Black library news and rumours (including Horus Heresy stuff)...

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**Generalstoner**

I've picked up Nemesis. Anyone else started reading it yet? Also picked up the Night Lords audio-book but have yet to start that yet.

**Temujin**

Alpharius wrote:I thought they were a bit more 'programmable' than all that!

They are programmable, as long as you don't ask them to do something that doesn't involve a crazed killing spree.

**Captain Roderick**

Temujin wrote:

They are programmable, as long as you don't ask them to do something that doesn't involve a crazed killing spree.

"Ah, Slaughtarius, as nobody needs killing today I thought perhaps some other employment might be gratifying for you. This litter of adorable kittens require feeding and grooming, please see to them...

...Ah, Slaughtarius, that is not what I meant by see to them. Please fetch a mop...

...Ah, Slaughtarius, although admittedly her hairstyle could have been described as a mop, the severed, bleeding head of my eldest daughter is not a suitable tool for cleaning up spillages..."

and so on.

**Alpharius**

Good news - for me!

Nemesis is available locally and shall be in my possession by tomorrow, lunch time!

I am excited and worried, as it is a new HH series book - yes!

But, it is written by Swallow - oh no!

Mitigating factor - his last HH series novel was surprisingly OK, so I'm hoping the tighter editorial control (!) in the HH series is the key factor here...

**Generalstoner**

I'm about 70 pages in and so far so good. Swallow has yet to go over the top... yet.

**Flachzange**

I am so freakin jealous :(
The first Heretic got rescheduled to November though - yei lol

Edit: Mind you, thats what amazon says

**Generalstoner**

I'm really looking forward to the First Heretic. We can all guess what happens but:

Spoiler:

**Alpharius**

Timing-wise, given what Nemesis is about - that makes little to no sense.

**reds8n**

..err..how do you come to that conclusion then ?

anyway..

news from James Swallow..

Games Day 2010 is fast approaching, and the Black Library crew are gearing up for another bonanza event; as mentioned downblog, I'm going to be there promoting my new Horus Heresy novel Nemesis, but I can now announce that two all-new releases from me will also be available on the day as well.

The first is Oath of Moment, an audio drama featuring the character of Nathaniel Garro from my previous novel The Flight of the Eisenstein; Oath picks up Garro's story some time after the events of Flight, as the ex-Death Guard is given a new mission against the backdrop of the unfolding galactic civil war. Oath of Moment will be on general release in December (and via the BL website Here), but Games Day attendees will be able to pick up advance copies early at the event.

The second is something very exclusive. Each year Black Library produce a special limited edition chapbook for Games Day, and this year it's written by me; the title is Bloodline.

The chapbook is a single tale made up of two parallel Blood Angels stories, one within the Warhammer 40,000 timeline and one set during the Horus Heresy period. The 40K story follows on from the events of my last Blood Angels novel Black Tide, and as for the Heresy story...

Bloodline will have a strictly limited run of just 1500 copies, half of which will be on sale at the event, and half from the BL website Here.

Games Day 2010 takes place on Sunday 26th September at the Birmingham NEC. Click Here for more info.

..hooray for UK GD again I guess.

**BrookM**

Guess I'll be getting that chap book then, I can't stand missing a story in the HH arc.

**Alpharius**

reds8n wrote:..err..how do you come to that conclusion then ?

OK...

Spoiler:

Automatically Appended Next Post:

BrookM wrote:Guess I'll be getting that chap book then, I can't stand missing a story in the HH arc.

Ugh - same here!

Painful!

**reds8n**

I still don't quite get you..

Spoiler:

..meanwhile..

Whilst not strictly BL news as such, the first few reviews of Gav Thorpe's fantasy novel through Angry Robot are coming out, as well as a hefty extract to enjoy as well..

http://angryrobotbooks.com/2010/07/the-uber-manliness-of-the-manliest-of-manly-men/#respond

I’m impressed by the moral neutrality. Similar to the work of Tom Lloyd, this is a book about warring factions, each of them convinced that they are in the right… To paraphrase (badly), no one has ever marched into battle thinking they were the bad guy. Mr Thorpe had that nailed. Even the proper “hero” of the book is a dodgy character – Ullsaard is convinced of his cause, but, ultimately, he is left in judgement before the reader.

…this book is hairy, gory, sweaty, shameless… and perhaps even a little bit thoughtful.

**Alpharius**

reds8n wrote: I still don't quite get you..

I don't get me either...

Spoiler:

And yes, enough from me! I'll be picking up the book today - and the reading shall commence - and then hopefully wisdom will follow!

