Black Library Readers’ Hall of Fame: Putting a Bow on 2006

The Black Library Readers’ Hall of Fame is Goonhammer’s long-term, reader-participation initiative to recognize those novels that have “cultural, historical, or aesthetic significance” to the Black Library.

Through the votes of readers as well as our community panel of community voices, we’ll examine the entire history of the Black Library, induct the latest winners, and vote for the next round’s candidates every other week.

Spring is in full bloom, and we're excited to enter the second quarter of the year. We've got some big changes to announce for the Hall of Fame, so let's jump right into it!

First, we're going to be mixing up the format a little bit starting with the next installment. As the Black Library has continued to grow in terms of number of books published each year, we've found there's a tension between how much we're asking our readers to review versus how long the project will run for.

To date we've started splitting the years into two articles, which gives you around 15 books to vote on. The downside is that it takes us a month to get through a single year, since we run this feature every other week. Slow and steady might win the race, but we'd prefer the crowd to be awake when we cross the finish line, right?

So starting with the next installment where we enter the year 2007, we're going to do one year per feature.

While that does mean you'll have a lot of polls to vote in, we think that's a reasonable tradeoff for the excitement of moving this project along in a way that keeps it fun and engaging.

Since books aren't directly competing with other books for admission (any book that meets the threshold for entry gets in), there's no "increased competition" for entry regardless of how many books we consider each time.

For the other change, the end of a quarter means it's time for Committee rotation! With the deepest of gratitude for all their contributions, Black Library Nutters Facebook Group Admins Liam Brough and Chris Farrugia- both original members of the Committee- will be moving to the reserve bench. Replacing them we've got two new faces, both very exciting members of the community who we'll be introducing in our next installment.

Now, let's get to those books!

The Envelope Please

With everything that 2006 ushered in, it should be little surprise that we've a bumper crop of titles to induct into the Readers' Hall of Fame. In a wonderful bit of serendipitous synchronicity, there are two each from the 40K, Horus Heresy, and Fantasy book lines.

Keri, WH40K Book Club Podcast: "What else is there to say about Ciaphas Cain that hasn't already been said? Hilarity and fun in the grim dark universe is the name of the game, and Cain is here to deal the cards. This one takes place before he served with the Valhallan 597th, where it's just him and Jurgen trying to survive against the elements of a desert planet and orks. Lots and lots of orks. Cain survives the only way Cain can, with his wit, charm, luck, and tinkering abilities that would make MacGyver beyond jealous. Death or Glory is one of my personal favorites in the series just for its use of pop culture references. When you read them, you'll know. And you'll probably laugh as hard as I did."

Jay, Goonhammer: "There's a reason that Faith & Fire was recently reprinted in the 20th Anniversary Edition, and that's because it's a core pillar of the Adepta Sororitas identity in fiction. While modern writers like Danie Ware and Jude Reid have helped build a substantial body of work, James Swallow laid the foundations. Swallow smartly avoided going all in on the 'battle' part of 'Sisters of Battle,' using his tale to showcase the different ways that unshakeable faith in the Emperor could be made manifest."

AJ, The Paladin Journal: “This is one of James Swallow's earliest stories in 40k and it is pretty much the first Sororitas novel as well. This book would become a template that many others would follow years later and this is pretty much a trailblazer with its female cast of leads. The Sororitas have some fascinating lore to them and James delves into it with gusto to both tease and explain in good measure. Highly recommended.”

Jay, Goonhammer: "Here it is, arguably the most historically and commercially influential book that the Black Library has ever produced. The Horus Heresy series has been a runaway success for Games Workshop, and even the mass market paperbacks change hands at a premium in the secondary market today. The Horus Heresy gave the Black Library a juggernaut property, and it all started here with Dan Abnett at the peak of his powers."

Michael, Track of Words (from his review): “No-one would have believed back in 2006 that the Heresy would grow to be the behemoth it is today; looking back though, Horus Rising clearly and beautifully set the tone and laid the groundwork for what was to come. So much is fresh and new here, compared to 40k as it was - unfettered by 10,000 years of stagnation we see an Imperium still full of hope, and on a truly grand scale. The Legions, the Great Crusade, the sheer volume of characters and the dynamic, jaw-dropping presence of the primarchs, it all serves to mark this as the start of something that hadn’t been seen before.

“Dan Abnett was the perfect choice for this story, and he delivered in spades. Horus Rising is one of those books that simply changed the face of Black Library.”

AJ, The Paladin Journal: “One cannot say enough about this book and the special place it holds in the larger Warhammer 40,000 canon. It begins with a spectacular swerve and ends on such a dark note, but throughout it is laced with teases of all the familiar things that we love and care about the lore. Through the eyes of a wonderful cast of characters that includes some of the big heavyweights of the franchise, Dan navigates the plot with certainty and confidence.

“It is ridiculously hard to imagine a better start to what would become a behemoth spanning more than a hundred installments across various print and digital media and last for more almost twenty years too!”

Jay, Goonhammer: "For all the importance of Horus Rising, interestingly enough the book is almost entirely prologue as it's left to Graham McNeill to convey the tragedy of the Warmaster's descent and ultimate fall. This was the heresy of Horus, and McNeill paints an almost Shakespearean tragedy of hubris and insecurity doing the work that no hand of man ever could."

Lenoon, Goonhammer: "Fell Cargo is quite a lot of things - and all of them good. A pirate adventure with a Warhammer twist, a zombie story, a look at Tilea and the unexplored corners of the Old World, but most importantly it’s great fun. Swashbuckling gets thrown around a lot for pirate books but here it is justifiably in spades. For all that the Warhammer world is mostly ocean, and the 20 years since publication AND the later ill-fated mini game Dreadfleet, this is still the best nautical Warhammer adventure."

Jay, Goonhammer: "Much of the early conception around Vampires in Warhammer Fantasy drew from Kim Newman's Geneieve saga (of which the inaugural Drachenfels is itself a member of the Black Library Readers' Hall of Fame). With the villainous von Carsteins, Steven Savile brought something new to the table, crafting a tale where the wicked take center stage in a manner not unlike the Iron Warriors did for Graham McNeill in Storm of Iron. It's a faction story, but for that faction it held a deep resonance and furthered the growing realization that there was indeed an appetite for destruction amongst readers of the Black Library."

Next up, it's time to get to the polls and see which books will join these winners in rounding out the year 2006!

The Ballot: The Class of 2006 (July to December)

This week we look at the novels from the latter half of 2006, with the newly-launched Horus Heresy continuing apace.

Reminder: this is not a knockout competition. You can vote in as many books as you feel are worthy of inclusion- every book that ultimately gets enough votes will be inducted!

Warhammer 40,000

Image credit: Games Workshop

Book: The Armour of Contempt, by Dan Abnett

Synopsis: "It's a triumphant return to Gereon. Gaunt promised to liberate the planet from the forces of Chaos, and now he's back to keep his word. But as is ever the way for the Tanith, tragedy will be mingled with triumph as the war on Gereon grinds on..."

Note: Part ten in the Gaunt's Ghosts series.

Image credit: Games Workshop[/caption]

Book: Blind, by Matthew Farrer

Synopsis: "The Master of the Blind Tower is dead, and Shira Calpurnia must hunt down the murderer and bring them to justice. Dealing with the hostile astropaths and unravelling a conspiracy, Calpurnia is forced to confront her own prejudices and weakness if she is to solve the crime and restore order."

Note: Book three in the enforcer series.

Image credit: Games Workshop[/caption]

Book: Dawn of War: Tempest, by C. S. Goto

Synopsis: "Battling to save the Blood Ravens, precious gene-seed, Librarian Rhamah is sucked into the Eye of Terror and crashes down onto a bizarre planet of alien libraries and museums, an ancient eldar world hidden in the tempests of the warp. His battle-brothers mourn the passing of this hero, but his fate is far worse than death?

"When a detachment of strangely familiar Space Marines lands on the planet to plunder its forbidden knowledge, Rhamah finds himself embroiled in their confrontation with the planet's mysterious guardians. As the rest of the Blood Ravens begin their search for him, Rhamah struggles to discover his true identity, unaware that his allegiance could tip the balance to deciding the fate of this world and its secrets."

Note: Book three in the Dawn of War series.

Image credit: Games Workshop[/caption]

Book: Death World, by Steve Lyons

Synopsis: "The Catachan Jungle Fighters of the Astra Militarum are an elite regiment that specialises in destroying the Emperor's foes on the most dangerous worlds of the Imperium. Their training is really put to the test when a squad is sent to the death world of Rogar III in response to an ork incursion. But as well as dealing with the xenos threat, they must do battle with the planet itself, and the mysterious figures that stalk them across the deadly terrain. It's an action-packed tale of survival in the grim, dark, far future!"

Image credit: Games Workshop[/caption]

Book: Rogue Star, by Andy Hoare

Synopsis: "Rogue trader patriarch Lucian Gerrit makes one last desperate deal to salvage his family's fortunes. But when he throws in his lot with a corrupt Imperial commander, he and his family soon find themselves embroiled in a very dirty war indeed."

Note: Book one in the Rogue Trader series.

Image credit: Games Workshop[/caption]

The Horus Heresy

Image credit: Games Workshop

Book: Galaxy in Flames, by Ben Counter

Synopsis: "Having recovered from his grievous injuries, Warmaster Horus leads the triumphant Imperial forces against the rebel world of Isstvan III. Though the rebels are swiftly crushed, Horus's treachery is finally revealed when the planet is razed by virus bombs and Space Marines turn on their battle-brothers in the most bitter struggle imaginable."

Note: Book three in the Horus Heresy.

Image credit: Games Workshop[/caption]

Necromunda

Image credit: Games Workshop

Book: Back from the Dead, by Nick Kyme

Synopsis: "In the nightmare industrial underworld of Necromunda, brutal gangs clash in desperate battles to increase their standing with the rich decadent families who occupy the uppermost spire of the teeming hive city. Underhive watchman Erik Bane is a marked man. As a former hive city Enforcer he made a lot of enemies, many of whom followed him into the underhive to extract their revenge. But when a plague zombie infestation breaks out it's these very enemies he has to turn to for help."

Image credit: Games Workshop[/caption]

Book: Outlander, by Matt Keefe

Synopsis: "In the nightmare industrial underworld of Necromunda, brutal gangs clash in desperate battles to increase their standing with the rich decadent families who occupy the uppermost spire of their teeming hive city. When a stranger comes to town, the local religious zealots see an opportunity to put the man's forgery skills to nefarious use. But is the stranger all he seems and is revenge the only thing he's interested in forging?"

Image credit: Games Workshop[/caption]

Warhammer Fantasy

Image credit: Games Workshop

Book: The Corrupted, by Robert Earl

Synopsis: "When rogue wizard Grendl flees the Empire, a disgraced wizard and a fanatical team of witch hunters are sent to track him down. But as hunters and hunted stray into the North Wastes, all bets are off as the corrupting touch of Chaos starts to affect them all."

Image credit: Games Workshop[/caption]

Book: Death's Legacy, by Sandy Mitchell

Synopsis: "Rudi and Hanna seek refuge in Altdorf, capital city of the Empire. Rudi finally discovers the dark secret of his family, and is forced to turn to his mortal enemy, the witch hunter Gerhard, for help. Can Rudi ever be free from the evil trapped in his soul, or will the battle to destroy it also destroy him?"

Note: Book three in the Blood on the Reik series.

Image credit: Games Workshop[/caption]

Book: Dominion, by Steven Savile

Synopsis: "The immortal Vampire Counts have ravaged the Old World for many hundreds of years and their undead scourge has left its mark on many generations. Heroes have risen to combat this seemingly unstoppable tide and following the death of vampire lord Vlad von Carstein, the vampires are thrown into disarray. Struggling to rebuild their forces, the insane Konrad von Carstein comes to the fore and his bloodthirsty reign of terror will leave a swathe of destruction across the world..."

Note: Book two in the von Carstein series.

Image credit: Games Workshop[/caption]

Book: Mark of Chaos, by Anthony Reynolds

Synopsis: "As the forces of Chaos sweep down from the north to threaten the civilised lands of the human Empire, a young Empire commander must prove his honour by tracking down and destroying the enemy leader. Epic fantasy set against a backdrop of war on a grand scale."

Image credit: Games Workshop[/caption]

Book: Orcslayer, by Nathan Long

Synopsis: "After twenty years exploring other lands, Gotrek and Felix return to the Old World to find Chaos invaders rampaging through the lands of men, and the mountain-holds of the dwarfs overrun by the foul orcs and goblins. Fulfilling an ancient oath, the pair travel deep beneath the world to help a dwarf prince reclaim his realm from the greenskins. But all is not as it seems, and Gotrek may finally meet him doom in the halls of his ancestors..."

Note: Book eight in the Gotrek & Felix series.

Image credit: Games Workshop[/caption]

Book: Reaper of Souls, by Dan Abnett

Synopsis: "A member of the dark elf race, Darkblade's reputation as a warrior is beyond compare and his cruelty is legendary - even by the standards of the dark elves. Having been possessed by the foul daemon Tz'arkan, Malus undertakes a perilous quest to regain five magical artefacts that will free his soul or damn him forever!"

Note: Book three in the Chronicles of Malus Darkblade series.

Image credit: Games Workshop[/caption]

Book: Witch Killer, by C. L. Werner

Synopsis: "Witch hunter Mathias Thulmann is desperately searching for the forbidden tome, Das Buch die Unholden. Trailing the thieves that stole it into the wildest reaches of the Empire, Thulmann and his murderous assistant Streng end up in a mysterious, isolated town."

Note: Book three in the Mathias Thulmann series.

[poll id="167"]

The Banner of Glory

Finally, here’s a look at all of the current members of this most prestigious Hall!

Thanks for joining us as ever, and see you next time when we tackle the entire year of 2007!

Have any questions or feedback? Drop us a note in the comments below or email us at contact@goonhammer.com. Want articles like this linked in your inbox every Monday morning? Sign up for our newsletter. And don’t forget that you can support us on Patreon for backer rewards like early video content, Administratum access, an ad-free experience on our website, and subscriber-only content covering competitive Warhammer 40K!

Tags: black library | Black Library Readers' Hall of Fame