REVIEW: Mathias Thulmann, Witch Hunter
Timo is back with our latest Black Library review:
Mathias Thulmann, Witch Hunter– C.L. Werner
As most Black Library collector’s editions, this book contains three short stories as well as three books belonging to the same series, the only difference being that the stories were actually written chronologically (the first short story was penned in 2001, the last book in 2008).
Mathia Thulmann and his shady companion Streng are sent to investigate mysterious murders in a community, where they uncover the strange doings of an undead and his necromant, who are in search of a grimoire full of evil spells, “Das Buch Die Unholden”. Quite a few strands of plot are joined over the course of the three related novels; all protagonists and antagonists seems to be on the prowl for this dark opus in one way or another, thereby establishing the story’s leitmotif. Due to this, the novels connect to one another perfectly, which creates a perfect Omnibus. Thulmann’s antagonists range from mad scientists to Skaven, turning this book into a downright case of dog eat dog. Every character involved is driven only by his own selfish interests, which results in a daring yet very crafty story.
Over the course of the book, a plethora of additional information breathes life into the character Mathias Thulmann. Not only do we find out about his thoughts and moral values, the story also sheds some light upon dark events in his past, and so the witch hunter becomes more vivid. The difference becomes clear when we compare this to the short stories from the time between 2001 and 2004, where the character seems more like an action hero straight out of an 80’s B movie. He comes across as a cold and two-dimensional entity with a smart catch phrase always ready to be said.This goes to show that the story’s main character is not the only one who undergoes major development; C.L. Werner evidently makes some progress as a writer.
Still my favorite character here is Streng. This mercenary and witch hunter’s side-kick drinks, hits on women, enjoys torture and has his own special view of the concept of “honor”. He fits perfectly into Warhammer Fantasy’s dark world view.
Werner puts German terms to use relatively well, so they don’t give away the plot or make you laugh unwillingly if you are familiar with the German language. This is actually the case with some Warhammer Fantasy RPG adventures as well as a few Blood Bowl novels, where, for example, the horse’s name is “Pferd”, which is really just German for “horse”.
I only had a problem with this book’s open ending, which leaves situations unfinished and calling for a sequel. After reading 761 pages it disappoints me to see “to be continued” written at the very end. Closed endings like those of the Gaunt’s Ghosts or the Gotrek and Felix series just sit better with me.
So this Omnibus is a good read all in all, even if it will not find a spot in the top ranks of all Warhammer novels.
~3.5 Stars (out of 5)
~Bigred here. As usual comments are welcome and expect to see more novel reviews from Timo in the days ahead.
