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Empire Army #2
Iron Company
Magnus Ironblood joins an Imperial force to try and bring down secessionist forces, and finds himself in a bloody battle against deadly foes.
413 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
8 people are currently reading
189 people want to read
About the author
Chris Wraight
219 books381 followersChris Wraight is a British author of fantasy and science fiction.
His first novel was published in 2008; since then, he has published books set in the Warhammer Fantasy and Stargate:Atlantis universes, and has upcoming titles in the Warhammer 40K setting.
He is based in the south-west of England.
His first novel was published in 2008; since then, he has published books set in the Warhammer Fantasy and Stargate:Atlantis universes, and has upcoming titles in the Warhammer 40K setting.
He is based in the south-west of England.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
May 8, 2012
After reading Reiksguard, the first in the Empire Army series, I was dead-set on continuing on to the second book (whatever it may be). When I found out that it followed the story of an engineer of Nuln on campaign, I knew immediately that I was going to enjoy the book immensely!
The story follows Magnus Ironblood, a son living in the shadow of his father's reputation, as he strives to battle his own daemons by accepting a commission from a Hochland nobleman. Chris Wraight manages to brilliant capture the mood of each situation throughout the story; giving the reader brilliant insight into the emotions of each character, and the feel of the surroundings. Whether through experience or not (hopefully the latter), Wraight seems particularly adept at writing from the perspective of one who's hit rock-bottom and desperately tries to find solace at the bottom of a bottle!
The character development in this book is superb. By the end of the story, the reader is left with a veritable dossier of the characters, their backgrounds, their motivations and appearances. Despite there being an array of key players in the book, the reader is never left thinking, "who's that guy, again?" as in some other stories who seek to introduce a larger number of characters, but lack the depth to properly describe them.
The only thing that prevented me from giving this book a 5-star review was the predictability of some elements. At times, some information that was clearly supposed to be a subtle glimpse or teaser turned out to be a complete giveaway. In one or two instances, it allowed for an enjoyable pantomime-esque sense of "it's behind you!", but at others left the reader waiting impatiently for the inevitable.
One particular element of Empire culture that is not nearly covered enough, but is thankfully mentioned at length in this book, is the enmity between the devout followers of Sigmar and the practitioners of the "new sciences". As with the entirety of the 'ascendancy' of Sigmar and the subsequent cultism, similarities can be drawn to Christianity. The dialogue of the priests condemning the progression of technology and education in favour of the primitive ways of their patron deity provides a contemporary and quintessentially human facet that even the uninitiated to fantasy literature can relate to and feel a part of.
I look forward to continuing the Empire Army series and hope they're just as good as the first two!
The story follows Magnus Ironblood, a son living in the shadow of his father's reputation, as he strives to battle his own daemons by accepting a commission from a Hochland nobleman. Chris Wraight manages to brilliant capture the mood of each situation throughout the story; giving the reader brilliant insight into the emotions of each character, and the feel of the surroundings. Whether through experience or not (hopefully the latter), Wraight seems particularly adept at writing from the perspective of one who's hit rock-bottom and desperately tries to find solace at the bottom of a bottle!
The character development in this book is superb. By the end of the story, the reader is left with a veritable dossier of the characters, their backgrounds, their motivations and appearances. Despite there being an array of key players in the book, the reader is never left thinking, "who's that guy, again?" as in some other stories who seek to introduce a larger number of characters, but lack the depth to properly describe them.
The only thing that prevented me from giving this book a 5-star review was the predictability of some elements. At times, some information that was clearly supposed to be a subtle glimpse or teaser turned out to be a complete giveaway. In one or two instances, it allowed for an enjoyable pantomime-esque sense of "it's behind you!", but at others left the reader waiting impatiently for the inevitable.
