Bloody Books: HEART OF WINTER by Nick Horth

Something of a companion piece to the Fluffenhammer Favourite "City of Secrets", Nick Horth brings Fleetmaster Arika Zenthe to the fore in the novella "Heart of Winter".  Arika is a Scourge Privateer with a fearsome reputation, a great dress sense and an attitude as sharp as her ship.  Zenthe was a highlight in a great book, and more than that in "The Silver Shard", and so seeing her take centre stage to swash and buckle her way through trouble is an absolute joy,.  Horth appears to agree with that sentiment as he fills in plenty of backstory in this 130 page publication without loosing the momentum the action builds. With this short page count, there isn't time for any character study but Horth manages to create a relatable situation (of a sort) and explores the little-seen Privateers and how they fit into the world as allies of Sigmar.  

Zenthe must deal with betrayal from her own kind, hate and spite from the Sylvaneth and a fantastic human side-character with the unwieldy name of Malvo L’Polche Guinmark - who manages to do in Zenthe's novel what she did to Callis and Toll in "City of Secrets". That is, he steals the show.

There are no epic, world changing moments here, but a classic fantasy romp that wears it's heart on it's sleeve and guides you through a world of sea, swindling, sneaking and sea monsters. I hope to see more of these two in the future, as this was a great romp in every way.