Xenos Books Coming up?

[Skullier]

I've become a little bored with bolter porn, are there any upcoming Xenos novels that look interesting?

[cheywood]

https://www.trackofwords.com/2017/11/22/black-library-weekender-coming-soon/ That is a pretty comprehensive list of announced titles. None feature xenos as the protagonists as far as I can tell, but it seems likely some will feature xenos as antagonists. Gav Thorpe has also confirmed he's writing the sequel to Rise of the Ynnari for release in 2018. Called Wild Rider as of now, it's supposed to focus on the Eldar vs the Necrons. Phil Kelly's also writing a Space Marine Conquests novel about the Dark Angels fighting Tau. Given Kelly's predilection for the little blue dudes I'd assume the novel will feature the Tau heavily.

 

Games Workshop has mentioned (if I recall correctly) that they want 8th edition to focus back in on the Chaos vs. Imperium dynamic. That could affect what novels they're commissioning, but that's just speculation.

Edited December 17, 2017 by cheywood

[DarkChaplain]

Phil Kelly has a sequel to Farsight: Crisis of Faith as well I believe, but that's Phil Kelly and I'd rather not get a Tau book at all.

[Skullier]

https://www.trackofwords.com/2017/11/22/black-library-weekender-coming-soon/ That is a pretty comprehensive list of announced titles. None feature xenos as the protagonists as far as I can tell, but it seems likely some will feature xenos as antagonists. Gav Thorpe has also confirmed he's writing the sequel to Rise of the Ynnari for release in 2018. Called Wild Rider as of now, it's supposed to focus on the Eldar vs the Necrons. Phil Kelly's also writing a Space Marine Conquests novel about the Dark Angels fighting Tau. Given Kelly's predilection for the little blue dudes I'd assume the novel will feature the Tau heavily.

 

Games Workshop has mentioned (if I recall correctly) that they want 8th edition to focus back in on the Chaos vs. Imperium dynamic. That could affect what novels they're commissioning, but that's just speculation.

 

Not really interested in the antagonist stuff, got enough of that already, Wild Rider? Still pity I gotta wait so long then to read something a bit different. Thanks for that track thing though, helps a lot. 

 

Phil Kelly has a sequel to Farsight: Crisis of Faith as well I believe, but that's Phil Kelly and I'd rather not get a Tau book at all.

 

I like all the factions, Tau included, but do you have any clue what this book's called or where you got info on it?

[Knockagh]

Gav Thorpe should be tied to a chair and made to write only Eldar. He is superb at it. The last two efforts Jain Zar and Ghost Warrior have been brilliant books. I’m gutted he isn’t writing the next Phoenix Lords book. But if your into Xenos and you haven’t read these two, do it now!

[Skullier]

Oh I read Jain Zar, liked it a lot! Kinda wish there was more stuff on Phoenix Lords, they seem really underused for such a cool concept. 

 

Oh will there be another Phoenix Lord book? Do you know about which one?

[Knockagh]

We have no idea which one is next..... but Gav has said he is unlikely to write it. Which I am really really peeved about. Moving the series away from Gav is like asking Timothy Zahn to write something from middle earth.

[Skullier]

Well I just hope there are more Phoenix Lord novels, think they're a pretty big source of untapped material. I get a bit bored with the lack of variety these days so I'd appreciate it at least. 

[Warpmiss]

Do we have any good Necron-centric novels, btw? 

 

Being a Chaos fan and player I'm more than fine with all the books I can choose from but sometimes I want to read about the Xenos factions and it's sad to see there aren't many stories dedicated to them.

[Skullier]

I know there's some short stories, one about the Silent King and another abour Anrakyr, but sadly not much. I think Eldar and Tau are the only two Xenos factions with proper novels, and even then the selection seems pretty tiny from what I could see looking through Black Library.

 

The Fabius Bile book, the new one, has Trazyn being pretty cool in it, and its Chaos + Necron, so maybe give it a check?

[Warpmiss]

Well, I had just finished Primogenitor and was about to start Clonelord so those are good news!

 

I can understand writing more Elder and T'au than other Xenos factions after all, it's easier to make relatable characters from them. Writing relatable Orks, Necrons and Tyranids must be challenging, specially the Nids. Then again, the Xenos stories in the BL catalogue are so very few...

[Skullier]

I actually think Orks wouldn't be too bad. There's quite a few nice Fantasy novels from the Greenskinz perspective, and Orks aren't really different from Fantasy Orcs at all. But I mean, yeah, there are so few Eldar and Tau books even that its not surprising that there are basically no Ork, Necron or Tyranid ones.

 

I hope there will be more, but I'm not holding my breath. Hope you enjoy Clonelord. 

[Knight of the Raven]

Do we have any good Necron-centric novels, btw?

It's not as focused as it'd have been if they had been protagonists rather than antagonists, but I found the Necrons parts in Hammer and Anvil quite good. More interesting than the main characters even, but that might be colored by the sisters of battle in general and Miriya and Verity in particular not being particularly impressive in James Swallow's works.

 

There are some segments that focus on the Necrons themselves, rather than them just being 'the enemy' from the imperial point of view. One bit I remember was the Necron overlord making a forlorn comment about how warriors aren't burdened with the shackles of free will, the lucky bastards.

[Skullier]

On the note of both Xenos books and Necron, the advent calender story for today features Necron and Eldar. I bought it but, I'll admit, haven't read it yet. Thought I'd just mention it since it features Necron though. 

[Guest Triszin]

Lukas the Trickster is in january and that has the dark eldar in it.

 

=/

[Skullier]

Yeah but I'm honestly a bit nervous about that one. Its obviously going to be about that one line in the Codex about Sliscus getting the better of him but, since its going to be in a Space Wolf novel, I'm expecting the whole thing to just change into Lukas getting the better and beating Sliscus. Its that kinda predictability that turned me off Bolter porn eventually.

 

But hey, maybe its good? I dunno, lets hope. There's so few books about Xenos we kinda gotta take what scraps we get! xD

[Apothecary Vaddon]

SM characters somehow ending up winning in some scenarios isn't really Bolter porn...bolter porn is mindless action scene after action scene, that's a different gripe entirely

[Skullier]

I didn't know there was an official definition, I just lumped all the endless Space Marine stuff under one topic for me. 

[Warpmiss]

Knight of the Raven, gotcha! Adding Hammer and Anvil to my to-read list.

 

Skullier,like Apothecary Vaddon said, bolter porn is used for stories with long and boring fighting/war-scenes. A SM-centric book wouldn't be bolter porn if we have character development in those scenes and/or we see how those things affect the characters, or simply they are not long-winded.  

[Brother Dougal]

These are already out, so I can’t say they’re upcoming, but if you haven’t read Guy Haley’s trio of Ork short (Engine of Mork, Evil Sun Rising, and Klaw of Mork), I think you owe it yourself to check them out. Combined, they Almost make a full novel about the green skins from their point-of-view, and it’s one of the funniest trips I’ve had in Warhammer.

[Skullier]

I've checked out all three, yeah they're good, I'm just not a big fan of Xenos books where he Xenos still just lose to the Imperium anyway, and all three those are set in Sanctus reach.