Black Library News & Rumours Thread IV, in obligatory unwanted 3-D!

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.

**farmersboy**

mjl7atlas wrote:
So how long till they release the newer HH books in the mass market paperback size. Its annoying as hell the sizing difference and I refuse to go back and re-buy the books I have just so they are all consistent on the book shelf. I just want the books in the original release size for appearances, ocd I know

Nine months. The oversized trade paperback is published six months after the hardback, and the normal mass market paperback three months after that.

**mjl7atlas**

well damn. What a waste. So another 3 months to go I guess then. /sigh. On another note, I don't mean to bash, as I love the 40k universe, but the corporate money grabbing is really killing my love for the hobby and story. Yes,I know they are in business to make money and I don't fault them there to a point, but this is getting out of hand and I find myself putting my wallet away and not purchasing no where near as much as I use to. Come to think of it, I haven't purchased a kit or model for almost a year now.

**Lint**

mjl7atlas wrote:
...this is getting out of hand and I find myself putting my wallet away and not purchasing no where near as much as I use to. Come to think of it, I haven't purchased a kit or model for almost a year now.

Same here, and it seems to be the general consensus on the boards as well.

Not for nothing but I find it ironic that what used to be threads filled with new book teasers, and great reviews by Dakka posters has, within the first page, degenerated into a "wtf BL?" thread.

**mjl7atlas**

On the BL front, I miss the old BL forums where the fluff discussions and teasers were alive and fun. Is it so hard to not milk everything on this planet for every 1/10 cent till it dies? The old GW and BL obviously made $ or they would be here today. So what happened? Shareholders? The doom of mankind. ....Anyways, back on topic. For those of us who refuse to buy the e-paragraphs™, will they be putting them into printed collections?

**Manchu**

So did anybody read Shadowsun beside reds8n?

I have still not finished it, thanks to playing Jade Empire and reading Star Wars comics. But I think it's pretty okay so far.

Shadowsun is definitely a bad ass but I like how the author contrasts her to an IG officer she has as her prisoner. He may not be as capable as her if there was a straight one-on-one fight, and he certainly lacks her zealous idealism BUT he does come off as far more in control and resourceful. You get a sense that the Tau don't really know what they're up against when it comes to humanity.

**kronk**

d-usa wrote:

I think you'd enjoy Priests of Mars. Great mix of Mechanicum, Black Templars and Guard.

It still might be hardcover only. I wouldn't mind sending you over my copy if you wanna give it a read and ship it back.

That's very generous of you. Thanks! But I'll wait until paper back.

**GreyHamster**

Manchu wrote:
So did anybody read Shadowsun beside reds8n?

I have still not finished it, thanks to playing Jade Empire and reading Star Wars comics. But I think it's pretty okay so far.

Shadowsun is definitely a bad ass but I like how the author contrasts her to an IG officer she has as her prisoner. He may not be as capable as her if there was a straight one-on-one fight, and he certainly lacks her zealous idealism BUT he does come off as far more in control and resourceful. You get a sense that the Tau don't really know what they're up against when it comes to humanity.

So the book does a good job of conveying the naivety that I always felt defined the Tau? That's interesting to know, you may have just convinced me to check it out.

As an aside, thanks for making me sad by reminding me of Bioware's era of glory with that game namedrop.

**kronk**

I picked up Architect of Fate on Sunday. I've only read one story so far, but it's not bad. There are 4 short stories in it.

**Manchu**

GreyHamster wrote:
So the book does a good job of conveying the naivety that I always felt defined the Tau?

Yes indeed. When I first started the book, I was worried it was making Shadowsun out to be a little ... I dunno, stupid? for a supposed military legend. But I get the point: Shadowsun represents the Tau succeeding by sheer force of morale. They are very naive. In one scene, Shadowsun uses the Tau word for the planet she is on and her IG officer prisoner tells her the planet already has a name. Earlier in the book, the Tau name is said to be superior to the Imperial one because it is more beautiful. On the other hand, the characters come to a lake where the Emperor supposedly wept at the beauty of the world and the Tau just make fun of the IG officer's faith. They value fancy names for pretty planets but cannot fathom the aesthetics of blessing. My conclusion so far is that the Tau are way out of their depth vis-a-vis the Imperium.

