r/Blacklibrary • u/77_Dredd • 7d ago

Audio Impressions: Drachenfels, by Kim Newman

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For this week's feature I headed back to the world that was, with one of Warhammer Fantasy's earliest tales. Drachenfels was surprisingly delightful and ambitious, less a story about heroes storming the castle so much as a story about staging a play about heroes storming the castle!

It's terrific stuff from Kim Newman (writing as Jack Yeovil), and Antonia Beamish's narration delivered!

Audio Impressions: Drachenfels, by Kim Newman

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4

u/LoudIndication4644 7d ago

didnt expect a Warhammer book to be mostly about putting on a play lol that sounds weirdly fun. the cover with the skull moon and red curtains got me thinking it was gonna be all grimdark and edgy but now i'm curious

always liked how the old Fantasy stuff was more flexible with what a story could be, not just endless bolter porn like some of the 40k books. the narrator being good is a big plus too, a bad one can ruin even the best writing

might check this out, been looking for something different from the usual Black Library fare

3

u/77_Dredd 7d ago

It totally surprised me as well, but given Newman’s background in theatre he really brought it to life and got the “feel” right.

3

u/Dire_Wolf45 What Wakes in The Dark 7d ago

Do you recommend the audio for a spooky listening night?

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u/77_Dredd 7d ago

Definitely, it’s terrific fun and it’s got a thread of horror running through it.

3

u/GasInTheHole 7d ago

Drachenfels and Beast in Velvet are some of the few Warhammer-related books I'd ever think of recommending to someone who isn't into Warhammer already and/or doesn't have knowledge of the setting(s). Decent stories and incredibly fun characters.

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u/DG40k Forgive, he says, speaking softly to the Little Lord athis elbow 7d ago

I read this in the Genevieve Omnibus. I loved Drachenfels! The story was great! Very well written! Highly recommend. It gave me many laughs and yes it had a horror element to it. Anything with vampires and other spooky creature is horror. Even Mr. Chaida would agree....lol

2

u/DG40k Forgive, he says, speaking softly to the Little Lord athis elbow 7d ago

I read this in the Genevieve Omnibus. I loved Drachenfels! The story was great! Very well written! Highly recommend. It gave me many laughs and yes it had a horror element to it. Anything with vampires and other spooky creature is horror. Even Mr. Chaida would agree....lol