(A Warhammer novel)

Black Library, 2005

Stefan Kumansky, after spending time at the front lines of the war against Chaos, has at last returned to Altdorf, the city of his youth. His respite is short-lived when he is recruited by a secret society, the Keepers of the Flame, to embark on a dangerous, risk-filled mission. They fear a Chaos plot is aimed at Altdorf itself--a city deep inside the Empire. If Altdorf were to fall, the blow to the morale of the Empire could be fatal.

Stefan's mission is to rescue a minion of Chaos from one of the Empire's prison. The Keepers of the Flame have underwritten Stefan's mission, because they feel that the witch-hunters of the Empire have failed to interrogate the prisoner properly. Stefan must fight both the Empire and the conniving agents of Chaos to complete his mission. Further clouding the issue is the rise of zealots and religious doomsayers, manipulating the citizens of Altdorf for their own ends. Stefan's brother, Mikhal, has been caught in their thrall, and Stefan leaves his trusted companion, Bruno, to watch after his brother.

And, with Chaos in the mix, not everyone can be trusted.

The plot threads are laid out evenly. As Bruno moves closer and closer to the dark secrets of Altdorf, Stefan brings his quarry closer and closer to the city, until finally the plot lines collide.

Von Diehl, the main villain, is portrayed with the proper balance of menace and charm. Found lingering and emaciated in prison, McIntosh manages to convey the uneasy feeling that this wizened man is more than he appears to be--and more dangerous. Most of the other major characters are robust enough to avoid being one-dimensional, too.

Stefan is a capable hero with somewhat interesting internal conflicts. He struggles with the duplicity of the mission that he has embarked on, especially when he is forced to kill an innocent man. He can only hope that the greater good outweighs his sin.

The magician on his team, Natalia, further complicates Stefan's situation. Not only are they attracted to each other--she is the sister of a man Stefan was forced to kill. Her brother had been a great hero, but fell to the corruption of Chaos in the earlier novels of the trilogy. This gives Stefan plenty of angst and further tension, because she does not know that he is her brother's killer. Personally, I felt that this subplot strained my suspension of disbelief. It felt unnecessary to give them such a convenient connection through their backstories--whether it was by the hand of fickle Fate or by the dark designs of the forces of Chaos.

The other downside I found to this novel was that Stefan was too much of an every-man. He never really stood out for me, perhaps because I have not read the preceding novels. He is a good man fighting the good fight, a fleshed out character, but a bit too ordinary as fantasy heroes go. Then again, maybe that is the point of Stefan Kumansky--a portrayal of a common man in the battle against Chaos.

Keepers of the Flame is capable storytelling and a solid read, though not a standout of the Warhammer library.

The other two novels in this series are, Star of Erengrad and Taint of Evil.