Reaper of Souls: A Tale of Malus Darkblade

by Dan Abnett and Mike Lee

In the world of Warhammer, dark elves reign supreme for their sophisticated savagery, and no member of this race is more infamous than Malus Darkblade. Possessed by a daemon, Malus has but a year to... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1844161935
• ISBN13: 9781844161935
• Release Date: January 2006
• Publisher: Games Workshop(uk)
• Length: 416 Pages
• Weight: 0.46 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 4.2" x 6.7"

Customer Reviews

Middle Book Blue Bloods

Reaper of Souls is the third book in the series and as most long series, the authors spend a great deal of time at the beginning of the novel dealing with ponderous threads of plot following behind the action. This is inevitable in long series with overarching arcs and multitudes of characters. Once Malus, however, is off the Harrier, the ship he commandeered from his dead brother in the last book, the plot picks up steam and leads us to new areas on the map and introduces some truly interesting characters and places. This time Malus must find the dagger of Torxus, called the Reaper of Souls, a relict hidden in the necropolis of the the Highborn and guarded by the aurarii, intriguing dark "wood elves". Malus, more than ever, is the pawn of several powerful witches and daemons. Only through his wits and the supernatural powers of the daemon that possesses him is he able to survive some rip roaring battle scenes between the Naggorites and the armies of his home city of Hag Graef. As the story progresses, we discover new information about the founders of Hag Graef and the history of the black towers. Characters that we like are slaughtered and new ones appear. All in all Reaper of Souls is a satisfying addition to the Warhammer Fantasy series. The only criticism I have is that I would have liked more character development and dark elf fluff. I read Warhammer for the world created and its Gothic darkness. Sometimes, I would like to look around and absorb the created world with its politics and religion rather than rushing to another battle. As a final note, bravo to Mike Lee and Dan Abnett on the creation of Spite.

Fantastic

Once again Dan Abnett kept me hooked. I love the dark writing style and the sick sense of humor of the dark elves in general..... Great Book

Many, many shocking surprises but the weakest of the three

As you may have already read from previous reviews of this book, yes there are more twists and surprises, that is a given if you are familiar with the series. But it's the kind of surprises towards the end that were shocking and in the case of Hacluir and the retainers, were sad. The first book, Daemon's Curse, felt like a new adventure to the unknown with Malus' devious character at its worst. Paranoid and not a care in the world, driven purely by greed and ambition. Great insite into his mind and how little worth other people's lives are to him. They encounter wood elves, barbarians and beastmen. The end of the book is just the beginning of his quest. Great adventure book, shocking ending. The second book, Blood Storm so far is considered the most superior. It starts with pure torture and carnage at the hands of his own father, followed by an extravagant party full of sex, drugs and people dying from overindulgence, only to realise that the expensive party thrown for him did not come without a steep price and expectations. Shortly it is followed by a fast chase from another brother only to be tortured again. All this and more in just the first few chapters before the real adventure and betrayals begin aboard a warship in the high seas in a campaign against the diseased Skinriders. This third book, Reaper of Souls starts off excellent. Malus barely makes it too land in a battered ship where dead bodies are found every morning, and the gloom morale of the salors along with boat load of gold taken from the Skinriders defeat keeps Malus from torturing people for clues and answers. The docking in Clar Karond is where the fast fun chasing and begins. Unfortunatly it is in Clar Karondalso where the fun ends and fast. While this book indeed has more twists than the previous two, I felt that it failed to maintain the energy and anticipation unlike the previous two books. The hunt for him never stops and I doubt it will ever for Malus (that's good). One of the last twists has him commanding a vast army against Hag Graef his home and one of the most feared cities. The shock value comes from the characters who die, those involved in his curse, and those along with himself that are left in the end with nothing. Fun note: In this book Malus is the pawn and only Nagaira and Malus' mother really know how evil yet great a warrior Malus truly is, with Nagaira finding out the hard way. The dagger thrown perfectly at the chest of an important character was a pleasant read and remeniscent of Indiana Jones shooting a blade wielding show-off, even Nagaira was impressed with his throw.

Malus Darkblade continues the hunt for his soul

'Reaper Of Souls' is the third installment of the Malus Darkblade books. Read 'The Daemon's Curse' and then 'Bloodstorm' to catch the full story. Otherwise, you might be a little lost in this installment. Betrayed by kin and foe, not to mention his own greed, Malus has been possessed by the daemon Tz'arkan. In order to free his soul from the daemon, he must find five relics in one year or suffer the daemon forever. Already in possession of the Octagon Of Praan and the Idol Of Kolkuth, 'Reaper Of Souls' continues to follow Malus Darkblade as he seeks out the Dagger Of Torxus. The dagger is said to be resting at the tomb of Eleuril The Damned in a dark crypt-city called the houses of the dead. From the first page to the last, 'Reaper Of Souls' is a long bloody battle interspersed with deceit, betrayal, vengeance, sorcery, vicious sibling rivalry, and furious bloodthirstiness. Just another day in the life of a dark elf. The Dagger Of Torxus is the most dangerous relic Malus has sought so far. With his brother Bruglir dead, Urial has claimed Yasmir, disappearing with her after he takes possession of her. To get the dagger, Malus must face the Shades and conquer a vicious warlord. After the face of the warlord is revealed, Malus is labeled Kinslayer and flees for his life to his uncle Balneth Bale. Bale is a witch lord, residing over the vast Black Ark Of Naggor. But uncle Bale has a surprise for Malus. Bale's vile son, Fuerlan, has a new betrothed: none other than Malus's sister Nagaira who disappeared in a violent storm and was thought to be dead. Have I revealed too much? No, indeed, by this time the plots and twists are so thick you won't know who is dealing for what favor. Malus has his work cut out for him now. With every person he's ever known out to use him or cut his throat, he must find a way to retrieve his relics and stay alive in the process. There's a big surprise at the ending that will leave you breathless as you wait for the fourth installment. Some series slow down around the third book, but not this one. You don't have to be a fan of the Warhammer game to enjoy this bloody dark elf adventure, but it would help to be a fan of dark elves. The 'Tale Of Malus Darkblade' series is action-packed, fast-faced, bloody, seriously deviant and wicked, and a treat for fans of either fantasy or horror. Enjoy!

Book 3

Malus Darkblade's soul is still under ransom to the ancient daemon Tz'arkan. Two of the five cursed relics have been retrieved. Now Malus goes after the Dagger of Torkus. The dagger is sealed within Prince Eleuril's crypt, which resides in the Houses of the Dead. Malus must not only find the secret entrance, but survive the booby traps and magical traps that lay within. You'd think that would be enough to overcome. Malus is already called a warrior, betrayer, and monster. Yet in order to claim the dagger, he must gain a new title: kinslayer. With this new title, Malus's life is worth nothing. No one will give him safe harbor. No one will claim him as friend or their dread lord. Malus must somehow stay ahead of the warriors that hunt him, and they are very close. His only hope is to reach his uncle, Balneth Bale. Bale's realm is in the icy wastes and the Black Ark of Naggor. Balneth Bale is the Witch Lord. He accepts Malus into his service. Malus learns that he is not the only family member that has betrayed his home and kin. Nagaira, his sorceress sister, seems to have survived the previous explosion. Bale has gathered his allies and devised a devious strategy to overtake Hag Graef and crown his own deformed son as king of the newly conquered realm. ***** That is but half of the plot in this, the third within a savage series of blood and mayhem. Prophecies are being fulfilled, no one is even a tad honest, all betray on multiple levels. Twists and surprises abound throughout the novel. No, you will not be bored at all with this installment. As usual, I could bang my head in frustration that I must wait for the next tale in order to see which relic this dark elf will slaughter for next. ***** Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.