Coming Soon via Black Library Live (June 2019)

Saturday the 1st June saw 2019’s Black Library Live event take place at Warhammer World in Nottingham, and I was there to enjoy a day of seminars, signings, chatting to authors and editors and generally just hanging out with and other Black Library fans. In the end I only went to two of the seminars (plus the final one), and I didn’t find time to visit the Editors’ Corner section, as I was busy talking to authors and having fun catching up with friends – but for me half the fun of these events is getting to spend time with other people who are as enthusiastic about Black Library as I am!

With that in mind, I thought that rather than putting together a long write-up of the event overall I would very quickly run through a few thoughts on the event itself before focusing for most of the article on the final seminar of the day – the crucial ‘Coming Soon’ session. Here are those quick thoughts:

Organisation
Overall I thought the organisation of the event was pretty good – it was easy to figure out where to go within the venue, the sales stand was cleverly set up as a walk-through within the retail stores section, and the staff were great with organising queues (including the signing queues, with someone checking who people were queuing for and keeping things moving).

My only real gripe was that with doors only opening half an hour before seminars were due to start, the beginning of the day was a bit rushed as fans were still queueing and buying books when the first seminars should have been kicking off. Obviously there’s a lot of preparation required, and the earlier doors open the earlier that prep has to be finished by all the staff, but for future events I hope there’s more time between doors and the start of the seminars.

Seminar rooms
The smaller of the two seminar rooms (Stormcast) was great – a lovely intimate space which felt comfortable and suitable for the purpose. The larger space (the Warhammer World canteen), however, felt weirdly oppressive with very little light, soporifically high temperatures and the frustration (inevitably) of hearing staff preparing food while we were trying to listen to authors speak. I’m not sure whether there are other potential spaces for future events (and the canteen hasn’t felt that bad in the past), but this didn’t feel ideal.

It was also pretty tough to hear what the panel was saying in one of the seminars I attended in the canteen, until someone asked them to start using the microphones provided. I don’t identify as hearing impaired in any way (I’m usually absolutely fine in seminars), but even sitting on the front row it was tough to hear. I don’t intend this as a criticism, as I’m sure it’s weird being up on stage and using a microphone, but I think it’s important at events like this that the organisers make it clear to panelists that if microphones are there (i.e. if it’s a big space) then they really ought to be used. You never know when there’s going to be someone in the audience who (for whatever reason) finds it difficult to hear, and in my opinion nobody should be penalised when the tools are available to make an event fully accessible.

Editors’ Corner
As I said earlier, I sadly didn’t make it over to this section, but whenever I was in the main hall it looked like there were always people over there chatting away to the editors. I’m not surprised either, as I think it’s a brilliant (and brave) idea to make the editorial team available to fans in this way. I did sneak a peek after the event at some cheat sheets that a friend had picked up from the editors, with advice on pitching which looked interesting – bravo BL for providing this sort of advice and guidance! If anyone who did head over to chat to the editors would like to share the wisdom they imparted, please feel free to leave a comment at the bottom of the article!

Speaking of editors and editorial advice inevitably leads to the topic of the next Black Library Open Submissions Window. While no date was provided for when it might be, it’s clear that there will be another one coming up at some point this year. Richard, BL’s Submissions Editor, mentioned in the final seminar that about 14 submissions from 2018’s window were accepted with at least a short story being commissioned, which is great to see! It sounded like we can expect an announcement about the next window sometime soon, with the rules likely to be broadly the same as last year, but perhaps with a few tweaks here and there.

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With that done, let’s now focus on the Coming Soon seminar – the final session of the day. If you haven’t already, I would strongly suggest you check out this Warhammer Community post, which contains artwork and information about pretty much everything discussed in that seminar – I don’t want to just duplicate that article, so I’ve tried to add additional detail to what’s in that. Where there was more information provided in the seminar than in the Community article, I’ve included that below. If there are any titles I’ve not mentioned, it’s because all the information I have is already available on that post or on the Coming Soon page. Mostly I’ve included the brief synopses that were featured in the presentation, plus the occasional other piece of information alongside the cover artwork where it was available on the Community article.

