Magnus The Red: Master of Prospero – Graham McNeill

In the third of Black Library’s Horus Heresy Primarchs series, Graham McNeill’s Magnus The Red: Master of Prospero, we’re transported to a time not long after Magnus and his sons were first brought together on Prospero. On the doomed Imperial world of Morningstar, Magnus and his brother Perturabo lead their Legions in an attempt to rescue as many civilians as possible before the planet tears itself apart. While Perturabo and the Iron Warriors focus on the logistics of the mission, Magnus and his Thousand Sons are more concerned with searching for answers as to what’s happening on Morningstar, and why.

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Sons of the Forge – Nick Kyme

A short Horus Heresy novel that sits outside of the main numbered series, Nick Kyme’s Sons of the Forge carries on his work with the Salamanders Legion but sits separate from the Vulkan Lives/Deathfire arc. Set just prior to the Dropsite Massacre, it sees Forgemaster N’Kell tasked by Vulkan to choose seven of his most potent artefacts to preserve, and destroy the rest. With word having arrived of Vulkan’s death, N’Kell gathers those Salamanders who had stayed behind and not reached Isstvan, setting out to hide the remaining relics, only to find unexpected foes barring their path.

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QUICK REVIEW: Pride and Penitence – Alec Worley

For his second Black Library short story, Alec Worley tackles the famous Blood Bowl team The Bright Crusaders, who are finding it tough in the final of the Purity Cup against the skaven of the Doomtown Rats. Desperate to prove that they can win big despite their famous no-cheating stance they turn to their star player, Gerhardt the Penitent, to see them through. The only problem is, Gerhardt’s skill on the pitch is equalled by his obsession with proving his humility in ways which invariably hinder the team’s progress. With time running out, can he find a way to retain his code and still help his team win?

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Black Library Weekly W/C 22/05/17

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 we’ve seen the lead up to the bank holiday and Warhammer Fest, with some really cool stuff going on…but also a real tragedy for Games Workshop fans as well, which has somewhat overshadowed the weekend. Let’s take a look at what’s been going on…

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Forgotten Texts: James Wallis Talks The Dead Among Us

For an earlier Forgotten Texts article I looked at the short story The Dead Among Us by James Wallis, an old-school Warhammer story set in the city of Middenheim, which might be familiar to fans of the classic Warhammer book Hammers of Ulric. If you haven’t checked out that article, you can find it here. James has generously agreed to answer a few questions about writing this story, and his thoughts on the Warhammer setting today. Without further ado, let’s go straight onto the interview…

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Shrike – George Mann

The third book in Black Library’s Space Marine Legends series, Shrike sees George Mann tackle the most famous 40k-era Raven Guard character – Kayvaan Shrike. Perhaps providing something of a spoiler for anyone who hasn’t followed recently-told events in the Damocles Gulf, this follows Shrike through the years and his advancing rank as he finds himself time and again facing up against the same ork warlord, Gorkrusha. As Shrike progresses through the hierarchy of the chapter, so too does his hatred of Gorkrusha develop and grow, until it threatens to become a dangerous obsession.

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Shattered Legions – edited by Laurie Goulding

Book forty-three in Black Library’s epic Horus Heresy series, Shattered Legions is an anthology collecting together stories which have all been available before in one format or another, but not in the numbered series. Featuring Graham McNeill’s novella The Seventh Serpent as well as all the stories from the previously released Meduson collection, this is as close to a definitive picture of the Shattered Legions as we’re going to get. All three of the loyal Legions broken at Isstvan V are featured, as are various others – traitor and loyal – but it largely focuses on the Iron Hands, leaderless and damaged.

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Forgotten Texts: Know Thine Enemy by Gav Thorpe

“Though we live for battle, a war is fought with wits as well as weapons.”

An eighteen-year-old Black Library story finally given the ebook treatment, Gav Thorpe’s Know Thine Enemy is a rare foray into the Salamanders for an author much better known for his Dark Angels stories. On the Imperial world of Slato, an Eldar artefact has been uncovered by the newly-arrived colonists. Sent to defend the colony while the artefact is studied, Chaplain Ramesis and his battle brothers must fight through Eldar ambushes to reach the embattled Imperial defenders. Guided by their hatred of the xenos, the Salamanders zealously discharge their duty…but are the Eldar the real enemy?

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QUICK REVIEW: A Rare Book of Cunning Device – Ben Aaronovitch

Released as a free audiobook from Audible, A Rare Book of Cunning Device is the first story in Ben Aaronovitch’s Rivers of London series to be written specifically for audio. Read by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, who’s narrated all of the audiobooks in the series so far, it sees Peter investigating the report of a poltergeist in the British Library, at the request of the feisty Miss Winstanley, one of the librarians. Accompanied by Professor Postmartin and Toby the dog, they venture into the depths of the library in search of whatever has been moving books and other items around the cavernous basement.
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