'The Sleep of the Dead' - Darius Hinks

 

Page Count: 14 Pages

'The Sleep of the Dead' can be found in the 'Tales of the Old World' collection but... You'd probably already figured that out. I have started this post with a pretty big clue ;o) Anyway...

All my good intentions, of reading loads over the weekend, met a poor end when, well... If I wasn't asleep, I just couldn't focus on whatever was in front of me. It happens, hopefully things will pick up over the rest of the week. I really wanted the first post of the week to be about something I'd actually read though and I'd been meaning to get back into 'Tales of the Old World' so that's just what I did. Whatever Warhammer setting he's writing in, Darius Hinks is always a good bet for a tale well told so 'The Sleep of the Dead' pretty much chose itself. Let me tell you about it... ;o)

The drawing room of Count Rothenburg has seen many tall tales told, the tale of Gustav Insel may be the only one that actually happened... Find out what happened on Gustav's trip into the frozen North, and what may still wait there for a brave (or foolhardy) adventurer...

'The Sleep of the Dead' doesn't hang around for long, long enough though to leave us with a flavour of old pulp tales concerning trips to find forbidden cities that turn into a lot more. While Hinks makes it clear that we're travelling in the Old World, I really enjoyed that sense of hearkening back to old school tales of adventure, it fits perfectly here. Having said that, I was surprised the party made it as far as they did, what with everything they had to face, and that gives the tale a nice edge at the same time. You don't want to read a story where it's all travelling; you need to fight stuff too ;o) Hinks gets the balance right and the tale flows very smoothly as a result.

What I really liked though is how 'The Sleep of the Dead' signs off in the best traditions of cosmic horror... You may survive an encounter with the incomprehensible but you'll never truly escape it and that is what will do for you in the end. Not only that, others will still be tempted by the promise of power. An appropriately downbeat ending to an unsettling tale. Worth a look if you get a chance.

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