The Black Library..

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**BrookM**

Has gone live!

http://www.blacklibrary.com/

Automatically Appended Next Post:

Believe us when we tell you that Space Marine is quite unlike any other Warhammer 40,000 novel you’ve ever read.

First published in 1993 – though completed some years earlier – at a time when the background to the Warhammer 40,000 universe was still in a state of flux and not yet fully coalesced, the book follows three young Imperial Fist recruits from their formative years in the underhive gangs of Necromunda through to fighting as part of the First Company within the bowels (literally!) of a Tyranid bioship.

Not only will you find squats in this novel –Tzeentch-worshiping squats at that – but also Space Marines controlling Titans, Space Marines with lasguns, the Pain Glove and more than a small amount of toilet humour. Oh, and a Zoat. How could we forget the Zoat?

Although the temptation was great to rewrite significant portions of this book to make it conform to current background, as a curiosity piece, an historical snapshot of the Warhammer 40,000 universe circa the early 1990s, this book is invaluable. It also serves as a shining example of what can happen when a respected genre author at the height of his powers is let loose on an established shared universe.

**Erasoketa**

I would like to read that book. I hope it will be published here...

**BrookM**

It can only be purchased from their site.

**notprop**

Just read that again recently.

Homo-erotica for the win!

**lords2001**

YEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS....

That is the voice from my heart about Space Marine and the Gothic War being re-released.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO...

That is the sound of my wife and my wallet.

**BrookM**

Gothic War is oddly expensive for some reason, which I find odd seeing as it's just two novels plus a short story.

**Erasoketa**

BrookM wrote:It can only be purchased from their site.

Yes, I saw that in the website. But that is for the original English version.

All the books I've read from Black Library in Spanish (Gaunt's Ghosts, Horus Heresy) haven't been published here by them. Black Library (Or GW) sells the license to a Spanish publishing company, and they translate it and publish here. For example we have had a couple of months ago a limited run of 3000 copies of Tales of Heresy.

The order that the Spanish publishing company follows is a bit weird. They are very slow. And I'm afraid I'll never see translated the second and third books of Ravenor series. They only published the first one.

They recently published an old book by Gavin Thorpe on Dark Angels. So... I think they could buy the license too for this one.

At least I hope so

**SilverMK2**

Strange, I stole my brothers copy of Space Marine yesterday when I went over to my see my parents

[bwahaha]

**BrookM**

Erasoketa wrote:
BrookM wrote:It can only be purchased from their site.

Yes, I saw that in the website. But that is for the original English version.

All the books I've read from Black Library in Spanish (Gaunt's Ghosts, Horus Heresy) haven't been published here by them. Black Library (Or GW) sells the license to a Spanish publishing company, and they translate it and publish here. For example we have had a couple of months ago a limited run of 3000 copies of Tales of Heresy.

The order that the Spanish publishing company follows is a bit weird. They are very slow. And I'm afraid I'll never see translated the second and third books of Ravenor series. They only published the first one.

They recently published an old book by Gavin Thorpe on Dark Angels. So... I think they could buy the license too for this one.

At least I hope so

Somehow I doubt they'll be doing translated version of Heretic Tomes any time soon.

**Bloodwin**

Erasoketa wrote:I would like to read that book. I hope it will be published here...

Techincally it's not even being published in the UK. It's the first of the new print on demand titles which means it'll only be printed if you put in an order. So it won't be in any shops even the GW ones.

Nice to see the new site up. It's been rather difficult getting info on the latest audio releases so hopefully this will rectify the situation.

**FordPrefect**

Does anyone know the the BL site will have their own forum site again ??

I love the whole fluff of the 40K universe and even though alot can be learnt from DD, the BL site was a fanboys dream in that regard.

Cynically, the prices look like further threads will be a case of people banging the drum about how its just another money making exercise from GW

. Personally, I think £20 for Space Marine is okay bearing in mind just how long that its been out of print, but hope that more recent books will be nearer £10

**Erasoketa**

I thought that Gav Thorpe's book was as old as this one. Seems that I won't be lucky this time.

I have two Black Library books in English bought from UK. I might buy a third one

**Bloodwin**

FordPrefect wrote: Personally, I think £20 for Space Marine is okay bearing in mind just how long that its been out of print, but hope that more recent books will be nearer £10

The price has nothing to do with how long it's been out of print it has to do with they arent doing any pre printing of the book. I don't know how much simpler they can explain it but the print on demand books will not be printed. when YOU order it they will print ONE copy for YOU. they then repeat this for each order hence the high cost. It's not like the cmopany are printing 10,000 or something. They are printing 0 (ZERO) copies. thye will only print a copy when you order it and then they will print one copy for YOU. While it's more expensive for the reader it also means that they wont have extra copies lying around which then go on to nbe sold for next to nothing. I'm curious how this will be effected by ebooks, which I have been assured they are looking into.

**lords2001**

I think the copies are also hardback and bound - that always smashes the price.

**combatmedic**

*squeal!* new Cain novel! *squeal!*

**reds8n**

FordPrefect wrote:Does anyone know the the BL site will have their own forum site again ?

I don't believe so, apparently it was trying to get them to work/fit on the new servers that was the source of much of the delay before this site went live.

**Narlix**

combatmedic wrote:*squeal!* new Cain novel! *squeal!*

in Hardback

now thats a money grab, Black Library stuff is pulp ( good pulp) but still pulp.

there is no need to make them in hard backs, don't get me wrong i will still buy it because i hate waiting a year more than a should for a book

**FordPrefect**

reds8n wrote:
FordPrefect wrote:Does anyone know the the BL site will have their own forum site again ?

I don't believe so, apparently it was trying to get them to work/fit on the new servers that was the source of much of the delay before this site went live.

Oh well, at least I saved a couple of the more 'factual' threads

**chaplaingrabthar**

Sweet Insignium Astartes re-release! I'll be all over that one, since some bastard nicked my copy years ago.

**Kanluwen**

Narlix wrote:
combatmedic wrote:*squeal!* new Cain novel! *squeal!*

in Hardback

now thats a money grab, Black Library stuff is pulp ( good pulp) but still pulp.

there is no need to make them in hard backs, don't get me wrong i will still buy it because i hate waiting a year more than a should for a book

Uh no. It has nothing to do with a "money grab". It's them expressing confidence in an author. Very few BL authors actually get things released in hardback--because as expensive as it is to you, it's a bit more expensive for them to make the books too.

**Zad Fnark**

I notice C.S. Goto isn't in the list of authors.

ZF-

**H.B.M.C.**

I lost my copy of Space Marine many, many years ago. I remember is that it had Dark Angels on the front cover (despite being an Imp Fist book), that it had a section where the Scouts climbed up a pipe and kept farting thanks to the exertion, a Imp Fist scout named Biff, a Zoat tearing his head off, them commandeering a Titan, Sergeant Juron, the pain glove, Lexandro D'Aquabes throwing his voice to annoy the Chaplain, scrimshawing bones and... yeah. That's it.

Zad Fnark wrote:I notice C.S. Goto isn't in the list of authors.

That's because C.S. Goto doesn't quality as an 'author'.

**Death By Monkeys**

H.B.M.C. wrote:I lost my copy of Space Marine many, many years ago.

I traded that sucker away to a used bookstore many, many years ago. And I never looked back.

**Kanluwen**

H.B.M.C. wrote:

Zad Fnark wrote:I notice C.S. Goto isn't in the list of authors.

That's because C.S. Goto doesn't quality as an 'author'.

Plus: everything I've heard indicates he's been sacked. And is the reason why the authors now have stricter editors of the content(background wise), along with being the reason why they started the "Horus Heresy Councils" where the authors pitch the HH ideas and go from there.

**Ostrakon**

Kanluwen wrote:
H.B.M.C. wrote:

Zad Fnark wrote:I notice C.S. Goto isn't in the list of authors.

That's because C.S. Goto doesn't quality as an 'author'.

Plus: everything I've heard indicates he's been sacked. And is the reason why the authors now have stricter editors of the content(background wise), along with being the reason why they started the "Horus Heresy Councils" where the authors pitch the HH ideas and go from there.

BL actually hired continuity editors?

That's a good sign.

**Kanluwen**

Where the feth have you been?

There's a reason why the Horus Heresy books are flowing so well.

**Ostrakon**

Kanluwen wrote:Where the feth have you been?

There's a reason why the Horus Heresy books are flowing so well.

Actually, I have not yet started reading the HH books. I should hope they flow well, since their entire function is more or less to establish continuity.

But from what I have read, there hasn't been a whole lot of uniformity. I suspect this is mostly due to plot armor, however.

Not to mention details like when the events of Eisenhorn take place (contrast Abnett with the DH codex), power levels of certain Xenos races (compare 'crons in the Cain books to something like Hellforged, although this is largely a stylistic difference to make 'crons seem more like a horror antagonist than a fighting enemy in Mitchell's books), Eldar as they are represented towards the end of Eisenhorn and in the second Gaunt book to, dare I mention it, the C.S. Goto portrayal.

**Kanluwen**

A lot of the "uniformity" you're mentioning is due to the time lapse and subsequent background development, but some of it also seems to be a complete misunderstanding on your part of the actual circumstances of each novel/source.

Of course the Eldar in the middle of a full-fledged warzone is going to behave different to the Eldar who's secretly tutoring an Inquisitor.

Of course a Necron "raiding party" will behave differently than a Necron force that's actually trying to fight a full fledged war.

**Moopy**

Love the poster bundles. I missed out on some of the originals.

**Ostrakon**

Kanluwen wrote:A lot of the "uniformity" you're mentioning is due to the time lapse and subsequent background development, but some of it also seems to be a complete misunderstanding on your part of the actual circumstances of each novel/source.

Of course the Eldar in the middle of a full-fledged warzone is going to behave different to the Eldar who's secretly tutoring an Inquisitor.

Of course a Necron "raiding party" will behave differently than a Necron force that's actually trying to fight a full fledged war.

Well the Necron thing is more of a perspective issue. They scared IG dudes shitless, and even marines to some extent, but in marine novels they tend to be portrayed as a full fighting force. Obviously a squad of IG couldn't reasonably stand up to freakin' tomb world. So that's a poor example.

But the Eldar thing, yeah, I can attribute that to just having poor retcons and poorly established canon.

In Necropolis,

Spoiler: