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As much as I love hearing about what books are really good, I almost appreciate more learning about which books not to read!
With that in mind, as I contemplate catching up with my HH purchases, are any of the following worth picking up:
42. Garro: Weapon of fate
43. Shattered Legions
44. The Crimson King
45. Tallarn: War for a dead world
46. Ruinstorm
47. Old Earth
48. The Burden of Loyalty
49. Wolfsbane
At a guess, I'm thinking the anthologies might not be worth the money/time?
I have most of them, but only tend to read the anthologies straight away as there's always something good in there, saving the rest of the novels for when I've finally got the time and drive to plough through them. Seeing as I've stopped reading, but still am collecting, since Deathfire.. got some way to go before I'm up to speed.
Tallarn is an okay read, less about the tank battles at some points sadly and more about what goes on behind the lines, including a fair bit of Alpha Legion dickery of the non horrible face peeling twirl my moustache kind.
As for the rest, YMMV, but some authors are just not a good fit with the Heresy setting IMHO.
Garro is okay, I liked the audio dramas enough to buy the first three when they were hot and I think I read a short story in one of the other anthology novels somewhere as well.
As for the rest, depends on the author I suppose. Some just are massive bores to go through, or scream "I AM JUST WRITING POINTLESS PADDING" when they were bridging the years between the Dropsite Massacre and the arrival at Terra itself.
The vis thing is incredibly annoying. I found the story not to bad, but I had to really persevere through it, which you shouldn’t really have to do to enjoy a book. Titanicus is still the only great Titan book out there. I think the authors in general struggle with writing the mechanicum. Which in fairness is pretty understandable, it’s as difficult as writing from an alien perspective which most of them struggle to do as well.
The knight books are easier to write as the main characters are human.
For those few who have read it, feedback and thoughts are more than welcome, though no spoilers please, or there will be hell to pay, the vast majority still has to wait until Q2 of this year to get the book.
Also, Aaron posted the limited edition exclusive preface on his blog after getting an okay from GW:
This isn’t the book I planned to write. It’s probably not the book you’re expecting to read, either.
If you don’t usually care for an author’s awkward ramblings, feel free to skip ahead to the story. I won’t hold it against you. (Hey, I’ll probably never even know!) But if you’re interested in the context that helped this novel come into existence, then stay a while and I’ll get you up to speed.
I went into the synopsis phase of Spear of the Emperor with the intention of writing a traditional look at a Space Marine Chapter, with a Space Marine protagonist typical of his Chapter’s culture. I like to read those kinds of novels, with those kinds of protagonists, and I enjoy writing them from time to time, too. It’s a tradition for a good reason: those character tropes make a good foundation for exploring the various complexities within Space Marine existence. In the same vein, I also intended to explore an essentially unknown corner of the Warhammer 40,000 setting, rather than focus on the big-name, big-selling Chapters that everyone’s already familiar with.
The Emperor’s Spears were nothing but a striking, slightly unusual colour scheme, so they were safe ground no matter which direction I took them in.
On a more personal note, I was also coming off a run of novels focusing on extremely well-known characters and vastly important historical events (The Talon of Horus; The Master of Mankind; Black Legion…) so I wanted something more personal and grounded. Something on a much smaller scale than any of those other novels, each of which was a deep look into the guts of the setting, through the eyes of very well-informed characters.
So far, so good.
Several weeks into the first draft, Alan Bligh, one of my closest friends, died after a short confrontation with cancer. For a while I could barely write anything at all, for reasons that will be obvious to anyone who has ever lost a close friend or loved one. When I managed to start getting words onto a screen again, I was disillusioned with what I’d planned. I started straying far and wide from my synopsis, feeling the pull of a new direction.
Through several rewrites, the narrator went from a generic Spear officer in the middle of his culture to a human thrall, utterly on the outside of it. Finally, it clicked. Finally, I had the voice that felt right for the new story being told.
Crucially, it also finally matched more with the tone of Imperium Nihilus, which Alan himself once described as ‘Picking up the pieces of the Imperium after all the bombs have gone off.’
Using human supporting characters to highlight the differences between humanity and the indoctrinated, transhuman inhumanity of Space Marines is nothing new; I’ve even done it myself several times and I really enjoy both reading and writing about the contrasts it brings. With Spear of the Emperor, I went all-in with it. Anuradha went from a supporting character to the narrator: the ultimate outsider-looking-in. And with that shift, the story turned a little darker again. Everything became just that little bit more vulnerable.
