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Gotrek Gurnisson #3
Gitslayer
Gotrek returns to fight the forces of the Gloomspite Gitz!
Hell-bent on ridding himself of the Fyreslayer rune buried in his chest, Gotrek Gurnisson, the greatest Slayer to ever live, travels deep into the strange, alchemical realm of Chamon. Using their mysterious aether-science, the Kharadron Overlords of Barak-Urbaz offer an end to Gotrek’s quest. But, as the Bad Moon rises and murderous Gloomspite Gitz threaten to destroy the sky-port, Gotrek pits himself against the most ancient enemy of his people – the greenskins. While his aelven travelling companion, Maleneth Witchblade, struggles to keep him alive, Gotrek throws himself headlong into a bloody battle for survival that will take him into the dank, fungal heart of Skragrott’s Asylum.
Hell-bent on ridding himself of the Fyreslayer rune buried in his chest, Gotrek Gurnisson, the greatest Slayer to ever live, travels deep into the strange, alchemical realm of Chamon. Using their mysterious aether-science, the Kharadron Overlords of Barak-Urbaz offer an end to Gotrek’s quest. But, as the Bad Moon rises and murderous Gloomspite Gitz threaten to destroy the sky-port, Gotrek pits himself against the most ancient enemy of his people – the greenskins. While his aelven travelling companion, Maleneth Witchblade, struggles to keep him alive, Gotrek throws himself headlong into a bloody battle for survival that will take him into the dank, fungal heart of Skragrott’s Asylum.
352 pages, Paperback
First published May 20, 2021
56 people are currently reading
235 people want to read
About the author
Darius Hinks
109 books131 followersDarius Hinks is an author, writing primarily in the science fiction and fantasy genres. He was born in Birmingham, England, in 1972. He works and lives in Nottinghamshire. Hinks' first novel, Warrior Priest, won the David Gemmel Morningstar award.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
May 5, 2025
Das Buch ist qualitativ eines der besseren Bücher, aus der Black Library! Kaum Rechtschreibfehler oder fehlerhafte Übersetzungen.
Die Herleitung der Story fiel mir etwas schwer, aber es war auch das erste Buch aus der Reihe. Insgesamt hat mir das Buch echt gut gefallen - Gotrek ist halt einfach ein cooler, wenn auch etwas stumpfer - aber in erster Linie unbesiegbarer Charakter!
Die Herleitung der Story fiel mir etwas schwer, aber es war auch das erste Buch aus der Reihe. Insgesamt hat mir das Buch echt gut gefallen - Gotrek ist halt einfach ein cooler, wenn auch etwas stumpfer - aber in erster Linie unbesiegbarer Charakter!
May 25, 2021
Fantastic fun. Gotrek is just such a great character, a reluctant demigod who masks his grief and tragedy with brusque bullishness, and this story is one of his best character pieces yet. Perhaps my only real criticism is that some of the chapters are such disconnected vignettes that only really serve to show what the rest of the story shows about the grots and the bad moon anyway. Those vignettes are still really good though, especially the slaanesh one
March 2, 2022
A fun read that's the closest the new Age of Sigmar version of the series has gotten to the feel of the classic original Gotrek and Felix series of books.
Far better and more entertaining than Ghoulslayer (the previous book) it only goes a bit silly on worldbuilding near the end (a common issue I find in AoS books). I find though this new series is missing one key element however, Felix. He really brought the classic stories together and added a bit more relatability and depth to the characters. His replacement (i.e. Maleneth) just isn't as good and a bit annoying at times.
Even with this though I found the story entertaining enough and look forward to checking out the next in the series.
Far better and more entertaining than Ghoulslayer (the previous book) it only goes a bit silly on worldbuilding near the end (a common issue I find in AoS books). I find though this new series is missing one key element however, Felix. He really brought the classic stories together and added a bit more relatability and depth to the characters. His replacement (i.e. Maleneth) just isn't as good and a bit annoying at times.
Even with this though I found the story entertaining enough and look forward to checking out the next in the series.
February 21, 2022
This was my introduction to the mortal realms. It's strong pulp fantasy, feeling like a novelization of a DND game. The characters are 1 dimensional but entertaining, the combat is fun, and the ideas are great. My favorite sections were those from the antagonist POV.
Overall, would recommend this as a fun time killer to anyone looking for a bit of fun involving goblins and dwarves.
Overall, would recommend this as a fun time killer to anyone looking for a bit of fun involving goblins and dwarves.
