There might not have been a Black Library Weekender this year (it’s 2020 after all – what do you expect?!), but on Saturday 5th December there’s going to be an online Black Library preview, replicating the ‘Coming Soon’ seminar that usually closes each Weekender. I thought it might be interesting to look ahead to the online preview and speculate a little on what’s going to be announced for 2021. It’s all guesswork at this point, but a bit of speculation is always fun, and I’ve thrown in some of my hopes for 2021 as well (i.e. things I’m not expecting to be announced, but that I’d love to see).
Based on the various ‘Coming Soon’ seminars I’ve attended over the years, I’m expecting BL’s reveals to cover releases planned for the first half of the year. If you’ve not come across one of these seminars before, check out my roundup of the 2019 BL Weekender for a few details of what came up in that year’s seminar, and the Warhammer Community coverage too.
If you check out the Coming Soon page on the Warhammer Community site you’ll see a couple of new books already confirmed for January, so I wouldn’t be surprised if we see a few more details provided about those, as well as (hopefully) all the brand new reveals. I’ve broken down my predictions and hopes by the main settings initially – Horus Heresy, 40k and Age of Sigmar – with a few extra bits and pieces at the end. I’ve also asked some friends within the Warhammer community (who will probably be familiar to a lot of BL fans, as hosts of various podcasts) to chip in with their hopes for 2021 as well!
Horus Heresy
While 2020 didn’t bring with it all that many Heresy releases, the books that did get released were pretty impressive – not least Dan Abnett’s Saturnine! It should be interesting to see the Siege of Terra develop during 2021.
Here’s what I think the online preview might reveal for the Heresy in 2021:
- The fifth Siege of Terra novel: it’s what we’re all waiting for! The LE of Saturnine came out back in March, so I’m hoping we’ll get the full details and cover for this. My prediction is that it’s going to be written by Chris Wraight.
- The next Primarchs novel: I’ve seen an author and title floating around online without confirmation, so hopefully we’ll get the full info (ideally including a cover) in the preview.
- The third Siege of Terra novella: we know there are more novellas still to come, and I could see BL teasing the title and/or author of the third one.
- The Lightning Hall by Graham McNeill: we know that this short story is coming as part of the Advent Calendar series this year, but I wonder if the cover will be revealed on Saturday…?
And what I hope to see from the Heresy in 2021:
- I’m hoping we’ll see at least two new Siege of Terra novels in 2021. Here’s my prediction for the order of authors for the remaining four novels:
- Book 5: Chris Wraight
- Book 6: John French (again)
- Book 7: Aaron Dembski-Bowden
- Book 8: Dan Abnett (again)
- I’ve already mentioned that I think we’ll see the next Primarchs novel confirmed in the preview, but I’m hoping for at least two Primarchs novels over the course of 2021, and/or the third Character Series novel.
- I’d love to see BL give some details of what they’re going to do with the various short stories/audio dramas that haven’t yet been collected into an anthology.
- We’ve already seen a couple of new names to the Heresy with Mike Brooks and Brandon Easton having short stories in the Advent series, and I would like to see that continue with more authors being given the chance to write Heresy stories!
Now here’s Greg from The Imperial Truth podcast with his top three wishes for the Heresy in 2021:
Siege of Terra book 5
“The ride of the Khan! I know Chris started looking at his Siege book a long while ago and I can only assume he is writing the Khan’s charge on the spaceport [I hope so too! – ToW]. Chris is excellent and I’d be looking forward to it just for that, but I’m excited to see how threads from Saturnine fit in too.”
A Primarchs novel
“I’m looking forward to all of them, but Mortarion and Dorn have had a fair bit of insight. I think Horus will be last. Sanguinius and Alpharius excite me the most in terms of which aspects the story will focus on, so both of those will be really nice.”
