Black Library Weekly: Anniversaries and Celebrations

Not much this week for the Black Library in terms of preorder, though Evan Dicken's Shade of Khaine (review) and Queen of the Rose Throne by Gary Kloster are both coming to paperback.

With the books of the Black Library Celebration hitting the store shelves this Saturday, I'll be the last one to complain about getting a wallet-light week. The butcher's bill for completionists like myself is going to be significant, and I've already started making room on the bookshelves.

For those that live near a Warhammer store, don't forget there are a couple of goodies up for grabs in-store as well.

The Black Library Celebration 2026 mini-anthology is free to acquire- while store supplies last. The stories this year are a trio for 40K and two from Age of Sigmar. We'll jump into the contents here in a sec, but here's what's in store in today's Black Library Weekly:

Now, let's see what's in that anthology!

Irreplaceable, by Denny Flowers

Part of 2024's Advent Calendar Subscription, this was our first taste of Flowers writing Mad Dok Grotsnik ahead of the release last May.

Joy of the Martyr, by Ness Brown

Originally released as part of the Daughters of the Emperor Week in 2024, this came to print last year as part of the Paragon of Faith and Other Stories anthology (review).

Opportunity Cost, by Jonathan Beer

The recent No Peace Among Stars anthology was interesting in that it essentally reprinted short story 'theme weeks' wholesale, but Opportunity Cost- part of last May's Cult Mechanicus Week- was a notable exception. It was particularly curious given that it features the characters from Beer's novel Dominion Genesis (review). It seems now we know why, as it's included in the Celebration anthology instead.

Doomwheel, by Ian Green

Like Irreplaceable, Green's Skaven tale Doomwheel was also originally released as part of 2024's Advent Calendar. This is its first time in print.

The Nameless, by Hal Wilson

Wilson's tale, on the other hand, has been in print before. Originally part of June 2024's Wanderers of the Realms Theme Week, it was also included in the On the Shoulders of Giants and Other Stories anthology later that year (review).

Image credit: Games Workshop

Besides the book, if you spend USD $100 or more (or the local equivalent for those abroad), there's a special "coin of the month" that's available as well.

Given the recent kerfuffle around Solomon Akurra, Mike Brooks' hero of Harrowmaster and Ghost Legion, the obvious Alpha Legion design was another hint that appeared not to pan out. Brooks had written of seeing the Akurra mini in the Ghost Legion foreword, and many (myself included) had expected to see it unveiled for this year's Celebration.

While that didn't happen, all is not lost. With the upcoming Preview Show streaming live from Adepticon this Wednesday, we may yet see more from the Alpha Legion.

Happy Anniversary to...Me?

There are certainly worse anniversaries to forget (you married folk particularly know what I'm talking about), but it somehow slipped under my radar that earlier this month I crossed over the one-year anniversary of Black Library Weekly here on Goonhammer.

It's pretty remarkable to see how much the feature has grown, both in content as well as readership. For all those who have been regular readers, and those who might be reading today for the first time, thank you from the bottom of my heart. Being able to chat and connect with the passionate Black Library community about the books, stories, and characters we love is an absolute highlight of my week.

From humble beginnings where I just sort of riffed on what was going on, to the more structured and organized column of today the amount of content we're serving up each week has grown as well. So if you'd be so kind, would you mind indulging me in a Goldilocks-style pulse check?

Image credit: Games Workshop[/caption]

Spear of the Emperor, by Aaron Dembski-Bowden. "There are a few authors whose work just clicks with me – I find their books magnetic in a way that makes it damn near impossible to put down, and I’m so engrossed that I can rarely anticipate what’s coming next. ADB is one of those rare few for me. His Night Lords trilogy is probably one of the most recommended books/series currently in print (because it’s brilliant), but I’ll always take a moment to plug Spear of the Emperor, a story about a chapter on the very fringes of the Imperium.

"It was a book full of surprises, and the way that it’s told from the perspective of a human serf rather than a superhuman Astartes adds colour and depth to the story. One to pick up if you’re looking for a different approach to a space marine tale that’ll linger in the mind for a good while after you finish it."

Image credit: Games Workshop

Dropsite Massacre, by John French. "Dropsite Massacre is the most recent release in here, but I think it’ll be looked back on as a classic in the years to come. It treads ground that’s been visited before, but never with this much detail and time dedicated to it (at least to my knowledge).

"John French manages to weave an impressive number of narrative perspectives together without any feeling underserved, and even though certain events of Istvaan V have been told before in part, it all felt very fresh and new. I don’t want to give spoilers for this book or any of the others, but I’ve got to shout out Khârn’s storyline – it was a standout amongst standouts! Definite recommendation."

Image Credit: Games Workshop

The Wraithbone Phoenix, by Alec Worley. "This book sucked me in and wouldn’t let go. I think I ended up smashing through it in about two or three sittings, and was left feeling annoyed that I had to leave the world of Baggit and Clodde and their little slice of Varangantua.

"It’s a fresh interpretation of a crime caper with all of the twists and turns that entails, but has a bleak humour that works so well in the grimdark as it explores what life is like for the folks who aren’t on the front lines. Definitely one to pick up if that sounds interesting, plus there’s also the Dredge Runners audiodrama that precedes it if you want a little more time in Baggit and Clodde’s company."

Two Non-Black Library Books He’d Recommend…

Image credit: Books LLC

The Greek Myths Series, by Stephen Fry. "So this is a bit of a cheeky entry, but this recommendation is really for Stephen Fry’s entire four-book series on ancient Greek myths – Myths, Heroes, Troy and Odyssey – but in my defence the way they’re written feels like one continuous narrative. There are consistent threads and callbacks peppered throughout each book, which not only reinforces how it feels like one book split into four parts, but also reveals how intertwined everything is with the ancient Greek mythos.

"Fry manages to modernise the language and the context of such a rich and deep subject area in such a way that it’s digestible, which is a great improvement over some of the denser explorations of the subject matter that I’ve bounced off in the past. Plus I’m of an age where I grew up listening to the Harry Potter audiobooks (on cassette, before there were even movies!) and Stephen Fry’s writing style evokes the way he speaks so closely that there’s a touch of nostalgia there, at least for me.

"It’s a great series to approach not only if you’re a fan of history, but a fan of storytelling – you’ll see where some of the familiar plotlines stem from in our collective consciousness, and how oral and written history combined to give the ancient Greek mythos the longevity that it still enjoys today."

Image credit: Strange Violin Editions

A Short Stay in Hell, by Steven L. Peck. "This is a short, sharp stab of existential horror that’s only about 100 pages long, but does more in those 100 pages than some long-form horror stories I’ve come across.

"It follows Soren as he enters the afterlife and finds that it’s not at all what he expected – he’s in an almost infinite library, and the only way to leave is to find the book of his life. He encounters all manner of other “sinners” in this version of hell, and without wanting to give away too much, you quickly realise that the infinite possibilities of the library are only part of the horror. The fear generated in the book doesn’t come from a bogeyman or a tangible threat, but the fear of the unknown and losing what little you have to it.

"A Short Stay in Hell is a great example of where a book doesn’t overstay its welcome. It’s short without feeling abrupt, and doesn’t water down the pace or the tension by including needless filler to bulk out the word count. Horror suits this compact, condensed format, and is a great entry point to the rich world of horror shorts and novellas."

And Finally, One of His Own Books He’d Recommend…

Image credit: Games Workshop

"Longshot holds a special place in my heart. It was my first book for Black Library, and I was lucky to be able to explore some really interesting areas of the setting and its inhabitants. There are Cadians still dealing with the loss of their homeworld, a main character who is an outsider amongst outsiders, and an enemy who understands that guns aren’t the only weapons in a war – all set against the backdrop of two sides battling for the fate of a world."

Thanks for sharing, Rob! Longshot was a heck of a debut, and a terrific read.

Credit: Warhammer Community

Black Library App Launches

The day foretold has arrived, and the new Black Library App has launched. If you're amongst the 'early adopters' giving it a go in the first month, there's a whole suite of free goodies for you:

Image credit: Games Workshop

It's worth noting that despite the use of the conjunction "or" in the list above, it's more of an "and." I was able to add both the eBooks and audio versions to my library, giving me the luxury of choice later on when I decide to enjoy one of them. Before we get into some of the continuing concerns around the app itself, you may want to make sure to install the app even if only to get the free titles. They're only available for the next few weeks. And don't forget to merge your accounts first!

Last month when the app was announced, we looked at some of the less-than-favorable reaction from the community:

Now that it's rolled out, we're able to see some of the early 'growing pains' the community has run into. Reader u/seandablimp shared some of the issues he'd run into on the Black Library subreddit:

No basic reader features (can’t switch scroll/page mode, no themes, super barebones compared to Apple Books)
Doesn’t save your place properly — I’ve lost 50 pages just from switching apps
Books randomly show “error occurred” even after purchase
Text glitches where words overlap and become unreadable
Even the “report issue” buttons don’t work

Meanwhile, u/wktg posted a review which, while constructively critical, did list some positives:

Dyslexic Font: Good for those that need it.
Language setting: Three languages, English, German and French. Can be set globally, in contrast to some other storefronts, and stays that way so you only get the books in the language you want.
You can copy text from the books - so this or screenshots can be used to share.
When clicking on a book, you can switch between audio and ebook.

