Black Library’s Warhammer Crime range only launched in 2020 but it’s steadily growing as new titles are released, and I thought it might be useful to put together an article that breaks down all of the relevant releases and links out to reviews and author interviews where they’re available. Because a few of these stories are connected as well (characters appearing in both short stories and novels, for example) I’ve included as many of those connections as I know of too, so hopefully this should be helpful both as an introduction and a refresher to Warhammer Crime. I’ll keep this article updated as and when new titles are released and/or I publish new reviews/interviews, so that it’s as useful and up to date as possible.
Latest update: June 2023 (added: The King of the Spoil and Once a Killer)
What I’m going to do in this article is break things down by the type of release – so I’ll look at the novels first, then short story anthologies and then audio dramas (although there’s only one audio so far), and I’ll include BL’s synopsis for each one. I’ll point out the connections between stories where I’m aware of them, but as always I’m keen to avoid spoilers so I’ll only talk in the most general terms. For each title, if I’ve either reviewed it or interviewed the author(s) I’ll also include links so that you can read those too, and as I publish new reviews or interviews I’ll add them into the article.
A note on reading order
It’s worth pointing out that while an increasing number of short stories connect to the novels, there’s still no real reading order for Warhammer Crime – it’s not a series as such, so you can start anywhere and just go from there. I would say that Bloodlines, as the first novel published in the range, would be a good starting point to get your head around Varangantua and the tone of these stories, but to be honest you should be able to pick up any of the novels or anthologies that appeal to you (or the audio drama Dredge Runners, to be fair) and start there, then see what takes your fancy next.
That being said, if you’re going to read the short story anthologies then I do have a suggestion to make (thanks to @dukeleto70 on Twitter for the inspiration). Both No Good Men and Sanction & Sin are (as you’ll see later on) quite heavily themed, with No Good Men in particular featuring a set of stories that are all quite similar. To get the most out of these anthologies, it might be worth picking up two or more of them and alternating between them, to make sure you’re getting as much variety (of author, characters, style etc.) as possible. It’s not essential, but might add to your overall enjoyment.
Novels
At the time of writing (June 2023) there are five full Warhammer Crime novels, with each main character (or characters) also featuring in at least one additional short story or audio drama. I’ve listed these novels in publication order:
Bloodlines by Chris Wraight (August 2020)
In the immense city of Varangantua, life is cheap but mistakes are expensive. When Probator Agusto Zidarov of the city’s enforcers is charged with locating the missing scion of a wealthy family, he knows full well that the chances of finding him alive are slight. The people demanding answers, though, are powerful and ruthless, and he is soon immersed in a world of criminal cartels and corporate warfare where even an enforcer’s survival is far from guaranteed. As he follows the evidence deeper into the city’s dark underbelly, he discovers secrets that have been kept hidden by powerful hands. As the net closes in on both him and his quarry, he is forced to confront just what measures some people are willing to take in order to stay alive…
Connections: I would suggest reading the short story Aberrant (in No Good Men) before Bloodlines, and then Outside Powers (in The Vorbis Conspiracy) afterwards.
See also: my interview with Chris Wraight talking about Bloodlines.
See also: my review of Bloodlines.
Flesh and Steel by Guy Haley (September 2020)
Born into riches, Probator Symeon Noctis attempts to atone for his past sins by championing the powerless of Nearsteel district. But the sprawling city of Varangantua is uncaring of its masses, and when a bisected corpse is discovered in the neutral zone between Nearsteel and the Adeptus Mechanicus enclave of Steelmound, Noctis finds himself cast into his most dangerous case yet. Partnering with the tech-priest Rho-1 Lux of the Collegiate Extremis, Noctis is drawn into a murky world of tech-heresy, illegal servitors, and exploitation that could end his career, or his life.
Connections: chronologically speaking, the short story No Use for Good Men (in No Good Men) takes place before Flesh and Steel, then Against Entropy (in The Vorbis Conspiracy) follows on from the novel.
