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I have made a post about this last year. And now given I have not bought any Black Library novel for the last 6 months, I and still holding on to that. I used to buy Warhammer 40k novels once per month, then once per quarter. Now, it's one or two per entire year. When was the last time a Warhammer 40k book being listed on New York's Times Best-selling titles? The recent quality is so pathetic that when people think of the Black Library, things released in the 2000s would spring to their mind.

Here are the reasons why Warhammer 40k books are getting worse and worse:

- Repeating the same premises. Almost ever Space Marines battle I have read follows like this: Space Marines going in, wrecking gak, and then somebody dies and you are supposed to feel bad for them, but you really don't. And it ends with either the character reflecting on what happened or looking forward to the future. Even the fight scenes are not interesting anymore. I have seen this kind of bolter-porn countless times already, nothing is going to wow me anymore. If that porn is not worthy of being my guilty-pleasure, then I quit.

- Lore issues. Games Workshop and Black Library have numerous lore inconsistency, which I find quite confusing because I cannot imagine what exactly happens anymore because two accounts speak of different things. For example, Protean is originally mentioned as an event where the Salamanders investigate a Space Hulk, run into Genestealers and Night Lords but eventually defeat both. In the short stories, the plot makes no sense and apparently the Night Lords win.

- Repeated enemies. So many Death Guards novels nowadays, Path of the Dark Eldar, Plagues of Orath, Stormcaller, Blood Gorgon and the latest chapter of the Dark Angel series. And they are nerfed in all of those stories. Plague Marines dying like fething idiots to Dark Eldar poisons is insulting to Nurgle. Orks and Nids are also overused. I want to see more where the Space Marines crush the Tau and Necon (I don't consider The World Engine as an addition to the universe, because the event is already stated in both the Space Marines and the Necron codice).

- All stories have to be Imperium-related somehow. What the feth? Why can't we have a novel fully about Chaos Space Marines repelling Tyranids?

- A lot of ending sucks. Path of the Dark Eldar was going well until the end which leaves tons of loose ends. I have no idea what the author was thinking. And Vect just invite dozens of Archons to his place only to flay them alive? Makes no sense why anyone would fall for that, let alone cunning Dark Eldar. I want a conclusive and satisfying ending, proving I have not wasted my time through the entire book, is that too much to ask for?

- I love the Eldar. However, the Eldar novels by Gav Thorpes are some of the worst books I have ever read in my entire life. Even children and young adult books I have read are better than that. Paper-thin characters, stupid pacing and nothing making any sense. The Eldar are a complete re-skin of Space Marines, meeting the foe head-on in every single battle. And now he is butchering the Eldar even more by releasing Asurmen, proving not even the greatest of the Eldar can escape his wrath. The Octarius War features the Eldar and Space Marines working together at first, but fails to give a compelling reason why they fight each other in the end. Valedor, on the other hand, fails to give reason why the Eldar and Dark Eldar would be so comfortable working with one another in the first place. If Eldar and Dark Eldar don't betray one another, why do the Eldar betray the Space Marines and just invite death? Both books SUCK! Black Library is full of Eldar-haters.

Any 40k novel you think is better than what I said and you want to recommend to me? Comment below, let me know.

bibotot wrote:
I have made a post about this last year. And now given I have not bought any Black Library novel for the last 6 months, I and still holding on to that. I used to by Warhammer 40 novels once per month, then once per quarter. Now, it's one or two per entire year. When was the last time a Warhammer 40k book being listed on New York's Times Best-selling titles? The recent quality is so pathetic that when people think of the Black Library, things released in the 2000s would spring to their mind.
40 books a month? Eh? More than one per day... Probably more than BL puts out...

Here are the reasons why Warhammer 40k books are getting worse and worse:

- Repeating the same premises. Almost ever Space Marines battle I have read follows like this: Space Marines going in, wrecking gak, and then somebody dies and you are supposed to feel bad for them, but you really don't. And it ends with either the character reflecting on what happened or looking forward to the future. Even the fight scenes are not interesting anymore. I have seen this kind of bolter-porn countless times already, nothing is going to wow me anymore. If that porn is not worthy of being my guilty-pleasure, then I quit.
There's only so much you can do with a one-dimensional marty stu army.

- Lore issues. Games Workshop and Black Library have numerous lore inconsistency, which I find quite confusing because I cannot imagine what exactly happens anymore because two accounts speak of different things. For example, Protean is originally mentioned as an event where the Salamanders investigate a Space Hulk, run into Genestealers and Night Lords but eventually defeat both. In the short stories, the plot makes no sense and apparently the Night Lords win.
My favourite is CS Goto sticking multilasers on everything, and then having a land raider that could morph into a razorback that could morph into a LR...

- Repeated enemies. So many Death Guards novels nowadays, Path of the Dark Eldar, Plagues of Orath, Stormcaller, Blood Gorgon and the latest chapter of the Dark Angel series. And they are nerfed in all of those stories. Plague Marines dying like fething idiots to Dark Eldar poisons is insulting to Nurgle. Orks and Nids are also overused. I want to see more where the Space Marines crush the Tau and Necon (I don't consider The World Engine as an addition to the universe, because the event is already stated in both the Space Marines and the Necron codice).
Orks are the green welcome mat for the readers.

- All stories have to be Imperium-related somehow. What the feth? Why can't we have a novel fully about Chaos Space Marines repelling Tyranids?
Because GW doesn't give a feth about non-imperial humies doing stuff, unless its the HH. Also it's nearly impossible to have a main character be an alien without making them sound like a 1-dimensional human.

- A lot of ending sucks. Path of the Dark Eldar was going well until the end which leaves tons of loose ends. I have no idea what the author was thinking. And Vect just invite dozens of Archons to his place only to flay them alive? Makes no sense why anyone would fall for that, let alone cunning Dark Eldar. I want a conclusive and satisfying ending, proving I have not wasted my time through the entire book, is that too much to ask for?
The writing machine chugs along too fast for good stories atm.

- I love the Eldar. However, the Eldar novels by Gav Thorpes are some of the worst books I have ever read in my entire life. Even children and young adult books I have read are better than that. Paper-thin characters, stupid pacing and nothing making any sense. The Eldar are a complete re-skin of Space Marines, meeting the foe head-on in every single battle. And now he is butchering the Eldar even more by releasing Asurmen, proving not even the greatest of the Eldar can escape his wrath. The Octarius War features the Eldar and Space Marines working together at first, but fails to give a compelling reason why they fight each other in the end. Valedor, on the other hand, fails to give reason why the Eldar and Dark Eldar would be so comfortable working with one another in the first place. If Eldar and Dark Eldar don't betray one another, why do the Eldar betray the Space Marines and just invite death? Both books SUCK! Black Library is full of Eldar-haters.

Any 40k novel you think is better than what I said and you want to recommend to me? Comment below, let me know.
Helsreach, because Grimaldus is a badass.

I haven't read too many BL books, but i enjoyed 'Mechanicum'. I am slightly biased because of the mechanicum links and fluff, but i don't remember it having the problems you're describing here.

Worth a peek, i think.