5 Lesser-Known Warhammer 40k Stories

Warhammer 40,000 is a huge, expansive setting, and Black Library churns out dozens of new stories every year, ranging from standalone short stories to grand, sweeping multi-novel series. In amongst the huge mass of 40k fiction out there, it’s inevitable that some stories don’t quite get the attention they deserve, especially bearing in mind BL’s relentless release schedule and the opportunities for new releases to fall through the cracks. Just because something isn’t mega popular doesn’t mean it isn’t worth tracking down and reading, however. In this article I’m taking a look at a few examples of 40k stories that – in my opinion – deserve to receive far more praise than I tend to see them getting.

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The Head of Mimir – Richard Lee Byers

The first novel in Aconyte Books’ new Marvels: Legends of Asgard series, Richard Lee Byers’ The Head of Mimir is a fun, fast-paced fantasy adventure. With Asgard under siege by armies of Frost Giants, and Odin trapped in an unusually long Odinsleep, the thoughtful young warrior Hemidall worries that his fellow Asgardians are underestimating their enemies. Speculating that something supernatural is affecting his king’s sleep, Heimdall and his sister Sif slip into Odin’s inner sanctum and find that the Head of Mimir, a powerful relic said to possess great wisdom, has been stolen. Despite the evidence of an intruder, and the suggestion of a traitor in Asgard’s court, Heimdall and Sif soon find themselves on the path to Jotunheim alone, desperate to recover the relic, foil the Jotuns’ plans, and redeem themselves in the eyes of Asgard.

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Domino: Strays – Tristan Palmgren

Aconyte Books’ Marvel: Heroines range – one of several new series of Marvel prose novels – kicks off with Domino: Strays by Tristan Palmgren, an action-packed blast of balletic violence and snappy dialogue with an unexpectedly thoughtful, psychological core. Mercenary Domino, otherwise known as Neena Thurman, has a history with cults and dangerous idealogues, so when she’s offered a job to extract a pair of twins from a dubious religious sect in Chicago, she takes it on despite all of her concerns. With the aid of a few fellow mercs she sets out to get the job done, but she can’t help to draw parallels between the task at hand and the lasting impact of her own painful upbringing as part of the secret genetics experiment known as Project Armageddon.

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October 2020 Releases From Aconyte Books

Over the last few months I’ve been having a lot of fun reading the first titles to be published by Aconyte Books – the new ‘novels division’ of Asmodee Games. While I’m not much of a board gamer, so I’m not really familiar (yet) with the worlds these stories are illustrating, I am a big fantasy and science fiction fan, so the idea of a whole heap of new settings to explore is pretty exciting! I mean, that’s the joy of reading IP fiction, right? Aconyte’s release schedule is absolutely packed full of great-sounding books, so I thought it might be useful to take a look at everything that’s coming out this month. For each title I’ve included links to my reviews and author interviews where available!

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The Doom of Fallowhearth – Robbie MacNiven

Robbie MacNiven’s first novel for Aconyte Books, The Doom of Fallowhearth is the first in a new series of novels set in Terrinoth, the world of Descent: Journeys in the Dark. When Lady Kathryn, the Baroness of Forthyn’s daughter, disappears under strange circumstances, three of the legendary Borderlands Four reunite to search for the missing noblewoman. While their best years might be behind them, these most famous of adventurers bravely (or rather reluctantly, in the case of ageing rogue Logan Lashley) head north to the town of Fallowhearth to search for signs of what caused Lady Kathryn’s disappearance. Little do they appreciate the danger they’re stepping into, however, as their search brings them into conflict with suspicious locals, lurking monsters and a powerful darkness hiding in the sinister Blind Muir forest.

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Monthly Roundup – September 2020

It’s time for another look back at all the books I’ve been reading over the last few weeks, but this time I’ve taken a slightly different approach and called this a Monthly Roundup, rather than the usual Monthly Highlights. The main difference is that I’m going to include a quick sort of ‘life update’ as well as the reading recap, partly to provide a bit of a heads up about what to expect from Track of Words for the next few months and partly as a bit of an outlet for myself. Feel free to read as much or as little of this as you’re interested in – no obligations either way!

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Unconquerable Sun by Kate Elliott – via Grimdark Magazine

Happy UK publication day to Unconquerable Sun, the fantastic first instalment in a new sci-fi trilogy from Kate Elliott! Published by Head of Zeus, this is billed as ‘gender-swapped Alexander the Great in space’, which is a great elevator pitch if ever I heard one. I was delighted to receive an advance copy of this brilliant book, and my review is live over on the Grimdark Magazine site. I’d love for you to head over there and check it out, but if you just want my essential thoughts on the book then how about this: I spent virtually an entire day unable to put this down, and my overriding thought upon finishing it was a desperate frustration at knowing that the second book isn’t available yet!

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AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Richard Lee Byers Talks The Head of Mimir

Welcome to this Track of Words Author Interview, in which I’m talking to Richard Lee Byers about his new novel The Head of Mimir, from Aconyte Books. This kicks off a new range called Marvel Legends of Asgard, with Richard choosing to write about the character of Heimdall for this first instalment in the series. Releasing alongside the first Marvel Heroines novel, this comes out in ebook and US paperback editions on the 6th October, with the UK paperback released in November.

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AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Tristan Palmgren Talks Domino: Strays

Welcome to this Track of Words Author Interview, in which I’m talking to Tristan Palmgren about their new novel for Aconyte Books, Domino: Strays. It’s the first volume of a new series of novels labelled as Marvel Heroines (being released at the same time as the first instalment of Marvel Legends of Asgard), and promises to bring this well-loved comic book character to life in a different way to what we’ve seen before. It’s available to order now in ebook and paperback editions!

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RAPID FIRE: Robert Rath Talks The Infinite and the Divine

Welcome to this instalment of my Rapid Fire series of quick author interviews, in which I’m chatting to Robert Rath about his debut novel for Black Library, The Infinite and the Divine. This exciting new Warhammer 40,000 title is the first full novel to feature the ancient technological menace of the necrons as its protagonists, and promises to be something a little different to the usual Black Library fare. It’s available to pre-order as of Saturday the 3rd October.

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