Way back in the mists of time (well, 1997 to be precise) the first publication for the newly-created Black Library was a bi-monthly magazine called Inferno!, which featured short stories, comic strips and artwork all bringing the worlds of Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000 to life. Inferno! ran to 46 issues over seven years, and introduced fans to a whole host of names who would go on to be regular Black Library authors. Dan Abnett, Gav Thorpe, William King, Ben Counter and a whole host of other authors published their first Black Library stories in the pages of Inferno! magazine.
Since Inferno! ceased to be published in 2004 lots of those early stories have gone down in Black Library history as seminal tales for many a reader. I certainly have incredibly fond memories of stories like Salvation by Jonathan Green, Last Chance by Gav Thorpe and Words of Blood by Ben Counter (among MANY others), and I still love going back and re-reading old copies of Inferno! every now and then. There’s such an amazing breadth of concepts and ideas in amongst all those stories, and I’ll always maintain that Inferno! was a perfect introduction for Black Library fiction.
It’s been nearly fifteen years since Inferno! was last seen in stores, but that’s changed with the release of a brand new incarnation of Inferno! – no longer a bi-monthly magazine, it’s now a paperback anthology, the first volume of which is available to order right now! It’s packed with eleven short stories from ten authors, including familiar faces like David Annandale, Guy Haley and Josh Reynolds, and newer names such as Peter McLean, Mike Brooks, Danie Ware and Evan Dicken. Not only that, but it marks the Black Library debuts of Nate Crowley, Steven B. Fischer and Filip Westgren – how better to celebrate Inferno! than by using its new incarnation to showcase some brand new Black Library authors!
Across these eleven stories there are tales set in no fewer than four different settings. Warhammer 40,000 and Age of Sigmar are strongly represented as you’d expect, but there’s also a Necromunda story and – cue the fanfare – two never-before-seen Warhammer Chronicles stories, tales from the World That Was! Within the pages of this book there’s a fantastic showcase of the variety available to Black Library, in terms of authors, settings and types of stories, and I can’t really think of a better way to both celebrate the legacy of Inferno!, and kick-start a new incarnation for a new generation.
You shouldn’t just take my word for it, though. To celebrate the launch of Inferno! Volume 1, I spoke to all ten authors to gather a little bit of information about what you can expect in these eleven stories, and what it means to each of them to have stories included in the brand new Inferno! Read on to hear from each of the authors.
The Unsung War by David Annandale
The collection opens with a 40k story from a well-established Black Library author, set very much in the ‘now’ of the setting. Here’s David to tell you a little bit about it.
David: The Primaris Space Marines are almost literally titans of war, but they too can be overwhelmed. This is a tale of two Ultramarines Intercessors who must find a way to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Trapped on a ship with two enemy forces aboard, they and a lone human survivor are the only ones who can prevent a world’s doom.
I missed the original incarnation of Inferno!, but I’ve long been aware of its importance. I think it’s wonderful that it has a new form. It’s a terrific showcase for the range of stories Black Library can tell, and for the range of voices, old and new, telling those stories. It feels to me like a vital piece of Black Library’s history has returned to become a vital part of its future, and it means a lot to have chance to be part of that narrative.
No Hero by Peter McLean
Next up is an Imperial Guard story from Peter McLean, his third Black Library story after Baphomet by Night and Lightning Run, and very much in the same dark vein as those two tales.
Peter: No Hero is a story of heroism, pure and simple, and of the great and selfless deeds that go unsung and forgotten in every war. It’s a tale of youthful innocence and sacrifice, in a setting inspired by the Vietnam War. It’s not a happy tale but this is 40K after all, and in war there are very few happy stories. I think it still has something uplifting to it though, something about faith and duty, loyalty and sacrifice.
I remember being aware of Inferno!, but I never owned any copies. Back in 1997 when it first came out I was 25 years old and newly married, and wargaming and RPG-ing had given way to home-making and…other things. I grew up in the 80s on White Dwarf and Citadel Miniatures, as they were called back then, though, and I was still keeping half a wistful eye on the hobby scene but I just didn’t have the time or the money to devote to it back then. Looking back on it now, though, I seriously can’t believe I’m in Inferno! – how cool is that!
The Path to Glory by Evan Dicken
Evan’s debut Black Library story, set in the days before the Age of Sigmar itself, this is the first time it’s been available in print.
Evan: The Path to Glory is sort of my farewell to the Warhammer world-that-was. I’m a big fan of Age of Sigmar, but I grew up in the Old World, so it was really cool to have the chance to explore characters seeing the world as they know it torn apart by Chaos. The narrative follows a soldier, a wizard, and a young noble as they try to preserve the last of their failing empire. It deals with the choices and compromises they have to make when faced with insurmountable odds.
