We’ve got a lot to talk about today, from the Raldoron preorder to a new Old World book, the month’s new promotions on the Black Library App to a very special September book giveaway… but first, I have a little bit of personal news to share.

Longtime readers will know that everything I’ve done that’s Warhammer related, from my first articles on Tabletop Battles (then Goonhammer) to this Substack and everything on it, all came as a result of my wife Jimi’s breast cancer diagnosis in 2024. Needing a little distraction brought me back to the books; the magic of the books soon rekindled my love of writing1.

Last week, Jimi lost her battle.

All cancers are bastards, but hers was particularly ruthless. Triple-negative inflammatory breast cancer (IBC), because of course my wife never did anything by halves. Notoriously aggressive, maddeningly hard to treat. It endured waves of chemotherapy and radiation, eluded a double mastectomy and lymph node removal, and outwitted the extraordinarily talented medical staff first at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, then MD Anderson in Houston- to say nothing of the very caring and dedicated team here in Louisville.

My wife was no stranger to pain. Our first child was born at home, the twins were an emergency caesarian and two that followed were delivered naturally. As a birth doula, she helped bring over two hundred souls into this world, an observer to the pain of birth when not herself a participant. But by the end, the debilitating agony of her disease spreading first into her lungs and then her bones proved too great to bear.

Getting Through It

If this all sounds like a tragedy, that’s because it is. She never saw her fiftieth birthday, and our children range in age from fifteen to eight2. The hole she leaves behind is massive. But what’s gotten us through every step of this journey has been a spirit of gratitude, and it’s that which I’d most like to share today.

Because while I am certainly sad, I am so incredibly grateful.

If you went back to right after I moved to Kentucky and offered me a deal: that I would meet the love of my life, get twenty amazing years and build an incredible family together, but that they would leave this earth far too soon… would I still take it? I think anyone would.

We’ve been beset by misfortune for the past two years. On the day we closed on our house, my wife lost her job. Three months later came her diagnosis. This past May I learned I was being laid off myself. Any one of these alone is a major blow to any family; all three in short order feels like cruelty.

And yet… losing her job allowed her to grieve its loss and be emotionally ready for the fight to come. Losing mine allowed me to focus entirely on being a caretaker at a time when she most needed it, traveling back and forth from Houston during her clinical trial every week or so.

And while it might sound absurd to see cancer as a blessing, the long battle gave all of us a long time to come to terms with it and what it meant for our family. I can only imagine the shock and devastation of a sudden loss such as a car accident, where so much of your life is ripped away in an instant. Our journey has been full of things that looked bad when they were in front of us, but then quite different in the rearview.

A week on and there are plenty of tears here. But there are far more smiles and laughter. When one of us threatens to be overtaken by sorrow, the comfort of a hug and sharing a fond memory are but an armlength away.

Sometimes that one of us is me.

I am grateful too for what Warhammer has given us throughout all this. It wasn’t just my place of refuge, but something we enjoyed together. She’d read and loved the Eisenhorn trilogy, and enjoyed listening to the audiobooks on our many road trips to Houston. It’s crazy to think that a little over a week ago, we visited the Warhammer Store & Cafe. And if not for all this we’ve had to endure, you wouldn’t be reading this today and I certainly wouldn’t be writing it.

I’ve also been blown away by the outpouring of love and support from the announcement on Facebook. Jimi touched so many lives in her time here, and seeing the deluge of tributes was a welcome reminder of what a hero she was to me, not just to me and our children but to so many more I (and probably she!) didn’t even know about. Were there in fact a Bell of Lost Souls, it surely would be tolling.

So there’s my takeaway for today: count your blessings, folks. All of them. Even the ones that don’t necessarily look like blessings.

Especially those.

September’s Giveaway

One thing that’s really nice about the Grapevine store is that they carry deluxe edition Black Library books as part of their active stock. When we visited they had three Special Editions of Justin D. Hill’s Bjorn, the Fell-Handed in stock, and when we left they had one less. Since I already had an ordered copy waiting for me at home this was a curious impulse buy, but one that makes perfect sense now.

So that’s this month’s giveaway, a Special Edition of ol’ Bjorn.

To enter, you just need to be a Wordforge subscriber (it’s free!) and leave a comment on this post answering the following question:

It can be anything from the superficial to the serious, this isn’t a test and there aren’t any grades being handed out. Instead, I’ll pick one random entrant next week!

Raldawrong or Raldaright?

Raldoron’s preorder got weird.

We knew it was going to be bad, right? I mean, there’s certainly plenty of cause to expect the worst going into an odd preorder window that opens at the same moment for the entire world. But weird? That I didn’t expect.

My first clue of how things were going to go came at about three hours before the window’s opening, when I went to buy myself a voucher. As I detail in my guide to collecting the Black Library, I always like to use vouchers to pay for my preorders in an effort to minimize the number of click-throughs. Typically the voucher arrives in my inbox in about fifteen minutes, but this one appeared to get lost in the warp (it would eventually arrive on its own the next day3).

Then there was the drop time. Games Workshop always gives its preorder window times at the hour, but veterans know that you should start expecting to see it up to five minutes early- a perfect example of the axiom, “early is on time, and on time is late.”

Eleven minutes before the hour as I was doing a bit of Wordforge writing, I clicked over to the preorder tab and hit refresh. This was part out of making sure I stayed logged in for the upcoming window, and partly just mindless habit. Imagine my surprise when the Raldoron Special Edition appeared.

After adding it to my basket and making a beeline for checkout, I ran into the usual pink-box errors that seem to be common these days. I usually get through it with a quick refresh; this time it took two, but soon the Omnissiah blessed me with the Order Complete window.

My next stop was to zip over to the Black Library subreddit and Black Library Nutters Facebook Group (my usual haunts), giving them all a snap head’s up that the window had opened up far earlier than anyone not employed by Games Workshop’s IT department was expecting.

I seemed to be one of the lucky ones, as reports started rolling in of website issues for many trying to check out. When a friend of mine reported experiencing an internet outage, I figured I’d wade back in to try and secure her a copy. This time I had to refresh the pink box of doom around three dozen times4, but eventually I managed to successfully check out at a quarter past the hour.

But that wasn’t the end of it. After reportedly selling out soon after, I kept seeing reports of purchases made throughout the day. It was almost as if smaller windows of availability kept opening up for those lucky few still rolling the dice. Was this reflective of website problems clearing up? GW IT working overtime to catch and cancel scalper-bot orders? Something else? It’s impossible to discern from the outside looking in, but all in all it made for a very unusual day at the office.

So who won here?

Well, I certainly did through the dumbest of luck, securing mine unusually early. But for each one snapped up before the starter pistol, that’s one person less who was able to get theirs when they showed up at the “correct” preorder time.

Those who managed to slip past the snafus did, though in many cases it necessitated no small amount of stubborn perseverance (as with my second purchase). And of course, those who managed to stumble upon one of the inventory refreshes throughout the day, well, they’re winners too.