Character Series
“There are so many possibilities here, but my hope is to look at characters we don’t know as well. Khârn, Typhon etc. have enough modern stories already, so how about we look at Lotara Sarin and how she gained the rank she is at, or the story behind Argel Tal and Erebus’ enmity? Maybe even rescue a character who suffered in one of the less well received books. Mhotep or Skrall from Battle for the Abyss, for example [Great idea! – ToW].”
Warhammer 40,000
40k tends to get the lion’s share of these previews, so I imagine we’ll see quite a lot of new books announced. I’m looking forward to seeing how they balance new and existing series this time around…
Here’s what I think the online preview might reveal for 40k in 2021:
- Silent Hunters by Edoardo Albert: this has already been confirmed for January, but I could see BL giving us a few more details of what to expect.
- Dawn of Fire: this has been billed as the next big 40k series, so I would be surprised if BL didn’t reveal at least something about the next book to be released.
- John French’s Cypher audio: this audio drama box set was announced at last year’s Weekender with no title or cover, so I’m expecting more details to come out about it.
- 40k Mega Edition: David Annandale’s The Heretic Saint was the first of these swanky LE box sets to get an early-in-the-year release, but I’d now expect BL to do two of them every year…so I think we’ll get at least a teaser for whatever’s coming in early 2021.
- Space Marine Conquests: this series seems to have slowed down a bit, but I imagine we’ll see at least one new title announced for 2021.
- Other 40k novels: I expect BL will announce at least a couple more 40k titles for the first half of 2021 – maybe Justin Hill’s next Cadian novel, or if we’re lucky even Graham McNeill’s next Uriel Ventris novel. Will Dan Abnett’s Penitent finally be ready to be published? I hope so, but I wouldn’t put money on it…
- Anthologies: I wouldn’t be surprised to see at least one dedicated 40k anthology announced, along the same lines as Lords and Tyrants/Warriors and Warlords.
- Audio dramas: at last year’s Weekender BL announced three standard audio dramas and two box sets, so I’d expect at least one or two (plus Cypher) announced this year.
- Sons of Sanguinius: I’ve seen a listing in the book trade for an anthology of Blood Angels stories, so I think we might get some information on what that will include.
And what I hope to see from 40k in 2021:
- Dawn of Fire roadmap: BL have talked up Dawn of Fire as the next big thing, but it’s tricky to know what to expect from it at the moment. A roadmap of roughly how many books we can expect to see, when and from whom, would be really great!
- Xenos books: the community response to books like Brutal Kunnin and The Infinite and the Divine seems to have been really strong, so I hope that encourages BL to commission lots more books from xenos perspectives. A full Necron novel from Nate Crowley would be lovely, for example!
- Dark Imperium: the two Dark Imperium novels seem to have been taken off sale in some formats, but Guy Haley has mentioned that they’ll be back, and with the third novel too – I’d love to find out what’s happening, and read the next book! Hopefully it’ll happen this year.
- The Dark Coil in an omnibus (or several): surely it’s about time BL started to bundle up Peter Fehervari’s stories into official Dark Coil omnibuses?!
- Ciaphas Cain: there’s a new Cain short story coming out from Sandy Mitchell over Advent…so is it too much to hope for that we might see another novel too?
- Other books: I don’t really mind what they’re about and which factions/characters they feature…I’d just like to read new novels from Rachel Harrison and Robert Rath, and a debut novel from Marc Collins. Oh, and a new Aaron Dembski-Bowden novel would be great too – I know a lot of people are waiting for the third Black Legion book but I’d love a sequel to Spear of the Emperor…
Here’s Kenny from the Combat Phase podcast with a few wishes for 40k in 2021:
Novels
“Of course, we’ll get the expected sequel to Pariah out of the way from Dan Abnett, since I know you knew this was coming [That’s some confidence from Kenny! I certainly hope it’s coming – ToW]. In novel format another wishlist item involves Cypher and what the shadowy character is doing since the Gathering Storm and reaching Terra. Fans court the idea of the Lion being the next loyalist Primarch to return, but I think Cypher holds the key and until he features in a campaign book or something, I want to know more about what he’s up to.
