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Robert Earl
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Broken Honour (Warhammer) Paperback – February 22, 2011

by Robert Earl (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 44 ratings
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The armies of Hochland are at breaking point. Beset on all sides by the feral beastmen, the safety and prosperity of the province is shattered. These are desperate times. Mercenary Captain Eriksson looks to capitalise on the conflict, buying the freedom of a group of prisoners to form a new free company. The criminals are delighted to be released, but this comes at a terrible price – to fight and die in the upcoming conflict. Eriksson must lead his makeshift company into one bloody conflict after another, putting his faith in those who gave up on honour long ago. On the battlefields of Hochland, either damnation or redemption awaits them.
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    49 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Games Workshop
  4. Publication date
    February 22, 2011
  5. Dimensions
    4 x 1.25 x 7 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1849700273
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1849700276
  8. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Games Workshop; 1st edition (February 22, 2011)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 49 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1849700273
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1849700276
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 7 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4 x 1.25 x 7 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 44 ratings

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Robert Earl

Robert Earl

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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
44 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Ubboza
5.0 out of 5 stars There are a few sections I would have liked to see explored further such as the "heretical" wizard's ...
Reviewed in the United States on February 25, 2015
Verified Purchase
Well-written, and character driven. The author does well trying to capture the madness and bestial cunning that embody the chaotic beastmen of the Warhammer world. Once I began this book, I couldn't put it down. There are a few sections I would have liked to see explored further such as the "heretical" wizard's knowledge of Chaos, but overall, the battle scenes were paced nicely and having never read anything else by Earl, I was amused by his descriptive writing and wit. I would recommend this to anyone interested in exploring the world of Warhammer fantasy without having to immerse him or her self into the mythos fully.
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David Stutzbach
5.0 out of 5 stars Chaos Theory in the Warhammer Universe
Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2011
A war of attrition sets the backdrop for a glorious novel from Robert Earl. We are fortunate to follow Captain Eriksson as he makes his way to Hergig to assemble what eventually will become the formidable Gentlemen's Free Company of Hergig. A ragged band of villains find freedom fortune and family as they are lead through one dangerous situation after the next battling the vile Beastmen of Hochland, lead of course by Mercenary Captain Eriksson. Through trials of deceit and backstabbing they find honor and pride.

Robert Earl's Broken Honour is an astounding addition to the Warhammer universe. He wields his cast of characters deftly, knowing where to put the emphasis and allowing the main attraction to remain the main attraction. The supporting cast do just that support, but they seem like their own person and have a sense of depth without monopolizing the story. Smaller storyline's allow the reader to get a peak behind the door of what's pushing the adventures of the Gentlemen's Free Company, with out ruining the pacing or having those glimpse's competing for space. Viksberg's machinations behind the scenes never directly spill into Erikssons storyline, but instead are part of a wonderful depiction of chaos theory at work. Which is splendid considering the deviations into chaos the book takes. Small characters such as the messenger Falsmir are given their own personal legends in the span of a chapter that sit with reader even after the book has been put down. This creates a sense of a dynamic living breathing world in which the character of Eriksson is allowed to flourish.

Eriksson is one of the most entertaining characters one can find in the Warhammer world. His attitude and mannerisms make him fun and lighthearted, even when putting on the airs of a Captain. You believe he's got years of mercenary experience with in the breadth of a few chapters. His encounters with nobility and bureaucrats are always entertaining as a coin laced hand-shake usually ends up counting for more then his guile and wit. Giving a very believable air to his actions. His prowess on the battlefield is not what you would expect at all, and let me tell you this is perhaps one of the most refreshing aspects of the novel. He is not some whirling dervish of slaughter, but a very skilled swordsman who's hide is saved more often then not because of the people he has chosen to surround himself with. Such as the forester (ranger?) Freimann (a character who is like a thin web that inadvertently links the human world to that of the Beastmen's while still retaining some semblance of humanity), who's one of the few to keep Eriksson on his toes, while still seeing the value in the Captain. That's the beauty, his strength is in leading or befriending those around him, not in being an unstoppable killer. We find his moral compass waning at times giving him even more of a human tint.

The chaos of the Beastmen is not to be understated and their savagery is gloriously painted through out the book. The animalistic rage boiling just beneath the surface feels tangible, as if any of them could unhinge and rip apart those around them. With Robert Earl's descriptions you feel their immensity and power, one easily gets lost in ferocity of the herd. Gulkroth the leader of the herd is at constant odds with his nature and makes almost poetic thoughts on the actually idea of chaos as a concept, not the way it's treated in the Warhammer universe. It's a different mindset and can be felt resonating through out Broken Honour.

The book feels like we are knee deep in a war, and sinking faster and faster. The steady beat of Dolf's (a pivotal character, with out even knowing it!) drum carries the reader along at double time. The lines are drawn there is a miasma of death all around, but the book still manages to pull back the intensity when it needs to. Towards the end a great boxing match occurs, that is a break but a well worth it diversion. A minor characters unconscious plunge into chaos, that in my mind culminates with a horrifying moment that cements the Beastmens place in the Warhammer universe. Scene after scene the book becomes increasingly hard to tear away from, until the last few gripping pages.