Explaining the Spears in detail was the last thing on my mind. I didn’t want to quantify them, I wanted to show how it might look and feel to see a transhuman existence through a human lens. Focusing on the impossible weariness forced on them by the burdens that they alone can carry. Their refusal to back down, and their curious mix of civilisation and barbarism. They don’t fight for glory but for survival. They stand against the unending tide of night because someone has to do it; because they’re the last ones left who can still fight. Their brother-Chapters in the Adeptus Vaelarii are either dead or punishingly diminished. The duty and burden of defiance is theirs until the last Spear falls.
The largest appeal was the idea of a character who wasn’t always sure what they were looking at when they were confronted with the mysteries and horrors of a story. Someone who wasn’t immune to fear or distant from human emotion.
What is it like to live among Space Marines? What does it feel like to serve them, and live on the edge of a culture you will never be truly part of? How would serving such masters change you and your perceptions? What do their customs and rituals look like from the outside? How does it feel, to see them move and fight and so utterly annihilate their enemies with inhuman brutality? And what is required of you, to live up to their expectations?
The flip side of that coin is the heretical half of the equation. What would it mean, to meet the Adeptus Astartes’ dark reflections, the Traitor Marines? What would it be like, when you’re not clad in ceramite and holding a bolter—you’re just a man or a woman standing in front of a monstrous creature that has lived in the warp / a mythological underworld for uncounted years?
Anuradha offered a great chance at seeing all of this from an entirely human perspective, and a less formal voice for the text. She hasn’t been through hypno-indoctrination like a loyalist Space Marine; she isn’t an angelic weapon that struggles to understand the people of the empire she was born to defend. Similarly, she isn’t motivated by bitterness and hatred; burdened by the magnified emotional array of Traitor Marines, either.
Anuradha is at the mercy of her masters, drawn into the wars they make her fight. Like all slaves (or indentured servants, if you will…) she has very little agency over the direction of her life, but she can choose how she reacts to the twists and turns of circumstance. Narratively, that was a challenge, but one that defined the tone of the story. She has agency, but it’s personal and grounded. She doesn’t decide the fate of wars. She chronicles them.
She’s just a human—albeit valuable to her masters and highly trained—in a difficult situation. The story isn’t about her, not really, as you’ll see. But she’s perfectly placed to tell it.
Like many high-status Chapter thralls, Anuradha is extremely knowledgeable in several specific areas. Unlike most of my previous protagonists, she’s also not equipped with a Space Marine’s angelic, psycho-indoctrinated detachment to process it. She’s just a human like you, me, and everyone else.
For those story elements, I ended up being fortunate enough to get a huge range of first-hand accounts from soldiers, firefighters, police officers, doctors… And more than once I thought back to conversations I’d had years ago, when I was lucky enough to talk to a man that had served in WWII as a deck gunner on HMS Belfast; and to another that had been in a Japanese POW camp and who’d undergone privation and torture. I wanted to jump as deeply as I could into the psychology and headspaces of people who’d done these things.
On several occasions I kept backing out of writing the book, considering redoing it in a more traditional way; playing it more to type with a Space Marine protagonist doing Space Marine things, totally informed about the setting and his surroundings. In the end it was my friend, the author John French, who stopped me redrafting it all from scratch yet again:
‘Are you trying to be popular or are you trying to realise a vision? To quote the man you dedicated it to, “You need to have the courage of your convictions and not be infirm of purpose”.’
All of this is a long-winded and self-indulgent way of saying that I loved and hated writing this book. It wasn’t harder than any of the others, but it certainly felt different. I can’t even imagine what you’ll think of it.
I don’t use Alan’s death as a banner or an excuse for any changes I made. If you like the novel, that’s great, and if you don’t, that’s on me—not on the circumstances surrounding the book. Whatever the truth, I hope you enjoy this look at the benighted half of Mankind’s empire.
Welcome to Elara’s Veil, domain of the Emperor’s Spears.
BrookM wrote: For those few who have read it, feedback and thoughts are more than welcome, though no spoilers please, or there will be hell to pay, the vast majority still has to wait until Q2 of this year to get the book.
Also, Aaron posted the limited edition exclusive preface on his blog after getting an okay from GW:
Spoiler:
This isn’t the book I planned to write. It’s probably not the book you’re expecting to read, either.
If you don’t usually care for an author’s awkward ramblings, feel free to skip ahead to the story. I won’t hold it against you. (Hey, I’ll probably never even know!) But if you’re interested in the context that helped this novel come into existence, then stay a while and I’ll get you up to speed.
