The shiny new Codex: Aeldari has been out for a little over two weeks now, and we’ve already seen loads of new armies deployed from the craftworlds. Once your models are painted up, on the table, and ready to start their journey down the Paths, you’ll have some time to immerse yourself in the history and struggles of this enigmatic species. As always, the wealth of novels available from Black Library are a great place to learn more.*
Rise of the Ynnari
Even as relative newcomers on the galactic stage, the Ynnari are an important part of the continuing Warhammer narrative.** Find out what their leader Yvraine and her death-worshipping followers are up to in Ghost Warrior, the first instalment in the groundbreaking Rise of the Ynnari series.
In the wake of her audacious invasion of Nurgle’s garden, Yvraine’s quest for the last of the Croneswords takes her – and the multifaceted Visarch – to a mysterious craftworld thought lost for millennia, where the inhabitants may not be all they seem. The search continues in the short story Fireheart, which pairs the Ynnari with a hero of Saim-Hann, before their treasure hunt erupts into all-out war with the necrons in Wild Rider.
Path of the Eldar
Get an unparalleled look into the intricacies of aeldari society in Path of the Eldar, a collection of stories that follows three friends as they part ways to each embark on their chosen Paths. Their choices kick off a chain of events that brings the fury of the Imperium down upon Alaitoc, and it falls to our heroes to defend their home – and avoid becoming forever trapped in their Paths.
This aeldari-eye view of war against the galaxy-spanning Imperium represents a fascinating shift of perspective from most Black Library stories. Also included is Dark Son, the tale of a captured drukhari Incubus who learns to embrace the disciplined aeldari Paths.
The Harlequins
As the custodians of the actual Black Library, the Harlequins decide what stays on the shelves – and it’s no surprise that these laughing librarians have amassed more than a few stories of their own. The murder mystery of an entire craftworld draws in these capricious jesters in The Masque of Vyle, a novella in which a troupe unveils the guilty parties in the way they do best – by staging a deadly performance.***
Two more short stories dig further into the Harlequins’ background, perfect for those adding a Detachment of Travelling Players to their army. In The Victim’s Dance, a pack of Space Wolves use mind over matter to escape their roles in the Harlequins’ mortal routine, while the dark side of cosmic theatre wracks a troupe with visions of lives not their own in Faces.
That’s not all – the Black Library is an infinite labyrinth of forbidden lore, and still more stories await the hungry reader. Asurmen delves into the immortal memories of the first Phoenix Lord, dating back to the aeldari empire, while Jain Zar: The Storm of Silence puts the original Howling Banshee to the test. A Deadly Wit and Death’s Mercy are two audiobooks that peer deeper into the twisted minds of Harlequins, and Shadows of Heaven gives readers another adventure with the Outcast hero of the Paths series.
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* Why else would Ahriman the Arch-Sorcerer be so eager to get inside?
** In case their hand in resurrecting Roboute Guilliman wasn’t proof enough.
*** Who knew they were fans of Hamlet? Something else they have in common with Guilliman...