Gotrek Gurnisson and Felix Jaeger are two unlikely heroes of the Warhammer world. Gotrek is a slayer, a dwarf sworn to seek death in unequal combat against the mightiest of monsters. Felix is a poet who while drunk swore an oath to accompany Gotrek on his quest and record his doom in an epic poem. The only problem is that Gotrek is simply too tough to die and to make matters worse it seems to be his fate to be drawn into terrifying adventures in the furthest and least hospitable parts of the Old World.
I don’t know how to express my deep admiration for these books without sounding like a blithering school girl. I didn’t even know I could enjoy reading until I stumbled across Trollslayer about 10 years ago. I have had to re-buy that book for myself at least three times and I buy it or highly recommend it to everyone I know. Your series opened up the literary world to me as well as the Warhammer universe. I am now an avid player of the tabletop game and read almost solely Warhammer books because of what I started with Gotrek and Felix. I have gone out of my way to find any and all merchandise Trollslayer related and the miniatures for my two favorite adventurers are one my prized possessions. I cannot thank you enough to these books, you are truly a brilliant author and should be knighted for your fantastic works. Thank you.
Thank you, Fred. Reading that has brightened up my day no end!
Being an avid fantasy reader, I have read the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Terry Brooks, Piers Anthony, Anne Macaffery, David Gemmell, just to name a few. I can say with the utmost confidance that your Slayer books were some of the best fantasy stories I have ever had the pleasure and joy to read. I have read up to Giantslayer 3 times now and every time I finish it I want to start the series over again. I have to say that I was a bit heartbroken when you stopped writing them years back, but now that you are back with Warhammer, I wont lie to you, there is a seed of hope within me, that one day you will take up the storyline of Gotrek and Felix once again. Barring that, I am looking foward to Blood of Aenarion. Welcome back!
Thanks Jeff. Both your comments are greatly appreciated. Here seems to be the appropriate place to respond to them so I shall do so. I am really glad you enjoyed the G&F books so much. Comments like this make my day! Right now and for the foreseeable future, my hands are full with Tyrion and Teclis and the Macharian Crusade books. This takes me right through 2012. I don’t really have any idea what Black Library’s long term plans are after that so I can’t say any more. I think you should keep your eyes open for the Tyrion and Teclis books. They deal with many of the same themes and issues– the opening of the Northern Chaos gates, the return of some spectacularly powerful daemons and the potential end of the world!
All the best,
Bill
Oh believe me, I am eagerly awaiting “Blood of Aenarion”. What I liked most about Teclis, in Giantslayer, aside from the fact that he is an awesomly powerful wizard who is nearly immortal, was that he seemed to be at long last a font of answers to the many questions I had regarding the “Old ones”, the Chaos wastes, the 4 gods of chaos and the northern portal to the realm of chaos. I found that, as I read Giantslayer, I began to become increasingly drawn into these mysteries, hungry for more information. Now whether or not you intended it, I am officially hooked and look foward to more! And so I am happy to hear that you will be continuing to elaborate on these topics in BOA. Keep up the great work!
A little of this appears in Sword of Caledor, Jeff. The book opens with our heroes in Lustria investigating a lost Slann city. You’re probably not going to be thrilled to learn I wrote a 20 thousand word section dealing with Caledor and the Old Ones but then I took it out because it was not relevant to the story. Bits of the lore are still visible in a tip of the iceberg sort of way. If you’re looking for answers to those questions Caledor has some of them. Morathi as well!
Noooooo! LOL ahh well, Ill just have to keep on reading your works and take what I can get. 🙂 I cant wait, Im getting my copy of BOE on the 29th and will probably be done with it on the 30th. I have little doubt this book will be as action packed and enthralling as all of your other books!
Thanks Jeff,
I think Blood of Aenarion is in a slightly more epic style than my normal Warhammer fantasy novels. Gotrek and Felix are classic somewhat seedy sword and sorcery heroes. Tyrion and Teclis are a bit more upmarket. That said, the books are pretty action-packed!
Hi William, first of all sorry for my bad english (i’m from Spain). I want to say that I love your books, especially Gotrek and Felix because they have epic battles against epic “monsters” and have some hilarious moments. In my opinion you are the best writter in Black Library close to Graham McNeill. Also i am waiting your new trilogy, i love elfs and i love daemons then… but please, please, return to write Gotrek and Felix books; Nathan Long G&F books are good but they are less epic and less comical. Anyhow, welcome back to the Warhammer worlds.
Thank you, Pedro! Your English is much better than my Spanish!