April 28, 2022
Gitslayer is fun but not great. Gotrek remains the best thing about this saga and Maleneth is an interesting character. I wish the book has a bit more depth though.
March 11, 2026
A big miss for me, it felt like a bore and a drag at points, it took me more then a month to finish it, while others could hold my interest this one just kept getting delayed. I think it could have used some trimming here and there, round up a few things and refine others.
Gotrek remains an ass that seems to do more damage to other people rather then the enemy, sure he kills a lot of enemies yet it does not seem to live up to the hype others make of him, a stormcast can do similar feats, for someone that is supposed unstoppable he gets stopped rather frequently in this book. Oh Gotrek can't be stopped, except he is stopped by some small creatures, ohh he can't be stopped, except he is stopped by x, then y, then z....
While I can understand trying to work on Gotrek's character because of all he has been through it seems rather poorly done, in a similar fashion are the interactions with the other characters.
Now the book does do a good job describing how fantastic the realms look, especially the Asylum, the home of the notgoblins, the vistas and details tied to them are great, the same is done for some of the body horror that can happen to the poor victims that end up there.
Now that we are done with the good points back to the bad, a character dies here and it's just a let down that I had to check if it truly is his death, it was, I get some of the intent behind it yet the execution was so poorly done, going out like a chump. The villains suffer a similar fate, going out with so little fanfare you would think they are mooks but no they are the big bads of the story and go out with a quick slash, no near close fighting, just a quick slash and dead, it seen from another POV and you have to ask how are these guys going down so quickly? where is the battle? Where is the description of close fights then test Gotrek? or at least drag on more? We got a fight with a not-troll that seemed to have potential and had some clever tactics however it was quickly over....
Gotrek's power seems to be all over the place, his former skills at tech still seem relevant in the new world when that should not be the case with the tech the duardian have in the current setting, he seems to have strength to smash aside what is in front of him then he can barely get past a small obstacle, it's plot dependent and it shows, rather badly.
Some plot threads did come to a conclusion in this book, which I will give credit to the author for finally doing it, changing the status quo while still making a similar one.
While I understand that a big event was going to happen in this book and may have happened in the setting here it shows up chapters that focus on other characters taking us away from the main cast, a human, a duardian, a servant of a demon price of Slanesh, etc they are short and never seen again, it's done to show how the Bad Moon is influencing the realms and hype up a potential danger and decision later on yet it felt odd somehow, we know what is happening in these chapters, the others characters don't know it, one learns of it as it is told to him and later pushes him to make a decision because of it.
My main POV characters are Mal and our villain of the book, later in the book we get another duardian for a few chapters, the rest are one of characters, it's a thing that bothered me here as Gotrek doesn't fight a big figure he fight an underling of a big figure, a shaman or rather the shaman of the loonking who is persuaded to try and seize the rune from Gotrek and rebel against the king to take his place, there are points about why he should and should not do so, with all the wink wink going on in the text and just reading the book I knew who the big fool was going to be.
While the book had potential it was a letdown for me so I won't be jumping in to the next book in the series I think it's the last for the current author.
Gotrek remains an ass that seems to do more damage to other people rather then the enemy, sure he kills a lot of enemies yet it does not seem to live up to the hype others make of him, a stormcast can do similar feats, for someone that is supposed unstoppable he gets stopped rather frequently in this book. Oh Gotrek can't be stopped, except he is stopped by some small creatures, ohh he can't be stopped, except he is stopped by x, then y, then z....
While I can understand trying to work on Gotrek's character because of all he has been through it seems rather poorly done, in a similar fashion are the interactions with the other characters.
Now the book does do a good job describing how fantastic the realms look, especially the Asylum, the home of the notgoblins, the vistas and details tied to them are great, the same is done for some of the body horror that can happen to the poor victims that end up there.
Now that we are done with the good points back to the bad, a character dies here and it's just a let down that I had to check if it truly is his death, it was, I get some of the intent behind it yet the execution was so poorly done, going out like a chump. The villains suffer a similar fate, going out with so little fanfare you would think they are mooks but no they are the big bads of the story and go out with a quick slash, no near close fighting, just a quick slash and dead, it seen from another POV and you have to ask how are these guys going down so quickly? where is the battle? Where is the description of close fights then test Gotrek? or at least drag on more? We got a fight with a not-troll that seemed to have potential and had some clever tactics however it was quickly over....
Gotrek's power seems to be all over the place, his former skills at tech still seem relevant in the new world when that should not be the case with the tech the duardian have in the current setting, he seems to have strength to smash aside what is in front of him then he can barely get past a small obstacle, it's plot dependent and it shows, rather badly.
