Black Library Weekly: Run in Little Circles, Wave Your Arms and Shout

Much has been promised in recent days when it comes to the Black Library, but those of us whose budget constrains our impulses can only be relieved at the nicely measured pace of deliveries as late. Warhammer Community has given us glimpses of multiple novels and special/limited editions that could drop any week now, but it’s been a stream and not a flood.

August has brought us the Illustrated and Annotated Edition of Chris Wraight’s The Lords of Silence (effectively a Special Edition in all but name- and pricetag), R. S. Wilt’s Final Deployment, Abraxia: Spear of the Everchosen by Chris Thursten, Graham McNeil’s omnibus The Legend of Sigmar, and the Special Edition of Robert Rath’s Assassinorum: Kingmaker. 

That brings us to this week and Ciaphas Cain: The Anthology by Sandy Mitchell, and a final butcher’s bill of under $250 for August if you bought one of everything.₃

That seems pretty good, but of course your mileage may vary.

The Cain Anthology is a softcover reprint of the 2023 hardcover which took 4th place in the Black Library ‘Book of the Year’ competition held by the Black Library. It contains Old Soldiers Never Die, the 2012 novella, and a further baker’s dozen of shorts.

ICYMI

Woof, what a week for lore it was here on Goonhammer, with no less than four articles appearing last week around the Black Library. Okay, so one of those was last week’s Black Library Weekly so I’m cheating a bit, but make sure you check out the other three if you haven’t already!

First up was the latest installment of our new Black Library Bibliophiles series, which is all about that collecting and displaying life. We looked at the Special Edition of Guy Haley’s Belisarius Cawl: The Great Work, some Mechanicus-themed metal creations from Starforged. the sold-out Limited Edition Displate of Sanguinius, and plenty more!

Then there was the latest episode of our ongoing chronicle of the Black Library itself (from a 40K perspective). We’ve been going back in time from the very beginning, walking through the years and seeing what books and stories were happening back then. This week we wrapped up the year 2001, which was pretty substantial. More Gaunt’s Ghosts and Last Chancers, more Eisenhorn… and the first appearance of a certain legendary Ultramarine!

Finally, for those hoping for a book review we’ve got you covered! R. S. Wilt’s debut Black Library novel Final Deployment hit shelves recently, and is the latest in the series of softcover Astra Militarum novels. This one pits Tempestus Scions against Iron Warriors, and it’s quite the ride!

Not much new this week for the usual podcast content, but on WarhammerTV the Black Library Book Club tackled Robert Rath’s The Fall of Cadia. I find the concept of this show interesting. I wouldn’t expect them to get too objectively critical so long as ‘Games Workshop’ appears on their paychecks, but by the same token I feel that’s certainly offset by the depth of lore and background they bring to the table for discussing a book’s place in the universe. Worth checking out if you’re a subscriber!

Sigmar Forgive Me

I take a lot of pride in this piece being the one-stop source for keeping folks updated on what’s on the Black Library radar, so when I miss covering something I’ll be sure to acknowledge it.

Three weeks ago I highlighted the upcoming Abraxia, Spear of the Everchosen by Chris Thursten, but overlooked The Legend of Sigmar. I guess I was too caught up in the swarm of new titles, but this one’s a core part of The Old World’s canon and definitely deserves to be highlighted.

This latest edition is an omnibus reprint of the 2017 edition, containing a trilogy of novels (2008’s Heldenhammer, 2009’s Empire, and 2010’s God King) with a trio of short stories from 2012 (Let the Great Axe Fall, Gods of Flesh and Blood, Sword Guardian) that chronicle the legendary deeds of the mighty Sigmar. All penned by the prolific Graham McNeill, it’s an essential part of the Fantasy world that’s so central to Warhammer’s DNA. Even if you’re more into the modern setting, it’s not called ‘Age of Sigmar’ for nothing.

The good news is that it’s still available, and 900 pages of story for twenty-five bucks is a bargain.

RPG Corner

“In the shadow of Macharia and Persepolis lies the world of Voll, a hive world run by an ancient Rogue Trader Dynasty and a cutthroat highborn caste. Every day, citizens toil in their hive cities to fulfil the Imperial Tithe, caught between the guilds and the gangs, while at odds with the world’s dangerously acidic atmosphere and hazardous conditions.”

While we’re waiting for the Horus Heresy RPG to drop, Cubicle 7 Games has unveiled a little something for the Imperium Maledictum line. Part campaign sourcebook, part adventure anthology, Voll Adventures is available for preorder now and will be releasing in the first quarter of next year (though preorders will get a PDF copy immediately).

It’s good to see the system getting some more content, as it’s been a bit of a suffering sister in comparison with Wrath & Glory, the other Warhammer 40K RPG from Cubicle 7 (overview here). Keep it coming!

