Kdash wrote: I agree on the sequels – but we also have to remember that Outer Dark is set before the Badab War as well, so who knows how the storylines will progress!
I do like the epilogue of Outer Dark though. You just know that everything that would have been said in the unwritten conversation, would have been highly skewed and bias and will lead us to an attempted reckoning in one way or another.
I liked the nod to Death Warrant, but, I also think it was a bit of a wasted character opportunity. Someone with her knowledge and skills could have provided a lot more to a Chapter on the fringes of the Imperium.
It takes place before the Badab Wars?
Now that is something to look forward to!
a Badab War novel would be AWESOME. it shocks me come to think of it we've not gotten one
Kdash wrote: I agree on the sequels – but we also have to remember that Outer Dark is set before the Badab War as well, so who knows how the storylines will progress!
I do like the epilogue of Outer Dark though. You just know that everything that would have been said in the unwritten conversation, would have been highly skewed and bias and will lead us to an attempted reckoning in one way or another.
I liked the nod to Death Warrant, but, I also think it was a bit of a wasted character opportunity. Someone with her knowledge and skills could have provided a lot more to a Chapter on the fringes of the Imperium.
It takes place before the Badab Wars?
Now that is something to look forward to!
a Badab War novel would be AWESOME. it shocks me come to think of it we've not gotten one
Yeah, I never realised it was set before Badab until the other week when it was mentioned on the 40k Lore reddit. I think a lot of people, including myself, took it as “new novel = current/just before the new Black Crusade setting”.
Oh that's interesting. I'd stopped keeping track of most BL stuff on the assumption that outside of a few things already firmly set in "the past" stuff with a 40K setting would either get no further sequels or would end up crammed to the gills with Primarchs and Primaris from now on, but if these are decent and set well before Rowboat Girlyman's Magical Mystical Resurrection Comeback Tour I'll give them a go.
I've just finished Of Honour and Iron. It starts off fairly cookie cutter but improves as the book goes on. It's Ultramarines, so nothing off the wall, but it deals with veterans encountering Primaris for the first time.
Automatically Appended Next Post: Oh, and Guilliman makes an appearance in it and it feels a bit weird having a primarch in a 40k book, but that's probably just on me.
phillv85 wrote: I've just finished Of Honour and Iron. It starts off fairly cookie cutter but improves as the book goes on. It's Ultramarines, so nothing off the wall, but it deals with veterans encountering Primaris for the first time.
Automatically Appended Next Post: Oh, and Guilliman makes an appearance in it and it feels a bit weird having a primarch in a 40k book, but that's probably just on me.
The art used for the contest is brilliant as always by the way:
Started on Shroud of Night, not big on Chaos Space Marines, but seeing as this one is written by Andy "Imperial Knights are my bread and butter" Clark, I'm giving it a go.
Have there been any good Tyranid books lately? I don't think I've seen any (other than a Cain novel) since the invention of the Tyrannofex.
Also, what are all the books that take place during the Gathering Storm/Indominus Crusade era? There's Dark Imperium, Cadia Stands, and...? How can I get caught up with the least amount of Nurgle?
BobtheInquisitor wrote: Have there been any good Tyranid books lately? I don't think I've seen any (other than a Cain novel) since the invention of the Tyrannofex.
Also, what are all the books that take place during the Gathering Storm/Indominus Crusade era? There's Dark Imperium, Cadia Stands, and...? How can I get caught up with the least amount of Nurgle?
The Emperors Legion is set in the Gathering Storm time and is an excellent read.
Shroud of Night takes place during that period and is mainly told from a Chaos perspective, though the Imperials are also involved. It features the Alpha Legion, Emperor's Children and World Eaters.
BobtheInquisitor wrote: Have there been any good Tyranid books lately? I don't think I've seen any (other than a Cain novel) since the invention of the Tyrannofex.
Also, what are all the books that take place during the Gathering Storm/Indominus Crusade era? There's Dark Imperium, Cadia Stands, and...? How can I get caught up with the least amount of Nurgle?
There's a sequel on the way to "Cadia Stands" called "Cadian Honor".
There's also a short story tied in to it, "Battle for Markgraaf Hive", but...
Spoiler:
there's Nurgle in it. Interestingly enough there's things resembling the Nightmare Hulks and the grubs in there.
With the glorious return of Inferno! as a paperback short story anthology, we're reprinting classic issues of the original Inferno! for you to collect. Each issue will be a facsimile of the original magazine, available to print on demand for one month only – and this fantastic one-click collection will get you the first five issues!
READ IT BECAUSE
It's a window on the past, looking at the very first publications from Black Library – the genesis for more than twenty years of amazing stories from the worlds of Warhammer. This is, very literally, where it all began – and if you weren't there at the time, this is your chance to see it.
DESCRIPTION
Inferno! magazine was the very first publication from Black Library, way back in the wild days of 1997. A bi-monthly magazine gathering together short stories, comics, art and interesting features, it delved into the worlds of Warhammer in a way that codexes and rulebooks couldn't – and acted as a launching point for new writers and characters who soon found their way into novels (and even games!). These first five issues include no fewer than 20 short stories, loads of comics and much more besides – as well as the Black Library debuts of Dan Abnett, Gav Thorpe and Jonathan Green. In these pages you will find the first adventure of Gaunt's Ghosts, Lieutenant Kage's initial meeting with the terrifying Colonel Schaeffer, the start of the infamous Blood Angels comic Bloodquest and loads more adrenaline-fuelled fiction – it's a window on the past and one you won't want to miss!
Includes stories, comics, art and features by Dan Abnett, John Blanche, Mark Brendan, Ben Chessell, Simon Coleby, Simon Davis, Wayne England, Mark Gibbons, Jonathan Green, Alex Hammond, Simon Harrison, John Hincklenton, Kev Hopgood, Ralph Horsley, Mark Irwin, Andy Jones, Bill Kaplan, William King, Karl Kopinski, Tom Lauten, Logan Lubera, Colin MacNeil, Percy Melbye, Andras Millward, Dan Nekrosis, Ian Pickstock, Chris Pramas, David Pugh, Jeff Rebner, Gordon Rennie, Geoff Taylor, Gav Thorpe, Kev Walker, James Wallis, Jeff Waye, John Wigley & Craig Yeung.
Inferno! Volume 1 showcases some of the best new fiction from across Games Workshop's many universes; from the grim darkness of the 41st Millennium, to the brutal underhive of Necromunda, through to the sprawling realms of the Age of Sigmar and the ancient lands of the Warhammer Chronicles.
READ IT BECAUSE
Inferno! is back! And it's packed full of tales from across all the worlds of Warhammer, including some by familiar faces, and loads by newcomers whose unique takes on the universes we love are sure to thrill you.
DESCRIPTION
The premiere volume of this new anthology series brings you new short fiction from the worlds of Warhammer. Penned by debut and current Black Library authors, its tales range from the back streets of the world-that was to a shrouded inn in the Mortal Realms, while in the brutal galaxy of the Dark Imperium, the Ultramarines and others deliver the Emperor's fury to their many foes, and in the depths of Necromunda's underhive, gangers clash in brutal combat.
CONTENTS
The Unsung War by David Annandale
No Hero by Peter McLean
The Path to Glory by Evan Dicken
A Common Ground by Mike Brooks
The Emperor's Wrath by Steven B Fischer
Waking the Dragon by Josh Reynolds
The Enemy of My Enemy by Nate Crowley
How Vido Learned the Trick by Josh Reynolds
The Firstborn Daughter by Filip Wiltgren
Mercy by Danie Ware
At the Sign of the Brazen Claw by Guy Haley
I've just ordered the Inferno stuff. GW is costing me a fortune recently. I've just been sat on Element games with £172 of pre orders in my basket and had to just be reasonable and say no to myself.
The reprints on their own are decently priced at €7,- a mag at least. It's just that their fast shipping option (Royal Mail abroad is a horrible thing to inflict on others) that's always painful.
Also chucked in the new version of Inferno!, it'll be interesting to see how this will do, though at €12,50 per book, not a bad deal in my humble opinion.
Wasn't going to spend anything myself and save up money for the 20th of October, but this is something I could not pass up on. I do hope they'll do more print runs of other issues later down the road.
So for someone who never read inferno what is it like beyond the cover? GW pages on the store oddly don't have any pictures of the internal content of the books (which is a shame). Are we talking full colour glossy great artwork (that doesn't have half of it lost to vanishing into the middle of two pages where the edges meet the spine).
The short stories I assume are mostly collected in latter BL collections on the store, but the comics and artwork and lore bits I assume not
A selection of short stories, short comic (and some which are serialised, such as Obvious Tactics! which features a squad of Blood Angels Space Marines as part of an invasion of a Chaos-held planet - this issue is a single page, but other issues are a little longer). There's also illustrations, maps, cutaway diagrams, odd things like a transcript of an Eversor Assassin release order (single page), that sort of thing.
Bloodquest, Gaunt's Ghosts, the Last Chancers and Ciaphas Cain all began in Inferno, as well as a few others, I'm sure. Some of the stories will have been collected later, but probably not all of them.
Word of warning: the cover almost never has anything to do with the actual contents! This was addressed in an editorial pretty early on.
But yeah, it was an anthology magazine with the odd comic (some bad, some good) or bits of background thrown in, like maps, technical drawings of vehicles or what have you. Contents are always pretty solid, at least four short stories per issue, two fantasy, two sci-fi, plus some extra stuff thrown in there alongside the classic ads and whatnot.
And yes, a lot of stuff got its start in Inferno! before becoming proper novels.
Obvious Tactics! is still utterly horrible though. Thankfully we later got Deff Skwadron and Wolf Pack (Battlefleet Gothic) to make up for this.
Kdash wrote: I agree on the sequels – but we also have to remember that Outer Dark is set before the Badab War as well, so who knows how the storylines will progress!
I do like the epilogue of Outer Dark though. You just know that everything that would have been said in the unwritten conversation, would have been highly skewed and bias and will lead us to an attempted reckoning in one way or another.
I liked the nod to Death Warrant, but, I also think it was a bit of a wasted character opportunity. Someone with her knowledge and skills could have provided a lot more to a Chapter on the fringes of the Imperium.
It takes place before the Badab Wars?
Now that is something to look forward to!
It's a minor detail at the end but
Spoiler:
the Inquisitor who interrogates Rannik is the same one who was nominally in charge of the Imperium's forces during the Badab War. Robbie himself confirmed it on his tumblr.
I'll have mine in about a month or so, but I'm sure someone will give us a rundown / ratio of stories in the first issue. At least one 40K story should be part of a larger novel that gets told over the course of the run, but the rest should be an even mix of 40K, Necromunda, Age of Sigmar and Warhammer Legacy.
Josh Reynolds is on there twice, so we can probably (hopefully!) expect at least one story to tie into the Eight Lamentations and maybe the other Lukas the Trickster or Fabius Bile.
Plenty of other names that don't ring any bells though, so good to see this once more being a platform for aspiring Black Library authors to get their name out and create their own slices of the IP.
BrookM wrote: I'll have mine in about a month or so, but I'm sure someone will give us a rundown / ratio of stories in the first issue. At least one 40K story should be part of a larger novel that gets told over the course of the run, but the rest should be an even mix of 40K, Necromunda, Age of Sigmar and Warhammer Legacy.
Josh Reynolds is on there twice, so we can probably (hopefully!) expect at least one story to tie into the Eight Lamentations and maybe the other Lukas the Trickster or Fabius Bile.
Plenty of other names that don't ring any bells though, so good to see this once more being a platform for aspiring Black Library authors to get their name out and create their own slices of the IP.
Aye no doubt it's a good thing in general, but since I'm firmly in Crusty Old Grog mode these days and only want stories from Warhammer Chronicles, 30K, and 40K stuff that's either pre-Gathering Storm, or which is so isolated from the "main plot" that it might as well be, whether any given "issue" of nuInferno appeals will be down to how much of it is "waste" for me coming from that perspective.
Ishagu wrote: Anyone looking forward to the Dark Imperium sequel, "Plague War" coming on the 6th of October?
I think the Guy Haley books - Dark Imperium and Devastation of Baal have really helped to establish the post Great Rift setting.
I'm counting the days as it where, Guy Haley has rapidly become a favorite of mine
I'll be looking forward to it as well. Haley's portrayal of Guilliman in Dark Imperium was pretty striking. It left the impression of a very lonely man, who has had to shoulder the ultimate burden of being responsible for all humanity. But he has no peers who he can freely discuss anything with, and has to face that responsibility alone. The Emperor managed it, but he was a different level of being, and had people like Malcador around him.
Ishagu wrote: Anyone looking forward to the Dark Imperium sequel, "Plague War" coming on the 6th of October?
I think the Guy Haley books - Dark Imperium and Devastation of Baal have really helped to establish the post Great Rift setting.
I'm counting the days as it where, Guy Haley has rapidly become a favorite of mine
I'll be looking forward to it as well. Haley's portrayal of Guilliman in Dark Imperium was pretty striking. It left the impression of a very lonely man, who has had to shoulder the ultimate burden of being responsible for all humanity. But he has no peers who he can freely discuss anything with, and has to face that responsibility alone. The Emperor managed it, but he was a different level of being, and had people like Malcador around him.
yeah agreed. on one hand bringing back other primarchs is inevitable I think but at the samne time I hope they don't rush it simnply because the "Gulliman returned" story is sooo gooood
Ishagu wrote: Anyone looking forward to the Dark Imperium sequel, "Plague War" coming on the 6th of October?
I think the Guy Haley books - Dark Imperium and Devastation of Baal have really helped to establish the post Great Rift setting.
I'm counting the days as it where, Guy Haley has rapidly become a favorite of mine
I'll be looking forward to it as well. Haley's portrayal of Guilliman in Dark Imperium was pretty striking. It left the impression of a very lonely man, who has had to shoulder the ultimate burden of being responsible for all humanity. But he has no peers who he can freely discuss anything with, and has to face that responsibility alone. The Emperor managed it, but he was a different level of being, and had people like Malcador around him.