Some plot threads did come to a conclusion in this book, which I will give credit to the author for finally doing it, changing the status quo while still making a similar one.
While I understand that a big event was going to happen in this book and may have happened in the setting here it shows up chapters that focus on other characters taking us away from the main cast, a human, a duardian, a servant of a demon price of Slanesh, etc they are short and never seen again, it's done to show how the Bad Moon is influencing the realms and hype up a potential danger and decision later on yet it felt odd somehow, we know what is happening in these chapters, the others characters don't know it, one learns of it as it is told to him and later pushes him to make a decision because of it.
My main POV characters are Mal and our villain of the book, later in the book we get another duardian for a few chapters, the rest are one of characters, it's a thing that bothered me here as Gotrek doesn't fight a big figure he fight an underling of a big figure, a shaman or rather the shaman of the loonking who is persuaded to try and seize the rune from Gotrek and rebel against the king to take his place, there are points about why he should and should not do so, with all the wink wink going on in the text and just reading the book I knew who the big fool was going to be.
While the book had potential it was a letdown for me so I won't be jumping in to the next book in the series I think it's the last for the current author.
July 3, 2022
An improvement over Ghoulslayer; gitslayer still hasn't quite found the mark for what they want Gotrek to be in this new world, but they are getting there.
I will admit that I have a softspot for goblins (I mean I wrote two books about goblins myself) and steampunk dwarfs in the sky are by far the most fun and unique thing that Warhammer age of sigmar has to offer. Like in Ghoulslayer, Gotrek is once again used as way to introduce people to the mindset of his enemies and allies alike; while in Ghoulslayer it was what the aforementioned ghoulkings think and want in contrast with free peoples, in gitslayer it is the re imagined nightgoblins who get their place in the (moon) light in contrast to the Kharadon overlords. I found it a good balance between what was before (in warhammer fantasy) and what is new in age of Sigmar.
Gotrek himself.... I am still not quite sure what to make of his return to the world of warhammer. As of now I am still not convinced that his return was something I wanted, but they are building up to something and I am curious to know what that might be. I guess that it will come down to what that builtup is whether I will cheer for his returned presence or not. On the other hand, there is Maleneth.... I don't like her. No correction I don't like their chemistry. I think Maleneth is a fine character and deserves stories and adventures on her own, but she simply does not pas the high bar set by Felix Jaeger. I feel like the series should have taken the bolder step of making Gotrek the POV of the series rather then still relying on a narrator.
I am genuinly curious to find out what will be the big climax and what will happen to Gotrek but I would prefer it if the series lost Maleneth and kept it to Gotrek.
I will admit that I have a softspot for goblins (I mean I wrote two books about goblins myself) and steampunk dwarfs in the sky are by far the most fun and unique thing that Warhammer age of sigmar has to offer. Like in Ghoulslayer, Gotrek is once again used as way to introduce people to the mindset of his enemies and allies alike; while in Ghoulslayer it was what the aforementioned ghoulkings think and want in contrast with free peoples, in gitslayer it is the re imagined nightgoblins who get their place in the (moon) light in contrast to the Kharadon overlords. I found it a good balance between what was before (in warhammer fantasy) and what is new in age of Sigmar.
Gotrek himself.... I am still not quite sure what to make of his return to the world of warhammer. As of now I am still not convinced that his return was something I wanted, but they are building up to something and I am curious to know what that might be. I guess that it will come down to what that builtup is whether I will cheer for his returned presence or not. On the other hand, there is Maleneth.... I don't like her. No correction I don't like their chemistry. I think Maleneth is a fine character and deserves stories and adventures on her own, but she simply does not pas the high bar set by Felix Jaeger. I feel like the series should have taken the bolder step of making Gotrek the POV of the series rather then still relying on a narrator.
I am genuinly curious to find out what will be the big climax and what will happen to Gotrek but I would prefer it if the series lost Maleneth and kept it to Gotrek.
May 31, 2023
Upfront I have to admit that this review is biased. I love Gotrek, and more than that, I love goblins. In this book, as can be guessed by the cover, Gotrek finds himself contending with goblins in the search for an ancient dwarven ruins. An intriguing story idea, that is furthered by the addition of Skragrott's Asylum, which has to be one of my favorite locations in Warhammer.
