Lunchtime Reading… ‘The Interrogator’ and ‘King of Pigs’ (Black Library)

It’s an ‘unexpected double post day’ today as I treated myself to a couple of ‘Warhammer Short Reads’ to have a go at while I was having lunch. I polished them both off (along with a rather nice lasagne) so I thought I’d take a little time out and share some quick thoughts on ‘Age of Sigmar’ tale ‘The Interrogator’ and Warhammer Horror story ‘King of Pigs’. I say ‘quick thoughts’ as it’s another one of those days and I’ve got a few things that I need to get done.

Two tales then, both good but one a lot better than the other…


‘The Interrogator’ – Richard Strachan

In the wake of the Siege of Excelsis, a humble scrivener is caught up in a web of terrible coincidences, and interrogated by the ruthless witch hunter Doralia ven Denst. Her consecrated crossbow in hand, Doralia wants nothing but the truth – no matter how it hides.

If you know the settings for either Warhammer game, you’ll know that there’s a whole other war that takes place away from the frontlines. A war for the very souls of seemingly innocent citizens and one that various orders of Inquisitors and Witch Hunters will not let the Ruinous Powers win, even if it means the death of innocents…

We’re in the Realms of Sigmar so it’s Doralia ven Denst, of the Azyrite Order, who’s asking the questions in a tale that has a lot of fun trying to make you second guess yourself as to the possible guilt of our scrivener. Is he guilty or has ven Denst finally succumbed to the occupational hazard of ‘Witch Hunter’s Paranoia’? The answer was a little too obvious for me but getting to that point was the thing and there is a lot there to get stuck into.

‘King of Pigs’ – J.H. Archer

A hive city falls to the predations of the forces of Chaos. The diary of a slaughterhouse worker offers a glimpse into the madness.

Now this was more like it… ‘King of Pigs’ tackles the fall to Chaos at both ends of the scale and hits the target both times in a gloriously atmospheric tale that really makes you see how Chaos can get a hold and what it does to a population already pushed to breaking point by regular life, let alone everything else. Content warning though, if you’ve ever lost a child then this may not be the read for you, just saying.

‘King of Pigs’ is an amazing read though, the bit where you see the Garden and you know exactly what is happening… Honestly, it’s powerful stuff and well worth reading. I can’t see anything else by J.H. Archer (from Black Library anyway) and I really hope that isn’t the case for too long. I want to see more from Archer, definitely one to keep an eye open for.

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