One particular element of Empire culture that is not nearly covered enough, but is thankfully mentioned at length in this book, is the enmity between the devout followers of Sigmar and the practitioners of the "new sciences". As with the entirety of the 'ascendancy' of Sigmar and the subsequent cultism, similarities can be drawn to Christianity. The dialogue of the priests condemning the progression of technology and education in favour of the primitive ways of their patron deity provides a contemporary and quintessentially human facet that even the uninitiated to fantasy literature can relate to and feel a part of.
I look forward to continuing the Empire Army series and hope they're just as good as the first two!
August 21, 2018
Δεν ξέρω τι τάϊζαν τους συγγραφείς εκεί στην Black Library πρίν λανσάρουν το "Age of Sigmar" αλλά οι νουβέλες είναι απίστευτες: μεσαιωνικό (σχεδόν αντιγραφή του μεσαίωνα) fantasy, με την απαραίτητη δόση βίας, κυνισμού, αίματος, δράματος κ.α. Προφανώς δεν μιλάμε για λογοτεχνία αξιώσεων αλλά για ένα ευκολοδιάβαστο γλαφυρό πολεμικό ανάγνωσμα που αναμασά την ίδια πετυχημένη συνταγή παραμένοντας πάντα νόστιμο.
July 8, 2020
After reading this book, I think Chris Wraight is one of the best BL authors out there. It's a fun fantasy novel, with some good character development and exciting battle scenes where the weapons of the iron company let loose and are described in great detail. You get to see a side of the empire you don't usually see in fantasy novels and a realistic portrayal of battle with its long periods of boredom interspersed with short periods of incredible violence and chaos. The excerpts from diaries and books written by other characters in the empire help to give a wider context to the iron companies of the empire and, at the end of the book, to provide some redemption for the protagonist, Magnus.
By the end of the book, I felt sympathy with Magnus and many of the other characters, thrown into a violent conflict orchestrated by the upper classes of imperial society.
By the end of the book, I felt sympathy with Magnus and many of the other characters, thrown into a violent conflict orchestrated by the upper classes of imperial society.
March 3, 2023
A slow start almost made me tap out of this one, but it does pick up a bit before the halfway mark. Unfortunately, the story and characters just aren't there. Magnus is unlikeable even when you get his history and doesn't end up doing much. He's carried by supporting characters and never gets a time to shine. Some odd holes in the plot, that seem to be there only to create a grim finale, end up leaving the story unsatisfying as well. I've read other books by Chris and enjoyed them but I'd recommend skipping this one.
October 20, 2018
One of the best Black Library fantasy imprint books I have read: tells the human toll of campaigning without adding any additional elements (no Chaos or Skaven here, just venal nobles locked in civil disputes for which the masses pay). Told from the perspective of the artillery, it grounds the Old World dispute between sorcery and engineering and gives us a small group of soldiers worth following.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 10, 2020
Got no idea if this followed on book 1, but this was a great read.
February 22, 2020
I received a copy of Iron Company through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Iron Company is the second novel in the Empire Army series from Black Library (the world of Warhammer Fantasy). That being said, you can easily dive right in at this point and have no trouble following along – I did. And I have no regrets about that fact.
Magnus Ironblood has chosen isolation as his form of personal torture. Caught up in the grief and guilt of his past, he has sunken well into the pits of drunkenness and despair. It is hard to believe, underneath that guise, that he is a master engineer, one with a brilliant intellect and a keen eye for weapons.
Magnus may very well have faded into obscurity – if not for the events that are about to unfold. For he is about to get wrapped up in a conspiracy. One that Imperial forces intend to sort out.
“You’ve been badly advised. If you need a master engineer, look elsewhere. There are good reasons for my leaving the service.”
Iron Company was everything I had hoped it would be. It was full of action, redeeming plot arcs, and so much more. This is exactly the sort of reading fans (myself included) have come to expect from Black Library.
I mentioned above that I hadn’t actually read Reiksguard, the first novel in the Empire Army series. That was a mistake on my part (one that I will fix by going back and reading it). But I honestly had no trouble following along with Ironblood’s story. If anything, the intrigue was increased, as I worked to puzzle together the pieces of his past.
