Author Archives: Michael

The Horus Heresy Weekender 2019

The 2019 Horus Heresy Weekender has been and gone, so as usual I wanted to write a little bit about the Black Library elements of the event specifically, and my thoughts about the event overall. As with previous years, my focus (while there, as well as in this article) is on the Black Library side of things rather than the models and the game, so I’m not going to talk much about those aspects here. There are plenty of people out there covering those sides of the event in LOADS of detail, so I’ll keep things focused on the books as usual.

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Black Library Monthly – January 2019

Welcome to Black Library Monthly for January 2019, the first in a new series of articles in which I’ll be taking a look back at the preceding month’s Black Library news and releases, and talking about what I’ve been reading and reviewing over that time. This is partially designed to replace the Black Library Weekly articles which I used to write (but which I found myself spending WAY too much time working on), and partly to give me the opportunity to just talk a little bit about what I’ve been reading and what’s been going on in the world of Black Library.

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Corax: Lord of Shadows – Guy Haley

For Guy Haley’s second novel in the Horus Heresy Primarchs series, he’s tackled the conflict at the heart of the Raven Guard primarch in Corax: Lord of Shadows. The 27th Expedition has stalled attempting to bring the Carinae Sodality – a civilisation spanning a thousand artificial moons – to compliance. While the Expedition’s commander requested assistance from the Night Lords, Corax answers instead and is determined to succeed without resorting to Curze’s tactics. The Sodality’s stubborn resistance forces Corax into escalating levels of violence, while back on Kiavahr conflict is brewing as resentment towards the Guilders spills over into bloodshed.

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Gods & Mortals – an Age of Sigmar anthology

In three and a half years the Age of Sigmar setting has grown from fairly humble beginnings into something wild and imaginative, with vast scope for storytelling and almost unlimited potential. In that time, alongside a couple of dozen novels we’ve seen a whole host of short stories published, some tying in with ongoing narratives and others standing alone. Over a whopping 400+ pages Gods & Mortals collects together eighteen short stories into an impressive anthology, eight of which are brand new while the other ten are drawn from those previously-published tales. Eighteen stories, nine authors, and lots to enjoy.

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RAPID FIRE: James Swallow Talks Red & Black

Welcome to this instalment of Rapid Fire, my ongoing series of quick interviews with Black Library 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 slightly longer than usual instalment I spoke (in places at length) to James Swallow about his classic 40k Sisters of Battle audio drama Red & Black, which has just been reissued several years after its original release, and is once more available to order in CD and MP3 formats.

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Death Knell – Phil Kelly

Released under the Space Marine Heroes label, Phil Kelly’s novella Death Knell takes a close look at a single squad of Ultramarines in action against overwhelming Chaos forces led by the Crimson Slaughter. After a direct assault against the enemy-held island of St. Capilene fails miserably, the Ultramarines change tactics, with Sergeant Sevastus and his Tactical squad hoping that stealth will see them safely past the island’s outer defences. With a pair of guardsmen in tow, Squad Sevastus infiltrate the haunted island and seek out its defenders, but even for the hard-bitten Tactical Marines the odds of success are steep.

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Celestine: The Living Saint – Andy Clark

Initially available as a rather beautiful Limited Edition hardback before the standard editions arrived six months later, Andy Clark’s short novel Celestine: The Living Saint offers the most thorough exploration yet of the realities of life (and death) for the legendary Saint Celestine. It’s a dark, occasionally unsettling story of sacrifice, faith and duty with two strands split between a desperate battle in Imperium Nihilus and a journey of discovery set…somewhere else. Equal parts conventional 40k action story and allegorical journey, it explores both the trials that Celestine faces in return for her power, and the different ways she affects the Imperial citizens she fights alongside.

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RAPID FIRE: Dan Abnett Talks Anarch

Welcome to this instalment of Rapid Fire, my ongoing series of quick interviews with Black Library 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 Dan Abnett about Anarch, the fifteenth novel in his epic, much-loved Gaunt’s Ghosts series. Anarch is available to order right now in hardback and ebook – so check out the interview and then go get hold of the novel!

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Nightfane – Nick Kyme

Picking up where Red-Marked left off, Nick Kyme’s Horus Heresy audio drama Nightfane continues the story of Aeonid Thiel as the Ultramarines Sergeant and his men investigate the hidden threats lurking in the shadows of the Five Hundred Worlds. After a somewhat bumpier landing than expected, Thiel and a small group of Ultramarines find themselves on an apparently abandoned rigging station in the midst of the acidic oceans of Bael. As they explore the station in search of its secrets – and its crew – the Red-Marked begin to uncover a darkness that lies beneath the surface of Ultramar.

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RAPID FIRE: Nick Kyme Talks Nightfane

Welcome to this instalment of Rapid Fire, my ongoing series of quick interviews with Black Library 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 Nick Kyme about his latest Horus Heresy audio drama Nightfane, which is available to order right now via the Black Library website and app, and Audible!

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