I also believe 40K is ready for the return of Rogue Traders in 2021, now that we’ve had the games [Agreed! – ToW]. Those mega-corporations and the non-militant aspect of 40K would compliment nicely with the success of Warhammer Crime, I believe. What an opportunity…”
Audio dramas
“As my listeners and fellow fanboys know, I love audio dramas. While Aaron Dembski-Bowden’s Butcher’s Nails is still my first and favorite audio drama, Alec Worley’s Dredge Runners is up there too. The writing and performance easily makes it one of the best, and I combine any requests for ratlings and ogryns together into a demand for the next audio drama from these two delightful characters [Seconded – ToW].
Speaking of sequels, this one usually gets me a blank stare before people go and download it: I demand a sequel to the sensational audio drama from James Swallow – Corsair: Face of the Void. The production was staggering for the time, and everything about it culminated as one of Black Library’s greats. Matt [Renshaw: BL’s audio producer – ToW] certainly proved his directing chops on this one. I’m still amazed it hasn’t progressed. Please, after a year-long kick in the balls by 2020…give me another Rogue Trader audio drama from this series.”
And finally…
“OK, that’s all, as a Siege of Terra audio drama would fall under 30K and Greg’s got the Heresy covered. Honorable mention must go to the Squats’ inclusion in print again, now that models are out in Necromunda! How about the Squats and Demiurg face off? I do love the idea of a case study book (so not a novel, more of an in-character journal) of an Imperial zoologist/entomologist following Tyranids around – that could be fun (this one is for my friend Curtis).”
Warhammer Age of Sigmar
It’s hard to predict what BL are going to offer for Age of Sigmar, as things have been pretty quiet of late. There were slim pickings for AoS in last year’s Weekender reveal, but hopefully this year there will be a few more…
Here’s what I think the online preview might reveal for Age of Sigmar in 2021:
- Stormvault by Andy Clark: another one already confirmed for January, which I could see BL giving more details of.
- Gotrek: it’s inevitable that there will be more Gotrek novels, and with a new short story coming for Advent I’ve a feeling there’s another novel on its way. Probably from Darius Hinks, but I could see multiple authors getting involved over time…
- Neferata: David Annandale is usually pretty prolific, and it’s been over a year since the last Neferata novel came out in hardback.
- Slaanesh: the Lumineth, Daughters of Khaine and Sons of Behemat have all had novels or audio dramas this year to tie in with new minis, rules etc. – so I’d be surprised if there isn’t something in the works for Slaanesh. A return to the pages of BL for Sigvald, perhaps?
- Kharadron Overlords: I’m stretching things a bit here, but with a new Kharadron short story from Gav Thorpe coming over Advent I just wonder if that might be a link to an upcoming novel.
- Audio drama: hopefully there will be at least one new AoS audio drama announced, just to keep up a bit of momentum in this format. No idea what the subject will be, though.
- Anthology: as with 40k, I’d expect a new anthology in the vein of Myths & Revenants/Oaths & Conquests.
A few more things that I’m hoping to see from Age of Sigmar in 2021:
- A big series of some sort: something involving multiple authors, with a nice big overarching narrative…that would be fun, right? Ideally a story that’s separate to the ongoing IP, so that it can stand on its own – I mean, it would be cool to see BL tackle the Broken Realms narrative, but personally I think I’d actually prefer something brand new.
- Hamilcar: we need another Hamilcar novel from David Guymer. It’s as simple as that! More, please.
- Gloomspite: as per Hamilcar. There’s an Advent short story from Andy which looks vaguely gloomspite-related, but another novel featuring the same characters would be great!
- More from Richard Strachan: after Blood of the Everchosen, and his short story Blood of the Flayer, I’m really hoping to read more Age of Sigmar fiction from Richard – because what I’ve read so far has been fantastic!
