Black Library Weekly: Store Closed, See You Soon

Like chocolate and peanut butter, there's just something about a travel hockey weekend (which requires the spending of a lot of money) and a Black Library-free Sunday Preview (which requires spending none) that just seem to go great together₁. This certainly was the case this past weekend which saw my goalie off to exotic Dayton and distant Columbus over the course of the two days.

Following yesterday's game we made a beeline for the Pure Hockey store (another regular habit given the lamentable lack of such places in Kentucky). One of my favorite customs on road trips is to stop in at a local Warhammer or games store and pick up something to commemorate the trip, and as it happened the area's Warhammer store was just up the road.

"Store Closed - See You Soon"

Alas, the staff appeared to have fallen afoul of the warp, as only a "Store Closed" sign was there to greet me. Luckily, the Warhammer Store Finder alerted me to another nearby Warhammer outlet, Beyond the Board over in Dublin. A lovely store with a very nice selection of board games (especially the kid- and family-friendly offerings from HABA Games), it was unfortunately what I sometimes call a "footprint store," or one with a single retailer rack of fairly generic Warhammer products and... that's about it.

Don't get me wrong, that's a good fit for many stores that don't go heavy into the tabletop wargaming (Beyond the Board seemed to lean into board games and RPG's, and there was a big group making a joyful racket playing D&D that was great to see). But I still have the dream of finding the next "Yottaquest experience," walking in to find a massive selection of Black Library goodies to fill my library with.

Image credit: Clay DeGruchy

Creative Corner

While not strictly Black Library related, this will definitely appeal to those of you who appreciate Warhammer's original fantasy world- and, perhaps especially, those who play the RPG from Cubicle 7 Games.

What you're seeing above is a Google Maps recreation of The Old World using lore-accurate locations and distances based on Travel Distances in the Empire (and beyond) by Jackdays, itself another fan creation. It's a labor of love from Clay DeGruchy, who shared it in the WHFRP Facebook group.

Amazing work, Clay!

ICYMI

With all the buzz around the 500 Worlds, we've had no shortage of lore content over at the Goon. I don't normally highlight purely tabletop stuff (since we have so much coverage elsewhere on the site), but this line from SRM in a piece looking at some of this week's new models really resonated:

The weirdos who live on the margins of 40k stories are where I find Warhammer truly lives – for every Big Damn Hero, there’s gotta be a million wretches, rat-catchers, spoiled nobles, or regular joes trying to get through another day in the most hellish universe imaginable.

Plus the new Titus and the Wardens of Ultramar set? Gorgeous. I'm almost certainly going to pick up a set for the Ultramarines shelf of the Museum at some point.

If you're new to the 500 Worlds storyline and setting, by the way, Kevin Stillman did a terrific Lore Explainer piece to get you up to speed.

Don't worry if that's not your thing, though- we didn't skimp on Black Library content this past week either. Following on the heels of my recent review of Starseer's Ruin (here), I had the chance to chat with Adrian Tchaikovsky about his approach to writing the book in our interview piece.

Readers hoping to see more of Tchaikovsky in the Black Library will certainly take heart at this, for example:

I think all these works, and the shorts I’ve done, are my slowly expanding my range into the wider Warhammer settings. In particular it’s working out where those fascinating spaces are that allow very different creatures to interact at a level that’s not simply violence (although obviously there’s also a great deal of violence!).

Hence the peculiar interactions between the Genestealers/Tyranids and humanity that create the Cult, and that Cult’s place within wider humanity (because they’re still partly human); hence [On the Shoulders of Giants’] Slobda and Rosforth’s carefully negotiated relationship, and hence all the different ways that Humans, Stormcast and Seraphon mix in Starseer’s Ruin.

Tchaikovsky shares some great insights on Starseer's Ruin and his approach to the Black Library, so make sure to check it out!

Next, after reviewing Guy Haley's latest Belisarius Cawl novel, Archmagos, Saffgor completed the cycle with a review of the first two books in the series, Belisarius Cawl: The Great Work and Genefather.

