Brunner the Bounty Hunter

Warhammer Chronicles #15

by C.L. Werner

Omnibus edition collecting all three novels in the Brunner the Bounty Hunter series. Dark and savage tales set in the world of Warhammer, by author C.L. Werner.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Dark Fantasy, Adventure, Science Fiction Fantasy

768 pages, Paperback

First published April 27, 2010

Reviews

[Matt Schiariti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thrills! Chills! Kills!

I happened upon this book ( as well as a bunch of other Warhammer paperbacks) at a local store's going out of business sale. Fantasy makes up a very small portion of my reading list. In fact, to date I've only read about half a dozen Fantasy novels, three of which belonged to the Lord of the Rings Trilogy..the other belonging to Sean Russel's Swans War Triology..but I digress...

In any event I'm glad I decided to pick this one up. I've never read a Warhammer novel before. I've never read any of C L Werner's work. I've never even played warhammer. Count this book as a pleasant surprise.

Someone likened Brunner to be the 'Bobba Fett of the Warhammer universe'. I'd have to agree. Brunner is a bounty killer with a heart of stone. He'll use ANY means necessary to see his mission through and deliver his mark to any one of his numerous employers. To him, honor is a fool's notion. A notion that will get you killed. It's these 'principals' coupled with his dogged tenacity that make his name known and feared throughout the the Warhammer world.

This novel is an omniubus, a collection of short (and some not so short) stories. I enjoyed this because it gave the author free reign to touch upon a great many adventures. Scoundrels, thieves, undead vampires, ogres, ancient monsters, dragons, werewolves...Each story brings a new and different adventure and set of obstacles for the vengeful bounty killer to encounter...and conquer.

Now that I've read this I'm looking forward to delving deeper into the Warhammer novels. It's really a very interesting universe as C L Werner paints it. C L Werner, Warhammer and even the fantasy genre itself are all on my radar now. I'm late to the party but I'm glad I eventually discovered it.

Imaginative, well written, brutal, vivid. This book is fantastic.

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ever wondered what Boba Fett would be like in a fantasy setting? Look no further! Warhammer's most notorious bounty hunter is the infamous Brunner, feared by criminals, outlaws and those on the run in the old world for his grim determination, his cunning mind linked to an old lone wolf and his sharp butcher's knife headtaker (alongside the rest of his big arsenal of weapons and tricks). This bundle brings together all of the Brunner stories in one convenient collection and they have even been reprinted of late.

the thing is, would you like a movie that had Boba Fett as the protagonist? Because like Boba Fett, Brunner nearly only cares about getting paid, bringing in his contracted target, using any (well nearly any) means necessary and grunts his way to the end of the story. He is the embodiment the neutral alignment and cares little for the woes of the world as long as it does not get in between him and his money. It makes him a genuinely cool and bad ass character (like boba fett is) but makes him a rather poor protagonist with little to no character development throughout all the stories. However, I would have been more harsh on this point were it not for the final and ironically the longest story in the bundle; blood of the dragon.

Most of the stories in this bundle are short stories and the most fun about them I would say is the settings (Tilea or Bretonnia), the often simple but pleasurable plot and the side characters or adversaries interaction with Brunner. I particularly liked his unofficial chronicler who sells his stories as cheap pulp novella's( yeah love the meta aspect about that). But Brunner himself?.... he grunts, fires his pistol, throws his knifes, devises simple but brutally effective plans on the spot and that's about it. Unlike the conan the barbarian stories that I immensely enjoy, Brunner does not sit that right with me. Conan offers the reader a joy in life, Conan seems above all to want to wring out some satisfaction and fun out of life, any meaning is gained on the spot, laughter and melancholy walking hand in hand. Brunner on the other hand offers something totally different, this (the author himself acknowledges the influence) clint eastwood vibe from the good the bad and the ugly, all stubble and grunts. Perhaps a better comparison is Brunner and Conan are like a Nihilist and an absurdist, both have little care for the societal myths and norms, both fall back on an inner core, an essential truth about themselves that gets them trough life but their philosophies differ tremendously on the emotional level. Like in real life a nihilist like Brunner can tend to bum you out a little or intimidate you to do his bidding while an energetic absurdist like conan can sweep you up in his energetic spur of the moment that you want to join in. The unmovable object and the unstoppable force image comes to mind and me personally I tend to prefer the unstoppable force personalities a bit more.

