Tag Archives: Robbie MacNiven

Like Warhammer? Try This: Aconyte Books

I know a lot of Track of Words readers are big Black Library fans, but what if – like me – you’re keen to look beyond the boundaries of Warhammer and find new fantasy and science fiction worlds to explore? It can be tricky to know where to start, and with so many SFF books published each year choosing a new book or series can sometimes feel a bit intimidating. The answer, I think, is to try something by an author you’re already familiar with – so think of your favourite Black Library authors, and look for some of their non-BL stories! Not every BL author writes for other publishers, but plenty of them do, so you’ve got a ready-made list of writers whose work will give you great entry points to the wider world of SFF.

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AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Robbie MacNiven Talks The Gates of Thelgrim

Hello and welcome to this Track of Words Author Interview, where today I’m welcoming Robbie MacNiven back to the site to talk about his new book The Gates of Thelgrim, which is his second contribution to Aconyte Books’ range of Descent novels. As someone who’s been introduced to this setting by the novels, rather than playing the games, I’m really enjoying getting to know more about Descent, and this book promises to deliver loads more subverted tropes and fun fantasy entertainment. It’s available now as a global ebook and US paperback, with the UK paperback coming in November.

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First Team – Robbie MacNiven

Robbie MacNiven’s First Team is the second instalment of Aconyte Books’ Marvel: Xavier’s Institute series of X-Men prose novels, and it perfectly blends the powerful darkness of a world in which young mutants are surrounded by hate and oppression, with a warm sense of friendship and family. Compared with many of his peers at the Xavier Institute, Anole – otherwise known as Victor Borkowski – knows that he’s had a remarkably comfortable life for a mutant. When his parents are threatened by the anti-mutant extremist group known as the Purifiers, however, he gets first-hand experience of the hatred that many mutants suffer under, and finds himself relying upon his found family at the Institute – particularly close friends Cipher and Greymalkin – for support in his mission to track down and stop the Purifiers.

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Found Family and the Characters of First Team – Robbie MacNiven Guest Post

Hello and welcome to the latest guest post here on Track of Words, where today I’ve got the fantastic Robbie MacNiven on board to talk about the characters and one of the main themes in his new X-Men novel First Team. The second instalment in the Marvel: Xavier’s Institute series from Aconyte Books, First Team is due to be published in global ebook and US paperback on the 2nd March, with the UK paperback following on the 15th April. To start things off, check out the cool cover art for First Team – by the talented Anastasia Bulgakova – and then take a look at the book’s synopsis.

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A Few Thoughts On: Champions of the Mortal Realms

Black Library’s Age of Sigmar anthology Champions of the Mortal Realms collects together four novellas originally published in 2018 as part of the ‘Black Library Novella Series 1’ – Warqueen by Darius Hinks, Heart of Winter by Nick Horth, The Red Hours by Evan Dicken and The Bone Desert by Robbie MacNiven. All four novellas are excellent, and as an anthology this offers great value for a collection of stories covering a wide variety of characters, locations and themes from across the Mortal Realms. It’s had a slightly strange publication history, however (as has its 40k companion Servants of the Imperium), so I’ll talk a bit about that as well as taking a quick look at each story and linking out to my individual reviews.

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EXCLUSIVE! Introducing: First Team by Robbie MacNiven

Today I’ve got something really special for you, with a Track of Words exclusive in which I can reveal the next book in Aconyte’s growing range of Marvel prose novels – First Team by Robbie MacNiven, the latest instalment in the Marvel: Xavier’s Institute series. I’ve been a fan of Robbie’s writing ever since I reviewed his first Warhammer 40,000 short story (check out that review here) back in 2015, and I had a lot of fun reading his first novel for Aconyte – The Doom of Fallowhearth – so I can’t wait to see how he gets on with this X-Men novel! It’s due to be published in ebook and as a US paperback on the 2nd February 2021, with the UK paperback following on the 4th March.

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The Doom of Fallowhearth – Robbie MacNiven

Robbie MacNiven’s first novel for Aconyte Books, The Doom of Fallowhearth is the first in a new series of novels set in Terrinoth, the world of Descent: Journeys in the Dark. When Lady Kathryn, the Baroness of Forthyn’s daughter, disappears under strange circumstances, three of the legendary Borderlands Four reunite to search for the missing noblewoman. While their best years might be behind them, these most famous of adventurers bravely (or rather reluctantly, in the case of ageing rogue Logan Lashley) head north to the town of Fallowhearth to search for signs of what caused Lady Kathryn’s disappearance. Little do they appreciate the danger they’re stepping into, however, as their search brings them into conflict with suspicious locals, lurking monsters and a powerful darkness hiding in the sinister Blind Muir forest.

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AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Robbie MacNiven Talks The Doom of Fallowhearth

Welcome to this Track of Words Author Interview, in which I’m chatting with Robbie MacNiven about his first novel for Aconyte Books – The Doom of Fallowhearth. Well known for his Warhammer fiction, Robbie is now turning his attention to Descent: Journeys in the Dark, which is still pretty bleak but a little different to the usual grimdark. This book kicks of Aconyte’s range of Descent novels, and will be published as an ebook and US paperback on the 6th October – the UK paperback is due a little later in November.

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QUICK REVIEW: Extermination Examination – Robbie MacNiven

Robbie MacNiven’s first KeyForge short story, featured in the anthology Tales From the Crucible from Aconyte Books, Extermination Examination sees a pair of students embark on a research trip to the dangerous martian territory of the Borreal enclave. Earnest, enthusiastic krxix Nal’ai is desperate to impress her Martian Studies tutor – the 96.7% inorganic professor Longaard – while her roommate, the party-elf Kolli, just wants to get through her second year. Theirs is a simple task – just spend a few days interviewing the enclave’s members – but neither is really prepared for the paranoia and xenophobia of the notoriously insular martians.

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Scourge of Fate – Robbie MacNiven

Robbie MacNiven’s first full Age of Sigmar novel, Scourge of Fate is a Chaos-focused tale of the lengths one man is prepared to go to in order to join the ranks of Archaon’s Knights of Ruin – the Varanguard. The Black Pilgrim Vanik, a powerful warlord in his own right, is one of two aspirants competing against each other to claim a single place among the Fifth Circle of the Varanguard. Tasked with killing a great hero of Order, to stop a prophecy and prevent a threat to the Varanspire itself, Vanik raises a great host of warriors and marches on Helmgard in the Realm of Chamon.

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