Category Archives: Black Library

The Twice-dead King: Ruin – Nate Crowley

Having tackled necrons once already in his phenomenal Black Library novella Severed, it felt inevitable that Nate Crowley would turn his hand to a full-length novel exploring this lesser-seen (in BL terms) 40k faction, so it’s a welcome bonus that The Twice-dead King: Ruin is in fact the first volume in a necron duology! After three hundred years of exile to a dismal outpost of a once-great dynasty, necron lord Oltyx is mired in bitterness at his reduced circumstances. When a vast ork invasion turns out to be the sign of an even greater doom to come however, Oltyx realises that his only hope – for himself, and for the dynasty itself – is to return home and break his exile. Determined to at least make the attempt, he sets out to rouse his brother and father on the dynasty’s homeworld, regardless of the personal costs he knows he will incur.

Continue reading →

Outgunned – Denny Flowers

Denny Flowers’ second Black Library novel Outgunned takes to the skies with a tale of picts, propaganda, underestimated xenos and the aerial might of the Aeronautica Imperialis. On the agri world of Bacchus – famed for its wine production – an infestation of orks has rapidly progressed from a minor irritation to all-out war, and Imperial forces are making slow progress. When Imperial Propagandist Kile Simlex arrives on Bacchus, tasked with recording a motivational pict to inspire confidence and aid recruitment, he finds little as he expected. His intended subject – Flight Commander Lucille von Shard – proves not quite the dashing hero he imagined, while the orks are far from the mindless wretches portrayed in the picts he’s seen. As he wrestles with questions of how to capture his pict and how to craft a suitable narrative, the war for Bacchus becomes increasingly desperate.

Continue reading →

RAPID FIRE: Alec Worley Talks The Wraithbone Phoenix

For today’s Rapid Fire author interview I’m delighted to welcome the brilliant Alec Worley to talk about his new Warhammer Crime novel The Wraithbone Phoenix, which is out now from Black Library. If you enjoyed the audio drama Dredge Runners then you’ll be very happy to know that the odd-couple ratling/ogryn duo of Baggit and Clodde are back with a new adventure, but even if not there’s a lot to enjoy with this fun but deceptively dark new crime novel. I’ve read it, and can confirm that it’s brilliant! Read on to find out more about the story, the characters and some of the book’s key themes, along with some of the books, films and other visuals that had an influence on its creation – everything from Elmore Leonard to Wallace and Gromit!

Continue reading →

The Wraithbone Phoenix – Alec Worley

After 2020’s excellent audio drama Dredge Runners, Alec Worley returns to the ratling/ogryn duo of Baggit and Clodde for a full-length Warhammer Crime novel in The Wraithbone Phoenix, a fun crime caper that’s deceptively dark beneath the surface. Baggit and Clodde are hiding out in a reclamation yard, trying to avoid the unwelcome attention caused by a hefty bounty on their heads, and the ire of their yard’s stuck-up steward. When word reaches Baggit of a wrecked Imperial starship beached in a neighbouring yard, with a legendary artefact hidden somewhere within its bones, he realises his prayers might just have been answered. If he and Clodde can retrieve it, the Wraithbone Phoenix could get them out from under the bounty and set them up for life, not to mention offer Baggit the chance of a little tasty revenge. The problem is, they’re far from the only ones hunting for the Phoenix.

Continue reading →

RAPID FIRE: Denny Flowers Talks Outgunned

Hello and welcome to this Rapid Fire author interview where today I’m chatting to the excellent Denny Flowers about his new Black Library book Outgunned, which is a 40k novel exploring the Aeronautica Imperialis from an unexpected angle. Outgunned is out now, and I would urge you to check it out – I was lucky enough to get hold of an advance copy (thanks Denny!) and I loved it, and I think this is really going to be one to watch for a lot of Black Library fans keen to get something a little different to what’s gone before. Luckily, you don’t have to take my word for it, as you can read on to find out more from Denny about what to expect in this fast-paced story of planes, picts and propaganda (including the influence of Blackadder on both characters and tone)!

