Way back in 1997, issue 1 of Inferno! magazine was the first publication from a newly-created Black Library, featuring short stories, artwork and comic strips exploring the Warhammer settings. Fast forward to 2018 and Inferno! Volume 1 is the first in a new series of short story anthologies which promise to breathe new life into the Inferno! name. The eleven featured short stories cover Warhammer 40,000, Warhammer Age of Sigmar, Necromunda and even Warhammer Chronicles (tales from the Old World), and come from the keyboards of Black Library authors both old and new – including three never-before-seen stories from Black Library debutants (not to be confused with debutantes).
Most Black Library anthologies, with the exception of some event-exclusives, tend to be focused on a single setting, if not specifically themed around a faction, conflict or series. By including stories across multiple settings, Inferno! was always and is always going to be noticeably less focused, trading theme for variety and providing a broad entry point to the various worlds of Warhammer. This volume alone includes stories about Primaris Space Marines, (lots of) Imperial Guard, Sisters of Battle, and Undead horrors, not to mention the last gasp of a dying empire, a Goliath with a plan, a halfling in a tight spot and an Aelf Wanderer waiting out a storm. Chances are there’s going to be something here for everyone, although it’s most heavily weighted towards 40k.
Among those 40k stories is where you do find connections, not in terms of linked stories or characters but rather themes of difficult choices, sacrifice for (in theory) a greater good, and uncomfortable alliances. Those are classic 40k concepts told via interesting stories, whether we’re talking Ultramarines playing two enemies off against each other, half-starved youngsters caught between Imperials and renegades, or Guardsmen fighting on with little hope and making use of every tool at their disposal. Despite those thematic similarities, there’s considerable variety here in the writing styles and specific stories, all of which share the trademark bleak 40k tone just expressed in enjoyably different ways. They’re (almost) entirely Imperium-focused, which won’t please everyone, but all six 40k stories are worth checking out.
As for the other settings, the two Age of Sigmar tales take very different approaches, one a sweeping story of an empire on its knees and the other a quiet tale of fate and kindness told around a roaring fire. Neither are what you’d call a typical Age of Sigmar story, but their unusual nature adds interest to both of them. Meanwhile the lone Necromunda story is a simple story of violence and vengeance on the surface, but beneath all that it tackles some unusual (for BL) albeit topical questions – come for the brutality and stay for the social economics! Finally, the two Warhammer Chronicles stories – both written before the End Times happened but never before published – provide a strong hit of nostalgia for anyone who remembers the Old World, although the Kemmler/Krell story is so obviously meant to be an introduction to a bigger arc that it feels a bit flat read in isolation.
Taken as a whole this is for fans who want to read widely within Black Library, who enjoy exploring the settings and who are happy to spend time getting to know new authors and new characters. While there are a handful of recognisable characters like Kemmler and Krell, Vido and Konniger, and Prince Maesa and Shattercap, for the most part these are new, standalone stories. The variety of storytelling on offer is both a strength and a weakness, providing the opportunity to get a feel for lots of different characters, settings, writing styles and ideas, but at the same time lacking a clear structure for readers to get their teeth into. Accept that, however, and much like the original Inferno! magazines this offers a tremendously enjoyable window into Black Library, and a reminder that there are still new voices and new stories waiting to be discovered in these familiar settings.
Check out The Return of Inferno! to Black Library to read what the authors have to say about each of the featured stories, and click on the links below for individual reviews as well.
- The Unsung War by David Annandale.
- No Hero by Peter McLean.
- The Path to Glory by Evan Dicken.
- A Common Ground by Mike Brooks.
- The Emperor’s Wrath by Steven B Fischer.
- Waking the Dragon by Josh Reynolds.
- The Enemy of My Enemy by Nate Crowley.
- How Vido Learned the Trick by Josh Reynolds.
- The Firstborn Daughter by Filip Wiltgren.
- Mercy by Danie Ware.
- At the Sign of the Brazen Claw by Guy Haley.
