role of fleshing out the Age of Sigmar setting and associated boardgames. It's reasonable enough at serving that purpose as well.
I scroll through the critical reviews and go "Yeah", "Fair point", "Yip", "Very Reasonable".
Everything is confusing and there is an "unsatisfying" denoument. The lead characters try to shift things in their favour and achieve their goals, only for it to be all kinda pointless. Disheartening even.
For me, Reynolds gets it right, just. There's something I like about it all not working out. That it all struggles to make sense. It fits within the theme of the story, with the constant cycle of deaths and games being played by Shadespire's former inhabitants. It's oppressive, and I actually felt the darkness in which the story is set.
The protagonist is mostly dull but he's worth the twist in the end. The antagonist was goal orientated and sufficiently built up, if subverted in the end. Shadespire isn't Shakespeare but it is a pleasant-unpleasant diversion.
The book also serves in the role of fleshing out the Age of Sigmar setting and associated boardgames. It's reasonable enough at serving that purpose as well.
January 14, 2019
I enjoyed the pace and the characters in this book (especially as they link nicely with the Shadespire game) but I had a moment of ' what's going on - have I skipped several pages?' near the last few chapters. Sorry Josh but you managed to confuse me - it seemed that there was intrigue and something bigger going on but I get the feeling that this is just hinted at and there is no 'big other' thing going on at all. I feel like I've missed something but trying to convince myself that I haven't and it's just a trick of the author … disappointed by what seemed like a rushed ending which actually went nowhere! Maybe this was just overedited.
May 25, 2019
A coherent story with interesting characters. One thing I'll say is that not all POV characters are sympathetic, you're actually hoping some don't survive. One of them is rather relatable in his everyman status, however.
Ending was meh, didn't really resolve and just kind of left some threads hanging. There easily could be an ongoing series with this, but so far, it seems rather doubtful.
Ending was meh, didn't really resolve and just kind of left some threads hanging. There easily could be an ongoing series with this, but so far, it seems rather doubtful.
January 1, 2022
Bloated. Should have been a novella.
January 1, 2020
You're not going to put this book down feeling as if you've wasted your time. Shadespire is an interesting city with some great characters from various factions. If you already have an interest in Warhammer Underworlds, the book will breathe some life into some of the existing warbands whilst giving you some sort of idea as to how others function.
The story is good. It follows Reynar and Isengrim and their different experiences in the city. Both characters have depth to them and although Isengrim's a Bloodreaver, there's a little more to him that "SKULLS FOR THE SKULL THRONE" and it's a nice take.
One of the only downsides with this book is that your often presented with these fantastic possibilities but none of them actually happen. The city is suggested to be dangerous and mysterious but outside of a few scenarios, it feels as if people are walking around the place like any of us would walk to the shops for a packet of crisps.
The story is good. It follows Reynar and Isengrim and their different experiences in the city. Both characters have depth to them and although Isengrim's a Bloodreaver, there's a little more to him that "SKULLS FOR THE SKULL THRONE" and it's a nice take.
One of the only downsides with this book is that your often presented with these fantastic possibilities but none of them actually happen. The city is suggested to be dangerous and mysterious but outside of a few scenarios, it feels as if people are walking around the place like any of us would walk to the shops for a packet of crisps.
February 25, 2019
Shadespire is a fascinating place, and Reynolds excels at making such locales in the Warhammer universe come to life, but this one just never became a page turner for me and a lot of the encounters just seemed random, trying to fill space.
March 7, 2020
As a fan of the Warhammer Underworlds game I wanted to know a bit more about the setting so decided to get this. Firstly the good points, it did provide more information on the setting, making the city of Shadespire itself feel like a trap, you begin to understand the desperation of the situation of the people/creatures trapped within. Plus the creepy nature of feeling watched, by the various spirits that hide within the shade glass and Nagash himself (although the latter felt a bit confused to me, one minute watching from a statue the next his above them in the sky, the next the sky cannot even be seen as its obscured by the buildings bending around you to the point its as if looking in a shattered mirror. But I guess its trying to add to the confusion. I just feel it could have been a bit more consistent).
Now the bad and reason I didn't give it 5 stars. I won't do spoilers so read on without fear. It included a few of the warbands from season one of the game, Steelhearts Champions, Sepulchral Guard, taking centre stage and also Ironskulls Boyz.
Now the issue is these are not the protagonists, and the portrayal of them was in my opinion pretty poor, Steelheart comes across as pompous and a bit of a dullard, the rest of his crew barely feature Obryn comes across as the most interesting but has all of three lines in the book. With Brightshield getting the most lines.
The Orcs or Orroks as GW have now rebranded them to copyright no doubt again are not fleshed out with only their leader really featuring at all.