Here’s Aaron from The Mortal Realms podcast with his top three wishes for Age of Sigmar in 2021:
Recurring characters
“I think what makes Warhammer stories stand out are their fantastic characters. Characters that both highlight and inform the fantastic settings of the Mortal Realms, and in turn are enhanced and fulfilled by them. Age of Sigmar stories have plenty of characters that we have grown to love, whether old characters in a brand new context of the Mortal Realms like Gotrek or Neferata, or brand new faces (or face masks, as the case may be) leaving their own mark on the realms like Hamilcar and Neave Blacktalon. These recurring characters give myself and others someone to attach to, an anchor that gives us that familiar entry point into these very unfamiliar locales. I want more, I want to follow wherever these larger-than-life personalities take me, because that familiarity keeps me coming back for more.”
Broken Realms Tie-Ins
“Some of my favorite BL stories are those that tie in closely to the greater narrative story at large. Those tales that take what is occurring at the macro level and break it down to the micro so that simple minds like mine can fully grasp what’s really going on in a sort of layman’s language. Bring me down to that ground level to understand the ramifications of what I know is transpiring realms-wide. Then slip a little emotion in there and I’m satisfied. For the Broken Realms, we already know big things are happening. I want the stories that shed some light on the little things that the big things have caused.”
Stormcast Stories
“Ok, you can stop your booing, I get it, I get it. But here’s the deal – there was a time not too long ago that there were too many Stormcast stories, I admit it. Soon there was the need to hear stories from a much less golden, impassive perspective, and recently I believe Black Library has delivered on that need. We have a much better perspective on the ‘normals’ of the realms these days, and I think we’re better off for it. But now it’s been a bit since we’ve gotten some juicy in-depth Stormcast POV, and they’ve got mysteries just waiting to be cracked wide open. It’s time to circle back around, to swing that pendulum in the other direction, and get to riding the lightning once more.”
And also…
Not everything falls neatly into one of those settings/categories, so here are a few more predictions for the online preview:
- Warhammer Horror: I wouldn’t be surprised if we see the cover announced for the next anthology – The Harrowed Path – and possibly an interview with David Annandale about The Deacon of Wounds.
- Warhammer Crime: I think we might get some information on the next batch of Crime releases – maybe a cover or two, but possible just titles.
- Warhammer Chronicles: there are still plenty of old Warhammer Fantasy novels to be bundled up into new omnibus editions, so I expect we’ll see at least one announced.
- Necromunda: there have been quite a lot of new Necromunda books recently, so hopefully there will be at least one more announced – maybe an anthology, but ideally a new novel.
- Black Library Celebration: we know there will be a couple more old favourites re-released in paperback for 2021’s BL Celebration, but I’d expect a few other bits and pieces too – probably a limited edition or two, some merch, a tie-in miniature, that sort of thing.
- Inferno! Volume 6: these are released pretty regularly, so I’d expect the next instalment to be mentioned (and hopefully the cover revealed).
- Backlist audiobooks: at the 2019 Weekender BL committed to releasing lots of older novels in audio, all of which – and more – have been released as promised. I imagine we’ll get the names of a few more due to hit audio in the next year.
- Print on Demand: the Heresy POD hardbacks are still going strong, but the classic Inferno! magazines are pretty much finished now. I think BL might reiterate that more Heresy hardbacks are coming, and maybe even talk about what else they have planned for POD.
- Limited/Special editions: I would be surprised if at least one of the books announced (probably 40k) isn’t going to get the limited or special edition treatment – and it’ll look gorgeous! I would really, really love to see BL change how they release LEs and start publishing them alongside standard editions. I don’t think it’ll happen, but I wish it would.
***
Luckily we only have to wait until next Saturday (the 5th December) for the online preview – at which point we’ll be able to see if I’m way off the mark with my predictions! I probably will be, but it’s fun to do anyway. Do you agree with me and/or the podcast gang? Disagree? Got a burning desire to see a particular Warhammer novel in 2021? Let me know in the comments below, or find me on Twitter!
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