The story is set during the Red Century, when Chaos forces sweep over the Mortal Realms forcing Sigmar to seal the Realmgates. While doing research in the Battletomes and various lore books, I kept coming across references to ‘The Lantic Empire’ a massive, multi-Realm spanning empire that stood as a bulwark against Chaos until it was betrayed and brought down. It seemed the perfect setting for a desperate tale about good intentions leading to arguably bad ends.
I remember that day when I walked into my local hobby store and found the first copy of Inferno! on the shelves next to the gaming books. It was my first brush with Warhammer fiction, and I never looked back. My brothers and I read almost every issue, discussing the stories’ various merits as well as other, less-serious, qualities. They may have been ridiculous arguments, but we argued with the earnestness of Redemptionist deacons debating the Imperial Creed. For instance, during a heated dispute about the various merits of elven archers versus orc boys, I ran a stop sign and got into a bad car accident.
Honestly, I can’t tell you how much it means to me to see my work appear in Inferno!‘s modern incarnation. I’ve been writing fiction for well over a decade, with some small degree of success, but never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I’d be writing for Warhammer, let alone have one of my stories appear in the same table of contents as Josh Reynolds, or Guy Haley, or David Annandale. I can’t tell you how many hours I’ve delightfully wiled away with their novels and short stories.
It’s been an amazing and surreal experience. I can’t really convey how grateful I am, both to the editors and staff at Black Library, and to all the readers of Warhammer fiction.
A Common Ground by Mike Brooks
Mike Brooks pays a visit to the underhive for his third Black Library story, adding a little welcome variety to a collection that’s mostly focused on the core Games Workshop settings.
Mike: It’s a Necromunda tale, told (mainly) from the point of view of Jax, a Goliath who’s making a living as a pit fighter and is offered a compelling deal by a mysterious stranger. It actually deals with themes of familial bonds and economic inequality…and violence, of course.
I still have a bunch of the original magazines! I tried to get stories into Inferno! when I was sixteen or so, but to no avail. I wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity to get a story into the first edition of the relaunch! I can now tick something off my list of achievements that I thought was long gone.
The Emperor’s Wrath by Steven B. Fischer
The first of three Black Library debuts in the collection, this introduces us to Steven’s writing with a 40k story from a different angle to usual.
Steven: The Emperor’s Wrath is a story about pragmatism and change. One of my favorite things about 40k, and about grimdark speculative fiction in general, is the way it recognizes the fact that the universe isn’t black and white, and that morality can only be judged by comparison. I wanted this story to reflect that theme and to show how even deep-held beliefs can crumble in the face of new information. So often, in fiction and the real world, we fight most bitterly with those who are most similar to us, and it often takes an external threat for us to recognize what we have in common and put differences aside to achieve a common goal.
Also guns and monsters. The story is about guns and monsters, too.
I was five when Inferno! first came out, and only twelve when it was discontinued, so unfortunately no memories of it for me. I first heard about Warhammer when I was in college, but didn’t start getting into the 40k universe until a little over a year ago. So I’m certainly new to the scene here, but I’m incredibly excited to have my first 40k story in Inferno!’s re-inaugural issue. Working with Black Library has been nothing but fantastic, and I find myself more hooked by 40K with every novel and short that I read. It’s a huge honor to have my name on the issue next to a whole host of authors I really respect, and I hope the readers decide it deserves to be there!
Waking the Dragon and How Vido Learned the Trick by Josh Reynolds
The ever-prolific Josh Reynolds has two stories in the collection, both harking back to an earlier age of Warhammer. Nostalgia abounds…
Josh: Both are Warhammer Fantasy stories, featuring popular characters. Waking the Dragon was meant to be a lead-in to a Warhammer Heroes novel [featuring Heinrich Kemmler and Krell] that never materialised, due to the End Times, while How Vido Learned the Trick is one of several Zavant Konniger short stories I wrote, as a sort of try out for reviving that series. Of the two, I’m more disappointed I never got to write a proper Zavant novel.
I had the first handful of issues of Inferno! and read them to pieces. As far as having stories in the modern version, I hope that it lives up to the impact of the original series. I love the idea of Inferno!, and would like to see it continue on a bit longer, this time around.
The Enemy of My Enemy by Nate Crowley
The second of three Black Library debuts, file this 40k story under unexpected but strangely brilliant.
Nate: The Enemy of My Enemy addresses a theoretical question that has come up time and time again over the years: would Imperial troops ever fight side by side with orks? It got me thinking: what sort of Imperial commander would even consider that situation – and what kind of ork? How bad would things have to get before that even seemed like a sane option? And how the hell would both sides start to negotiate?
