The Best Black Library Novels of 2019: January to June

2019 so far has been a busy year for Black Library, whose punishing release schedule continues to churn out new books, audio dramas and short stories at a phenomenal rate. Over the six months from January to June BL released somewhere in the region of FORTY new books or audio dramas, as well as a similar number of reprints (i.e. paperback editions, or reprinted hardbacks) and almost as many short stories. In this article I’m taking a look back at the first half of 2019 to highlight what I personally think have been the best new novels to have been released.

NOTE: I’m focusing entirely on new novels in this article – you can also check out my articles on the best new audio dramas, short stories and anthologies!

This is all my own opinion so your mileage may vary, but these are the books I’ve personally enjoyed reading the most this year so far – while I try to be as objective as possible in my reviews, for this article I’m being entirely subjective! I’ve only included books which have been published for the first time in 2019 – for example I’ve not chosen anything which was originally released in hardback in 2018 and subsequently in paperback in 2019. For each book I’ve chosen, I’ve included a little bit of the description from my review and written up a few of my thoughts about why I enjoyed it so much.

When I started planning this article I began by quickly jotting down off the top of my head all of the books that stood out…and ended up with over a dozen! To be honest it wasn’t hard to pick my absolute favourite, but narrowing things down to only two more was incredibly tricky; I could have comfortably made this a top five or even ten, all of which I’d have been happy to recommend as fantastic novels. As it is, I’ve gone for a top three – but I’ve also listed some honourable mentions underneath as well.

Track of Words’ Top Choice – Requiem Infernal by Peter Fehervari
Many years after leaving her birthplace, the austere home of the Adepta Sororitas of the Last Candle, Sister Asenath Hyades returns seeking answers, and aid for the few survivors of a once-proud Imperial Guard regiment. She finds the holy Candleworld much changed, its deepening darkness profoundly challenging her faith as she attempts to unravel its secrets while reluctantly facing up to her chequered past.

Regular readers of Track of Words will know just how much I adore Peter’s writing, and how highly I rate all of his stories – I’ve read and reviewed every one of his Black Library releases, and you can find all of those reviews right here. I started reading Requiem Infernal with genuinely high expectations, which were not only met but massively exceeded! Shortly after I finished it I messaged a friend with my initial reaction, and my first comment was “Why can’t all 40k books be like this?!” A little hyperbolic perhaps, but an accurate representation of how I was feeling at the time!

Hyperbole aside, if you’ve read and enjoyed Fire Caste, Cult of the Spiral Dawn or any of Peter’s other stories, you don’t really need me to tell you that you’re going to love Requiem Infernal. I would say this goes deeper into the Dark Coil than any of Peter’s stories before it, featuring recurring themes and character archetypes (not to mention links to other characters and places) and bringing them together in a mind-boggling blend that really rewards those who are familiar with the rest of his work. Read it carefully and you can spot all manner of intriguing details and connections, or if you’d prefer you can just sit back and enjoy the rich madness of it all!

If you’re not already a Fehervari fan, then consider this: are you interested in the dark, psychological heart of 40k? Do you enjoy stories which gradually reveal themselves as you read them, which challenge you to pay attention, which are populated by troubled, conflicted characters with dubious degrees of sanity? If the answer is yes, and you’re looking for a genuinely dark and psychological 40k horror story, then this is the book for you. It won’t be for everyone, that’s for sure…but if you enjoy digging beneath the surface of 40k then this should be at the top of your to-read list.

Check out my review of Requiem Infernal here.

Hamilcar: Champion of the Gods by David Guymer
Hamilcar Bear-Eater – mightiest of Sigmar’s Stormcast Eternals – boldly sets out to drive the forces of Chaos from the region surrounding the ancient fortress known as the Seven Words. He soon realises that the real threat is actually from the skaven, and is forced to pit his strength – and his wits – against Ikrit, a worryingly powerful warlock engineer with designs on Sigmar’s secrets.

