Upcoming BL Stuff 2025

[darkhorse0607]

French's interview was good, I liked his viewpoints on how to write the novel and hopefully it comes through. Also Keeble is back narrating the other Heresy releases (Dreadwing, Spear of Ultramar) so that's a bonus

[Ubiquitous1984]

That’s excellent news about Keeble!  Thanks for sharing.  I wish he would narrate more BL … only seems to get the call for HH. 

[Felix Antipodes]

The digital edition of French’s Dropsite Massacre was up on BL a couple of hours before the HB version on the GW website.  This is the third or fourth week they have done so, confirming (in my mind anyway) this will be the norm for ebook releases going forward.

I wonder if this is, in part, to do with the scalper issue?  Provide the ebook early to draw off/provide an alternate source when the LE version sells out?  (Let’s face it, their print runs are so small they are all LE, even those released in MMPB ).

[theSpirea]

Busy week next Saturday. As usual, BL just dropping multiple books at once.

I kinda like the Krakenblood SE cover but everything I've read by Collins was disappointing. The Crime novel was the only decent one.

https://www.warhammer-community.com/en-gb/articles/gfojfzrt/sunday-preview-daemonsmiths-conjure-up-helsmiths-of-hashut-reinforcements/

[The Praetorian of Inwit]

The interview with John French was good. One of my favourite authors. 

[Bestkeptsecret]

12 minutes ago, The Praetorian of Inwit said:

The interview with John French was good. One of my favourite authors. 

I like John French's Horus Heresy writings. However, the Dropsite Massacre still has not sold out on Warhammer.com. It is still showing as available. Could not selling out on the website be a sign of abundance of stock or lack of interest in the novel?

[darkhorse0607]

29 minutes ago, Bestkeptsecret said:

I like John French's Horus Heresy writings. However, the Dropsite Massacre still has not sold out on Warhammer.com. It is still showing as available. Could not selling out on the website be a sign of abundance of stock or lack of interest in the novel?

 

Maybe I'm being pessimistic as always, but I think it's a combination of things

 

-I think more and more folks are either Ebooking things or doing Audible, especially given GW's track record with supply, or not being able to get a novel after it's initial run (someone wants a book, can't buy it, goes to audible or ebook and stays there because it's too much of a hassle)

 

-I also don't think this lines up for the hype squad/"I want the next biggest thing/primarch fight/"AdVaNcE tHe StOrY." Granted folks are probably looking forwards to this (particularly the Heresy enthusiasts), myself among them, I don't think this will have the mass of 40k fans chomping to pick this up immediately, because we already know how this ends. It's new, but not new new if that makes sense. 

 

Don't get me wrong, I personally am happy that we are going back, I want all the character introspection French can give me and I'm happy that legions that didn't get a chance to shine in the original series (Raven Guard for instance, non-Kyme Salamanders, etc) are getting a second chance here or in later books. That being said, I don't know if it's the hype driver we are used to seeing for the past few years with the Siege, Dawn of Fire (lol) or whatever

 

*edit

Also I think a fair number of people are just done with the Heresy, whether they liked the Siege and feel like it's over now, or are part of the camp that hated the Siege and it turned them off

 

_{plus people are still waiting for a laundry list of books and this isn't one of them.} 

Edited October 12 by darkhorse0607

[The Praetorian of Inwit]

Hmm, could be several reasons why it didn't sell out right away. At least more people have had the chance to get it. 

 

I wonder if anymore of these one-off books are planned? 

 

Is there a realistic chance of a Horus Primarch book? Seems odd that he doesn't have one, especially given we really didn't get that much of him during the main series or anything really deep during the Siege. 

 

 

[wecanhaveallthree]

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dropsite massacre not selling

 

This has been covered in multiple books from multiple perspectives and some of the perspectives promised aren't even new. I can't even begin to care about several hundred pages of confused people bashing each other: what's the hook, exactly? What more are we gonna get? The Loyalists are going to come in going 'GRRR HORUS, WHAT A BAD MAN' and the Traitors are going to go 'NYEH HEH HEH, WE ARE SO BAD' - where's the depth or complication possible in this story? I got all the Mal I needed out of Slaves to Darkness. 

 

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Is there a realistic chance of a Horus Primarch book? 

 

McNeill's either written it and it's just being held for release (perhaps they've got a few more stories to tell in the Heresy and the Scouring before they feel it's the right time), or it doesn't exist. I refuse to believe anything else.

[Krelious]

On 10/12/2025 at 1:23 PM, Bestkeptsecret said:

I like John French's Horus Heresy writings. However, the Dropsite Massacre still has not sold out on Warhammer.com. It is still showing as available. Could not selling out on the website be a sign of abundance of stock or lack of interest in the novel?

Usually the books that are mainline that also sells on Amazon is going to have lots of stock. I'd imagine the books that sell out quickly are usually faction specific stories/one offs that they dont print very much of because they are side stories. My guess is that this Dropsite Massacre novel is probably going to have some connective material to the new Scouring Series. 

[Nagashsnee]

I am a big HH fan, i have read all the first (how it hurts to even type that) HH series.

 

But BL burned me a couple of times with the HH, between that, how they kept adding books to the Siege and general time constraints i feel no need to buy a book about Istvaan which is basically just a edition launch book.....released far out from the editions launch. Plus there is the looming shadow of the Scouring series over me, like the cow only has so much milk to give. This book is over a decade too late for me. I am sure i will read it...at some point, most likely from a used book store or borowed off a mate.

 

Much rather spend my BL funds on the Fehervari ombibus. More of that plz. 

 

 

 

[Tolmeus]

1 hour ago, Nagashsnee said:

I am sure i will read it...at some point

 

No pressure on this page, but that's exactly what we have the review threads for. Feel free to take a look there to get a better idea.
Maybe it's exactly the book that this plot was missing. Or maybe it's exactly the filler you think it is.

[Nagashsnee]

1 hour ago, Tolmeus said:

Maybe it's exactly the book that this plot was missing. Or maybe it's exactly the filler you think it is.

 

I would not call it filler, i am glad they are going back and filling in some gaps and can think of several that would tickle my pickle.  

But the nature of going back and filling in gaps is that the hype/fomo of the ongoing series is not present, and the actual book per book plot becomes far more important sales wise. Traitor mars book? SOLD! Solar Auxilia focussed book? SOLD!  Ferrus Manus character study? SOLD! Istvaan? Just isnt something that draws me much. Which for others will be completly the other way. 

 

One of the key obstacles of the new HH books is that THEY WILL BE JUDGED on their plot. And wont have book xyz of the new york times best selling series or fomo to fall back on. 

[theSpirea]

As seems to be fairly common now with BL, Ashes and Dropsite already out there so watch out for spoilers

 

[The Praetorian of Inwit]

Rogal Dorn just looks so cool. The blue guy is meh.

[grailkeeper]

HAvent read a bl book in a while, whats the best one to come out in the last few months?

[Tolmeus]

Maybe @theSpirea could help out with a further conclusive list of books.
Regarding your question @grailkeeper directly, I am currently reading "The Remnant Blade" by Mike Vincent. I have to say that the story has capitivated me pretty much and it has been a long time since a Black Library novel did that.

 

On 5/13/2025 at 8:15 AM, theSpirea said:

 

 

 

Edited Wednesday at 08:46 AM by Tolmeus

[Lord Marshal]

A new Cawl book:

 

 

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This latest tale focuses on Cawl's continued efforts to stabilise the Attilan Gap at the order of Roboute Guilliman, to provide another potentially functional route for crossing the Great Rift.In order to put his latest great work into action, he requires one last item – a series of control codes preserved on an ancient Necron world.

The hitch is that this planet is trapped on the event horizon of a black hole, increasing the risk substantially, even after factoring in the residents. To achieve his mission, Cawl will need to call on recruits from across the Adeptus Mechanicus. And to make matters even worse, the Archmagos’ meddlings in matters best left untouched have piqued the attention of a like-minded but altogether more malicious artificer, and rumours abound that Vashtorr the Arkifane is on the move…

 

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Archmagos will be available later this year in hardback, eBook, and MP3 audiobook versions. A special edition is also in the works, with a fancy cover and all the usual trimmings plus the short story Five Questions, which chronicles Alpha Primus looking for answers in the Warp to questions Cawl won't answer..

 

Edited Wednesday at 12:56 PM by Lord Marshal

[cheywood]

Looking forward to this. While the first 3/4ths of the year was abysmal, this fall/winter is looking quite good.

[darkhorse0607]

Tentatively excited, Cawl has grown on me as a character but I will say the best parts of his books for me tend to be the supporting characters of the novel (Felix/Scythes, Bile/Alpha Primus) and how they interact with him

 

I wonder how strong a presence Vashtorr will be though, if he will be an off-screen thing like Void Exile, or if we are getting dialogue

[System Sound]

I'm suprised how quickly we are getting a follow up the the Silent King's ending. But I'm still excited for this. The Great work and Genefather were great reads. 

[The Scorpion]

20 hours ago, The Praetorian of Inwit said:

Rogal Dorn just looks so cool. The blue guy is meh.

Least biased VIIth legionnaire

[DarkChaplain]

....and we're back to putting parts of the Cawl arc into short stories that are probably not going to be released outside of the special/limited edition release for years, if ever.

There's still stories from the Dark Imperium trilogy era that have to find their way to a broader audience, as far as I am aware...

[wecanhaveallthree]

Quote

which chronicles Alpha Primus looking for answers in the Warp to questions Cawl won't answer.

 

They aren't going light on the 'Cawl is another Emperor' angle, are they?

 

Really excited that we're getting the Genefather follow-up so soon. I'm looking forward to this heist story with Vashtorr twirling their many moustaches. I wonder what X Inferior will be revealed this time? Guilliman Inferior actually, literally, nearly killed me. 

[Orange Knight]

Emperor bless Guy Haley. The only 40k author still delvering exciting work on the regular.

 

"Genefather" was exceptional, and I can't wait to read "Archmagos"

Spoiler regarding Genefather:

Spoiler

I can't wait to see 40k deal with the idea of Time Travel in this upcoming book. It was one of the most interesting ideas thrown out at the end of Genefather

 

Edited Wednesday at 02:14 PM by Orange Knight