I've also seen some concerns about the audio quality surfacing. While it's too early for a final verdict, of course, it's good that the community has been putting it through its paces. I've noted before that the app seemed to be the answer to a question the fanbase wasn't asking, so this is at least a good opportunity for Games Workshop to demonstrate to the community their commitment to maintaining a positive experience for its users.

Black Library Readers' Hall of Fame: The Top 25

This past weekend we inducted a trio of books from 2005 into the Hall of Fame. With the help of the reading (and voting!) public, we extend a big congratulations to:

Fifteen Hours, by Mitchel Scanlon
His Last Command, by Dan Abnett
Grudge Bearer, by Gav Thorpe

We're now far enough along in this initiative that it can be fun to see what the data tells us about the different books and even product lines. For example, want to know which books had the highest percentage of votes in favor of entry? We gotchu:

We all know that Dan Abnett is a legend of the Black Library, for instance- but here we can see just how well thought-of his body of work remains to Black Library readers (some of whom, we can safely assume, may not even have been born when the books first came out).

I know for some the next question here might be, "if those are the best, what are the 25 worst?" I opted against compiling that for three reasons. For one, negative engagement is clickbaity, and we have more respect for our readers here at Goonhammer. Second, I personally prefer to highlight the positive when it comes to the Black Library. That doesn't mean I avoid being critical when it's warranted, whether in my reviews or in my discussions about Games Workshop's business practices, but I don't really see anything constructively critical in a "worst" list.

And finally- and perhaps most crucially- this isn't really the best format to answer that question. Our Readers' Hall of Fame polls are very specific in what they ask; they aren't polling "is this book bad," but rather "does it deserve to be in the Hall." I know I've personally voted against books I'd consider "good" because they didn't quite rise to the threshold of "Hall of Fame good," but you'd hardly say that automatically makes them "bad."

But dang, isn't that a helluva list up there? Over two dozen absolute bangers- and we've only just crossed into 2006 in the Hall of Fame reviewing.

Image credit: Games Workshop

ICYMI

In addition to the Black Library Readers' Hall of Fame piece this weekend (and if you haven't voted yet, what are you waiting for?), we also reviewed the new debut novel from Rhuairidh James, Death Rider.

For you lorehounds out there, Rob "The Chirurgeon" Jones also posted part two of his five-part deep dive into the Ultramarines, this time looking at the Legion before and during the Horus Heresy. He also includes a terrific Black Library recommended reading section for those looking for more!

On Warhammer Community, not a lot of book content this week but for you Warhammer animation buffs there was a bit of Yarrick and the drop of episode two of Penitence.

Then around the webway, the WH40K Book Club took a ride on Demolisher, the Steel Tread sequel by Andy Clark (we recently reviewed it as well, here). Meanwhile, Arbitor Ian and Mira Manga ">dove into Honourbound, the Severian Raine tale from Rachel Harrison.

Finally, the short story of the week over at Cold Open Stories is Liberation, by Tristan Parker. "A quiet tale of Chaos seduction, and how the face of the Archenemy isn’t always many armed monstrosities descending out of the warp. Sometimes the seeds fall quietly, looking to exploit a weakness or a tease a desire, and sometimes, that is just as effective as a lance strike."

Last Week's Poll

Last week I asked how you were feeling about this year's Black Library Celebration. We post-mortem'ed the event last week, but this seemed to track with the impression I picked up in the community spaces with a little over half of respondents being either "disappointed" or "very disappointed." Only a quarter reported feeling "positively" or "very positively," so I'll hope that GW picked up what the community was putting down and perhaps better understands how important this slice of the hobby is to so many of us.

