Crusade – Andy Clark

Essentially an introductory story for readers new to Black Library’s Warhammer 40,000 fiction, Andy Clark’s Crusade is a straight-up action tale of Ultramarines taking on Death Guard in the still-new surroundings of the Dark Imperium. Forced into real space by a harrowing warp storm, Lieutenant Cassian’s strike force of Primaris Space Marines reach the Imperial world of Kalides Prime only to find it besieged by the Death Guard. Determined to rejoin the Indomitus Crusade, the Ultramarines aim to fight their way through the traitor lines to a vital Imperial emplacement and get word out about the plight of Kalides.

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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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QUICK REVIEW: The Path to Glory – Evan Dicken

For his Black Library debut, Evan Dicken takes us to the end of the Lantic Empire in The Path of Glory, a pre-Age of Sigmar short story that’s set just prior to the Age of Chaos beginning. In the realm of Chamon, a great human empire is crumbling under the weight of Chaos invasion, and it falls to three champions to try and wrest some kind of victory from the jaws of defeat. Between Captain Sulla of the Lantic Legions, the mage Kaslon of the Gilded Order, and de-facto Emperor Livius, a little hope still remains for victory or vengeance.

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Fulgrim: The Palatine Phoenix – Josh Reynolds

Josh Reynolds’ novel Fulgrim: The Palatine Phoenix makes it four traitor-to-be primarchs in a row in Black Library’s The Horus Heresy Primarchs series. For this, the sixth book in the series, we see the primarch of the Emperor’s Children embark upon his first solo compliance mission, to Twenty-Eight One, or Byzas. Though ostensibly welcoming of the Imperium, Fulgrim knows he must still work hard to bring Byzas and its people to compliance. Stung by perceptions of him and his legion, he sets out with just seven of his sons to demonstrate his methods and prove his worth to his brothers.

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Black Library Weekly – W/C 15/01/18

Hello and welcome to the latest instalment of Black Library Weekly, my regular look at what’s been happening in the world of Black Library. It’s been quite a quiet week for the most part, without a huge amount of newsworthy happenings, although the weekend has provided a couple of talking points. Let’s start at the beginning, as usual…

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RAPID FIRE: David Guymer Talks Ferrus Manus: Gorgon of Medusa

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 David Guymer about his latest novel, in the Horus Heresy Primarchs series – Ferrus Manus: Gorgon of Medusa, which is available to buy right now.

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Corsair: The Face of the Void – James Swallow

Taking place (largely) well away from the usual characters and locations of Warhammer 40,000, James Swallow’s audio drama Corsair: The Face of the Void is a bold adventure story featuring Rogue Trader Santiago and her crew of misfits taking on pirates, aliens and even Imperial authority. Closing in on a pirate ship carrying a valuable bounty, when her prey is strangely becalmed Captain Santiago leads a boarding action to retrieve and claim the prize only to find unexpected dangers lurking in its depths. It soon becomes clear that this is no ordinary bounty they’ve been sent to claim.

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RAPID FIRE: James Swallow Talks Corsair: The Face of the Void

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 long-serving Black Library author James Swallow about his latest audio drama Corsair: The Face of the Void, which is available to buy right now.

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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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QUICK REVIEW: Veil of Darkness – Nick Kyme

Following on from his Space Marine Battles novel Fall of Damnos, Nick Kyme’s short story Veil of Darkness sees Captain Cato Sicarius of the Ultramarines return to Macragge in defeat after his humbling by the necrons. Waking from a sus-an coma to find he’s been summoned before the Chapter Master to account for his actions, he wrestles with both his anger at having been defeated, and a strange sense of darkness that lingers on the edge of his perception. Preparing for his audience with Marneus Calgar, he begins to wonder whether anything else returned from Damnos with him.

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