This is a novel told through multiple perspectives, but the main one is that of Magnus himself. I honestly enjoyed his side of the story the most (as intended, I’m sure). I also adored his plot arc – the whole intrigue and redemption side of things really spoke to me. It made for an interesting read, one where I couldn’t help but root for his success.
The variety of characters in this novel – all with their own complex backstories and personal goals – truly enhanced the reading experience. I personally really enjoyed the addition of the internal politics and all of the battles that it caused. It made everything feel more grounded – and was a strong reminder that not all danger can be clearly seen.
It felt like there was subplot upon subplot in this novel, adding layers of complexity to dig through. While this is undoubtedly a novel full of action, violence, and gore – it is also one full of intricate and careful writing.
I for one really enjoyed reading Iron Company, and will be looking forward to seeing more in this series (including Rieksgaurd, obviously).
Check out more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
Iron Company is the second novel in the Empire Army series from Black Library (the world of Warhammer Fantasy). That being said, you can easily dive right in at this point and have no trouble following along – I did. And I have no regrets about that fact.
Magnus Ironblood has chosen isolation as his form of personal torture. Caught up in the grief and guilt of his past, he has sunken well into the pits of drunkenness and despair. It is hard to believe, underneath that guise, that he is a master engineer, one with a brilliant intellect and a keen eye for weapons.
Magnus may very well have faded into obscurity – if not for the events that are about to unfold. For he is about to get wrapped up in a conspiracy. One that Imperial forces intend to sort out.
“You’ve been badly advised. If you need a master engineer, look elsewhere. There are good reasons for my leaving the service.”
Iron Company was everything I had hoped it would be. It was full of action, redeeming plot arcs, and so much more. This is exactly the sort of reading fans (myself included) have come to expect from Black Library.
I mentioned above that I hadn’t actually read Reiksguard, the first novel in the Empire Army series. That was a mistake on my part (one that I will fix by going back and reading it). But I honestly had no trouble following along with Ironblood’s story. If anything, the intrigue was increased, as I worked to puzzle together the pieces of his past.
This is a novel told through multiple perspectives, but the main one is that of Magnus himself. I honestly enjoyed his side of the story the most (as intended, I’m sure). I also adored his plot arc – the whole intrigue and redemption side of things really spoke to me. It made for an interesting read, one where I couldn’t help but root for his success.
The variety of characters in this novel – all with their own complex backstories and personal goals – truly enhanced the reading experience. I personally really enjoyed the addition of the internal politics and all of the battles that it caused. It made everything feel more grounded – and was a strong reminder that not all danger can be clearly seen.
It felt like there was subplot upon subplot in this novel, adding layers of complexity to dig through. While this is undoubtedly a novel full of action, violence, and gore – it is also one full of intricate and careful writing.
I for one really enjoyed reading Iron Company, and will be looking forward to seeing more in this series (including Rieksgaurd, obviously).
Check out more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
May 13, 2017
"'what do you call her?' he said, stopping by a Hellblaster and its crews
'Murderous Margrita' came the reply, without a trace of irony crews often gave their artillery pieces names, and always those of women. For the men who knew they could lose a limp to the whims of their devices, it seemed appropriate.”
March 5, 2020
Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. The relationship of this stories relationship to the Warhammer series and 40k is obvious from the beginning. Problem here is that I am not a gamer. This story has the feel of a world of steampunk before there was steam. This genre just does nothing for me.
January 11, 2022
A good book to start the year.
Well written, with an interesting plot, gritty and brutal.
Without obvious likable protagonists yet quite relatable, if flawed, humane characters.
Worth it.
Long live the old world!
Well written, with an interesting plot, gritty and brutal.
Without obvious likable protagonists yet quite relatable, if flawed, humane characters.
Worth it.
Long live the old world!
November 5, 2021
Love this book, anything dealing with engineering and siege warfare captures my interest and imagination.
December 18, 2021
A fun read with a grim lesson on the destructive nature of man’s ambitions.
June 17, 2020
CAUTION HERE MAY BE SPOILERS!!!
This is the second of five Empire Army Warhammer novels. And no. You don't need to read them in order. Far as I can tell the order is just placed in order of publication.
This one was definitely an improvement over the first one, for one thing, it's not often you follow the life of an Empire Engineer from Nuln and it's good to learn a little more about how they operate in the army.
The story follows an Engineer who gets pulled out of retirement (forcibly) so he can supervise the cannons of the army so they can travel and put down a little uprising that has taken place. It has the usual plot points you find in Warhammer novels, the main character is hiding a troubled past and some good old fashioned treachery.
The Good Stuff
- Well first of its about cannons. Which is one of those things that don't get the front and centre treatment in Warhammer novels so it's great to find out how they're used and how other soldiers from other companies feel about them and the Engineers who man them
- What would a Warhammer novel be without some treachery? The main character has a darkish past about why he left his job and the shame he's carrying which fortunately doesn't take up much of the novel. But it does go into the secret weapon that he has stashed away. And no this isn't some small firearm but a huge old cannon that he lumbers around with him in a wagon wherever he goes. Of course, another hanger-on in the company ends up stealing it, putting it together (badly) and gets what he deserves.
- I like how they add a Dwarf and how his story plays out. He has a shame he has to make good on and some people in the castle that they have to lay siege to has the book he lost which is what has given them the ideas and blueprints to make their new fancy cannons
- Also at the start of every chapter is a little extract from some Imperial book or another giving advice and experience. It also gives you a hint as to what the chapter is going to be about 🤫
The Bad Stuff
- None, that's why it got a 5 star from me.
One thing this book did well was the little moments of humour. The main character told the Dwarf at one point that he doesn't care how things are done down in "Karak Kazoo" which made me laugh out loud when I was reading that line 😂
Honestly, I like this book series so far, I have all 5 and with this Covid-19 lockdown here in the UK I guess I'll have the time to read them all 😅🙌🏻🙏🏻
This is the second of five Empire Army Warhammer novels. And no. You don't need to read them in order. Far as I can tell the order is just placed in order of publication.
This one was definitely an improvement over the first one, for one thing, it's not often you follow the life of an Empire Engineer from Nuln and it's good to learn a little more about how they operate in the army.
The story follows an Engineer who gets pulled out of retirement (forcibly) so he can supervise the cannons of the army so they can travel and put down a little uprising that has taken place. It has the usual plot points you find in Warhammer novels, the main character is hiding a troubled past and some good old fashioned treachery.
The Good Stuff
- Well first of its about cannons. Which is one of those things that don't get the front and centre treatment in Warhammer novels so it's great to find out how they're used and how other soldiers from other companies feel about them and the Engineers who man them
- What would a Warhammer novel be without some treachery? The main character has a darkish past about why he left his job and the shame he's carrying which fortunately doesn't take up much of the novel. But it does go into the secret weapon that he has stashed away. And no this isn't some small firearm but a huge old cannon that he lumbers around with him in a wagon wherever he goes. Of course, another hanger-on in the company ends up stealing it, putting it together (badly) and gets what he deserves.
- I like how they add a Dwarf and how his story plays out. He has a shame he has to make good on and some people in the castle that they have to lay siege to has the book he lost which is what has given them the ideas and blueprints to make their new fancy cannons
- Also at the start of every chapter is a little extract from some Imperial book or another giving advice and experience. It also gives you a hint as to what the chapter is going to be about 🤫
The Bad Stuff
- None, that's why it got a 5 star from me.
One thing this book did well was the little moments of humour. The main character told the Dwarf at one point that he doesn't care how things are done down in "Karak Kazoo" which made me laugh out loud when I was reading that line 😂
Honestly, I like this book series so far, I have all 5 and with this Covid-19 lockdown here in the UK I guess I'll have the time to read them all 😅🙌🏻🙏🏻
July 23, 2020
The second Empire Army novel focuses on a Nuln engineer on campaign, and as such has a focus on the artillery aspect of the war. This is an underrated aspect of military fiction in general, and more so in fantasy. Considering that the Empire's whole schtick is 'Faith, steel and gunpowder', it is a fitting part to focus on.
