Upcoming BL Stuff - 2023

[chevalierdulys]

2 hours ago, Ubiquitous1984 said:

As this website does not cater for this.  Consider joining the Black Library Nutters facebook group.  They deal with book sales and have an anti-scalper policy.

thank you. Just applied to them :)

[Bobss]

I turned 25 shortly before The Solar War special edition dropped, and I will most likely be close to 32 when the The End and the Death Volume 3 CLASSIC paperback drops

 

Once again, thank you, Laurie Goulding, for all of the positive work you did for Black Library during the mid-2010 boom years, like introducing slightly bigger paperbacks, you complete and utter clown :middlefingeremote:

[skylerboodie]

Counterpoint: I appreciate Laurie Goulding for getting all the digital short stories and limited edition novellas republished into Horus Heresy numbered volumes and getting the series back on track and moving forwards.

[Lord Nord in Gravis Armour]

Just when you thought the Black Library Celebration couldn't get any more absurd...

 

(Spoilers for The Iron Kingdom)...

 

Messinius isn't even Primaris in this book. At any point. Nor does he state any intent to become one.

 

 

[DarkChaplain]

Just to head one thing off in relation to that spoiler:

 

This is consistent with Avenging Son, iirc. He wasn't informed of the Primaris Project despite being Guilliman's best buddy in the book. He also harbors serious mistrust for Cawl.

 

On top of that, unless The Iron Kingdom introduces the concept, the whole crossing-the-Rubicon thing hasn't been introduced yet in Dawn of Fire. Calgar will be the first to take that step iirc, and he'll have done so by Dark Imperium (Ventris too I believe), but we're still 5ish years out from that. For all intents, Messinius might not even realize that the option exists, even if he wanted to take it.

 

Now, the model clearly features some design queues from the Primaris plate, but in the article introducing him, WarCom never mentions him as a Primaris marine.

Quote

The model itself has two head options – a helmet with a fancy laurel wreath, or a bare head. His weapons are particularly ornate – a winged plasma pistol** and the Auramite power fist presented to Messinius by Roboute Guilliman himself. You can represent him on the tabletop using rules for a Space Marine Captain wielding a plasma pistol and power fist – and you can use him in any Adeptus Astartes force.

 

He's always refered to simply as Captain Messinius, including in the preorder article. The description on the product page does specify the rules to use for him

Quote

Messinius uses the Primaris Captain rules available in Codex: Space Marines, allowing you to field him in your Adeptus Astartes armies straight away.

but the rest of the description never uses Primaris either. It's most likely that they chose the profile for simplicity's sake, rather than lore accuracy.

 

For headcanon on the model, he simply received modern up-to-date power armour to go along with his new weapons, rather than use old marks.

 

 

[Nagashsnee]

Wait so then that would mean 

 

Spoiler

Its now cannon that old marines can go into primaris armor, so in theory you could do an entire first born army with primaris models? 

The rumours do point towards primaris as a unit type going away in 10th so maybe this is the future. 

 

[chevalierdulys]

13 hours ago, Bobss said:

I turned 25 shortly before The Solar War special edition dropped, and I will most likely be close to 32 when the The End and the Death Volume 3 CLASSIC paperback drops

 

Once again, thank you, Laurie Goulding, for all of the positive work you did for Black Library during the mid-2010 boom years, like introducing slightly bigger paperbacks, you complete and utter clown :middlefingeremote:

I was 26 when I first bout Horus Rising. I am now 42 and still not finish the all affair :P

[DukeLeto69]

3 hours ago, chevalierdulys said:

I was 26 when I first bout Horus Rising. I am now 42 and still not finish the all affair :P

Not saying how old I am but back them my hair was lush and dark and now is white!

[Ubiquitous1984]

2 hours ago, DukeLeto69 said:

Not saying how old I am but back them my hair was lush and dark and now is white!

You still have hair?

 

I’m clinging on like Homer Simpson!

