Introducing…Forgotten Texts

There’s been fiction set in the Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000 universes for a LONG time, in one form or another. Way back in the depths of time you could buy novels set in these world (and indeed all sorts of other Games Workshop-related settings) published by GW Books and then Boxtree, before Black Library itself was set up in 1997, originally as part of the wider BL Publishing division of Games Workshop and later its own division.

Compared to the current Black Library novels, and indeed the Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000 universes today, a lot of those old stories are now a little…different. In other words, they don’t always fit in with the current state of play for Games Workshop; as many a hobbyist would say, they’re not necessarily canon. That’s not to say they’re not still good stories though! And lo, the point of this article becomes clear.

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, I’d like to introduce you to a brand new series of weekly reviews – Forgotten Texts – where I’m going to be taking a look back into the archives at some of the earliest Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000 short stories I can find. Each week I’ll be talking about one of these stories in much the same way as I do with my normal reviews, but I’m also planning on looking at how they fit in with the current state of play and whether they still work as part of the wider body of Black Library fiction.

As I said, a lot of these stories are a bit different and as such they’re not always available to buy in print from Black Library. Wherever possible I’ll point you to the best place to try and get hold of each story if you fancy taking a look yourself, whether that’s a current e-short or ebook anthology, or an older omnibus that’s only available via online marketplaces.

I’m not going to reveal the titles of any of the stories just yet, but here’s a few hints as to what’s coming up…

• A stone cold classic Ultramarines vs Tyranids short story.
  
• A very early depiction of Sigmar from Gav Thorpe.
• The Dark Angels go in search of the Lion Sword…or do they?
• Keanu the Reaver and his fellow adventurers embark on a quest in the Old World.

I really hope this series is as fun to read as it is to write, and that newer fans maybe find some inspiration and older fans get a shot of nostalgia. If there are any classic stories that you’d like to see reviewed and talked about, please do feel free to drop me a line and let me know!