The story gave me a chance to really explore how humans and orks might interact, not necessarily in a *friendly* way, but in a situation other than a frantic, merciless fight to the death. It also looks at how Imperial commanders are trained to think of their enemies, and where that might have its shortcomings….
Crikey, do I ever remember Inferno!. It came out when I was 12, right as I was getting massively into 40k for the first time. That was the summer where my hands were permanently covered in superglue, and my room was covered in splotches of red and gold from my disastrous attempts to paint metal space marines.
Honestly, the 40k stories I was reading in that era really shaped my taste for SF, and it inspired me to write tonnes of rubbish short fiction on our family PC. Being asked to contribute to that universe – and in a title with such great memories attached to it – has been a proper highlight of my career. And now, if I ever get into an argument with someone over whether orks can ally with Guard, I can look them in the eye and say, with commissarial authority, that they bloody well can.
The Firstborn Daughter by Filip Westgren
A Vostroyan Firstborn story (don’t see many of those) that provides the third and final Black Library debut in the collection.
Filip: It’s a coming of age story with guns. Lots and lots of guns. Also, swords and pistols. And a case of melta bombs. Basically, since I got to write it, it’s the type of 40k story I’d have liked to read
I go waaay back with 40k. As in Rogue Trader way back, when orks were spindly-armed gits and Space Marines had snouts like the Slann (OK, slight exaggeration.) By the time the first Inferno! was in its heyday, I was embroiled in real life, with studies, work, and commitments. So I didn’t have as close a relationship to it as some of my gaming buddies.
In fact, I never dreamed I’d be allowed to write for Inferno! and the Black Library. I mean, this is the place with people like Gav Thorpe, Andy Hoare, and David Ferring (whose Konrad trilogy got me into grimdark fantasy in the first place.) So being here, I’m both honored and very lucky.
Mercy by Danie Ware
Danie’s first Black Library story, in print at last after its original e-short release, this is a strong showing for the Sisters of Battle.
Danie: Mercy gave me the chance to have fun – to take out the Sisters and do their ‘Nuns With Guns’ joke justice. Their worship of the Emperor is untouchable (we know that), but Mercy takes the safety catch off and lets them cut loose. Nuns they may be, but they’re also soldiers, and they’re as brutal, as highly trained, and as efficient as any of their male counterparts… though they might be smaller than some!
Inferno! was was always floating about, loitering at the outskirts of your youthful gaming – something that we’d pick up and read almost gleefully, like we’d discovered something we shouldn’t. It was packed with fabulous fiction, artwork, games…we were forever having ideas about the the next project and what we should do (and forever nicking them to put in other projects, but we don’t talk about that bit). Since moving to London twenty years ago, I’ve watched as many of my youthful dreams have solidified into (slightly surreal) fact – where I work, my published fiction – but this stuff still is still magic, and I hope it always will be.
I often stop and wonder what my twenty-something self would have thought…
At the Sign of the Brazen Claw by Guy Haley
The collection concludes with this story from the safe hands of Guy Haley, kicking off a new chapter of the story started in The Autumn Prince and The Sands of Grief.
Guy: It’s part of my ongoing, linked series of Prince Maesa stories, an Age of Sigmar-set saga about an exiled Aelf Wanderer trying to bring his dead love back to life. The Sign of the Brazen Claw sees him stuck in an inn in the middle of a raging storm waiting for a Kharadron packet ship. To pass the time, the travellers within relate tales to one another from all over the Realms.
Yes I do remember Inferno!, because I am well into middle age now! It’s cool to have a story in there, but even better to see so many new writers getting their chances to play in the marvellous worlds of Warhammer.
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So there you have it – four settings, ten authors, eleven stories, and LOADS of reasons why you should go out right now and order the brand new Inferno! Volume 1. If you’re quick you might even be able to grab Print On Demand copies of some of the original Inferno! magazines, so you can enjoy the past and present of Black Library’s short story legacy. I’ll be putting together a review of Inferno Volume 1 in the near future – and maybe even individual reviews of some of the stories – so keep an eye out for those coming soon.
As always, massive thanks to all of the authors for taking the time to talk to me about their stories, and about Inferno! in general!
Click here to buy Inferno! Volume 1.
If you’ve got great memories of Inferno! from back in the day, or have comments or questions about the new instalment, I’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment below, drop me a line at michael@trackofowrds.com, or get in touch via Facebook or Twitter, and join in with the conversation around Inferno! and Black Library.
I went and gave my very own owned Inferno to a friend last year who lost it😖.