[Knockagh]

I was 28 when Horus Rising appeared, now 45….. hair has gone from a solid black to more white than anything else. I’ve had two kids, got married, became head of business on the family farm, became a Christian and put on a good stone and a half in weight. Have to say the heresy has been a massive part of the last 17 years. Been times when I’ve utterly hated it but by and large it’s been a really fun hobby, keeping up with all the books and background. Highlights for me were the early years, the forge world black books and the siege itself. Can’t say I’m sorry it’s ending but I’m very very glad to have been along for the ride. Would love to be able to say a personal big thank you to all the authors involved. Job well done. 

[DarkChaplain]

Some things from Amazon listings, including regional:

 

Blackstone Fortress is getting an omnibus in September. Should include the original novel, Ascension, Vaults of Obsidian, Isha's Lament and the shorts released after Vaults. Hopefully also Cauda Draconis, the limited edition short, but we'll see.

 

Cypher hardback listed for July, so that should drop very soon, or the 6 month exclusivity isn't going to work.

 

Waaaghboss' German edition got renamed to Orkboss, which is just utterly dumb. The cover is both very orky and more cartoony than I'd expected

Spoiler

 

The Blood Angels are getting the long overdue Haley-Omnibus (so far only found the German edition) with Dante & Darkness in the Blood. Going off the translators listed, it SHOULD include The Devastation of Baal, since one of the three(!) translators on the page has only done SMC books, it seems. The German edition is listed with 800 pages, which should be enough to include Astorath (it's listed as Blood Angels: Guardians of Imperium Nihilus, and while the cover shows Dante, it's an ancient Codex artwork and not finalized), but we'll see once the full content listing gets added. The blurb puts a lot of focus on the post-Rift timeframe, which only Darkness in the Blood actually tackles - and Astorath.

Listed for July.

 

The Great Devourer: Leviathan omnibus seems to be getting a reissue with a new cover (a lame one of a Hive Tyrant; the old one was better). This one includes Valedor, Ector, and the Shield of Baal novellas & shorts. Coming in May.

 

The Dark Angels are getting a new Omnibus, this one wraps up Thorpe & Dunn

Angels of Darkness

The Purging of Kallidus (SMB)

Azreal

Azrael: Protector of Secrets (Short)

The Eye of Ezekiel (SMB)

Dark Vengeance (novella)

Easy Prey (Short)

Malediction (Short/Audio drama)

 

Spoiler

 

The nice thing is that there's no actual overlap with the Legacy of Caliban omnibus. It is, however, including everything from the Thorpe Knights of Caliban omnibus (Azrael, Angels of Darkness and Kadillus) , which was the go-to until now (and out of print). You get the same omnibus with C Z Dunn on top, so that's neat.

Coming mid to late April.

 

Phil Kelly's Shadowsun characters novel drops in early April. The less said about this, the better, imo.

 

The Cato Sicarius: Knight of Talassar omnibus is due in late March. The description is ever-so-helpful, and because I had a chuckle, I'll quote it:

Quote

Awesome collection of stories centred around the infamous Ultramarine; Cato Sicarius.

 

Yes, it's actually written in bold, too.

This one should include Damnos (including the novella Spear of Macragge, added to Fall of Damnos for the old omnibus and Veil of Darkness (audio)) and Knights of Macragge. Since it's a Kyme omnibus, it won't include McNeill's Two Kinds of Fool short story, or whatever Kelly wrote about young Sicarius at Damocles. However, it should include Assault on Black Reach, the intro novella that was released along with the Black Reach starter set in, uh, 2008. I actually own that one, and recall Sicarius using a jump pack.

Coming late March, too.

 

There's some paperbacks coming too, like Ahriman Eternal, The Rose at War and The Dark City, but nothing else new or exciting enough to warrant posting about.

[System Sound]

Man I wish Blackstone didn't end with just two novels. There was so much more that could have been done with that setting.

[theSpirea]

I'll just add the already mentioned two Horror titles.

Quote

A girl stumbles across the moors, death hard on her heels. To her saviours, she speaks of Calignius – a smog-shrouded mining town deep in the mountains that has been gripped by a strange epidemic.Now, Runar Skoldolfr and Tiberius Grim must lead a small expedition into the haunted vales of the Blood-Rock Peaks to answer the girl's pleas for aid. There, the hunter and the veteran priest of Sigmar will uncover the enigma of a forlorn-looking statue and its curious sway over the town – a place ruled by ancient fear and phobia, zealotry and madness.Separated and isolated, Runar and Tiberius will learn there are far worse fates than death, for in Calignius friendships turn sour, faith boils into anguish, and long-buried nightmares rise up from the shadows. If they are to survive, they will need to find a way to unite against the daemons that divide them.