This was a real surprise hit for me – I already liked the character, having read a few Hamilcar short stories before this, but I had no idea I was going to enjoy this book quite so much. I wrote in my review that Hamilcar is “a breath of fresh air amongst the dry, serious voices that a lot of Stormcast are written with”, and that could apply to both the character and the book itself, which manages to be action-packed, laugh-out-loud funny and deeply characterful, and offers a fresh look at the Mortal Realms. It’s a fantastic story packed with great characters, and ably demonstrates the variety that Age of Sigmar can offer.

Check out my review of Hamilcar: Champion of the Gods here.

Spear of the Emperor by Aaron Dembski-Bowden
Over a century after the Great Rift, the Imperium sends Amadeus Kaias Incarius of the Mentor Legion to assess the status of Elara’s Veil’s defences. The Star Scorpions are long gone, the Celestial Lions crippled, so the Spears of the Emperor hold the line almost alone. Despite a cold welcome from the Spears, Amadeus recognises that there’s no way back to the Imperium, so resolves to stay and fight, and help the Spears however he can.

I picked up the LE hardback of this in 2018, but I’m including it here because the standard release launched in June. It’s a book I’m still thinking about over six months later, the sort of book that burrows under my skin and stays there, resurfacing every time I come across someone talking about it online and reminding me of fantastic character moments or intriguing themes. It’s not your average Space Marine book, but then that’s not really surprising considering Dembski-Bowden’s track record. Instead it’s a deep and thought-provoking exploration of the realities of life in Imperium Nihilus, and one of the most powerful 40k books I’ve ever read.

Check out my review of Spear of the Emperor here.

Honourable mentions
As I said earlier, I could easily have included several other books in my top three, all of which are fantastic reads. Here are a few of those other books (in no particular order) which I’d suggest are well worth checking out (click on the links below to read my reviews):

Honourbound by Rachel Harrison – the first novel to feature Commissar Severina Raine and the 11th Antari Rifles, after several excellent short stories. If you’ve enjoyed the shorts then this is essential reading, but if not it’s worth checking out as quite simply the best Imperial Guard novel for years.

The Solar War by John French – book one in the Siege of Terra, featuring all manner of fan-favourite characters as the Horus Heresy begins its long-awaited finale. It’s everything you could want from this story, as French takes an incredible complexity of story arcs and distils them down into a single compelling narrative.

The Red Feast by Gav Thorpe – an Age of Sigmar novel which isn’t set in the Age of Sigmar, this is as much historical fiction as it is a fantasy story. It feels fresh and vibrant, with instantly engaging characters and a compelling narrative, and is worth checking out for anyone even vaguely interested in the Mortal Realms.

Angron: Slave of Nuceria by Ian St. Martin – probably my favourite of all the Primarchs novels so far, this manages to humanise Angron and the World Eaters in a way I’d never expected, and has helped me understand and sympathise with these characters like never before. Powerful, even emotional, this is a first-class story and a must-read for Heresy fans.

Anarch by Dan Abnett – the LONG-awaited finale to the fourth arc in Abnett’s Gaunt’s Ghosts series, this is as much a horror story as it is anything else. Gripping, horrifying, deeply characterful and breathlessly paced, it brings this arc to a fitting close…and yep, as you’d expect none of these characters are safe!

The Buried Dagger by James Swallow – the 54th and final book in the main Horus Heresy range, this covers both the ‘Doom of the Death Guard’ and the final stages of Malcador’s plan for the Knights Errant. With loads of insight into Mortarion, Typhon, Garro and even the Sigillite, it’s a fitting conclusion to the series before the Siege of Terra begins.

So there you are, my top three Black Library novels of 2019 so far along with a handful of other recommended reads. Don’t forget as well that you can check out my articles about the best audio dramas, short stories and anthologies too. How many of these have you read? Did you enjoy them? Have a think about what your favourite books of the year so far have been, and let me know – you can leave a comment below, or come find me on Twitter or Facebook.