Kroothawk wrote:Wasn't there an upcoming hardcover including art and a novelization of Gav Thorpe's audiobook Aenarion? Can't find it anywhere.

And wow, Andy Hoare looks creepy in his portrait photo:


Edit: Oops, found the book: The Bloody Handed http://www.blacklibrary.com/Exclusive-Products/Collectors-Editions/The-Bloody-Handed.html

1hadhq wrote:Waiting for the BL live report too

Just to fill the gap a bit:
http://redirectingat.com/?id=673X542464&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.warseer.com%2Fforums%2Fshowpost.php%3Fp%3D5361918%26postcount%3D7&sref=http%3A%2F%2Fsonsofcorax.freeforums.org%2Fpost22201.html%23p22201

Antigonos/Warseer:
Primarch books are going to be out as limited edition novellas. Nick Kyme will write one about Vulkan when his legion finds him, Aaron Bowden about Lorgar and what he saw in the Eye of Terror and Gav Thorpe something about Corax (still really early to tell what). Something I forgot to mention: Vulkan's novel will be available in the next Gamesday as pre-release and next November from BL's site.

InquisitorMack wrote:They've been hinting at a return of Vulkan in the Salamanders series, but I thought it was just a prophecy or something like that. I've enjoyed that series, but I've enjoyed most 40k Black Library books (read about 30 so far).

Alpharius wrote:

InquisitorMack wrote:They've been hinting at a return of Vulkan in the Salamanders series, but I thought it was just a prophecy or something like that. I've enjoyed that series, but I've enjoyed most 40k Black Library books (read about 30 so far).

I think that's all that will come to - hints and nothing more.

I don't think GW is quite to the point where a Primarch is going to return to the 'Current' timeline.

BrookM wrote:Again, Gav is doing a RG HH novel and a short story that ties into both the novel and audio drama.

Alpharius wrote:I'd like a lot more about the "Golden Age" of the Imperium of Man, when the Crusade had just started, there was still Hope For A Better Future, and the Primarchs were just starting out.

A book a Primarch?

Sure, why not!

Alpharius wrote:"Finally doing a Raven Guard Book"?

Since when has Gav been the Raven Guard guy?

And, really?

Holding up the DA HH books as any kind of example is a bad way to start that discussion.

Learning more about the Primarchs?

I'm guessing that would sell more than a few books.

Horus Heresy four novellas compilation titled "The Primarchs" featuring tales by Nick Kyme (Ferrus Manus), Rob Sanders (Alpharius/Omegon), Gav Thorpe (The Lion), Graham McNeill (Fulgrim)

A Space Marines Battles book featuring four linked novellas surrounding the Eye of Terror Containment Fleet called "Architect of Fate"

BrookM wrote:Oh yes, he was talking about revisiting the Dark Angels, but like this? Ace! Ace! Ace!

AgeOfEgos wrote:

Roboute
Roboute
Roboute
Roboute
Roboute
Roboute

Kanluwen wrote:Yeah, Sanders can be a bit of a chore.

Gav doing "The Lion" makes me all kinds of happy though.

BrookM wrote:. Sorry, don't like Rob's stuff. Still need to finish Redemption Corps but I doubt I ever will.

A Whole Heap of Stuff
This weekend just past was Black Library Live! 2011, and I had a great time. BL Live! is a very rewarding day for me. Most importantly, it is always nice to spend time chatting with fans and signing books. This year I was in three seminars and had two signing sessions, so it was a busy event, but that’s the way I like it.


Dark Angels Fun
First order of the day was the Space Marines Battles seminar, alongside fellow authors Aaron Dembski-Bowden, Chris Wraight, Nick Kyme, Andy Hoare and Rob Sanders, talking about the series. It was cool to hear how the other guys had approached the series, and I think it showed that even under the umbrella of Space Marine Battles, there are lots of different ways to present humanity’s finest defenders.

Not only did the questions and discussion show that there are an awful lot of battles that could be covered, but there are also many ways that those stories could be told. In particular, one question was, “Which historical battle would you not want to write about?”. This prompted some interesting debate amongst the authors, and the consensus emerged that perhaps some of the events from Warhammer 40,000 were just too big to fit into one novel. I highlighted the famous Battle for Macragge against the Tyranids as one that I would be wary of tackling, due not only to the amount of stuff already written about it in various places, but also the massive expectation that the readers would have.