The Sepulchral Guard and the Warden in particular probably feature the most, you could say he ironically is the most fleshed out (lols) throughout the book.
The main protagonist I found a tad dull, and his nemesis a Chaos worshipper who followed him was terrible, its an issue I usually have with Black Library books that have Khorne worshippers in them they are so two dimensional and all screams of blood and skulls its as if a template of the Khorne worshipper was created and no author adds any variety to this roll. I almost wanted to skip the bits with him in, but due to the warden being present I did not.
Also as the city allows you to experience death but brings you back time after time to suffer, why oh why did the author not let us experience it through a characters eyes first hand? Other characters experienced it but we did not witness these more they would anecdotally tell us about they remembered getting their head chopped off etc but it was always referring to a past event.
Lastly and the reason the novel could never in my opinion have five stars is that by half way through or less you could spot the 'twist' coming far in advance. If it had been nearer the end it would not be so bad.
All said I hope they do more books in this setting, but I hope they do the setting justice.
Now the bad and reason I didn't give it 5 stars. I won't do spoilers so read on without fear. It included a few of the warbands from season one of the game, Steelhearts Champions, Sepulchral Guard, taking centre stage and also Ironskulls Boyz.
Now the issue is these are not the protagonists, and the portrayal of them was in my opinion pretty poor, Steelheart comes across as pompous and a bit of a dullard, the rest of his crew barely feature Obryn comes across as the most interesting but has all of three lines in the book. With Brightshield getting the most lines.
The Orcs or Orroks as GW have now rebranded them to copyright no doubt again are not fleshed out with only their leader really featuring at all.
The Sepulchral Guard and the Warden in particular probably feature the most, you could say he ironically is the most fleshed out (lols) throughout the book.
The main protagonist I found a tad dull, and his nemesis a Chaos worshipper who followed him was terrible, its an issue I usually have with Black Library books that have Khorne worshippers in them they are so two dimensional and all screams of blood and skulls its as if a template of the Khorne worshipper was created and no author adds any variety to this roll. I almost wanted to skip the bits with him in, but due to the warden being present I did not.
Also as the city allows you to experience death but brings you back time after time to suffer, why oh why did the author not let us experience it through a characters eyes first hand? Other characters experienced it but we did not witness these more they would anecdotally tell us about they remembered getting their head chopped off etc but it was always referring to a past event.
Lastly and the reason the novel could never in my opinion have five stars is that by half way through or less you could spot the 'twist' coming far in advance. If it had been nearer the end it would not be so bad.
All said I hope they do more books in this setting, but I hope they do the setting justice.
May 26, 2021
Dieses Buch erinnerte mich vor allem zu Beginn an ein Gemälde von Escher. Genauso verzwickt, verwinkelt, verwirrend wird diese Stadt von Joshua Reynolds dargestellt. Schade, dass diese Atmosphäre nur am Anfang aufgebaut, aber mit dem Verlauf der eigentlichen Handlung ein wenig in den Hintergrund gerät.
Dies war mein zweiter Titel von Joshua Reynolds und er tendiert dazu, mein liebster Warhammer-Autor zu werden. Denn auch wenn mir das erste Buch, das ich von ihm gelesen habe, besser gefallen hat, so war ich auch von "Shadespire" begeistert. Reynolds Bücher heben sich ab von anderen Warhammer-Titeln, ohne dass sie das WH-Feeling verlieren.
Shadespire ist eine faszinierende Stadt und ich war voll dabei, sie mit Reynar zu entdecken. Zu entdecken, und vor allem aufzudecken, gilt es auch unzählige Geheimnisse. Die ranken sich hier wie die Spiegel, die aus dem Boden wachsen.
Fast schon ein Thriller, wartet dieses Buch mit einer eher komplexen Handlung auf, die ganz zum Setting passt. Dabei geht es natürlich auch gerne mal zur Sache, jedoch für ein Warhammer-Buch eigentlich sogar eher gemächlich, was das Blutvergiessen betrifft. Reynolds funktioniert eher auf der psychologischen Ebene und spielt mit Erwartungen, macht Andeutungen und lässt auch den Leser mal gegen einen Spiegel knallen.
Von Joshua Reynolds möchte ich also wirklich gerne noch mehr lesen, das ist mir jetzt klar geworden.
Dies war mein zweiter Titel von Joshua Reynolds und er tendiert dazu, mein liebster Warhammer-Autor zu werden. Denn auch wenn mir das erste Buch, das ich von ihm gelesen habe, besser gefallen hat, so war ich auch von "Shadespire" begeistert. Reynolds Bücher heben sich ab von anderen Warhammer-Titeln, ohne dass sie das WH-Feeling verlieren.
