BrookM wrote:Eh, I stopped reading his Gaunt series after Traitor General, which was a smashing read by the way, but I kinda got tired of this puppy. I might finish it as they release more and more omnibuses of him.

I'd rather see him work on the Lizzy Bequin trilogy and more of that great Heresy stuff.

Temujin wrote:I've been reading the Gaunt's Ghosts novels for the first time, pretty much back to back for the last couple of months. I started with the first book and I'm currently mid way through the Sabbat Worlds Crusade Anthology. I never imagined that I would take to them, since military fiction holds less interest than for me than stuff like Eisenhorn and the Horus Heresy series, but the fact that I've slogged through almost thirteen books without that many pauses for other books means they must be doing something right. I think it's mostly because I feel very attached to the characters. The anthology has been a bit underwhelming, but then that's not really a Gaunt's Ghosts novel because the Tanith barely feature in it.

New artwork unveiled



As promised, today we start to unveil some of the awesome new artwork for next year’s titles.




Shown here is Shadow Captain Koryn by Hardy Fowler, illustrated for the upcoming Raven Guard audio drama Labyrinth of Sorrows by George Mann.




This mean looking gentleman is Luthor Huss, illustrated by Cheoljoo Lee.

Luthor Huss is the next novel by the acclaimed Battle for the Fang author Chris Wraight.



Clint Langley has once again outdone himself with this ominous portrait of a tactical Space Marine for the upcoming Blood Angels Second Omnibus by James Swallow.



You have a bit of a wait to get your hands on these titles, but to keep you satisfied until then we have the first Raven Guard audio drama Helion Rain available now, or the Blood Angels First Omnibus so you can be up to date.



This time next week we can show you even more new artwork, and this Friday we have some great new eBook titles, so be sure to keep your eyes on this blog.

Just Dave wrote:I so love the Raven Guard but so don't care for audio books...

Kanluwen wrote:George Mann's "Helion Rain" isn't bad.

Gav Thorpe's "Raven Flight" however is a necessity.

The sons of Nocturne return
The eBook revolution continues today with Issue 10 of Hammer and Bolter. It’s a great issue this month with a new Time of Legends short story by Andy Hoare, the Alpha Legion up to their old tricks again, from the pen of John French, the tenth instalment in Phalanx, our serialised novel by Ben Counter, and new author Andy Smillie making his debut with Hammer and Bolter’s first Ogre Kingdoms short story.
This issue also has an exclusive extract from the upcoming Horus Heresy novella by Aaron Dembski-Bowden. Aurelian is our second Horus Heresy limited edition novella, following the sell out Promethean Sun, and Hammer and Bolter readers will be the first to read the opening 3 chapters.
Speaking of the Salamanders, the sons of Nocturne return in Vulkans Shield. In this brand-new audio drama from fiery author Nick Kyme, the Salamanders must rescue a band of beleaguered civilians from the ruins of a burning Imperial city.

And if that’s not enough Adeptus Astartes action for you, Legends of the Space Marines is now available as an eBook or as individual short stories.

Next week we’ll be back with more news, more new art and more new eBooks for you (but probably no weddings).

Enjoy your weekend.

bhsman wrote:He liked the book, but hated the character of Sahaal.

Chris Wraight is one of Black Library’s up-and-coming authors who has been penning some pretty great Warhammer fiction over the past few years (he has four novels now published). Most recently, he’s been handling some of the Warhammer Heroes series writing the stories of some of the Empires most celebrated warriors. He also wrote about the continuation of the Space Wolves-Thousand Sons feud in Battle of the Fang. As a fan of his work, I decided to contact him to see if he could tell us a little more about upcoming projects, writing and more…

You’ve had two novels published this year, so I thought I’d address the books separately, if I may.

First up, your latest release, Battle of the Fang, which continues the story of the Thousand Sons-Space Wolves enmity. What can readers expect from this novel, and what was it like, continuing the story that began in A Thousand Sons and Prospero Burns?