See also: my interview with Guy Haley talking about Flesh and Steel.
Grim Repast by Marc Collins (September 2021)
Quillon Drask is a haunted man, wrestling with the daemons of his past. With a reputation that draws only the strangest cases, he is intimately familiar with the malevolent underbelly of Varangantua. Yet nothing that has gone before could have prepared the probator for the horrors which now blight the district of Polaris. Faced with a savage crime with frightening implications, Drask is thrust into a game of corruption and conspiracy, warring families, and blasphemous revelations. Only by mastering the bitter lessons of his career and his own tortured insight can Drask hope to bring the perpetrators to justice, and curb the monstrous hunger which stalks the city.
Connection: the short story Cold Cases in No Good Men also features Quillon Drask. Chronologically it’s Cold Cases before Grim Repast, so that’s the ideal reading order.
See also: my review of Grim Repast.
See also: my Author Spotlight interview with Marc Collins, which features a section discussing Cold Cases.
The Wraithbone Pheonix by Alec Worley (August 2022)
Baggit is the fast-talking ratling with an eye for the big score. Clodde is the ogryn with a heart of gold and a head full of dreams. These abhuman deserters-turned-criminals operating in the city of Varangantua have crossed the wrong man for the last time – and now they’re on the run…
At least, that is, until Baggit learns of a score that could pay their debts and save their skins – the Wraithbone Phoenix, a fabled treasure rumoured to be hidden aboard a voidship recently scheduled for decommission. But Baggit and Clodde aren’t the only ones with eyes on the prize. When word gets out, every thief in the Dredge is going to be gunning for the Phoenix. Does Baggit have the cunning to find the treasure and get out alive, or will someone finally cash in the bounty on his head?
Connections: I would recommend listening to Dredge Runners (see below) first, before reading The Wraithbone Phonex, and then reading the short story Outside Powers (in The Vorbis Conspiracy).
See also: my interview with Alec Worley discussing The Wraithbone Phoenix.
See also: my review of The Wraithbone Phoenix.
The King of the Spoil by Jonathan D. Beer (July 2023)
Within the vast sprawl of Varangantua lies the Spoil. It is a broken crossroads, forsaken by the Lex, abandoned by the city’s uncaring masters, where the only choice is a slow death in the manufactories, or a quick one on the street. And it is in turmoil.
Andreti Sorokin, the gangster king whose vicious rule brought order to the Spoil, is dead, slain in the most brutal fashion. Melita Voronova, skilled info-broker and reluctant agent of the imperious Valtteri cartel, is tasked with uncovering the mystery of who killed Sorokin, and preventing his fragile alliance of thugs and narco-pushers from collapsing into chaos.
As street-blades clash and gang leaders turn against one another, Melita’s instincts tell her there is a larger conspiracy at work. Someone has created this crisis not merely to disrupt the Spoil, but to overturn the foundations of Varangantua itself.
Connections: to learn more about Melita Voronova I would suggest reading the short stories Service (in Sanction & Sin) and Chains (e-short/available in Once a Killer) first, before reading The King of the Spoil. For more about the Spoil and one of the secondary characters in The King of the Spoil, you could also read Old Instincts (in Broken City).
Keep an eye out for my review coming soon
Anthologies and e-shorts
As of June 2023 there are four Warhammer Crime anthologies released, with a fifth announced, predominantly featuring short stories although some are longer than others, and one anthology does include a longer novella. Again, I’ve listed the anthologies in publication order. At the end of this section I’ve also included a few short stories which have so far only been released as individual e-shorts.
No Good Men (August 2020)
In the grim darkness of the far future, there is a vast city… an urban sprawl of murder and corruption. A den of vice and illicit deeds where the law is failing and justice is fleeting. Glutted merchant-kings turn the wheels of industry, feeding the engine of war on distant worlds while the lowly dream only of survival. As the gilded prosper, hidden behind their fortress walls, the masses must find a place within the underbelly. But regardless of station, whether criminal or law-keeper, one fact remains true – this city is dirty, and no one escapes it without a little sin. For in Varangantua, there are no good men.