The Asylum is a place full of greenskin lunacy, where the moon drives people insane, people turn into mushrooms, and councils full of backstabbing goblins rule. Everytime the Asylum was described, I found myself drawn in and wanting to know more. The caveat to that is that if you're not as interesting in greenskins, the book could likely end up as a slog for you. They're by far the strongest part of the book, and everything else takes a back seat to it.
The Asylum is a place full of greenskin lunacy, where the moon drives people insane, people turn into mushrooms, and councils full of backstabbing goblins rule. Everytime the Asylum was described, I found myself drawn in and wanting to know more. The caveat to that is that if you're not as interesting in greenskins, the book could likely end up as a slog for you. They're by far the strongest part of the book, and everything else takes a back seat to it.
March 7, 2023
I wanted to like this story. but by this point, the Gotrek novels have become a bit too repetitive for my tastes.
The loss of [SPOILER] loses some significant narrative dialogue with Gotrek's own struggle and Maleneth with her evil amulet just does not fill the hole.
Additionally, the Gitz enemies Gotrek faces start out with a lot of fun concepts, but quickly lose a lot of their goofy charm as the story moves into their realm, in part because 1/2 their named cast is killed off so quickly in the narrative. Personally I would have liked to have the loss of these characters happen more towards the end of the story, so we could enjoy them more.
The loss of [SPOILER] loses some significant narrative dialogue with Gotrek's own struggle and Maleneth with her evil amulet just does not fill the hole.
Additionally, the Gitz enemies Gotrek faces start out with a lot of fun concepts, but quickly lose a lot of their goofy charm as the story moves into their realm, in part because 1/2 their named cast is killed off so quickly in the narrative. Personally I would have liked to have the loss of these characters happen more towards the end of the story, so we could enjoy them more.
June 3, 2024
I think the Goodreads title here has an error. This is bk2, not bk3.
Anyway, I'm enjoying Gotrek's grouchiness and crazed violence, Malaneth's machinations and begrudging respect for Gotrek, and of course Trachos' amusing but sad descent into a memoryless madness.
I have to admit that I can't remember what happened what happened in bk1 but I don't think it takes away any from this instalment. The grots make for a fun and trippy adversary, and the sky Dwarves (I forget their proper term) are a nice sub-genre of the Dowi.
Nice to be in the world of Warhammer again. And to be reminded of the word, "Wazzok!"!
Anyway, I'm enjoying Gotrek's grouchiness and crazed violence, Malaneth's machinations and begrudging respect for Gotrek, and of course Trachos' amusing but sad descent into a memoryless madness.
I have to admit that I can't remember what happened what happened in bk1 but I don't think it takes away any from this instalment. The grots make for a fun and trippy adversary, and the sky Dwarves (I forget their proper term) are a nice sub-genre of the Dowi.
Nice to be in the world of Warhammer again. And to be reminded of the word, "Wazzok!"!
June 30, 2024
Normalerweise lese ich Warhammer, denn da kann ich meinen eigenen Gedanken nachgehen.
Doch hier musste ich mal zum Hörbuch greifen. Da ich das Buch nicht habe und es auch nicht mehr im orginal zu kaufen gibt.
Es war erstaunlich, wie gut ich dann dieses Hörbuch fand. Der Sprecher hat die verschiedenen Charaktere super rüber gebracht und man könnte sich gut auf das Abenteuer einstellen.
Ein Zwerg, der einen heroischen Tod herbeisehnt. Eine Elfe die versucht ihn am Leben zu halten. Und eine alte Zwergenfestung in denen es von Grots nur so wimmelt.
Doch hier musste ich mal zum Hörbuch greifen. Da ich das Buch nicht habe und es auch nicht mehr im orginal zu kaufen gibt.
Es war erstaunlich, wie gut ich dann dieses Hörbuch fand. Der Sprecher hat die verschiedenen Charaktere super rüber gebracht und man könnte sich gut auf das Abenteuer einstellen.
Ein Zwerg, der einen heroischen Tod herbeisehnt. Eine Elfe die versucht ihn am Leben zu halten. Und eine alte Zwergenfestung in denen es von Grots nur so wimmelt.
June 12, 2021
Hack and Slash Fantasy
Continuation of the reboot Gotrek the Slayer series.
Seeking a worthwhile death, but a tattoo rune damages his mind and his purpose in the world.
Review (non-spoilers)
The first quarter of the novel was terribly slow. Opponents that didn't matter made this a rough start. Once we reached the sky ship then the story takes off and it felt like the early novels of the Slayer series. Goblins, magic, and honor.
