Götterdämmerung

Götterdämmerung by Jonathan Green. A Sniper Elite: Nazi Zombie Army short story, originally published by Abaddon Books, February 2013. Approx. 31 pages.

Just a quick mention before I get into the actual review - as of the time of this writing, this story is available for download absolutely FREE over at the Abaddon Books/Rebellion Publishing site. There's really no reason not to grab a copy. Link is here. Now, on to the review.

Ok, say what you will about the inherent evil of the Nazis. But, you cannot deny, they were the best dressed folks at the big party. I cannot help but wonder if a little bit of that, combined with the sheer heights of their evil, have kept them so relevant in pop culture even seven decades after World War II. 

It seems these days that there is a thriving sub-culture catering to the Nazi Zombie genre (actually, there have been books and movies for decades as well). You would think people would be tired of it by now. I guess some things never die. Exactly the case in point here.  

In Götterdämmerung, we meet a crack British sniper team tasked with a most urgent mission; infiltrate the city of Totenstadt, and eliminate a high value asset named von Teufel, a high-ranking member of the Nazi Party's occult division. 

The story opens with a bang, dropping us into the midst of a thrilling action sequence. This segues into a meeting with a deranged Nazi scientist, who leads our merry covert band down a true pathway to Hell. This all culminates with a scene which delivers on the promise of the title, set against the backdrop of a nightmarish Nazi occult machine. I haven't seen such a nightmarish summoning device since Urotsukidoji introduced us to the infamous Nazi Death Rape Machine...

Please, please, PLEASE forgive me using the horrid edited dub. It's all I could find on Youtube.

So, what works here and what doesn't? Götterdämmerung is a solid little Nazi zombie yarn. The opening scene is great; Green really captures the feel of the battle. For a moment, I didn't want it to stop being a traditional WWII story. As far as the supernatural elements go, kudos to Green as well. The climactic set-piece is, again, well constructed and well imagined. 

I will say that the best action takes place in those first few pages. The action in the latter portion has some real highlights, but it gets confusing at times too. 

Characters? Well, we don't get to know too much about the characters. Which is fine, since they are supposed to be going in deep cover. We get their names, and enough characteristics to make them likable (especially the two primaries; one is resourceful, and one is a tad jocular. Basically all you need for a short tale anyhow). As far as their prowess as snipers, and resourcefulness as commandos, that is done well too. However, again, in the later scenes, when all literally goes to Hell, so do their techniques. There is, though, one moment which I had a problem with: I don't care if you agree to follow a demented Nazi scientist to the target location, but I doubt any covert operative is going to willingly offer his full name, and nickname, plus the names of his fellow operatives to said nutcase. Then again, we can also assume that they were all operating under aliases, so there's that.

But what about the important stuff? Mainly, the zombies? They are done nicely, when they finally show up. Green puts his own touches on them to differentiate them from standard zombie fare. They are creepy, too. I just wish we could've gotten at least one or two more paragraphs with them (see, I'm not greedy). Just enough time to see some various stages of decomposition; time to see a broader range of their possible attributes so that we could quantify the true danger that the Nazis now had at their disposal.

Again, the zombies are done well, but to be honest, the setting of that final scene, and Green's description of the sheer horror of what was going on, were more scary than the monsters themselves. I hope that doesn't come off as backhanded praise; I honestly think the scenery trumped the actors. All of them. 

Solid Nazi zombie action here. A great read for an October night. Head on over to Rebellion Publishing and get your copy now.

One last thing that I feel I need to mention: there are, unfortunately, a fair amount of typos in this short story (I counted 3-4 pretty glaring ones). This kind of thing, you don't blame the author (or take points off), since we all make typos in our texts. It's just, the editor should've caught them. These things aren't the end of the world, but they do detract from a seamless reading experience.

Final Score:

7.5/10

Cover Score:

Do I need to say anything? Just look at it.

Cover Final Score:

10/10

Sticks And Stones

Sticks and Stones by Jonathan Green. A Warhammer Fantasy short story, originally published by The Black Library, June 2014 (Warhammer Week). Approx. 28 pages.

Even though only four of the seven offerings piqued my interest, I've been waiting to get around to the short stories from the recent Warhammer Week. I tried to start off with Bernheimer's Gun, but, even though it is written well, it is written with too light a touch for what I am in the mood for. Option two was Sticks and Stones, a short story focusing on a group of the Empire's Pistolkorps as they chase down an orc shaman and run afoul of something far worse.

Sticks and Stones kicks off right in the middle of a heated fray between the forces of the Empire and the foul greenskins. As we meet our protagonist, Rutger Erlang, he is polishing off an orc boar rider before being dispatched to kill an orc shaman which has made short work of one of his comrades. Along with his fellow pistoliers (other young nobles led by a lowborn sergeant), they ride off to the orc camp and come face to face with not only the powerful shaman, but also an all-powerful, animated effigy of Gork (or is it Mork?) himself.

Sticks and Stones is a quick, fun read. It is a true procedural, popcorn actioner. There are no boundaries being challenged here. All that is left to the author is making an interesting matchup of combatants, and making the writing palatable. Here's how it fares:

For combatants, we have the Pistolkorps versus the orc shaman and the living Gork statue. This is an interesting match, since it is a play in contrasts of the height of Imperial technology against crude, base greenskin magic. Great concept, and fair execution. I just wish that Green had really gotten into how utterly unnerving the abominable orcish sorcery must have been for even stout-hearted nobles of the Empire.

As for characters, Rutger is a likable enough lead. He is resourceful, skilled, and also lucky. He is not so pure of heart that some highborn snobbery doesn't come through. The secondary characters, however, are simply assigned one trait/characteristic each and written around that. I also would have liked to see a little more focus on the shaman as well.

The writing is strong enough, as Green employs a rich vocabulary. His best work in the story is detailing the landscape; so much so that I felt as if I was riding with the pistoliers. The pacing never slows or stalls, either.

Yet, there are a few things that keep this good story from being great. Since this story focuses on troops using pistols, I would have liked more detail about the stresses and challenges of using and loading flintlock pistols under extreme pressure and against a daunting foe. I know these guys are the best trained in the Empire, just give me something that shows it.

Also, the living statue of Gork should have been a bit more frightening in its description. And finally, there is a moment of treachery followed by some karma-based reprisal. The moment of betrayal should have stabbed a little harder so that the revenge would have tasted a tad sweeter.

All nit-picking aside, at just under 30 pages, this is a good story to sit and read on a (thankfully) cool August afternoon while enjoying your coffee. A nice little action piece, focusing on the rank and file, which is always a plus.

Here's what it is:
The noble pistoliers of the Empire meet their match in the form of an orcish abomination. Will a little strategy and a lot of luck be enough to save the day?


Final Score:

74/100


Cover Score:

Another great cover by Alex Boyd. I'm sure that the cover is from a rulebook or supplement, but it is a great choice for this story. It's just that there is something, I don't know, familiar about the pose of the pistolier.

Well, to be fair, it is a pretty standard action pose....

Cover Final Score:

84/100