Bloody Books Review: WARHAMMER QUEST SILVER TOWER : LABYRINTH OF THE LOST by ANDY CLARK

Released alongside the board game that brought back the legendary Warhammer Quest name, updating the classic game for both the Age of Sigmar setting and the more modern audience.  The game follows a selection of heroes trapped inside the Silver Tower, bickering and fighting their way to the Gaunt Summoner, and hopefully freedom. 

This could have been a straightforward take on the game, but Clark injects a lot more character and plot than expected. Each character is given time to breathe and to cause friction inside the party, with none really able, or willing, to trust the others. even the Stormcast is given a good dash of worn down humanity, quick to anger against the brash Darkoath Chieftain or the sullen, secretive Fyreslayer.

There's a twist to the archetypal heroic dungeon crawler, with ambiguous characterisation, as well as an out and out antagonist being part of the group. Everything hinges on what each would do to achieve their goal within The Tower, are they a slayer of the gaunt Summoner, or a thief in the night wanting such power imagined.  Add to that a surprisingly high body count, and a labyrinthine sense of manipulation pulling at the group.  Whilst simple at it's heart, the tale is executed incredibly well and it has a good sense of it's own personality.  It throws out knowledge of the tropes of such a tale, and outside some misteps in the structure, this is well paced format and keeps with what a Warhammer Quest book should and could be.