I went into the synopsis phase of Spear of the Emperor with the intention of writing a traditional look at a Space Marine Chapter, with a Space Marine protagonist typical of his Chapter’s culture. I like to read those kinds of novels, with those kinds of protagonists, and I enjoy writing them from time to time, too. It’s a tradition for a good reason: those character tropes make a good foundation for exploring the various complexities within Space Marine existence. In the same vein, I also intended to explore an essentially unknown corner of the Warhammer 40,000 setting, rather than focus on the big-name, big-selling Chapters that everyone’s already familiar with.
The Emperor’s Spears were nothing but a striking, slightly unusual colour scheme, so they were safe ground no matter which direction I took them in.
On a more personal note, I was also coming off a run of novels focusing on extremely well-known characters and vastly important historical events (The Talon of Horus; The Master of Mankind; Black Legion…) so I wanted something more personal and grounded. Something on a much smaller scale than any of those other novels, each of which was a deep look into the guts of the setting, through the eyes of very well-informed characters.
So far, so good.
Several weeks into the first draft, Alan Bligh, one of my closest friends, died after a short confrontation with cancer. For a while I could barely write anything at all, for reasons that will be obvious to anyone who has ever lost a close friend or loved one. When I managed to start getting words onto a screen again, I was disillusioned with what I’d planned. I started straying far and wide from my synopsis, feeling the pull of a new direction.
Through several rewrites, the narrator went from a generic Spear officer in the middle of his culture to a human thrall, utterly on the outside of it. Finally, it clicked. Finally, I had the voice that felt right for the new story being told.
Crucially, it also finally matched more with the tone of Imperium Nihilus, which Alan himself once described as ‘Picking up the pieces of the Imperium after all the bombs have gone off.’
Using human supporting characters to highlight the differences between humanity and the indoctrinated, transhuman inhumanity of Space Marines is nothing new; I’ve even done it myself several times and I really enjoy both reading and writing about the contrasts it brings. With Spear of the Emperor, I went all-in with it. Anuradha went from a supporting character to the narrator: the ultimate outsider-looking-in. And with that shift, the story turned a little darker again. Everything became just that little bit more vulnerable.
Explaining the Spears in detail was the last thing on my mind. I didn’t want to quantify them, I wanted to show how it might look and feel to see a transhuman existence through a human lens. Focusing on the impossible weariness forced on them by the burdens that they alone can carry. Their refusal to back down, and their curious mix of civilisation and barbarism. They don’t fight for glory but for survival. They stand against the unending tide of night because someone has to do it; because they’re the last ones left who can still fight. Their brother-Chapters in the Adeptus Vaelarii are either dead or punishingly diminished. The duty and burden of defiance is theirs until the last Spear falls.
The largest appeal was the idea of a character who wasn’t always sure what they were looking at when they were confronted with the mysteries and horrors of a story. Someone who wasn’t immune to fear or distant from human emotion.
What is it like to live among Space Marines? What does it feel like to serve them, and live on the edge of a culture you will never be truly part of? How would serving such masters change you and your perceptions? What do their customs and rituals look like from the outside? How does it feel, to see them move and fight and so utterly annihilate their enemies with inhuman brutality? And what is required of you, to live up to their expectations?
The flip side of that coin is the heretical half of the equation. What would it mean, to meet the Adeptus Astartes’ dark reflections, the Traitor Marines? What would it be like, when you’re not clad in ceramite and holding a bolter—you’re just a man or a woman standing in front of a monstrous creature that has lived in the warp / a mythological underworld for uncounted years?
Anuradha offered a great chance at seeing all of this from an entirely human perspective, and a less formal voice for the text. She hasn’t been through hypno-indoctrination like a loyalist Space Marine; she isn’t an angelic weapon that struggles to understand the people of the empire she was born to defend. Similarly, she isn’t motivated by bitterness and hatred; burdened by the magnified emotional array of Traitor Marines, either.
Anuradha is at the mercy of her masters, drawn into the wars they make her fight. Like all slaves (or indentured servants, if you will…) she has very little agency over the direction of her life, but she can choose how she reacts to the twists and turns of circumstance. Narratively, that was a challenge, but one that defined the tone of the story. She has agency, but it’s personal and grounded. She doesn’t decide the fate of wars. She chronicles them.
She’s just a human—albeit valuable to her masters and highly trained—in a difficult situation. The story isn’t about her, not really, as you’ll see. But she’s perfectly placed to tell it.
Like many high-status Chapter thralls, Anuradha is extremely knowledgeable in several specific areas. Unlike most of my previous protagonists, she’s also not equipped with a Space Marine’s angelic, psycho-indoctrinated detachment to process it. She’s just a human like you, me, and everyone else.
For those story elements, I ended up being fortunate enough to get a huge range of first-hand accounts from soldiers, firefighters, police officers, doctors… And more than once I thought back to conversations I’d had years ago, when I was lucky enough to talk to a man that had served in WWII as a deck gunner on HMS Belfast; and to another that had been in a Japanese POW camp and who’d undergone privation and torture. I wanted to jump as deeply as I could into the psychology and headspaces of people who’d done these things.
On several occasions I kept backing out of writing the book, considering redoing it in a more traditional way; playing it more to type with a Space Marine protagonist doing Space Marine things, totally informed about the setting and his surroundings. In the end it was my friend, the author John French, who stopped me redrafting it all from scratch yet again:
‘Are you trying to be popular or are you trying to realise a vision? To quote the man you dedicated it to, “You need to have the courage of your convictions and not be infirm of purpose”.’
All of this is a long-winded and self-indulgent way of saying that I loved and hated writing this book. It wasn’t harder than any of the others, but it certainly felt different. I can’t even imagine what you’ll think of it.
I don’t use Alan’s death as a banner or an excuse for any changes I made. If you like the novel, that’s great, and if you don’t, that’s on me—not on the circumstances surrounding the book. Whatever the truth, I hope you enjoy this look at the benighted half of Mankind’s empire.
Welcome to Elara’s Veil, domain of the Emperor’s Spears.
Skovakarah uhl zarûn.
(Spoiler tags for size)
Thanks for that! I hadn't read that yet. Definitley don't want spoilers, but would love to know what people thought of the book (for the few that have read it). I'm pulling the trigger on it today. I've been on the fence due to price, but I like ADB and I enjoy obscure chapters, plus all the money I didn't spend buying Vostroyans has to go somewhere...right???
I’ve read it. In my opinion it’s the best BL book I’ve read in years. The setting within the dark imperium is brilliantly fresh (in a dark and nasty way) for 40k. The approach Aaron takes to telling a space marine story is borderline genius.
If you want a Dakka Dakka space marine book this probably isn’t it. It’s clever, fun and completely compelling from start to finish.
ADB is a great writer. I loved the night lords trilogy but if I’m honest his books since, whilst good, never reached the level of those books. I think this book passes those. I loved it. I’m currently reading it again. Buy it.
I’ve had my disagreements with him but there is no denying ADB’s sheer talent. I always enjoy his novels.
I wish the entire HH series had been written from the perspective of “mere mortals” — as it stands, Primarchs and even the Emperor have been presented as almost too relateable.
Reading that phrase “live on the edge of a culture you will never truly be part of,” that’s a very common theme in British fiction. And very often, the dividing line is class. Think of the myriad Upstairs Downstairs type dramas. It’s a very good way to conceive of the inner workings of a SM Chapter.
I never had the chance to get into any discussion with Alan Bligh. I only knew him through his work, beginning with the two-volume Badab War IA series. His untimely death is probably the greatest blow, albeit a preemptive one, to the Warhammer 40k setting.
Not sure about the entire series from a mortal perspective but the lack of any real mortal presence from the heresy series was a big mistake made by BL. Anytime it was brought up the answer was that the war was legion business. But that’s nonsense, war effects everything, everyone and mostly the weakest and most vulnerable in any society. A different perspective could have kept the series fresh.
Warlord > Imperator by a decent margin, so if you didn't enjoy Warlord no way will you enjoy Imperator.
I would agree with BrookM, the IK books are far better. Titan Death >>>>>> Warlord >>> Imperator would be my pick for the recent Titan releases. As much as I don't like the poorly done virtue signalling in Titan Death or the lack of true depictions of massed Titan on Titan action it is far better written than the other two.
I wish the entire HH series had been written from the perspective of “mere mortals” — as it stands, Primarchs and even the Emperor have been presented as almost too relateable.
I’m not sure I’d like to meet you if the Emperor is relatable
Inferno! Volume 1 returned to Black Library’s roots while showcasing great stories from authors old and new. With Inferno! Volume 2 available to pre-order, we thought you might want a sneak peek at what you can expect from the next volume of the short fiction anthology.
We caught up with Black Library Commissioning Editor Jacob Youngs, who put together this next anthology. Here’s what he had to say:
Jacob: “Inferno! Volume 3 is the largest version of the anthology to date, bursting with secrets and hidden truths across a wide array of stories. Indeed, the keen-eyed reader will spot that this volume oozes mystery and suspense. Combining a group of seasoned Black Library veterans with a selection of newer authors, this volume is not for the weak-willed! Nate Crowley and Steven B Fischer return to Inferno! with brand-new stories. Meanwhile, Matt Smith and Rik Hoskin are making their Inferno! debuts, furnishing us with their takes on the Warhammer settings. Whether it’s the darkest denizens of the underhive or the wanton violence of the Blood Bowl field that catches your eye, Inferno! Volume 3 should be next on your reading list.”