Mister King Ulyssees from Greece here.i ll skip the pleasantries and say that please please please we would like to see a gotrek and felix book by you.i think i speak for a lot of people when i say that.like my predecessors said your G&F books were both comical and epic.
to be honest when they brought me your book as a gift i tossed it aside.had other things at the time.that was 5 years ago.one afternoon i started reading your book.after 5 6 hours i had finished it.next morning went to store and bought the other omnibuses.havent read any of your other books yet.but i will at some point definetly.
to keep it spartan thank you for the adventures you have given us,and i think Snorri would also like you to write something about him 🙂
Hi Ulysseees! Thanks for the kind words. Unfortunately I am no longer the writer on Gotrek and Felix, and there are no plans for me to write any more books about them at the moment. Sorry about that.
Mr. King, a friend of mine lent me the first g&f book about half a year ago, and from then on I kept reading! Now I am saving to buy Beastslayer (yep, I am a poor man…), but I look forward to keep reading them!
The funny thing is that I stopped reading fantasy books after high school, and somehow I though I was too old for them; thank you for showing me I was wrong!
Thank you, Tito! That was nice to hear!
I have read thousands of fantasy books and enjoy the Felix and Gotrek novels most of all. You are an excellent writer and I look forward to your next work.
Thank you, Doug! That’s very nice to hear.
The only thing I found disappointing in your G&F works is that you no longer work on them. I wonder why it it so? I couldn’t find any information about the reason…
The G&F novels by Nathan Long are good, but the real awesomeness of the series ended with the very last page of Giantslayer.
It’s a long story and not one I particularly want to go into details on, Roback. Sorry :).
Hi William, i’ve been a long time lover of Gotrek and Felix, reading them growing up. I have enjoyed both your story and Nathan’s but from Nathan himself i’ve been told that there has been no word of commission for the next in the series. i’ve been stuck with deadends with both the publisher and Nathan as he is just as clueless about the situation as i am. I am Wondering if it was possible for you to shed any light on the matter of the next installment, even conformation of the series still being alive would be more than enough.
Thank you and i hope to enjoy your books feauturing the Elvish very soon.
Hi Daniel, I’m afraid I am just as much in the dark about these things as Nathan. Sorry I can’t be of more help.
That’s unfortunate but thank you for replying. Do you know of anyone i can contact other than the Black Library website?
Thanks for any help you can give.
Can’t really think of anybody, Daniel. I am sorry.
Heya Will,
Just stumbled upon this thread and thought I would leave you a glowing review of everything of yours I have read! However assuming that wold take me the best part of the day i’ll try and keep it short. Gotrek & Felix is one of my all time favorite reads, from Troll to Vampire slayer I could barely put the books down and have spent the last few weeks lost in adventures with some of the most bad ass characters I have ever encountered in fiction. Sad as i am to hear you wont be doing anymore I’m sure there is a good reason! or one thats out of your hands! Never the less, i am endeavoring to to keep the tale going by attempting to convert your fantastic novels into a fan made screen play. Because some of the imagery and battles are to good not to be envisioned for screen. Keep up the good work, and do let me know if there is ever a petition to get you back on the slayer!
Much love,
Dom Brooks
Thanks, Dom!
First off, I would like to say that NEVER have I been able to pick up a book and be so instantly attached to a group of characters and so captivated with any book I have ever read than after reading my first Gotrek and Felix adventure. It is hard to find good fantasy now a days and you my friend are a gift to us lovers of fantasy with a dedication to worlds rich and complex like that of the World of Warhammer and its occupants. I attend one of the best music schools in the country and the only reason I say this is because after a long day of analyzing Operas and Reqiuem Mass’s all day(which i love yet gets rather taxing at times), I can come how and delve into a book that is written as well as the Gotrek and Felix series, and delve into a story with fantastic writing, character development/interaction and in depth love of lore and its complexities! I sincerely thank you with all of my artistic being that you continue to allow me to join you on these masterfully weaved beauties of fantasy literature. All I can hope is that you know how much it means for people like me to be able to sit back in a chair and have the comfort of the friends you have created for us. If you ever feel down or something stupid like that ( not saying you do ) just please know that you have given me and many other a gift that few have the skill or talent to give. Continue your fine work and know that your fans admire you dearly.
sincerly,
Ethan Schroeder
Thank you, Ethan! Much appreciated.
Right now I’m reading again Dragonslayer and I realize how very few authors I can fully drawn into the plot and what was extraordinary series of Gotrek and Felix. It also deepens my sadness over the fact that this series ended without end. Continuing that writes Nathan Long is a very poor attempt. But secretly hope to ever live to see the continuation of King William pens. All the best.
Thanks Rastislav.