If there is one complaint is that perhaps the book ends to abruptly with out much resolution, perhaps this was done to entice the reader towards an inevitable sequel (most Warhammer characters seem to be given three books). With out question this was a welcome change of pace from the normal for a Warhammer novel, while still retaining the thematic elements that endears so many people to the universe. It's grim, violent, and has just the right amount of dark humor and wit to keep from feeling like everyone's on the verge of mass suicide. Until we meet again Captain Eriksson.
6 people found this helpful
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Mosquito007
4.0 out of 5 stars Beastly!
Reviewed in the United States on August 20, 2012
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I am a long time fan of the Warhammer world and for the most part found the Beastmen hard to understand, are they mindless slaves? Are they just large animals? Did they used to be people?
This book tries to give a little behind the scenes to them and how exactly the heard operates.

But the main quest is following a unit of former criminals led by a charismatic Empire man.
The "unit" dynamic is a nice change of pace from the "lone warrior" type story.

Reading it won't change you life, but you really can't miss on a Warhammer book, they always deliver what is on the cover.
Or in this case: Hardbitten looking empire man that is apparently in a state of "broken honor".
2 people found this helpful
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JGar
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the Best Warhammer Novels
Reviewed in the United States on June 16, 2012
Broken Honour chronicles a mercenary named Erikson as he attempts to make a profit out of the ongoing war between the Empire province of Hochland and the Beastmen, misshapen Chaos-spawned creatures, that reside in the area. Erikson persuades the baron to allow him to "purchase" a group of criminals from a local prison, and form a mercenary unit he dubs "The Gentlemen's Free Company of Hergig." Throughout the novel, the reader follows Erikson's Free Company as they battle throughout the military campaign season against the vicious and bloodthirsty Beastmen. Robert Earl's novel is thoroughly entertaining, but is far from the mindless gore-fest that many may expect from a Warhammer novel.

One of the finer points of the novel lies in the fact that it truly reflects the Warhammer background. A lot of the other Warhammer novels I've read seem like a generic fantasy adventure that just so happens to take place in the Warhammer world; others go deliberately out of their way to reflect the Warhammer setting by incorporating too many aspects of the background (destroying one's suspension of disbelief). Yet, Broken Honour is a novel that truly "feels" like Warhammer. We get a glimpse into politics of The Empire, a close-up look at Beatsmen, an understanding of Free Companies, and an understanding of the military tactics of the Empire. Earl doesn't overdo it--he doesn't even name many of the iconic Beastman units, choosing instead to describe them, trusting that the fan will know what specifically he is referring to, and acknowledging that non-Warhammer fans are better off simply with descriptions. And, somehow, not referring to the Beastmen units as Gors, Ungors, and Centigors make the whole novel less "geeky." With some of the fantasy elements under-emphasized, Earl introduces a story that is at once both very much a Warhammer tale, but is at the same time much more believable, and therefore engrossing, than many of the other Warhammer novels I've read, especially through its use of characters. None of the Empire soldiers are especially powerful or skilled, like Brunner or Gotrek. In fact, the strength of the Beastmen is emphasized, while Earl has our heroes rely on tactics. As the company comes to grow closer in the course of the novel, the reader may find himself liking the characters even more--characters that in other WH novels would have been less than inconsequential.

This is one of the best Warhammer novels I've read. There's plenty here for the Warhammer fan who's craving more than the standard fantasy adventure. Broken Honour is a good novel on its own right; as a Warhammer novel, its truly one of the most skillfully written stories the Black Library has produced.
4 people found this helpful
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R. Stell
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent!!!
Reviewed in the United States on October 10, 2011
I loved this book. I have always been a fan of medieval history, military history and anything fantasy. This book combines all of my likes into one very entertaining read. I look forward to a sequel.
2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Amazon Kunde
5.0 out of 5 stars Fun read
Reviewed in Germany on November 20, 2016
Verified Purchase
As in all of Robert Earls books his characters are no noble superheroes on a constant killing spree but convince more through their weaknesses and failures and how they prevail despite of them. Their world is not black and white but rather greyish. The plot is full of surprises, irony and seldom bothers with predictive behavior. This makes this book such a fun read and creates a smile on your face more than once.
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Andrew Grieve
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on January 18, 2016
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100% satisfied
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Beastly
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 6, 2015
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Great read for any fan of the old world.
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Rob Martin
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 13, 2014
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Great read if you like fantasy settings.
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Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars It’s Good
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 25, 2018
Verified Purchase
A solid book, a great look into the world of warhammer.
Lacks character depth, and suffers from a repetition of descriptions I.E. savagely, like Thunder, and so on but is still a solid read in my opinion
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