But if your idea of winners are the lucky and the stubborn rather than the mass and press of your ordinary punters at the door, well, I’m not sure that’s a desirable end state. And with the Special Edition of Blackheart: Claws of the Maelstrom by Marc Collins seeing a possible repeat of the special preorder window process this Wednesday, buckle in, folks.

Things might get weird.

A Wiki Situation

Jacques Corby-Tuech in the Black Library Nutters group has gotten the ball rolling on creating a Black Library wiki site, and things are already moving! While there are other Warhammer-based wikis out there (such as the excellent Lexicanum, which I’ve frequently appreciated!), this one will take a notably book-centric approach.

For instance, its page on Dan Abnett’s Horus Rising has a full publication history, including release dates and ISBN’s. While some of this information is admittedly somewhat niche, it can be incredibly useful for some. It’s still in its infancy, with most pages being skeletal placeholders, but like all wikis the aim is to eventually get out even more than what you put in. And best of all, says Jacques,, there will be “absolutely no tracking or advertising ever, and all the data is collected in handy tables that can then easily be extracted out of the site again for your own purposes.”

I’ll be very keen to see how this grows and develops!

Arrivals & Departures

In this section I look at what’s coming up around the corner (Arrivals) and what’s landing on bookstore shelves (Departures).

Arrivals

The big news this week was the announcement of the next Warhammer: The Old World novel, Blood of the Bastion by Evan Dicken (Shade of Khaine, First Marshal). For those less familiar with the fantasy side of things, the Old World setting reflects the original Warhammer Fantasy world before it was blown up in 2014-15 and replaced with Age of Sigmar.

In the hearts of fans, though, it never really went away. The End Times transition was far from universally beloved, and a confluence of factors managed to bring The Old World setting back to life, including:

• Persistent, unmet fan demand, which saw a noticeable exodus for other game systems like Kings of War rather than just ‘funneling in’ to Age of Sigmar

• Video games like Total War and Vermintide kept the setting feeling active and contemporary

• The success of 2012’s Horus Heresy tabletop game showed that parallel properties and systems were viable

• New executive leadership in 2015 took a broader approach to the hobby and was open to a return in some form

These ingredients simmered and cooked, leading to this in 2024:

The same year saw Graham McNeill’s Lords of the Lance, which even received a Special Edition release. “Middle-Earth got to me first,” noted McNeill in the Special Edition’s introduction, “but it was the black humour and grim fatalism of Warhammer that really tickled the inside of my brain. The Old World has always felt dangerous to me in a way most fantasy universes seldom did (at least until Game of Thrones).

“When news reached me on America’s far shores that the return of Warhammer had been heralded by a twin-tailed comet in the skies over Nottingham, it wasn’t even a question if I’d want to write a novel set in the reborn Old World.”

In an interview at the time on the mothership, McNeill was effusive in his desire to keep writing for the setting, but alas nothing more seemed to materialize.

Until now, that is.

The announcement of Dicken’s upcoming tale was exciting not only for Old World fans, but also for those of the Cathay setting.

As per usual with the teaser pieces there’s no hint of a timeline, but I’m delighted to see that this, too, will be offered in a deluxe edition.

Aside from the reveal, all was quiet in the Sunday Preview yesterday. Enjoy the Wallet Appreciation Week (unless you’re a fan of Ogors).

Departures

Another week with a nice stream of releases into the physical world as the Deathwatch Special Editions have dropped. Steve Parker’s novel got a wonderful deluxe treatment here, and reports have even come in that a few have found their way back to the website for ordering by a lucky few.

Nate Crowley’s Illustrated and Annotated Edition of Prophet of the Waaagh! also arrived, as well as the standard hardcover edition of Bjorn, the Fell-Handed by Justin D. Hill and Andy Clark’s Demolisher in paperback.

Black Library App Sales for September

You know what else turning of the month means? A new slate of sales on the Black Library app! As a reminder, this is a new (and welcome) approach; previously there was only one eBook offered on sale each month. With the introduction of the new app, each month appears to be bringing with it a much larger number of eBook and audiobook releases at a discounted price (typically 50% off the eBook, 66% off the audio).

For September, the following are on sale:

• Anvils of the Heldenhammer, by Dale Lucas (audio, ebook)

• Blood of Asaheim, by Chris Wraight (audio, ebook)

• Brutal Kunnin, by Mike Brooks (audio, ebook)

• Callis and Toll, by David Annandale (audio, ebook)

• Dante, by Guy Haley (audio, ebook)

• Dead Men Walking, by Steve Lyons (audio, ebook)

• Soul Hunter, by Aaron Dembski-Bowden (audio, ebook)

• Yndrasta: The Celestial Spear, by Noah Van Nguyen (audio, ebook)

ICYMI

Here’s what’s been going on this week for Warhammer content!

Warhammer Wordforge

• As a Black Library Readers’ Hall of Fame weekend, in addition to the main feature on Tabletop Battles there was also the regular companion piece, The Hall Monitor. This week I talked about the glut of books we’re seeing in the Black Library istarting in 2016, and how that reflected a change in Games Workshop’s corporate priorities.

• For Wednesday’s article, we rolled out a new companion feature to the Scribes & Scriveners show on WarhammerTV. The Writer Files will not only recap their interview on that show, but look at their body of work overall. We kicked things off with Marc Collins (Krakenblood, Grim Repast).

• Finally, Friday’s Warhammer RPG Weekly looked at the exciting debut of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay’s 5th Edition from Cubicle 7 Games!

Tabletop Battles

• Four books were inducted into the Black Library Readers’ Hall of Fame this week from the Class of 2016! The Heresy came up big, but Age of Sigmar got some love as well!

Warhammer Community

• The Pages from the Black Books series dove into the Sisters of Silence this week with the free download from 2014’s The Horus Heresy Book Three: Extermination.

• For those who (like me) enjoy decorating their libraries with coins and miniatures, you won’t want to miss seeing what September’s monthly offerings are.

WarhammerTV (paywalled)

• No Black Library content this week, but it’s likely no coincidence with this week’s book reveal that Loremasters will be dropping an episode on Grand Cathay this week!

Around the Webway

• The Oldhammer Fiction Podcast was looking at Games Workshop’s tie-in novels for their Dark Future property, which has at least a kind of tangential overlap to the worlds of 40K in spirit if not in actual lore.

• Mira Manga sat down for a terrific hour with Dan Abnett, chatting about all things Hive5! Not only that, but the book was also the subject this week of her Warhammer Book Club review with Arbitor Ian!

• Wargaming site Miniature Realms covers a lot of The Old World tabletop content, but was very pleased to see the announcement of the upcoming Cathay novel this week!

• I often spotlight It Always Rains in Nuln for my Warhammer RPG Weekly column (like this one, but on Fridays), but this week they posted a take on The End Times that talks about the whole narrative event, including touching on the Black Library books of the time. It’s highly editorial, but I certainly enjoyed the read (and understand the frustration!).

• Finally, while it’s not directly Black Library related, there was a terrific piece on Substack this week by Mark Newheiser about whether it’s better to read books in publication order or in-story “chronological” order. The writer makes a strong case for the former for reasons I’ve myself long held, and with Horus Heresy reading order discussions being a frequent topic it’s well worth considering.