Hello Mr King,
Firstly I just want to let you know that your Gotrek and Felix novels are the most enjoyable fantasy books I’ve ever read. My favourite is no doubt Skavenslayer, which I’ve reread more times than I can count (though I’ve reread the other books quite a bit as well). It’s a real shame that you seem to have finished with the series, is there any possibility that you could ever go back to it? Or at least have you ever explained where you were going to go with the series? It’s a real shame as the series just kind of ends with the Giantslayer cliff-hanger. I do know about the Nathan Long “continuation” of the series but really it’s not a continuation, just people with the same names in a story that’s really quite different in just about every way it could be without being completely unrelated.
Regards,
Paul
Hello Paul and thanks for the kind words. There are no plans for me to return to Gotrek and Felix in the foreseeable future. Sorry!
I really enjoyed the Gotrek and Felix series, my favorite was Elfslayer, due to the fact that there is a good explanation between the two sides of Elves. Overall I think that you are probably one of the best authors at taking characters and building them to make a story. You really are an inspiring author!
Thank you, Erik. You should probably send this comment to Nathan Long though since he wrote Elfslayer :). I cannot take credit for it.
I apologize for the earlier comment, it was a complete mistake… in your works of the Gotrek and Felix, my favorite was Vampireslayer. Again I am very sorry for the mistake!
Nothing to apologise for, Erik, we all make mistakes!
Hello Wiliam.
My name is Andres and I’ve been reading your work since 1993 when I first started playing and reading the W40K material back in Norway, where I was born,
It was in fact an excerpt from Skavenslayer that got me interested in the Warhammer novels and years later when I had moved to London I began reading the Gotrek and Felix books.
All I can say I was very impressed and proceed to read them all and enjoyed them greatly. Not only was there plenty of action but great characters you actually cared about and I especially enjoyed Felix’ more reflective moments (and that he doesn’t come across as a whimp even when compared to Gotrek)..
I think Nathan Long is a good author but the books do seem to miss the ‘magic’ that were present in your books.
Fingers crossed that you’ll one day return to the series!
Thank you for all your hard work!
Andres
Thanks very much for the kind words, Andres. Much appreciated :).
Just had to leave a reply since it seems you actually read them. You have been and will always be in my top 5 writers of all time. Then again I think my top 5 are all pretty much tied as top 1. Only issue I ever had was you stopping a series and others not so much ruining your work but changing things to much. Like I just can’t read the rest of G&F tried Longs first 2 and was just too pissed off to continue. Especially the whole brother publishing them and no one believing them crap. At least with Space Wolves series they did a mostly ok job at keeping with your atmosphere, tone, and character attributes. I really wish I could work as an editor sometimes. I catch so many mistakes of lore that writers and editors miss. But off topic sorry. Just had to say how much I have loved your series. And I actually didn’t know you had started writing again for Game Workshop. In the process of looking for your books to buy now. I still think your Space Wolf series would make an awesome Trilogy of movies. If done right with you there helping with the screen writing of it.
Thanks for the kind words, Quintin, much appreciated. Hope you enjoy the new books as much as you enjoyed the old ones :).
Hi William! I have been reading the saga of G&F when i was a child and a friend of mine rented me the books… When people asked me what are the best fantasy books i have read i always said yours! Now i would really like to buy them to read them again but i found out they are out of production.
Thank you for having developed such beautiful stories!
Alberto
Thanks for the kind words, Alberto. Much appreciated. If you are interested, G&F still seem to be available on the Black Library site at the moment.
Hi Bill,
Thanks for F&G, two characters who I have loved for over twenty years. If you do ever decide to return to them, the exceedingly long awaited and dreamt over ‘Kinslayer’ would be very welcome (as well as awesome) 🙂
Really glad for the success you’ve had since, it’s well deserved.
James.
Thanks, James. Much appreciated :).
Mr. King,
I also am one of the admirers of your prose, especially of the G&F novels. While I would like to have seen the series carried on, I would REALLY like to read the prequel to Trollslayer and find out how it all started.
Thanks again for the enjoyment of reading your work.
John Kennedy
Cincinnati, Ohio USA
Thanks for the kind words, John. I have often considered writing the story of the pairs initial meeting and adventures but I fear the time for that has passed. The series is in other hands now.
Hi William
Thank you for Teclis and Tyrion absolute awesome reads. I must say hasn’t Black Library got you back on Gotrek and Felix yet?If not it’s an absolute travesty.
Thanks for the kind words, Michael. I believe that Gotrek is now dead so I don’t see much opportunity there!
There are always stories left to tell. And after all Gotrek didn’t actually died in the End times (he was in another dimension wasn’t he?) and we can ressurect Felix anytime. Anyway, I am sure he is bored in the afterlife. 🙂
That all sounds very complicated :).
Any chance you’d ever make out a post laying out what your vision was for Gotrek and Felix post Giantslayer to the end? Not a detailed story or anything just a broadbrush outline?
Hey Paul,
Not much chance of that I am afraid. Mostly things were made up as I went along, usually in response to the events of the previous book or two.
I see, well did you have a plan for where they were meant to go after they went through that portal in Giantslayer? I was always curious where you had planned to make them adventure next.
All I can actually remember is that they got back to the Empire. It’s a blank after that. Sorry!
You undoubtedly get asked this a lot, but is there any chance that you will ever be going back to writing the slayer novels? I just can’t see anyone but you writing the heroic death of Gotrek. It just wouldn’t be right. Also you left me, and I am quite sure multitudes of Gotrek and Felix fans starving for more details of the “old ones” the Chaos wastes and how it all started…..
Hey Jeff, sorry to take so long replying, I am trying to stay away from the computer at the weekends.
As I understand it, Gotrek is already dead as a result of the End Times plotline so there does not seem much chance of me going back to the series or writing his death.
Oh damn. Well that’s a massive disappointment. I’m not really sure where they are going with this whole “end of times” thing…its almost as if they are rebooting the Warhammer world…
I’m pretty sure that’s the idea :).
That’s usually a bad idea…”New Coke” comes to mind. History has shown that If you have a successful product, DON’T tamper with it. I know many long time DC Comics readers who have stopped collecting for this very same reason. I was greatly distraught when you stopped writing the series as it has gone downhill ever since. What was once an amazing storyline that delved more and more into the history of the Warhammer world, the origins of the Chaos incursion, the “Old ones”, etc, became nothing more than en ever increasingly redundant series, kept alive solely for the sake of profit.
I know what you mean about comics, Jeff. I have pretty much stopped reading them since the era of endless reboots and I was once a huge fan. I can’t really comment on what happened with G&F since I haven’t read any of it.
Hi Will. Just to say it was your fine work with Gotrek and Felix that brought me into the world of Warhammer and eventually into 40k. Such a shame that the characters were taken over by less capable hands and I suspect the reason was a falling out of sorts. Tried to read Orc slayer and got about half way through and believe I had ripped out most of my hair lol. The dynamics between the two had changed, their characters were not the same and don’t get me started on the story…heartbreaking for real G&F fans. Didn’t buy any more after that. They probably still made a lot of sales on the strength of the characters that you had created and that’s a shame. I can’t see it happening now but I and many others would like you to go back and start writing G&F from giantslayer. They were your characters! They did some kind of parallel path with the two characters in ‘road of skulls’ I believe so who knows but It feels like unfinished business. I and many others would buy any future work you did on the two most iconic figures fro Warhammer. Best wishes
Thanks for the kind words, Anthony. I can’t comment on any of the other G&F books because I have not read them. I confess I can’t see me going back to the series at this late date. It’s all in the past for me now :).
Hi, i have a question. Adolphus Krieger is a Von Carstein Vampire, No?
I can’t remember. I can’t even remember whether those vampire bloodlines even existed in the lore when I was planning the book. To the best of my recollection, I don’t think he was intended to be. Take that for what it is worth!
Sorry for write you so late, i was really busy
The vampire bloodlines was introduced officially in the lore 1998/99 (i don’t remember exactly which year). However, if i’m not wrong, the “classical” vampire from the previous books turned to Von Carstein bloodline (in the undead army book from the 4th Edition). In the novel Vampireslayer Adolphus said that Drakenhoff Castle was his home, he worked under Mannfred, etc… Also in Steven Savile’s “von Carstein Trilogy” he is portrayed as a Von Carstein too.
Sorry for being a bit annoying about this, but one of the things that i don’t like from Nathan Long novels is that he changed several aspects and the background of many of your characters, The most knowing example is the wizard Maximilian, that in Dragonslayer he clearly said that he is a gold wizard, but in Nathan Elfslayer novel he was changed into a light wizard for no reason. And in the case of Adolphus, he portrayed Gabriella (and you know how) as Lamhia vampires.
Don’t get me wrong, i don’t considered Nathan work bad warhammer novels, but for me, I considered bad Gotrek and Felix novels.
P.S: I’m sorry if i committed a grammar mistake or use incorrectly an expression, i’m not a english speaker.
Thanks for the bloodline clarification. I don’t see any grammar mistakes!
Hi Bill
I’ve just finished reading Trollslayer on the train this morning and through related dossing on the internet today (how dare you, I work very hard [nb. it’s all lies!!]) I happened upon your website. Since you seemed like a game sort of chap, I decided to take the plunge and write some stuff down. (Hooray!) I had the models for Felix and Gotrek as a wee one in the very early 90s but I was unaware of your short stories (other than those in my legendary Dwarf Book, I guess) or even that you created them. And I was unaware of your thoroughly praiseworthy origins, so I was inordinately pleased to eventually discover that you also hail from the fair land of Alba, albeit the wrong coast (commiserations).
Firstly, I’d like to say how impressed I was with prominent, strong female characters in your early stories. This subject has become especially important to me since becoming dad to daughters, although I was often dispirited by the relentless maleness of a lot of fantasy and science fiction settings before; apart from anything else, it’s just a bit dull! I really liked Frau Winter, she almost epitomises how to create a good female role in fantasy: she’s interesting, powerful, necessary, ‘realistic,’ she can look after herself, she has her own motivations and agenda, and a very definite purpose within the company. Your Priestess of Valaya was good too, in that she hinted at a strand of moral authority in dwarfen society very much open to women, which remains studiously absent in most imaginings I’ve come across. Justine the Chaos Champion is also made very much more interesting by virtue of her gender (or, perhaps, the great thing is that it doesn’t really matter). In the same story, Kat was a fulcrum for the entire plot and agent of its successful conclusion (you were passing the Bechdel Test with flying colours years before the thing was properly heard of – good work!). I read somewhere that she eventually becomes Felix’s love interest (although, I think, nothing to do with you?), which made me baulk a little, the trope of any named female character becoming a ‘love interest’ being bad enough, but it’s an uncomfortable reminder of Austen’s Emma (the TV version :o), whose eventual husband romantically recalls holding her as a baby, in flashback. Noooo!! [No, you may not hold her.]
I really rather like the original short story anthologies edited by David Pringle. I hope it was enjoyable (at least sometimes) to be part of the creative team at that time. As a latecomer to all the, shall we say, ‘RPG material,’ (and too young first time around), it seems like the 1980s were fairly open and forward-looking, with a kind of febrile creative impetus (I, of course, could be wrong!), which was stifled somewhat as everything became commercialised and stratified. I love that someone like Nicola Griffith could make contributions to the milieu; I noticed she liked portraying women in incidental roles (e.g. random guards, apothecaries). I wish her contributions could have been followed up somehow, because her take on the world was intriguing (although I assume that’s a naive thought!). I suppose the beauty of it was that there was room for many different takes on the same thing, from many different types of people, much like in a living world, rather than slavish devotion to any canon-dogma. Everything was fairly open-ended and an invitation to one’s own imagination. (When I were a lad, my imagination was certainly stimulated by the open-endedness of Gotrek’s Doom. It’s a story-world that trusts you to create stories.) A lot of it was surprisingly ‘grown-up,’ psychologically, sociologically, etceralogically. I enjoyed your Laughter of the Dark Gods also, which seemed a better and more succinct study of the journey towards Chaos-damnation than any of the screeds of more laboured stuff that came after.
Slightly envious of your current place of residence! Have you ever thought of mining local material for your work? I always quite enjoyed the grim folklore collected by Karol Jaromir Erben. There’s a really excellent film animation of one of his tales called The Wedding Shirts and I don’t know if you’ve ever encountered the Dvořák setting of The Noon Witch – very creepy!
Thanks for the free eBook. I shall get it downloaded when I get home. Was it inspired at all by the Icelandic Kormak’s Saga? I read it a few years ago but can’t remember much about it, save that the titular hero was a bit hotheaded (i.e. mental) and there was quite an interesting female sorceress antagonist (although not particularly well-regarded by her culture, I think). Fewer dwarfs in it, though, I’m guessing.
Please forgive the length of this rather formless post…. I clearly don’t get enough opportunity to chat about this stuff!
All the very best,
Duncan
Thanks for the kind words and the considered thoughts, Duncan.
I do feel a certain nostalgia for the 80s. A lot of things about fantasy atrophied with the arrival of the blockbuster mentality. Also in the early days of Warhammer there was a lot more freedom simply because there was a lot less lore. Now there are hundreds of novels and hundreds of thousands of worlds of background. It’s a lot harder to just wing it. I was fortunate to get involved in Warhammer writing at a time when there was more elbow room for my style of writing.
I don’t know enough about Czech traditions to mine them for inspiration. I do use the architecture, history and landscape a lot. Nuln in Skavenslayer is partially based on Prague. Grey Seer Thanquol runs amok around the Hrad at one point.
I confess I have never even heard of Kormak’s saga. I picked the name because it had the sort of Celtic ring to it that Robert E Howard’s protagonists names often have and then applied the local hard K spelling convention to it.
Hi again, thanks for you own kind words!
It’s nice to hear that my 80s analysis was not completely wide of the mark — I think a lot of great creativity comes from ‘winging it,’ freedom to explore where you fancy going, with less restriction on your imagination (working on a tight creative leash has been proven to be very dampening; and why must the marketeers rule everything now?!?). The early material seems underrated to me, the ‘new world’ potential is almost tangible and I think a lot of it is unusually intelligent, intricate and interesting. Maybe that’s the antithesis of the blockbuster mentality which arrived afterwards. I’ve never liked ‘blockbusters’ in any walk of life…. but that’s just me.
I’d recommend Czech fairy tales if you’re into folklore. When I was (a fair bit) younger, I graduated from Tolkienesque fantasy to the lore which underpinned it and fairy tales from around the world are probably my favourite literature now (can be very moody, often psychologically revealing). There’s one called Otesánek about a wooden boy which I find terrifying (he’s no Pinnochio! — there’s a live action film which made me wary of anything wooden for weeks). It’s based very firmly on the irresistible impulse to have children, no matter what…. Very interesting to hear that Nuln was based on Prague, definitely something to look out for. The Hrad looks ridiculously pretty. What an inspiration!
One of the fascinating things about the old Kormak’s Saga is how it fore-grounds ethnic mix. Kormak is indeed ‘Cormac,’ named by his mother, who I recall may have been a slave (or daughter of?) from Ireland or the Hebrides. (So you’ve followed the same Norse convention with the K!) I think we generally forget the amount of ‘mingling’ that goes on throughout history and tend to think in quite binary terms about this or that culture ‘prevailing.’ But Scotland is quite a good example, with highly hybridised societies of Pict/Gael or Gael/Norse in the Isles. ANYway…. I look forward to reading your Kormak!
(Sorry, I tend to get carried away with all this….)
Thanks again for replying to me. Best of luck with all your pursuits.
Duncan
Sorry for taking so long to reply. Got caught up in work and was stricken with the flu– again. I am starting to pay a bit more attention to Czech fairy tales now– my wife and her parents tell them to our youngest son, I just realised. Some of them are pretty scary.
I agree about the blockbuster mentality. One of the most pernicious developments in modern writing is the belief that stories can be reduced to formulas. I put this down to the rise in influence of the screenwriting gurus and the way a lot of filmspeak has been imported into print fiction– you know, acts and arcs and all the heroes journey stuff. It’s not that I don’t believe it works, but more that a lot of people today don’t look beyond it. It has led to a lot of very formulaic fiction.
As a total aside there was a Viking archeological site and a bunch of early Irish Christian sites very close to where I grew up. It was also an area traditionally associated with the Picts and not too far from the old Roman borders.
Quick note: Loved the original short story books in the early 90s, then the box tree book editions and then the later novels. Your view of the old world combined with Kim (Jack Yeovil) Newman -which I picked up the same time – has really stayed with me through all my RPG formative experiences. Glad creatively you have moved on, so I am looking forward to seeking out all your new material.
Best of luck – right now to look around the rest of the site,.
Pete
Thanks, Pete! Boxtree editions? That’s going back a long way.
Mr. King,
G&F was the fourth book series I read as a kid and I still love it. I was reminded of it recently while playing “Vermintide” and absolutely thought of skaven slayer. I then powered all the way through giant slayer in last three days and relived why I thought dwarves awesome. I especially enjoy the way you portrayed Teclis as he is my favorite hero in both warhammer universes. You are the reason I came to love warhammer fantasy. Space Wolf made me love 40k. So thank you and I hope you continue the fantastic work.
Ben
Thank you, Ben. You just made my day!
Though the first of your books i read was the terrarch chronicles i recently stumbled upon your gotrek and felix series when getting into warhammer. I just wanted to say that you have quickly become one over my favourite authors with everyone of your books turning out to be a joy to read. I bought the first omnibus earlier this year on a whim after recognising your name and i have already pretty much read everything you have written regarding warhammer at this point so i wanted to say thank you for helping me to find a multitude of well written fantasy novels for me to sink my teeth into!
Thanks, Jake. Much appreciated. It’s nice to hear from someone who went from my Terrarch books to Gotrek and Felix. The journey is usually in the other direction.
I realize you get this all the time, but holy fuck your books are good. I picked up the first Gotrek & Felix omnibus a few days ago more or less by accident, and since then I’ve been hopelessly glued to my reading chair. I’m just about to finish the second omnibus, and wanted to drop by and express my sincerest gratitude for the world you’ve layed out in your books, and a hope that we might one day see you write more adventures for them.
Thanks, William. I actually don’t get these comments all the time so I am grateful for your enthusiasm! There are no plans for me to do any more Gotrek and Felix stories, but I should have a story in an upcoming Age of Sigmar anthology next year.
Hi Bill, I’m a massive fan, I started reading the Slayer novels when I was maybe 11 or twelve and really have grown up reading the adventures of G&F. I don’t read so much anymore or follow Warhammer but I have all the books and make it an almost annual pilgrimage to run through Troll slayer – Slayer just to enjoy the adventures again and I always miss some little detail or wry comment from felix so it’s nice.
It’s very interesting to read through the earlier books you wrote as an adult and finally understanding a lot of the things 11 year old me just really had no idea about!
Although you have said you don’t want to revisit the series anytime soon, I did wonder if you have kept up to date with what has been happening with the adventurers you created? Did you like / Dislike how they changed after their 20 year hiatus between Giantslayer and Orcslayer? Were you happy with how the events played out in Kinslayer and Slayer?
Bonus nerdy question: How do you think things would have panned out for both Felix and Gotrek respectively if Kirsten hadn’t died all those years ago and Felix did break his vow and head off into the happy hills with her?
Thanks for creating a world that still captivates me 15 later 🙂
Hi Elliot, Thanks for the kind words. I have not been keeping abreast of the series so I can’t answer any of the questions. (I am sure no one wants me looking over their shoulders when they are writing.)
I had only recently discovered the adventures of Gotrek and Felix and really enjoy them. One of side notes/thoughts I really enjoy is when Felix indulges in philosophy and thinks upon the impact of his and Gotrek’s actions. Not something I expected to encounter in a Warhammer setting to be honest:)
If GW were to offer you to write Gotrek and Felix again, would you take it? And if you did, would you continue from the previous adventures set by other authors or begin something different?
Thanks for the kind words, Juliana. I can’t see me writing Gotrek & Felix again any time soon. The world I was familiar with was blown up and though I like the setting for Age of Sigmar I would need to be an awful lot more familiar with it than I am to be comfortable writing a full length novel set there (although I have recently written a short story). Given the fact that all of the pair’s previous adventures are part of the IP’s continuity, I (or anyone else writing the stories!) would have to take them into account. The short answer is no although it took me some time to get there!
Hi Bill, another superfan of the G&F series here :). I saw in your previous comment you mentioned that the Old World had been blown up in favor of Age of Sigmar. That’s actually the same reason I abandoned Warhammer a while ago – AoS is definitely a different flavor from WH Fantasy, and it just isn’t for me. However, the Old World has recently been rebooted as a result of the 4th Edition of WH Fantasy RPG that was just released at Gencon 2019 (an annual tabletop convention), with the timeline set just after the election of Emperor Karl Franz (c. ~2500). It’s completely reignited my love for WH Fantasy, and to celebrate I’m reading through the G&F series again. The folks that released 4E are at full bore churning out new lore and story content, so if you still have any interest in the Old World, this is a great time to dip your feet back into those waters.
I also wanted to thank you for creating my favorite fantasy series, which has provided me with uncountable hours worth of entertainment. Your books were how I initially discovered WH Fantasy, and since then WHF has been one of my favorite pastimes, whether I’m reading something from Black Library, playing Vermintide and Total War Warhammer, or DM’ing for my weekly WHF RPG group. You were really one of the original architects for WH Fantasy’s overall atmosphere and style, which is a legacy that endures as others continue to build upon the foundation you created.
Also, in case you haven’t heard – G&F recently received the oldschool radio play treatment from Black Library, with Gotrek voiced by no less than Brian Blessed. Though they may have left your nest a while ago, your boys are still out there finding new adventures and entertaining people. 🙂
Thanks, Jeff. 4e WFRP certainly looks lovely. Hopefully, I will get around to playing it at some point. On the subject of Vermintide and Total Warhammer, one of the oddest and most wonderful experiences I have had in the past few years is seeing all of the stuff I spent so much time imagining take on a (sort of) concrete reality. Running through the streets of Bogenhafen in Vermintide 2 was so cool. And the trailers of the Total Warhammer stuff were mindblowing. I was chuffed to hear Brian Blessed was doing the voice of Gotrek! One of my favourite actors!
Hello Bill. Just wanted to say I’m a big fan of your work. Back in the day I read everything that had your name on it. I played WFB, WFRP and Mutant Chronicles. I spent a lot of time on your message board, trollslayer.net run by your sister(if I remember correctly) and read any of your short stories I could find. I spent a lot of time in your worlds as a young feller.
So about 16 years ago I finished up Giantslayer. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Wondered what would be next for these two wandering adventurers?
Imagine my dismay when I realized you were not writing the next book. WTF? In my mind clearly you were wronged. How could this be? I didn’t understand, so I did what any selfrespecting dwarf would do, I swore an oath!
Yep, I swore an oath and I added it to The Book of Grudges.
I would never read another Gotrek and Felix book unless you wrote it.
Well it’s been a decade and a half and everytime I see that third omnibus I pass it by.
Now I’m sitting here during the coronavirus event, laid off and looking to order up something to read and what do I see online, there it is The Third Omnibus.
I’m older now, I realize you probably moved on 15 years ago if there even was any reason to be holding a grudge to begin with and also I am not a dwarf, so you know.
I’m on the couch tapping this out on my phone and the previously mentioned book sits beside me. I’m going to read Giantslayer again, then Redhands Daughter, we’ll see what happens after that.
Anyway thanks for all your great work and the personality you bring to your writing. I really love your world building and sense of humor. You are one of my top three authors. If you’re counting books in my library its a toss up between you, Bernard Cornwell or Dan Abnett.
All that said and done I figured you might get a kick out of how your writing inspired a youngster to swear an oath and stick it out into adulthood and I might add I haven’t broke it yet.
Stay safe and looking forward to whatever you get up to next.
Thanks Shawn, I do get a kick out of it! As a Scotsman I always appreciate a good grudge holding!
Sir,
While quarantined due to COVID I recently pulled your Gotrek and Felix books off my shelf after a hiatus of 12 years or so; absolutely fantastic sword and sorcery! Like many other commenters I resolutely won’t read the later pale imitations by lesser authors; I recall I got a few chapters into one and never tried again. I still own and treasure a much dog-eared and stained copy of “Trollslayer” that belonged to an army buddy (sadly killed in action in Afghanistan quite a few years ago) with whom I quite unexpectedly became friends with over our shared enjoyment of temporarily leaving behind our own grim and bloody adventures to share in those of Gotrek and Felix.
Having come to know Prague quite well as an adult I chuckled at a couple of apparent references to locations in the city that I missed reading the books as a teenager. Has enough time passed that you might feel comfortable sharing the story with your intrigued readers as to how you and the “Gotrek and Felix” intellectual property parted ways in the early aughts? It was a great loss to those of us who fell in love with your vividly rendered settings, action, and compelling characters. I for one was terribly disappointed when you stopped writing them.
Thanks for all the tales!
Hi Reid, apologies for the long delay in this response. There are indeed a number of references to Prague in those books including the use of several of my favourite bars, sadly since closed, as settings. As for the split, I don’t really have any interest in revisiting that particular part of my past, sorry!
Dear Mr William. I recently stumbled upon the dragonbond saga and from there became aware of this huge world you have created. I inhaled the terrarch series next. These books have brought me so much joy and I’m so grateful.
As expected i immediately wanted to delve into the Gotrek & Felix series. However for some unknown reason Amazon India does not carry the kindle editions. I just wanted to let you in case you weren’t aware.
Thanks, Tanvi, and my apologies for taking so long to reply. I have been cursed with illness of late. The Gotrek and Felix stories are published by Black Library which may have something to do with their unavailability in India. BL control the rights so I have no say in this matter.
Dear Mr King, I’m a long term fan of WFRP and of your novels and I’m curious about the history behind the John Sibbick painting that adorns the cover of the First edition Warhammer Fantasy Battle Rulebook and the chapter ‘The Dark Beneath the World’ in your book Trollslayer which clearly is the narrative that describes the scene depicted even though the painting predates the book by about eight years.
Did the painting inspire the Gotrek saga or did some ealrier unpublished workj of yours inspire the painting?
Hey there. About 30 years ago, I was commissioned to write a story that had the scene and characters from the painting in it so that it could be used as cover for one of the original GW Books short story collections. I had played a lot of WFRP 1e in my time so I was only too happy to do it. The characters on the cover had their own miniatures which were in the original edition of 1e too. They were even named so I used those names. Aldred Fellblade was one of them if I recall correctly. Hope that answers the question. And as usual, I find myself apologising for the delayed response. For some reason my WordPress notifications are going straight to spam these days.
Hi.
I have been into WFB and WFRP since the glory days of GW and have in the last 2 years gotten back into the setting.
The Felix and Gotrek books by yourself are superb and are amongst my favourite fantasy books of all time, I have many on audible and listen to them on a loop.
I am a big fan of what you have done, thank you for the great escapism!!