There’s been a lot of talk online of late that since Black Library have started talking about upcoming releases it’s been all 40k and Horus Heresy, but there’s not been any new Age of Sigmar books mentioned. I wrote a quick blog post a couple of months ago about the two upcoming Age of Sigmar novels that were discussed at Black Library Live, but there hasn’t been any word on what else might be coming up in the Mortal Realms.
Until now. If you haven’t already spotted it, I give you – Legends of the Age of Sigmar – City of Secrets by Nick Horth:
Here’s the blurb:
“Excelsis is the city of secrets, a grand and imposing bastion of civilisation in the savage Realm of Beasts. Within its winding streets and shadowy back alleys, merchants deal in raw prophecy mined from an ancient fragment of the World That Was, and even the poorest man may earn a glimpse of the future. Yet not all such prophecies can be trusted. When Corporal Armand Callis of the city guard stumbles upon a dark secret, he finds himself on the run from his former comrades, framed for a crime he did not commit. Only the Witch Hunter Hanniver Toll knows the truth of his innocence. Together the pair must race against time to save Excelsis from a cataclysm that would drown the city in madness and fear.”
That sounds pretty cool, right? I’m sure you’ve spotted that the book’s cover features a Tzaangor, one of the cool new Tzeentchian beastmen-type fellas that we first saw in Warhammer Quest: Silver Tower. It’s not much of a leap then to realise that this is meant to tie in with what Games Workshop are calling ‘Tzaanuary’ – in other words loads of cool Tzeentchian models, rules, background etc. for the games.
It looks to be available in ebook format to download right now, for £9.99, and there’s a free extract available if you fancy trying before you buy…
Check this guy out!
If you’ve not come across Nick Horth before, don’t worry – I haven’t either! A quick search however reveals that he’s a staff writer on the volunteer-run Thunderbolt video games website, though clearly he can now add writer for Games Workshop/Black Library to his resume!
What this release says to me is that, contrary to what the naysayers want us to think, Age of Sigmar as a setting isn’t being abandoned by Games Workshop or Black Library – we’re not hearing about new AoS releases in advance because they’re still being linked in with what’s coming out for the game. Obviously GW/BL don’t want to advertise the fact that there’s a novel coming out filled with Tzeentchian beasties until they’re ready to start talking about the cool new Tzeentchian stuff for the game.
There are pros and cons here, in my opinion. On the one hand I think it’s clear that we’re definitely going to be getting plenty more Age of Sigmar stories, and that’s very much a good thing. I’m sure I’m not the only person who wants to see the Mortal Realms developed and fleshed out! On the other hand, it does suggest that at least some of the new Age of Sigmar releases are going to be tied in very closely with background books, new miniatures etc. – and we all know that when that’s the case, the standard of stories is…variable.
One way or another, it looks like we’re definitely getting some new Age of Sigmar books. It’s now up to us to vote with our wallets and take a chance on these stories, and keep pushing GW and BL to produce the best stuff they can. I’m going to keep an open mind, and hope that the new books are all going to be great!
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