Finally, we've got the latest installment of the Black Library Readers' Hall of Fame. After tackling the novels of the first half of 2003, we've got two new books to induct into the Hall. Make sure to take a moment to cast your votes as the remaining 2003 books are up for eligibility!

Around the wider web at large, the Fluffenhammer lads have shaken off the effects of Bugman's Brew and gotten back to work on their reviews of Warhammer Monthly, the comic magazine from the Black Library's early days. This time they're looking at that wild Necromunda hero The Redeemer, as well as the rest of issue 18. Welcome back, fellas!

Over at the WH40K Book Club (whose co-host Keri has just joined the BL Readers' Hall of Fame Committee!), they're kicking about with Orks and Aeldari with a review of the "space elf romance novel" Voidscarred, by Mike Brooks.

Not enough reviews? Hope on over to YouTube to check out Kenny Boulder's ">detailed review of Chris Wraight's Ashes of the Imperium or Cinderfall Gaming's ">coverage of Queen of the Rose Throne by Gary Kloster.

Image credit: Games Workshop

Quick Hits

John French is certainly having a moment, and in case you missed all the awesome that's going on around him he's given a terrific rundown on his latest newsletter (sign up here if you haven't already). A very meaningful first-place finish for Black Library Book of the Year with Dropsite Massacre (reviewed here), the second part of his in-depth interview for the Scribes & Scriveners show on WarhammerTV arriving (covering the writing of in-depth characters, like Cado Ezechiar), and more!
Macmillan has announced the sequel to Adrian Tchaikovsky's Elder Race, Engines of Reason. Available this coming September, it follows "a fallen princess, a reluctant wizard, and a precocious child...on a planet where stories govern identity, where science and magic are a merely point of view."
Tim Waggoner (Skin Man) was interviewed" frameborder="0"> recently by the House of Shadows and Ink podcast. The covered a range of useful topics, including writing tie-in fiction, creativity, imposter syndrome, and staying inspired after four decades at the desk.
Kim Newman (Drachenfels, Beasts in Velvet) appeared as a guest on a BBC Screenshot episode, 'Courtroom Dramas,' as part of a discussion on "the tricks and tropes of trials in film and TV."
Back in July I wrote about the Black Library situation in Ukraine, with Games Workshop severing its deal for Ukrainian translations with Molfar. In a recent announcement, Varvar Publishing announced that it has contracted with GW to resume translations, so some very welcome news for our friends over there!
Finally, Mark Latham (Like Father Like Son, Kovos Falls) was recently interviewed by the Pens & Portals videocast about his latest fantasy yarn, The Last Vigilant.

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

Apostle, by David Annandale
Death Rider, by Rhuairidh James
First Marshal, by Evan Dicken

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

Verminslayer, by David Guymer (paperback, 1/17)
Grombrindal: Ancestor’s Burden, by Chris Thursten (paperback, 1/17)
Farsight: Blade of Truth, by Phil Kelly (paperback, 1/24)
Vaults of Terra: The Omnibus, by Chris Wraight (paperback, 1/24)
Fulgrim: The Perfect Son, by Jude Reid (paperback, 1/24) (review)
Siege of Terra: The Shattered and the Soulless, by Graham McNeill (paperback, 1/24)
Huron Blackheart: Master of the Maelstrom, by Mike Brooks (paperback, 3/10)
The Green Tide, by various (paperback 4/7)
Carcharodons: Void Exile, by Robbie MacNiven (paperback, 4/7) (review)
The Ghost Legion: The Pillar of Dreams, by Mike Brooks (title translated from German) (4/7)
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 James Swallow (paperback, 7/28)
Archmagos, by Guy Haley (paperback, 8/11)

Footnotes

Note that for many of us, Black Library-free doesn't necessarily mean order-free, as the Journal Tactica: Skitarii: The Steel Hand of Mars is a must-grab, the Lotara Sarrin mini is highly likely, and even Agron will be an at-some-point acquisition for the Museum. None of those, however, have the same do-or-die impetus that a new Limited or Special Edition offering would.

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