Guilliman is also having to keep up appearances. After his audience with the Emperor, Guilliman has realized the Emperor never truly loved him as a son, and instead just treated him (and still does) as a tool. He also has realized the Emperor loves no one and nothing, except maybe the abstract ideal of humanity, yet Guilliman still has to keep up morale in his followers by lying that the Emperor loves all of them.
I am really hoping some Primarchs, like Sanguinius, stay dead. It is no sacrifice if he comes back. Unfortunately I am also aware that some players will kick up a fuss feeling their favorite chapter is left out of the big Primarch homecoming.
Going by this article here we at least know that The Unsung War by David Annandale is a 40K story and that both stories by Josh Reynolds, Waking the Dragon and How Vido Learned the Trick are Warhammer Legacy.
Also, this blurb,
Each time a new volume of Inferno! is released, you’ll be able to pick up more classic issues, expanding your collection. Order your copies now.
pleases me to no end. It'll be fun to collect these over time, good show Black Library!
They released 46 issues, so if all goes well, nine batches of five issues (final batch six issues) total to collect.
To celebrate the launch of Inferno! Volume 1, I spoke to all ten authors to gather a little bit of information about what you can expect in these eleven stories, and what it means to each of them to have stories included in the brand new Inferno! Read on to hear from each of the authors.
The Unsung War by David Annandale
The collection opens with a 40k story from a well-established Black Library author, set very much in the ‘now’ of the setting. Here’s David to tell you a little bit about it.
David: The Primaris Space Marines are almost literally titans of war, but they too can be overwhelmed. This is a tale of two Ultramarines Intercessors who must find a way to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Trapped on a ship with two enemy forces aboard, they and a lone human survivor are the only ones who can prevent a world’s doom.
I missed the original incarnation of Inferno!, but I’ve long been aware of its importance. I think it’s wonderful that it has a new form. It’s a terrific showcase for the range of stories Black Library can tell, and for the range of voices, old and new, telling those stories. It feels to me like a vital piece of Black Library’s history has returned to become a vital part of its future, and it means a lot to have chance to be part of that narrative.
No Hero by Peter McLean
Next up is an Imperial Guard story from Peter McLean, his third Black Library story after Baphomet by Night and Lightning Run, and very much in the same dark vein as those two tales.
Peter: No Hero is a story of heroism, pure and simple, and of the great and selfless deeds that go unsung and forgotten in every war. It’s a tale of youthful innocence and sacrifice, in a setting inspired by the Vietnam War. It’s not a happy tale but this is 40K after all, and in war there are very few happy stories. I think it still has something uplifting to it though, something about faith and duty, loyalty and sacrifice.
I remember being aware of Inferno!, but I never owned any copies. Back in 1997 when it first came out I was 25 years old and newly married, and wargaming and RPG-ing had given way to home-making and…other things. I grew up in the 80s on White Dwarf and Citadel Miniatures, as they were called back then, though, and I was still keeping half a wistful eye on the hobby scene but I just didn’t have the time or the money to devote to it back then. Looking back on it now, though, I seriously can’t believe I’m in Inferno! – how cool is that!
The Path to Glory by Evan Dicken
Evan’s debut Black Library story, set in the days before the Age of Sigmar itself, this is the first time it’s been available in print.
Evan: The Path to Glory is sort of my farewell to the Warhammer world-that-was. I’m a big fan of Age of Sigmar, but I grew up in the Old World, so it was really cool to have the chance to explore characters seeing the world as they know it torn apart by Chaos. The narrative follows a soldier, a wizard, and a young noble as they try to preserve the last of their failing empire. It deals with the choices and compromises they have to make when faced with insurmountable odds.
The story is set during the Red Century, when Chaos forces sweep over the Mortal Realms forcing Sigmar to seal the Realmgates. While doing research in the Battletomes and various lore books, I kept coming across references to ‘The Lantic Empire’ a massive, multi-Realm spanning empire that stood as a bulwark against Chaos until it was betrayed and brought down. It seemed the perfect setting for a desperate tale about good intentions leading to arguably bad ends.
I remember that day when I walked into my local hobby store and found the first copy of Inferno! on the shelves next to the gaming books. It was my first brush with Warhammer fiction, and I never looked back. My brothers and I read almost every issue, discussing the stories’ various merits as well as other, less-serious, qualities. They may have been ridiculous arguments, but we argued with the earnestness of Redemptionist deacons debating the Imperial Creed. For instance, during a heated dispute about the various merits of elven archers versus orc boys, I ran a stop sign and got into a bad car accident.
Honestly, I can’t tell you how much it means to me to see my work appear in Inferno!‘s modern incarnation. I’ve been writing fiction for well over a decade, with some small degree of success, but never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I’d be writing for Warhammer, let alone have one of my stories appear in the same table of contents as Josh Reynolds, or Guy Haley, or David Annandale. I can’t tell you how many hours I’ve delightfully wiled away with their novels and short stories.
It’s been an amazing and surreal experience. I can’t really convey how grateful I am, both to the editors and staff at Black Library, and to all the readers of Warhammer fiction.
A Common Ground by Mike Brooks
Mike Brooks pays a visit to the underhive for his third Black Library story, adding a little welcome variety to a collection that’s mostly focused on the core Games Workshop settings.
Mike: It’s a Necromunda tale, told (mainly) from the point of view of Jax, a Goliath who’s making a living as a pit fighter and is offered a compelling deal by a mysterious stranger. It actually deals with themes of familial bonds and economic inequality…and violence, of course.
I still have a bunch of the original magazines! I tried to get stories into Inferno! when I was sixteen or so, but to no avail. I wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity to get a story into the first edition of the relaunch! I can now tick something off my list of achievements that I thought was long gone.
The Emperor’s Wrath by Steven B. Fischer
The first of three Black Library debuts in the collection, this introduces us to Steven’s writing with a 40k story from a different angle to usual.
Steven: The Emperor’s Wrath is a story about pragmatism and change. One of my favorite things about 40k, and about grimdark speculative fiction in general, is the way it recognizes the fact that the universe isn’t black and white, and that morality can only be judged by comparison. I wanted this story to reflect that theme and to show how even deep-held beliefs can crumble in the face of new information. So often, in fiction and the real world, we fight most bitterly with those who are most similar to us, and it often takes an external threat for us to recognize what we have in common and put differences aside to achieve a common goal.
Also guns and monsters. The story is about guns and monsters, too.
I was five when Inferno! first came out, and only twelve when it was discontinued, so unfortunately no memories of it for me. I first heard about Warhammer when I was in college, but didn’t start getting into the 40k universe until a little over a year ago. So I’m certainly new to the scene here, but I’m incredibly excited to have my first 40k story in Inferno!’s re-inaugural issue. Working with Black Library has been nothing but fantastic, and I find myself more hooked by 40K with every novel and short that I read. It’s a huge honor to have my name on the issue next to a whole host of authors I really respect, and I hope the readers decide it deserves to be there!
Waking the Dragon and How Vido Learned the Trick by Josh Reynolds
The ever-prolific Josh Reynolds has two stories in the collection, both harking back to an earlier age of Warhammer. Nostalgia abounds…
Josh: Both are Warhammer Fantasy stories, featuring popular characters. Waking the Dragon was meant to be a lead-in to a Warhammer Heroes novel [featuring Heinrich Kemmler and Krell] that never materialised, due to the End Times, while How Vido Learned the Trick is one of several Zavant Konniger short stories I wrote, as a sort of try out for reviving that series. Of the two, I’m more disappointed I never got to write a proper Zavant novel.
I had the first handful of issues of Inferno! and read them to pieces. As far as having stories in the modern version, I hope that it lives up to the impact of the original series. I love the idea of Inferno!, and would like to see it continue on a bit longer, this time around.
The Enemy of My Enemy by Nate Crowley
The second of three Black Library debuts, file this 40k story under unexpected but strangely brilliant.
Nate: The Enemy of My Enemy addresses a theoretical question that has come up time and time again over the years: would Imperial troops ever fight side by side with orks? It got me thinking: what sort of Imperial commander would even consider that situation – and what kind of ork? How bad would things have to get before that even seemed like a sane option? And how the hell would both sides start to negotiate?
The story gave me a chance to really explore how humans and orks might interact, not necessarily in a *friendly* way, but in a situation other than a frantic, merciless fight to the death. It also looks at how Imperial commanders are trained to think of their enemies, and where that might have its shortcomings….
Crikey, do I ever remember Inferno!. It came out when I was 12, right as I was getting massively into 40k for the first time. That was the summer where my hands were permanently covered in superglue, and my room was covered in splotches of red and gold from my disastrous attempts to paint metal space marines.
Honestly, the 40k stories I was reading in that era really shaped my taste for SF, and it inspired me to write tonnes of rubbish short fiction on our family PC. Being asked to contribute to that universe – and in a title with such great memories attached to it – has been a proper highlight of my career. And now, if I ever get into an argument with someone over whether orks can ally with Guard, I can look them in the eye and say, with commissarial authority, that they bloody well can.
The Firstborn Daughter by Filip Westgren
A Vostroyan Firstborn story (don’t see many of those) that provides the third and final Black Library debut in the collection.
Filip: It’s a coming of age story with guns. Lots and lots of guns. Also, swords and pistols. And a case of melta bombs. Basically, since I got to write it, it’s the type of 40k story I’d have liked to read
I go waaay back with 40k. As in Rogue Trader way back, when orks were spindly-armed gits and Space Marines had snouts like the Slann (OK, slight exaggeration.) By the time the first Inferno! was in its heyday, I was embroiled in real life, with studies, work, and commitments. So I didn’t have as close a relationship to it as some of my gaming buddies.
In fact, I never dreamed I’d be allowed to write for Inferno! and the Black Library. I mean, this is the place with people like Gav Thorpe, Andy Hoare, and David Ferring (whose Konrad trilogy got me into grimdark fantasy in the first place.) So being here, I’m both honored and very lucky.
Mercy by Danie Ware
Danie’s first Black Library story, in print at last after its original e-short release, this is a strong showing for the Sisters of Battle.
Danie: Mercy gave me the chance to have fun – to take out the Sisters and do their ‘Nuns With Guns’ joke justice. Their worship of the Emperor is untouchable (we know that), but Mercy takes the safety catch off and lets them cut loose. Nuns they may be, but they’re also soldiers, and they’re as brutal, as highly trained, and as efficient as any of their male counterparts… though they might be smaller than some!
Inferno! was was always floating about, loitering at the outskirts of your youthful gaming – something that we’d pick up and read almost gleefully, like we’d discovered something we shouldn’t. It was packed with fabulous fiction, artwork, games…we were forever having ideas about the the next project and what we should do (and forever nicking them to put in other projects, but we don’t talk about that bit). Since moving to London twenty years ago, I’ve watched as many of my youthful dreams have solidified into (slightly surreal) fact – where I work, my published fiction – but this stuff still is still magic, and I hope it always will be.
I often stop and wonder what my twenty-something self would have thought…
At the Sign of the Brazen Claw by Guy Haley
The collection concludes with this story from the safe hands of Guy Haley, kicking off a new chapter of the story started in The Autumn Prince and The Sands of Grief.
Guy: It’s part of my ongoing, linked series of Prince Maesa stories, an Age of Sigmar-set saga about an exiled Aelf Wanderer trying to bring his dead love back to life. The Sign of the Brazen Claw sees him stuck in an inn in the middle of a raging storm waiting for a Kharadron packet ship. To pass the time, the travellers within relate tales to one another from all over the Realms.
Yes I do remember Inferno!, because I am well into middle age now! It’s cool to have a story in there, but even better to see so many new writers getting their chances to play in the marvellous worlds of Warhammer.
The Unsung War by David Annandale - 40K (Ultramarines)
No Hero by Peter McLean - 40K (Imperial Guard)
The Path to Glory by Evan Dicken - Age of Sigmar (Empire)
A Common Ground by Mike Brooks - Necromunda (Goliath / Pit fighters)
The Emperor's Wrath by Steven B Fischer - 40K (???)
Waking the Dragon by Josh Reynolds - Warhammer Legacy (Heinrich Kemmler & Krell)
The Enemy of My Enemy by Nate Crowley - 40K (Imperial & Orks)
How Vido Learned the Trick by Josh Reynolds - Warhammer Legacy (Zavant!)
The Firstborn Daughter by Filip Wiltgren - 40K (Vostroyans)
Mercy by Danie Ware - 40K (Sisters of Battle)
At the Sign of the Brazen Claw by Guy Haley - Age of Sigmar (Aelf)
Waking the Dragon was meant to be a lead-in to a Warhammer Heroes novel [featuring Heinrich Kemmler and Krell] that never materialised, due to the End Times
I’m pretty excited for this new style Inferno. It’ll be good to get some stuff from writers i’ve never read anything by, as well as get some hopefully quality stuff from the established authors.
Waking the Dragon was meant to be a lead-in to a Warhammer Heroes novel [featuring Heinrich Kemmler and Krell] that never materialised, due to the End Times
.. all that could have been eh ?
I was sad enough before, and no more Time Of Legends didn’t help.
This just hits home even harder! :(
... bit torn : like the author... not terribly bothered about Primaris marines so I think I'll wait for it in ppbk/have an urge and cash burning a hole in my wallet.
Celestine Limited Edition
A Warhammer 40,000 novel
Saint Celestine is a beacon to servants of the Imperium in the darkest of times, a hero who retums from death time and again to smite the Emperor's foes… but what happens when she dies? How does she return? Prepare to find out…
READ IT BECAUSE
One of the greatest mysteries of the Warhammer 40,000 universe is revealed, as Andy Clark delves into the trials and horrors Saint Celestine faces each time she is resurrected to fight for the Emperor once more.
THE STORY
With her mighty wings spread wide and Ardent Blade aflame, Saint Celestine is the living embodiment of the God-Emperor’s wrath. Her halo blazes like a star upon the smog wreathed, blood-soaked battlefields of the 41st millennium; its holy light leading the faithful to victory time and time again. As heretics and daemons tear at her flesh, she calls down fires of retribution from on high to smite the wicked and unrighteous. If she is to fall in battle, none should mourn as she is Celestine, the Living Saint, and death is her duty. Though it comes at a great cost. For each time she is slain, Saint Celestine finds herself trapped in a terrible realm of suffering and torment. There her faith in the God-Emperor will be put to the test so she may prove herself worthy of life once more.
Written by Andy Clark
ABOUT THIS EDITION
– Cover designed to look a tapestry
– Packaged in a presentation box
– Each copy is signed by author Andy Clark
– Individually numbered from an edition of 1,250
This title will be available to order from the 19th January as a Hardback Limited Edition.
The battle for Urdesh has begun – and the outcome will determine the fate of the Sabbat Worlds Crusade. Ibram Gaunt, now right hand to the Warmaster, and his Ghosts hold the key to victory – but can they defeat the sinister Anarch and his Sons of Sek?
READ IT BECAUSE
It's all been leading to this. The Victory arc concludes with an epic story that weavess together plot threads from throughout the entire Gaunt's Ghosts series and puts the beloved characters in more danger than you'll be able to bear. Fair warning: they're not all going to get out alive.
THE STORY
Men of Tanith… do you want to live forever?’
On the forge world of Urdesh, the massed forces of the Imperial Crusade engage in a final bloody battle with the Archenemy commander known as the Anarch, and his elite warriors - the barbaric Sons of Sek. A victory for either side will decide more than just the fate of Urdesh… it will determine the outcome of the entire Sabbat Worlds Crusade. Ibram Gaunt – now serving at the right hand of Warmaster Macaroth – finds himself at the very heart of the struggle. His regiment, the Tanith First “Ghosts”, holds the vital key to ultimate success. But as the forces of the Imperium and Chaos square up for the final, large-scale confrontation, Gaunt discovers that the greatest threat of all may come from inside rather than out.
Written by Dan Abnett
This title will be available to order from the 12th January as an eBook, MP3 and Hardback.
Should be good, he also wrote about Celestine in his Alpha Legion novel and while she wasn't the main character, she certainly was interesting enough to warrant a full novel of her own.
Could also do with another Imperial Knights novel while we're at it.
I got the latest Ciaphas Cain Omnibus on release and have just started it. Does anybody else think the first book in the omnibus, The Emperors Finest, is pretty weak? It's the first CC book I've struggled with.
Automatically Appended Next Post: I got the latest Ciaphas Cain Omnibus on release and have just started it. Does anybody else think the first book in the omnibus, The Emperors Finest, is pretty weak? It's the first CC book I've struggled with.
reds8n wrote: ... bit torn : like the author... not terribly bothered about Primaris marines so I think I'll wait for it in ppbk/have an urge and cash burning a hole in my wallet.
Celestine Limited Edition
A Warhammer 40,000 novel
Saint Celestine is a beacon to servants of the Imperium in the darkest of times, a hero who retums from death time and again to smite the Emperor's foes… but what happens when she dies? How does she return? Prepare to find out…
READ IT BECAUSE
One of the greatest mysteries of the Warhammer 40,000 universe is revealed, as Andy Clark delves into the trials and horrors Saint Celestine faces each time she is resurrected to fight for the Emperor once more.
THE STORY
With her mighty wings spread wide and Ardent Blade aflame, Saint Celestine is the living embodiment of the God-Emperor’s wrath. Her halo blazes like a star upon the smog wreathed, blood-soaked battlefields of the 41st millennium; its holy light leading the faithful to victory time and time again. As heretics and daemons tear at her flesh, she calls down fires of retribution from on high to smite the wicked and unrighteous. If she is to fall in battle, none should mourn as she is Celestine, the Living Saint, and death is her duty. Though it comes at a great cost. For each time she is slain, Saint Celestine finds herself trapped in a terrible realm of suffering and torment. There her faith in the God-Emperor will be put to the test so she may prove herself worthy of life once more.
Written by Andy Clark
ABOUT THIS EDITION
– Cover designed to look a tapestry
– Packaged in a presentation box
– Each copy is signed by author Andy Clark
– Individually numbered from an edition of 1,250
This title will be available to order from the 19th January as a Hardback Limited Edition.
The battle for Urdesh has begun – and the outcome will determine the fate of the Sabbat Worlds Crusade. Ibram Gaunt, now right hand to the Warmaster, and his Ghosts hold the key to victory – but can they defeat the sinister Anarch and his Sons of Sek?
READ IT BECAUSE
It's all been leading to this. The Victory arc concludes with an epic story that weavess together plot threads from throughout the entire Gaunt's Ghosts series and puts the beloved characters in more danger than you'll be able to bear. Fair warning: they're not all going to get out alive.
THE STORY
Men of Tanith… do you want to live forever?’
On the forge world of Urdesh, the massed forces of the Imperial Crusade engage in a final bloody battle with the Archenemy commander known as the Anarch, and his elite warriors - the barbaric Sons of Sek. A victory for either side will decide more than just the fate of Urdesh… it will determine the outcome of the entire Sabbat Worlds Crusade. Ibram Gaunt – now serving at the right hand of Warmaster Macaroth – finds himself at the very heart of the struggle. His regiment, the Tanith First “Ghosts”, holds the vital key to ultimate success. But as the forces of the Imperium and Chaos square up for the final, large-scale confrontation, Gaunt discovers that the greatest threat of all may come from inside rather than out.
Written by Dan Abnett
This title will be available to order from the 12th January as an eBook, MP3 and Hardback.
Gods and mortals, or to be precise the new stories in it, look interesting.
Sadly nothing interesting in the 40k front, Gaunts Ghosts is a great series but I have spent too long without them to be interested.
The Merchant’s Tale by Guy Haley
The Thirteenth Psalm by Peter Fehevari
Spiritus in Machina by Thomas Parrott
From the Deep by Jaine Fenn
Faith in Thunder by Robert Charles
What Wakes in the Dark by Miles A Drake
Solace by Steve Lyons
Ties of Blood by Jaime Crisalli
Turn of the Adder by J C Stearns
No Honour Among Vermin by C L Werner
Automatically Appended Next Post: Also, next batch of legacy format HH novels will be out on these (rough) dates, via Book Depository:
The Crimson King - 27th of December 2018
Tallarn - 21st of February 2019
Ruinstorm - 18th of April 2019
A new issue every two months would be neat, bit of the old bi-monthly schedule, though an expensive one at that if you're also planning on collecting the reprints!
The new Infernos are just short stories right? So in theory one every couple of months wouldn't be too hard to achieve so long as GW has a good head start on writing and editing them.
Yup, they're the return of the good old anthology novels they used to do back in the day. I've been missing those for the last few years now and it's good to have them back.
Definitely want to get Bloodied Rose, Wanted: Dead, Warqueen and Heart of Winter
I might pick up the 2 HH novels, as they are billed as “siege of terra prequels” by people that went to the last HH weekender, but beyond that this doesn’t really interest me that much.
That said, if they are super super cheap then I might pick them all up – but even then, they don’t really offer much in terms of a collection either, other than a bunch of random stories thrown together into a xmas style gift set.
finished all the tales now-- and thoroughly enjoyed them all.
One or two were really stand out
Special mention to the Krell/Lichemaster and Vido/Zavant stories which were both especially great -- only shame being that we wont see what the Krell/Lichemaster tale was supposed to lead into.
Not sure how I feel about those novella's. The collector in me will want them all, but the reader in me only has interest in the 40k ones.I guess it'll come down to the price on them.
Knight wrote: I'll get those for AoS, wish you could pick between 40k and AoS.
If you mean the short novels announced today then they will be sold individually - GW even makes mention of that in the article that they are numbered so you can see which ones you are missing (clearly a taunt for completionists to get the whole set!). I'd welcome it if they were split, but then again I think having them as one single set means that they can do things like Necromunda that might not warrant its entire own series of short novels. So I can see value there; plus marketing wise its a neat way to get people interested in other lore.
I'm also very keen to see that there's not a single Stormcast on the front of the AoS ones! Not that I hate Stormcast, but a lot of the current novels are chock full of stormcast everywhere! I'd even love it if the stories themselves manage to avoid having half the book dedicated to another batch of stormcast coming to the rescue/aid.
Quite. I'm really looking forward to non SCE novels. I'd prefer there'd be a faction from former high elves rather than scourge privateers. Still, no reason to be down, the more lore GW puts out, the less likely I'm inclined to believe that the faction they're writing about is going to get discontinued.
And, they're giving the spotlight to new authors as well, which is a great way for them to progress from eshorts to novella to hopefully one day full blown novels of their own.
finished all the tales now-- and thoroughly enjoyed them all.
One or two were really stand out
Special mention to the Krell/Lichemaster and Vido/Zavant stories which were both especially great -- only shame being that we wont see what the Krell/Lichemaster tale was supposed to lead into.
DAMMNNNN!!!! I LOVED Krell and Henrich two of my fav world that was characters. I am sooo glad that TSOALR is back I loved that comic strip so much.
So... where will the HH Novellas be collected in the small paperback format? Are we going to have another anthology volume despite having reached "the end"?
Ok I need to know who the lady on Heart of Winter is !
If you haven’t read city of secrets and the silver shard you are missing some mouth watering treats. I despised AoS fiction until I read these. Nick Horth has done an amazing job here. The elven pirates are as brilliant as the cover of the book shows. I’m still a hater of the men in gold but I’ve found a corner of AoS that Horth is creating I can really love.
I’m looking forward to Danie Wares sister book. The short in inferno was good enough to make me want some more, will also be picking up the necromunda novella as I’m really disappointed with BLs lack of necromunda fiction since the game came out.
Automatically Appended Next Post:
The Phazer wrote: So... where will the HH Novellas be collected in the small paperback format? Are we going to have another anthology volume despite having reached "the end"?
Yes indeed, another example of the ‘every book in every format’ rubbish.
I've just got my 5 reprints of Inferno. They're a really fun look back at the hobby when I was first involved in it (I never had the money to spend on books or mags, it all just went on models and paints). It's all artwork, comics and short stories, with animation in that excellent 90's style.
They're printed on decent quality glossy paper, and are pretty sturdy. Certainly no complaints from me.
Out of interest, which books cover the Dark Imperium arc? I know there's Dark Imperium itself but have the Gathering Storm and Fall of Cadia etc been documented anywhere or will that need to be the actual campaign books?
Quite fancy checking it all out but can't work out what goes where with the new releases.
foostick wrote: Out of interest, which books cover the Dark Imperium arc? I know there's Dark Imperium itself but have the Gathering Storm and Fall of Cadia etc been documented anywhere or will that need to be the actual campaign books?
Quite fancy checking it all out but can't work out what goes where with the new releases.
I know that Cadia Stands covers some of those events. Any of the Space Marine Conquest books are either concurrent or post Dark Imperium.
foostick wrote: Out of interest, which books cover the Dark Imperium arc? I know there's Dark Imperium itself but have the Gathering Storm and Fall of Cadia etc been documented anywhere or will that need to be the actual campaign books?
Quite fancy checking it all out but can't work out what goes where with the new releases.
Cadia Stands is actually a book that covers the fall of Cadia from a Cadian's on the planet perspective.
foostick wrote: Out of interest, which books cover the Dark Imperium arc? I know there's Dark Imperium itself but have the Gathering Storm and Fall of Cadia etc been documented anywhere or will that need to be the actual campaign books?
Quite fancy checking it all out but can't work out what goes where with the new releases.
Cadia Stands is actually a book that covers the fall of Cadia from a Cadian's on the planet perspective.
cadia stands is basicly a "supplement" to fall of cadia, it's not a novelization of GS1
Honestly, I remember reading it thinking it was good but "I'm not sure how much you'd get out of it if you hadn't read GS1"
Ok I need to know who the lady on Heart of Winter is !
Spoiler:
If you haven’t read city of secrets and the silver shard you are missing some mouth watering treats. I despised AoS fiction until I read these. Nick Horth has done an amazing job here. The elven pirates are as brilliant as the cover of the book shows. I’m still a hater of the men in gold but I’ve found a corner of AoS that Horth is creating I can really love.
I’m looking forward to Danie Wares sister book. The short in inferno was good enough to make me want some more, will also be picking up the necromunda novella as I’m really disappointed with BLs lack of necromunda fiction since the game came out.
I will have to get them then - Been enjoying many of the AOS novels - Josh Reynolds often has plenty of non Stormcast characters staring.
foostick wrote: Out of interest, which books cover the Dark Imperium arc? I know there's Dark Imperium itself but have the Gathering Storm and Fall of Cadia etc been documented anywhere or will that need to be the actual campaign books?
Quite fancy checking it all out but can't work out what goes where with the new releases.
Cadia Stands is actually a book that covers the fall of Cadia from a Cadian's on the planet perspective.
cadia stands is basicly a "supplement" to fall of cadia, it's not a novelization of GS1
Honestly, I remember reading it thinking it was good but "I'm not sure how much you'd get out of it if you hadn't read GS1"
Ah I've not read Gathering Storm. Whose perspective is that told from? Also is it worth a read?
Got my set of Inferno! mags just now and a nice detail is these are the same size and format as the original print run. Here's hoping they don't go through the size change like the later mags did.
foostick wrote: Out of interest, which books cover the Dark Imperium arc? I know there's Dark Imperium itself but have the Gathering Storm and Fall of Cadia etc been documented anywhere or will that need to be the actual campaign books?
Quite fancy checking it all out but can't work out what goes where with the new releases.
Cadia Stands is actually a book that covers the fall of Cadia from a Cadian's on the planet perspective.
cadia stands is basicly a "supplement" to fall of cadia, it's not a novelization of GS1
Honestly, I remember reading it thinking it was good but "I'm not sure how much you'd get out of it if you hadn't read GS1"
Ah I've not read Gathering Storm. Whose perspective is that told from? Also is it worth a read?
gathering storm are sourcebooks not novels sadly. don't get me wrong I'd definatly reccomend reading them if you can snag a copy simply to give you an udnerstanding of the events , but they're not partiuclarly great.
on another note I just finished Plague War, good novel. If you liked Dark Imperium you'll like this.
It's art from the cover of one of the upcoming novellas coming early November. It wouldn't surprise me though if they tasked the author with writing plenty of shorts, maybe even a full novel, to coincide with the Sisters release next year.
Working my way through the new Inferno! right now and the first two stories are good ones, the Imperial Guard story in particular is a nice one that reminds me of anthology stories from back then.
edit.
The story on the Lantic Empire was also well done. So far so good.
From the Black Library Facebook page, descriptions of the upcoming novellas.
The first title in the forthcoming Black Library Novella Series 1 is a new Adepta Sororitas tale by Danie Ware that throws the Battle Sisters of the Order of the Bloody Rose into a war of faith and fury on a jungle world. Pre-order it in early November.
Out in early November, Ian St. Martin's entry to Black Library Novella Series 1 sees a Cadian airman fighting on the front lines against the fearsome Crimson Slaughter, seeking revenge for the death of his world.
*
The mighty Adeptus Custodes take centre stage in the third instalment of Black Library Novella Series 1, coming this November. Nick Kyme's tale is set on a world wracked by Chaos, where the Golden Legion must figure out their place in the new Dark Imperium.
A Siege of Terra prequel! By David Annandale! As part of the Black Library Novella Series 1! Follow Guilliman after the events of 'Ruinstorm' and learn why he missed the big fight.
* The author has already chimed in to say that the is NOT wrong and will make sense once you read the book.
Kdash wrote: So, that picture ALMOST made me consider picking up a ticket, but then my brain engaged and I went back to thinking “it’s just not worth it still”.
Do they usually do swag bags like this for BL weekenders? Usually the tickets are sold out by now so I don’t know.
You normally get a small book or two, a proper program guide to whats on/for sale, and a bag. The bag used to be pretty decent considering it was free, more than good enough for carrying a codex, rulebook and dice to a game. Recently the bags have gone down hill and are pretty cheap rubbish.
I'm not going this year as it clashes with something else I already had planned but it is well worth going if you want to hear the authors talk about the books in far more detail than you'd normally get to here. The ability to make early purchases of new books is a double edged sword, I had a bigger gap than I'd like between the books I bought early and the next wave of books I didn't have being released.
Nightlord1987 wrote: Hmm, i'm one of the few that actually liked the Crimson Slaughter marines. Might have to check that one out.
I don't think anyone disliked crimson slaughter persay, so much as they resented some random new renegade chapter being thrust in the spotlight well the Legions they all really liked where basicly ignored
Don't forget Sacrosanct & Other Stories is also coming out this week
GW continues its oddly messy collected edition habit with this newest collected book. For some reason they are convinced that the best way to release AoS collected editions is to give a smattering of stories that are repeated over and over. A somewhat annoying pattern, esp since
Unique stories to this book:
Sacrosanct, Shiprats by C L Werner
A Dirge of Dust and Steel by Josh Reynolds
Stories collected (thus far) only in this book:
The Dance of the Skulls by David Annandale
The Sands of Grief by Guy Haley
Auction of Blood by Josh Reynolds
Callis & Toll: The Old Ways by Nick Horth
Stories repeated in other collected edition:
The Witch Takers by C L Werner (Gods and Mortals)
The Prisoner of the Black Sun by Josh Reynolds (Hammerhal & Other)
Wrathspring by Andy Clark (Sylvaneth, Legends of the Age of Sigmar: Omnibus 1)
The Volturung Road by Guy Haley (Fyreslayers, Legends of the Age of Sigmar: Omnibus 1)
Great Red by David Guymer (The Realmgate Wars: Volume 2)
Also keep an eye out in the new year for Gods and Mortals out next January which appears to be far more exciting with a larger number of new short stories (currently not released on their own), several new to collection already released short stories and only a smaller number of repeated short stories (collected in other books).
Unique stories to this book:
Obsidian by David Annandale
Blacktalon: Hunting Shadows by Andy Clark
Vault of Souls by Evan Dicken
Pilgrim’s Trial by Robbie MacNiven
Force of Personality by David Guymer
The Library of Forgotten Moments by Josh Reynolds
Order of the Fly: Tourney of Fate by Josh Reynolds
Gravesend Gold by C L Werner
Stories collected (thus far) only in this book:
Eight Lamentations: The Tainted Axe by Josh Reynolds
Bear Eater by David Guymer
Gods' Gift by David Guymer
The Hardest Word by David Guymer
The Road of Blades by Josh Reynolds
Stories repeated in other collected edition:
The Dance of the Skulls by David Annandale
Pantheon by Guy Haley
Callis & Toll: The Old Ways by NIck Horth
Auction of Blood by Josh Reynolds
The Witch Takers by C L Werner
Agreed - I really want to have those new short stories in printed form but I have some of them in several anthoigies already - really annoying some are in both books!
Yeah I can't understand why BL is doing this and at the same time they are releasing solid collected editions (without repeats for the most part) for Warhammer Chronicles.
It seems that they want to bulk out the AoS releases without adding more books/stories; and yet I'd honestly be more interested in buying anthologies that didn't repeat stories across them.
I'm far more interested in Gods and Mortals for all the unique content it has
I think AoS has been heavily dominated at present with Stormcast stories; certainly a lot of the early books and focus is around the Stormcast and how they are involved with the world. The other factions do need toget more under their feet, which is why I'm quite interested in this new series that GW is releasing in November.
I think that the way they started AoS in that everyone (barring Sigmar) was basically crushed/hiding/smothered in Chaos led to the early focus being all about the Stormcast. That seems to be shaking off and I think that with the Stormcast range in models being quite full now we might well see other factions rise up and take a bit more of a centre stage. Certainly in the past Fantasy never had its own "Marines" faction that got the lions share of everything from models to rules to novels and I really hope that GW manages to continue this with Sigmar.
Skaven has a book (Pestliens) which is a great read, whilst Sylvanath and Fyreslayers also got quite a nice chunk of their own stories.
Still going through Inferno! myself, which doesn't have a single bad story in there so far, maybe a bit predictable here and there (A general named Pyrrhus, ho-hum!) but damned good. Mister Reynolds legacy stuff in particular is so good, especially Kell and Kemmler, what could have been indeed!
Overread wrote: I think AoS has been heavily dominated at present with Stormcast stories; certainly a lot of the early books and focus is around the Stormcast and how they are involved with the world. The other factions do need toget more under their feet, which is why I'm quite interested in this new series that GW is releasing in November.
Skaven has a book (Pestliens) which is a great read, whilst Sylvanath and Fyreslayers also got quite a nice chunk of their own stories.
Of the last 10 aos novels released, only two have been focused on stormcast. With black library writers getting a bit more freedom to pitch their own ideas I think we will see a more balanced approach in the future.
I can't recommend Callis and Toll strongly enough. It really is very enjoyable.
With Josh Reynolds and Nick Horth, GW has two great writers who really get Aos.
Don't get upset, but Josh's next novel is about Hallowed Knights, though I've got a good feeling about this one. Josh is in my personal opinion is a perfect match for both Age of Sigmar and the Legacy era, right up there with CL Werner. I just hope we get the next instalment of the Eight Lamentations soon, I need me another big dumb action movie novel.
Just wrapped up Inferno! #1 and damn it, that was a GOOD read. Now I really can't wait for the next one to pop up early January. Well done Black Library and a big thumbs up to all authors involved.
For any that have the new reprints of the old Inferno magazines how are they compared to the originals? Are there any glaring issues with the reprints or indeed any ways in which they improve over the original prints?
I've been spending a bit of time comparing which short stories are in the inferno magazines and which appear on the BL website currently and its pleasing to see that there's a good few stories that don't get mirrored on the website and which are in the magazine only.
Automatically Appended Next Post:
BobtheInquisitor wrote: What is the best short story collection for someone new to AOS background?
Realmgate Wars Volume 1 is a good starting point for the story as it launches off right when the Stormcast begin their systematic attacks on the Mortal Realms to start pushing back against the forces of Chaos. There's a heavy bias toward Stormcast and Chaos, though there's big variety from fighting the skull collecting Khorne to the twisted machinations of Teentz's worshippers through to the pestilent plagues of Nurgle.
Another ideal starting point is Legends of the Age of Sigmar: Omnibus 1. It collects together the stories for the Sylvanath, the Fyreslayers and the whole of the Skaven Pestliens book (the former two are individually printed books that were collections of several stories of those factions). Together you get a really great series of experiences and flavours for all 3 forces. They are set after the Realmgate Wars begin, so those do help to have read, even if just to get a feel for some major story points that evolve. That said they are very easy to get into without much introduction as right now much of the story focus is on wartime and the great push of factions against invading Chaos forces.
Overread wrote: For any that have the new reprints of the old Inferno magazines how are they compared to the originals? Are there any glaring issues with the reprints or indeed any ways in which they improve over the original prints?
From what I've seen so far these are 100% straight reprints of the original magazines from 1997 and onwards, right down to the old addresses on the back of the magazines of now defunct foreign GW offices. Only real change is that the colofon on the second page contains an updated legal disclaimer and the year 2018 alongside 1997.
They did it once, but in a smaller format and the print quality was absolutely atrocious, something the Malus Darkblade reprint also suffered from. One big tiny blurry mess that was unreadable.
The Deff Skwadron reprint on the other hand was in a regular format and much sharper.
But one can hope I suppose? Maybe to coincide with whenever the Sisters of Battle are re-released next year? You can always tell them via Facebook though.
Good question indeed. Some stuff has been lost forever, but judging from the Inferno! reprints, they do keep most of it around in some form or the other.
But come to think, most if not all of Deff Skwadron was originally run through Inferno! and not Warhammer Monthly.
GW appear to have been very good at holding onto what they've produced over the years. Certainly some stuff has been lost, be it to being just lost; legal contacts ending; being missplaced in a warehouse; wear and tear (several old moulds no longer work - eg they were going to recast Morathi on a Pegasus and had to cancel because the mould was broken).
I've no idea if they keep all their model masters around etc..
I think that from many companies they've been good at archiving and keeping hold of things. That said how good things are might depend on many factors;
1) How much they want to invest in time and money against how much profit they think it will make. Hard nosed approach, but very sensible as they don't want to waste money.
2) If anyone in the office WANTS it to happen. That likely has some influence in pushing through ideas to get reprints or remakes; as well as posing the idea in the first place. With the cycle of staff (and just forgetting things over time) its likely some of their older stuff is just forgotten.
3) Sorting and working out what to show VS what not to show. I recall watching a bit of one of their stream talks and they spoke about how they'd found page after page after page of concept work for Necromunda from the first generation. In fact I'd wager there are huge volumes of archived concept work that would make fantastic books - if someone there wants to make them and can justify it.
That the reprint was poor quality is a sad thing to hear (and makes picking up any second hand a bit trickier as one has to work out what that one is against the others); one might hope it was a fluke (or if it was Kirby era it might have been short-changed on quality to save costs) or that they can do far better now. I'd agree it would be a great reprint for the launch of Sisters - esp since Sisters is the first proper community request that GW has done that has been asked for in a big way so no doubt they are going to make a LOT of noise about it
finished Plague War. it was...not great. i kind of liked Dark Imperium (warts and all) and was really looking forward to the follow up. there's a whole section of HERE IS RANDOM TITAN DUDE FIGHTING TITANS LOOK AT THEM GO that could have been completely cut out, or, been in its own book about titan guys fighting titans.
dumb stuff: a whole lot of crazy gak happens, chaos is stupid because it's chaos, bitter custodes are bitter, etc.
there are some good parts. Bobby G loosing his gak and finally getting pissed off, A+. the new saint was cool and handled really well. the battle sisters have an interesting role there, pretty well done.
and the Good News! at the end was a pretty interesting turn of events.
but, all in all it just wasn't great. for a book detailing the contemporary timeline they are trying to sell, they really needed to bring the A game here. i give this one a C+ and i feel that's being generous.
Please do let us know in a spoiler free post in the future. I'm genuinely curious, but seeing as it is three times the price of a regular audio drama of theirs, I'm a bit apprehensive.
On my own end, going to pre-order Prophets of WAAAGH! alongside the codex this weekend, really looking forward to this one, as Guy Haley does know how to write some proper orks and make them intelligible at the same time.
Is it true that these first prints of the Beast Arises anthology 1 are missing chapters? I got my copy through Amazon a week or so ago but haven't opened it yet. I've just seen it getting one star reviews on there while browsing other books, and there's a couple of reviews saying it's missing content. It also Looks like the physical copy has been removed from the BL site. Has anybody seen or heard anything of this?
Black Library Novella Series 1 goes on pre-order this weekend – so let's look at the last one. An aelven fleetmaster seeks an ancient artefact… but her own father stands against her.
It's by Nick Horth, author of 'Callis & Toll: The Silver Shard'
phillv85 wrote: Is it true that these first prints of the Beast Arises anthology 1 are missing chapters? I got my copy through Amazon a week or so ago but haven't opened it yet. I've just seen it getting one star reviews on there while browsing other books, and there's a couple of reviews saying it's missing content. It also Looks like the physical copy has been removed from the BL site. Has anybody seen or heard anything of this?
I heard it's missing chunks - the Ork Ambassador bits, for example, but no official word yet.
Black Library Novella Series 1 goes on pre-order this weekend – so let's look at the last one. An aelven fleetmaster seeks an ancient artefact… but her own father stands against her.
It's by Nick Horth, author of 'Callis & Toll: The Silver Shard'
Black Library Novella Series 1 goes on pre-order this weekend – so let's look at the last one. An aelven fleetmaster seeks an ancient artefact… but her own father stands against her.
It's by Nick Horth, author of 'Callis & Toll: The Silver Shard'
I’m sold on that Nick Horth has done amazingly well with AoS fiction. The Callis/Toll books have been easily the best BL fiction I’ve read in months.
I will be buying a number of these novellas. But not them all, they aren’t appealing to the completist collector in me at all.
I do like his work, the AOS ficiton is often pretty damn good - usually when its not all Stormcast. Also just read The Emperors Legion which was really really good.
I'm really hoping that for AoS this marks the start of them pushing some new names that are not Stormcast heroes. Thus far there have been a few heroes and named characters from other factions, but they were either already known major characters/demi/gods or they are more minor and only appear once or twice rather than being designed to be long lasting.
I'm certainly looking forward to the new series.
I also hope that its the start of getting more scenes and slow periods; thus far most of the BLAoS books are all focused around the early Realmgate Battles so they are very heavy on the combat, but that often means that there is less time for slower political, world building or other aspects.
As much as I’ve loved Horths books I’ve gained no love at all for stormcast fiction I’m afraid. Can’t stand it tbh. But happily they seem to be pushing non stormcast books to satisfy those like me which is great, if I’m going to keep going with 40k I couldn’t read all the AoS stuff too so stormcasts act as an easy filter for me!
phillv85 wrote: Is it true that these first prints of the Beast Arises anthology 1 are missing chapters? I got my copy through Amazon a week or so ago but haven't opened it yet. I've just seen it getting one star reviews on there while browsing other books, and there's a couple of reviews saying it's missing content. It also Looks like the physical copy has been removed from the BL site. Has anybody seen or heard anything of this?
Apparently it has one of the wrong books in it - this is from Roomsky on Bolter and Chainsword:
Got word from Reddit today, later checked my own copy to confirm, that the first Omnibus of The Beast Arises was mistakenly printed with Throneworld instead of The Last Wall. How this happened is unknown.
Black Library has pulled the physical edition from their site, and I've heard may be working with those who bought direct on some kind of exchange, but I don't have the details. Share some info if you have it.
This is mostly here so planned buyers wait until a new edition comes out in a month or two.
phillv85 wrote: Is it true that these first prints of the Beast Arises anthology 1 are missing chapters? I got my copy through Amazon a week or so ago but haven't opened it yet. I've just seen it getting one star reviews on there while browsing other books, and there's a couple of reviews saying it's missing content. It also Looks like the physical copy has been removed from the BL site. Has anybody seen or heard anything of this?
Apparently it has one of the wrong books in it - this is from Roomsky on Bolter and Chainsword:
Got word from Reddit today, later checked my own copy to confirm, that the first Omnibus of The Beast Arises was mistakenly printed with Throneworld instead of The Last Wall. How this happened is unknown.
Black Library has pulled the physical edition from their site, and I've heard may be working with those who bought direct on some kind of exchange, but I don't have the details. Share some info if you have it.
This is mostly here so planned buyers wait until a new edition comes out in a month or two.
Thanks, i’ll check my copy, but I assume they were all printed the same. Pretty poor show if they’re only helping out those who bought direct if it’s misprinted.
Well, not really. If it's misprinted then it's defective goods and you're entitled to a replacement or refund from the retailer you purchased it from. It's their obligation to "help out", not the manufacturer.
"Hello, I bought an anthology book from you but due to a misprint the novels within it don't match those that were advertised."
Done. In what, ten years now, I've not had a single issue with Amazon CS. Hell they've refunded or replaced stuff for me that was well outside its warranty, nevermind cases where what I got was actually defective product right out of the box.
Yodhrin wrote: "Hello, I bought an anthology book from you but due to a misprint the novels within it don't match those that were advertised."
Done. In what, ten years now, I've not had a single issue with Amazon CS. Hell they've refunded or replaced stuff for me that was well outside its warranty, nevermind cases where what I got was actually defective product right out of the box.
They were great for me too until a few years back, since then it’s been a shambles in my experience.
Chikout wrote: According to white dwarf the novellas will be £3 each. That's a pretty good price.
This is great news.
Yeah, actually gonna get a few now at that price
(And I’ve been selling on all my Black Library as I’ve got loads unread/ brand new. But these are a good price and quicker to get through)
I'll probably go for the whole series of the Novella' s. I picked up a few of the £3 'start here with Black Library' books last week, I read Sin of Damnation and at £3 it's a decent price point.
gigasnail wrote: finished Plague War. it was...not great. i kind of liked Dark Imperium (warts and all) and was really looking forward to the follow up. there's a whole section of HERE IS RANDOM TITAN DUDE FIGHTING TITANS LOOK AT THEM GO that could have been completely cut out, or, been in its own book about titan guys fighting titans.
dumb stuff: a whole lot of crazy gak happens, chaos is stupid because it's chaos, bitter custodes are bitter, etc.
there are some good parts. Bobby G loosing his gak and finally getting pissed off, A+. the new saint was cool and handled really well. the battle sisters have an interesting role there, pretty well done.
and the Good News! at the end was a pretty interesting turn of events.
but, all in all it just wasn't great. for a book detailing the contemporary timeline they are trying to sell, they really needed to bring the A game here. i give this one a C+ and i feel that's being generous.
the titans bit I saw as more Haley getting some practice in for Titanfall.
Amazon has a neat way to approach returns and replacements. First up they take your payment details for a charge for the replacement item, then they give you a print out free postage sticker and arrange collection via a courier.
You box it up, put the printout on top and the courier takes it away and you get your replacement item a bit later. They generally never question anything and I wage that it works for them that they can just do this over and over without quibbles as its cheaper to just replace most products than it is to pay someone to "investigate". This might change on much higher value items, but for CDs and books its basically likely cheaper for them just to not query (unless you are making a lot of returns).
And because they've got your payment details, if you don't post the other item back they just charge you for the replacement.
Which is fine if you want a replacement, but I don't want my misprinted book replacing with another. I've just spent 25 minutes on the phone trying to explain the situation anyway. I'll see if I get a refund or replacement.
Makes sense - GW uses things like that and the new Infinity to lure people into new areas of interest. Tempt them with books/stories that they want and then ease them into new things that they didn't know they wanted until they read them. At worst it generates more sales for Black Library and at best it might make someone buy into a whole new game/army
I enjoyed it very much. Voice acting, music and sound effects were all top notch. Story was great too.
Was very much ambivalent when I heard about Gotrek coming back. But of all the past heroes not ascended to godhood or a servant of Chaos, Gotrek made the most sense, I suppose. He was stuck(voluntarily) in a pocket of the Realm of Chaos while the World That Was was destroyed, so he had an “out” baked into his doom. The prospect of Felix returning, I was definitely against, and still am.
Just a few highlights:
Spoiler:
The opening scene with the Fyreslayers was awesome. Them getting pumped up to fight at the beginning was great. Gotreks disdain for Fyreslayer culture and beliefs was humorous, as was his interactions with the Battlesmith that followed Gotrek around.
Gotrek doesn’t find Felix, in fact he seems to come to terms with the fact that Felix is probably loooong dead. But the fact that Balthesar Gelt is a Stormcast Eternal in the Soul Wars novel, means it could be likely that Felix is also. But the process of making and the flaws of the Stormcast Eternal means he’ll be much different. I don’t care for the prospect of an amnesiac, fully armored, mostly immortal Felix.
Snorri makes an appearance in Shyish, talking to Gotrek as a ghost. It was a pretty funny and heartwarming scene, in spite of how Gotrek and Snorri... left off. Snorri says he saw Ulrika and Max, but he’s vague and not a reliable witness.
Thanquol is alive and up to his usual schemes. Its heavily implied throughout the stories that a Grey Seer is the power behind the attack on Hammerhal, but its revealed at the end that he’s around.
Looks like its a Khainite Assassin working for the Order of Azyr(but she’s talking to a “mistress” through an amulet at the beginning, so could be also working for Morathi?) that is Gotreks new partner, per the ending. Quite a dichotomy and I’m looking forward to their future adventures.
it took John about a month and a half of planning and preparation before writing The Solar War, to make sure everything that’s been mentioned before is covered and connected
Sounds like there’s loads of fascinating development been done on places/locations in the Solar system
The cast list is apparently *ridiculous* for this and the rest of the series. Sanguinius, for example, is an ‘incidental’ character in this story!
We’ll get to see a bit of what it was like on Cthonia before Abaddon became a Space Marine!
From the seminar thus far, seems the siege will be more than 3 books but less than 10.
A vaguely sane number of books? Using the Siege arc to actually explore all the weirdy-beardy cool stuff that has been vaguely alluded to in prior HH material? Actually taking the time to tie up plot threads?
Well gak, maybe them rebranding the last section of the Heresy - almost inevitably meaning the books will change in size and style, because it's BL and BL have a burning hatred of neat and uniform bookshelves - will be a price worth paying afterall.
Looking forward to more Inferno - kind of later than I'd have thought. I sort of figured they might not publish them this month due to the new novella series kind of taking that slot in price and market; but I'd have thought they'd put out the print on demand before Christmas. Then again I guess it might be that they didn't think the ordering system would keep up along with the regular christmas rush over that period (esp on postage)
"Superb cast", "Catherine Tate" - pick one. And written by Gav Thorpe as well...I am thoroughly whelmed. Still, it's new Sisters stuff, can't complain too much.
Was really hoping we might see some hint that they'll be doing more with Chronicles than just reprints, but it was always a long shot.
They are also publishing those completion novels where they put 3 or so books from the old world into one - so we might see some like that with some short stories that are otherwise not published.
Also with them collating old stuff and reprinting inforno they could reprint their old monthly comic series as well at some stage.
Amazon has made Audio books into quite a big thing so I think there's a lot of voice actors and actor agents who are far more receptive to it today than they were in the past. I would wager its also put the prices for hiring those voice actors down compared to what it might have been even just 10 years ago. So there's more talent out there for GW to pool from, plus its often surprising who can be a fan of the game without one ever knowing.
GoatboyBeta wrote: Catherine Tate? In a 40k audio drama? That's.....unexpected. I wonder who she's playing, could Saint Celestine sound like Donna noble?
Uhh she is no Brian Blessed but will have to see what the sample is like.
Overall its looking to be a powerful and fantastic start to the year! I'm loving the new artwork for the AoS novels to come and the new Inferno block as well. Might have to get myself actually into a store in Feb!
GoatboyBeta wrote: Catherine Tate? In a 40k audio drama? That's.....unexpected. I wonder who she's playing, could Saint Celestine sound like Donna noble?
Uhh she is no Brian Blessed but will have to see what the sample is like.
GoatboyBeta wrote: Catherine Tate? In a 40k audio drama? That's.....unexpected. I wonder who she's playing, could Saint Celestine sound like Donna noble?
ImAGeek wrote: Just seen this on Facebook, the Angron Primarch novel cover:
Spoiler:
Its past time they announced the next one in the Primarch series, the next three months of releases on BlackLibrary.com have zero new Primarch books. Up till now its been roughly one every three months and the last one was October, so there should be one in January.
I was surprised they went with 8 book for SoT in the end, really did think they would go with 12 books. Not surprised that it'll be limited edition, then hardback, then trade paperback for the series though. With a fixed and known lifespan for the series I'm going to commit to the limited editions.
Other than SoT I'm really looking forward to the new horror series.
Yep, suspect I'll end up getting the limited SOT books.
Also, glad to see the print on demand of the older Heresy hardbacks, hopefully they'll continue through the whole range as I'm missing two of the anthology books in hardback and I'd like to complete the set.
Do we know if the hardbacks will actually match the previous hardback editions? I seem to remember somebody on here saying that there had been two different hardback formats, with different spines (rounded and flat), so I'm wondering if it'll match one of those or be a new third style?
Damn, now I'm going to have to buy the Genevíeve novels again for the third time. Although in sexy hardback...first world problems. Really like the look of Honourbound too, but did she have to be a Commissar again? We've already got Gaunt and Caine covering that side of things. Would have been interesting to have her be a different rank or role in the Guard.
Commissars are outsiders and if the novel follows the same pattern as the previous two short stories, it's a nice framing device to explore her background and that of the regiment she is attached to as she and captain Anders (I think that was his name), the Scion also on the cover, regale one another with stories of their pasts and legends of the Antari.
Looky Likey wrote: Do we know if the hardbacks will actually match the previous hardback editions? I seem to remember somebody on here saying that there had been two different hardback formats, with different spines (rounded and flat), so I'm wondering if it'll match one of those or be a new third style?
Yep, there are two slightly different styles, they changed to a squarer spine later on in the run (though I don't know if the earlier books were reprinted with the new style), but they're close enough that they don't look too out of place next to each other, I'd kind of assume the POD versions would just be the new squarer spines.
Danny76 wrote: I’m sure someone mentioned what Abnett has coming up here, but I can’t find it in the last several pages. I thought it had come from the weekender..?
Anyone know, I seem to remember it saying HH, next Bequin, HH Or something like that, did I dream this?
Sweet cheese and crackers. I’ve just received a copy of a limited ed 40k novel I’ve got coming out this month. It’s the best looking thing I’ve EVER seen. Jaw dropping design work by BL. So, so cool. I wish I could show it but I don’t think it’s announced until the weekend.
As an aside, for those who are interested in the Realmslayer audio, you could potentially obtain it for free by taking out a trial sub to Amazon's Audible service. Get the freebie options and then cancel before the trial period ends.
Then again, I now pay £7.99 per month after using my freebies on Know No Fear and Unremembered Empire but that's a better price than paying the full charge on Amazon or Black Library.
Sweet cheese and crackers. I’ve just received a copy of a limited ed 40k novel I’ve got coming out this month. It’s the best looking thing I’ve EVER seen. Jaw dropping design work by BL. So, so cool. I wish I could show it but I don’t think it’s announced until the weekend.
Says release date 6th December, though it’s not on the pre order date? Does that mean we are having a ‘suprise’ release tomorrow for the limited edition?
This title will be available to order from the 23rd February 2019 as a Hardback.
The Horus Heresy Book 54
For long years, the Horus Heresy has ground on. Now, the Death Guard have been sent to begin the final battle. But Mortarion and his sons must face their gravest challenge first – for Nurgle has claimed them as his own, and he will not be denied…
READ IT BECAUSE
After 54 books, the bestselling series is finally drawing to a close with a long-awaited story – the fall of the Death Guard into Nurgle's embrace as they make their way to start the Siege of Terra.
DESCRIPTION
The skies darken over Terra as the final battle for the Throne looms ever closer... As the Traitor primarchs muster to the Warmaster’s banner, it is Mortarion who is sent ahead as the vanguard of the Traitor forces. But as he and his warriors make way, they become lost in the warp and stricken by a terrible plague. Once thought of as the unbreakable, the legendary Death Guard are brought to their knees. To save his Legion, Mortarion must strike a most terrible bargain that will damn his sons for eternity. Meanwhile, in the cloisters of Holy Terra, a plot is afoot to create sedition and carnage in advance of the Horus’s armies. Taking matters into his own hands, Malcador the Sigillite seeks to put a stop to any insurrection but discovers a plot that he will need all of his cunning and battle-craft to overcome.
There are definitely authors i'd have preferred to write the fall of the Death Guard novel over James Swallow, but i'm still tentatively excited for the book - it's a story i've been waiting for for quite a while.
I just finished ”Wanted: Dead”.
Set in Necromunda, the e-book (full of dirty deeds - and dirt cheap!) follows an Escher gang.
Really well written apart from a few minor flaws (widespread knowledge about Space Marines, a lesbian cliché romance and unrealistic combat full of time consuming dialogue), overall great though.
Highly recommended!
Shut up and take my money.. February cannot come soon enough for me.
Still on the fence about Hamilcar though, the two short stories I read about him were mixed bag to say the least.
Also a bit surprised that they are re-releasing Red & Black in February, even odder as it is part of the current Black Library audio Humble Bundle. An interesting listen at that.
Also a bit surprised that they are re-releasing Red & Black in February, even odder as it is part of the current Black Library audio Humble Bundle. An interesting listen at that.
2 things you can guarantee from BL 1) Their base prices seem to never come down.
2) They will put the same stories into different bundles all over the place (AoS is REALLY bad for this - surprisingl though the Old World stuff is quite free of it)
Bobthehero wrote: Do tell if that book is good, I am interested as well.
If you haven't already, I highly recommend reading the two short stories involving commissar Raine and the Antari Rifles: Execution and A Company of Shadows, which serve as prequels to the novel and do a wee bit of world building by showing off the Sighted, a cult of sorts that serves as the main opposition of these stories.
" You want Stormcast? Freeguild? Collegiate Arcane? Ironweld? Dispossessed? Slaanesh? Beastmen? Mannfred? All of that, in this book:"
"Want to know how a Chaos army feeds itself? It's in there. How about how Chaos armies function when there's no one to fight? That's in there too."
"Want to know how free cities are founded and how stormkeeps are built? That's in there. How about Azyrite politics? Military spending? Want to know what passes for a muleskinner in Age of Sigmar? In this book"
"Politics between Chambers in a stormhost? That's in there. Some history of Shyish? Also in there. Duardin funerary rites? Got you covered. Sewer maintenance and repair? This is the book for you."
"Want to see how the Collegiate Arcane works? What about their relationship to the Ironweld? Want to know how the Ironweld take a city? In the book. It's a big book."
"Want to know what Mannfred was up to, after the Realmgate Wars? Want to know the final fate of Tarsus Bullheart? Here you go."
"There's farmers too. And priests. Moneylenders, salesmen. A Lord-Ordinator. Slambo (or someone resembling him). In this book."
"Want to know *why* Stormcasts and Freeguild beat Chaos armies so often, early on? That question is answered. Want to know why that doesn't make much difference, in the grand scheme of things? Also answered. "
"We got cartographers, academics, treasure hunters, gryph-chargers, a guy who turns into a cave-bear to fight a gargant. All in one book."
"Lastly, do you want to see Gardus Steel Soul set Mannfred Von Carstein on fire? A lot of people apparently do. That's in there. Just for you."
Bobthehero wrote: Do tell if that book is good, I am interested as well.
If you haven't already, I highly recommend reading the two short stories involving commissar Raine and the Antari Rifles: Execution and A Company of Shadows, which serve as prequels to the novel and do a wee bit of world building by showing off the Sighted, a cult of sorts that serves as the main opposition of these stories.
Will do, those two along with Choke Point (Scion kill team short) will be my next purchase
phillv85 wrote: I’ve got so many books recently I don’t know what to read once i’m done with Dark Imperium. Has anyone read Wanted: Dead? Considering that next.
It received a brief positive review further up this page.
LightKing wrote: what is the consensus on the newly released cain book?
who is the black woman hanging out with Dorn, with the mechanical arm?
I would imagine she's the commander of the Imperial Solar fleet, she was mentioned somewhere (possibly in the preview of the first Siege of Terra book) but I can't remember her name.
THE STORY
For a decade, the Astra Militarum have been stuck in grinding trench warfare against the alien orks. General Pyrrhus, commander of the ""Golden Eighth"" hates the world of Cavernum Tertius on which he is trapped. He hates the unmoving nature of the war. But most of all, he hates his opposing number, the ork warboss who has dubbed himself "General Taktikus". But that all changes when the tyranids arrive. With a common foe to fight, can Pyrrhus and Taktikus do the unthinkable and unite in an alliance that could save them both?
Written by Nate Crowley
This story also appears in Inferno: Volume 1
An okay story.
And yes, fair warning to those who have purchased Inferno! volume 1, this story has debuted there first.
Halfway through the Fury Steel Daemon novella now and I'm a bit annoyed that the author keeps calling the Leman Russ a transport instead of a tank, could be an editing error but annoying nonetheless. Other than that it's okay, but really feels like Fury, but set in 40k, right down to Crown on the cover looking a lot like War Daddy.
Print on Demand - Available to order until 5pm GMT on Saturday 1st Decemeber 2018. This book will be printed to order and we expect to dispatch it within 56 days.
Your entire order will be dispatched when this book is available. If you are ordering other items alongside this book and would like them sooner please order them separately.
Christmas is on its way, and for fans of adrenaline-fuelled fiction from the worlds of Warhammer, the festive season means only one thing – the imminent arrival of the Black Library Advent Calendar!
For the uninitiated, every year Black Library releases 24 brand-new short stories – some as eBooks, some as MP3 audio dramas – set across the various Warhammer universes. There’s a new one every day from the 1st to the 24th of December, and you can either pick up the stories individually or subscribe to the whole Advent Calendar and get a few of the stories free in the process!
This year’s Advent Calendar is, we reckon, the biggest and best yet. It consists of 18 eBooks and 6 audio dramas, and it covers a huge range of series and settings: Warhammer Age of Sigmar, Warhammer 40,000, The Horus Heresy, Primarchs, Necromunda and even Warhammer Quest: Blackstone Fortress. What secrets will be revealed? Which heroes will rise – and which will fall? In short, what can you expect from this year’s stories? Here’s the lowdown
A full third of this year’s tales are set in the Age of Sigmar, including three of the MP3 audio dramas. Several of them tie in to existing series, and some others into series you haven’t seen yet… and not all of them in ways you might expect.
A couple of the stories delve into ages past, with an ancient tale of the Fyreslayers and a saga of sacrifice from the Age of Chaos among the releases. The Vanguard Chamber of the Hallowed Knights takes to the battlefield, and there are villains galore, including Neferata, and a Chaos Sorcerer who seeks something best left alone.
Finally, beloved heroes return, such as Hamilcar Bear-Eater, who is eager to prove that Shadespire holds no terrors for a hero such as him, and Prince Maesa, venturing into a graveyard in Ghur where we’re sure there’ll be no hideous undead beasts at all…
There’s also a new Gotrek Gurnisson story by Realmslayer author David Guymer that sees him delving into a haunted catacomb. Just like old times!
Four eBooks from the 41st Millennium tell new stories – three of them in ongoing series, including another adventure for Commissar Severina Raine and her 11th Antari Rifles, a look at the past exploits of Koleg, Inquisitor Covenant’s sinister hired killer, and the origins of a piece of T’au Empire technology, the mighty Onager Gauntlet. In addition, there’s a tense tale of the Tallarn Desert Raiders as they try and outrun an Ork warboss.
Elsewhere in the Imperium, bounty hunters are the focus of a trio of Necromunda audio dramas. Each of these tales explores the dark places of the underhive and the hired guns who ply their deadly trade. An unnamed Astra Militarum deserter helps a young woman reclaim her family’s legacy, an archeotech treasure proves dangerous for a fortune-seeking bounty hunter, and the legend of Gor Half-horn spreads as he seeks fugitives in the deep sump.
As the Siege of Terra approaches, forces gather in the darkness and eyes are fixed on the Throneworld. Five stories, set in the weeks before the battle begins, see a desperate flight through the warp for the Perpetual Alivia Sureka, terror in the depths of a Black Ship and even greater horrors in the bowels of the World Eaters flagship, Conqueror. But the defenders of the Imperium are busy, too. On the Eastern Fringe, Roboute Guilliman attacks a force of World Eaters as he tries to atone for his sins, while on Terra itself, the great civilian council sits for the last time, as war looms.
There’s also a look into the past, with a tale of Ferrus Manus, who has the rare chance to see his future… but will he heed the warnings he receives?
Finally, this year’s Advent Calendar also includes a trio of tales from the heart of the Blackstone Fortress, each focusing on different explorers who brave the twisting labyrinths and xenos horrors that wait within. Rein and Raus, the Ratling twins, will face their past on Precipice, and Taddeus the Purifier will be tested to the limits of his faith in the God-Emperor. And then there’s a story about UR-025, the “Imperial Robot”…
And More…
Though the Advent Calendar ends on Christmas Eve, that doesn’t mean your holiday reading will be over. Both Christmas Day and Boxing Day (that’s the 26th of December to those of you outside the UK) will see the release of ePremieres – brand-new novels available first as eBooks months before the physical release. We’re not telling you yet what those will be – but rest assured, they’re brilliant.
There’s not long now until you can subscribe to the 2018 Advent Calendar – but if you want to whet your appetite before then, you can download collections of stories from Advent Calendars of years past, and start your festive reading early!
To be fair it's consistent with the price when they were released, I was foolishly hoping for a bigger discount.
I've got everything in Hardback from Angel Exterminatus onwards, might have been tempted to get all the others over time but I can't afford £100 before Christmas.
I like the idea of this as I've never read anything from the Heresy, but I'm not sure I can be doing with stumping up £100 every time GW fancy printing some more books, and only having a 2 week span to do it in. I might just have to live with paperbacks or 2nd hand copies if I do decide to get into the HH.
Knockagh wrote: I would have loved to get all the series in hardback but since they pulled the rest getting the first 5 doesn’t make a lot of sense
Just to clarify : this is the initial POD -- they're going to do all the HH books this way.
I did not know that! Thanks
Automatically Appended Next Post:
phillv85 wrote: I like the idea of this as I've never read anything from the Heresy, but I'm not sure I can be doing with stumping up £100 every time GW fancy printing some more books, and only having a 2 week span to do it in. I might just have to live with paperbacks or 2nd hand copies if I do decide to get into the HH.
I agree the two week window makes budgeting nearly impossible.
Another unannounced limited edition released today... emperors spears from ADB.
It’s not a regular one though it’s a bells and smells box set at an eye watering £85.
I love my limited eds but will give this a pass. Not the right style and too expensive
farmersboy wrote: £85? You're having a laugh, I bet it's not even got a real leather cover.
Yea gods, who buys these things?
I find it telling that its a limited edition of 1500, they haven't been able to shift all of the ultimate edition of the last Gaunt's book (2500 copies printed), there is still around 1000 left out of 2500. Black Legion was 2000 copies, still over 500 left.
6 months for the standard hardback, then a good few months more before the trade paperback. Think I'll be skipping this unless it gets rave reviews and I end up picking up the standard hardback.
I know I'll be picking up the standard hardback for sure, €22,- is in my opinion a much more reasonable price for their hardbacks than €30,- or higher they used to maintain back then.
Unless you’ve been living in the depths of the underhive, you’ve probably heard about Warhammer Adventures – a new range of Black Library books for younger readers. Aimed at ages 8 and up, there are two series of these innovative new takes on the worlds of Warhammer: Warhammer 40,000 Warped Galaxies and Warhammer Age of Sigmar Realm Quest. Both are launching in February 2019 in paperback, eBook and audiobook formats – the latter read by some extremely capable actors!
While we’ve been building up to the release of Attack of the Necron and City of Lifestone, the first books in the series, authors Cavan Scott and Tom Huddlestone have been hard at work on not only the second pair of stories in the Warhammer Adventures series but the third as well – and we are delighted to announce their titles!
In the grim darkness of the far future, Zelia and her friends will continue their adventures as they face horror in the Claws of the Genestealer.
Here’s the description, direct from Black Library:
Having crash-landed on a remote ice planet, Zelia Lor and her friends Talen, Mekki and the super-intelligent alien-ape Fleapit must do whatever they can to survive. A distress beacon offers some hope of rescue, but what else lurks in the ice and snow, watching them with hungry eyes…?
We caught up with Warped Galaxies author Cavan Scott to ask him what readers can expect from this second book in the series:
Cavan: What can you expect from Claws of the Genestealer? Let’s see… Scary monsters. Narrow escapes. A spooky spaceship. Daring rescues. A member of the team out-of-action. Ancient evil. Danger from below.
Following that, the 41st Millennium’s youngest heroes will be facing off against a very different alien threat in the third Warped Galaxies book, Secrets of the Tau. Here’s the lowdown:
Journeying to the bustling spaceport of Hinterland after being saved from certain death by a dubious Rogue Trader, Zelia, Talen and Mekki continue their quest to reach the Emperor’s Seat. But much here is not what it seems. Alone in a strange place and surrounded by aliens, who can they really trust and what are the secrets of the Tau?
Claws of the Genestealer will be coming your way in spring 2019, with Secrets of the Tau arriving in the summer.
Landing alongside the two new Warped Galaxies books will be the next pair of Realm Quest stories, written by Tom Huddlestone.
Book 2 is called Lair of the Skaven, and here’s what the heroes will be facing:
When their master, Vertigan, is kidnapped, Elio and his friends are determined to try to rescue him. Using a powerful artefact, they forge a magical doorway into a forbidding underground world teeming with Skaven ratmen! Hopelessly outnumbered, Elio, Kiri, Alish, Thanis and Kaspar must use all of their cunning if they are to find Vertigan and escape alive…
Can Elio and company find their way out of the Skaven labyrinth and back to safety? And even if they do, what will they face next? The answer can be found in book 3 of the Realm Quest series, Forest of the Ancients:
As Elio lies stricken under a powerful curse, the only way his friends Thanis, Alish, Kiri and Kaspar can cure him is to venture into the Forest of the Ancients. Rumour tells of a race of healers who dwell there, the mysterious tree-folk known as the Sylvaneth, but are they allies or enemies…?
You’ll be able to read these stories in Spring and Summer of 2019 – but first, you’ll be able to get your hands on book 1 of each series in February.
Until then, the Warhammer Adventures website has plenty of fun stuff to keep you busy, including games, quizzes and printable pages to design your own Warhammer Adventures characters. Best of all, there are exclusive previews of Attack of the Necron and City of Lifestone, in both eBook and MP3 audiobook format! Head over there now to download them and whet your appetite for the Warhammer Adventures to come.
farmersboy wrote: £85? You're having a laugh, I bet it's not even got a real leather cover.
Yea gods, who buys these things?
I find it telling that its a limited edition of 1500, they haven't been able to shift all of the ultimate edition of the last Gaunt's book (2500 copies printed), there is still around 1000 left out of 2500. Black Legion was 2000 copies, still over 500 left.
6 months for the standard hardback, then a good few months more before the trade paperback. Think I'll be skipping this unless it gets rave reviews and I end up picking up the standard hardback.
I gave up on The Warmaster after finally getting BL to confirm that unlike all the other Ghosts novels, it wouldn't be issued in MMPB. Kindle it was then, the only actual books I buy at the moment are the Heresy novels, MMPB of course, and that's a real test of patience.
Whoever came up with the idea of the awful Trade format paperback wants flogging...
It is, allegedly, the 'only' way for book sellers to make money on print books these days.
It might actually be 'the only way to make the most money', but we're stuck with it now, for many things that aren't going to have *huge* print runs especially.
While I dislike the trade format, I don't see it as Black Library's fault, but the industry as a whole. I don't really like any paperbacks though, as the lower quality of paper used in them against a hard back means the paperback go "yellow" over time if you have them long enough.
That's never bothered me tbh, I buy books to read not to look pretty. The problem with hardbacks is sticking with those means I can only read about 1/3 as many books. And while you can't blame BL for following the industry trend to releasing Trade format books, I think it is fair to blame them for ceasing to issue MMPB versions of long-running series that, realistically, have to be drawing to a close fairly soon(meaning it's not a huge commitment people are demanding of them, just that they finish what they sodding start). I think it's also fair to blame them for their exploitative release model where Trade are issued sometimes months after hardbacks, and MMPB months after that if they come at all - they know damn well they're cynically leveraging the fact that people don't want to have the plot of their favourite series spoiled in order to drive sales of the more expensive hardbacks(or to prompt people to buy twice; digital at release, paperback later for the shelf).
BL may not be the cause of the trends in the publishing industry, but they happily go along with them and have zero qualms about doing so in the most gratuitous and cynical way possible.
Mysterio wrote: It is, allegedly, the 'only' way for book sellers to make money on print books these days.
It might actually be 'the only way to make the most money', but we're stuck with it now, for many things that aren't going to have *huge* print runs especially.
From comment 21 (by the author) from this blog article on the fiction writing/publication workflow:
CMAP #2: How Books Are Made
Charles Stross wrote:
Perhaps I'm getting ahead of later posts, but what's the issue? As a consumer, I'm rather in favour of the lower price, and often resent the doubled retail price of trade paper copies
... The issue is the way that up to 60% of the print run end up being pulped!
The mass market paperback refers to a sales channel, not a particular size or shape of book. The book format associated with the mass market channel is the C format paperback.
Printing 30,000 C format paperbacks for mass market distribution at $8 and pulping 50% of them is clearly crazy when the logical alternative is to print 15,000 C format paperbacks for trade distribution at $8 and not pulp any of them.
The problem as I understand it is that US booksellers have been trained for eighty years to expect C-format paperbacks to be sold and accounted for as mass-market. To sell paperbacks via the trade channel, the publishers have to make them physically distinctive (bigger) and price them differently, lest the store clerks rip the covers off them and send them back for credit -- (and get pissed off at the publishers when they don't get it).
In the UK, the mass market distribution channel collapsed nearly two decades ago. All paperbacks are now sold on sale-or-return -- as "trade" books -- but you still see shelves stocked with C-format (small) paperbacks and sold pretty much as they were before; the buying public didn't notice the change when the mass market channel went away.
Right, but, err, that doesn't explain why it's not an option to just print 15000 C-format books and send them out sold and accounted as Trade on sale or return. Except that they don't want to because Trade can be sold at a much, much larger markup than the actual increase in cost of production justifies.
I don't buy this "they might rip the covers off" thing at all, that would happen approximately once in an entire retail chain before the person who did it was fired and the company bombarded every store with multiple "don't do this or we fire you" memos.
Does look lovely, but i think that's a bit too steep for me.
. ah well..
Same here.
Doubly so as it is a John French product that features his mostest favoritest Legion too.
This blurb is bad enough as it is:
Terra now lies within the Warmaster’s sights, the Throneworld and the seat of his father’s rule. Horus’ desire is nothing less than the death of the Emperor of Mankind and the utter subjugation of the Imperium. He has become the ascendant vessel of Chaos, and amassed a terrible army with which to enact his will and vengeance. But the way to the Throne will be hard as the primarch Rogal Dorn, the Praetorian and protector of Terra, marshals the defences.
Charles Stross is talking about the British book industry. The US is very different, and US consumers have different expectations. Besides that, his explanation doesn't explain why the price needs to be doubled instead of just adjusted 10-25%. The expression springs to mind: "Don't piss on my leg and tell me it's raining."
Yodhrin wrote: Right, but, err, that doesn't explain why it's not an option to just print 15000 C-format books and send them out sold and accounted as Trade on sale or return. Except that they don't want to because Trade can be sold at a much, much larger markup than the actual increase in cost of production justifies.
I don't buy this "they might rip the covers off" thing at all, that would happen approximately once in an entire retail chain before the person who did it was fired and the company bombarded every store with multiple "don't do this or we fire you" memos.
To be honest, I'm more likely to take Charlie's word on it than yours. Especially as plenty of other people who work in the publishing trade also commented, and while quite a few of his points were questioned, that one wasn't, which suggests it's not controversial.
Also, I'm not sure I understand why Black Library are at fault for the staggered release date of hardbacks, TPBs and MMPBs when that's been the industry standard as long as I remember. "not wanting to be spoiled" is no worse a problem for 40k fans than it is for Harry Potter, Discworld or Rebus fans.
Automatically Appended Next Post:
BobtheInquisitor wrote: Charles Stross is talking about the British book industry. The US is very different, and US consumers have different expectations. Besides that, his explanation doesn't explain why the price needs to be doubled instead of just adjusted 10-25%. The expression springs to mind: "Don't piss on my leg and tell me it's raining."
That particular quote I posted was specifically about the US industry, as he points out that it doesn't apply to the USA, and most of his books are sold in the USA.
Granted, it might be out of date, but the reason they're sold at that high a price is probably "because they sell at that price".
I must have misread him. While I am embarrassed for my mistake, I strongly feel that the book industry, like so many consolidating industries in the US now, is using the flimsiest excuses to justify what is obviously naked greed and anti-competitive practices.
Not sure if he said it in that post, or reply later on. He did say elsewhere that 75% of his sales (and income) comes from the USA.
I think the business practises of the fiction-publishing industry are a combination of 100 years of tradition and trying to fend off Amazon's attempt to monopolise retail.
Yodhrin wrote: Right, but, err, that doesn't explain why it's not an option to just print 15000 C-format books and send them out sold and accounted as Trade on sale or return. Except that they don't want to because Trade can be sold at a much, much larger markup than the actual increase in cost of production justifies.
I don't buy this "they might rip the covers off" thing at all, that would happen approximately once in an entire retail chain before the person who did it was fired and the company bombarded every store with multiple "don't do this or we fire you" memos.
To be honest, I'm more likely to take Charlie's word on it than yours. Especially as plenty of other people who work in the publishing trade also commented, and while quite a few of his points were questioned, that one wasn't, which suggests it's not controversial.
To be honest, I'm not sure why you're trying to cast this as a contest of credibility. I'm not challenging any of the factual statements he's making, I just don't understand in what way those statements justify the end policy. The guy says, right there, that in the UK there is no "mass market" distro any more, but people didn't notice because many publishers just started shipping C-format "MMPB" books through Trade instead on Trade terms.
There's nothing there that would explain why BL are not one of those publishers, but instead are using the shift to Trade as an excuse to kill off the C-format entirely, just a vague aside about the American market apparently being incapable of employing people who can follow simple instructions like "don't tear off the covers on those BL C-formats, they're Trade not Mass Market". OK, well, even assuming that's true - how does that impact markets other than America? There's nothing stopping them continuing to print C-formats in smaller numbers for non-American markets, they're choosing not to, and the only feasible explanation as to why is simple corporate greed - they make more money from Trade format, so they want to stop making C-format.
Also, I'm not sure I understand why Black Library are at fault for the staggered release date of hardbacks, TPBs and MMPBs when that's been the industry standard as long as I remember. "not wanting to be spoiled" is no worse a problem for 40k fans than it is for Harry Potter, Discworld or Rebus fans.
Well lets see. Firstly, "everyone does it" is not a justification or an excuse. Nobody is makingBL follow "industry standards", and if everyone used your argument in relation to the status quo then nothing would ever change for anything. Second, "everyone" doesn't sometimes insert an additional super-duper-snowflake edition hardback into the first "slot" in the schedule, and "everyone" don't publish into their own exclusive sales channels months before putting things out on general release. For example, I can buy the new Chronicles anthology next week from GW, but not until next sodding March from Amazon or a normal book shop.
All I meant was that the post I quoted explained why the small-format book wasn't sold to booksellers under TPB terms, and you expressed a disbelief in that statement. One comment came from someone who has spent years dealing with the publishing industry and one comes from someone who doesn't, to my knowledge.
As for the other "everyone does it" may not be an excuse, but on the other hand, it doesn't explain why you pick on one particular publisher for doing it. I read your post as condemning Black Library in particular for doing something that no-one else does. I found going "cold turkey" rather difficult when I weaned myself off Discworld hardbacks, as it happens. I wasn't aware of the additional editions or the fact that BL sell books from their website before other outlets, which is somewhat annoying, I grant you. Although apparently not annoying enough, or they wouldn't be selling books.
Trapped in an enemy-infested city and hunted by their foes, Commissar Severina Raine and the 11th Antari Rifles must survive by any means if they are to strike back…
READ IT BECAUSE
It's a tense and claustrophobic story set in the ruins of a shattered city and following a few brave women and men as they fight to survive.
THE STORY
Severina Raine and the 11th Antari Rifles battle in the labyrinthine streets of Balfar, beneath the twin stars known as the Eyes of the Emperor. With the cathedral city of Whend under the control of the Chaos-corrupted Sighted, and the Astra Militarum being pushed back, the situation is desperate. When their fall-back route is destroyed, Raine and her troopers find themselves trapped in the city and desperate to survive – is this the end for them, or can they seize the day and claim victory?
Prisoner on a Black Ship, surrounded by dangerous psykers and the terrifying Sisters of Silence, Aveth Vairon is hopeful… because this is the moment he has been guided to. But what awaits him?
READ IT BECAUSE
It's a dark and horrific tale set in the depths of a Black Ship in the midst of battle and shows how destiny and death intertwine as Chaos grips the galaxy.
THE STORY
On one of the feared Black Ships, Aveth Vairon, a humble Administratum scribe cowers in a cell. Imprisoned by the Silent Sisters, cowed by their mind-numbing aura and terrified by their situation, he nevertheless feels hope. For Aveth was guided to where he is now by a greater power. For years, he has followed a twisting rune in his mind, guiding him to this moment… and to another prisoner, a faceless woman of great power who he knows will put him on the path to his destiny. But as the Black Ship comes under attack, will that destiny come to pass, or be thwarted by the whims of fate?
Finished Heralds of the Siege last night. One of the better collection of short stories, all mostly set in the final handful of hours before Horus arrives in the Sol system. I particularly liked the Malcador/Emperor story as it gave good insight into their relationship. Also nice to see the Thunder Warriors get another story.
is the only advent story I've bought so far...
.. would you like a taste...
Spoiler:
We here, we lords and ladies of Terra, have given the matter adequate deliberation, and decided that a tribute to a fallen and disgraced primarch is not a monument worthy of the Investiary. The statue will be removed, the marble pulverised and used to line the paths of the state gardens in the Inner Palace.’
Even the Khan stiffened at that.
Horus stood absolutely motionless, save for the twitching of his fingers. Doubtless he was imagining all the ways he might tear the Sigillite limb from limb.
‘Not worthy?’ he growled.
Malcador leaned against the throne’s carven back. ‘If you cannot see the reasoning behind this decision, then you only convince me further that it is the right one, and that there is nothing more to discuss. Pray, return to your Legions. The Imperium needs victories more than ever. Let these past failures lie.’
Quite unexpectedly, Horus laughed, loud and long.
‘You can’t even say it, can you,’ he said, incredulously. ‘You can’t even say his name.’
‘Do not speak it,’ Malcador thundered, loading the words with psychic force that struck the primarch’s mind like a hammer to the forehead.
Horus reeled, blinking away the pain. His brothers, too, seemed to feel the blow, along with every mortal still in the chamber. Even the Sigillite’s own ears rang, but he kept his voice firm and unwavering.
‘This was your father’s command, boy, and you all agreed to it. To disobey now is to break faith with the Emperor Himself.’
The primarch gave a wry, defiant grin. ‘My brother’s name was–’+
Heart of Winter by Nick Horth is fantastic for those who haven’t picked up this novella. A real gem of a classic fantasy book. You could read it (nearly) and forget there were even sigmarines out there. As a sword and sorcery fan this was perfect
When a child goes missing from Hammerhal Ghyra, Gotrek Gurnisson, recovering from an epic drinking binge (and some nasty poisoning) volunteers to enter the nearby catacombs and find him – especially since his mother claims he was taken by a ghost. Venturing into the darkness with his reluctant aelven companion Maleneth. But even the vaunted Stormcast Eternals were unable to cleanse this labyrinth of the taint that infects it, and what awaits the adventurers below will test them to their limits.
Knockagh wrote: Heart of Winter by Nick Horth is fantastic for those who haven’t picked up this novella. A real gem of a classic fantasy book. You could read it (nearly) and forget there were even sigmarines out there. As a sword and sorcery fan this was perfect
War Queen is equally as good!
Honestly the AoS novellas are all pretty darn good, though The Red Hours felt a bit "off". I think it was a case where the author pushed characters a little too much to get them where he wanted them rather than where characters felt they would naturally be. The overall premise of the story is great; the execution just feels a little lacking in my view.
... I concur with the coolness of the AOS stories.
Heart of Winter I especially enjoyed.
I think the Red Hours was a good story-- but it was a wee bit rushed and would have benefited from having a longer word count to play up the mystery aspect a bit more.
Loved the ...bad guy.... concept however -- be nicking that for an RPG sooner rather than later.
I think the Red Hours was a good story-- but it was a wee bit rushed and would have benefited from having a longer word count to play up the mystery aspect a bit more.
Agreed - a longer word count would have helped a lot and likely dealt with the forced nature of some parts of it.
All in all I'm eagerly looking forward to the next Novella series!
Knockagh wrote: Heart of Winter by Nick Horth is fantastic for those who haven’t picked up this novella. A real gem of a classic fantasy book. You could read it (nearly) and forget there were even sigmarines out there. As a sword and sorcery fan this was perfect
War Queen is equally as good!
Honestly the AoS novellas are all pretty darn good, though The Red Hours felt a bit "off". I think it was a case where the author pushed characters a little too much to get them where he wanted them rather than where characters felt they would naturally be. The overall premise of the story is great; the execution just feels a little lacking in my view.
I will order war queen and maybe red hours. Nick Horth has really opened up AoS for me. I had tried quite a few of the early books and absolutely hated them. Definitely willing to give more of them a go now.
I think some of the earlier Realmgate books suffer by being focused almost purely upon battles and the build up and not much aftermath of them. To be fair its the sweeping saga of the retaking of the Realm Gates, but the characters don't often get much chance for personality inbetween all the non-stop fighting.
Whilst some others -eg the early Fryeslayers - are almost like a long series of lightly connected diary entries. Again its trying to be more history than story as such.
Although saying that I found the Skaven Pestilens book very enjoyable!
The Novella take a totally different direction and are far more adventure and story!
Hamilcar Bear-Eater, Lord-Castellan of the Astral Templars Stormhost, was warned not to venture into the twisted shadeglass labyrinth of Shadespire. Naturally, he headed there right away, because no one tells Hamilcar what he can't do… Now he's trapped, lost, alone, and haunted – both by the ghosts that inhabit the City of Mirrors and by the spectres of his own past, doubts and fears. Can he overcome these obstacles and escape to fight again? Probably – he is Hamilcar, mightiest of all the Stormcast Eternals, after all!
Finished Titan Death last night. It was mostly good, but I felt a little let down as it mostly focused on Maniple on Maniple action in little skimishes not the hundreds of titans vs. hundreds of titans we were lead to believe for actual PoV scenes. While the scope of the warzone itself is massive involving thousands of Titans none of the actual PoV is at that scale.
Also I found it a little funny that in Guy's afterword he clearly stated that he wanted to focus on a woman only Legio as the HH is very male dominated, he then makes then a one off special legio, they are all clones/actual daughters, who "lie" with each other, calls the Grand Master of the order Old Mother, has her utter this gem:
<Query: Where is my strength and beauty?> She asked a question every old woman who had once been a girl asked herself.
Just strikes me as a hamfisted way of addressing the majority male focus of the universe. It would have been far better to just normalise women or men only legios rather than what we ended up with, particularly:
Spoiler:
That the legio is decimated after Titan Death, has to admit men to its ranks, and then has them saying this will ruin the legio, so they don't even exist anymore as they were after that.
A little heads up. Audible is having a sale with 40% off everything right now. It is only for members, but for all the short audio dramas, which aren’t worth spending a credit on, it is pretty good. It also applies to preorders so you can get the warhammer adventures books for about £5 each.
Looky Likey wrote: Finished Titan Death last night. It was mostly good, but I felt a little let down as it mostly focused on Maniple on Maniple action in little skimishes not the hundreds of titans vs. hundreds of titans we were lead to believe for actual PoV scenes. While the scope of the warzone itself is massive involving thousands of Titans none of the actual PoV is at that scale.
Also I found it a little funny that in Guy's afterword he clearly stated that he wanted to focus on a woman only Legio as the HH is very male dominated, he then makes then a one off special legio, they are all clones/actual daughters, who "lie" with each other, calls the Grand Master of the order Old Mother, has her utter this gem:
<Query: Where is my strength and beauty?> She asked a question every old woman who had once been a girl asked herself.
Just strikes me as a hamfisted way of addressing the majority male focus of the universe. It would have been far better to just normalise women or men only legios rather than what we ended up with, particularly:
Spoiler:
That the legio is decimated after Titan Death, has to admit men to its ranks, and then has them saying this will ruin the legio, so they don't even exist anymore as they were after that.
Le sigh. I don't know why if they think HH is too "male dominated" they can't just include more female PoV characters. You don't need to make a super-special-snowflake Legio of incest-lesbians to just write a book where the majority of Princeps are women.
When a child goes missing from Hammerhal Ghyra, Gotrek Gurnisson, recovering from an epic drinking binge (and some nasty poisoning) volunteers to enter the nearby catacombs and find him – especially since his mother claims he was taken by a ghost. Venturing into the darkness with his reluctant aelven companion Maleneth. But even the vaunted Stormcast Eternals were unable to cleanse this labyrinth of the taint that infects it, and what awaits the adventurers below will test them to their limits.
Its an interesting story - thought Malaneth in this and the Bone Desert seemed quite different people? Maybe becuase different authors
Also I found it a little funny that in Guy's afterword he clearly stated that he wanted to focus on a woman only Legio as the HH is very male dominated, he then makes then a one off special legio, they are all clones/actual daughters, who "lie" with each other, calls the Grand Master of the order Old Mother, has her utter this gem:
The idea seems sound - although why they would all lie with each other is slightly more dubious - I assume its not a goup thing!?
Mr Morden wrote: The idea seems sound - although why they would all lie with each other is slightly more dubious - I assume its not a goup thing!?
A special, one off legio that gets
Spoiler:
pretty much destroyed
isn't a good idea. Equality is multiple legios of just women, just men, and more that are a mix, not a single one off legio (and its very clearly stated in the book that is just this one legio that is women only at least in HH timeframe). It comes across as patting women on the head and a man saying they solved sexism in 30k for them and then asking them to make a cup of tea.
The women in the legio seem to have open relationships with each other, yet will sleep with men outside of the legio (all the men in the legio are tech priests so unlikely to be interested/capable). That's a bit of a male fantasy trope. Its made creepy as the women are all related/clones. I know incest does happen for some navigator houses but that is for procreation of navigators, so this is a fair bit different.
Yip, said I wouldn’t buy it, didn’t say anything about the Mrs! Lovely lovely booky! 5 chapters in and it’s divine, if I hadn’t turkey to eat my head wouldn’t lift all day. My wife is a smasher
THE STORY
Archaon, the Everchosen, is the most powerful and feared of all the great Champions of the Dark Gods. Warlords of immense cruelty, who have waged innumerable campaigns of suffering and slaughter, thirst to fight by his side. Such Knights of Ruin are known as the Varanguard.
Though Vanik the Black Pilgrim’s blade drips with the blood of conquered empires, he is yet to prove himself worthy of ascension into the Fifth Circle of the Varanguard. At last, he faces his final, nocuous quest: to hunt down and slay a legendary hero of Order that prophecies foretell will liberate the Mortal Realms from the stranglehold of Chaos. Yet when a betrayal strikes the very heart of the Varanspire, the great fortress of the Everchosen himself, it soon becomes clear to Vanik that Sigmar’s Chosen is not the only threat to Archaon’s reign that he must defeat. For Vanik, there will be only victory or oblivion. For he is a Varanguard, and no enemy of the Three Eyed King will escape his blade, lest the Varanspire fall.
Tomorrow's release will probably the sequel to Cadia something, which will no doubt be more gruesome deaths and whatnot if you happen to be Cadian.
ADB has taken a really fresh approach to 40k in this book and pulled it off (so far) fantastically well. It’s wonderful to see an author with the cahoonas to try something like this. Well done those big balls.
Knockagh wrote: ADB has taken a really fresh approach to 40k in this book and pulled it off (so far) fantastically well. It’s wonderful to see an author with the cahoonas to try something like this. Well done those big balls.
Currently reading Scourge of fate, it's really good. Essentially the lands around the varanspire in the eight points are the "new" chaos wastes of the setting where tribes, merchants and other worshippers kill and ply their trade. So far it does a lot of world building for chaos and now I find myself glancing at the varanguard models from time to time.
BrookM wrote: Robbie is great at fleshing things out, he turned the Space Sharks into something really good and proper.
Aye, after reading those books I felt he is great at world building. I am trying very hard to avoid spoilers but I do recommend chaos fans to pick up the book.
Sounds fantastic! The early AoS stuff, whilst sometimes doing world building, got a bit hooked on the battles and not enough on the characters I felt. I'll have to consider picking it up after getting through more of the stories I've got building up into a backlog at present.
The first batch of AOS novels do suffer from a limited scope and a lack of material to work on, this in contrast to a lot of the stuff they're putting out right now that takes full advantage of just how big, fantastical and messed up the new realms truly are.
Knockagh wrote: ADB has taken a really fresh approach to 40k in this book and pulled it off (so far) fantastically well. It’s wonderful to see an author with the cahoonas to try something like this. Well done those big balls.
Just finished Scourge of Fate. If you are interested in more world building for AOS in general or a chaos fan? Grab the book. Also the book captures how the varanguard are "different" to your bog standard chaos lord, it also describes what sets them apart from the rest as well.
Spoiler:
As a slaanesh fan I have to say this book pleased me and I pray Aelves are part of the mortal slaanesh army once they get an update.
For ten thousand years, Cadia stood as a bastion against the daemonic tide spewing forth from the Eye of Terror. But now the Fortress World lies in ruins, its armies decimated in the wake of Abaddon the Despoiler and his Thirteenth Black Crusade. Those who survived, though haunted by the loss of their beloved homeworld, remain bloodied and unbarred, fighting ruthlessly in the Emperor’s name.
Amongst them is the indomitable Sergeant Minka Lesk. Sent to the capital world of Potence, Lesk and the Cadian 101st company soon discover that a rot runs through the very heart of the seemingly peaceful world. Lesk knows she must excise this taint of Chaos, for it is not only her life and those of her company at stake, but also the honour of Cadia itself.
Written by Justin D Hill
Good on her for the promotion to sergeant, but I wonder how many are still alive by the end of this book, as killing off loads of Cadians is the new trend in BL stories these days. The more gruesome the better.
I know, I read most of those. Problem is, the characters in those books are hardly known, meanwhile, Cain and Gaunt are probably the two biggest names as far as Guard goes outside the codex.
There are some serviceable descriptions of Titan combat. But I didn’t appreciate the author’s depiction of Legio Solaria. The real conflict of the novel is between the philosophies of Legios Solaria and Pallidus Mor. Annandale tells us the former are glory hounds but then has their leadership act extremely conservatively? What? Ah well, the author just makes them the fall guy for the Pallidus Mor protagonists.
I wish BL authors would think a little harder, or perhaps be allowed to, about the conflicts they are writing. The Pallidus Mor princeps never conceives of the possibility that she might be wrong until the very moment she conclusively decides she is right. The story would have been so much more interesting if she had actually been wrong and had to fight her way out of mistakes.
As it stands, the climax comes far too soon (with extra insult to Solaria) and then there are dozens more pages that are pure obligation.
This trade paperback cost 16USD. It just ain’t worth it. These are MMPB grade novels, at best.
Manchu wrote: Just finished up Warlord by Annandale.
There are some serviceable descriptions of Titan combat. But I didn’t appreciate the author’s depiction of Legio Solaria. The real conflict of the novel is between the philosophies of Legios Solaria and Pallidus Mor. Annandale tells us the former are glory hounds but then has their leadership act extremely conservatively? What? Ah well, the author just makes them the fall guy for the Pallidus Mor protagonists.
I wish BL authors would think a little harder, or perhaps be allowed to, about the conflicts they are writing. The Pallidus Mor princeps never conceives of the possibility that she might be wrong until the very moment she conclusively decides she is right. The story would have been so much more interesting if she had actually been wrong and had to fight her way out of mistakes.
As it stands, the climax comes far too soon (with extra insult to Solaria) and then there are dozens more pages that are pure obligation.
This trade paperback cost 16USD. It just ain’t worth it. These are MMPB grade novels, at best.
Yea, it’s an awful book. Laziness and lack of fitting original thought is a hallmark of David Annandales writing.
Reprints of Inferno 6-10 are up! Only 3 weeks this time around so not a long window to get a hold of them (worse if you also want those Soviet style winter Imperial Guard models that are only up for a week - really makes me think GW's special order system should be loner!)
This was addressed in an editorial pretty early on.