I’ve broken things out by setting and then alphabetically by author, with a few snippets of general information right at the end. It was specifically mentioned that the releases revealed in this seminar will be coming out over “an undefined period of time”, so bear in mind that it could be quite a while before some of these are actually released. With that in mind, read on for more details…

Warhammer 40,000

I haven’t included anything about The Sabbat Worlds Crusade background book as there’s more detail in the Community article than was on the seminar slide, while you can see the same information from the seminar over on the Coming Soon page for Chris Wraight’s The Hollow Mountain, Nick Kyme’s Knights of Macragge and Andy Clark’s Celestine. John French’s The Horusian Wars: Divination was briefly discussed but only in terms of it being a collection of the short stories – all of the existing ones plus some new stories.

Rites of Passage by Mike Brooks
“The death of Lord Azariel, head of House Brobantis, draws his widow Chettamandey into a world of ritual killings and cult murders, while larger plans are at work and entire worlds are threatened…”

If you’re interested in this one, you can get a brief glimpse of one of its characters in Mike’s Necromunda short story A Common Ground, which is featured in Inferno! Volume 1 as well as the upcoming Underhive anthology.

Belisarius Cawl: The Great Work by Guy Haley
“In the wake of the Great Rift, Belisarius Cawl turns his attention to the abandoned world of Sotha. Once home to the Scythes of the Emperor, it also hides a long-buried secret…and an ancient evil.”

Someone asked whether this is going to be a standalone novel or the start of the series; Guy was in the audience, and suggested that it should work perfectly as a standalone but that if it’s popular and successful then it could potentially be the start of a series. I had a quick chat to Guy later on, and this sounds intriguing – not just for fans of Cawl but also Scythes of the Emperor fans as well.

The Darkness in the Blood by Guy Haley
There was no real information about what this book is about (or finalised cover art), but it’s safe to assume it’s the third in Guy’s loose ‘Dante’ series which currently features Dante and The Devastation of Baal. What the Community article describes as a “luxurious limited edition packed with extra features” will be the 2019 equivalent of last year’s Spear of the Emperor boxed set, and we can expect this in ‘Winter 2019’ – presumably the standard editions will then land six to nine months later.

Blackstone Fortress: The Beast Inside by Darius Hinks
“Of all the horrors that lurk inside the Blackstone Fortress, perhaps the most feared is the dreaded Ambull. Rogue Trader Janus Draik embarks on a hunt for this monstrous beast – but his is not the only one seeking it…”

This audio drama is also accompanied by a short story anthology – Vaults of Obsidian. According to the Community article that features 10 short stories; so far I think there have been three Blackstone Fortress e-shorts, plus the exclusive short story in the LE hardback of the novel, so presumably this anthology will feature those plus a decent number of new stories.

Mephiston: City of Light by Darius Hinks
“The Blood Angels homeworld of Baal has been saved, but their battle continues. Drawn by cryptic visions to a war-torn world, Chief Librarian Mephiston must prevent a cabal of Thousand Sons sorcerers from plunging an entire sub-sector into Chaos. “

Warhammer Age of Sigmar

Check out the Community article for info about Gotrek’s new miniature, Andy Clark’s Gloomspite and the Warcry anthology – the article has all the detail that was given in the seminar.

To start off, September is going to feature “a grand celebration of Gotrek Gurnisson”, featuring various products including the aforementioned miniature as well as the following BL titles.

Realmslayer: The Complete Script for the Audio Drama
“This book contains the complete four-part script of Realmslayer and a whole host of exciting bonus material:

• A brand new introduction by David Guymer
• Behind-the-scenes photographs of the cast recording
• Thirty-two pages of art
• A never-before-seen annotated script with insights from the author, editor and audio producer.”

If you’re a fan of Black Library audio dramas, and you enjoyed Realmslayer, then what’s not to like about this release?! I’m very excited about this one, for the insight it’s going to offer into the wider process of producing these audios.

Realmslayer: Blood of the Old World by David Guymer
“In the strange worlds of the Mortal Realms, Gotrek craves one thing above all: a purpose. When he discovers a being who might lead him to it, he will stop at nothing to find them – but old enemies seek the same prize…”

Just to confirm, this is another audio series – presumably another four-hour-plus package.

Ghoulslayer by Darius Hinks
“Gotrek Gurnisson seeks the Undying King himself amidst the bleak underworlds of Shyish. Surrounded by the ghosts of the past, can Gotrek achieve his goal, or will his soul be forfeit?”

There’s a short story by Darius called The Neverspike which is currently only featured in the Black Library Event Anthology 2018/19, and which involves Gotrek venturing into Shyish – so that will presumably tie in quite nicely with the new novel.

Now onto the rest of the non-Gotrek Age of Sigmar titles coming up…

Neferata: The Dominion of Bones by David Annandale
“With her kingdom besieged and enemies on all sides, the Blood Queen Neferata must call upon all her cunning and guile if she is to maintain her rulership…fortunately, those are qualities not in short supply…”

The Court of the Blind King by David Guymer
“The Jade Throne of Briomdar lies empty. An arrogant Prince Lurien awaits his crown, but a usurper lurks in the shoals.”

What. A. Cover!

Thieves’ Paradise by Nick Horth
This is one of the four titles confirmed for the Black Library Novella Series 2, due towards the end of 2019, and it was confirmed to be featuring Shev Arclis from The Silver Shard.

The seminar only showed covers for four of the ten novellas in this series. While the Community article mentions the authors of the other six, I spoke to one of the BL team who said that the four covers shown were the only ones ready, hence why the rest weren’t on display.

The Horus Heresy

I don’t have any more information about the third Siege of Terra novel than what’s included on the Community article – it’s called The First Wall and it’s by Gav Thorpe. Can’t wait to find out more!

The Siege of Terra: The Lost and the Damned by Guy Haley
“The Solar War is over. The Siege of Terra has begun. As the traitors unleash their deadliest weapons, the defenders of the Throneworld face nightmare and plague…but Terra must stand.”

There was no confirmed release date for this, but it will apparently be coming in “weeks, not months”. The seminar showed both the beautiful Neil Roberts cover art (seriously, if you’ve not read the Community article then check it out now) and the LE hardback, which matches that of The Solar War except with what looks like a World Eater’s badge on the front and the spine. We also saw a section of the map which is going to be included (gorgeous), and it was confirmed that all of the LEs for the Siege of Terra will come with maps.

Blackshields: The Broken Chain by Josh Reynolds
“Hounded by the Sons of Horus, legendary Blackshield Endryd Haar battles enemies from within and without his ranks. Betrayed by his second in command, Erud Vahn, Haar finds himself imprisoned and facing a slow death. Determined to escape and stay one step ahead of the traitors, Endryd must enact his riskiest gamble yet if he is to fulfil his oath to kill the Warmaster Horus.”

I pulled the full description from the back of the CD case for this, rather than going with the abbreviated version from the seminar.

Valdor: Birth of the Imperium by Chris Wraight
“The Unification Wars have been fought to their bloody conclusion, but the Imperium still faces insidious threats from within. Only the unflinching gaze of Constantin Valdor can root out these dangers.”

I’ve included this one under the Heresy because according to the seminar this features “the end of the Unification Wars, the Thunder Warriors, the establishment of the Imperium of Man” – so it certainly doesn’t fit under the 40k heading! It’s going to be released as a limited edition first, with the standard edition to follow six months later, and it was implied that there will be more pre-Heresy titles to come.

The Primarchs

There were no Primarchs titles mentioned in the seminar, and while it wasn’t 100% confirmed it was intimated that there wouldn’t be any new Primarchs books coming in 2019 – however there are two being written, both due for release in 2020.

Necromunda

I haven’t mentioned Justin D. Hill’s Terminal Overkill here, as the same information from the seminar is available on the Coming Soon page.

Kal Jerico: Sinner’s Bounty by Josh Reynolds
“With a Guilder armoury looted, and the culprit racing downhive in a mining hauler bristling with stolen weaponry, Kal Jerico chases the bounty…but with a prize like this, every other Venator worth the name will be after it too.”

This one is getting a limited edition hardback first, with the standard edition as usual to follow six months later. It was available to pick up on the day, and in LE format it’s stunning! I’ve not seen any information about when the LE is due to get a full release, so keep you eyes peeled for that.

Underhive: A Necromunda Anthology
I’ve included this here because I picked it up and can share the contents list with you – as you’ll see it includes Mike Brooks’ recent-ish Necromunda novella plus his story from Inferno! Volume 1, all of the Necromunda short stories which were released digitally in February 2018, plus brand new stories from Darius Hinks and Josh Reynolds!

