Black Library 2017 News/Rumours Thread : Xmas Advent

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**Haighus**

Ok, so I have just read the intro to the Eisenhorn trilogy omnibus thingey, which is written by Abnett, and can't help thinking that something is lacking from BL at the moment.
He was incredibly enthusiastic to work on those books, from what he has written, he wasn't commissioned, someone showed him Inquisitor's source material, and he then requested he could write a novel about it, hopefully in time for a simultaneous release. Compare this to the current commissioned tie-in works such as for the Ad Mech stuff recently. Pity :(

Onto reading these books...

**Kid_Kyoto**

Formosa wrote:
ADB is hands down better than Abnett, after reading a ADB book I always think "How is this guy working for GW" he has brought a lot of credibility to the 40k universe, and abnett brings the same, just (on the whole) not as well written.

Bold words, I'd be willing to give it a test. Remind me who ADB is and can you recommend a book to start wtih? I love 40k books that focus on humans (esp Inquisition, Rogue Traders, Arbites types) and have yet to read a good SM centered book.

**Kanluwen**

Kid_Kyoto wrote:
Formosa wrote:
ADB is hands down better than Abnett, after reading a ADB book I always think "How is this guy working for GW" he has brought a lot of credibility to the 40k universe, and abnett brings the same, just (on the whole) not as well written.

Bold words, I'd be willing to give it a test. Remind me who ADB is and can you recommend a book to start wtih? I love 40k books that focus on humans (esp Inquisition, Rogue Traders, Arbites types) and have yet to read a good SM centered book.

His Night Lords trilogy is good(Soul Hunter->Blood Reaver->Void Stalker) but Cadian Blood is a personal favorite of mine.

**Azreal13**

Or try Betrayer for a sterling attempt at giving the entirely one dimensional Angron and the World Eaters some tangible depth.

Not entirely successful all the time, but in this I think he wins overall, he certainly has a better crack at it than I deemed possible before reading it.

**gigasnail**

Betrayer is my HH fave. excellent book.

**ArtIsGreat**

Or First Heretic, clearly meant to be read before Betrayer!

Great book, makes you root for what was once the wimpiest Primarch

**BrookM**

Kid_Kyoto wrote:
Formosa wrote:
ADB is hands down better than Abnett, after reading a ADB book I always think "How is this guy working for GW" he has brought a lot of credibility to the 40k universe, and abnett brings the same, just (on the whole) not as well written.

Bold words, I'd be willing to give it a test. Remind me who ADB is and can you recommend a book to start wtih? I love 40k books that focus on humans (esp Inquisition, Rogue Traders, Arbites types) and have yet to read a good SM centered book.

You'll love his novels then, as they almost always revolve around that one semi-loner Space Marine who hangs out a lot with human crew and the like.

**Wyzilla**

Kid_Kyoto wrote:
Formosa wrote:
ADB is hands down better than Abnett, after reading a ADB book I always think "How is this guy working for GW" he has brought a lot of credibility to the 40k universe, and abnett brings the same, just (on the whole) not as well written.

Bold words, I'd be willing to give it a test. Remind me who ADB is and can you recommend a book to start wtih? I love 40k books that focus on humans (esp Inquisition, Rogue Traders, Arbites types) and have yet to read a good SM centered book.

Night Lords, Betrayer, and the Talon of Horus are all excellent reads. He's also written a really good Guard book, Cadian Blood.

**Haighus**

I enjoyed Helsreach greatly

Grimaldus was nice, but it was the human soldiers and snippets of live on Armageddon I found most interesting.