Readers of Fang can expect a continuation of some themes in the two earlier books, but in a slightly different style. The Space Marine Battles series is all about action, whereas the Horus Heresy books have a licence to go a bit deeper into the background. The story of the siege of Fenris is one of almost unrelenting fighting – the classic desperate last stand against overwhelming odds. I hope people who read and enjoyed A Thousand Sons and Prospero Burns will appreciate the sense of continuity in the latest book, but I also hope they’ll realise it’s not quite the same sort of story.

As for what it was like following up on the earlier books, it was just as daunting as you’d expect. Graham McNeill and Dan Abnett were, however, more gracious and helpful than anyone could reasonably have hoped for, which helped matters considerably.



Battle of the Fang is set in between (sort of) the Horus Heresy age and the ‘current’ 40k age, which hasn’t been covered in Black Library fiction before. How did you go about preparing to write the novel? Was it freeing to write in a different time period?

The one great advantage I had in researching the book is that the action takes place almost entirely on Fenris, which is an isolated planet in the Imperium anyway and doesn’t really reflect its core culture. As a result, I made the decision fairly early on to ignore what the wider galaxy of the thirty-second millennium was like and concentrate on the characters of the Space Wolves and Thousand Sons. I had a lot of fun creating what – I hope – look like evolved versions of the warriors who appear in the Heresy series. In the case of the Space Wolves, for example, the Fang itself is a lot more elaborate than it was in Prospero Burns (in which it’s only half-constructed) and the Wolves fight in the formations that they use in the 40K Codex. In addition, both Legions/Chapters have suffered from the curse that afflicts virtually everyone in the setting: the slow process of attrition and corruption following the events of the Heresy.

Moving to your Warhammer fiction, for which you may be better known. Sword of Vengeance, the second in your Empire novels as part of the Warhammer Heroes series, was released this year. What can readers expect from this novel, and where do you see the series going in the future?

The second Sword book is a direct sequel to the first one. Matters were left at something of a cliffhanger at the end of Sword of Justice, so the second book finishes off the story. Just as in the first book, there’s a nominal lead character (Kurt Helborg, the master of the Reiksguard), but it’s really an ensemble piece in which a cluster of rivals vie for control of Averland. As well as Schwarzhelm, Verstohlen, Grosslich and the rest, there’s an appearance by the Imperial Grand Theogonist Volkmar at the head of a forty thousand-strong army, which was huge fun to write.

As for the future of the series, all I know is that there will be more of them! At the moment I’m writing a book on Luthor Huss, a Warrior Priest, which is due out in February next year. I seem to end up writing for the good guys – there are exciting titles from Gemmell Award-winning™ Darius Hinks and the nefariously talented C.L. Werner covering the forces of darkness. There are plenty of stories to tell when those are done, though. One day, I’ll persuade the editors to write that epic trilogy about Magnus the Pious…



What’s it like to write stories of such iconic characters? Is it ever daunting?

Yes, it is. No writer wants to ruin anyone’s cherished view of a character from the setting, and I’m sure all genre fiction authors feel the weight of doing justice to the backgrounds in which they work. Thankfully, the reception for the Heroes books has been pretty positive, which is always something of a relief. Aside from the nervousness it provokes, it is, of course, massively enjoyable fleshing out characters from the game setting and turning them into actors in a novel-length tale. In the case of someone like Ludwig Schwarzhelm, who hadn’t been much written about before in detail, it’s nice to feel that Sword of Justice has made a minor, possibly lasting, contribution to a small corner of the Warhammer world.

Where do you draw your inspiration from, generally, and who or what would you say are your biggest influences?

The author of Fantasy fiction I most admire is Ursula Le Guin, whose Earthsea books gave me the writing bug in the first place. If I could ever write a book half as good as The Farthest Shore I’d consider retiring straightaway. Other than that, the authors I’ve taken inspiration from are pretty familiar: Tolkien, Frank Herbert, Iain M. Banks, David Gemmell, etc. I enjoy the work of a number of fellow BL authors too and have learned a lot from many of them.