**reds8n**

http://www.blacklibrary.com/Blog/The_Best_Weapon_is_Surprise.html

The Best Weapon is Surprise

As promised, we’ve got a guest blog from Gav Thorpe today about Corax: Soulforge, his latest Horus Heresy novella.

One of the biggest attractions of the Horus Heresy is the scope for creating entirely new background. There’s room for lots of characters, plotlines, events and battles that have never been mentioned before. And new guns and gear!

It’s been there since the start, but I have to admit it’s sometimes hard to push away from the established lore of the Space Marines in the 41st millennium because there’s such a large amount of strong imagery already there. However, with Forge World now entering the arena with cool new troop types, vehicles and weapons, it feels as though a challenge has been laid down. Seeing how far the designers and writers at Forge World have pushed the envelope on Space Marine wargear has been an inspiration to drive forward with new and exciting imagery.

I tinkered a bit with this new enthusiasm in ‘The Lion’, throwing mentions of the Mastodon troop carrier, phase field generators, Heresy-era Terminator armour variants and a few other bits. In Corax: Soulforge I’ve gone one step further, creating a raft of new materiel for the Raven Guard in battle. While in Raven’s Flight and Deliverance Lost Corax and his Legion were very much on the back foot for the most part, this novella delves into how the Raven Guard wage war when they are on the offensive. It stands to reason that the primarch and his Legion would have access to all kinds of specialist craft and weapons to execute their ‘strike hard and fast’ approach. Tied into this is very much the idea of a Legion that is very flexible, especially after its recent losses, comfortable with using even standard wargear and vehicles in ways that are unique to the Raven Guard way of fighting.

Not all of this will make it to the tabletop I’m sure, but it’s been fun to think that as much as the guys at Forge World have sown some seeds in my imagination, perhaps some of the ideas from Corax: Soulforge will inspire them when it is time for them to start thinking about the Raven Guard.

Thanks, Gav.

Here in the office, we’ve been bowled over by the quality of the finish on Corax: Soulforge. Neil Roberts has once again produced a fantastic cover. From Corax’s crackling lightning claws to the proto-daemon engine impaling a Raven Guard Legionary, this cover has so much going on that it’s hard to know what bit to look at first.

Not only that, but once you remove the dust jacket, the soft-touch matte-black hardcover looks fantastic. It almost seems to absorb light, just like Corax.

We won’t even mention the extra hidden content and the eight pages of internal art: you’ll just have to order your copy to see what those are.

You now have only three days left to order your copy of Corax: Soulforge. Make sure you don’t miss out on the chance to own this stunning Limited-Time Edition.

**Temujin**

Lint wrote:
...I find it ironic that what used to be threads filled with new book teasers, and great reviews by Dakka posters has, within the first page, degenerated into a "wtf BL?" thread.

It's hard for us to discuss the books like we used to when half or more of us will be permanently 9 months behind, not to mention the ever increasing number of books that we'll miss entirely. It's hard to drum up excitement for teasers of new books when we still have many months to wait for the chance to read the old ones, not to mention that teasers are being all but phased out anyway.

**Malika2**

'The Imperial Truth' cover...

**Pilau Rice**

Malika2 wrote:

'The Imperial Truth' cover...

Oooh purddy

Is that Valdor?

**reds8n**

As promised, here's a new Neil Roberts Horus Heresy cover for you. This one is from 'The Imperial Truth' a new event-exclusive short story anthology that will make its debut at this year's Horus Heresy Weekender.

**Alpharius**

And is that the White Scar's famous Sky Fortress in the background?

**jah-joshua**

i would think that big ship in the background is Phalanx, the Imperial Fists' star fort, seeing as how Dorn is in charge of the defences of Terra...

cheers
jah

**Alpharius**

I thought the Phalanx was more round and 'Moon' Shaped, and not exactly something that should show up in atmosphere?

And the Sky Fortress actually played a pivotal role during the siege of Terra - and in fact was...

Spoiler:

Though now that I look at it again... it looks way too big to be the Sky Fortress, and the Phalanx being round might be old Fluff, or something I misremembered!

**cincydooley**

That's no moon.....

**jah-joshua**

could go either way, Alph...
all i know, is that i'm looking forward to the White Scars in action at the siege, or anywhere else for that matter...
a nice hefty, 450 page, novel of Mongolian biker action...

cheers
jah

**Fenrir Kitsune**

kitch102 wrote:
[quote=KamikazeCanuck 517931 5459635 7ed43115a9cd2f529ffc9dd41a7ef376.jpg. They'll have t shirts made up (in limited time runs, that cost £30 each) that say "I was there, the day that Black Library finally had the Emperor kill Horus".

I don't think the HH series will end with the death of Horus, it'll have another couple of years dealing with the aftermath and that stuff................

**Alpharius**

Apparently this is what the Phalanx looks like:

**Pilau Rice**

I do hope we see the Sky Fortress still.

Would be a shame if they left it out.

**Alpharius**

No way they leave it out of the Siege of Terra!

**Alfndrate**

cincydooley wrote:
That's no moon.....

That's what I said about my ex-gf...

Are there BL books that deal with Tyranids? I know that there most likely isn't a book from their point of view, but are there books that deal with battles of them? I'm looking at their website, and besides Ciaphas Cain novels, there is a graphic novel for 18 bucks, and Space Marine Battles eBook, but it seems to be a short story (it's 3 dollars)...

**Alpharius**

Probably where I got the whole Phalanx = Round/Moon thing:

Index Astartes wrote:The Great Crusade had reached the Ice Hives of Inwit when Rogal Dorn presented himself to the Emperor for the first time. He arrived at the helm of Phalanx, the great mobile station that was to become the Imperial Fists' fortress-monastery. The ship was his gift to the Emperor and its like had not been seen since the Dark Age of Technology. The size of a small moon, its foredeck could dock a dozen cruisers and its superstructure was a towering forest of spires interlaced with flying buttresses. It shone like a small star, a precious treasure and a momentous portent in the days of the Crusade. The Emperor duly welcomed Dorn and appointed him to the command of the 7th Space Marine Legion - the Imperial Fists, returning Phalanx to serve as their Fortress-Monastery.

The 7th Legion had been formed on Terra as evidenced by its earliest battle honour 'Roma', now only discernable on a ceramite icon too precious even to be displayed in the Inner Reclusium. The 7th Legion had recruited heavily on Inwit and over 70% of its strength were aspirants. The Imperial Fists were therefore a rarity in that Battle Brothers and Primarch were united very early in their service to the Emperor and quickly formed an unbreakable bond. Born from the same gene-stock, Primarch and Legion had the same uncompromising self-discipline and total commitment to order.

**Manchu**

a new event-exclusive short story anthology

Ah, fething hell.

**Alpharius**

Manchu wrote:
a new event-exclusive short story anthology
Ah, fething hell.

Don't know how I missed that - but it was probably because I didn't want to see it...

That sucks.

**Kanluwen**

That's actually a bit more interesting than "event exclusive novella" in my opinion, if only because it means there's going to be quite a few more authors involved.

**Manchu**

Yeah, it's super exciting. Now all I need is airfare to Nottingham and my 110USD ticket to the Weekender.

**Kanluwen**

Manchu wrote:
Yeah, it's super exciting. Now all I need is airfare to Nottingham and my 110USD ticket to the Weekender.

I might be reading it wrong, but the way it is worded seems to suggest that it's going to be available at more events than simply the Horus Heresy Weekender.