Author Archives: Michael

Author Spotlight: Jamie Crisalli

Welcome to the second in my series of Author Spotlight interviews, which aim to give an overview of each author’s background and approach to writing, and a slightly more detailed look at one of their books in particular. In this instalment I spoke to Jamie Crisalli about her work for Black Library, from the process of coming through an open submissions window to her new Age of Sigmar (well, technically Warcy) novella The Measure of Iron. Whether you’ve read all of Jamie’s BL short stories already or not, this is a great opportunity to find out more about an up and coming author!

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Sisters of the Vast Black – Lina Rather

Lina Rather’s debut novella, Sisters of the Vast Black is a beautiful little story of faith, love and hope in the midst of endless, cold space, featuring secret-keeping nuns, living spaceships and a sinister government trying to reclaim power. The sisters of the Order of Saint Rita travel the edge of space in their sentient ship Our Lady of Impossible Constellations, offering medical aid and religious comfort to scattered colonists far from the main systems. After answering the call of a brand new colony, the sisters find their peaceful lives threatened by the shadow of a war long thought over.

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RAPID FIRE: Alec Worley Talks The Watcher in the Rain

Welcome to this instalment of Rapid Fire, my ongoing series of quick interviews with authors talking about their new releases. These are short and sweet interviews, with the idea being that each author will answer (more or less) the same questions – by the end of each interview I hope you will have a good idea of what the new book (or audio drama) is about, what inspired it and why you might want to read or listen to it.

In this instalment I spoke to Alec Worley about his new Warhammer Horror audio drama The Watcher in the Rain, which is available to pre-order now from Black Library. It’s Alec’s second BL audio drama, and promises to be a gripping listen!

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Author Spotlight: Thomas Parrott

Welcome to this Author Spotlight interview, in which I chat to Thomas Parrott about his writing for Black Library, including his new Blackstone Fortress novella Isha’s Lament which, at the time of writing, has just gone up for pre-order. Having had a few stories published now, with plenty more still to come out, Tom’s name is becoming increasingly familiar to BL fans, so this is a great time to get to know him a bit more. Here he talks about his early inspirations and how he ended up working with Black Library, and gives us the lowdown on the new novella.

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RAPID FIRE: CL Werner Talks Castle of Blood

Welcome to this instalment of Rapid Fire, my ongoing series of quick interviews with authors talking about their new releases. These are short and sweet interviews, with the idea being that each author will answer (more or less) the same questions – by the end of each interview I hope you will have a good idea of what the new book (or audio drama) is about, what inspired it and why you might want to read or listen to it.

In this instalment I spoke to legendary Black Library author CL Werner about his new Warhammer Horror novel Castle of Blood, which is available to order now in hardback, ebook and audiobook formats. It’s the first full-on horror novel released for Age of Sigmar, and promises to be very interesting indeed!

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QUICK REVIEW: The Hand of Harrow – Denny Flowers

Denny Flowers makes his Black Library debut with The Hand of Harrow, a snappy, fast-paced Necromunda short story which looks back to some entertaining old lore for inspiration. His reputation as the ninth most dangerous man in the underhive preceding him, Caleb Cursebound takes on what appears, on the surface, to be a low-risk and high-reward job – stealing a family heirloom from the private museum of the elderly Lord Harrow. Concerned that something isn’t quite right, however, Caleb and his ratskin companion Iktomi proceed with caution which proves well-founded as the job starts off well, before spiralling out of hand.

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Monthly Highlights – October 2019

October has come to an end, another month packed full of excellent books to talk about, so it’s time for my latest Monthly Highlights post here on Track of Words. This month I’m going purely for books (no audio dramas or short stories this time around) as my top picks from what I’ve been reading, although I’m also going to talk a little bit about an awesome event I attended in London, for a little added variety. I’ve picked quite a mix of books, from various publishers, but all of them have really caught my imagination and I’m keen to recommend every single one of them!

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QUICK REVIEW: A Tithe of Bone – Michael R Fletcher

The Black Library debut for both author Michael R. Fletcher and the Ossiarch Bonereapers as a faction, A Tithe of Bone is a cleverly thought-out and constructed Age of Sigmar short story which introduces something new to the setting without compromising on the quality of storytelling. Chaos champion Lord Markash has conquered the city of Knazziir at the edge of Nagash’s domain, in the name Tzeentch. Utterly loyal to his god, and with total confidence in himself and his destiny, when faced by the Ossiarch legions come to claim their bone tithe Markash strides out to confront them head on.

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Rites of Passage – Mike Brooks

Rites of Passage isn’t only Mike Brooks’ debut Black Library novel, it’s also the first 40k novel ever to focus entirely on the Navigator Houses, a crucial but previously under-explored element of the Imperium of Man. Returning home to Vorlese after the death of her husband (which she herself arranged), Chettamandey Brobantis’ careful plans for the future of her house are interrupted by inter-house politics, mysterious disappearances and the looming threat of warp-based disaster. As danger builds, Chetta comes to realise that all of her meticulous planning and all her skill in diplomacy might not be enough to save her house, and Vorlese itself, from what’s coming.

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RAPID FIRE: Chris Wraight Talks Valdor: Birth of the Imperium

Welcome to this instalment of Rapid Fire, my ongoing series of quick interviews with authors talking about their new releases. These are short and sweet interviews, with the idea being that each author will answer (more or less) the same questions – by the end of each interview I hope you will have a good idea of what the new book (or audio drama) is about, what inspired it and why you might want to read or listen to it.

In this instalment I spoke to Black Library author Chris Wraight about his new Horus Heresy novel Valdor: Birth of the Imperium, which was briefly available to pre-order as a Limited Edition hardback before it quickly sold out. If you’re interested in knowing more about Constantin Valdor and the role he played in the early stages of the Imperium, this looks like being the book for you – read on to find out a little more about what to expect from this new novel!

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