Image credit: Tor Books

Quick Hits

In addition to appearing on Rob Young's recommendation list, Alec Worley (The Wraithbone Phoenix, The Martyrdom of Sister Ishani) has been doing some RPG writing on the upcoming relaunch of Tunnels & Trolls. T&T was first published in 1975, making it the second-oldest behind Dungeons & Dragons. I had an old rulebook as a kid and found its zany style both hilarious and ridiculous (one spell, for example, was called "Take That, You Fiend!") Great to see it making a comeback, having smashed its funding goals on Kickstarter with three weeks yet to go! Take That, indeed!
Jacob Peppers (Reclaimed Honour) and his wife are expecting the arrival of their fourth child later this week, as announced in the launch of his new email newsletter. Best wishes to the Peppers family- may the tribe increase! If you haven't visited his site yet, you get a free story just for signing up to the newsletter!
Author's newsletters and blogs are terrific ways to get a ringside seat to what's going on in their minds, and I always recommend signing up to them whenever you find one. For instance, here's Josh Reynolds (Lukas the Trickster, Road of Skulls) doing a deep dive this into one of his favorite H. P. Lovecraft stories, Pickman's Model, and the nature of ghouls.
Black Library Readers' Hall of Fame member Kim Newman (Drachenfels, Beasts in Velvet as Jack Yeovil) has a new novel coming up in May from Tor Books, and he's commissioned a series of comic book covers for some of its more notable characters.
Finally, the Kickstarter has launched for The Iron Code, an anthology of stories celebrating the life of legendary fantasy writer David Gemmell. The list of contributors is expansive, including a number of Black Library writers and alumni such as Dan Abnett, Jonathan Green (The Dead and the Damned, Necromancer), Juliet McKenna (Fear Itself), Gavin Smith (Suffer Not a Human to Live, Apex Predator), Anna Stephens (Trisethni the Unseen, Gothghul Hollow), and Adrian Tchaikovsky (On the Shoulders of Giants, Starseer's Ruin). What a lineup!

Image credit: Games Workshop

Coming Attractions

Here’s a list of the known upcoming releases from the Black Library based on the available preorder information we have. As always, take all of this with a grain of salt unless it’s Games Workshop-confirmed.

This section will be updated weekly in this column. Any titles that are announced but without a date will be added once a date is assigned it, and anything highlighted in green is something just added (or updated) this week. Books that are underlined are previously unpublished titles.

Upcoming but Undated

Hive, by Dan Abnett
Zardu Layak, the Crimson Apostle by Rich McCormick
Rynn's World, by Steve Parker (Special Edition)

Current PODs in Production

Era of Ruin, by various (POD Special Edition, window end 12/24)
Anarch, by Dan Abnett (POD hardcover, window end 1/12)
Blood Pact, by Dan Abnett (POD hardcover, window end 1/12)
Salvation’s Reach, by Dan Abnett (POD hardcover, window end 1/12)
The Warmaster, by Dan Abnett (POD hardcover, window end 1/12)

Upcoming in 2026

Horus Rising, by Dan Abnett (hardcover and Premium, 3/28)
Ghazghkull Thraka: Warlord of Warlords, by Denny Flowers (hardcover and Special, 3/28)
Chem Dog, by Callum Davis (hardcover, 3/28)
Grombrindal: The Legend of the White Dwarf, by various (hardcover, 3/28)
The Infinite and the Divine – Illustrated and Annotated Edition, by Robert Rath (hardcover, 3/28)
Faith & Fire (20th Anniversary Edition) by James Swallow (hardcover, 3/28)
The Green Tide, by various (paperback 3/28)
Deathwatch, by Steve Parker (paperback, 3/28)
Grudge Bearer, by Gav Thorpe (paperback, 3/28)
Black Library Celebration 2026, by various (paperback, 3/28)
Queen of the Rose Throne, by Gary Kloster (paperback, 4/11)
Shade of Khaine, by Evan Dicken (paperback, 4/11)
Carnage Unending, by various (paperback, 4/21)
Legends of the Waaagh!, by various (paperback, 5/19)
Yarrick: The Omnibus, by David Annandale (paperback, 5/19)
Horus Rising, by Dan Abnett (paperback, 6/2)
Tomb World, by Jonathan Beer (paperback, 6/30)
The Remnant Blade, by Mike Vincent (paperback, 6/30)
Voidscarred, by Mike Brooks (paperback, 6/30)
Krakenblood, by Marc Collins (paperback, 7/14)
Vagabond Squadron, by Robbie MacNiven (paperback, 7/14)
Starseer’s Ruin, by Adrian Tchaikovsky (paperback, 7/14)
Siege of Terra: Flames of Betrayal, by various (paperback, 7/28)
Warhammer Age of Sigmar: The Ultimate Guide (hardcover, 8/4)
Archmagos, by Guy Haley (paperback, 8/11)
The Relentless Dead, by Steve Lyons (paperback, 8/11)
Words of Waaagh!, by DK Books (hardcover, 10/1)

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Tags: black library | beyond the black library