We asked Jacob about the stories from Volume 3, and here are his top picks:
‘The Spirit of Cogs’ by John French is the lead story in the book, and a prequel to the Horusian Wars series. It is centred on Magos Glavius 4-Rho and his dealings with a shadowy sect of the Adeptus Mechanicus.
Graeme Lyon’s ‘Dismember the Titans’ is the first Blood Bowl story to appear in Inferno!. It brings a series of gruesome and mysterious murders to the gridiron that a pair of Talabheim Titans players must solve before they become the next targets…
In ‘Empra’, Nate Crowley depicts a feral tribe of humans who discover a downed Imperial starship on their planet and attempt to restore it to glory. The story explores the nature of the tribe’s faith and how it differs from the typical Imperial beliefs – with some misunderstandings along the way…
Guy Haley’s ‘The Prince’s Tale’ is a continuation of the Prince Maesa stories from Inferno! 1 and 2. This time, the enigmatic aelf tells a tale from his past. What stories could such a seasoned wanderer have to tell?
These are just a few of the eleven stories you have to look forward to in Inferno! Volume 3. Here’s the full list:
40K ‘The Spirit of Cogs’ by John French
‘City of Blood’ by Matt Smith
‘Empra’ by Nate Crowley
‘The Weight of Silver’ by Steven B Fischer
‘The Emperor’s Light’ by Rob Leahy
AGE OF SIGMAR ‘The Unlamented Archpustulant of Clan Morbidus’ by David Guymer
‘In the Mists of Chaos’ by Rik Hoskin
‘The Book of Transformations’ by Matt Keefe
‘The Prince’s Tale’ by Guy Haley
NECROMUNDA ‘Bonegrinder’ by Josh Reynolds
BLOOD BOWL ‘Dismember the Titans’ by Graeme Lyon
Inferno! Volume 3 will be arriving in May – but you can pre-order Volume 2 right now, along with five classic issues of the original Inferno!. These contain a mix of short stories, comics and features, perfect for taking a look into Black Library’s past – and they’re only available for three weeks, so don’t miss out.
"Your society's broken, so who should we blame? Should we blame the rich, powerful people who caused it? No, lets blame the people with no power and no money and those immigrants who don't even have the vote. Yea, it must be their fething fault." - Iain M Banks
-----
"The language of modern British politics is meant to sound benign. But words do not mean what they seem to mean. 'Reform' actually means 'cut' or 'end'. 'Flexibility' really means 'exploit'. 'Prudence' really means 'don't invest'. And 'efficient'? That means whatever you want it to mean, usually 'cut'. All really mean 'keep wages low for the masses, taxes low for the rich, profits high for the corporations, and accept the decline in public services and amenities this will cause'." - Robin McAlpine from Common Weal
1) Are the Prince Maesa stories any good? I haven't gotten them, but I'm a sucker for Wanderers.
2) I wonder if this is Xenarite stuff for AdMech. We've had Stygies getting quite a bit of showcasing via Vigilus and the Kill Team boxed game's fluff.
Kanluwen the Maesa stories is a series of stories told by different peoples. The first was a man talking of how he founded a waystation atop a crystal claw in the lands of death.
Each story is told by a different character at the waystation - so this third one is the tale of an Aelven prince and his rather nasty spirit charge.
The poor man really has a stake in the country. The rich man hasn't; he can go away to New Guinea in a yacht. The poor have sometimes objected to being governed badly; the rich have always objected to being governed at all
We love our superheroes because they refuse to give up on us. We can analyze them out of existence, kill them, ban them, mock them, and still they return, patiently reminding us of who we are and what we wish we could be.
"the play's the thing wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king,
2019/01/05 11:25:54
Subject: Black Library News & Rumor thread: Warhammer Adventures update
Does anyone know how up-to-date the release are now for the mass market versions of the heresy books? Over Christmas and my birthday I've had presents of corax, garro and shattered legions. Shattered legions for some reason although it has a mass market price is the big version which has completely messed my collection up but they don't seem to have release dates up as far as I see for the others apart from paperbacks?
EAT - SLEEP - FARM - REPEAT 
but they don't seem to have release dates up as far as I see for the others apart from paperbacks?