Book Review: Gilead's Blood - Dan Abnett & Nik Vincent


Publisher: Black Library
Author : Dan Abnett and Nik Vicent
Pages : 288
Rating: 10/10

Gilead's Blood it's a combine of several stories. VI to be precise.

The main character in our story it's Gilead te tuin Lothain, ut Tor Anrok...
Well let us call it only Gilead. Gilead has a Twin that we watch him die in the first story while saving Gilead from some robers. We get to know that the brothers are so linked that the fall of his twin Gilead becomes totally apathic.

From then on it's how Gilead face the rest of his life alone. Well not alone in the term, cause he has his faithful retainer Fithvael, but alone in soul 'cause ever since his brother died he lost some part of his soul.

Here you don't see an elf from Lord of The Rings nor Forgotten Realms. (He is still beautiful, look at the cover of the book). You see an elf with existencial problems. He is a Shadow of a being. I don't think he has ever smile in this book.

After passing his mourning time he follows(leads) his retainer and look desperly to find another of her kind. As anyone who follow Warhammer world, the elves are gone from the Old World. The high elves to be precisely. (only a handful of them remain) Only the wood elves remain in a forest near Bretonnia. The first book we see someone telling a tale of Gilead.

About the chapters precisely. The first we see how Gilead come to be what he is. It's a good beggining. The second it's about him after completing his vengeange (to annihalete completly the attackers and killers of his brother) and his retainer trying to make him understand that he cannot just lay down and die. He must do something. Here in this story it's my favourite phrase of all times (Well except the phrase where Raistlin says "Hope is the denial of reality")
Page 40 Gilead thought fast. He faced certain death unless he tried to evade, but death... death was what he wanted! At that moment he could do anything. Even if he failed, he would still be rewarded with the thing he most craved. Calm swept through him.

This summarize everything that this book represents... I've read it a long time ago and I never forgot this sentece. There are three more stories before the last. One about a dream. A dream he wanted so badly to believe. Other about a rescue of a girl and another about respect. My favourite story it's the last one (The biggest one). It has everything you will find in every warhammer books. You've got norse, elves, knights, common humans, kieves.. etc. The story begins with an half-elf recruiting adventures to defend a village. Along with Gilead and the retainer are 10 or so. It has carnage and blood. It has honor in death and brave acts.

The resume : it's the first book I would recommend to someone who wants to enter not only warhammer world but fantasy. I wish Dan Abnett and Nik Vicent would write more books about this character. I WISH.. I WISH.. I WISH...

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