 

 

Quote

An irascible veteran conceals a monstrous secret. A young victim of tragedy seeks the protection of their mysterious lord. On a feudal world, two men plot against a governor suspected of heresy. And in the pitch-dark skies, a malign entity preys upon a navigator.From the slaughterhouses of Imperial hive cities to the war-torn streets of the Mortal Realms, superstition and deceit runs rampant. Twisted sacrifices, beguiling foes, the lies we tell ourselves – these horrors drag their victims, blind or screaming, down sinister paths to a final place of rest.CONTENTSThe following short stories were originally published digitally in the 2021 Horror Week eShort bundle:– The Vintage, by David Annandale– The Isenbrach Horror, by Darius Hinks– Aberration, by Jake Ozga– Blood Drinker, by James Brogden– Bird of Change, by Richard StrachanThe following short stories were originally published digitally in the 2022 Horror Week eShort bundle:– The Pharisene Paradox, by R S Wilt– The Stacks, by Chris Winterton– King of Pigs, by J H Archer– The Somewhere Sister, by Jeremy Lambert– The Gnarled Bough, by Jamie Mistry-Evans– Pain Engine, by Chris ThurstenThe following two short stories are brand new for this volume:– Collapse, by J H Archer– Old Soldiers, by Richard Strachan

 

Both should be up for pre-order first week of March

[DarkChaplain]

I've now read four out of five stories from the first of the two Horror short weeks (or rather, years) included in The Resting Places, and while I've enjoyed them all a good amount, my god, the editors really flubbed there. They're way too similar "thematically" (you'll see when you read them) that by the fourth, I was groaning. The fifth at least seems to do its own thing.

 

Still baffling to me that they managed to release so few Horror short stories in two years, and only commissioned 2? new ones for the anthology. Maybe if they hadn't squatted Inferno! so unceremoniously, without ever saying that they did, they'd have more shorts to collect in these and we could be looking at, oh I don't know, more than one anthology per year?

[theSpirea]

I'm still sad the last regular Inferno! the anthology was published almost two years ago. Here's a quick recap:

• 2018-09 Inferno! Volume 1
• 2018-12 Inferno! Volume 2
• 2019-05 Inferno! Volume 3
• 2019-10 Inferno! Volume 4
• 2020-04 Inferno! Volume 5
• 2021-04 Inferno! Volume 6
• 2021-10 Inferno! Presents: The Inquisition
• 2022-11 Inferno! Presents: The Emperor's Finest

I enjoyed the variety of regular Inferno!, a nice mixture of AoS, 40K, and occasionally Necromunda Chronicles/Fantasy. The change to the "Presents" series/sub-series? wasn't the best imo. I do love Inquisition stories but to get a full anthology, it takes me much longer to get through it.

 

At the same time, I'm still surprised they publish so many anthologies in general (about 10 a year). Crime already got 4, Horror 5, and 6th on the way. I personally don't know that many people who read/buy them. These books get almost no ratings on Amazon and similar sites.

[Nagashsnee]

Blood Angel (dante) Trilogy FINALLY! It will be mine! 

 

Has mephiston gotten the trilogy treatment yet? 

[DarkChaplain]

29 minutes ago, theSpirea said:

I'm still sad the last regular Inferno! the anthology was published almost two years ago. Here's a quick recap:

• 2018-09 Inferno! Volume 1
• 2018-12 Inferno! Volume 2
• 2019-05 Inferno! Volume 3
• 2019-10 Inferno! Volume 4
• 2020-04 Inferno! Volume 5
• 2021-04 Inferno! Volume 6
• 2021-10 Inferno! Presents: The Inquisition
• 2022-11 Inferno! Presents: The Emperor's Finest

I enjoyed the variety of regular Inferno!, a nice mixture of AoS, 40K, and occasionally Necromunda Chronicles/Fantasy. The change to the "Presents" series/sub-series? wasn't the best imo. I do love Inquisition stories but to get a full anthology, it takes me much longer to get through it.