Cold Open Stories

• This week’s featured story is New Moon, by Daniel Summerbell. “With the New Moon comes the sound of sirens, the harbinger of dread. The radio may have gone silent, but Joshua stands ready, together with the people of his village, his battered old rifle, and his faith in the Emperor, to face whatever it is that is coming their way.”

Quick Hits

• Speaking of Justin D. Hill (Hell’s Last, Bjorn the Fell-Handed), he’ll also be contributing to an anthology marking the Battle of Stamford Bridge in 1066 coming out later this month. It also will feature work by Matthew Harffy (The Whispering Blade).

• Tim Waggoner (Skin Man) appeared on the Methods of Fiction podcast this week, discussing how to write effective horror fiction. As a Bram Stoker Award winner, Wagoner certainly has a few things to share on that front.

• Gav Thorpe (The Wolftime, 13th Legion) shared that he’d found a box of Warhammer audio drama CD’s in his storage and has put them up on eBay to find them new homes. If you’re missing a few from your collection, make sure ot check it out!

• James Swallow (The Flight of the Eisenstein, Deus Encarmine) appeared on The Randomizer podcast this week, discussing the upcoming Thunderbirds anthology International Rescues that he’s a contributor on.

• Finally, it was the most recent Black Library royalties day this past week. Josh Reynolds (Shadespire: The Mirrored City, Lukas the Trickster) once again posted a small summary of how he did. Since this isn’t the kind of thing you can ever expect to get transparency on, it’s great that he’s continued to do this.

Coming Attractions

Here’s a list of the known 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.

This section will be updated weekly in this column, and anything in bold has been added (or updated) this week.

Upcoming but Undated

• Helbrecht: Sin of Hope, by Mike Vincent

• Cold Covenant, by Peter Fehervari

Current PODs in Production

• Hive, by Dan Abnett (Special Edition)

Upcoming in 2026

• Raldoron: Revenant, by Guy Haley (hardcover, Special Edition, 9/12)

• Blackheart: Claws of the Maelstrom, by Marc Collins (hardcover, Special Edition, 9/19)

• Voice of Command, by Richard Swan (hardcover, 9/19)

• Words of Waaagh!, by DK Books (hardcover, 10/6)

• The Sundering, by Gav Thorpe (paperback, 10/6)

• Auxilia, by Russell Zimmerman (paperback, 10/206)

• Dropsite Massacre, by John French (paperback, 10/20)

• Apostle, by David Annandale (paperback, 10/20)

• Master of Rites, by Rob Young (paperback, 10/20)

• Death Rider, by Rhuairidh James (paperback, 11/19)

• Ghost Legion, by Mike Brooks (paperback, 11/19)

• Chem Dog, by Callum Davis (paperback, 12/17)

• Ghazghkull Thraka: Warlord of Warlords, by Denny Flowers (paperback, 12/17)

• Ashes of the Imperium, by Chris Wraight (paperback, 12/17)

Thanks again for joining me for all the going’s on in the Black Library, and see you next week!

Hey folks! You might have noticed this week’s column has dropped significantly later in the day than usual. Between the drive back and an all-day hockey tournament for three of my kids yesterday, writing time was unusually scarce. Normal broadcast service is expected to resume next week, thanks for your patience!

This past Thursday, my wife and I bid a farewell to Texas. We’d been in Houston the better part of two weeks this time around, just the two of us. With our five kids back home in school, my mother kindly came down from Connecticut to quarterback things there. We hadn’t intended to be there so long; initially it was just for the third round of chemotherapy in her clinical trial, but when they noticed the cancer was spreading to her bones they recommended we start another round of radiation therapy immediately1.

The final rug-pull came at the tail end of our stay, when we were advised that she was being removed from MD Anderson’s clinical trial. The results weren’t what we were all hoping for, and their recommendation was that she seek hospice care and prepare for end of life surrounded by family and loved ones.

Knowing it was the last time we’d be in Texas, we took a small detour on the way home and checked out the Warhammer Store & Cafe in Grapevine.

Heard it Through the Grapevine

The store is Games Workshop’s flagship location in North America, closer in many ways to Warhammer World in Nottingham than the small Warhammer stores most of us are more familiar with2.

Here are a few of the things I noticed from my long-awaited visit.

It’s Smaller on the Inside

The first thing that really surprised me is how much smaller it was than I expected. I’m not sure what I’d built up in my head, but in terms of square footage its only about the equivalent of four or five of the standard retail stores. That sounds like a lot- and it is- but about half of it is taken up by playing space.

They Have (Almost) Everything

That said, they have a ton of product. It felt like they had at least one of everything currently available for retail, as well as lots of things that are typically website-only such as the resin Primarch kits, Forge World goodies, and Limited/Special Editions of Black Library books.

One of the things I was delighted to pick up was the 30th anniversary reprinting of the original Warhammer 40,000 Rogue Trader rulebook. I’d understood that these were exclusive to Warhammer World (and a wide-release print on demand in 2023), so finding them here in the wild was an unexpected treat.

It’s a Museum!

Under ordinary circumstances I could have spent the day there taking it all in. Multiple glass cases containing so much of the history and lore of the game. Dioramas, replica displays, statuary… and on the walls throughout the store were mounted some of the different model boxes throughout the years, labeled to indicate when it was released.

Here, too, the feeling lingered that this should be bigger. More shelves! More displays! More history! I know that retail realities mean that square footage needs to be earning its own keep, but a fella can dream, right?

Note in that first picture the Limited Edition of Robert Rath’s Fall of Cadia, too. You love to see it!

Books Need More Love

In the above photos is the entirely of the Black Library stock. Considering that about half of each bookshelf is taken up with non-Black Library product, this is about the same amount of available product as my local Warhammer store. That seems a touch light, but again retail realities rule the roost. There are only so many books that are in print at a given time, and if they have most or all of them available what more could I ask?

Don’t be fooled by the seemingly impressive stock of deluxe editions- almost all of these were copies of just one book, Danie Ware’s Aestred Thurga: Pyre of Faith.

The third picture is a display that showcased the Black Library books. Thus far when I’ve noted how the store fell short of my hopes, they’ve been relatively fanciful things (more square footage, more museum displays, more books). This, however, is the one thing in an otherwise wonderful experience that I took issue with. These books deserve more love than they’re being shown here. For starters:

• Center the books attractively. This looks disordered.

• Print out the back-of-book summary for each book in the display. Use a simple laminate or thicker stock for rigidity, then cut cleanly and display next to each book like they do in museums.

• Stick a couple miniatures in there next to the relevant books. Put an Orikan, the Diviner box next to The Wicked and the Warped, for example (a box of five Praetorians might be a little too large for Tomb World here). Tie the paper to the plastic for the consumer.

There’s a Cafe

It’s a long drive back to Kentucky, so while we were tempted to enjoy some delights from the Cafe in the interests of expediency we took a raincheck. Still, I love the theming here and it’s too awesome not to share. Huge kudos to the chalk artist(s) who made this signage look amazing. Pity the pastries got lost in the Warp.

And finally, in answer to the question everyone wants to know but is afraid to ask…

Yes, Even the Bathroom is Themed

Stand at the men’s urinal and look slightly up, and this life-sized happy chappy is greeting you with an exhortation from the Litany of… ahem… Accuracy3.

Thanks to the staff at the store for making us feel welcome and right at home. It was a wonderful detour to break up the long trek, and a much-needed bit of joy to carry with us.

Commemorative Modeling

I’ve often talked about how I like to visit Warhammer or gaming stores in my travels and pick up a miniature as a little souvenir of my trip. Throughout my home office and Museum are a number of such displays, small figures of plastic that carry an extra bit of sentimental resonance. Most of them sweet, such as the Clan Rats my youngest daughter has loved building with me… others significant in a different way, like the Catachan Colonel I picked up on the day I found out I’d been laid off of my 20-year career last May.

I recall too the first time I was inspired to make a model diorama, after I’d read Jude Reid’s Morvenn Vahl: Spear of Faith. Vahl on the one side, the kickass two-headed Heldrake on the other. Of course, it’s a reach that well exceeds my kitbashing grasp, but my wife quietly held onto that (for almost a year!) and last Christmas I found two Heldrake kits under the tree.

Warhammer has been in so many ways my own place of refuge during my wife’s cancer battle over the last couple of years. I can get lost in a book or building a mini at my desk for a few minutes here and there when I need a little distraction or time to re-center, and she’s always been very supportive.

As I walked the Grapevine store’s huge inventory on Friday, I didn’t know what I wanted to get to commemorate my visit. I just knew that I felt moved to pick up one model, one I wouldn’t build right away. Perhaps, God willing, one I’d never have to build at all. But one that- if that awful day arrived as it may well do soon- I’d allow myself to get lost in some evening after the kids were all in bed and my heart was especially heavy.

With the little energy she had expended and her resting in the car, I soon found it.

For now, may the dust it gathers be abundant.

The Raldoron Reschedule

Some interesting news this week on the books front, with Games Workshop springing a surprise change on us for the Special Edition release of Guy Haley’s Raldoron: Revenant.

Rather than being offered as originally scheduled this past Saturday with the other preorders, the preorder window for the Special Edition only was moved to this coming Wednesday at 3pm BST (that’s 10am EST for me). This is a global window, so wherever you are in the world that’s when you’ll hear the crack of the starter’s pistol.

While this isn’t entirely unprecedented- you may recall that Era of Ruin had a similar, special preorder window in June of 2025, it’s certainly curious for a couple of reasons.

First, with no slight intended to Mr. Haley, Raldoron: Revenant is merely part of the Horus Heresy’s Character series rather than the mainline Siege of Terra book that Era of Ruin is. Special Editions of Character series books have generally seen demand somewhat lower than the absolute frenzy mainline Horus Heresy/Siege of Terra books have commanded.

Second, the Black Library turned right around and announced it would be doing the same for Blackheart: Claws of the Maelstrom. Same day of the week, same start time, just one week later. Whether this is a temporary measure or the sign of things to come, I can only turn to the late, great Sir Ian Fleming:

As you’d expect, the change hasn’t been universally embraced by the Black Library community, with concerns raised including:

• Dismay around the inconvenient timing of the window.

• The need for some purchasers to have to go through two preorders in a week to get everything they want, rather than just the one.

• The standard edition being offered before the Special Edition. For those who have been in the habit of buying a standard hardcover only if they weren’t able to secure a deluxe edition, now they may have to spend more to ensure they at least get one copy of the novel.

These are valid concerns, though there were some opinions in the other direction as well including:

• The new preorder window actually being more convenient for some than before.

• The hope that this will help ensure greater platform stability for the many Warhammer fans not always interested in the deluxe edition Black Library offerings.

• The appreciation that Games Workshop is at least taking some action to help the public’s buying experience, rather than just adopting that ‘classic definition of insanity’ of doing the same thing every week and hoping for different results.

While I’m not personally adversely affected by the change4, I do have two concerns about this apparent new policy.

First, it’s only treating the symptom. This isn’t a product scheduling issue, it’s an ecommerce architectural one. Despite having a revenue and customer base other companies would kill for, Games Workshop has a longstanding habit of adopting fairly miserly technological solutions. One need only look at the transition to the Black Library app for evidence that robust, full-featured enterprise solutions aren’t the ones that appear to be getting greenlit by the C-suite in Nottingham.

Second, it’s another messaging fail. This one really boggles the mind sometimes, because corporate messaging is not only vital but generally easier to get right than to screw up. Repeated, last-moment changes in product release strategies suggest a lack of competence and/or coordination on the part of the planning team, and while the community would never be fully happy with their cheese being moved when it comes to preordering, a longer lead time to adjust and shape the messaging was likely there.

People wouldn’t automatically celebrate a message that noted, “starting in 2027 we will be having special preorder windows for deluxe Warhammer goods in order to balance demand,” but they’d certainly appreciate having time to adjust. And c’mon, being realistic you could squeeze some additional goodwill even out of that by adding, “…as well as address community concerns around multi-ordering and ‘scalper bot’ behaviors, ensuring everyone has a better chance of getting the products they want on the day of offer.”

There you go, James Workshop, the fruit of my MBA degree offered to you, free of change. Messaging is an opportunity to shape consumer expectation, and a failure to do so suggests- whether with a basis in truth or otherwise- that consumer expectation is not a priority.

I know the more cynical and jaded amongst us will disagree, but I genuinely believe that it is. Game companies have traditionally been a bit more susceptible to being steered by product experts rather than businesspeople. This is occasionally useful, such as in the case (I would argue) of pre-HASBRO Wizards of the Coast. More often, though, it’s closer to the late, great (pre-Wizards of the Coast) Tactical Studies Rules (TSR).

So it’s not that I think that Games Workshop holds its customers in contempt. Rather, I think it’s more the case that they just don’t always know how to effectively show us the opposite.

Good messaging, James, is a fantastic place to start5.

Turning Over a New Leak (Redux)

Last week you might recall we highlighted a listing on Vinted for an apparent leaked copy of James Swallow’s Flight of the Eisenstein, as part of the Horus Heresy Saga reissues. We’ve had a second such sighting in the wild, this time a completed eBay auction. Full credit to eagle-eyed Calum Mills in the Black Library Nutters Facebook Group for the catch, it’s uncertain if this represents a second, unrelated listing or simply the Vinted purchaser (who paid just £3 for it) flipping it for immediate profit.

Arrivals & Departures

In this section I look at what’s coming up around the corner (Arrivals) and what’s landing on bookstore shelves (Departures).

Arrivals

There’s plenty to talk about here this week, with another trio of new novels teased on Warhammer Community! I’d just gotten used to these dropping on Wednesdays when last week the piece came on a Thursday. Guess it’s not as predictable as I’d thought, but new book teasers are always welcome! First, let’s see what’s going up for preorder this Saturday.

We’d had a little warning in the community about this one coming, but thrilled to see it drop so soon. Richard Swan has penned a number of short stories for the Black Library, including Ash and Steel and Tears of Raphaela, and now makes his novel debut. Interestingly, this one appears to be in hardcover despite the Astra Militarum Novel series being first-release in softcover, and goes up for preorder this Saturday.

Blackheart: Claws of the Maelstrom by Marc Collins has arrived, hot on the heels of his recent appearance on Scribes & Scriveners on WarhammerTV. This arrives in standard hardcover, and will preorder as normal this coming Saturday.

On the other hand, as noted earlier the Special Edition of the book- and my word they’ve outdone themselves on the design of this one- will be offered in a special preorder window the following Wednesday, 09 September at 3pm BST.

Next, here are the two from Warhammer Community’s article on Thursday (the third one was Voice of Command, but that went straight from teaser to preorder in nearly the same breath.)

First up is the newest from Dark Coil author and Black Library Readers’ Hall-of-Famer Peter Fehervari (Fire Caste, Genestealer Cults), Cold Covenant!

Finally, we see another novel debut coming this time from Russell Zimmerman, with Auxilia. Zimmerman was a two-time winner in 2025’s Goonhammer Book Awards, for Best Black Library Debutant6 (for his Death Guard story Seven Ships) as well as Best IP Tie-In Novel (non-GW)7 for BattleTech’s Violent Inception.

Finally for those abroad (or who just like to practice their language skills), The Relentless Dead by Steve Lyons will be available in both German and French, and Apostle by David Annandale will be released in French as well.

Departures

Plenty of stuff now available to buy in the bookstores this week! The latest in the Horus Heresy Saga, Ben Counter’s Galaxy In Flames, released in both Special Edition and regular hardcover, while False Gods by Graham McNeill came out in Saga paperback.

For the fantasy side of things, Blood of the Godeater by Noah Van Nguyen dropped in standard hardcover, while the newest collection, Witch Hunters: The Omnibus, by Nick Horth and Richard Strachan will keep readers busy for some time to come!

ICYMI

Here’s what’s been going on this week for Warhammer content!

Warhammer Wordforge

• So this isn’t the first time I’ve written about last week’s visit to the Grapevine store. I had a few more observations from a role-playing game perspective in last week’s Warhammer RPG Weekly.

• For the Wednesday feature, Audio Impressions was revisiting the world that was, taking on the second book in the Malus Darkblade series, Dan Abnett and Mike Lee’s Bloodstorm.

Tabletop Battles

• No Lore Friday this week- I’m still playing catch-up on my reading- but Lynn had a fantastic BattleTech introductory lore primer I’d definitely recommend to anyone curious about the setting or (like me) looking to catch up after years away.

Warhammer Community

• The Pages from the Black Books series was a big one last week, with a “bumper-size” treatise on the ‘Hidden War’ between the Imperium and daemonic manifestations of the Warp. Fascinating!

• In case you missed it when it was announced, there was also a reminder piece this week about the changes to the Warhammer+ subscription, including getting two miniatures as well as a yearbook.

WarhammerTV (paywalled)

• Scribes & Scriveners is back! Following the recent interview with Marc Collins (Krakenblood, Eidolon: The Auric Hammer), they’re sitting down with Mike Vincent (The Remnant Blade, Helbrecht: Sin of Hope) in tomorrow’s episode.

Around the Webway

• Arbitor Ian and Mira Manga are back with the latest episode of their Book Club! This time around, they’re taking a look at Adrian Tchaikovsky’s Day of Ascension.

• Meanwhile, Jen and Keri of the WH40K Book Club checked out Justin Woolley’s Da Freebooterz Code, with a special nod of appreciation to Harry Myers for his audiobook narration. “No one brings voice to the orks like this guy.”

• The Fluffenhammer gang tried something a little different this week. They regularly do deep dives into Warhammer Monthly, but this time it’s a look at Marvel’s Marneus Calgar comic!

• Hachette has launched its newest subscription Warhammer magazine, this one for the Age of Sigmar. Spearhead follows in the footsteps of Warhammer 40K’s Combat Patrol, offering four issues a month with loads of miniatures, lore, and even stories at a not inconsiderable discount from the usual retail price for the models.

• Finally, over at my local watering hole r/BlackLibrary, u/Own_SD conducted a reader poll pulse-check to see what the top frustration was for the subreddit’s many residents regarding the Black Library. Would you be surprised to learn it was scalpers? Anyone?

Cold Open Stories

• This week’s featured story is The Last of Vireshan, by Alexander Hamilton. “Ashur is the last of his line, clinging on by a thread to the life he once has, and the Imperium he once served. But the Heresy has blurred the boundaries between alliances and factions, and in its ragged aftermath, dogma burns away whatever mercy might have existed before. Clarity is now found in the barrel of a gun.”

Quick Hits

• Here’s this week’s feelgood story from around the Black Library world. David Annandale (The Pyres of Armageddon, Apostle) attended the store anniversary celebration at the Warhammer store in Winnipeg, and in appreciation for all his support over the years the store made a special Commissar Yarrick desk display for him. This checks all my boxes, from the blending of plastic miniatures with the metal coins for display, right down to celebrating a Black Library author. Bravo, Winnipeg!

• Pour one out for BlackLibrary.com; the often frustrating but always indispensable website goes forever dark tomorrow, having been replaced by the Black Library App. Farewell, sweet prince, so long and thanks for all the fish!

• The subject of whether or not a writer is well-served by reading the reviews of their books is one that comes up regularly. Here’s a wonderfully candid take from Justin D. Hill (Hell’s Last, Storm of Damocles) on what he’s seeing come back for his latest, Bjorn, the Fell-Handed.

• Anna Stephens (Gothgull Hollow, Trisethni the Unseen) has a new fantasy romance novel releasing this October, The Sport of Wings. “Ogawa Ryota, disgraced son of the famous Scarlet Triple dragon-racing stable, has one year to prove he can make it on his own. Keaton Merriwether, petty criminal and illegal night-race jockey, has only ever wanted to race dragons, any way she can. Together, they make up the sport’s newest, smallest stable, determined to take on the competition’s greatest dragons and wealthiest owners.” Check out her latest piece for the cover reveal as well as the book’s opening chapter!

• Andi Ewington (Da Red Gobbo’s Last Stand, Fire and Fungi) was delighted to share that his story, Amok, will be the cover story for the next issue of 2000AD magazine. Congrats, Andi!

• Carrie Harris (A Forbidden Meal, The Strength of Symbols) has written a short story for the Zeo Genesis game, Hound of Fortune. A futuristic, sci-fi skirmish game, Zeo Genesis counts Warhammer notables such as Andy Law (Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition Rulebook, Ubersreik Adventures) and Black Library Readers’ Hall-of-Famer Gav Thorpe (Kill Team, Luther: First of the Fallen) amongst its editorial team.

• Humble Bundle has a massive drop of Warmachine fiction on offer, called “Tales from the Iron Kingdoms.” There are some familiar names amongst the long list of authors, including Richard Lee Byers (The Enemy Within), Matt Forbeck (Sudden Death, Blood Bowl), Hall-of-Famer C. L. Werner (Grey Seer, Blood Money), and Dave Gross (Mourning in Rainhollow). Benefiting the charity Child’s Play, it’s available for one more week!