**Knockagh**

Splog wrote:
Abnett's Horus Heresy work may have been delayed by his upcoming 32nd Millenium novel: http://www.amazon.co.uk/I-am-Slaughter-Dan-Abnett/dp/1784960543/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1437156028&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=i+am+slaugher

"It is the thirty-second millennium and the Imperium is at peace. The Traitor Legions of Chaos are but a distant memory and the many alien races that have long plagued mankind are held in check by the Space Marines. When a mission to exterminate one such xenos breed on the world of Ardamantua draws in more of their forces, the Imperial Fists abandon the walls of Terra for the first time in more than a thousand years. And when another, greater, foe strikes, even the heroic sons of Rogal Dorn may be powerless against it. The Beast Arises...and it is mighty."

A stand-alone? A new Abnett series? The start of a new multi-author arc?

Ooooo lovely can't wait. It's down as £12.99 in hardcover, I smell novella? Still good to see he is sill kicking!

**Bronzefists42**

Formosa wrote:
ADB is hands down better than Abnett, after reading a ADB book I always think "How is this guy working for GW" he has brought a lot of credibility to the 40k universe, and abnett brings the same, just (on the whole) not as well written.

He made Angron a sympathetic and complex character. Angron. (I still can't believe ADB made the go-to berserker fodder faction into a group of well developed and tragic characters that are all the victims of both their own and the Emperor's folly)

He really needs to be somewhere better (I do love his 40K stuff, it really captures the setting far better than anyone else IMO) I do know he's working on some kind of unrelated webcomic.

I'd love to see ADB do his own sort of GoT or even 40K style books but outside of the GeeDubs sphere of influence.

Automatically Appended Next Post:

Wyzilla wrote:
Kid_Kyoto wrote:
Formosa wrote:
ADB is hands down better than Abnett, after reading a ADB book I always think "How is this guy working for GW" he has brought a lot of credibility to the 40k universe, and abnett brings the same, just (on the whole) not as well written.

Bold words, I'd be willing to give it a test. Remind me who ADB is and can you recommend a book to start wtih? I love 40k books that focus on humans (esp Inquisition, Rogue Traders, Arbites types) and have yet to read a good SM centered book.

Night Lords, Betrayer, and the Talon of Horus are all excellent reads. He's also written a really good Guard book, Cadian Blood.

Cadian Blood was the first thing ADB wrote for BL, with Helsreach being the one that made him a fan favorite and the NL novels cementing him as being on the same level (maybe exceeding) Dan Abnett (whose stuff I really like as well, especially his 2000AD stuff)

**gorgon**

Bronzefists42 wrote:
Formosa wrote:
ADB is hands down better than Abnett, after reading a ADB book I always think "How is this guy working for GW" he has brought a lot of credibility to the 40k universe, and abnett brings the same, just (on the whole) not as well written.

He made Angron a sympathetic and complex character. Angron. (I still can't believe ADB made the go-to berserker fodder faction into a group of well developed and tragic characters that are all the victims of both their own and the Emperor's folly)

I love me some XIIth legion (and yes, they likely are the most tragic story among the Legions), but Know No Fear was epic and somehow converted me into a fan of the UM. Which is saying something.

**Harriticus**

Captain Roderick wrote:
So, just going to wade in here - has anyone heard a reason why the Warmaster is so massively delayed? I've googled a bit but got nowhere. Pre-ordered it in 2013, and Amazon is now saying it'll be available in February... 2017.

2013 was around the time BL fell apart as GW turned it all into "limited edition hardcover less than 200 with bookmark!" merchandise nonsense. Its all slowed down everything.

And yeah, ADB is too good for GW. I'm torn as on one hand he needs to get out of GW's toxic influence but on the other I want him to take charge of the the HH saga and wrap it up in a quality way. Because of ADB, Angron and Lorgar are the two most well-developed characters in the series by far.

**Knockagh**

The Gates of Azyr can't be selling too well. They have a bucket of the limited edition ones for sale in my local GW.

**Malika2**

tinfoil wrote:
Splog wrote:
Abnett's Horus Heresy work may have been delayed by his upcoming 32nd Millenium novel: http://www.amazon.co.uk/I-am-Slaughter-Dan-Abnett/dp/1784960543/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1437156028&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=i+am+slaugher

Wait, what?
What about =I=thatguy vs. =I=thatotherguy? This is depressing.

I want that sequel to Pariah!!!

**Harriticus**

Wait is this new Imperial Fists Abnett book about The Beast?. He seems like the most intimidating Ork characters GW has ever written about but there's basically nothing about him.

I actually might read this.

**Knockagh**

Malika2 wrote:
tinfoil wrote:
Splog wrote:
Abnett's Horus Heresy work may have been delayed by his upcoming 32nd Millenium novel: http://www.amazon.co.uk/I-am-Slaughter-Dan-Abnett/dp/1784960543/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1437156028&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=i+am+slaugher

Wait, what?
What about =I=thatguy vs. =I=thatotherguy? This is depressing.

I want that sequel to Pariah!!!

You and everyone else. I've given up on that one.

**BrookM**

New date for Penitent appears to be November 2015, which will hopefully be the date for the regular expensive hardback release and not some glossy limited edition one.

On the bright side, the other reprints of the original Eisenhorn saga should be popping around August and September.

Spoiler:

**MajorWesJanson**

Bequin, played by Claudia Black?

**reds8n**

http://www.blacklibrary.com/all-products/beneath-the-black-thumb-ebook.html

THE STORY
In the Untamed Lands of Ghur, Cospys Bule suffers a terrible defeat at the hands of the mysterious Seraphon as he attempts to summon forth a host of Nurgle plague daemons. But as his Rotbringers lick their wounds, Bule receives a strange vision that portends a great destiny. Could this be the call of the dark lord, the fabled Grand Marshal of the Apocalypse himself? The call of Archaon?

READ IT BECAUSE
We see the war for the mortal realms through the eyes of the servants of the Ruinous Powers – and meet the enigmatic Seraphon. What is a champion of Nurgle – the sinister Cospys Bule – willing to do in order to join the glorious host of the Everchosen?

http://www.blacklibrary.com/all-products/rgw-qr-subscription.html

Experience a whole series of Chaos-tainted Quick Reads with one easy purchase and see the Realmgate Wars in a different way – through the eyes of the servants of the Dark Gods. From the dark and grimy world of Nurgle's Rotbringers to the blood-mad servants of Khorne and the pestilent skaven, all feel the call of Archaon...

SUBSCRIBE TO IT BECAUSE
If you're a bad guy at heart, these are the stories for you! Copsys Bule, champion of Nurgle, and Ushkar Mir, warlord of Khorne, show the varying character of Chaos, and you'll get your first look at the skaven in the new seting as they manipulate their Chaos allies to seize power for themselves. And at the heart of it all is a character from the old world, Archaon Everchosen himself!

ABOUT THIS SUBSCRIPTION
Sign up to the Realmgate Wars: Call of Archaon Subscription and whenever a new Quick Read in the series is released, your account will be updated with the latest addition.
This subscription includes eight Quick Reads, which will be released over the course of a few months.

HOW THIS SUBSCRIPTION WORKS
Whenever a new Realmgate Wars: Call of Archaon Quick Read is released, your blacklibrary.com account will be updated with the latest eBook release. You can purchase this subscription at any point during this promotion and you’ll immediately be able to download all the stories released up to that point. Subsequent ones will be added to your account as they are released.

**angelofvengeance**

Knockagh wrote:
The Gates of Azyr can't be selling too well. They have a bucket of the limited edition ones for sale in my local GW.

I've read it. It's... OK. Not amazing though. Same with Mandrake Bastion, though it was nice to read about the mandrake beasties in general.

**BrookM**

Gates of Azyr, it's okay.. More an introduction to things to come, along with that cheesy 80's Saturday Morning Breakfast Cartoon sequel hook of "I'll get next time!"

**BobtheInquisitor**

Are all the new AoS books besides Gates of Azyr ebooks? Are there any paperbacks in the setting yet?

reds8n wrote:
But as his Rotbringers lick their wounds

Ell Oh freakin' Ell.

If this were written by anyone but the BL blurb committee, I would assume the phrasing was intentional and applaud their genius.

**Eldarain**

Was paying up front for Scars cheaper than when they combined them all later?

**MajorWesJanson**

Beneath the black thumb? Is that a metaphor for the writers working for BL?

**reds8n**

http://www.blacklibrary.com/new-at-bl

Cybernetica: interview with Rob Sanders23/07/15
Tomorrow, ‘Cybernetica’ arrives. To get an idea of what this new Horus Heresy book is about and why it’s an essential read, we had a chat with Rob Sanders, who wrote this tale of Mars. So without further ado…

BL: Hi Rob. Thanks for talking to us. So, what is Cybernetica about (or at least what can you tell us about it)?

RS: Cybernetica brings the Horus Heresy back to Mars. With great events happening in far-flung corners of the galaxy, it’s easy to forget that the Imperium has a powerful Traitor stronghold on its doorstep. The novella picks up the story of Space Marines trapped on the Red Planet during the events of ‘Mechanicum’ and goes on from there.

BL: How does it continue the story of the war in the Solar System?

RS: I’ve always found this aspect of the Heresy fascinating. The presence of a Traitor forge world within the Solar system is intolerable. Beyond the threat of attacks launched from the Red Planet in advance of Horus’ arrival, the planet is a manufacturing powerhouse that can supply Traitor forces with much-needed troops and materiel. It’s also the perfect staging point for the final assault on Terra. It cannot be allowed to remain in Traitor hands. Rogal Dorn doesn’t have the forces at his command to secure Terra take back Mars. ‘Cybernetica’ tells the story of the solution to this problem: the complete annihilation of life on Mars.

BL: What’s your favourite thing about the book?

RS: I have several. I love the idea of returning to Mars.It’s a problem that has to be dealt with by the Loyalists, and this feels like a close and immediate chapter in the saga, where the stakes have never been higher. Taking decisive action against Mars is essential for the survival of Terra and the Imperium.

My second favourite thing about the book is getting to explore the Dark Mechanicum further. They’re a fascinating group within the Heresy. While the series justifiably focuses largely on the exploits of Space Marine heroes and fallen angels, the Dark Mechanicum have a huge role to play in the wider conflict. Like Mars itself, they are essential to the Warmaster’s plans.

But my absolute favourite thing about the book is the main characters. With all Legions sending brothers to Mars to become Techmarines, it stood to reason that there would be Space Marines on Mars at the breakout of hostilities, from Legions both Traitor and Loyalist. As the threat of Mars cannot be ignored, these Techmarines in training are a problem that must be addressed by the Dark Mechanicum.

BL: Might we see any of the characters from Cybernetica appear again in the Horus Heresy?

RS: I just play my part in a much larger story, but I would be seriously surprised if we don’t!

BL: Finally, in ten words or fewer, why should we read Cybernetica?

RS: Keywords: Mars. Techmarines. Dark Mechanicus. Battle-Automata. Abominable Intelligence. Catastrophic.

Thanks, Rob. ‘Cybernetica’ goes on sale tomorrow – set your reminder now at the link below to be amongst the first to order your copy.

http://www.blacklibrary.com/horus-heresy/cybernetica-le.html

have to wait ti try to get this, if it's on sale next week/payday then I'm in, bot too much to justify otherwise in these lean times, alas.

**BrookM**

On sale now: http://www.blacklibrary.com/Home/cybernetica-limited-edition.html

**foostick**

I used to worry when these limited editions came out that I wouldn't have the cash to buy them prior to my getting paid but I'm comfortable there'll still be plenty left in a couple of weeks

**kronk**

I guess I'll wait for the small paper back.

Sad Kronk is Sad.

**Rayvon**

^
Me too

Limited Editions over and over are getting me down.