Ghazgkull Thraka - Prophet of the WAAAGH by Nate Crowley.
When I first read this book I couldn't put it down, what I liked about it was the fact it doesn't take itself to seriously. I know the other books based on orks like Warboss or Evil Sun Rising are in a similar kind of vein but this one is presented in a different style that I found really engaging. Its not very often when a book has had me laughing so frequently. Yes this book is about the most famous ork warlord but it is mainly delivered by a Blood Axe ork with the very friendly name of Bites-Face-Of-The-Face-Biter-Before-It-Can-Bite (thankfully shortened to Biter) on the behalf of the boss's luckiest grot Makari with alternating chapters with a Ordo Xenos inquisitor and her team. The Story of Ghazgkulls rise and the occasional falls is broken up with a really well thought out clear path that is interspersed with comedic misunderstandings and parts which pace the book nicely.
What I enjoyed - even though it had me laughing in a lot of it - is it doesn't detract from the main objective of the story about Ghazgkulls exploits. If you have been reading some of the more serious books that focus on the more serious storylines, it can be a nice change of pace. Or even if you're trying to hook someone new into the 40k universe and you want to break them in gently before you drop a darker tone book like the Vaults of Terra series or the primarch series book for Konrad Curse.
The pacing of the book works well all the way though but there are sudden twists in it as well. When I have spoken to people about this book the only bad comment about the book is you would maybe expect a bit more detail to the fights described with it being orks but I think that it works because although there are a few periods of no big battles and explosive heavy parts, you are getting a lot of insight into Ghazgkull himself and what makes him so dangerous to the imperium.
My final word on this is that if you are an ork fan or just looking for something a little different then this is a must read.
Top image used under creative commons Warhammer wiki
bottom image book cover of the version used in the review
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