As is the way of things, after the seminar I started thinking about all the different ways I would actually go about writing that battle… One of the best things about the series is the challenge of taking established events and portraying them in a new and exciting way for readers – something I have been learning a lot about with Time of Legends, Purging of Kadillus and now the Horus Heresy.


Caledor was available on the day.
After a bit of a break for a coffee, I was whisked back to the main seminar area for the Time of Legends discussion, with New-York-Times-Bestselling-Author-and-David-Gemmell-Legend-Award-Winner Graham McNeill, and series editor (and soon-to-be series author) Nick Kyme. The main upshot of the seminar was that the opening three arcs of the series – Sigmar, The Sundering and Nagash – were coming to an end, and we would be starting out on the next set of stories. As a transition, the Age of Legends anthology will include stories that tie in to the opening arcs as well as tales that pre-empt the next three trilogies. It was a little later on that I found out that editor Christian Dunn wanted me to write a story for this. It wasn’t the only commission I found out about on the day, as I will explain later…

In summary, the next sagas to be covered will be The War of Vengeance, the Black Plague and the Wars of the Vampire Counts. The War of Vengeance, between the Elves and Dwarfs (also known as the War of the Beard), had been something I had raised with Nick in previous meetings, but he had already nabbed this one for himself, along with Chris Wraight. I’m sure the two of them will do a fine job. The machinations of the Skaven during the Black Plague will be splendidly handled by CL Werner. For those of you who can’t work it out, that means I will be tackling the Vampires and all things associated. To say I was pleased by the very positive response prompted by this news would be an understatement. Since the subject was covered previously by Steve Saville in the Von Carsteins trilogy, I know I will have my work cut out making sure this lives up to expectation, but it’s a challenge I am really looking forward to.


The latest HH anthology.


Lunch and a signing session then whisked me away, until the Horus Heresy seminar. Unsurprisingly, the seminar area was standing room only, and it was with a little trepidation that I took my place on the sofas next to Dan Abnett, Jim Swallow, with re-appearances by Rob, Graham and Aaron. Along with many other pre-releases, Age of Darkness was available on the day, which contains my short story Face of Treachery. It was a bit tricky talking about the novel on which I am currently working – Deliverance Lost - without giving away some of the surprise of the story, since it is in effect a prologue for the novel. Cover artist Neil Roberts also had the Deliverance Lost artwork with him, which I hope BL will be showing off in the not-too-distant future, as it is fantastic.

In some respects we all had to be a little bit vague when discussing what we were up to and what stories were coming next. This phase of the heresy is called the Age of Darkness for a reason, and covers all sorts of exciting events that haven’t before been revealed – as well as a couple of the major engagements already described in the background. The series is at a very interesting stage. The majority of the existing history has been covered and we are now moving into uncharted territory. Up to this point, much of the appeal for readers has been finding out the whos and whys behind events they already know, but now that we will be introducing totally new battles, plots and encounters, the emphasis will be shifting, and there are a lot of shocks and surprises in store. This makes it very difficult to discuss an individual volume without spoiling those yet to come.

Also announced was The Primarchs, another anthology, this time of four novella-length pieces. Commissioning by the seat of his pants as ever, Christian again informed me shortly before the seminar that he would like me to contribute. I said yes. The subject is one that a lot of folks have been asking me about, and so I am happy to say that I will be writing a novella based on the Primarch of the Dark Angels, the Lion. I have no idea yet what he’ll be up to, but I will endeavour to get at least a handful of revelations in there, and perhaps even an appearance from Astelan…

As has become common at this sort of event, I had as much fun with the editors and authors as I did with the fans; talking about past, current and future projects. I met lots of folks who deserve a shout-out, some of them who I have met before and others I have not. Hello to all of the Boltholers with their lovely T-shirts, it was great to meet you chaps and chapesses. I was very happy to have a chat with RedS8n, Black Library aficionado on many a forum, as well as lots of other folks who I am sure deserve to be mentioned by name.