This is the reason why it took my quite a long time to finish the bundle; it is not that they are bad, I think every short story is good and worthwhile but they are so coated in this I do not care attitude of the main character that I found it hard to read more then three of them in a row without reading something in between. So you can understand why I kept off reading the final story, the longest by far and the only truly book one until this week. But here I found something else. the setting was good, the plot was a bit more complex but not overly so as to break the tone of the bundle up to this point. What was different is that Brunner is not the constant POV, quite a lot of POV is given to adversaries, targets, partners and monsters. To put it bluntly Brunner is a more then ok character but I don't like him in to much quantity. But to be fair in this story we actually do see character development with Brunner, the story references several of the short stories in the bundle thus giving them meaning as more then stories on their own and his change of heart near the end was well prepared and did not feel forced.

So should you read Brunner the bounty hunter? Yes I think you should and even those who don't read or know that much about the warhammer lore will find pleasure in this bundle as they are in themselves coherent stories that can be appreciated for what they are. Gritty stories about a man looking for his paycheck.

[Luke Nyland · Rating 4 out of 5]

The only thing that stopped me giving this book a 5-star rating was some of the repetition and unimaginative wordplay; the story itself is one of the best I've ever read.

There are those out there who are hesitant to begin reading a story set in the Warhammer world because they either don't know the lore and background, or they think they won't understand the terminology used in the stories: if you are one of these people, this may be the perfect introductory story for you. There is minimal reference to lore, or even other species such as elves and dwarfs. Where they ARE mentioned, they are described as if seeing them for the first time; so the reader isn't left wondering what this strange being looks like! About 90% of the characters in the book are human, in a time and place that could be compared to medieval Europe. If you know of or are interested in that period of history, you don't need me to describe it to you.

As a fan of Star Wars, particularly Boba Fett, I already had a love of stories where the main character is by no means the 'good guy'. There's a perverse pleasure in willing the protagonist to be a b*****d to people they encounter! Throughout his adventures, the reader finds themselves wondering just where Brunner is coming from; does he have a troubled background that leads him to his life of danger, isolation and immorality? Does he do it simply because he can, or because his ruthlessness is in his nature?

I WON'T spoil anything for you: but you only find out the answer to this question at the very end of the last book. With that in mind, see if you can figure him out during the course of all three!

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not my usual sort of read but i did really enjoy it.
So much so that I got The Space Wolf Omnibus by William King and I'm a good 250 pages into that and liking it.
I also managed to find the first Horus book by Dan Abnett (Who is apparently well liked by the 40k readers)
So fingers crossed I enjoy it as much as I've enjoyed Brunner and the start of the Space Wolf Omnibus.

[Ethan · Rating 4 out of 5]

C. L. Werner doesn't need to say how horrifying the situations and actions are, you'll be able to tell from just the descriptions. The descriptive wording isn't the only good part, the way the story is written it feels like Brunner is so superior to the reader he doesn't bother explaining why he did something and just shows the results. This book is the edgier fantasy version of The Mandalorian. I recommend this to anybody who can visualize well, but if you have a weak stomach I suggest taking frequent breaks.

[Jason Ray Carney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review of Blood of the Dragon (the third book in the omnibus):

This is the third Brunner the Bounty Hunter novel. The first two are anthologies of short stories and novellas. This is a cohesive novel, and it is excellent. Brunner teams up with a dwarf warrior, Ulgrin, and an elf enchantress, Ithilweil. There are several cool villains, including a tragic vampire knight, a demented outcast sorcerer, a wily rogue, and a dragon. The story takes place in Brettonia, the Warhammer Fantasy grimdark homage to Arthurian England, and it's vivid. If you've read the first two Brunner novels and are invested in the character, there are several great allusions to previous adventures and intriguing character development, particularly in the concluding epilogue. I really loved this.

[Ctgt · Rating 4 out of 5]

8/10

[Mike Malaspina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brunner is a collection of tales set in the "Grim Dark" world of Warhammer. He's more protagonist than hero and that's okay with me. Merciless, smart, tough as nails and relentless, Brunner is a notorious bounty killer. A bogeyman among the underworld. His name is whispered among thieves as legend. With good reason, Brunner nearly always gets his bounty and no one escapes him alive. Brunner isn't just a stereotypical invincible action character either. He doesn't win because he's the Terminator, he wins because he's wolfishly smart, savagely cunning AND has the skills to back it up. When faced with a tough fight Brunner prefers to shoot his enemies in the back, but if it comes down to it he can hold his own with just about anyone.

Brunner knows fear, Brunner meets foes who outmatch him physically, he gets his ass kicked more than once, but in the end he finds a way to trick, distract, exploit and beat anyone he comes against. Orcs, werewolves, dark elves, daemons, cultists of the Dark Gods, the undead and regular old men both the powerful and the resourceful all fall before him.

The stories are gritty, blood soaked adventure at it's best.

[Eric Barnum · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brunner, the dark bounter hunter of darkness, is an island of steel will and mercenary attitude. The fun in this story is wondering how and where his humanity is going to surface and alter the story.

[Herb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blood Money - Banger
Blood and Steel - Certified Banger
Blood of the Dragon - Banger

[Jake · Rating 2 out of 5]

This 2 star rating should be taken with a bit of an codifier. I didn't finish the omnibus, for reasons described below, so perhaps my impressions would have changed if I felt like continuing on, but honestly I didn't want to.

Stand alone, I found each of the stories enjoyable. Brunner is a fun character to read about. Even a few together were entertaining. However, the first 2/3 of the omnibus are largely unrelated short stories compiled together of roughly the same thing, Brunner gathering bounties. This grew static and stale as I continued to read.

Most of the enemies Brunner faced he handled with ease, leaving little actual feeling of danger.

In many ways these stories reminded me of my brief foray into Conan the Barbarian, like Conan, Brunner is a stoic, brooding, quiet protagonist, who hides a deep cunning and skill. He is an anti-hero, who overcomes seemingly impossible odds with regularity thru cunning and skill of arms.

While a taste of this was a lot of fun, much like a diet of just junk food, hundreds of pages of it just grew empty and boring.

If you want to read some of these stories I actually recommend it, as they are fun. But it isn't worth slogging thru the entire omnibus. After 100 or so pages you get the gist.

[Vanteacher · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable romp through a gritty world.

Its dark and grim, with Brunner living his own way. He's no golden boy and the short stories are varied and full of dark fun.

He seems to be a bit of a Gary-Stu (seemingly free of weeknesses) but as the story comes together you see it. And when the story wraps up it feels complete.

If you like your stories pre-LGBTQ.. you'd like this.

[Frantick Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was great. I want to dig up one of my friends warhammer boards and give it a go after finishing this book. It has that delightful familiar fantasy-war feel to it. Not too grim but at the same time not over the top in its fantastical silliness.
Good and easy read.

[Fredrik · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been a long time since I've enjoyed a novel the way I enjoyed this Warhammer Brunner omnibus!

Great action, cool characters and a massiv, dark, gritty, bloody and EPIC world to travel in. Amazing.

[Christopher Herrig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Think Clint Eastwood, Batman, and Boba Fett in a world kind of like Game of Thrones... This is a fun series in the Warhammer fantasy setting yet doesn't lean too heavy on its lore. It's well worth your time!

[Tim H · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love the Old World Warhammer (prior to 40K and Guns/Machines) I HIGHLY recommend this book. Brunner and his expertise to always get his mark is like reading a John Wick book! The best part is some of the things he comes across and how he deals with the situations. Truly loved this one!

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Warhammer version of the count of Monte Cristo. Except he turns into a bounty hunter and is a a bad ass.

[Derrick Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book...I love the characters...A must read for sure!!!!

[Eline · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can't handle the overly use of descriptive words and bad dialog.

[Christopher Dodds · Rating 5 out of 5]

As usual another great Warhammer book, full of dangerous bounties and dangerous foes to be hunted.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of the longer stories drag a bit but the short stories are very enjoyable.

[Teo · Rating 4 out of 5]

[note: "Brunner the Bounty Hunter" is an omnibus collecting all the short stories, originally collected in volumes titled "Blood & Steel" and "Blood Money", and the novel "Blood of the Dragon"]

From the pen of C. L. Werner, one of today’s greatest fantasy writers and certainly one of the top talents employed by Black Library (BL), come the dark and brutal adventures of the ruthless bounty hunter called Brunner.

“Brunner: The Bounty Hunter” is in fact an omnibus, collecting all the Brunner-related short stories that Werner has written over the years. Yes, you read it right – short stories. Usually, BL’s omnibuses collect the three novels of the same series. In total, 11 yarns are collected in volumes titled “Blood Money” and “Blood and Steel”, plus one introductory stand-alone yarn and one novel, “Blood of the Dragon”. Interestingly, Brunner’s adventures are in fact told by Earhard Stoecker, a once famous writer exiled from the Empire to Tilea, where he adopts a career in penning ‘shilling dreadfuls’ – pulps, in other words. Before each story, Earhard recounts the encounter with the bounty hunter, who then proceeds to tell him the tale. What we’re reading are, in fact, Earhards’s pulp yarns. Cool!

The highlights: “The Money-lender’s Price” which has an awesome ending; “Blood Money” which is mystery- as well as action-ridden, when Brunner finds himself the target of a series of assassinations; “The Black Prince” where Brunner goes against a dark and evil warlord, whose very existence is shrouded in mystery; "Deathmark", where Brunner finds himself between the clash of two ancient creatures of the dark; “Where Walks the Mardagg”, where Brunner is cast in a web of lies and intrigues, nothing is what it seems to be and no one is to be trusted; and of course, the novel “Blood of the Dragon”, which, despite its quality, is to me the weakest work in the whole collection. It’s got too much grandeur, so to speak. It bears too much resemblance to those hero-must-save-the-world fantasy stories, and somehow it isn’t as engaging as the other tales.

Mr. Werner managed to avoid one of the greatest pitfalls of the short story format centered on a hero with a specific occupation – repetition. True enough, Brunner is always after a bounty, but every story is different – and by different I don’t mean that in one story the target is Jimmy and in the other Tommy. No, I mean each story is really diverse, placing Brunner in all sorts of predicaments, and every tale brings a new spin on the old “get job – find target – kill target – collect bounty” scenario. Brunner’s adventures never become stale. There is an added bonus of the gradual revealing of Brunner’s background. Little by little, the reader learns about the man’s tragic and violent past, and when the final missing piece of the puzzle is found, you’ll be yearning for more. I hope Mr. Werner will heed us and deliver more of the bounty hunter.

Without a doubt, Brunner is one of the baddest and meanest motherfuckers out there. Calm, cool and collected, his visage enclosed in a steel helm, adorned in armor, with knives dangling around his waist and torso, and more hidden weapons stashed elsewhere, Brunner is a fear-inducing figure. He’s a man of few words, but great confidence which is backed up by his skill with the blade. In contrast to the typical hero, Brunner is not a master swordsman. He is adept, for sure, but often finds himself bested in a fair one-on-one duel. That is why he prefers to end such encounters from afar, with his crossbow or pistol. With his take-no-shit attitude, Brunner reminds of the legendary Clint Eastwood. To confirm the similarity is not just a coincidence, C. L. Werner states in the preface that the character evolved from a lifelong exposure to spaghetti westerns of the 60’s and 70’s.

In every review of one of C. L. Werner’s works, I immensely praise the man’s writing style, which truly brings back the old pulps to life. Somewhere along the line, it seems that the majority of the authors simply forgot how to write, while the readers likewise forgot what a well-written story looks like. Fortunately, although few and far in between, there are people like Mr. Werner to save the day. Because Brunner’s short stories were written over a period of several years, 2002 – 2010 to be more precise, the quality of the writing varies, ranging from ‘only’ good to excellent. But, rest assured, you’ll find some of Werner’s finest in this omnibus.

Anyone longing for some quality dark fantasy adventure should not pass this by any chance. It doesn’t matter if you aren’t familiar with the Warhammer setting, or haven’t read Werner before – this is a great time to start. Just go to a bookstore, or wherever, and buy this omnibus! Do it!

Rating: 9.5/10

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finally finished this omnibus, and despite some initial reservations, I have to say I quite liked it.

Let me first mention what's in the book. The omnibus contains three previously published novels- Blood and Steel, Blood Money, and Blood of the Dragon, as well as the short story "What Price Vengeance". All the books/stories in the omnibus cover the exploits and adventures of Brunner, a mysterious bounty hunter known to always get his man, creature, or anything.

Now, I listed the omnibus' inclusions as books, but two of the books are actually compilations of short stories that often have nothing to do with one another. This is one thing that is both a good and bad thing about the book. The short stories (12, I think) let you see Brunner in a variety of situations, and interacting with a variety of people from either his past as a bounty hunter, or the hinted-at past prior to him becoming one. However, you don't often see much connection between people in the short stories, aside from a few cases, and what seemed a fairly important character mentioned in the first story is never mentioned again, which I found a little peculiar. Having a career as a bounty hunter in a world like the Warhammer one would probably be a life where the feel of moving from one adventure to the next would be fairly accurate, so although it's probably not to everyone's taste, it definitely moves well enough to not hinder a reader's enjoyment.

Brunner as a character is more interesting than I originally expected. When you're starting to read through the first story in the omnibus ("What Price Vengeance") you can obviously tell he's very cold, skilled ('unbeatable' is the trait I believe the author was going for), and ruthless. The character seems actually very shallow: he wants money; he takes jobs to get it. However as you read along, you can feel there's definitely more to him, and that there's certainly more to his past than you'd expect. You also learn that he does have a goal (vengeance), and find out why. I won't say the character is very highly developed, even by the end, but there's certainly several steps made in that direction.

The setting is a little different for Warhammer. Much of the action takes place in the city-states of Tilea, and almost the entirety of Blood of the Dragon takes place in some of the darker parts of Bretonnia. Although I thought that the setting would add to the book's appeal, I honestly felt several times that the book wasn't even set in the 'Warhammer universe', despite the obvious appearances of Skaven, Dragons, Orcs and Dark Elves. That's probably an unfair assessment of mine, because as a fantasy setting much of Warhammer's uniqueness is its history and not the races that make up the world... and you shouldn't expect to read its history in every book. The setting is well enough developed to provide a good backdrop for Brunner's adventures, but that's about all- and that's really all it needs to be, given the scope of the adventures.

One thing I loved about the book, but missed much of until about halfway through, is little hints that the author puts into the story, both through characters, dialogue, and Brunner's own thoughts, that tell you more of who Brunner is, and why he's doing it. I will say, after reading the ending of the Omnibus, I immediately read the first story again, because I didn't realize the connection between a few occurences and characters until very near the end. I'm not sure that everyone will miss them like I did, but I think that's a testament to Werner's skill that there are still pieces to pick up from the story even after you've read it.

I would recommend this book to people who like Black Library books, although I probably wouldn't direct people who are interested in either the Warhammer or 40K settings to start with this book. C.L. Werner has some great contributions to the Black Library collection, and although I don't think this is one of his best, it certainly is quite enjoyable, and I hope he continues to write for the character at some point in the future.

(from my blog: http://boisterous-exuberance.blogspot...)

[Robert Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, but a bit repetitive. Maybe as a stand-alone book this would have been one more star. I did like the short story structure couched in the efforts of a penny-dreadful author inside that fantasy world, but after awhile the constant description of the protagonist became a bit heavy-handed and repetitive.

Other than that, solid writing. Any time I can find myself routing for a dark hero, the author is doing something right. However, in this case, it may be because his world is so dreadfully bleak and violent. Maybe it is because even though he is hunting for bounties, those he hunts usually deserve their fate.

[Mphecker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very fun piece of Warhammer Fantasy fiction. The stories are broken up in to smaller short stories (at least the first 5 or so I've read), and each helps to illustrate both the gritty setting and the utter ruthlessness of the protagonist. While I didn't read the full collection in one marathon, the stories seem self-contained enough to let me pick them up and put them down as I choose, which is a definite bonus. While I was already a fan of the author's Witch Hunter trilogy, the adventures of Brunner help to prove that CL Werner is one of the best Black library authors I've read.

[Audrey Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brunner will always have a special place in my heart. This was one of the first Warhammer books i'd read, and it got me so hooked. I just love this author. Brunner feels like a real flesh and blood man. His adventures are epic, and I totally wanted to pack a duffel bag and ride off after him to fight Orc's and stuff. haha. I recommended this to my younger brother who was looking for a good adventure, and he's hooked too! This is one of those books you'll never want to end.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Warhammer continues to deliver on interesting characters & non-stop action. Great guilty pleasure reading especially if your a roleplaying gamer or former gamer. Fans of D&D, Dragonlance, & heroic fantasy will enjoy this Antihero.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brunner is comically efficient. The stories in this collection are fun and light (and a great read while on the train rides between castles in Germany!), but lack believably and depth. They are well done though for how quickly the plots develop, and each ends with a clever lesson or philosophy.

[Christian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just finished. Awesomeness. Brunner is Bhaera's perfect drinking buddy. Brunner is absolutely amoral, ungrateful, underhanded, mercenary and relentless.

[Ray Thompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

It wasnt the best of books, as the characters tended to be too simple in scope. Some of the tales proved entertaining while others just didnt have it.