Best BL Books and Audiobooks for Quarantine?

[Llagos_Tyrant]

With an increasing number of areas around the world mandating self-isolation and enforcing quarantines for citizens, what are some of your favourite books that you would recommend, or audiobooks that you would recommend people listen to?

I haven't checked out any audiobooks yet, but in terms of paperback/hardback - the Night Lords Omnibus, Helsreach, Storm of Iron, and Know No Fear are great. I'm currently re-reading Betrayer and also enjoying it.

[KhorneFlakes]

Audiobooks of Talon of Horus and Black Legion. very enjoyable and well narrated

[Lord Marshal]

Requiem Infernal, Fire Caste and Cult of the Spiral Dawn.

 

They're all certainly, um, topically relevant in one way or another.

 

Edit: Judging by the title, wasn't sure if you were specifically after audiobooks.

Edited March 17, 2020 by Lord Marshal

[Gederas]

Are Buried Dagger, Dark Imperium: Plague War, Lords of Silence out in audiobook format?

Oh, you mean books in general, not ones fitting for a quarantine :P

 

The Night Lords trilogy is probably my favorite Black Library series I've read since the Ciaphas Cain novels (seriously, those are great :lol:).

[Imren]

Quarantine is also an excellent opportunity to take the time to flex your hobby-muscles and build a warhound or a fireraptor/stormeagle.....

 

(I undusted my fire raptor FW bag from the shelf and start building it last week. (don't forget to epoxy and pin the :cuss out of it...)))

[Axineton]

Personally Ravenor omnibus and the Soul Drinkers omnibuses are the best books I’ve read from black library but your taste may be different to mine mate. 

[DarkChaplain]

Pick up Sepulturum from the Horror range. The whole zombie plague / Plague of Unbelief thing should be rather topical right now. It's out in audio as well.

 

Other than that, I'd recommend the evergreens that are Eisenhorn and Ravenor. And pick up the Ciaphas Cain audiobooks, you cowards, I want them to record the rest of the series sooner rather than later!

[Kelborn]

Ah

A "what's the most recommandable BL stuff thread".

 

Gonna Share my thought later on.

 

Interested in AoS? 'cause I'd share my these via PM, as Well.

[Llagos_Tyrant]

Ah

A "what's the most recommandable BL stuff thread".

 

Gonna Share my thought later on.

 

Interested in AoS? 'cause I'd share my these via PM, as Well.

 

Would also be interested in this! I picked up Dark Harvest and have been meaning to read it.

 

I've also heard good things about Requiem Infernal but haven't picked it up yet.

[KhorneFlakes]

Requim Infernal is one of the best W40k books i've read. unlike all others in the setting

[LJF]

Currently re-reading the Lords of Silence, it is probably the most appropriate atm.

[Knockagh]

I’m on quarantine of a different sorts being in the middle of lambing which means I don’t leave the farm for 3 weeks, which being pretty much a recluse is all good.

Anyway I’ve been listening to Hammer and Anvil which is absolutely brilliant. It’s a brilliant story and brilliantly read, quite a few years since I read it and it’s still brilliant. Emma Gregory is superb at the sisters. It also reminds you that necrons are great Xenos that aren’t used often enough. (Although that’s true of all tye beautiful xenos) I prefer Xenos to chaos every time.

Edited March 17, 2020 by Knockagh

[DarkChaplain]

I’m on quarantine of a different sorts being in the middle of lambing which means I don’t leave the farm for 3 weeks, which being pretty much a recluse is all good.

Anyway I’ve been listening to Hammer and Anvil which is absolutely brilliant. It’s a brilliant story and brilliantly read, quite a few years since I read it and it’s still brilliant. Emma Gregory is superb at the sisters. It also reminds you that necrons are great Xenos that aren’t used often enough. (Although that’s true of all tye beautiful xenos) I prefer Xenos to chaos every time.

 

I was shocked when you only called Emma superb rather than brilliant, to be honest!

 

Never actually read Hammer & Anvil, or Faith & Fire. Swallow's a bit of a low priority read for me.

[rookie40K]

I do not like Nick Kymes books at all, but he wrote the best audio drama in Censure. Story is alright, but production and voice acting are great. The Garro audio dramas are also high quality. Eye of Vengeance and Helion Rain are not bad. Ascension of Balthazar and Trials of Azrael if you like Dark Angels are quality audio dramas.

 

Audio book Know No Fear is spectacular. Even though Fear to Tread and Unremembered Empire have a few over the top moments, the audio book performance are really good and some parts of the stories are great.

 

40K audio books Watchers of Throne (both books) are really good as are the two Dark Imperium books are also enjoyable. Spear of the Emperor is good. Blood of Iax was really fun and enjoyable.

 

Stay away from Conquest books and Promethium Sun as their horrible.

Edited March 18, 2020 by rookie40K

[rookie40K]

Not 40K or 30K but Realm Gate Wars were really good. Edited March 18, 2020 by rookie40K

[Brother Lunkhead]

Realm Gates??.......

[DarkChaplain]

I do not like Nick Kymes books at all, but he wrote the best audio drama in Censure. Story is alright, but production and voice acting are great. The Garro audio dramas are also high quality. Eye of Vengeance and Helion Rain are not bad. Ascension of Balthazar and Trials of Azrael if you like Dark Angels are quality audio dramas.

 

 

I *think* you'd be surprised by how much higher quality any of the past 3 years' audio dramas are than any of the ones you listed. Garro in particular didn't pick up in production values until Sword of Truth, being single-narrator before that point. The Warhammer Horror audio dramas in particular smoke all of those in a pipe.

[malika666]

Go full Abnett-verse, start with the Eisenhorn series, continuing with the Ravenor books! It's a shame the rest of Gaunt's Ghosts isn't yet available in audiobook format.

[Knockagh]

 

 

I’m on quarantine of a different sorts being in the middle of lambing which means I don’t leave the farm for 3 weeks, which being pretty much a recluse is all good.

Anyway I’ve been listening to Hammer and Anvil which is absolutely brilliant. It’s a brilliant story and brilliantly read, quite a few years since I read it and it’s still brilliant. Emma Gregory is superb at the sisters. It also reminds you that necrons are great Xenos that aren’t used often enough. (Although that’s true of all tye beautiful xenos) I prefer Xenos to chaos every time.

I was shocked when you only called Emma superb rather than brilliant, to be honest!

 

Never actually read Hammer & Anvil, or Faith & Fire. Swallow's a bit of a low priority read for me.

Haha, quite enough brilliants in there. But yes Emma is utterly brilliant.

Swallow isn’t one of my favourite writers. I liked his early Garro audios but I was never a fan of the blood angles books. The two sisters books have a completely different feel to them though. Well worth a read, or a listen

[Kelborn]

Alrighty then, here's what I can recommend. Only listened to 40K shorts so I can't say that much about those.

 

- Everything from Aaron Dembski-Bowden

- Armageddon omnibus or at least Helsreach and Fire & Blood

- Dan Abnett in general

- Chris Wraight in general (seriously, whatever this man touches is pure gold; examples: Lords of Silence, the entire White Scars arc in the HH, Battle of the Fang, Emperor's Legion, Vaults of Terra and - imho still the best Iron Hands story of all time - Wrath of Iron)

- Ahriman omibus

- Space Wolves omnibus by Bill King (those brought me into 40K, a very enjoyable - maybe "outdated" read in terms of flavor)

- Haven't read the Word Bearers omnibus but it seems to be solid.

- Knights & Kingsblade by Andy Clark

 

Should be enough for 10 quarantines. ;)

Gonna send you a pm regarding AoS, which I just recently started to engage.

[Red_Shift]

The IG anthologies are good value. Same for the Gotrek & Felix anthologies.

 

Of course I'm partial to the Cain novels myself.

[Suspicious Blue Mind]

For all of you who lean in the Xenos direction, here is a list of Tau stories and novels. An asterix "_*" indicates a top novel.

 

 

Tau Novels and Novellas
Fire Warrior novel by Simon Spurrier* (Note: the Granddaddy of Tau novels - a must read!)

Kill Team: A Last Chancers Novel by Gav Thorpe (The Tau are the antagonists in this story. However, there is a lot of cultural background on the Tau)

Shadowsun: Last of the Line of Kiru by Braden Campbell (Good but too damn short - should have been novel length)

Fire and Ice by Peter Fehervari (Great read, although Farsight is more than a little creepy. Why is he on an Imperial World anyway?)

Arkunasha by Andy Chambers (Basically Fort Apache with Farsight in the John Wayne's role. Or is it John Wayne as Commander Farsight?)

Broken Sword by Guy Haley* (After Fire Warrior, this is probably the best Tau out there!)

 

Tau Short Stories
Out Caste / Sanctuary of Wyrms by Peter Fehervari [Note: It's best to read these two together]

Aun'Shi by Braden Campbell (Based on 3rd/4th edition lore - not Campbell's fault)

Greater Evil by Peter Fehervari* (Wow, this comes in as the #3 top Tau story. Has a cliff hanger ending...and it's been two years and we're still waiting!)

Voice of Experience by J.C.Stearns* (Gue'vesa crime story! Chock full of Tau background material)

Books that involve the Tau, but they aren't the novel's protagonists
Fire Caste by Peter Fehervari  (The Tau aren't the enemy - the planet is. Same planet as in Sanctuary of Wyrms.)

The Greater Good by Sandy Mitchell (a Ciaphas Cain novel with the Tau making a guest appearance)

 

 

Works to avoid

In Harmony Restored by Andy Clark [Gue'la propaganda of the first order; which would have made Herr Goebbles proud.]

Anything by the Black Library author who's initials are P.K. (Okay that's Phil Kelly y'all!) Any of his Tau novels/short stories can only be compared to taking a voyage into the Warp without a Geller Field. Don't Do IT!)

 

Eldar - Gav Thorpe

Path of the Seer

Path of the Warrior

Path of the Outcast

Path of the Renegade

 

Really, you just can't go wrong with Gav Thorpe. Never a miss or a dud. And the all of these books are full of rich Eldar lore.

 

Sororitas

Faith & Fire by James Swallow (To my mind the best Adepta Soroitas novel! Note avoid Hammer & Anvil, as it's basically an advert for the Necrons)

 

 

Chaos Marines

Blood Gorgons by Henry Zou (Blood Gorgons were Primaris before Primaris, but got booted out of the Imperium. Space Marines gone pirate)

 

 

Suspicious Blue Mind

PS My latest story:  Once a Cadian Always a Cadian

 

 

[Red_Shift]

@suspicious blue mind, add the latest deathwatch book to your tau list, if you dare. I enjoyed it but the tau take the part of the fictional South American country in an 80s action flick, and get mown down like they are facing Arnie in Commando. Maybe not as many enjoyable one liners.

[Suspicious Blue Mind]

Storm of Damocles by Justin D Hill isn't new, the Deathwatch Omnibus is new.

With the KV128 the Tau "super weapon" that turns out to be no real threat at all. Of course it is the desire of every xenos player to have their army be the latest straw man opponent of the Space Marines. And most BL authors oblige by making each xenos race pansies at one time another. But to be fair, Storm of Damocles is really just product placement for the KV128 Stormsurge. In other words, it was published to "push plastic".

 

Hammer & Anvil by James Swallow was product placement for the 2011 Necron re-boot codex.

 

Suspicious Blue Mind