Black Library Weekly: See You in Two Months' Time

Unless you were on the inside at the Black Library in 2004, you had no way to know it was coming. Indeed, as you picked up the latest issue of Inferno! at the newsstands or gaming shop, issue #46, there wasn't a hint or a sign in sight.

"See you in two months' time," editor Christian Dunn cheerfully signed off at the end of the introductory editor's note.

Indeed, recent editorial notes had been filled with promise and optimism. Issue #42 noted that they were looking into way that aspiring writers could submit their stories using that hot new technology, the internet ("The tech priests were last seen muttering their prayers to the Machine God, so watch this space.") Issue #43 asked for feedback so readers could "have a hand in shaping the future of Inferno!"

But two months later, there was no issue #47. Inferno!'s plug had been pulled.

Business is a growth-based enterprise, and successful businesses are those that tend not to simply do things as they've always been done, but rather seek to see how they can deliver on their value proposition better.

If you were a reader in 2005 as Inferno! followed the dinosaurs and dodo birds, the realization might have come as a considerable disappointment. After all, every other month since 1997 you'd been able to look forward to another batch of terrific Warhammer short fiction. But with the benefit of hindsight we're able to see (and hopefully understand) the broader picture.

Inferno! was the foundation of the modern Black Library, but might be best be seen now as the rocket boosters rather than the ship itself. They got the Black Library to where it needed to be, with a stable roster of strong writers producing longform fiction on a regular basis that resonated with readers and fans. With the Horus Heresy on the horizon, the need for an integrated and consistent narrative arc was more important than ever- something ill-served by the more scattershot approach of short story submissions.

Not only that, but compared to novels and short story anthologies, magazines were considerably more resource-intensive. They needed more content and layout planning than did the blocks of simple prose that comprise the mighty book. This was growth and evolution, not surrender and defeat.

In light of all that, this seems like the time to share that next week's installment of Black Library Weekly will be the last here on Goonhammer. It's a bittersweet moment; just last week I was celebrating having crossed our one-year milestone, and this column has been a delight to write. I've enjoyed shining a spotlight on the incredible books and authors that have kept us coming back to the worlds of Warhammer again and again.

But we, too, must focus on growth and evolution, and so I share all this to note that this isn't surrender and defeat. And it sure as hell isn't a farewell, as I'm not only going to be continuing to bring you reviews of the latest Black Library offerings but we've got some kickass content ideas I love coming down the pipeline as well.

So with that, let's jump into the books!

Image credit: Games Workshop

Up for Preorder

After the big hit of the Black Library Celebration, it's nice to have another week of relative tranquility. The Carnage Unending anthology is the only brand-new title going up this week, and contains the following stories"

Blood Rite, by Rachel Harrison
Consecrated Ground, by Steven B. Fischer
The Glorious Tomb, by Guy Haley
Hell Fist, by Justin Woolley
It Bleeds, by David Guymer
Mad Dok, by Nate Crowley
Ork Hunter, by Dan Abnett
Packin' Heat, by Mike Brooks
The Price of Morkai, by Marc Collins
Road Rage, by Mike Brooks
Sarcophagus, by David Annandale
Wulfen, by Chris Wraight

While all are previously published, a couple of them have been added stories in Limited Editions rather than mass-released.

In addition, Danie Ware's Aestred Thurga: Pyre of Faith gets its standard hardcover release, Paragon of Faith and Other Stories (review) arrives in paperback, and Dan Abnett and Mike Lee's Bloodstorm gets an audiobook.

Image credit: Games Workshop

Sharing a Six-Pack with… Chris Thursten

One of the most popular additions to the column this past year has been the Six-Pack featurette, which asks Black Library authors for some of their personal book recommendations. We’re in the midst of “Season Three” right now, which has included Denny Flowers, Evan Dicken, John French, and last week's guest Rob Young.

This week we’re delighted to share a Six-Pack with Chris Thursten, author of Darkoath (review) and Abraxia: Spear of the Everchosen (review).

Three Black Library Books He’d Recommend…

Image credit: Games Workshop

Warcry Catacombs: Blood of the Everchosen, by Richard Strachan. "Across the Eightpoints, rival warbands rip each other to pieces for the right to determine the fate of a child marked by Archaon himself. Blood of the Everchosen is an under-appreciated gem that arrived during the middle years of Age of Sigmar’s second edition - a period when, to my mind at least, the Mortal Realms really started to find their voice. Richard Strachan’s tight, evocative prose is a great fit for a Chaos story.

"On a personal note, this was the book that really lit up my desire to write for Black Library, prompting me to lean into the Open Submissions process - an effort that paid off a year later."

Image credit: Games Workshop

Grombrindal: Chronicles of the Wanderer, by David Guymer. "This volume collects six of David Guymer’s Grombrindal stories and pairs them with a novella that sees the various factions of the duardin diaspora collide with marauding ogors while scrapping with each other over a reclaimed mountain-city. This is a book that lets you experience the breadth of the Mortal Realms, encompassing both the trials of ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances and the sweeping machinations of flawed gods.

"I really want to credit David Guymer for his reinvention of Grombrindal as an advocate for wisdom, empathy and hope - rare qualities in any Warhammer setting. It was a real privilege to get to pick up the character where David left him. To say that Chronicles of the Wanderer was a tough act to follow is an understatement!"

Image credit: Games Workshop

Path of the Renegade, by Andy Chambers. "I can’t let this list go without acknowledging my love for truly dreadful elves. Path of the Renegade marks the start of Andy Chamber’s trilogy of Drukhari novels, as an aspiring Archon navigates the labyrinthine power structures of the Dark City in pursuit of a weapon that maybe - just maybe - will give him leverage over Asdrubael Vect.

"Commorragh is one of my favourite corners of 40K, and it has never been more thoroughly or evocatively explored than in this novel and its sequels. It’s a city, yes, and a hellish torture realm, but most of all Commorragh is a field of rakes laid out in front of the worst elves in the galaxy, and it’s a delight to watch them step on every single one. (These are Drukhari rakes, by the way, so the handles are made of knives and the pointy bits make your skin fall off.)"

Two Non-Black Library Books He’d Recommend…

Image credit: Aladdin Paperbacks

The Tombs of Atuan, by Ursula K. LeGuin. "I’ll start off with an all-timer. LeGuin is my favourite writer, Earthsea is my favourite fantasy series, and The Tombs of Atuan - the second book - is my favourite entry in it. A girl is raised to be both high priestess of, and sacrifice to, an ancient, lightless faith, far from the open horizons and islander gentility that characterise other Earthsea stories.

"You should read A Wizard of Earthsea before this, but I want to highlight The Tombs of Atuan for its sophisticated depiction of evil. LeGuin is the master of understated yet thematically dense and atmospheric fantasy. This is such a simple story in some ways, about a young person learning to navigate their small, dark world. Yet there is a lethal edge here that I find more moving and effective than many far more visceral depictions of evil."

Image credit: Ballantine

There Is No Antimimetics Division, by qntm. "Here’s a much more recent pick. Originally serialised as part of the SCP Foundation collaborative fiction project and since published as a standalone novel, this is high concept cosmic horror with tons of compelling ideas and some great twists.

"Marie Quinn is the chief of the Antimimetics Division - a small (and shrinking) group of scientists tracking anomalous entities that have a habit of deleting themselves from the memories of those who encounter them. The opening chapters in particular make for great standalone short horror stories, with increasingly sinister threats revealing themselves as much through what is omitted - or forgotten - as what is said."

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

Image credit: Games Workshop

"My first novel for Black Library, and a story that still means a lot to me. Age of Sigmar is a big setting, but Darkoath gave me an opportunity to immerse myself in a small corner of it at a significant moment in the history of the Mortal Realms. Gunnar Brand and his people are tribal survivors of the Age of Chaos who have walked the knife-edge between glory and damnation for many generations - now, on the precipice of a calamitous new era and facing the destruction of their homeland, their choices are to double down or die.

"Chaos is, for me, probably the most Warhammer thing about Warhammer - unfathomable horror fused to human tragedy. I loved getting to spin a new take on a classic thematic arc, here. At the time of writing it’s also available for free on the new Black Library app, so give it a go!"

Thanks Chris, always excited to add more to my TBR pile!

Image credit: Games Workshop

ICYMI

With the Carnage Unending anthology coming up, we took a look at another recent shorts collection, No Peace Among Stars for this week's book review. Not only that, but Rob "The Chirurgeon" Jones and Kevin "Contemptor" Stillman dropped part three of the lore extravaganza on the Ultramarines. This week he shone the spotlight on the Primarch himself, Roboute Guilliman.

Meanwhile over at Warhammer Community, the cover was revealed for the next book in the Horus Heresy Saga, Graham McNeill's False Gods. No date yet on the release, but it shouldn't be too much longer. And for you Age of Sigmar fans, there was another mini-story this week in the Chronicles of Ruin series, War and Renewal.

Last Week's Poll

Last week I asked a question a little closer to home, namely how folks were feeling about the amount of content we've been delivering each week in the column.

Good to hear! Over the course of its life Black Library Weekly has grown quite a bit in terms of length each week, so I'd wanted to make sure it wasn't becoming a bit too much. Looks like I had nothing to worry about!

Image credit: Amanda Bridgeman

Quick Hits

Amanda Bridgeman (Reconsecration, Paragon of Faith) was in attendance at the Oz ComicCon in Perth! Not only was she signing books for readers (see above), but she also presented on a panel entitled A World of their Own (And How they Built It!).
James Swallow, author of this year's 20th Anniversary title Faith & Fire, was delighted to note the release of the book. "It’s wild to think about it now," he shared on his page, "but back when I first pitched the idea of a Sisters of Battle book to Black Library, there were some doubts among the editorial team that a full novel featuring the Adepta Sororitas would be of interest to a readership who primarily engaged with Warhammer 40,000‘s Space Marine factions."
Tim Waggoner (Skin Man) was interviewed on the Dark Muse News feature on the "interplay between beauty and horror." It's a terrific feature and always great to get the thoughts on writing horror from a four-time Bram Stoker Award-winner!
Considering an MFA? Justin D. Hill (Hell's Last, The Bookkeeper's Skull) announced that he's going to be an instructor for the Deledda Master in Creative Writing & Translation. Congratulations and good luck, Justin!
Like cats? Like games? What about games about cats? Nathan R. Long (Zombieslayer, Valnir's Bane) has created a game called Cat Tree, which is part of a cat-centered Kickstarter involving a trio of small games and some delightful cat tokens. This will be his first published game and at time of writing, it appears it's funded. If it gets to 300 or more backers, Cat Tree will also be published in physical form (as opposed to print-and-play). Fingers crossed!

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

Queen of the Rose Throne, by Gary Kloster (paperback, 4/11)
Shade of Khaine, by Evan Dicken (paperback, 4/11)
Aestred Thurga: Pyre of Faith, by Danie Ware (hardcover, 4/18)
Paragon of Faith and Other Stories, by various (softcover, 4/18)
Carnage Unending, by various (paperback, 4/18)
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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