- Aberrant by Chris Wraight (read this before Bloodlines)
- Exit Wound by Darius Hinks (read this before Loose Ends in Sanction & Sin)
- The View from Olympus by Gareth Hanrahan
- Impurities by Graham McNeill (read this before Servant of the Righteous in The Vorbis Conspiracy)
- No Use for Good Men by Guy Haley (read this before Flesh and Steel)
- Cold Cases by Marc Collins (read this before Grim Repast)
- Against the Grain by Nick Kyme
Impurities and Against the Grain are noticeably longer than the others, with the latter almost reaching novella length.
See also: my review of No Good Men.
Broken City (August 2021)
Varangantua is broken. Vast, ancient, and crumbling, the city is a breeding ground for crime and corruption. Gangs and criminal cabals rule over massive, lawless territories, and many who claim to enforce the Law are complicit in allowing this rot to spread. The labyrinthine bureaucracy of the Imperium strangles those few idealists who seek to bring order. All the while, deadly, forgotten things lurk in the dark corners of Varangantua’s decaying districts, just waiting to be unearthed…
- Bleedout by Robert Rath (novella)
- The Verdant Sun by Gary Kloster
- Sanctioner by Chris Wraight (originally featured in White Dwarf)
- Old Instincts by Jonathan D. Beer (read this before The King of the Spoil)
- Rites of Binding by Gareth Hanrahan
- No Third Chance by Noah Nguyen (read this before Carrion Call in The Vorbis Conspiracy)
- Extended Family by J.C. Stearns
Sanction & Sin (September 2021)
The colossal city of Varangantua sprawls across the surface of Alecto like a dying beast, its innards crawling with some of the most insidious criminals the Imperium has to offer. From vast syndicates to small-time gangs and secretive cults, the city’s labyrinthine districts are the perfect breeding ground for all manner of illicit enterprise. The Enforcers of Varangantua are all that stand in the way of total lawlessness, and many of these are as corrupt as the gangers they oppose, knowing no language but violence.
- Up in Arms by Mike Brooks (read this before the e-short Slate Run)
- Bracelet of Bones by Danie Ware
- Blood Ballot by J.S. Collyer
- Bitter Harvest by Denny Flowers
- Unnatural Causes by Jude Reid
- Loose Ends by Darius Hinks (read Exit Wound in No Good Men, then this, then Skin Deep in The Vorbis Conspiracy)
- Confessions of Fire by Gary Kloster
- The Siege of Ismyr by Victoria Hayward
- Service by Jonathan D. Beer (read this before the e-short Chains and The King of the Spoil)
See also: my review of Sanction & Sin.
The Vorbis Conspiracy (September 2022)
Varangantua is in turmoil. After the district of Korsk is obliterated in a fiery cataclysm, the city’s enforcers must pick up the pieces. As sanctioner teams comb the wreckage for survivors, dogged probators such as Agusto Zidarov and Lycia Calix seek to uncover the truth about what happened. Their stories become intertwined with those of petty criminals and desperate citizens, even drawing the vaunted attention of agents beyond Alecto itself, painting a picture of sprawling conspiracy.
But while the calamity means death and destitution for many, others take advantage of the chaos to gain wealth or position within the city’s byzantine hierarchies. With Varangantua’s place in the wider Imperium at stake, will the truth about the disaster come to light, or will it be buried in the rubble along with thousands of bodies?
This is a little different to the other anthologies, as all of its stories revolve around or follow on from the same major event. It’s not quite a portmanteau, and the stories aren’t directly connected to the point that you need to read them in order…it’s unusual, but really interesting.
