Tag Archives: Digital Horror Week

Black Library Advent Calendar 2019

As usual, now that we’re into December (somehow – where has 2019 gone?) Black Library are starting to release loads of new short fiction as part of their latest Advent Calendar series. Between the 1st and 24th of December, we’re going to see one new short story or audio drama every day, and as is my tradition I’ll be writing a review of each one to go along with it. This year the series is split evenly between short stories and audio dramas, along with two brand new novels getting digital-only premieres on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

In this article I’m going to provide a roundup of what information has been made public so far regarding these stories, consolidating the details provided by Warhammer Community along with what’s available elsewhere online (i.e. Amazon) and giving you everything you need in one place. Each day I’ll update the information below with the name and description for the latest story, as well as a link to my review. For now, here’s a quick run through of how the stories are split out, based on the information Black Library have provided so far:

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The Way Out – Rachel Harrison

A multi-part audio drama told over three 20-plus minute instalments as part of Black Library’s Digital Horror Week 2019 (subsequently released as a standalone CD/MP3), Rachel Harrison’s The Way Out is a creepy little 40k story of the cracks that let the darkness in. For Captain Karina Arq and her crew, watch station Refuge offers a glimmer of hope when their ship, the Fortune’s Favour, is forced to suddenly drop out of the Warp. It’s not until Arq and her companions board the station, however, that they start to realise that what they thought was salvation may in fact be something entirely different…and much worse.

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QUICK REVIEW: Blood Sacrifice – Peter McLean

The fourth and final short story in Black Library’s Digital Horror Week 2019, Peter McLean’s Blood Sacrifice returns to the story of Corporal Cully and the Reslian 45th as a sequel to Baphomet By Night. Digging in on a dreary hive world under the watchful eye of a new, by-the-book sergeant, the endless waiting is wearing on Cully and bringing back painful memories. When the opportunity arises to make a little money off the books Cully jumps at the chance, but what should be a straightforward job becomes something much worse when an abandoned medicae facility turns out to be anything but.

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QUICK REVIEW: Stitches – Nick Kyme

The third short story in Black Library’s Digital Horror Week 2019, Nick Kyme’s Stitches deals with the inevitable aftermath of battle for the Astra Militarum and their overworked medical staff. For Medicae Bucher the grinding war of attrition taking place around him is taking a toll, with an endless stream of war-torn bodies requiring his attention, and few of them surviving his tender ministrations. Fearing for his position, he desperately needs something to go right, so when his patients start surviving when they probably shouldn’t, he doesn’t question his fortune and attributes it to the Emperor’s blessing instead.

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QUICK REVIEW: He Feasts Forever – Lora Gray

Book two of the Digital Horror Week 2019 collection, Lora Gray’s Age of Sigmar short story He Feasts Forever is an unnerving, Gormenghast-esque tale of sinister domesticity and dark glamour. Dedric works as a cook in the king’s kitchens, content to be surrounded by friends and comfortable with his place in the world. While helping prepare a feast for the king’s return, the familiar routine of his work is broken, triggering a chain of events which cause Dedric to feel his certainties begin to fade. As long-buried memories surface, the truth of his past and present slowly comes into horrifying focus.

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QUICK REVIEW: The Hunt – David Annandale

The first Warhammer Horror short story to get a standalone ebook release – and Book 1 of the Digital Horror Week 2019 collection – David Annandale’s The Hunt is an unconventional Age of Sigmar story of guilt, fear, and ghosts both literal and metaphorical. In the Free City of Everyth, in the Realm of Ghur, witch hunter Bered Davan waits for his doom to find him, spending his final moments torn between duty and shame. When a figure from his past calls for him, dredging up painful old emotions, Davan determines to follow his calling and hope for some kind of forgiveness.

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