• Wanted: Dead by Mike Brooks
• Dirty Dealings by Rachel Harrison
• Redemption by Darius Hinks
• Death’s Head by Josh Reynolds
• Emp-rah’s Eye by Guy Haley
• Once a Stimm Queen by Robbie MacNiven
• Scar Crossed by Nick Kyme
• Burned by Darius Hinks
• A Common Ground by Mike Brooks
• Red Salvage by Josh Reynolds

Warhammer Horror

Sadly the Community article only included the cover art for one of the Warhammer Horror releases – that’s a real shame, because judging by what was shown in the seminar the artwork for David Annandale’s novel is AMAZING! Hopefully that will be revealed soon…

The House of Night and Chain by David Annandale
“Malveil is a house of darkness, filled with history and pain. It knows all secrets, and no weakness can be hidden from it. Now it stirs eagerly because its prey, a colonel broken by the realities of war, approaches…”

I’ve also pulled this from Simon and Schuster online:

“At the edge of the city of Valgaast, Malveil awaits. It is a house of darkness. Its halls are filled with history and pain. It knows all secrets, and no weakness can be hidden from it. Now it stirs eagerly because its prey approaches.

Colonel Maeson Strock of the Adeptus Ministorum is returning to his ancestral mansion. He is a shell of a man, broken by the horrors of war and personal loss. Colonel Strock has come home to take up the mantle of planetary governor. He hopes he can purge his home world of political corruption. He hopes he can reforge connections with his estranged children. He hopes he can rebuild his life. Malveil will feast on his hopes. Strock believes he has seen the worst of the galaxy’s horrors. Malveil will show him how wrong he is.”

The Watcher in the Rain by Alec Worley
“A ferocious Warp storm approaches an administrative world, stranding an interrogator and his captive in a sinking city where a mysterious presence stalks them through the depths.”

Once again that cover is phenomenal, right?!

General news

Just a quick note on the Black Library Weekender before I get stuck into this section – unlike last year, the dates weren’t confirmed at this event…but it sounds like it’s definitely going to happen. It is apparently in the hands of Games Workshop’s “global events team”, and hopefully we’ll find out more sometime soon.

20th Anniversary editions
“Celebrating much-loved classics from the very beginnings of Black Library.”

These were described as being the definitive editions of classic novels, with William King’s Space Wolf first and up for pre-orders already. Trollslayer (also by King) and Dan Abnett’s First and Only will be coming at some point, with more to come in future. All of them will have internal artwork and new author introductions.

Audiobooks
“Starting July 2019 we will begin delivering audiobooks for our backlist titles. Initial plans include:

• Soul Hunter
• Brothers of the Snake
• First and Only
• Hammer and Anvil

We want your thoughts! Stay tuned to Warhammer Community and the Black Library Facebook page.”

A new recording studio has apparently been built, so it looks like we can expect overall audio production to increase. It’s going to be interesting to see what format BL take to solicit fans’ opinions on which titles to choose in future – keep an eye out for that!

Limited edition hardbacks
With Dark Imperium: Plague War getting the belated limited edition treatment, questions were asked regarding whether we’re going to see the same thing happen to other series – for example Josh Reynolds’ Fabius Bile series and Chris Wraight’s Vaults of Terra series. I can’t remember the specific answer, but the gist was that BL recognise that if a series launches with a LE hardback, fans are going to want the rest of the series in the same format.

Personally I would take that as a hopeful indicator that in future, any time a series kicks off with a LE hardback, those who want the same thing for subsequent books will be able to get it. Exactly how that’s implemented – limited numbers, limited time etc. – remains to be seen. As for existing series (like Fabius or Vaults), it sounds like BL are at least considering it – if Plague War sells out quickly then that’s going to help!

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That’s your lot – apologies if I’ve missed anything out, but I think I’ve covered pretty much everything. I don’t know about you, but I’m keen on reading or listening to pretty much everything announced at Black Library Live, so I think I’m going to need to start saving now. It’s also worth mentioning that these ‘Coming Soon’ seminars don’t usually feature absolutely everything that’s in the pipeline, so expect some surprises as well!

If you’ve got any questions, suggestions or other thoughts then please do let me know in the comments below, or find me on Facebook or Twitter and start the conversation off.