Coming Attractions

Here’s a list of the known 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.

This section will be updated weekly in this column, and anything in bold has been added (or updated) this week.

Upcoming but Undated

• Helbrecht: Sin of Hope, by Mike Vincent

• Cold Covenant, by Peter Fehervari

• Auxilia, by Russell Zimmerman

Current PODs in Production

• Hive, by Dan Abnett (Special Edition)

Upcoming in 2026

• Deathwatch, by Steve Parker (Special Edition, 9/5)

• Ghazghkull Thraka: Prophet of the Waaagh! (Illustrated and Annotated Edition), by Nate Crowley (9/5)

• Bjorn, the Fell-handed, by Justin D. Hill (hardcover, 9/5)

• Demolisher, by Andy Clark (paperback, 9/5)

• Raldoron: Revenant, by Guy Haley (hardcover, Special Edition, 9/12)

• Blackheart: Claws of the Maelstrom, by Marc Collins (hardcover, Special Edition, 9/198)

• Voice of Command, by Richard Swan (hardcover, 9/19)

• Words of Waaagh!, by DK Books (hardcover, 10/6)

• The Sundering, by Gav Thorpe (paperback, 10/6)

• Dropsite Massacre, by John French (paperback, 10/20)

• Apostle, by David Annandale (paperback, 10/20)

• Master of Rites, by Rob Young (paperback, 10/20)

• Death Rider, by Rhuairidh James (paperback, 11/19)

• Ghost Legion, by Mike Brooks (paperback, 11/19)

• Chem Dog, by Callum Davis (paperback, 12/17)

• Ghazghkull Thraka: Warlord of Warlords, by Denny Flowers (paperback, 12/17)

• Ashes of the Imperium, by Chris Wraight (paperback, 12/17)

Thanks again for joining me for all the going’s on in the Black Library, and see you next week!

If your mind went right to picnic baskets with that title, I won’t blame you, but today’s theme has more to do with baseball than Jellystone Park1. For the many of us who braved the topsy-turvy weekend in the Wild West that is the Games Workshop preordering bonanza, the wit of famed New York Yankees catcher Yogi Berra that best summed it up.

“It’s like déjà vu, all over again.”

Once more, website issues reportedly made chasing this week’s most sought-after prize, the Special Edition of Steve Parker’s Deathwatch, an experience as soothing and tranquil as a caress from the butcher’s nails. Here’s a sampling from the Preorder Megathread over on the Black Library subreddit:

And finally, in the “laugh to keep from crying” department:

Déjà Vu about Déjà Vu?

Given the reported errors, it was clear that this went beyond just the usual frustration of demand well outstripping supply. It reminded me of what happened last June, when it seemed a website functionality upgrade (the addition of a ‘carousel’ to suggest additional products at check-out) ended up breaking the site altogether.

I can’t say for certain, but I also believe that the checkout screens looked different this week. Instead of one checkout screen for all the information (payment, shipping), I was first taken to a shipping screen and then to another to tender payment. The move between the two was instantaneous- clicking through to pay instantly loaded my pay details, it wasn’t having to pause for another data load- but it’s hard to attribute to coincidence when website functionality is changed and a large segment of users report issues.

Once again, by the time the preorder window arrived at our charmed shores here in the US, the issues appeared to have been worked out. I had no problems ordering Deathwatch at 11:57pm2, then once that order completed I went back and ordered a copy of the Illustrated and Annotated Edition of Prophet of the Waaagh!, by Nate Crowley3.

And then, once that one was all done on a lark I went back and put in an order for a second copy of Deathwatch. I’ve wondered for a long time whether or not Games Workshop polices quantity ordering. It doesn’t seem they do, since we often see scalpers with seemingly absurd quantities of chase items on eBay, but then I’ve also heard stories of people’s orders being canceled. I’m not sure what possessed me to roll the dice on Deathwatch, but roll them I did4.

KLight, who for the past couple weeks has been my “eyes on the ground” for ordering over in Europe, reported some improvement this week from the one before. “So today is 22nd of August and I’m here to inform you that on the preorder day for Deathwatch Special Edition, the site stopped working again. It’s two weeks back-to-back. After 23 minutes, things seem to be working again. At least I got my order and I'm seeing people saying they are getting theirs.”

Here’s how he described last week’s struggle5, when the Premium Edition of Galaxy in Flames was on offer:

As I noted last week, the best we can do in the now is hope for a fix. There’s still plenty of the Horus Heresy Saga to go, and if you think that’s crazy wait ‘til Abnett gets to release the third novel in the Bequin trilogy.

Now that will be pandaemonium!

Quick on the Trigger

Ever wish you had a personal bounty hunter working to help you build your Black Library collection?

When I was in heavy active acquisition mode, I quickly learned that eBay’s alerts were fairly useless for things you were aggressively chasing. By the time it got around to letting you know that a copy of the Night Lords Boxed Set had gone up for sale, chances are (if the price was good) that it was already long gone. You snooze, you lose pal!

There are other services and apps that can give you more timely alerts, and for awhile I used one called eFerret. It was definitely better for notifications than eBay, but as I recall it maxxed you out at five active searches (you could set more, but you’d get notified at the end of the day for those).

This week on Reddit a user named u/Jamiemufu shared a project he’d been working on called Shelfkeepr. “This is not AI slop,” he made sure to note, “I am software engineer with 12 years experience, got made redundant6 - so I’m working on this while looking for my next job.”

Shelfkeepr acts as that personal bounty hunter on eBay. You tell it what you’re after and what the most you’re willing to pay for it, and it will alert you as soon as it detects a copy. It’s still in beta, so don’t expect everything to be completely polished yet, but it seems quite promising!

Turning Over a New Leak?

Meanwhile on Vinted, a sharp-eyed u/korvenus spotted something rather unusual that had sold for the princely sum of… three pounds?

If appearances are to be believed, it seems an unreleased paperback copy of James Swallow’s Flight of the Eisenstein (Horus Heresy Saga edition) has somehow made its way into the world. As we all know, the warp plays havoc with time, and this one hasn’t even been announced yet, let alone released.

The art is certainly interesting, because it’s not anything that appears to have been used before. That means we should know soon whether this was a cunning forgery7 or the real deal once Flight’s upcoming release is announced. Given that the paperback of Ben Counter’s Galaxy in Flames hasn’t even been offered yet puts this potential early copy out with quite the head start.

Let’s Make a Deal

So from bargain hunting on eBay to a bargain from the future on Vinted, we’ve got one more from Reddit to spotlight. A redditor named u/mr_mango has created a subreddit dedicated to finding bargains on Warhammer. Called r/DealHammer, he simply posts regular links to on-sale minis he’s found online. That’s it, the whole thing. Reddit threads with links to sales.

Hey, it’s an expensive hobby, and I’m a huge proponent of ‘decorating paper with plastic’ in the home library or museum. If you can save a few bucks here and there, why not, right?

Arrivals & Departures

In this section I look at what’s coming up around the corner (Arrivals) and what’s landing on bookstore shelves (Departures).

Arrivals

Another Wednesday, (yet) another new Black Library teaser8. The mothership posted a short interview with Mike Vincent (The Remnant Blade, Blades of Atrocity) this week, teasing his upcoming novel Helbrecht: Sin of Hope. I thought it was interesting how much the Black Library was spotlighting Helbrecht when talking to Marc Collins on WarhammerTV’s Scribes and Scriveners last week, and while it might just be coincidence ‘top of mind awareness’ is a thing.

Meanwhile, Raldoron: Revenant finally will be up for preorder this Saturday, in both a lovely Special Edition as well as standard hardcover. The latest from Guy Haley, this sees Raldoron of the Blood Angels playing drill sergeant for a group of untested inductees!

Departures

Leaving to land on our bookshelves this week was the Special Edition of Bjorn the Fell-Handed, the latest from Justin D. Hill. The standard hardcover isn’t far behind, but this week it was just the one.

ICYMI

Here’s what’s been going on this week for Warhammer content!

Warhammer Wordforge

• As a Black Library Readers’ Hall of Fame weekend, in addition to the announcement of the latest class of inductees there was also a new installment of The Hall Monitor. The “behind-the-scenes director’s commentary” of the whole project, this time I talked about the possible role of novellas, anthologies, and short stories in the Hall.

• For the Wednesday feature, Audio Impressions was back with a review of the audiobook for Graham McNeill’s The Outcast Dead, narrated by Jonathan Keeble.

• Finally, for Warhammer RPG Weekly (basically the same as this article each week, but for role-playing games), I looked at concerns around the health of the hobby segment, and Warhammer’s RPG presence.

Tabletop Battles

• Four novels were inducted this week into the Black Library Readers’ Hall of Fame, and it’s always a little extra exciting when authors get in for the first time. This week we had two new faces- and both named David!

• If you’ve ever wondered what Black Library writers get up to when they aren’t playing in the Warhammer sandbox, then my occasional series Beyond the Black Library is for you! This week I reviewed the new, original fantasy novel from John Sollitto (Rok Crackers, The Redoubt).

• Not Warhammer related, but robosquidd wrote a love letter to Netrunner, one of my favorite TCG’s of all time. Well worth a read!

Warhammer Community

• The mothership did a useful piece on what’s inside the new, 11th Edition Codexes, starting with the Orks. For me, the lower price point (thanks to the softcover printing) and expanded lore content makes these day-one buys for the first time since… ever?

• The Pages from the Black Books series seems to be flying under the radar for many, and it shouldn’t. It’s terrific content that’s long been difficult to get, and now we’re getting chunks for free each week. This time around it’s the Warp Cults during the Age of Darkness, make sure to check it out!

WarhammerTV (paywalled)

• The Black Library Book Club returns this week, with a discussion on Chris Wraight’s Ashes of the Imperium. Hopefully a new Scouring announcement soon…?

Around the Webway

• The Fluffenhammer gang has been reviewing the old Warhammer Monthly comics one issue at a time, and this week they looked at #31 in the episode “Gordon Rennie MVP.”

• Cinderfall Gaming, meanwhile, has been working through the catalogue of Warhammer Adventures, the book series aimed at younger readers (but surprisingly readable for us grown-ups). This week he reviewed Tom Huddleston’s Battle for the Soulspring.

• At Boundary’s Edge reviewed Chem Dogs, by Callum Davis, awarding it four out of five stars!

• Meanwhile here on Substack, Thomas Rawlins of Exploring Warhammer wrote a terrific piece examining the parallels between Dark Future and Rogue Trader. For you Warhammer history nerds like me, this was a real treat!

Cold Open Stories

• This week’s featured story is Home Sickness, by friend of the Wordforge, Joyce Chng. “Lethia has a new pet. It is an odd thing, not like a normal pet. But its hers, and in the hive, where life is harsh and grinding, happiness has to be taken where it is found. But when danger comes to the hive, even that small slice of normality is threatened”

Quick Hits

• The latest novel from Amanda' Bridgeman (Paragon of Faith, Reconsecration) arrived this week. A near-future sci-fi thriller of a tale, The Survivalist is the third installment in her Salvation series!

• James Swallow (Nemesis, Fear to Tread) may be a Black Library Readers’ Hall of Famer, but did you know he’s also done some video game work? He was part of the writing team for the Deus Ex franchise, and in a blog post written this week he looks back at that experience.

• Paul Kane (Triggers) has a new anthology he’s co-edited with Marie O’Regan, Land of Oz, that’s now up for preorder. With two of the contributors being Black Library writers, Adrian Tchaikovsky (Day of Ascension, Starseer’s Ruin) and Stark Holborn (Nightfall on Stygies), you can find it here on Amazon9.

• Speaking of Tchaikovsky, he’s got a new book coming up called The Eighth Face. It’s just had a cover reveal, and he describes it as having “creepy clone monks living in a crashed-spaceship monastery, horrible things from the sea, a past revealed in things cast up by the tide...”

• Coming from Ignition Press this November is a “hallucinogenic and brutal retelling of the oldest Arthurian tale of all,” Rampant Swine. Written by Si Spurrier (Lord of the Night, Fire Warrior), and you can find a preview of it here.

• Finally, congratulations to Gareth Hanrahan (Castle of the Exile, Grit in the Wheels), whose latest project, the cozy fantasy mystery RPG the Merryshire Detective Club, finished its crowdfunding run at double the target goal!

Coming Attractions

Here’s a list of the known 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.

This section will be updated weekly in this column, and anything in bold has been added (or updated) this week.

Upcoming but Undated

• Blackheart: Claws of the Maelstrom, by Marc Collins

• Voice of Command, by Richard Swan

• Helbrecht: Sin of Hope, by Mike Vincent

Current PODs in Production

• Hive, by Dan Abnett (Special Edition)

Upcoming in 2026

• Galaxy In Flames, by Ben Counter (Premium Edition, hardcover, 8/29)

• False Gods, by Graham McNeill (paperback, 8/29)

• Blood of the Godeater, by Noah Van Nguyen (hardcover, 8/29)

• Witch Hunters: The Omnibus, by Nick Horth and Richard Strachan (paperback, 8/29)

• Deathwatch, by Steve Parker (Special Edition, 9/5)

• Ghazghkull Thraka: Prophet of the Waaagh! (Illustrated and Annotated Edition), by Nate Crowley (9/5)

• Bjorn, the Fell-handed, by Justin D. Hill (hardcover, 9/5)

• Demolisher, by Andy Clark (paperback, 9/5)

• Raldoron: Revenant, by Guy Haley (hardcover, Special Edition, 9/12)

• Words of Waaagh!, by DK Books (hardcover, 10/6)

• The Sundering, by Gav Thorpe (paperback, 10/6)

• Dropsite Massacre, by John French (paperback, 10/20)

• Apostle, by David Annandale (paperback, 10/20)

• Master of Rites, by Rob Young (paperback, 10/20)

• Death Rider, by Rhuairidh James (paperback, 11/19)

• Ghost Legion, by Mike Brooks (paperback, 11/19)

• Chem Dog, by Callum Davis (paperback, 12/17)

• Ghazghkull Thraka: Warlord of Warlords, by Denny Flowers (paperback, 12/17)

• Ashes of the Imperium, by Chris Wraight (paperback, 12/17)

Thanks again for joining me for all the going’s on in the Black Library, and see you next week!

