Xathrodox86 reviews: "Curse of the Everliving" by David Guymer

What is this? A simple audiobook review while the world celebrates the release of the 4th edition of WFRP? Have I gone mad?

Not really. You see, while I'm very happy about the newest iteration of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay to finally see the light of day, I won't review it. At least not yet. The reason is simple and there are actually two of them - first of all, it's not a finished product and second, I can't read PDF files too well on a PC screen. While I will probably have to do so anyway, for now it's making me incredibly uncomfortable to do so, so now 4th edition review from me for now, at least.

So, without further ado, let's check out the second Gotrek & Felix audiobook with a very metal title: "Curse of the Everliving".

The cover's pretty metal as well!

This one has been written by the talented David Guymer and is  from the "newer" line of Gotrek and Felix, i.e. the reader can place it at any time he wants. This book is not set chronologicaly between any of the major series releases, which is kinda cool, as the "Curse..." itself is a very standalone-type of title with a very distinctive feel to it.

Gotrek and Felix are travelling through the frozen Oblast of Kislev, searching for a Hobgoblin treasure. A mad, old dwarf had sold them a map, leading to a vast ammount of wealth... or at least that's what he claimed! Gotrek is optimistic as a dwarf would never have lied to another of his race, while Felix would just love to go somewhere where it's a tad warmer than -30 degrees Celsius. Soon they encounter a frozen knight and a mysterious castle Bilenkov, inside which resides an eccentric man, known as Count Viktor. Soon strange phenomena begin to assail our heroes as the old man reveals who, or rather what, he truly is...

I love this audiobook. No joke, I think it's one of the best G&F titles ever released. It's written in a very pulpy, semi-horror style, which works wonders, mainly because of the setting. Guymer really emphasises the coldly otherworldliness of Kislev, its harsh beauty and the many dangers that this land presents, especially in the latter part of the audiobook. This is a country where only the hardiest of people can survive and the reader really gets that feeling from reading "The Curse...".

Now there are two, main themes in this book. One is the mind control, while the other centres around the horror of the unknown. They mix together really well, especially with the aforementioned harsh and merciless atmosphere of Kislev itself. When listening to this audio drama I was on the verge of my seat! The tension and atmosphere are top notch. The fights, while relatively few, when compared to "Slayer of the Storm God", are tense and dynamic. However it's the feeling of dread which makes "Curse of the Everliving" so damn good.

Besides Gotrek and Felix there are only two, other characters present in the book, bar some cannon fodder for the Slayer's runic axe. The eccentric Count Viktor is hammy enough to be enjoyable, especially in his latter incarnation. The other, a Kilsevite huntsman, wears a red shirt so big that it's more than clear what kind of fate will befall him. It's not that he's a badly written character, just a useless one. He doesn't contribute anything to the story, except a slight doze of comic relief and a painful death.

The voice acting and music are very solid, except two, minor issues. First of all, the bad guy once again can't be fucking understood when he speaks. It's rather infuriating. Secondly, Felix must really love Kislev and its people, because he sports a hardy, Russian accent throughout the entire recording. I'm not even kidding, it's hilarious. Oh and it's also one of those fake, stereotypical Eastern European accents, so thick and hard that it's really fun to listen to. Still, I'd probably preffer Herr Jaeger to stick to Ye Olde English in any, future recordings.

To sum it all up - "Curse of the Everliving" rocks. It's a guilty pleasure of sorts, a fun, pulpy book about a Slayer and his pet poet, travelling through not-Russia and kicking ass. It's fun to listen to, thoroughly enjoyable and I highly recommend it to anyone, who's a fan of Warhammer Fantasy and the fantasy genre in general.

You can't go wrong with these two scoundrels!

Until next time!

Xathrodox86