**Samus_aran115**

Captain Roderick wrote:
Temujin wrote:

They are programmable, as long as you don't ask them to do something that doesn't involve a crazed killing spree.

"Ah, Slaughtarius, as nobody needs killing today I thought perhaps some other employment might be gratifying for you. This litter of adorable kittens require feeding and grooming, please see to them...

...Ah, Slaughtarius, that is not what I meant by see to them. Please fetch a mop...

...Ah, Slaughtarius, although admittedly her hairstyle could have been described as a mop, the severed, bleeding head of my eldest daughter is not a suitable tool for cleaning up spillages..."

and so on.

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

For those who have read Nemesis, what does it say about the Assassins in particular? I wasn't aware that the various types of Assassin were even around at this period in time (thought they came after the Heresy), or are these different to the ones we know about (sort of Proto-Temples as opposed to the Vindicare/Callidus/etc. we have now).

A short review I read also said that the book has a good amount of detail on the Adeptus Custodes, Malcador the Sigilite and Rogal Dorn. Any info there?

**Kanluwen**

The Assassins during the Heresy weren't organized as Temples, as such, from what I remember. They were more like the Death Cults that the Inquisition sometimes recruit from.

**Generalstoner**

I'll mark this as a spoiler. So far I am 3/4ths of the way through and I'll give the book a B-:

Spoiler:

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

What can you tell us about the Assassin Temples that we don't already know?

**BrookM**

Vanus - Assassination through information manipulation.

Venenum - Poison.

The other four are as you would expect them to be.

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

Vanus? Vanity I'm guessing then.

How do they assassinate through information manipulation.

**BrookM**

The given example was that they changed evidence implying that the target was responsible for murdering a noble woman, thus setting him up for inter-house assassination or something like that through a shuttle accident.

They pride their selves on doing their tasks from a distance and not dirtying their own hands.

**Lord of battles**

H.B.M.C. wrote:

How do they assassinate through information manipulation.

Why did Russ go to Prospero and try to kill Magnus?

**BrookM**

Lord of battles wrote:
H.B.M.C. wrote:

How do they assassinate through information manipulation.

Why did Russ go to Prospero and try to kill Magnus?

Because that was the doing of Horus.

**Lord of battles**

BrookM wrote:
Lord of battles wrote:
H.B.M.C. wrote:

How do they assassinate through information manipulation.

Why did Russ go to Prospero and try to kill Magnus?
Because that was the doing of Horus.

I meant the information manipulation by Horus.

**Alpharius**

Didn't the Emperor task Leman Russ with going to Prospero to bring Magnus back to Terra to answer for his crimes?

Sure, Leman may have loosely interpreted his orders, and once Magnus decided to fight back, all bets are off, but initially it was not a mission of destruction, though realistically it never had a chance ot be anything else, I suppose...

**BrookM**

Horus altered the message, changing the "bring back" bit into "kill them all". Besides, Magnus did not want to fight back one bit, he was actually very passive during the sacking of Prospero, up until the end that is.

Reason why the Emperor still wanted Magnus was so he could toss him onto the Golden Throne and redeem him that way. Instead, the Emperor had to sit there himself after it killed poor Malcador.

**Alpharius**

BrookM wrote:Horus altered the message, changing the "bring back" bit into "kill them all". Besides, Magnus did not want to fight back one bit, he was actually very passive during the sacking of Prospero, up until the end that is.

Huh!

I missed that bit!

Is this 'new' background as per Alan Merrett and "Visions of Heresy" or has it 'always' been around?

**BrookM**

I'm guessing "Visions" revised stuff a bit from what was before all that. But yes, that's what it says and that's the most recent version of the Heresy canon that the writers are following. Everything else is a lie.

It was also mentioned in a HH novel by Horus, can't remember which one though.

Automatically Appended Next Post:
I wonder if James Swallow is a Firefly fan by any chance.

**fullheadofhair**

ugh . Nemesis. The poor mans seven samurai or dirty dozen. Book did not flow at all well and it was a bit forced - just didn't like his writing.

**Captain Roderick**

Kanluwen wrote:The Assassins during the Heresy weren't organized as Temples, as such, from what I remember. They were more like the Death Cults that the Inquisition sometimes recruit from.

Distant memory seems to tell me that the 4 main temples are based upon individuals who were alive during the HH... so Vindicare, Callidus etc were just people who excelled at those things in those days, well enough to pass on their skills to others and found the temples thereafter or at least have the temples named after them.

Might be wrong though.