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Warhammer Heroes #1
Sword of Justice
Fresh from the slaughter of the Emperor's enemies in the north, Ludwig Schwarzhelm, Emperor's Champion, is sent to Averland to oversee the inauguration of a new elector count. Beset by greenskins, and hampered on all sides by the ambitions of rival magnates, he is soon fighting to keep the fractious province together. But the rot runs deep. Powerful forces in Altdorf seem determined to see him fail, and suspicion falls on even his most trusted allies. When all is at its bleakest, the mark of Chaos and the full horror of his task is finally revealed. Alone, doubted by those closest to him, this will be Schwarzhelm's greatest ever challenge, one on which the destiny of the Empire itself depends.
414 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
2 people are currently reading
221 people want to read
About the author
Chris Wraight
218 books380 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 - 16 of 16 reviews
May 27, 2020
I'd say Sword of Justice is probably my favorite Warhammer fantasy book, so far. This book has an edge over other Warhammer fantasy books because it has an excellent balance between characters, plot, and actions. The story follows Ludwig Schwarzhelm. He is the emperor's champion and the wielder of the legendary Sword of Justice. Ludwig is a formidable character but the book portrayed his inner struggles very well. His character is abundant with qualities but he also has flaws, and it gives his character more dimensions than two. Aside from Ludwig, the book also has a cast of excellent support characters.
The plotting of the book is top notch. It has a lot of political intrigues and conspiracies to make it interesting. There are many twists and turns in the story and the ending took me by surprise. I think Sword of Justice excelled in the story department and it certainly offers a plot much more intriguing than other books in the Warhammer fantasy universe. The pacing is excellent and made even better by the phenomenal actions which are bound to leave lasting memories on your mind. The intricate plot is layered on top of great worldbuilding. This book has some of the best descriptions of the cities in the Warhammer fantasy world. The depictions are vivid and it is very immersive. Sword of Justice is not just a good warhammer fantasy book, it is also a great fantasy book, period. I am very glad to have discovered this book and I cannot wait to read the sequel - Sword of Vengeance.
The plotting of the book is top notch. It has a lot of political intrigues and conspiracies to make it interesting. There are many twists and turns in the story and the ending took me by surprise. I think Sword of Justice excelled in the story department and it certainly offers a plot much more intriguing than other books in the Warhammer fantasy universe. The pacing is excellent and made even better by the phenomenal actions which are bound to leave lasting memories on your mind. The intricate plot is layered on top of great worldbuilding. This book has some of the best descriptions of the cities in the Warhammer fantasy world. The depictions are vivid and it is very immersive. Sword of Justice is not just a good warhammer fantasy book, it is also a great fantasy book, period. I am very glad to have discovered this book and I cannot wait to read the sequel - Sword of Vengeance.
November 15, 2019
First-rate yarns from the Old World, with some mighty big names. When you have Schwarzhelm, Reiksmarschall Helborg, and Karl-Franz himself in the mix, it's bound to be interesting.
A lot of fights - the opener is the jewel, with some excellent atmosphere, good establishment of Schwarzhelm's legendary reputation, and most of all, the opportunity to see him in his element, doing what he does best. In addition, we get the seeds of his inner conflict and insecurities, making a human being (albeit an impressive one) out of a heroic table-top miniature.
Schwarzhelm, as with all characters of his stature, is difficult to threaten physically, so most of his battle is internal. He never questions his talents as a warrior or leader in battle - his fear lies in failing at being his Emperor's representative of justice. Ludwig Schwarzhelm wants more than anything than to do what is right, to be as worthy as he can be of the Sword of Justice that makes him the Emperor's Champion. Solid paladin stuff, and anyone who knows me knows how I love that kind of thing.
Time to be off to bed. That cliffhanger ending makes me mighty glad I own the sequel. I need to see Helborg and Schwarzhelm back on the same page (rim shot).
Recommended for fans of the Old World.
A lot of fights - the opener is the jewel, with some excellent atmosphere, good establishment of Schwarzhelm's legendary reputation, and most of all, the opportunity to see him in his element, doing what he does best. In addition, we get the seeds of his inner conflict and insecurities, making a human being (albeit an impressive one) out of a heroic table-top miniature.
Schwarzhelm, as with all characters of his stature, is difficult to threaten physically, so most of his battle is internal. He never questions his talents as a warrior or leader in battle - his fear lies in failing at being his Emperor's representative of justice. Ludwig Schwarzhelm wants more than anything than to do what is right, to be as worthy as he can be of the Sword of Justice that makes him the Emperor's Champion. Solid paladin stuff, and anyone who knows me knows how I love that kind of thing.
Time to be off to bed. That cliffhanger ending makes me mighty glad I own the sequel. I need to see Helborg and Schwarzhelm back on the same page (rim shot).
Recommended for fans of the Old World.
March 26, 2025
CAUTION HERE MAY BE SPOILERS!!!
Not going to lie at first I didn’t like this book.
It drops in right at the start of a big long battle, and by long I mean over 50-75 pages. It was a good battle just so long.
Then the book got interesting. The politics!!! If there is one thing I love about Warhammer books it's when they get political. How all the people and races live together and the feuding between them all is just great. And in this book, we see some of the hidden rivalries that go straight to the Emperor’s two right-hand men.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a good old Warhammer novel with a little chaos thrown in and of course the beautiful woman is the one who’s behind it all. Simple idea? Been done before? Both yes. But Chris Wraight knows how to right good Warhammer and does a great job of almost keeping our attention fixed on the political feud between Leitdorf and Grosslich not to mention the personal rivalry Schwarzhelm and Helborg that you almost forget her and overlook her involvement. Hence the reason she isn’t in this much at all.
Very clever Chris Wraight 🤨🤔
Of course, this is book one of two so there is a great little plot twist at the end that sets that up nicely.
Good thing book two is sitting on my to-read pile waiting for my attention 🙌🏻🙏🏻
Not going to lie at first I didn’t like this book.
It drops in right at the start of a big long battle, and by long I mean over 50-75 pages. It was a good battle just so long.
Then the book got interesting. The politics!!! If there is one thing I love about Warhammer books it's when they get political. How all the people and races live together and the feuding between them all is just great. And in this book, we see some of the hidden rivalries that go straight to the Emperor’s two right-hand men.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a good old Warhammer novel with a little chaos thrown in and of course the beautiful woman is the one who’s behind it all. Simple idea? Been done before? Both yes. But Chris Wraight knows how to right good Warhammer and does a great job of almost keeping our attention fixed on the political feud between Leitdorf and Grosslich not to mention the personal rivalry Schwarzhelm and Helborg that you almost forget her and overlook her involvement. Hence the reason she isn’t in this much at all.
Very clever Chris Wraight 🤨🤔
Of course, this is book one of two so there is a great little plot twist at the end that sets that up nicely.
Good thing book two is sitting on my to-read pile waiting for my attention 🙌🏻🙏🏻
March 25, 2025
People in the 1940's would read Cowboy novels when they wanted just a fun easy read. The Nerds of current year read Warhammer. This was a very disposable read. I liked the first book in this spiritual trilogy better, Luthor Huss. Sword of Justice is only part 1 of the story, and so we didn't get as much fighting against Chaos as I would have liked. This book felt a bit like it was just written as a job, which it was of course, but you could feel it a little more here. It still had a good clear theme - rivalry, jealousy, and that clouding people's minds. You see it in our main hero and his rival, and in the two Elector Counts vying for control of Averburg, and in our lowly footsoldier Bloch and his rival. All in all, a fine read, and I will certainly read the second book in this duopoly.
February 3, 2023
NO spoilers
Firstly, it has some VERY unexpected plot twists (the second one also has more surprises, and a few very heart-warming ones).
I cannot say it was masterfully written, and certainly throwing in how the Emperor's Champion is remembering a woman from his past in a line just to show he knew a woman or two then having this mean nothing to the plot was childish writing.
But if you are a Warhammer fan, like fantasy battles and Empire politics, I recommend it.
Firstly, it has some VERY unexpected plot twists (the second one also has more surprises, and a few very heart-warming ones).
I cannot say it was masterfully written, and certainly throwing in how the Emperor's Champion is remembering a woman from his past in a line just to show he knew a woman or two then having this mean nothing to the plot was childish writing.
But if you are a Warhammer fan, like fantasy battles and Empire politics, I recommend it.
October 29, 2017
Fast paced and enjoyable. Sets itself up well for the next in the series
February 15, 2019
Sehr gut, um wieder ins Lesen rein zu kommen.
Einfach geschrieben, aber spannend und atmosphärisch.
Einfach geschrieben, aber spannend und atmosphärisch.
February 2, 2023
Chris Wraight is my favourite 40k author, and unsurprisingly I thought this was brilliant, too.
June 1, 2023
A good solid book, it has the right balance of story, battles and character development.
January 28, 2020
Quite a dark fantasy in the Warhammer world, following the Emperor's Champion (Schwarzhelm) returning to his homeland to see a new Count elected.
Tons of battle scenes, all really well written, and some good movements between Schwarzhelm and the Emperor, and also between the people who work for him.
It gets quite claustrophobic in some places, the writing is brilliant in showing his frustration as forces conspire against him. The grand melee scene towards the end has quite a lot going on, and in places the same thing is told from different peoples perspectives.
Some (but not all) of the ending is a bit predictable, but overall a good story with well written characters.
Tons of battle scenes, all really well written, and some good movements between Schwarzhelm and the Emperor, and also between the people who work for him.
It gets quite claustrophobic in some places, the writing is brilliant in showing his frustration as forces conspire against him. The grand melee scene towards the end has quite a lot going on, and in places the same thing is told from different peoples perspectives.
Some (but not all) of the ending is a bit predictable, but overall a good story with well written characters.
April 3, 2012
Been a while since I read a Warhammer fantasy novel, and I very much enjoyed this one. Ludwig Scharzhelm, the Emperor's Champion, is kind of a one note character but everything going on around him is very interesting. He's been sent to Averheim to settle the dispute of succession and choose the new elector for the city. Of course everything isn't quite as it seems and Chaos is messing everything up. There's a very good twist towards the end, and cliffhanger ending has me looking forward to the conclusion of the story in the second book.
August 8, 2011
Overall I enjoyed this look into the Emperor's Champion's psyche. He came across as a bit one-dimensional, but hopefully will develop in the sequel. The metaplot of the chaos subversion was done pretty well, though Ludwig's spy was by far my favorite character.
February 16, 2014
Read my review of this solid Warhammer Fantasy yarn here:
http://hachisnaxreads.blogspot.com/20...
http://hachisnaxreads.blogspot.com/20...
July 29, 2015
2,5 Stars, starts really good, but I didn't like the end
January 28, 2019
Beastmen, Orcs, and Slaanesh.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews