Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

It seems to me that over the past year or so, BL books have got noticeably better. Take the HH series for instance; I thought they went down hill a bit after the opening trilogy, but the ones that are being knocked out now are at least as good as the first three. Other books that I've read recently that have been incredible are: Blood Gorgons, Pariah, The Siege of Castellax, Yarrick, Flesh of Cretacia, Angel Exterminatus, Betrayer and Priests of Mars; which is one of the best BL books I've ever read.

Has anyone else noticed this, or is it in my head?

Authors usually get better as they write more, so it is probably just all of the individual authors getting a bit better over time. I suppose the same could be said for all of the editors and stuff too.

Nope, haven't noticed, felt they are all a high standard. However I did noticed the prices has gone up quite a bit. HH books used to cost about $11CAN now cost $35 for hardcover and $18 for soft cover, $16 for ebooks

I think they're still hit and miss...

For example, I was really raving about how great and original 'Pariah' was... I then later found out that the majority of the really 'great and original' elements of the book were completely lifted from Lovecraft....

Aaron Dembski Bowden is writing a lot more, so that really accounts to the big increase in Horus Heresy quality, I think.

Well I have to say I found Priests of Mars a total let down. I was expecting more I guess, not cliffhanger of doooooooooom, wait for sequel. Oh and sort of same with Salvation's Reach, except I think Dan Abnett ran out of time at the end of that. Seems to happen a lot, authors get stuck in contracts and then usually the later stuff isn't as good, either unfinished or uninspired.

I really enjoyed Priests of Mars, although the cliffhanger ending was a bit of a mickey take. :p

I don't have high hopes for the new Black Dragons book though, as anyone who read my recent thread can probable guess... Van Horstmann looks great though!

 Compel wrote:
For example, I was really raving about how great and original 'Pariah' was... I then later found out that the majority of the really 'great and original' elements of the book were completely lifted from Lovecraft....

Out of interest, which elements do you feel were lifted from Lovecraft? I did not particularly get that impression.

Have a look at the wikipedia page on The King in Yellow.

 Compel wrote:
I think they're still hit and miss...

For example, I was really raving about how great and original 'Pariah' was... I then later found out that the majority of the really 'great and original' elements of the book were completely lifted from Lovecraft....

Aaron Dembski Bowden is writing a lot more, so that really accounts to the big increase in Horus Heresy quality, I think.

You would be surprised exactly how much a lot of authors take from Lovecraft, the guy was pretty innovative author when it comes to sci-fi and horror. It's understandable how people would want to take elements from him.

I know, it's just... it's a pet peeve of mine when it comes to GW novels.

While, Pariah is an example doing it 'properly' at least (as I mentioned, I did really enjoy the novel at the time.)

There are others where the Lovecraft bits just feel well, hamfisted and terrible.

Nathan Longs Gotrek stores, Orcslayer and 'Slayer of the Storm God' are perfect examples. Both stories basically felt like little more than Lovecraft fan fiction - and I've not even read Lovecraft! There's another couple of stories that are particularly heinous as well, but I can't quite remember which ones off hand.

I've just finished the last Eldar book series (Path of the Warrior, Path of the Seer and Path of the Outcast), and I enjoyed them a lot. They contain a lot of feasible fluff, interesting ploy, and a nice 'Eldar foreboding' ... not like the crappy IA:11 where some Rune Priest ID a Wraithlord or Eldar Titans run away...

The entirety of chaos fluff is strong inspired by lovecraft, so it's pretty inescapable.

I think that the Black Library books are scattered across such a wide variety of themes and styles that it's easy, just by reading authors (or a series) that's unfamiliar to you, to perceive a change in overall quality. I think that the overall quality has largely remained the same. If you want hard, fast, military action epics, you can find those. If you want gritty, suspenseful, mystery stories you can find those, too. If you want deep, character driven work, that's still there. It's just a matter of who you're reading, and which of their series you're reading. That's just my personal take on it.