Best of Black Library 2020 – 40k

It’s almost the end of 2020, so I thought it might be fun to take a look back at the Black Library stories that I’ve read this year and pick out a few personal highlights – in this article I’m looking specifically at Warhammer 40,000 stories, but I’ll do the same thing at some point for some of the other settings as well. These are just my own choices, based on what I’ve personally enjoyed reading the most, and I’ve based my selections on stories that were released in 2020 and that I read during this year (so for example I’ve had to miss off a few short stories that I read in anthologies in 2019 but which subsequently got standalone e-short releases in 2020).

While I’ve read a reasonable number of BL stories this year, I certainly haven’t read everything that BL have released, so there are some books I’m sure I’ll enjoy reading (Manflayer, Avenging Son, The Darkness in the Blood etc.) that aren’t on the list just because I’ve not read them yet. If nothing else, I simply can’t afford to buy everything – even with Covid-related disruptions, BL’s release schedule continues to be brutal! I did, however, have plenty of 40k stories to choose from, what with all the main-range releases along with Warhammer Crime and Warhammer Horror. I’ve not included Necromunda stories, however, so if there’s any interest I could take a look at those separately.

I’m going to try and keep this article relatively brief for once, so for each of the three books I’ve chosen I’ll include a quick commentary and then link out to my reviews and/or interviews where appropriate. I’ll also throw in a few links to some other honourable mentions! Without further ado then, let’s get straight to it.

The Reverie by Peter Fehervari
I haven’t yet reviewed this, but it simply has to be on the list. I can’t remember the last time I finished a book – any book, not just a 40k one – and immediately went back to the beginning to read it (or in this case listen to it) again…it really is that good! Peter’s writing has always been horror fiction, but this is the first of his novels to be released under the Warhammer Horror label, and if I had any doubts about how Space Marines would work in a horror story they were instantly dispelled with this book! It’s low-key, deeply thoughtful and thought-provoking, and provides one of the best – if not the best – ever depictions of a Space Marine chapter in BL fiction. Don’t expect masses of gore or jump scares, this is from the creeping dread and discomfort school of horror – and it’s utterly wonderful. I don’t want to say too much about it or risk spoilers; if you want to know more, try my friend Tim’s review of it over on Goodreads.

Check out my Traveller’s Guide to Peter Fehervari’s Dark Coil article for more about Peter’s writing, and some fantastic visualisations of how his stories fit together.

Also check out my quick review of Nightbleed, a fantastic short story of Peter’s that I also read this year, and can highly recommend.

The Infinite and the Divine by Robert Rath
This has been getting incredible reviews, and I’m really not surprised. There aren’t many 40k stories told from xenos perspectives, but this tale of two grumpy old (Necron) men embroiled in a millennia-long feud is evidence enough that there certainly should be more. Many, many more. Trazy and Orikan make for such an entertaining pairing, and I would happily read pretty much any story featuring the two of them. Happily, this particular story is bold, ambitious, action-packed and hugely entertaining, full of humour and often laugh-out-loud funny. At no point does it sacrifice the essential 40k darkness for that humour, however, and there’s as much to enjoy here for hardcore 40k fans wanting to know more about the Necrons as there is for readers who simply want great, character-driven storytelling. It really is a must-read, in my opinion.

Check out my review of The Infinite and the Divine, and my interview with Robert Rath about this book.

Also check out my quick review of War in the Museum, a fantastic short story from Robert featuring the same characters as the novel.

Watchers of the Throne: The Regent’s Shadow by Chris Wraight
I know I’m not alone in being a big fan of Chris Wraight’s books set (mostly) on Terra, and I’m not in the least bit surprised by the popularity of his Vaults of Terra and Watchers of the Throne series. After 2019’s The Hollow Mountain (which made my top 10 list on Warhammer Community) aced the ‘difficult second book’ challenge for the Vaults of Terra, I was expecting big things from The Regent’s Shadow…but it fully exceeded my expectations! There’s so much going on in this book, and so much depth and detail added to Terra and the inner workings of the Imperium with these characters and their observations. If you’re thinking “well that sounds like it could describe The Emperor’s Legion” then I guess you’re right…but this goes deeper still, pulling back a touch on the action side of things to really go big on the politics. It’s just fantastic, and I can’t wait for book three!

Check out my review of The Regent’s Shadow, and my interview with Chris Wraight about this book.

Honourable mentions
I could have picked lots more stories to talk about here, so here are a few honourable mentions – regular readers will know I’m a big fan of short stories, so I’ve gone for a pair of excellent short stories alongside a great (short) novel and my new favourite audio drama. Click on the links below to read my reviews!

• Dredge Runners by Alec Worley: this hugely entertaining audio drama kicked off the new Warhammer Crime range in style, complete with a brilliant central character pairing and the cleverest, most brilliantly-executed use of the audio medium I’ve heard yet from BL.
• Voice of Experience by JC Stearns: a T’au/human auxiliary buddy cop short story. Absolutely fantastic. We need more like this!
• The Jagged Edge by Maria Haskins: a powerful Imperial Guard short story dealing with familial ties in the midst of a dangerous infiltration mission.
• Sepulturum by Nick Kyme: what’s not to like about a 40k zombie novel? A lone inquisitor, endless hordes of slavering zombies, even a few f-bombs – it’s great!

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So those are my personal Warhammer 40,000 highlights from 2020! What are yours? I’d love to know what you enjoyed the most in terms of 40k stories this year – did you go deep into Warhammer Horror, explore Varangantua with Warhammer Crime, have fun hanging out with xenos or enjoy purging the heretic with the forces of the Imperium? Whatever you enjoyed the most, drop me a line in the comments below or over on Twitter, and keep an eye out for more articles like this about some of the other Black Library settings.

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