Callis and Toll – David Annandale

Title: Callis and Toll
Author: David Annandale
Published by: Black Library
Publication date: 23rd March 2024
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 292
Format: Hardback
Source: Private Collection

Blurb/Synopsis

Cinderfall district, Hammerhal Aqsha. The Twin-Tailed City belches fire day and night, smoke chokes the skies, and ash lines the streets like so much filthy snow. Life is brutal in Cinderfall – crime is rife, and death is cheap. But even here, the ritualistic murder of a supremely powerful ganglord is out of the ordinary.

Dispatched by the Order of Azyr, witch hunter Hanniver Toll arrives in Cinderfall to investigate. Is this the work of a rival gang, or is something much darker afoot?

Review

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 5 out of 5.

If you’re looking for an unbiased review, this isn’t it! I’m a witch hunter fanatic and unapologetic Hanniver Toll fangirl and this recent addition to the Callie and Toll series has done absolutely nothing to quell my adoration for both!

Callis and Toll is a bit of a refresh for the series. Seeing the main characters moving on from the days fighting dastardly foes in the Realm of Beasts. Hanniver Toll has relocated to Hammerhal Aqshy and facing the fires of Sigmar’s foes on a new front.

The change of setting has brought a new breath of fresh air to the series, which has shown the characters maturing from their early Age of Sigmar writing and adapting along with the wider world of the Age of Sigmar. This isn’t to say that the characters have changed in their essence; Hanniver Toll is still a steadfast Sigmarite and Armand Callis is still a warrior of humble means – though some elements that aren’t touched upon from the previous offerings of their story; there’s no mention of Hanniver’s lost his arm or of Callis being a Freeguild Corporal, for example.

Callis and Toll is a book that does what Warhammer fiction does best; it hones in on a problem and the hero characters have to solve it while getting into serious trouble along the way. In a fantasy whodunit where anything is possible and even allies are dubious! You never know who the enemy of humanity is going to be, and Callis and Toll keep the reader guessing. Having said that, some of the ‘clues’ are a little on the obvious side, the story isn’t a sophisticated one that’ll keep the reader guessing right until the final reveal, but all the stepping stones of a classic fantasy/mystery novel are present. 

It was great to see the titular characters carry the story; in previous offerings in the series, it felt as though the author became bored of Callis and Toll themselves and drifted from them, this is far from the case here and I am all the more thankful for it. David Annandale was an inspired choice for writing these two, he has a flair for the dramatic, disgusting and dangerous. All work in perfect harmony here in offering a thrilling read, with characters I personally adore. And, I am humbly sorry for expressing any doubts to the contrary. I sincerely hope that Annandale can write more adventures with these two because he took them in a new direction perfectly. His description of everything horrible and gross is perfectly in keeping with what I expect from the author, and this new Callis and Toll book ticked all of my fangirl-y boxes!

There are scenes in the book that had me turning the pages at a rapid pace because I just had to know what would happen, who would be saved, who wouldn’t and the resolution of the overall mystery – which has been left sufficiently open-ended (while still being resolved enough for reader satisfaction) for another book at the very least! (Please grant my wishes GW!)

I would have loved for there to be a bit of background to the characters to be explored; what there is, is brief. Something was going on between Callis and one of their allies that I felt was a bit glossed over, too. So, there may be a bit lacking in interpersonal relationships between the titular characters and side characters; but, is that really why we read Black Library fiction? It would also be great to see how Callis and Toll got from where they were, in Ghyr, to Aqshy, but maybe that’s just me looking for wish-fulfilment? I also discovered that Callis and Toll have an animation in Hammer and Bolter, which I am going to subscribe to Warhammer TV for, my love for these two is that great! 

So, yep, I loved this book. I am thrilled that they’ve been given a new book and a new lease of life and that the book was such a fun and fantastic read! 

(Also, the models are push-fit, so it feels all the more like GW did all this just for me!! Yay!)

Summary

A wonderful adventure featuring characters I absolutely adore. 100%. Will read more stories with these two, all of the time, forever.