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Nick Kyme
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Grimblades (Warhammer: Empire Army) Paperback – July 27, 2010

by Nick Kyme (Author)
4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 24 ratings
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Left to defend the Reikland alone from orcs and goblins, Prince Wilhelm and the Grimblades engage in a desperate war across the empire while Emperor Dieter IV flees to the sancturay of Altdorf.
Previous page
  1. Print length
    416 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Games Workshop
  4. Publication date
    July 27, 2010
  5. Dimensions
    4 x 1.25 x 7 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1844168654
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1844168651
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Nick Kyme is a writer and editor. He lives in Nottingham where he began a career at Games Workshop on White Dwarf magazine as a staff writer and journalist. Nick's writing credits include the Warhammer 40,000 Tome of Fire trilogy featuring the Salamanders, Fall of Damnos, the Space Marine Battles novel, his Warhammer Fantasy-based dwarf novels and several short stories. He has also penned several short stories for the New York Times bestselling Horus Heresy series.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Games Workshop (July 27, 2010)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 416 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1844168654
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1844168651
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 7.4 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4 x 1.25 x 7 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 24 ratings

About the author

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Nick Kyme

Nick Kyme

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Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
4.8 out of 5
24 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Kyle J. Von Bose
5.0 out of 5 stars A little slow to start and rough around the edges
Reviewed in the United States on February 1, 2024
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A little slow to start and rough around the edges, but this book for me was as good if not better than 90% of the fantasy novels out there.

If you like First Law and Warhammer Fantasy of course, this book could scratch an itch.
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Kyle Smith
5.0 out of 5 stars This reminds me of "All Quiet on the Western Front"
Reviewed in the United States on November 24, 2010
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It's been a long time since I read "All Quiet on the Western Front". From what I recall, the story focused around a couple normal guys, and chronicled how they all died and coped with loss during WW1. The moral of the story was basically that war is hell. So here we have Grimblades. The story is remarkably similar. Except its moral seems to be that war is awesome!

First off I have to rant about the characters. Not a single character is without a complete and three dimensional personality. I hear the author is re-using characters from other books of his, but I haven't read them, so they were all new and amazing to me. You really want to learn more about these people. And it really matters to you when they fight and die.

The second thing I loved about this novel is how you never took victory for granted. There is always legitimate uncertainty as to whether the good guys are going to pull through, and who will survive and who won't. We probably owe this to it being a one shot novel, and taking place a bit earlier in Warhammer's history than the "present".

I also really enjoyed that this was firmly rooted in being a low fantasy novel. The setting has very little magic or super powers, and when these things do crop up, its rare, spectacular and fleeting. It keeps the story firmly rooted in the human struggle and drama, and away from deus ex machina super beings who can't lose. The struggle always seems perched on the edge of knife, and it wobbles with every line of writing.

All in all, Grimblades has not just been my favorite Warhammer novel, but also my favorite book period over the last several years. I highly recommend it.
2 people found this helpful
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omar
5.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly good
Reviewed in the United States on November 24, 2011
This is a true gem. Nick Kyme nailed this book with great story and even better characters. You feel for every main character in this novel and he has no problem shaking things up. You will understand the motivations of every character and hope that everyone survives and truly feel loss for those that don't. Highly recommended.
One person found this helpful
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Jeffery Preston
5.0 out of 5 stars There's dirt under the fingernails...
Reviewed in the United States on November 29, 2010
Needless to say, I DEVOURED it. The characters were set up from the word go. Good solid, characters with issues, who make bad decisions, deeply flawed characters we get to see succeed and fail, be heroes...and sometimes die for it. Nick Kyme did all the right things when he wrote this one! The plot is engaging and had me guessing who the good guys/ bad guys really were.

Nick Kyme is fast outpacing his contemporaries as a weaver of exceptionally deep, rich stories we can all relate to. A wonderful read!
One person found this helpful
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Patrick McGurk
4.0 out of 5 stars Good
Reviewed in the United States on April 30, 2017
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Good story, worth reading.
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Poisoned Blade
4.0 out of 5 stars Visceral Battles and Bloodshed! (Spoiler Free Review)
Reviewed in the United States on January 28, 2011
If you enjoy reading about medieval warfare where humans battle orcs, then this is the book for you!

