The end of a year is always a time for reflection and taking stock of what the past 12 months have brought. In the case of Black Library, they’ve brought books. Lots of books. Today, we’re taking a look at some of 2020’s highlights – let’s dive in.
Criminal Activity
August saw the launch of a brand new Black Library imprint: Warhammer Crime. Like Warhammer Horror, each of the books steps away from the battlefield. The range explores the city of Varangantua and the many criminals and law-keepers who inhabit it.
Warhammer Crime kicked off with the novel Bloodlines and audio drama Dredge Runners, before adding a second novel – Flesh and Steel – and No Good Men, a short story anthology that greatly expanded the scope of the narrative. There’s more to come in 2021, so keep your eyes peeled for clues.
Celebrating Good Times
The Black Library Celebration in February was the third in this annual series of events, and it was the biggest so far. The festivities saw new releases, from books to badges and even dice – not to mention the incredible models of Talons of the Emperor heroes Valerian and Aleya, taken straight from the pages of Chris Wraight’s novel The Regent’s Shadow.
Of course, the Celebration will be back for its fourth year in February, with all sorts of new books and more.
Full of Character
August’s Black Library Character Week was a chance to enjoy some of the fantastic characters from across the Warhammer universes that Black Library has brought to life over the years.
From the Night Lords to the Warmaster, new books and a series of articles delved deep into the heroes and villains of the settings. You’ll want to put a note in your diary for later in 2021 too, as Character Week is going to return.
Dawn of the Dawn of Fire
Avenging Son was one of the biggest releases of the year – and the most ambitious. The first book in a brand new series exploring the early years of the Indomitus Crusade, it’s a collaboration between Black Library and the Warhammer 40,000 Studio that will tell you the definitive story of Guilliman’s great endeavour to retake the Imperium. The first book had the Crusade’s initial battles, the birth of the Primaris Space Marines, and loads of hints at things to come – it’s a must-read for all.
Thousands of Books at Your Fingertips
The library of ebooks and audiobooks available from BlackLibrary.com and the Black Library Audio app is impressive, to say the least. Literally thousands of stories are just a download away – which proved particularly useful in this year of lockdowns and store closures – giving Warhammer fans entertainment and relaxation wherever they were.
The launch of the Black Library range on Kobo Rakuten at the start of the year was well-timed to bring these ebooks to even more people. iBooks and Kindle editions are also available, so whatever your device of choice, you can read Warhammer fiction digitally.
The Story of a New Edition
Warhammer 40,000 hit a milestone in the summer, as a new edition was unveiled. Of course, Black Library was involved. Gav Thorpe’s Indomitus tied into the launch box for the game and introduced readers to the cursed Crusade Fleet Quintus and the horrors of the Pariah Nexus.
Aliens Among Us
You lot are definitely xenos sympathisers. You kept asking for novels focused on the vile aliens who threaten the Imperium – and in September and October, The Infinite and the Divine and Brutal Kunnin arrived. Telling stories of the necrons and orks, these books proved immensely popular, selling through their entire print runs in no time. The Ordo Xenos have been informed.
The Ultimate Battle
If any Black Library series was the talk of 2020, it was the Siege of Terra. Four novels (and two novellas) in, this is proving to be every inch the epic saga you’ve always imagined, and it’s only halfway done. A new limited edition – Mortis – will continue the story very early in 2021, and that’ll be far from all the action from the Siege that the year will bring. Oh, it’s going to be big… But more news on that another time.
What. A. Year. You wouldn’t think the next one could be any better in terms of books – but we’re pretty sure it will be. You’ve already had a first look in our thrilling Black Library online preview. To make sure you’re among the first to find out about all of the latest news, sign up to the Black Library newsletter and follow us on Facebook. And Happy New Year to you all!