Quick Hits

• Because so much of the bleeding edge of the Black Library involves Limited Editions and other quantity-limited formats this column tends to focus more on what’s coming up for preorder rather than what releases. After all, if you didn’t get your preorder in for a new LE, the chances of finding it at your local bookstore are pretty much zero.₁ All the same, the aforementioned Abraxia, Spear of the Everchosen LE and The Legend of Sigmar omnibus did release this past Saturday.
• The Black Library subreddit never disappoints for fun and engaging conversation around our favorite books, and this week a great thread kicked off inviting folks to share their first-ever Warhammer read. Lots of great nostalgia!
• The British Fantasy Society is hosting an online panel discussion called Write for the Fight, focusing on how to craft gripping, credible fight scenes in fiction this Wednesday, 03 September at 7pm (BST, which means 2pm EST here in the States). Of the four speakers one will be particularly familiar to Black Library readers as it’s Danie Ware (The Rose in Darkness, The Triumph of St. Katherine)! Tickets are only £2 (free for members) but space is limited so make sure to register soon if you’re interested.
• Tim Waggoner (Skin Man) writes like a shark, never stopping moving forward.₂ His latest is I Scream, You Scream, a middle-grade novel of ice cream man horror that’s just gone up for preorder in a deluxe slipcase edition.
• 2000AD’s issue #2447 dropped this week, concluding the eight-part series of Azimuth: Abandoned by God by Dan Abnett (script) and Tazio Bettin (art). Azimuth is a ‘data-driven metropolis’ where the Lords of the New Flesh hold sway.
• Mike Brooks (Da Big Dakka, Lelith Hesperax: Queen of Knives) celebrated with donuts this week after crossing the half-million-novels-sold mark, a tremendous accomplishment. Congrats, Mike, there’s certainly more than one of yours in my library!
• Games Workshop announced (via email) that as of 06 October some prices on some goods will be hiked up, an average of 4%. No details yet on whether or not that will impact the Black Library, but it’s certainly possible.

Coming Attractions

Here’s a list of the date-set upcoming releases from the Black Library based on the available preorder information we have. As always, take all of this with a grain of salt unless it’s Games Workshop-confirmed.

Going forward, this section will be updated weekly in this column. Any titles that are announced but without a date will be added once a date is assigned it, and anything highlighted in green is something just added (or updated) this week.

Upcoming but Undated

• Dropsite Massacre, by John French
• Krakenblood, by Marc Collins
• The Remnant Blade, by Mike Vincent
• Saints of the Imperium (boxed set), by David Annandale, Any Clark, and Danie Ware
• Tomb World, by Jonathan D. Beer
• Voidscarred (Special Edition), by Mike Brooks
• Voidscarred (regular), by Mike Brooks

Upcoming in 2025

• Ciaphas Cain: The Anthology, by Sandy Mitchell (paperback, 9/23)
• The Twice-Dead King: The Omnibus, by Nate Crowley (paperback, 9/23)
• Warhammer 40,000 Character Encyclopedia, by Wade Pryce (hardcover, 10/7)
• Warhammer 40,000 Words of War: The Miniature Book of Space Marines Quotes (hardcover, 10/7)
• Elemental Council, by Noah Van Nguyen (paperback, 10/7) (review)
• Morvenn Vahl: Spear of Faith, by Jude Reid (paperback, 10/21)
• Ashes of the Imperium: The Scouring, by Chris Wraight (hardcover, 11/4)
• Double Eagle, by Dan Abnett (paperback, 11/18)
• Death and Duty: An Anthology, by various (paperback, 11/18)
• Interceptor City, by Dan Abnett (paperback, 11/18) (review)
• The Art of Warhammer Video Games, by Andy Hall (hardcover, 11/25)
• Hell’s Last, by Justin D. Hill (paperback, 12/16)
• The Rise of Nagash, by Mike Lee (paperback, 12/16)

Upcoming in 2026

• Farsight: Blade of Truth, by Phil Kelly (paperback, 1/27)
• Fulgrim: The Perfect Son, by Jude Reid (paperback, 1/27) (review)
• The Shattered and the Soulless, by Graham McNeill (paperback, 1/27)
• Vaults of Terra: The Omnibus, by Chris Wraight (paperback, 1/27)
• Siege of Terra: The Shattered and the Soulless, by Graham McNeill (paperback, 1/29)
• Huron Blackheart: Master of the Maelstrom, by Mike Brooks (paperback, 3/10)
• Carcharodons: Void Exile, by Robbie MacNiven (paperback, 3/10)
• The Green Tide, by Mike Brooks, Nate Crowley, and Justin Woolley (paperback 3/24)
• Carnage Unending, by Dan Abnett (paperback, 4/21)

Footnotes

1. Some exceptions exist. Looking at you, Nottingham. With ill-concealed envy.
2. Depends on the shark.
3. Assuming Ciaphas Cain: The Anthology lists for around $25

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