Tag Archives: Warhammer 40k Legends

Warhammer 40,000 Legends Issue Fourteen – Helsreach by Aaron Dembski-Bowden

Issue fourteen of the Warhammer 40,000 Legends Collection is Helsreach by Aaron Dembski-Bowden, the second Space Marine Battles novel to be included in this series. This one came fairly early in Dembski-Bowden’s career, and indeed early in the Space Marine Battles series (second, I think, after Rynn’s World), but it’s still largely considered something of a 40k classic. Set on the war-torn world of Armageddon – which, if you’ve read The Beast Arises, now has a little more resonance – it tackles the Black Templars’ defence of Hive Helsreach, headed up by Reclusiarch Grimaldus.

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Warhammer 40,000 Legends Issue Thirteen – Storm of Iron by Graham McNeill

Issue thirteen of the Warhammer 40,000 Legends Collection takes us back to 2002 for Graham McNeill’s much-loved Iron Warriors novel Storm of Iron. One of Graham’s earliest Black Library novels – alongside Nightbringer, which was also released in 2002 – this tells the story of the Iron Warriors’ invasion of Hydra Cordatus, and introduces a certain Iron Warrior named Honsou who went on to have a rather important career and feature heavily in a number of his other novels. It’s still widely considered a genuine classic Black Library novel, over fifteen years after publication; at the time of writing this article it rates at an impressive 4.12 on Goodreads.

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Warhammer 40,000 Legends Issue Twelve – Architect of Fate

Twelve books in and the Warhammer 40,000 Legends Collection turns to one of the longest-running 40k series – Space Marine Battles – for the first time, with Architect of Fate. Comprising four novellas from Sarah Cawkwell, Ben Counter, Darius Hinks and John French, it’s a four-part exploration of just how dark and creepy the 41st millennium can be, as a range of Space Marine chapters tackle enemies both seen and unseen as they struggle unknowingly in the strings of Tzeentch’s greatest manipulator, Kairos Fateweaver. It’s not what you’d call the template for Space Marine Battles books, but it’s certainly an interesting one.

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Warhammer 40,000 Legends Issue Eleven – Mechanicum by Graham McNeill

For issue eleven of Hachette’s Warhammer 40,000 Legends Collection it’s back to the Horus Heresy with Mechanicum by Graham McNeill, the third Heresy book to be included so far. While it’s not the first in that series to be included in the collection, it is the first to tackle one of the most iconic, but least-represented factions in 40k – the Mechanicum, or in 40k terminology what became the Adeptus Mechanicus. Since its publication back in 2008 we’ve seen a raft of new stories featuring this faction, in both 40k and the Heresy, but at the time it was the first real opportunity we’d had to delve into the history and character of Mars and its denizens.

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Warhammer 40,000 Legends Issue Ten – Ultramarines

Issue ten of Hachette’s Warhammer 40,000 Legends Collection is the first instalment that’s an anthology of short stories, rather than a novel – in this case Ultramarines, or to give it its full, original title Legends of the Dark Millennium: Ultramarines. One of a number of anthologies in the Legends of the Dark Millennium series, it’s a collection of short stories from five different authors, all featuring the boys in blue. It’s not the first 40k Legends book to feature the Ultramarines – that would be Warriors of Ultramar – but considering the enduring popularity of this faction it’s not surprising that we should see a second book crop up so soon.

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Warhammer 40,000 Legends Issue Nine – Angels of Darkness by Gav Thorpe

For issue nine of Hachette’s Warhammer 40,000 Legends Collection, Black Library legend Gav Thorpe gets his first inclusion with Angels of Darkness. First published way back in 2003, this is one of the seminal 40k novels, widely credited with nailing down much of the Dark Angels’ backstory and regularly referenced as one of the best books from that period of Black Library’s output. Typically, I somehow missed it first time around – it was just one of those books that I always meant to read, but never did. Happily, its inclusion in this collection gave me the perfect opportunity to remedy that situation!

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Warhammer 40,000 Legends Issue Eight – First and Only by Dan Abnett

The third Dan Abnett novel to be included in the series so far, book eight in the Warhammer 40,000 Legends Collection from Hachette and Black Library is First and Only. In 40k terms they don’t come much bigger or popular than Gaunt’s Ghosts, so the first book in the series is another complete no-brainer, the sort of book that long-running fans will enjoy revisiting and brand new fans will love reading for the first time. It’s also, fact fans, the first ever Black Library novel – previous books, including classic novels by the likes of Ian Watson, were published by various imprints before Black Library was launched.

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Warhammer 40,000 Legends Issue Seven – Blood of Asaheim by Chris Wraight

I’ve had a copy of Chris Wraight’s Blood of Asaheim on my shelf for a few years now, but until it was revealed as the seventh book in Hachette’s Warhammer 40,000 Legends Collection I had never got around to reading it. Having two copies on the shelf and STILL not reading it just seemed wrong, so I happily rectified the situation – you can find my review here, but suffice to say I thoroughly enjoyed it!
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Warhammer 40,000 Legends Issue Six – Crossfire by Matthew Farrer

The sixth book of Hachette/Black Library’s Warhammer 40,000 Legends Collection is Matthew Farrer’s Crossfire, his first novel for Black Library and the opening book in the Shira Calpurnia trilogy. Similarly to Dan Abnett’s Eisenhorn series, this book and the others in its trilogy take a look at life in the Imperium away from the big battlefields, this time exploring what it’s like being a member of the Adeptus Arbites. The 40k universe is a big place, with plenty of conflict on the street level, as Shira finds shortly after landing on a new world right at the beginning of this book.

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Warhammer 40,000 Legends Issue Five – Horus Rising by Dan Abnett

Issue Five of the Warhammer 40,000 Legends Collection from Hachette and Black Library returns to the Horus Heresy with Horus Rising by Dan Abnett. The opening novel of the Heresy series, first published ten years ago, this is where it all began for what’s become the biggest and most popular series that Black Library have ever published. After a further 40+ novels (and counting) this is still generally held as one of the series high points, and is an obvious entry in the …Legends Collection.

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