Black Library Readers’ Hall of Fame: The Winners of 2004 (Jul-Dec), and Books of 2005 (Jan-May)

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.

Welcome back, Black Library readers, to the next installment of our regular series where we- with your help- determine the books that get to enter the Hall. We've got an action-packed episode for you today, with two more books gaining entry to the Hall from last time as well as a bumper crop of books to consider for the next round of induction!

The Envelope Please

If one thing's been made clear these last two rounds, it's that readers really liked 2004. Not since the 1999-2000 class, home to foundational works like Space Wolf, First & Only, and Trollslayer, have we seen to many books take their honored place within the Hall.

Statheads will naturally point out that there were far fewer releases in the 1999-2000 class than 2004, making that class a real "per-capita powerhouse" that's helped propel the Black Library ever since. And they'd be right. But for the Hall, we're not inducting years, we're inducting books, and so we're delighted to unveil the two books from the latter-half of 2004 that will be immortalized in the Black Library Readers' Hall of Fame.

Michael, Track of Words: "How do you follow something as good as the Eisenhorn trilogy? By taking many of the same ingredients - a driven, highly capable inquisitor, an entourage of engaging secondary characters, a galaxy-spanning mystery - but arranging them differently. Where Eisenhorn is a single-POV series, Ravenor is an ensemble piece. Where Eisenhorn himself is a man of physical action, Ravenor’s body is confined to his chair, his mind providing his only viewpoint onto the world around him. Different enough to feel fresh, but familiar enough to feel comfortable, Ravenor was a smart move from Abnett and a worthy follow-up to a legendary trilogy."

AJ, The Paladin Journal: "Dan Abnett repeats the magic of his first Eisenhorn novel with this book, following often the same path for the characters involved. Great team of dysfunctional and amazing characters and while there’s nothing particularly new in the novel compared to its companion trilogy, Dan Abnett’s writing style overall fills that gap quite nicely. Definitely a shoe-in for the Hall of Fame."

Jay, Goonhammer: "Michael and AJ are right to note that Ravenor takes the Eisenhorn formula that worked so well for Abnett and puts a different spin on it, creating a book highly regarded in the minds of Black Library readers. One thing it does very well is anchor the story in a cityscape, offering an early look at what an urban setting can bring to 40K drama. We'd soon see more of this with the Necromunda novels as well, but there's good reason why Gideon Ravenor remains in the pantheon of top-tier heroes."

Michael, Track of Words: "While C. L. Werner’s later output for the Black Library is perhaps a little uneven, much of his earlier work still stands up today - and his Mathias Thulmann books are a great example of this. There’s a sort of alchemy going on here, with Werner’s style meshing perfectly with the subject matter to deliver a story that’s pure Old World - dark, gritty, pulpy, and just really entertaining."

Jay, Goonhammer: "The voters got this one right. It's nowhere near as prominent, but in Werner's titular Witch Hunter we see the Fantasy analogue to Gregor Eisenhorn. Not just in the character's profession and place in the universe, but also in helping to exmapnd the idea of what a Warhammer book could do. In both cases we move from the far-flung battlefields to gritty, gumshoe detective work. Chaos, too, isn't just an army of enemies to fight, but an engine of societal decay and corruption. They were Horror and Crime well before Horror and Crime were actual imprints, and these titles walked so that later ones might run."

Next up, let's see what the next slate of candidates looks like!

The Ballot: The Class of 2005 (January to May)

And now, here are the books of the first half of 2005, a year which saw new lines of fiction supporting both Necromunda as well as (in the latter half of the year) Blood Bowl.

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!

Image credit: Games Workshop

Warhammer 40,000

Image credit: Games Workshop

Book: Blood Royal, by Will McDermott and Gordon Rennie

Synopsis: "Meet Kal Jerico: rogue, bounty hunter and swashbuckler in the towering urban hell of Necromunda. The illegitimate offspring of the planet's ruler, Kal shunned his royal roots to take up the career of hired gun. Following a botched job with former rival-turned-bounty hunter, Yolanda Cattalus, Kal is 'invited' to an impromptu family reunion with his father and is made an offer that he would be very foolish to refuse. To get through this one, Kal has to hope that blood really is thicker than water."

Note: A Necromunda novel.

Image credit: Games Workshop[/caption]

Book: Conquest of Armageddon, by Jonathan Green

Synopsis: "More action with the Black Templars in the second book of the series. When an Imperial officer crash lands in the ork-infested jungles of Armageddon, a crack squad of Black Templars is sent to look for him. However, they stumble onto a Chaos plot, and must deal with corrupt Chaos Space Marines as well as ravening hordes of greenskins."

Note: Book two of the Black Templars series.

Image credit: Games Workshop[/caption]

Book: Crimson Tears, by Ben Counter

Synopsis: "Once loyal warriors of the Imperium, the Soul Drinkers have been betrayed by those they once fought to protect and declared as heretics! With the dark forces of Chaos on one side, and the Crimson Fists Space Marines on the other, the only solution for the wronged Space Marines is to come out fighting."

Note: Book three in the Soul Drinkers series.

Image credit: Games Workshop[/caption]

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

Synopsis: "Fresh from Dawn of War (the Black Library's novelisation of the best-selling THQ computer game) the Blood Ravens race to defend their homeworld against marauding aliens. It looks as if the eldar are to blame, but appearances can be deceiving, and Alaric has to race to get to the bottom of the mystery before the galaxy is plunged into war."

Note: Book two in the Dawn of War series.

Image credit: Games Workshop[/caption]

Book: Deus Sanguinius, by James Swallow

Synopsis: "The Blood Angels chapter is on the verge of being torn apart by a religious schism in their midst. Brother Arkio claims to be a reincarnation of Sanguinius, the Blood Angels' primarch, and spiritual father, and has laid down the law: follow me, or die.

Arkio's brother, Rafen, must decide where he stands in the conflict in the explosive conclusion to the Blood Angels saga."

Note: Book two in the Blood Angels series.

Image credit: Games Workshop[/caption]

Book: Junktion, by Matthew Farrer

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. Power of all kinds is the highest valued commodity in such an environment, and when Sinden Kass realises he controls the power supply of a struggling township, he finds himself a wanted man."

Note: A Necromunda novel.

Image credit: Games Workshop[/caption]

Book: Lord of the Night, by Si Spurrier

Synopsis: "Young Interrogator Mita Ashyn struggles to prove herself worthy to her master despite her growing feelings of unease at the hypocrisy within the Inquisition. When they visit the remote and sunless hive-world of Equixus, she suspects nothing more than minor corruption and heresy.

Night Lords Commander Sahaal has been in exile for ten thousand years, plotting to defeat his treacherous rival Acerbus and once again rule over his dark army. To do this he must find an ancient artefact that was stolen from him, and nothing - not even the Inquisition - will stand in his way."

Image credit: Games Workshop[/caption]

Book: Salvation, by C. S. Goto

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. Zefer Tyranus was enjoying the quiet life as a curator at House Ko'iron. However, when he discovers the existence of an ancient artefact that may link his aspiring family with the founding fathers of Necromunda, he sets off on a dangerous quest to the very depths of the underhive. Fame and prestige await him, he has only to survive long enough to claim it!"

Note: A Necromunda novel.

Image credit: Games Workshop[/caption]

Book: Survival Instinct, by Andy Chambers

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. D'onne 'Mad Donna' Ulanti is a loose cannon, an unhinged maniac with a vicious streak a mile wide. Yet, unknown to many, she began her life as the daughter of a noble, high up in the spire. When a mysterious guilder approaches her with secrets to her past, D'onne and her Escher allies are thrust into a fight for survival where treachery, deceit and murder are the least of her troubles!"

Note: A Necromunda novel.

Image credit: Games Workshop[/caption]

Book: The Traitor's Hand, by Sandy Mitchell

Synopsis: "Ciaphas Cain's latest missions takes him and his Valhallan regiment to the planet of Adumbria to defend against an approaching Chaos invasion. However, infighting with fellow Imperial Guard regiments from the world of Tallarn, commanded by an old "friend' of Cain's from the Schola Progenium, and the uprising of a sinister cult on the planet puts paid to any hopes of an easy life."

Note: Book three of the Ciaphas Cain series.

Image credit: Games Workshop[/caption]

Warhammer Fantasy

Image credit: Games Workshop

Book: Bloodstorm, by Dan Abnett and Mike Lee

Synopsis: "Send a monster to kill a monster... Murderer, betrayer, warrior beyond compare. Yet by the cruel standards of the dark elves, Malus Darkblade still has a lot to prove. Possessed by the foul daemon Tz'arkan, Malus only has a year to find five magic artefacts or his soul will be forfeit. To retrieve the Idol of Kolkuth, Malus will have to call on all his cunning and wits to survive a magic labyrinth and defeat its fearsome guardian."

Note: Book two in The Chronicles of Malus Darkblade.

Image credit: Games Workshop

Book: Death's City, by Sandy Mitchell

Synopsis: "In the wild forests of the Warhammer world, there is never any chance of peace. Forced to flee from their home by witch hunters, Rudi and Hanna take refuge in Marienburg, but it soon becomes clear that life in the city is just as dangerous. Can Rudi come any closer to discovering the secret of his past before he is hunted down by the forces of Chaos?"

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

Image credit: Games Workshop[/caption]

Book: Death's Messenger, by Sandy Mitchell

Synopsis: "Village life in the Empire is a relatively dull affair for Rudi. Living with his father, he dreams his life away, wishing he was anywhere else but here That all changes when a group of savage beastmen attack the village and Rudi is accused of Chaos worship in the subsequent investigation. Forced to flee, Rudi heads for the safety of Marienburg and the life of adventure that he wished so hard for Storming fantasy adventure in the Warhammer world, which ties in to the awesome new 'Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay.'"

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

[poll id="118"]

The Banner of Glory

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

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