Headtaker (Warhammer) Paperback – June 11, 2013

Having never heard of this character before and knowing how spotty the warhammer books can be I was hesitant to purchase this one. I'm certainly glad I did. This has turned out to be one of the best books I've read, not just from warhammer but in general. Full of well developed characters, a complex storyline and plenty of action without falling into the usual warhammer vein of painfully prolonged battle scenes. An excellent book I highly recommend.

A delightful read for a fan of classic Warhammer. It portrays skaven of all stripes, from the dogmatic to the pragmatic to the utterly insane. The skaven characters on display here are much more varied and nuanced than in any other portrayal, easily equaling C.L. Werner's cast of Underfolk in his Time of Legends: Black Plague series. Each of the main characters, Rezzit, Ska, and the titular Queek, have their own unique perspectives on Skavendom and their own quirks (and neuroses) that motivate them. However, the gold star has to be handed to Sharpwit, whose unique perspective adds much-needed mental and emotional depth to the normally cartoonish race.The dwarves in this tale don't get short shrift either. Their culture is presented much more thoroughly and colorfully than is typical in Warhammer. Even if they cleave to their stereotypes, they manage to resonate as unique characters with a range of motivations, struggling with obligations of honor, duty, and tradition pitted against pragmatism, desperation, grief, and outrage.I'll really miss the Warhammer world of old, but it left at least a few great stories behind.

"Headtaker" tells about one of Queek Headtaker's many adventures as a Skaven Warlord. Queek is, well, uh...I suppose "insane" could be applied but I'm not sure that word is adequate. "Gloriously, bloodthirstily MAD" might fit better. You'd think he would not be fun to read about but he is a blast! The book gives great insights into the culture and psychology of the Skaven race - evil, paranoid "ratmen" with absolutely no saving virtues - which is what makes them so fun!This book also lets us see the not-so-jolly-but-really-dour-instead world of the Dwarfs of Warhammer. A King and his incredibly huge "Book of Grudges". That's all the teaser you need, considering Queek has whole chapters in that book!So if you want a fun, horrific, bloodthirsty romp through the early "End Times" in the Warhammer Fantasy universe then "Headtaker" is a good choice.

I don't have a lot of experience with Skaven, nor read a lot of Warhammer Fantasy books, but I found this interesting and engaging. I found that it played to queek's character well. I enjoyed the views from multiple characters, both those in reality and those in queeks head. I won't say more due to spoilers.I did not find it difficult to follow, though I agree with below that occasionally, the skaven-speak could get a bit annoying, but it stayed in character and was full of fighting, blood, gore and lots and lots of skavenesque backstabbing. The most fun of the book was following all the different schemes, plots and betrayals.In general, the book did a good job of keeping me wanting to know what happens next, and for a fantasy, joy read, what more do you really want?

Is Queek Mad? Are the gods speaking to the Headtaker through his "trophy rack" I loved suspense, the plot twists and the depiction of Skaven society! A great roller coaster of a read!

I'm only in Chapter 2, but I am already intrigued by the skaven lore. Queek Headtaker has always been my favorite skaven and so far this book has shown a good representation of Queek as a warlord. I'm excited to read what happens next.

Skaven are cool and so is this book. It makes Queek seem unstoppable, and clan Mors actually seen a good choice to play

Well written and interesting story, my main gripe is that the book is about Queek, but spends way too much time fluffing the page count with other characters subplots.