Tag Archives: Warhammer 40k

The Glorious Tomb – Guy Haley (audio drama)

Originally released back in 2014 as part of the Echoes of War collection, Guy Haley’s audio drama The Glorious Tomb shows a little of what life is like for a Space Marine who has resided within a dreadnought for 500 years. Seeing through the eyes (well, sensorium) of Invictus Potens we’re shown the cold, stark realities of life as it is for the man who was once Brother Adelard; intense, confusing bursts of sensations and information discernible only from the long stretches of nothingness by the presence of constant pain. Adelard recognises his constraints as the pilot of a dreadnought, understands the limitations of his life as it now is, and accepts this by channelling his ever-present rage and his faith in The Emperor.

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Parting of the Ways – Chris Wraight (audio drama)

The first in Black Library’s Echoes of War collection, a week’s worth of new audio dramas, Parting of the Ways continues Chris Wraight’s fine work in chronicling the sagas of the Space Wolves, the Vlka Fenryka. Set post-Heresy but pre-current 40k, it offers a close look at Bjorn the Fell-Handed in the days leading up to his interment in the dreadnought with which he’s so closely associated. The character of Bjorn is well-established in the 40k lore, but since his inclusion in Dan Abnett’s Horus Heresy novel Prospero Burns we’ve seen him in a different light; impulsive, solitary, sullen, stubborn. After the release of a handful of short stories and quick reads, Parting of the Ways offers the most detailed look so far at this increasingly fleshed out and intriguing character.

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Rebirth – Nick Kyme

Hot on the heels of The Talon of Horus comes the second of Black Library’s exclusive First Editions, in the form of Rebirth by Nick Kyme. Following on from his Tome of Fire trilogy (plus accompanying anthology), this shifts the action over to Captain Ur’zan Drakgaard and his 6^th Company of Salamanders as they face the Black Legion on the Imperial world of Heletine. While a few familiar faces return from the events of the original series, for the most part this is a distinct story which doesn’t require the reader to be familiar with the previous novels. That being said, it certainly makes sense to read these in order, so readers who pick this up first would be advised to go back and start with Salamander.

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The Greater Good – Sandy Mitchell

Now onto its ninth novel, Sandy Mitchell’s Ciaphas Cain series is one of Black Library’s longest running and most well loved ranges. Since the publication in 2003 of his first adventure, Cain’s memoirs have seen him fighting all sorts of menaces across the galaxy, from orks to tyranids, necrons and the forces of Chaos. In the latest novel, The Greater Good, we see him facing an old foe in the shape of the tau, as he bravely (sort of) defends the world of Quadravidia from the upstart aliens. The situation soon changes however, as the threat of a new tyranid hive fleet forces the Imperium and the tau into an uneasy alliance. Caught in the middle of this, Cain’s reputation as a Hero of the Imperium sees him called to act as intermediary between the Imperium, the Adeptus Mechanicus and the tau.

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The Talon of Horus – Aaron Dembski-Bowden

[Note: this review was first written when The Talon of Horus was released as a limited-edition hardback. It has since been released in standard hardback, ebook and paperback formats.]

Since the release in 2009 of his debut Black Library novel Cadian Blood, Aaron Dembski-Bowden has become both a fan favourite and a New York Times bestseller, and is now acknowledged as one of Black Library’s most accomplished authors. His latest book, The Talon of Horus, demonstrates just how much of a key player he is within Black Library by virtue of being the very first of their new First Editions – limited edition, premium hardbacks released to satisfy the die-hard collectors before the ‘standard’ hardback release. With a beautifully tactile embossed cover, internal artwork, author foreword and three additional short stories (including one you won’t find anywhere else) the dedicated (and deep-pocketed) reader is certainly rewarded, not least with the sheer size and weight of this mighty tome.

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Legion of the Damned : Digital Collection – Black Library Anthology

The Legion of the Damned – spectral Space Marines clad in ebon and bone, wreathed in flame, appearing only when the hour is darkest and humanity’s need is greatest. It’s a wonderful concept, one which entered the Warhammer 40,000 canon way back in the ’80s and has been a fan favourite ever since. They’re classic 40k – dark and gothic, morally ambiguous and forever shrouded in mystery. For anyone hoping to get a concrete explanation of their background, you won’t find it here. Instead we get a collection of short stories (including one very short story) from six Black Library authors exploring different aspects of this most mysterious of forces.

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Baneblade – Guy Haley

While tanks are obviously a hugely important (and entertaining) part of the Imperial Guard, a book solely about a tank is perhaps not the most exciting prospect. Thankfully then, Guy Haley’s Baneblade – despite the title – is very much a human story. Yes, in true 40k style we get to see a bit of the tank’s personality in terms of its machine spirit, but this is really a story about two men’s different viewpoints on and relationships with the tank.

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Arjac Rockfist: Anvil of Fenris – Ben Counter

For some, limited edition books exist purely to make the publisher money. Others enjoy the rarity and the collectible aspect of them. Whatever your opinion on the topic, there can be no doubt that a physically beautiful book is a lovely thing to own and read. Black Library have been publishing ‘exclusives’ for a while now, in various release formats, the latest being Arjac Rockfist: Anvil of Fenris. Written by Ben Counter as part of the Lords of the Space Marines series, this is a novella-length book available in two formats – the ‘deluxe limited’ edition complete with additional audio drama and ornate case, and the standard ‘limited’ edition as reviewed. Bound underneath the dust cover in grey leather-effect and embossed with Fenrisian runes, as limited editions go this is an absolute beauty. Unlike ebooks, physical books offer a wonderfully tactile experience, and this one takes things one step further in its sheer luxuriousness.

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Knights of the Imperium – Graham McNeill

Released to tie in with the cool new Imperial Knight miniatures from Games Workshop, Knights of the Imperium is a brand new novella by Graham McNeill, who given his track record with Heresy-era knights (Mechanicum) and the Mechanicus (the …of Mars series) was surely the only author ever in the frame to write this book.

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Catechism of Hate – Gav Thorpe

Space Marine Battles books are tricky beasts. On the one hand they cover some of the coolest events in 40k history and give us the chance to see a range of different chapters in action, while on the other hand the authors writing the books are constrained by the nature of the series – they are after all, Space Marine battles, so they need to be based heavily around some pretty big scraps. The best of the bunch balance the action with a healthy dose of insight into the chapter(s) in question, and Catechism of Hate just about manages to achieve this balance.

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