Tag Archives: Warhammer 40k

Black Library Advent Calendar 2019

As usual, now that we’re into December (somehow – where has 2019 gone?) Black Library are starting to release loads of new short fiction as part of their latest Advent Calendar series. Between the 1st and 24th of December, we’re going to see one new short story or audio drama every day, and as is my tradition I’ll be writing a review of each one to go along with it. This year the series is split evenly between short stories and audio dramas, along with two brand new novels getting digital-only premieres on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

In this article I’m going to provide a roundup of what information has been made public so far regarding these stories, consolidating the details provided by Warhammer Community along with what’s available elsewhere online (i.e. Amazon) and giving you everything you need in one place. Each day I’ll update the information below with the name and description for the latest story, as well as a link to my review. For now, here’s a quick run through of how the stories are split out, based on the information Black Library have provided so far:

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Invocations – Warhammer Horror Anthology

Black Library’s second Warhammer Horror-branded short story anthology, Invocations features twelve stories from ten different authors, four of which have previously been released as individual digital-only shorts while the other eight are presented here for the first time. All twelve explore the darker corners of the 41st Millennium and the Mortal Realms, with established names like David Annandale, Justin D. Hill, Nick Kyme and CL Werner joined by newer (to Warhammer) but still familiar authors Lora Gray, Peter McLean and Richard Strachan. Meanwhile Ray Cluley, Jake Ozga and Steven Sheil all make their Black Library debuts.

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QUICK REVIEW: Salvage Rites – Thomas Parrott

Low-key but satisfying, Thomas Parrott’s Warhammer 40,000 short story Salvage Rites adds a small but valuable extra layer of detail onto the non-military side of life in the Imperium. Having stumbled across what promises to be a life-changingly valuable derelict in orbit around Effandor, Captain Ved Tregan leads his small salvage crew onto the ship to assess their find, keen to get the job done before his rivals appear. In the silent, strangely sterile corridors of the vessel, however, bonds between the crew start to fray as the ship proves to not be quite as lifeless as it seemed.

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QUICK REVIEW: Journey of the Magi – Jonathan Green

A deceptively clever and satisfying short story by Jonathan Green, Journey of the Magi follows a trio of Thousand Sons sorcerers as they mount a magically-assisted incursion into a vast necron artefact known as the Godstar. Though the sorcerers’ powers grant them swift access, it’s not long before the necron defences are alerted to their presence, and they find themselves embattled with ever-growing numbers of increasingly lethal guardians. To Prototokos, Opados and Tritos of the Sect of the Crimson Scarab, however, the prize that waits for them at the heart of the Godstar is worth any sacrifice to claim.

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Severed – Nate Crowley

It’s a rare Warhammer 40,000 story that’s told from a necron viewpoint, however Nate Crowley’s novella Severed achieves the unexpected – adding a fascinating sense of character, pathos and even soul to the supposedly soulless necrontyr. Vargard Obyron has fought beside Nemesor Zahndrekh for millennia, applying his loyalty and skill at arms in concert with Zahndrekh’s unrivalled strategic insight despite his lord’s idiosyncratic, troubled world view. Tasked with a mysterious mission to the Ghoul Stars alongside an old and dubious ally, they find themselves confronted by a darkness that profoundly challenges the bond between them, and Zahndrekh’s already tattered sanity.

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QUICK REVIEW: Path of Grief – Adrian Southin

Adrian Southin makes his Black Library debut with Path of Grief, a Warhammer 40,000 short story in which a grieving Aeldari of Saim-Hann relives the trauma that set her on a dangerous trajectory. Itheiul has walked many paths alongside her brother, Arsan, but after his death she has become absorbed by the Path of Grief. As she meditates over the singing spear he used in life, she recalls the desperate battle by his side against the tyranids on a ravaged Exodite world which led to his death, struggling to reconcile herself to the price they paid for victory.

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Mark of Faith – Rachel Harrison

In her second Black Library novel, Mark of Faith, Rachel Harrison tackles both the Sisters of Battle and the Inquisition in an intense and emotional story featuring the expected themes of faith and fervour but also family, purpose and the possibility of rebirth. After losing everything in defence of Ophelia VII, Sister Evangeline of the Order of Our Martyred Lady is sent on a divine quest to seek out the Shield of Saint Katherine in Imperium Nihilus. To Inquisitor Ravara of the Ordo Malleus, Evangeline’s mission offers the opportunity to serve her own ends and undo a terrible wrong. Haunted by ghosts of the past and wrestling with their duties, both find their faith tested and their paths profoundly challenged.

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The Beast Inside – Darius Hinks

A follow up to his novel Blackstone Fortress, Darius Hinks’ audio drama The Beast Inside sees dashing, debonair Janus Draik return to the Blackstone to seek out the dreaded Ambull. Fearing that rival Rogue Trader Ava Victrix means to try and capture the beast and return it to Precipice – where it might run riot and cause untold chaos – Draik is determined to find it first and kill it. Accompanied by the kroot Dahyak Grekh and a group of retainers he sets off in search of the Ambull, but finds the fortress crawling with Chaos cultists and strange, lethal insect-like creatures.

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Isha’s Lament – Thomas Parrott

Thomas Parrott’s first longer-form Black Library story, Isha’s Lament is a Blackstone Fortress novella, an entertaining and insightful tale of survival, exploration and the after-effects of trauma. Brakus Andradus – once a soldier, now a hunter – is part of a group of explorers who find a ruined, dead ship within the fortress, and in doing so unwittingly trigger a calamity that endangers everyone on both the fortress and Precipice. Despite his failing health Brakus ventures back in search of a way to prevent disaster, accompanied by a motley group of uneasy companions, and in the darkness faces up to his fears.

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Author Spotlight: Edoardo Albert

Welcome to this instalment of my Author Spotlight series of interviews, which aim to give an overview of each author’s background and approach to writing, and a slightly more detailed look at one of their books in particular. In this instalment I spoke to Edoardo Albert about his background, influences and route to writing for Black Library, some fantastic advice for prospective authors, and his new 40k novella Lords of the Storm (which is available to buy right now).

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