Hello and welcome to another instalment of Black Library Weekly, my regular look at what’s been happening in the world of Black Library. This week felt like a pretty quiet one for the most part, until Saturday arrived and Black Library dropped a veritable mountain of books for order! Let’s jump straight in and take a look…
Welcome to this instalment of Rapid Fire, my ongoing series of quick interviews with Black Library authors talking about their 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 it.
In this instalment I spoke to CL Werner about his new Age of Sigmar novel Overlords of the Iron Dragon, the first novel to feature the Kharadron Overlords, which is available to buy right now.
“Men of Tanith! Do you want to live forever?”
Unlike other Forgotten Texts articles, this time I’m taking a look at a book that I’ve reviewed separately – in this case First and Only by Dan Abnett. If you haven’t already, you might want to take a look at that review first, which you can find here. As a quick recap, however, First and Only is book one in the still-running Gaunt’s Ghosts series, first published in 1999 as – I believe – the very first ‘original’ Black Library novel. Nearly twenty years later (as I write this) the fourteenth book in the series is due out imminently, with the fifteenth already in the pipeline!
First published in 1999, Dan Abnett’s First and Only is book one in the epic Gaunt’s Ghosts series, following on from several short stories in Inferno! magazine. On the forge world Fortis Binary, the Tanith First and Only are one of many Imperial Guard regiments arrayed against the once-loyal population, now turned to Chaos. As Colonel-Commissar Gaunt and the Ghosts are drawn deeper into the brutal conflict, they’re faced with not just the forces of Chaos but enemies within the ranks of their allies, as a horrifying conspiracy is gradually revealed within the ranks of the Sabbat Crusade itself.
Steve Lyons’ short story Exodus is a bleak tale of an Imperial world falling under the shadow of a Hive Fleet, and the varied way its defenders react to the impending doom. With the evacuation underway, Arch Teilloch of the Katraxis Home Guard clings to the comfort of following orders as his world falls apart around him. Meanwhile sergeant Konrad Ven Mikkelson of the Valhallan Ice Warriors leads his squad in an inglorious retreat through a city gripped by panic, as the population begins to tear itself apart.
Hello and welcome to another instalment of Black Library Weekly, my regular look at what’s been happening in the world of Black Library. This week the highlight has been the confirmation of February’s upcoming releases, but as usual there’s plenty more to talk about. Read on…
The Iron Hands are generally under-represented in Black Library fiction, but with The Eye of Medusa, his first full 40k novel (excluding The Beast Arises), David Guymer tackles de facto Chapter Master Kardan Stronos, back when he was only a sergeant. The Adeptus Mechancius world of Thennos lies under the aegis of Medusa, so when its population turns traitor the Iron Hands fall upon it with crushing, calculating brutality. Stronos, newly inducted into Clan Garrsak, leads his squad into battle but soon finds himself frustrated by the secrets Thennos holds, and the unthinking obedience expected of him by his new clan.
Sixteen books and three years after The Damnation of Pythos, David Annandale’s second Horus Heresy novel is Ruinstorm, book forty-six in the series overall. Signalling the end of the Imperium Secundus arc (therefore NOT to be read before Angels of Caliban), it sees the Triumvirate of primarchs – Guilliman, Sanguinius and the Lion – setting out from Ultramar to defy the Ruinstorm and find their way to Terra. Each chooses an approach based on their own approach and inclination, but can they find a way through? Most 40k fans know the answer to that, but now we can find out just what happened and why.
In the first part of my interview with prolific, dark-humoured author Josh Reynolds we discussed his early career, and looked at his work for Black Library in the Age of Sigmar setting as well as a little bit about old-school Warhammer. If you haven’t yet checked that out, click here to go back and have a read of part one.
In this, the second part of the interview, Josh talks about his Warhammer 40,000 and Horus Heresy writing, including Fabius Bile, Lukas the Trickster and the primarch of the Emperor’s Children – Fulgrim. If you’ve read any of his Fabius stories then you’ll know just how good they are, and hopefully this will provide a little extra insight, but if you haven’t…firstly, what are you waiting for?! Read on to learn what influenced Fabius’ tone of voice, and get a bit of a sense of what you might be able to expect.
Robbie MacNiven’s first Age of Sigmar short story, Heartwood is a tale of the sylvaneth exploring one branch (sorry) of their arboreal kingdom, and the role branchwyches play in their society. When Nellas the Harvester is wounded defending the Wyldwood from invading Rotbringers, she returns to the heart of her domain bearing with her the lifeseeds of fallen sylvaneth to be planted and born anew. The question remains, however, whether she also bears with her a taint that might yet spell doom for the Wyldwood and her household.