- The Bones of the Martyrs by Jude Reid
- Carrion Call by Noah Van Nguyen (read No Third Chance in Broken City first)
- Against Entropy by Guy Haley (read Flesh and Steel first)
- Servant of the Righteous by Graham McNeill (read Impurities in No Good Men first)
- Skin Deep by Darius Hinks (read Exit Wound in No Good Men and Loose Ends in Sanction & Sin first)
- Angels in the Gutter by Alec Worley (read the Wraithbone Phoenix first)
- Outside Powers by Chris Wraight (read Bloodlines first)
Once a Killer (2023 TBC)
In the sprawling hive city of Varangantua, crime lords and gangers, law enforcers and vigilantes live cheek-by-jowl – killers and thieves from all echelons of society doing what they can to survive.
In ‘Once a Killer’ by Mitchel Scanlon, Sanctioner Kirian Malenko goes after a former pit fighter on a killing spree, but knows more about the killer than he cares to admit. ‘Chains’ by Jonathan D. Beer sees a cartel and a gang lord go head to head for the release of a valuable prisoner, and in ‘Slate Run’ by Mike Brooks, a bodyguard gets more than she bargained for when she is hired for a gilded function…
Several of the stories in this anthologies were originally released as individual e-shorts (see below) before being bundled together here, alongside a further four stories.
- Chains by Jonathan D Beer (read Service first, then this, then The King of the Spoil)
- Slate Run by Mike Brooks
- No City for Heroes by Victoria Hayward
- Clear as Glass by Denny Flowers
- Skeletons by Nick Kyme
- Once a Killer, Always a Killer by Mitchel Scanlon
- Grit in the Wheels by Gareth Hanrahan
- Habeas Corpus by Jude Reid
Individual e-shorts
So far there have been five Warhammer Crime e-shorts, released in September 2022 as ‘Warhammer Crime Week’.
- Chains by Jonathan D. Beer (read Service in Sanction & Sin first)
- Slate Run by Mike Brooks (read Up in Arms in Sanction & Sin first)
- Clear as Glass by Denny Flowers
- Once a Killer Part 1 by Mitchel Scanlon
- Once a Killer Part 2 by Mitchel Scanlon
Audio dramas
So far there’s only one Warhammer Crime audio drama, but it’s an absolute corker – possibly my favourite BL audio drama…certainly in my top two or three – so I would strongly recommend you check it out!
Dredge Runners by Alec Worley (August 2020)
Baggit is a fast-talking ratling sniper with a greedy eye and loose morals. Clodde is an ogryn, a brute with a core of decency and a desire for a better life. Two abhuman deserters turned thieves, at large in the monolithic city of Varangantua, where only the tough or the ruthless survive. Having landed in debt to a savage crime lord, Baggit and Clodde end up in the crosshairs of the meanest, most puritanical sanctioner in the city. Caught between two powerful enemies, and with innocent lives at stake, the unlikely companions must think fast and hustle hard before death points a las-pistol in their direction…
Connections: I would listen to this before reading The Wraithbone Phoenix, and then read the short story Outside Powers (in The Vorbis Conspiracy).
See also: my interview with Alec Worley talking about Dredge Runners.
See also: my review of Dredge Runners.
***
I hope this is useful for anyone interested in the Warhammer Crime range – if you haven’t already, make sure you check out some of the reviews and interviews I’ve published for these stories! Personally speaking I’ve been impressed by what I’ve read and listened to so far, and I’m looking forward to more Warhammer Crime releases in the future. If there’s anything else you would like to see in this article, or if you’d like to see similar articles for other parts of the Black Library range, please do let me know in the comments below or over on Twitter.
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Chronological reading guidance and interconnected links like Darius’ are always helpful, thanks! 🙂
Excellent, glad to hear it. I know you like your chronological orders! 🙂
Agreed. I come like the reviews and author interviews, but what really keeps me coming back here are the reading order and comprehensive lists of stories in a series ( great help in tracking down everything Eisenhorn). Truly are you doing the Emperor’s work.
The range has some great cover art so far.
One year on nearly, any more ?
Nothing released yet, nope. There’s a novel and an anthology due out over the next couple of months, so time and energy permitting I’ll try to update this post once they’re available.