Black Library Weekly: Merry Grotmas to All

Another weekend, another road trip for hockey. This last one was to one of our favorite destinations, the Queen City Sportsplex in Cincinnati. Across the street from the rink is my goalie's favorite Chinese restaurant, Uncle Yip's₁, and just a stone's throw away is a friendly, local game store, Yottaquest.

I've mentioned Yottaquest before, most recently in the Get Started Collecting the Black Library mega-piece. Speaking as a former comic and game store owner myself, Yottaquest is everything you want in an FLGS: meticulously clean, friendly and welcoming, family-owned, and well-stocked with just about everything you'd want. It also has one of the best-stocked Black Library sections of any store I've visited.

Awhile back when I was in the stocking stage of my own Library, I dropped about $400 there just on books (they had so many hardcovers!). Armed with a few snaps of my library in case I couldn't remember if I owned a particular book, I eagerly descended on their shelves this Saturday to find anything I might be missing. I was not disappointed...

Image credit: Jay Kirkman

Yup, that's it, one book₂.

I still remember what it felt like to outgrow my local Warhammer store, the excitement of finding books I didn't own available to buy on the shelf coming to an end as I'd already acquired them all. Pouring out a little bourbon-spiked eggnog to Yottaquest,. We had some good times together, didn't we₃?

Image credit: Games Workshop

Attack of the POD People

The final batch of print-on-demand (POD) editions of Dan Abnett's Gaunt's Ghosts series have been announced. Blood Pact (2009), Salvation's Reach (2011), The Warmaster (2017), and Anarch (2019) will be available to order between 12/27/25 and 1/12/26.

The "Founding" trilogy introduced the POD series back in February of 2023, with the next four released in July of that year. November of last year saw the release of books eight through eleven, so after a year fans will now have the chance to complete the full run.

Unlike what we saw happen with the Illustrated and Annotated Edition of Malleus, which sent Xenos prices through the roof on the secondary market, I don't expect a ton of pricing movement from this announcement. Given the two-year gap in releases, many collectors reasonably assumed that Xenos was a one-off, especially as it was released in conjunction with the book's 20th anniversary. When Malleus hit, folks realized, "hey waitaminnit, this is gonna be a set!" and that sparked off a ton of collector interest.

Here, this is the fourth POD release of Gaunt's Ghosts books. Everyone knew these were coming, so the only unknown was the when rather than the if. Most likely, that interest has already been 'baked in' to the aftermarket prices for the first eleven releases. Still, it's nice to see the series conclude in a way that's widely accessible.

And speaking of printing on demand, don't forget that the order deadline for the Special Edition of Era of Ruin is fast approaching! It will be available on the Warhammer website until 8am GMT this coming Wednesday, 24 December.

Image credit: Games Workshop

Coming Soon to a Bookstore Near You

Like most folks, I don't particularly relish being wrong about things, but every so often it can come as good news. As it happens, my expectation that we wouldn't see a lot of preview activity for the Black Library until February's Black Library Celebration was a bit off the mark as this week a trio of new titles were revealed. Huzzah!

For 40K, I'm not sure which surprised me more: the fact that we were getting a Word Bearers story or that there's another Krieg novel coming so hot on the heels of Steve Lyons' The Relentless Dead, which I've only just finished reading (look for a review at the end of the week).

Apostle, by David Annandale (Yarrick: The Box Set, The Damnation of Pythos), is the next Chaos Space Marine story following Mike Vincent's The Relentless Blade, and I can never have too many of these. The Word Bearers, not unlike the Night Lords, tend to be less-featured Legions as they're not part of the "core four" that have mainline tabletop miniature ranges and Codex support.

Death Rider is the first Black Library novel by Rhuairidh James, who has a handful of short stories and one novella (2023's Da Gobbo Rides Again) to his credit. Every time I see his name I'm reminded of the clashes I had with the wife a decade ago when naming one of our daughters (we compromised on Ruari, and even still the American mispronunciations are pretty epic).

Rhuairidh's has a hell of a hook, focusing on a Krieg Commissar, a doomed planet, and a suicidal attack on T'au forces.

The Age of Sigmar setting hasn't been overlooked either, with a new sequel to last August's Lioness of the Parch. Evan Dicken's First Marshal sees the return of Freeguild commander Tahlia Vedra, and this time she's up against the ~~Chorfs~~ ~~Chaos Dwarfs~~ Helsmiths of Hashut!

I really enjoyed Dicken's Shade of Khaine (review), and Lioness has been in my TBR pile. Delighted to see him penning another one! Dicken was also the guest author in last week's Six-Pack of book recommendations, so make sure to check it out if you haven't already!

No release dates yet for any of the three.

Image credit: Mike Lee

ICYMI

This weekend was a Warhammer Fantasy one-two for book reviews. Lenoon tackled the recently-rereleased omnibus The Rise of Nagash, by Mike Lee. Remarked one reader on the Black Library subreddit, u/King_Of_BlackMarsh, "I'm sure as heck picking these up. The [Blood of Nagash series] was excellent and I found a lot of fun in them as an AoS fan to see how it contrasts with AoS and how it sets up all I love about the setting." Mike Lee himself had quite a tip of the cap as well (see above).

And speaking of Age of Sigmar, I had a look at Adrian Tchaikovsky's latest, the Seraphon-focused (and punnily-named) Starseer's Ruin. It's a terrific tale, an opinion echoed by reader David Patterson who noted "I've followed AoS since the beginning, and despite some early struggles I think it's really coming into its own as a setting now. Some of the best Black Library stories I've read this year have been AoS!"

Thanks David, I completely agree! While late to the AoS party, it's been steadily gaining ground in my affections through some of the remarkable stories we've seen.

The Grotmas Calendar over on WARCOM carries on, with some additional fictional treats. We've enjoyed a Flesheater Courts short story, an AoS story featuring the Grandfather, and a 40K story about worshippers of the Eye of Terror.

Around the horn, Jen and Keri of the WH40K Book Club reviewed the most recent Red Gobbo novella, Da Red Gobbo's Last Stand by Andi Ewington. (Our review here.)

Meanwhile, Arbiter Ian and Mira Manga took a look at the Warhammer Crime novel, Flesh and Steel by Guy Haley.

Image credit: Jay Kirkman

Merry Grotmas from My Family to Yours

Speaking of Starseer's Ruin, our kids had fun (sorta) recreating the story with some of the family pets. From left to right, Team Skaven is Moira (with Abaddon) and Lorcan (holding Horus), then Team Seraphon is Declan (pointing at Cocomelon the chameleon in the fern... where else, right Oaxmal?) and Ruari with Tilly.

From my family to yours, and from all of us here at the Goonhammer Black Library and Lore Team, a very Merry Grotmas to one and all. Thanks for reading us this year, and we can't wait to see what the next brings!

Black Library Readers' Hall of Fame

One of the most fun series I've been a part of this year is this Hall of Fame initiative. We're walking through the entire history of the Black Library with the help of our readers, seeing which books stand the test of time in our hearts and memories.

So far we've had three "Classes" (1989-98, 1999-00, and 2001), and this coming Saturday will see us announce the winners from 2002. Make sure to tune in and cast your votes for 2003 as well!

I'll continue to keep the 'Scroll of Glory' here as well so we can see how it steadily unrolls!

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

Anarch, by Dan Abnett (POD hardcover)
Apostle, by David Annandale
Blood Pact, by Dan Abnett (POD hardcover)
Death Rider, by Rhuairidh James
First Marshal, by Evan Dicken
Salvation's Reach, by Dan Abnett (POD hardcover)
The Warmaster, by Dan Abnett (POD hardcover)

Upcoming in 2026

Farsight: Blade of Truth, by Phil Kelly (paperback, 1/27)
Fulgrim: The Perfect Son, by Jude Reid (paperback, 1/27) (review)
Siege of Terra: The Shattered and the Soulless, by Graham McNeill (paperback, 1/27)
Vaults of Terra: The Omnibus, by Chris Wraight (paperback, 1/27)
Huron Blackheart: Master of the Maelstrom, by Mike Brooks (paperback, 3/10)
Carcharodons: Void Exile, by Robbie MacNiven (paperback, 3/10) (review)
The Green Tide, by Mike Brooks, Nate Crowley, and Justin Woolley (paperback 3/24)
The Ghost Legion: The Pillar of Dreams, by Mike Brooks (title translated from German) (4/7)
Carnage Unending, by Dan Abnett (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)
The Remnant Blade, by Mike Vincent (paperback, 7/2)
Tomb World, by Jonathan Beer (paperback, 7/2)
Voidscarred, by Mike Brooks (paperback, 7/2)
Krakenblood, by Marc Collins (paperback, 7/16)
Vagabond Squadron, by Robbie MacNiven (paperback, 7/16)
Siege of Terra: Flames of Betrayal, by James Swallow (paperback, 7/28)

Footnotes

Open on Christmas! As the friendly waiter made sure to let me know...
But what a lineup! I've never explored the angle, but I imagine if there's a list of "most-published Black Library authors never to have written a novel," Graeme Lyon is surely on it. Two novellas (Armour of Faith, Code of the Skies), sixteen short stories...and nary a novel in sight.
Just as with my local Warhammer store, there's still tons of enjoyment to be had. It just won't be the books, alas, since like most stores they acquire new product through primary distribution channels only₄. If you're just building your library, though, they're well worth a visit!
Primary versus secondary distribution channels was covered extensively in my Getting Started Collecting the Black Library primer. Everything I know about collecting Black Library books. Truly a bargain at any price, but all yours and absolutely free. Thank you for being a Goonhammer reader!

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