Continue reading →

IN BRIEF: The Triumph of Saint Katherine – Danie Ware

The Triumph of Saint Katherine sees Danie Ware step away from her ongoing Sister Augusta storyline but remain with the Adepta Sororitas, exploring the life and exploits of the legendary Saint Katherine through tales told by the Sisters who bear her remains into battle. In the midst of a furious campaign, young Sister Avra finds herself chosen to take the place of a fallen Sister in the funerary procession of Saint Katherine. Over the course of the following night, each of her new sisters relates a tale of the saint that represents the ethos of each of the Major Orders of the Adepta Sororitas. While the armies of the Imperium prepare for war around them, the Sisters talk of the past and Avra wrestles with the questions of why she was chosen, and whether she is worthy of the honour.

Continue reading →

QUICK REVIEW: Daemonologie: A Question Asked of Darkness – John French

Currently only available within the ‘Mega Edition’ boxed set of Ahriman: Eternal, as its own beautifully bound little book, John French’s short story Daemonologie: A Question Asked of Darkness is a typically dark and richly detailed addition to the ongoing Ahriman series. Told from the bitter, brutally honest perspective of the daemonologist Ctesias, it represents a written record of the rituals he undertook – at Ahriman’s request – in order to learn more about the doom bearing down on the Thousand Sons, consuming the Rubricae and remaking the living sorcerers. In his attempt to draw knowledge from the warp, Ctesias calls upon his skills as a summoner, binding and questioning daemons…and worse.

Continue reading →

Ahriman: Eternal – John French

Seven years after Ahriman: Unchanged brought the first trilogy to an end, John French returns with Ahriman: Eternal, a new novel detailing the great sorcerer’s ongoing attempts to undo the damage he’s unwittingly caused to his Legion. In the aftermath of the Second Rubric, Ahriman and his Exiles find themselves pursued by the Pyrodomon, a force released by the Rubric which reaches out from the warp to consume the Thousand Sons, sorcerers and Rubricae alike. With cracks widening in the alliance of his followers and the Pyrodomon on their heels, Ahriman looks to techno-arcane xenos abilities – via a captured Necron called Setekh – for the power to control time itself. As the Exiles seek out this power, the Harlequins intervene in their unique fashion, determined to shape events to their own ends and avoid a tragedy only they can foresee.

Continue reading →

Opinions: Black Library Limited Editions – Options, Not FOMO

In this fascinating blog post about his monstrously successful Kickstarter, SFF author Brandon Sanderson makes a great point about the importance of giving readers a choice of formats and price points. It’s something I’ve been thinking about for a while regarding Black Library’s ‘Limited Edition’ books, but I hadn’t been able to put my finger on exactly what I wanted to say until I read this blog post. You see, I fundamentally think that premium editions of books are a good thing, as they provide choice – which is always worth having. The problem I have is with BL’s bizarrely inconsistent approach to how and when to release premium editions. So let’s talk about how the point of limited editions should be to provide options to suit customers’ wants and needs, not to encourage FOMO or penalise readers who can’t afford high prices.

Continue reading →

A Few Thoughts On The Successors – Black Library Anthology

A collection of 13 short stories from 10 different authors, Black Library’s Warhammer 40,000 anthology The Successors looks beyond the usual First Founding Chapters of Space Marines and sets out to explore some of the Chapters who haven’t been seen as often in 40k fiction. It does actually feature some Chapters who have had plenty of their own stories before (Crimson Fists, Flesh Tearers, Soul Drinkers), but the majority of the stories focus on Chapters from the semi-familiar (Angels Penitent, Black Dragons, Carcharadons, Emperor’s Spears, Mortifactors) to the new or much more obscure (Consecrators, Iron Lords, Wolfspear). There’s even a rare Exorcists story, and most – although not all – of the stories take place in the ‘current’, post-Great Rift era of 40k.

Continue reading →