 

At the same time, I'm still surprised they publish so many anthologies in general (about 10 a year). Crime already got 4, Horror 5, and 6th on the way. I personally don't know that many people who read/buy them. These books get almost no ratings on Amazon and similar sites.

 

Doesn't help that the Presents-volumes were largely recycled material, whereas proper Inferno! volumes were generally new stuff, including serials...

[Ubiquitous1984]

I'm currently listening to the Angron audiobook, and I note the use of sound effects at certain times in the production.  There were also similar effects used in the Dorn audiobooks (which also used multiple narrators).

 

I'm wondering if this will remain a feature for all 40k audiobooks, or whether it's down to an individual producer putting their own stamp on things?  

 

Is this BL way of mitigating the closure of the audio drama format, by incorporating elements into their standard audiobook presentation?

[Ubiquitous1984]

Edit - Nag is right, not worth the hassle offering feedback so ignore.

Edited February 22, 2023 by Ubiquitous1984

[Nagashsnee]

23 minutes ago, Ubiquitous1984 said:

Don't want to derail this thread, but it seems very odd that we can't discuss the latest SoT when so many of us have read it already, and we have always been able to talk about it with previous releases.  Spoiler tags are used, and the discussion format is known and used by all the regulars of the BL forum.

 

We're excited and want to talk about it.  

It aint worth the hassle, wait it out and the thread will be unlocked. 

[Ubiquitous1984]

2 minutes ago, Nagashsnee said:

It aint worth the hassle, wait it out and the thread will be unlocked. 

I guess so - seems like it's fine to talk about it on reddit so I'll discuss it there.

[Taliesin]

6 hours ago, DarkChaplain said:

Some things from Amazon listings, including regional:

 

 

 

The Dark Angels are getting a new Omnibus, this one wraps up Thorpe & Dunn

Angels of Darkness

The Purging of Kallidus (SMB)

Azreal

Azrael: Protector of Secrets (Short)

The Eye of Ezekiel (SMB)

Dark Vengeance (novella)

Easy Prey (Short)

Malediction (Short/Audio drama)

 

 

The collection does not have Thorpe's Luther book and Guymer's Lion book, which is what I want to see reprinted. Its been a few years since they were OOP.

[theSpirea]

3 hours ago, DarkChaplain said:

 

Doesn't help that the Presents-volumes were largely recycled material, whereas proper Inferno! volumes were generally new stuff, including serials...

That's a good point, thank you for mentioning it. That means we're closing on two years since the last proper Inferno!

 

Similar to Necromunda. There was only one novel in May 2021 and absolutely nothing since then (unless I missed it)

[skylerboodie]

7 hours ago, DarkChaplain said:

This one should include Damnos (including the novella Spear of Macragge, added to Fall of Damnos for the old omnibus and Veil of Darkness (audio)) and Knights of Macragge. Since it's a Kyme omnibus, it won't include McNeill's Two Kinds of Fool short story, or whatever Kelly wrote about young Sicarius at Damocles. However, it should include Assault on Black Reach, the intro novella that was released along with the Black Reach starter set in, uh, 2008. I actually own that one, and recall Sicarius using a jump pack.

 

Just to mention that some of the Warhammer Chronicles omnibii at least had the main content by the sole author mentioned on the title yet it did include a short story or more from other authors not mentioned on the cover (examples below). I'm not saying that Graham McNeill and/or Phil Kelly will be in the Cato Sicarius omnibus alongside Nick Kyme's work, but it is possible and there is precedent for it from Black Library at least, just FYI.

 

Gotrex & Felix Vol.4 by 'Nathan Long' also has one short story by another author inside

Gotrex & Felix Vol. 5 by 'Josh Reynolds' also has four short stories by other authors inside

[System Sound]

50 minutes ago, theSpirea said:

That's a good point, thank you for mentioning it. That means we're closing on two years since the last proper Inferno!

 

Similar to Necromunda. There was only one novel in May 2021 and absolutely nothing since then (unless I missed it)

"Sir, these books are not selling as well as Horus Heresy."
"Cancel them."
"But, why? People still buy and read them"
"Did I stutter?"