Product Description

Sir Rupert Triumff. Adventurer. Fighter. Drinker. Saviour? Pratchett goes swashbuckling in the hotly anticipated original fiction debut of the multi-million selling Warhammer star. Triumff is a ribald historical fantasy set in a warped clockwork-powered version of our present day ! a new Elizabethan age, not of Elizabeth II but in the style of the original Virgin Queen. Throughout its rollicking pages, Sir Rupert Triumff drinks, dines and duels his way into a new Brass Age of Exploration and Adventure. FILE UNDER: Fantasy [An Age of Alchemy / A Dashing Swordsman / The Queen Must Die]

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #16797 in Books
• Published on: 2009-10-01
• Binding: Paperback
• 352 pages

Review
"Triumff is a witch's brew of alternate history, hocus pocus, cracking action and cheesy gags. Reads like Blackadder crossed with Neal Stephenson. It's a Kind of Magick - don't miss it." - Stephen Baxter "Endlessly inventive, joyously irreverent, drenched with adrenalin and wicked humour, Dan Abnett's Triumff is a brilliant occult-comedy-historical-adventure that's true to the best traditions of the genres it so eagerly devours." - Mike Carey "He makes war so real that you want to duck." - SciFi.com "Abnett truly is the master of future war." - SciFi.com "Dan has imbued the art of waging war... with a vivid and brutal energy, infusing the action with a palpable sense of tension" - My Favourite Books, reviewing Titanicus "a highly cinematic read, in which Abnett delivers a convincing, intricately constructed future, filled with interesting characters, and the promise of much more to come. " - SF Site, reviewing Ravenor "Dan Abnett does not disappoint with his story telling skills. Not only does he write some believable characters, but he can get a battle pictured in your mind with astonishing ease." - Walker of Worlds, reviewing Titanicus

About the Author
Dan made his name in the tie-in SF and Fantasy fiction field, selling more than 1.2 million copies in English language of his Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000 novels for Games Workshop's Black Library imprint. They've also been translated into ten other languages. He's also recently made the UK fiction charts with original Torchwood and Doctor Who novels. His comicbook scripts, for major publishers such as Marvel, DC Comics and the UK's 2000 AD, have attracted critical plaudits and strong sales on both sides of the Atlantic.

Customer Reviews

Vivat Regina!
Triumff: Her Majesty's Hero is Dan Abnett's long-awaited original fiction novel. Abnett has an extensive history of writing successfully for various science fiction and fantasy imprints, but Triumff is our first chance to see him playing with toys entirely of his own creation. Those familiar with Abnett's writing will appreciate that such toys are likely to be full of whirly death, and will contain sharp objects not suitable for small children.

Its eponymous hero, Sir Rupert Triumff, drinks, cavorts and swashbuckles through an alternate version of present-day Earth where the sun never set on the Golden Age of Elizabethan England. Her Glorious Majesty Elizabeth XXX sits on the throne, along with a considerable weight of petticoats, bodice and pearls. A conspiracy is afoot to threaten the life of the Queen and taint the Magick that protects and prolongs her realm. And it's down to Rupert Triumff to save the day.

The book is a rollicking good read. It has the easy grace and unpretentious style of Abnett's Games Workshop novels, and shares his familiar blending of accessible prose, realistic characterisation, and resonant description. Triumff will expand your vocabulary with neat antique and obscure words if you care to look them up, but the writing never gets bogged down in flowery prose. Primarily, it is a comic novel, and its lightness of touch and playful language may surprise some who come to Abnett purely from the grim darkness of Games Workshop, although a deft comic sensibility has often been at the heart of Abnett's work for 2000AD comics.

As an original novel, Triumff requires no familiarity with any of Abnett's extensive back-catalogue. Comparisons to other writers are inevitable in the fantasy genre. Some are describing Triumff as a kind of Steampunk Pratchett, and it's understandable. However, Abnett writes action considerably better than Pratchett, with several meaty fights and an explosive conclusion.

With its alternate Earth setting, much of the enjoyment comes from viewing our own world through a skewed mirror, and spotting the parallels. Triumff isn't preoccupied, however, with playing this game to the detriment of the plot, but does allow for some nice cameos, including a Q'ute James Bond scene that had me laughing out loud.

Ultimately, that's the important bit. Triumff is laugh-out-loud funny. The characters are strong and well-defined, and the neo-Elizabethan setting is handled carefully and without alienating those unfamiliar with all things cuffed and ruffed. It's pacey, punchy, and highly enjoyable. Vivat Regina!

her majesty's hero
The year is 2010 and Queen Elizabeth the 30th sits on the throne. England still has her empire and little has changed since Elizabeth Tudor took to the throne as Elizabeth I. Yet all is not well in this great land - a plot exists to remove the Queen from her throne and it is up to our gallant, and occasionally reprobate, hero Sir Rupert Triumff to save the world as we don't know it.

I have to admit that I have never come into contact with Mr Abnett's work before, though I have seen them on the shelves in books shops. After reading this book, however, this may change.

This is a humorous book in the same vein as the great Sir Terry Pratchett's Discworld books. Some of the "jokes", however, are more of a groan than a laugh, others just sneak into the story without warning.

Several of the characters are reminiscent of Discworld characters, but this made the book feel more homely.

After reading the book I was left with strange the feeling that the author is trying too hard to be the next Terry Pratchett. That being said I wasn't too sure about Sir Terry's Colour of Magic and Light Fantastic when I first read them - I have no doubt that this author will find his own level, especially since he has such obvious skill as a writer.

Dan Abnett states in an interesting addition to the book entitled "The Author reflects upon the Inception of Triumff" that it has taken him approximately 20 years to get this story written and published. I hope that it doesn't take him that long to get the sequel written and published.

I have to say that I will probably take a chance on the next instalment in this series when it comes out - just as I did with the Discworld books that I am a fan of.

I found this to be a good read, well worth the time and entertaining.

A jolly ropm through modern Elizabethan England
I've never been much of a fan of history, even though a lot of sci-fi seems to be based on the past in a 'history repeats itself' sort of way. But I'm not one to prejudge, so I read "Triumff" with an open mind.

The concept is pretty straight forward, but I have to admit that I kept forgetting that this was actually 'modern times' rather than the 16th century. The idea is that the UK hasn't 'progressed' in a manner we'd recognise since the 1500's. It is Elizabethan London in all it's grotty, grimy glory.

The setting is done to the usual Dan Abnett standard, with broad brush strokes setting up Triumff's London to the right degree, and, as per usual, I was dropped right into the very middle of the world, and felt like this was a place where the characters could really live.

The characters all fit the story nicely with elements of Flashman and shades of Blackadder. Not to mention the more contemporary references thrown in for good measure, and a laugh too.

All in all, I really enjoyed this jolly good romp through London, and found myself laughing out loud on quite a few occasions, especially at the modern media references, which could necessitate another read through to try and spot more. Plus, I liked the little twist at the end, didn't expect that one!