3.5 /5
Continuation of the reboot Gotrek the Slayer series.
Seeking a worthwhile death, but a tattoo rune damages his mind and his purpose in the world.
Review (non-spoilers)
The first quarter of the novel was terribly slow. Opponents that didn't matter made this a rough start. Once we reached the sky ship then the story takes off and it felt like the early novels of the Slayer series. Goblins, magic, and honor.
3.5 /5
August 12, 2021
A comfortable and familiar read. I enjoyed this straightforward, uncomplicated and relaxed pace of writing. Gotrek and Maleneth kind of go on a side adventure because of grotkin and it definitely piqued my interest in them as a tabletop army. I’m glad that Gotrek’s character is finally changing. I would really like to see Gotrek as a real player in the Mortal Realms as a leader or general. I hope that Gotrek gets involved in massive army battles and sieges.
November 13, 2024
Heckin' fantastic read. Always fun to read about the goblins, and they were equal parts pathetic and cute. The cast of characters was fantastic, and it didn't bother me as much as other readers when the proverbial camera panned away from Gotrek. He still kicked ass, and was his usual curmudgeonly self.
Also there was a lot of nightmarish body horror, so I guess there should be a trigger warning for mushrooms growing from living flesh somewhere. Ah well.
Also there was a lot of nightmarish body horror, so I guess there should be a trigger warning for mushrooms growing from living flesh somewhere. Ah well.
June 9, 2025
This adventure of Gotrek’s is similar to the previous one written by Darius Hinks. I don’t really feel like Darius has the best or most consistent grasp of Gotrek and his motivations, which does make some of the events feel a bit forced.
Aside from that though, he writes supporting races and world well, and has very vivid descriptive writing that brings the world to life. I enjoyed reading about the gitmob and their conflicts with the Kharadron Overlords. Overall, still a very enjoyable book!
Aside from that though, he writes supporting races and world well, and has very vivid descriptive writing that brings the world to life. I enjoyed reading about the gitmob and their conflicts with the Kharadron Overlords. Overall, still a very enjoyable book!
November 10, 2021
Everyone's favourite slayer is back in the Mortal Realms with Maleneth as they visit the Kharadron Overlords in an attempt to remove the Fyreslayer rune buried within Gotrek's chest...
... but the Bad Moon is rising and Goblins (Grots!), and their associated creatures are on the rise destroying Sigmar's towns and the smaller sky-ports of the Kharadron Overlords.
... but the Bad Moon is rising and Goblins (Grots!), and their associated creatures are on the rise destroying Sigmar's towns and the smaller sky-ports of the Kharadron Overlords.
August 2, 2023
2/5
Para forofos de Gotrek Gurnison y la verdad q creo q es de los peorcillos q he leído. He disfrutado más de los capítulos q no eran de Gotrek o de sus némesis que de los supuestos protagonistas de la novela
Espero q mejore mucho en su siguiente novela o que le den este personaje a otro escritor
Para forofos de Gotrek Gurnison y la verdad q creo q es de los peorcillos q he leído. He disfrutado más de los capítulos q no eran de Gotrek o de sus némesis que de los supuestos protagonistas de la novela
Espero q mejore mucho en su siguiente novela o que le den este personaje a otro escritor
October 12, 2021
Great book for anyone who loves dwarfs or goblins. Gotrek is just a wonderful character to follow and there are some neat insights into the kharadron and their culture. Once in a while the mushroom stuff gets a little weird, but it works ok over all.
July 1, 2022
I was not a fan of The Age of Sigmar, but it is definitely growing on me thanks to Gotrek. Just as surly and violent as always, this is a twisted tale involving the some very demented goblins, fun and violent. Check it out.
July 5, 2021
Pity all who take on the Slayer..
August 5, 2021
Gotrek!
I am eagerly awaiting the next installment. This is a turning point in the series. I can feel it. He just needs his axe.
I am eagerly awaiting the next installment. This is a turning point in the series. I can feel it. He just needs his axe.
February 22, 2023
Fun story about Gotrek smashing some Grobi
March 3, 2023
Much like the previous tale, Gotrek and Maleneth get into mischief, this time fighting a horde of goblins, and this another highly entertaining fantasy romp, and I look forward to the next one!
November 1, 2023
Gotrek stormed the fortress of the grots to find his doom and save a “friend” at the same time.
December 22, 2023
My least favorite Age of Sigmar Gotrek novels so far.
February 19, 2025
Jesus that was painful to get through
January 14, 2026
Stupidly fun
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews