Review - Death Match by Matt Forbeck (Black Library)

Blood Bowl: Death Match by Matt Forbeck
Published by Black Library
Paperback - 416 pages
Published April 2006
Personal copy of book

 Yes, I realise that this is the second Black Library book in a row that I've reviewed, but I've got a big back log of stuff to read from last Christmas and so this is what you're getting :P

Death Match is part of the Black Library's selection of novels about Blood Bowl, the Warhammer equivalent of American football (or just plain ol' football for those of you who are reading this from across the pond). It's written by Matt Forbeck, and it is the third in a trilogy of Blood Bowl novels, the first two being Blood Bowl and Dead Ball.

Death Match focuses on famed Blood Bowl team the Bad Bay Hackers and its central character, thrower Dunk Hoffman. As well as playing through the deadly matches in order to win tournaments, Dunk must also confront figures from his disturbing past, uncovering betrayal, murder and sacrifice. This culminates in an epic battle between good vs. evil in a duel for the fate of the world, all played out on the field of Blood Bowl.

As a Blood Bowl novel, Death Match is quite humourous in the way that it deals with the world in which it is set, giving you the same high spirited feel that you would get playing the game (which is extremely tongue in cheek, almost a parody of the genres that it encompasses). The stadiums in the novel have a tannoy system and TV link ups; reporters have video cameras and DVD players (all with appropriate fantasy explanations for how and why it works).

One drawback that I feel that it has is that it takes the American Football parody aspect a little too far. E.g. the Hackers' team captain is called Rhett Cavre (an obvious play on Brett Favre, quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings). Such close comparisons with real personalities detract from the fantastic elements of the game and the novel itself, although I suppose if you're a fan of American football anyway you may enjoy this comparison (or if you're an ignorant Brit like myself you probably won't notice :P).

The darker back story is a good contrast to the lighthearted action on the pitch. Dunk's history and relationships with his father and brother are rife with betrayal and disaster, and it makes you sympathize with him as he has to deal with all his problems, both on and off the field. The addition of small snippets of detail from his past mean that you learn of the events that drove him to Blood Bowl gradually, leaving you wanting more after each chapter.

Forbeck writes a solid group of central characters with each one having their own flaws to add to the plot and to further add to Dunk's problems. Of particular note are Dunk's on/off girlfriend Spinne and the team coach, Pegleg.

Possibly because I haven't read the first two books in the series (an odd habit of mine when it comes to Warhammer novels...) I found the payoff at the end slightly overdone and rushed. It seems that things escalate to a very high level of 'ohcraptitude' (that's an official Mithril Wisdom term, feel free to spread it around) very quickly, but then resolve themselves with great speed. This may also be because of the injection of humour into what was meant to have been a climactic and dramatic scene.

In conclusion, Death Match is a good, funny read for existing fans of Warhammer and Blood bowl alike. Maybe you should give it a miss if you're not familiar with either, as it requires you to already be familiar with the Warhammer World in order to understand a lot of the humour. It would also be helpful to read the first two novels as a run up to this one, but it still stands on its own as a very good read.