Story:
The Orcish Hordes have broken through the pass and are invading the Human Empire. They sack cities, mutilate the populace, and leave a path of destruction in their wake. The Human Army must stop the Greenskins' Advance and save the Empire! The majority of the book is told from the perspective of the Grimblades, Imperial foot soldiers wielding halberds, swords, and daggers, as they engage the Orc army in ferocious combat.

World:
The Warhammer World is similar to Lord of the Rings, where Humans, Dwarves, Halflings, and Elves have been battling orcs, goblins, and trolls for centuries. Because the Warhammer Universe is so well defined, as you read this book, the towns that are under attack feel like real places and the Imperial Forces are described in vivid detail. You get a really good understanding of the weapons and tactics used in the battles.

Characters:
The Characters are more than stereotypical archetypes that normally appear in fantasy, but they aren't classic characters that you'll remember for years, either. The Grimblades have a Sergeant, a Commander, and a handful of soldiers that act as scouts, assassins, and warriors, all with haunted pasts. As the story unfolds, the characters will face inner demons as they battle horrific monsters. There really aren't any "farmboy becomes king" or "apprentice becomes a wizard" story arcs here, just soldiers and battles.

Action:
There is loads of action in this book. Ambushes, skirmishes, large scale battles, magic duels, cavalry, cannons, archers, magic weapons, trolls, orcs, squigs, goblins, wolf riders, boar riders... And the battle scenes are some of the most intense that you'll ever read.

Maturity:
There is fantasy violence and gore, some language, but no sexual situations.

Overall:
I enjoyed this book while I was reading it, but it doesn't stick with you. It's action packed, epic, and entertaining, but it's missing a strong protagonist and a feeling of progression. This book is full of great battle scenes, and some good scenes outside of the battles, but it really doesn't feel like a journey and the action doesn't stop long enough for you to really get to know the characters. The book is mostly just gritty characters in great battles.

Buy this book if you love fantasy battles.
Buy this book if you like adventures in the Warhammer Universe.
Avoid this book if you don't like gore.
Avoid this book if you like the standard quest formula where the characters change a great deal throughout the book.

If you enjoyed this book, I'd recommend 'The Blade Itself' by Joe Abercrombie.
One person found this helpful
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Erin&Mike
4.0 out of 5 stars The Empire is invaded and all that stands between its destruction is a small force of soliders and among them are the Grimblades
Reviewed in the United States on January 25, 2012
The Empire Army novel series showcases the Halbider units that form much of the backbone of any Empire army. Such a unit called the Grimblades. Men who have fought against beastmen and other horrors must now deal with a new threat. When a Reikland Prince tries to rally the elector counts and urge the current Emperor Deiter IV to take action against the horde he is refused.
Prince Wilhelm has no choice but to take what soldiers he has and make his way to the lands of Averland where Grom the Paunch is plundering the land and trying to sack Averland captial. Along the way the Grimblades must deal with internal strife between there fwllow soliders, other units trying to kill them for interfearing and even a royal plot to kill Prince Wilhelm himself.
The Grimblades must fight to keep the lands of man safe and to keep themselves from dying at the hands of orcs, goblins and all manner of creatures rallying to Grom's banner. Can they surivve to see this war to its end or will they be crushed under the massive Waghhh! that Grom is bringing to the Empire?
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

T
5.0 out of 5 stars Love this one
Reviewed in Germany on November 29, 2020
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Very nice story i own the entire serie ant they are all worth a buy in my opinion. For me personally Call to arms was the least of the serie. And the one that surprice me how good it was is Warrior priest.
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Mr. G. Jenkinson
5.0 out of 5 stars men do it again
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 2, 2014
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Loved this one, makes a change from dwarves and elves, lets see more of this style.
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Dazzo
3.0 out of 5 stars Not to bad actually
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 13, 2010
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A pleasant enough read, it did seem slow in places and the battle scenes can be a tad wearying but over all it wasn't to bad, good characterisation and a real feel for the setting.
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