The main character Magnus is VERY well written, as a man living in the shadow of his father and family name, and often finds himself at rock bottom and drinking himself into a stupor. For all that, he's a fairly relatable and likable character, and his working and knowledge of artillery is impressive. Given that the premise of the conflict of this novel is Imperial forces fighting a noblewoman who wants to secede rather than Chaos/Orcs/Beastmen/whatever, it gives insight into the fights between the upper classes of Empire society. Also worth mentioning is the conflict between Magnus and the warrior priests of Sigmar, the 'Faith' in the above motto. The priests see the technology of the engineers as an insult, and it's an interesting dynamic to have two officers on the same side duke it out with this.
The side characters are also worth mentioning, there's a gruff Dwarf for example who has his own subplot and reasons for joining the expedition. Treachery upon treachery and subplots upon subplots are in this novel, which makes it a fun read aside from the battle scenes.
The main character Magnus is VERY well written, as a man living in the shadow of his father and family name, and often finds himself at rock bottom and drinking himself into a stupor. For all that, he's a fairly relatable and likable character, and his working and knowledge of artillery is impressive. Given that the premise of the conflict of this novel is Imperial forces fighting a noblewoman who wants to secede rather than Chaos/Orcs/Beastmen/whatever, it gives insight into the fights between the upper classes of Empire society. Also worth mentioning is the conflict between Magnus and the warrior priests of Sigmar, the 'Faith' in the above motto. The priests see the technology of the engineers as an insult, and it's an interesting dynamic to have two officers on the same side duke it out with this.
The side characters are also worth mentioning, there's a gruff Dwarf for example who has his own subplot and reasons for joining the expedition. Treachery upon treachery and subplots upon subplots are in this novel, which makes it a fun read aside from the battle scenes.
March 8, 2012
This one was a solid read. It was a refreshing look into the old world machine of war. The story focused almost exclusively on the artillery company in a siege war. The end was a little anti-climactic, but enjoyable nonetheless. Magnus Ironblood is a pretty decent character, but the real reason I enjoyed the story was because of Throgad the dwarf. As some of you may know, I'm a bit partial to dwarves in almost any story. Seeing Throgad interact with the human soldiers was about what you would expect from a dwarf of the old world. It really makes me want to read a book about the dwarf engineers of the old world. As you would expect from a siege battle, there isn't a lot of action at first. No skaven or forces of chaos in this one either, just a good old fashioned story about traitors to the crown human vs human!
October 14, 2012
Exactly what you'd expect from a Black Library book: Pulpy, action-packed, and an easy read.
Chris Wraight is new both to Black Library, but also to the genre at large. This is an impressive early work when taken for what it is.
Chris Wraight is new both to Black Library, but also to the genre at large. This is an impressive early work when taken for what it is.
March 25, 2016
Read it as part of a Warhammer Fantasy Omnibus.
Not bad. A compelling setting, so-so characters and plot though. Classic trope of a damaged drunk 'finding himself' again, while fighting down a rebellion in a far off province.
Not bad. A compelling setting, so-so characters and plot though. Classic trope of a damaged drunk 'finding himself' again, while fighting down a rebellion in a far off province.
April 18, 2012
A thoroughly engaging, well-paced slice of Empire action.
April 17, 2014
I liked this one, because there wasn't usual-warhammer dying.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 23, 2017
Good enjoyable book set in Warhammer world. Iron companies are basically engineers who build and use artillery and blackpowder firearms. Magnus Ironblood is a master engineer, down on his luck and a drunk, who is given an opportunity to redeem himself and his reputation.
I don't know if he'll appear in other 'Empire Army' novels, but I'd like to read more about the poor bastard with his face out of a bottle.
I don't know if he'll appear in other 'Empire Army' novels, but I'd like to read more about the poor bastard with his face out of a bottle.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews