Category Archives: Black Library

QUICK REVIEW – Ahriman: The Dead Oracle – John French

In a chronological sense Ahriman: The Dead Oracle is the first short story in John French’s The Tale of Ctesias arc that accompanies and runs through the wider Ahriman series. Set between Exile and Sorcerer we meet daemonologist Ctesias as he first joins Ahriman’s resurgent cabal, taking his place in a mission in that takes him to the domain of Menkaura, the Blind Oracle. Preparing to sully his soul with yet another despicable act, Ctesias soon finds himself in deeper trouble than he expected.
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QUICK REVIEW : The Wolf Within – Rob Sanders

The Wolf Within is the sixth short story in Black Library’s ongoing Space Wolves serial and the second by Rob Sanders, picking up where The Darkness of Angels left off. With the help of his Dark Angel allies Krom Dragongaze has made it off Commorragh, and before long sees Ulrik the Slayer arrive to return him to his chapter. Despite initial hostilities the Wolves and the Angels soon find themselves united in purpose, tracking down a traitor Marine who might hold a clue to Logan Grimnar’s location.
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QUICK REVIEW : The Darkness of Angels – Rob Sanders

The fifth title in Black Library’s Space Wolves serial sees Rob Sanders get involved with his short story The Darkness of Angels. We last saw Krom Dragongaze fighting for survival in the arenas of Commoragh and that’s where we find him here, battling against all manner of monstrosity and forced to accept help from a Dark Angel, of all people, in order to survive. With time running out for the Marines, can Krom and his new allies find a way to escape?
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QUICK REVIEW : The Silence – Steve Lyons

Black Library’s Deathwatch serial continues with The Silence, Steve Lyons’ second contribution, in which Raven Guard Edryc Setorax puts his stealth skills to use on an eldar exodite world. Leaving his Deathwatch brothers to their own devices and infiltrating deep into enemy territory, he plys his lone (and deadly) trade in pursuit of intelligence on the enemy’s movements and the opportunity to strike a grave blow for the Imperium of Man.
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QUICK REVIEW : Dark City – Steve Lyons

Black Library’s Space Wolves serial continues with Dark City, the fourth short story in the series and Steve Lyons’ second contribution. The Wolves’ original mission of finding Logan Grimnar has been put on hold as Krom Dragongaze has been captured and taken to Commoragh to fight for the amusement of its dark eldar residents, while Ulrik the Slayer launches an audacious rescue mission through the Webway in search of his captured brothers.
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QUICK REVIEW : Eye of the Dragon – Steve Lyons

The third story in the ongoing Space Wolves serial, Eye of the Dragon sees the reins handed over to Steve Lyons, who picks up where Ben Counter left off at the end of The Caged Wolf. Reinforced by the headstrong Krom Dragongaze, Ulrik the Slayer continues his quest to find the Great Wolf, the Wolves venturing into a ruined city in search of Grimnar. They soon find a new foe however, as Dark Eldar Raiders come between them and their hunt.
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Pharos – Guy Haley

Please note, if you haven’t read The Unremembered Empire then this review will contain spoilers.

Mysteriously numbered as 34 in Black Library’s Horus Heresy series despite Deathfire coming in at number 32, Pharos by Guy Haley continues the wider Imperium Secundus arc, picking up plotlines from Dan Abnett’s The Unremembered Empire as well as Haley’s own short story A Safe and Shadowed Place (from Death and Defiance). While the new Emperor Sanguinius sits uneasily upon the throne, Guilliman continues to tend to the Imperium Secundus with the aid of the alien artefact discovered on distant Sotha, as directed by the unlikely pairing of Barabas Dantioch and Alexis Polux. Meanwhile the Night Lords have been watching from the shadows, and choose their moment to launch an attack on Sotha.
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The Realmgate Wars: War Storm – Black Library

Since the introduction of the Age of Sigmar, Black Library’s Warhammer output has been mostly shorter format releases, in the shape of short stories, novellas and audio dramas. War Storm, book one of the Realmgate Wars series, is the first full-length novel to be released for Age of Sigmar, except…it isn’t. While it’s packaged as a single book, it is in fact three novellas combined into one volume, from Nick Kyme, Guy Haley and Josh Reynolds. Each novella follows a different Warrior Chamber of Stormcast Eternals in the early stages of Sigmar’s campaign to retake the mortal realms from the forces of Chaos.
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The Unburdened – David Annandale

The second in the set of Black Library books released to coincide with the new Betrayal at Calth game, The Unburdened is the companion piece to Rob Sanders’ The Honoured and sees David Annandale delving into the darkness once more to tell the Word Bearers’ side of the story. Set primarily on Calth at the very beginning of the Underworld War, it actually takes things back much further to begin with, to Monarchia and the humbling of the Word Bearers by The Emperor and his XIIIth Legion. We meet Kurtha Sedd at a turning point in his life, taking his first steps on a path that will lead him to Calth and a fateful confrontation with Captain Aethon of the Ultramarines, a man he once called friend and brother.
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The Honoured – Rob Sanders

Released to accompany the new Betrayal at Calth Horus Heresy board game, Rob Sanders’ The Honoured is one half of a pair of short novels that tell the story behind the game, set on Calth in the aftermath of the Word Bearers’ surprise assault on Roboute Guilliman and his Ultramarines. As the Veridia star dies, irradiating the planet’s surface and forcing the remaining combatants of both sides underground, Ultramarines Captain Aethon rallies his troops in defence of what remains of Calth, facing off against his old friend Kurtha Sedd of the Word Bearers.
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