How do you enjoy being a writer and working within the publishing industry? Do you have any specific working, writing, researching practice?

I don’t really know why anyone who didn’t enjoy it would do it! In some ways, it’s a very hard way to make a living – the hours are long, there’s enormous pressure, and the critics are always ready to pounce on your mistakes. But for all that it’s a marvellous privilege to tell stories and get paid for it. I love the creative process when it’s working well. Being told by a reader that they’ve enjoyed one of your books is such an enormous buzz. As for writing habits, I try to work a 9-5 day where possible, though when a deadline looms that tends to break down a bit. Whisky, I find, helps.

When did you realise you wanted to be an author, and what was your first foray into writing? Do you still look back on it fondly?

I’ve wanted to write ever since I started to read properly, and was penning stories while still at school. My first break into publishing was a short story in a Black Library anthology called Invasion, and after that I was commissioned to write Masters of Magic. Looking back, I’ve got mixed feelings about that one. As my first book I’ll always regard it fondly, but it’s very much a first-timer’s novel – there’s a lot of clunky writing in there and it gets some aspects of the background lore a bit wrong. But you’ve got to start somewhere, right? Hopefully I’ve got a bit better since then, though there’s still a long way to go.



Chris’s debut Black Library novel

What’s your opinion of the genre today, and where do you see your work fitting into it?

I don’t really have an informed opinion about the genre. I wish I had more time to read more widely and get a greater sense of what’s going on, but I’m afraid I’m pretty ignorant about the current trends. Of course, tie-in fiction specifically has a bit of a patchy reputation, though I’m never sure people look down on it quite as much as we’re told they do. There are good and bad Warhammer books out there, just as there are good and bad books in mainstream fantasy and SF. I reckon most readers are discerning enough to make their own minds up about which ones are which and don’t take the label on the cover too seriously.

What projects do you have in the pipeline?

Aside from the Luthor Huss novel, I’m currently planning a book featuring the Iron Hands, a Space Marine Chapter which hasn’t received a lot of attention in recent years. I’ve just finished another short piece on the Space Wolves. If the chance comes up I’m hoping to write more about the Sons of Russ in the future, but nothing’s firmed up quite yet.

Who are you reading at the moment (fiction and/or non-fiction)?

I’ve just finished Look to Windward by Iain M. Banks and am about to start Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel.



What are you most looking forward to in 2011?

Getting Luthor Huss finished in July, starting the Iron Hands in August, going to Games Day in September, handing in Iron Hands in October, reading The Outcast Dead in November, collapsing in December.

Just Dave wrote:Nice interview, sounds like a genuine & good chap, which is always good.

Pyroriffic wrote:
Just to clarify - Chris is the Nicest Man Who Ever Lived.

Fact.

Also, his WHF stuff is utterly brilliant. I've enjoyed everything he's written thus far and am looking forward to Huss.

Once again, we’ve managed to prise an extract from a forthcoming novel out of the editors’ hands.

This time it’s Graham McNeill’s next Horus Heresy novel, The Outcast Dead, going to print this week for its November release.

“Six figures filled the vestibule beyond the chamber in which he’d spent an unknown amount of time, six warriors of enormous bulk and distinct character that was immediately apparent even if they hadn’t sported tattoos and Legion markings on engorged biceps, mountain-ridge shoulders and forearms larger than Kai’s thighs. Instantly, he knew who had rescued him from his cell.




‘You are the Crusader Host,’ he said.



‘What is left of it,’ said a warrior with hair that was a dirty mix of pale white and dark roots. ‘You do not see us at our best.’


‘That name is meaningless to us now,’ said another with a bare chest that rippled with muscles and crudely-inked tattoos of weapons and teeth. ‘We are dead to the Imperium.’


‘We are outcast,’ spat the warrior next to him, and Kai saw a resemblance between the two that went beyond their shared genhancements.


‘The Outcast Dead,’ said Atharva, with a sly twist of a grin.


If you really can’t wait until November, The Outcast Dead will available at UK Games Day in September.