Can you believe it’s been 20 years since the arrival of Dan Abnett’s first Eisenhorn novel? Neither can we! Eisenhorn: Xenos tells a story of eldritch aliens and interstellar conspiracy, uncovered by a young Gregor Eisenhorn and the unlikely allies he gathers along the way. That’s quite a lot to handle in your Black Library debut!
To celebrate, Black Library is releasing an illustrated edition, complete with author’s commentary. This hardback includes over 100 comments from Dan Abnett, along with a new afterword and 15 new illustrations – through the authority of the Inquisition, we’ve been able to declassify a few of our favourites.
First up, we find Eisenhorn offering Alizabeth Bequin a place in his entourage.
Alizabeth’s abilities* would prove invaluable in Eisenhorn’s mission – if she’d known what was yet to come, she might have turned his offer down, but where would the fun have been in that? You can learn more about Bequin in Pariah, the first book in the Bequin series, which was recently released in paperback.
Of course, you can’t have a protagonist without an antagonist – in this case, a Chaos Space Marine.
Mandragore Carrion is a terrifying champion of the Emperor’s Children, standing two-and-a-half metres tall even without the horned helmet. Eisenhorn’s no slouch, but he’s only human – how will he cope with this looming monster? You’ll have to read the book to find out…**
Finally, we have the inquisitor himself staring out of this rather ornate window.
What abyss is he gazing into? What celestial objects is he pondering? What plans are forming in his mind? The Eisenhorn series has plenty of stories that you can search for clues.
The illustrated edition of Eisenhorn: Xenos is available to pre-order in hardback from Saturday as part of Black Library Celebration 2022. Sign up for the Black Library newsletter to receive the latest dispatches from the frontlines of the festivities, and keep up with all our literary news.
* Turns out she’s a psychic blank, capable of nullifying the unnatural powers of the warp.
** Don’t forget, you can take the action from the page to the tabletop with the Eisenhorn miniature for Warhammer 40,000.