Jokes about Christian’s ambush commissioning aside, it was also good to talk to the BL editors and sales guys about stuff, and though I have a proper scheduling meeting to arrange, I can summarise a big list o’ stuff what I will be working on in the coming months and years…

Currently writing: Deliverance Lost for the Horus Heresy.

Coming soon (to my schedule if not the shelves) in no particular order: A Dark Angels novel (possibly the first of a new series); Path of the Outcast; an Eldar-themed short story for the Games Day chapbook; a Vampire Wars trilogy; a Dark Angels audiobook (again, probably the first of several); a story about a space marine tea party; a novella on Lion El’Johnson; a trilogy on the Wars of the Vampire Counts and a Vampire-related short story for the Age of Legends book. I think that covers everything so far…

And of course, I will have to find time to fit in Crown of the Conqueror for Angry Robot too! As a freelance writer, there is no such thing as too busy.

Well, that was BL Live 2011. I’ve mentioned a few times before that it’s my favourite of the various BL events, and this year was no exception. The more I get immersed into writing, the more I’m convinced that such shindigs are pretty much essential for boosting occasionally-flagging morale/energy. It’s such a buzz to talk to informed, enthusiastic readers about the books. While it’s obviously lovely to hear nice things about what you’ve written (and thanks to all those who popped over to do that), it can also be fascinating to hear constructive criticism too – the fact that someone’s interested enough in what you do to come and chat about it never ceases to be gratifying.

Anyway, the first thing to convey is huge thanks to the BL and GW staff. The day was organised wonderfully, and the authors were looked after spectacularly well – definitely not something to be taken for granted. I liked the slighter bigger format for this year’s event – still small enough to allow proper conversations, but with a nice buzz throughout the day.


Ooh...
As it turned, out, the nicest surprise for me was a real, physical copy of Battle of the Fang. I hadn’t expected these to be ready yet (the official release isn’t until June), so to get my hands on one was a bit of a shock. It looks lovely – my doodled maps have been turned into proper artwork, and there’s some cool Space Wolf livery running throughout. Some copies were available to buy, but I’m told these sold out fairly quickly. It was great to sign so many of these, and I hope everyone who got hold of a copy enjoys the read. Staggeringly, there was a review online by 6.30pm of the day of release! Thanks to Simo429 on Bolter and Chainsword for that astonishingly quick turnaround!


Aah...
Also good to catch up with some familiar faces. I’m now the very proud owner of a pair of DakkaDakka dice, which are sitting on my desk in front of me as I type – thanks to Mike Sault for those, and excellent to catch up, as ever. And I have fond, if fleeting, memories of some very nice cookie fragments and a chunk of chocolate brownie. Though in the whirl of everything going on I may have misremembered, I think these originated from Graeme Lyons and Tim Kenyon respectively.

A good day was made complete by Matt, who had solved the code in Sword of Vengeance and had brought a handwritten copy of the deciphered letter to prove it. Many congratulations – this was the first time I’d actually seen irrefutable evidence of anyone cracking it – I must admit, I’m somewhat relieved to find that it is crackable…

So, now I’m back in front of the screen, re-energised and gearing up for more writing. I’m in the middle of revising a WHF novella at the moment, after which it’s the next Warhammer Heroes novel. After that, it all gets a bit hazier, but there’s every chance of delving further back into the Warhammer World past, which will be very cool indeed. Talking of Fantasy, there’s a very comprehensive review of Sword of Vengeance over at Heresy Online – thanks to increaso for posting that.

Phew. Think that’s everything. Again, many thanks to everyone who came over to talk, and for making the day so enjoyable. Here’s to 2012…

AgeOfEgos wrote:
I really wish they would write something on Guilliman.

Ironhide wrote:

Kroothawk wrote:Wasn't there an upcoming hardcover including art and a novelization of Gav Thorpe's audiobook Aenarion? Can't find it anywhere.

And wow, Andy Hoare looks creepy in his portrait photo:


Edit: Oops, found the book: The Bloody Handed http://www.blacklibrary.com/Exclusive-Products/Collectors-Editions/The-Bloody-Handed.html

Andy Hoare looks like a young Scott Thompson