Shadespire ist eine faszinierende Stadt und ich war voll dabei, sie mit Reynar zu entdecken. Zu entdecken, und vor allem aufzudecken, gilt es auch unzählige Geheimnisse. Die ranken sich hier wie die Spiegel, die aus dem Boden wachsen.
Fast schon ein Thriller, wartet dieses Buch mit einer eher komplexen Handlung auf, die ganz zum Setting passt. Dabei geht es natürlich auch gerne mal zur Sache, jedoch für ein Warhammer-Buch eigentlich sogar eher gemächlich, was das Blutvergiessen betrifft. Reynolds funktioniert eher auf der psychologischen Ebene und spielt mit Erwartungen, macht Andeutungen und lässt auch den Leser mal gegen einen Spiegel knallen.
Von Joshua Reynolds möchte ich also wirklich gerne noch mehr lesen, das ist mir jetzt klar geworden.
May 7, 2019
I can never get into tie-in novels (Star Wars, D&D, etc), even tho I regularly try. But for some reason I really enjoyed this one. It was light fun, and an intriguing journey into the bizarre and nightmarish city of Shadespire.
In fact the book made me want to try and read other Age of Sigmar novels from the same author.
In fact the book made me want to try and read other Age of Sigmar novels from the same author.
November 3, 2024
I really enjoyed the mirroring throughout, both the chapters and the characters. As a relative now reader to age of sigmar it did a decent job with the information, however I did feel that a decent portion the book relied on outside knowledge, and the ambiguity especially of the end of the story left me wondering too much
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 19, 2018
This was a compelling read about a group of misfits fighting another group of misfits in the city/ dimension of Shadespire. It was very atmospheric and many mysteries abounded. It reminded me a lot like Clive Barker’s work: Interest premise, awesome plotting but underwhelming climax.
June 1, 2019
This was pretty damn epic. Still a lot to digest if one is unfamiliar with Age of Sigmar lore. A bit slow at times, but makes up for it with a climatic ending and a lot of atmosphere between.
September 8, 2019
Cool characters, good plot with a few surprising twists and most importantly, an almost complete lack of stormcasts (and one of the few is a little mad) :D
February 7, 2020
So many things left unanswered in the end and so much ambiguity possibly on of the worst warhammer books out there.Nothing made sense in this whirlpool of ideas stuck in this book
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February 20, 2020Proofread
May 30, 2023
Not for me
November 3, 2023
I called the twist about halfway through, but that didn’t spoil my enjoyment. A twisted story for an even more twisted setting in the Age of Sigmar.
November 9, 2020
Published in 2018 as a tie-in to the then-new Warhammer Underworlds sub-setting of Age of Sigmar, this introduces the city of Shadespire, exploring the curse laid upon it and its Katophrane rulers by Nagash, and the damned souls caught within its tangled streets. Seguin Reynar is one such soul, a deserter from the Freeguild who made his way to Shadespire seeking his fortune only to find himself hunted, trapped, and caught up in the schemes of one of the city’s ancient, bitter ruler-spirits. As he explores the city, battling its many and varied denizens and doing his best to avoid the attentions of the blood-crazed Chaos worshipper tracking him, Reynar searches for a way to escape both the attentions of Katophrane Sadila and the cursed city itself.
This is the best kind of tie-in fiction, the sort that takes an interesting concept and brings it to life by way of a clever, compelling story which makes use of the core elements without solely relying upon them. Readers familiar with Warhammer Underworlds will recognise ideas and even named characters, but Reynolds looks beyond these to deliver something much more than a straight-up novelisation. All told it’s a great example of Reynolds’ always-entertaining approach to Age of Sigmar stories, blending together evocative descriptions, engaging dialogue and moments of explosive action, and while its inherent sense of ambiguity might not be to everyone’s taste, there’s no question that it’s a fitting depiction of Shadespire.
Read the full review at https://www.trackofwords.com/2020/10/...
This is the best kind of tie-in fiction, the sort that takes an interesting concept and brings it to life by way of a clever, compelling story which makes use of the core elements without solely relying upon them. Readers familiar with Warhammer Underworlds will recognise ideas and even named characters, but Reynolds looks beyond these to deliver something much more than a straight-up novelisation. All told it’s a great example of Reynolds’ always-entertaining approach to Age of Sigmar stories, blending together evocative descriptions, engaging dialogue and moments of explosive action, and while its inherent sense of ambiguity might not be to everyone’s taste, there’s no question that it’s a fitting depiction of Shadespire.
Read the full review at https://www.trackofwords.com/2020/10/...
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews