Valkia the Bloody Book Review
Non-spoiler review:
I just finished reading Valkia the Bloody by Sarah Cawkwell. I know it's a bit late given that it came out in June or something, I actually started when I bought it and stopped about a quarter of the way through. Not because the writing or story was bad, far from it. But I really hate the nomadic tribe trope, I'm all about civilization. So despite the excellent writing and pacing I put the book down and only picked it up again yesterday. Which was really, really stupid, because it turned out things really started picking up after that point in the novel. The focus shifted moreto Valkias conquests rather than her Norse environment and with that gone I could really let myself enjoy the story.
Valkia is a really 'badass', pure and simple. She kills everyone who gets in her way and even death doesn't stop her. Ms Cawkwell writes in a very enjoyable, well-paced way that made the book a real pleasure to read. The fights are well thought out and surprisingly realistic (I think Ms Cawkwell may be a reenactor), the gore is suitably gory for a story about the Gorequeen and there is no sentimental silliness to get in the way. I really enjoyed it and I'm cursing myself for not persevering for another chapter back in June and denying myself this pleasure for months.:rolleyes:
4.5 Ravaged Corpses out of 5.
Between this book and the new Valkia model I've actually decided to make a WoC Khornate army based around Valki. I may even play with it, something I seldom do with Special Characters.
Spoilery review:
Valkia is portrayed expertly, being a headstrong, arrogant rather heartless woman without drifting into 'suprficial *****' that often occurs with such characters. There is no sentimentality or silliness getting in the way, just her leading her people and eviscerating buttock.
I was dreading how the inevitable marriage/childbirth would be handled, but I needn't have. She decided she didn't like having a husband so tricked him into blaspheming and killed him. also ended up getting him drunk and sleeping with him to get pregnant, which he didn't approve of. A refreshing change from 'oh, you've bested me in combat big strong man, let's ****' or 'I'm a real b*tch but for some reason I'm going to have a soft spot for this handsome young warrior with a poets eyes and rueful smile, let's ****'.
Ms Cawkwell doesn't skimp on the violence, but nor does she let it become gratuitous. There is plenty of graphic violence but she seldom lingers, and even when it gets quite nasty, like the murder and evisceration of one of Valkias pregnant daughters, it is done with enough sensitivity that it highlights the violence without it becoming offensive.
For all my dislike of the Norse archetype it is well done, with none of the 'noble savage' stuff that often creeps in. These people are not nice and are struggling to survive.
Valkias death and rebirth into a daemon princess were gripping, the Wrath of Khorne in particular, when he sees his favourite ho get killed by a Tzeentchian daemon.