“No problem,” I’d thought, “there will be plenty of time to get in some writing early Monday and get it out the door.” Ha! I refer the reader to the title of this week’s piece, a Yiddish idiom that means “man plans, and God laughs.”

Being able to write productively here at the hospital means finding the right combination of flat surfaces and electrical outlets, the pairing of which is surprisingly uncommon and often hotly contested. Shortly after her early morning blood draw, I found one and managed to get set up and working. Bingo, here we go! Alas, not half an hour later we were called back down for another round of blood draws due to a clotting issue with the first round.

Once things settled back down, I was eventually able to secure another workspace. Ten minutes later… fire alarm.

It’s been that kind of day.

Of course, the show must go on and eventually I’ll have typed the last word of this week’s column, given it the ol’ once-over1, and sent it out into the world. Ahh, the carefree life of the writer!

In reality, though, life’s a messy thing. We get to read our books when they’re published, but all writers have endured life’s many trials while pushing forward to get their words into being. Dan Abnett had a serious health scare when writing Prospero Burns (discussed here), for instance. And I can think of more than one Black Library author who struggled with grief over the loss of a parent or loved one in the course of writing a book.

Life, the good and the bad, happens at its own pace and on its own timetable. Not ours.

So here’s to all the writers, who find and make the time to commit the fruits of their passions and imaginings to the page. And to all the readers, who might forgive yer man in Houston a small delay on a Monday.

Now, let’s talk some books!

Scalpers Gonna Scalp

It was nice for awhile, not talking about scalpers, wasn’t it? Of course, opportunity never sleeps as they say, and where there’s a chance to make a quick buck off the skin of others any respite will prove very short-lived indeed.

Predictably enough, last Saturday’s offering of Ben Counter’s Galaxy in Flames was chum in the water for the opportunist segment. There were also some reports of critical website ordering issues. While many had little problem securing their copy (myself included), for others it was a decidedly less enjoyable experience.

Interestingly, some regions experienced a second window of opportunity as stock returned several hours later. Sharp-eyed readers discovered Galaxy in Flames was back in and let the community know, proving once again the value of participating in places like the Nutters on Facebook and the Black Library Subreddit.

I’m glad to report that this enabled our friend Max Brown here to get his copy, ensuring that- at least for today- his question would go unanswered.

Remember, folks, only in death does duty end. If Big E can sit on the Golden Commode for millennia without uttering a single word of complaint, surely we too can persevere…right?

In the meantime, though, we can continue to hope for a fix.

Writers are Fans, Too!

Adrian Tchaikovsky (On the Shoulders of Giants, Starseer’s Ruin)

Adrian unveiled a batch of “springy chaos cultists,” a terrifically-painted box of Kill Team Goremongers. That yellow really pops!

Justin D. Hill (Hell’s Last, The Bookkeeper’s Skull)

Justin showed off his work in progress on a Luna Wolves army. With the release of his Bjorn, the Fell-Handed right around the corner all we can say is, wrong wolves, Justin!

That emblem absolutely pops, though…

Danie Ware (Aestred Thurga: Pyre of Faith, The Triumph of Saint Katherine)

Finally, here’s a look at one of Danie Ware’s paperback bookshelves. “Top one is Warhammer,” she notes, “middle one is a full row of Fighting Fantasy green spines, bottom one is a lot of very, very old Forgotten Realms books.” Everything you need for a year’s worth of rainy days.

Love to see author shelfies, Danie, and thanks to all for sharing!

Arrivals & Departures

In this section I look at what’s coming up around the corner (Arrivals) and what’s landing on bookstore shelves (Departures).

Arrivals

Another week, another new Black Library teaser. Fresh on the heels of Krakenblood, Marc Collins is back with Blackheart: Claws of the Maelstrom. This latest tale sees Huron having to navigate the treacherous web of diplomacy as the shadow of the Great Devourer falls over his domain. No release date yet, though it would have been a synergistic home run if it had been ready this past February. Still, we’ll take it!

We’ve also got a number of things to look forward to coming up for preorder this week.

Deathwatch, by Steve Parker (Special Edition)

The Sunday Preview was unusually light on details for this one this week, but we can assume deluxe cover treatment and ribbon bookmark at the very least. It’s been a good Summer for author Steve Parker, with his Rynn’s World recently being reissued in a Special Edition format as well.

It’s here! We’ve known this one was coming since last March, but the next installment of the Illustrated and Annotated Edition series is here with Nate Crowley’s Prophet of the Waaagh!. Here’s my look at the last two in this series, For the Emperor by Sandy Mitchell and Robert Rath’s The Infinite and the Divine.

Just two short weeks since the Limited Edition was offered, the standard hardcover is coming up for order. Justin D. Hill’s story features the oldest living Space Marine in existence standing vigil on Fenris and taking on all comers.

Finally, Andy Clark’s Demolisher arrives in paperback! The tank crew is assigned to escort duty for a Commissar on a Chaos-infested world in this sequel to 2021’s Steel Tread.

Departures

This week saw Robert Rath’s Necron duology The Wicked and the Warped arrive, as well as the hardcover reissue of The Infinite and the Divine.

Fans of Age of Sigmar weren’t left out either, with Warhammer Age of Sigmar: The Ultimate Guide from DK Books landing in stores this week as well.

Swan Song

Last June in my review of the anthology World Ablaze, I noted that author Richard Swan (Tears of Raphaela, Blood Harvest) had shared in a Reddit AMA that he had a Black Library novel in the pipeline, with an expected released of this Summer. \

It looks like that day is fast approaching! r/BlackLibrary subredditor u/Hasvik212- the Roboute Guilliman of Black Library publishing data- uncovered what appears to be information on that very novel. Titled Voice of Command, the back-cover blurb reads:

Fandoms can be incredibly persistent at ferreting out info that hasn’t quite been made public yet, since publishers have to prime the media ecosystem in advance for any such releases. That’s why we can sometimes find placeholder listings for unannounced books on Amazon, for instance.

Hasvik212 notes, of course, that this is all unconfirmed, so… big if true?

ICYMI

Here’s what’s been going on this week for Warhammer content!

Warhammer Wordforge

• I took a bit of a detour this week with Black Library Bibliophiles, giving a look at the JOYTOY line of Astartes helmets as ways to spruce up a library or collection. Don’t worry, there was plenty of books to talk about too!

• In Warhammer RPG Weekly, I took advantage of a slow news week to talk a bit about the Wordforge’s plans for regular RPG content.

• And finally, speaking of RPG content, I debuted a new regular feature, RPG Conversions! This series will adapt Warhammer lore and stories to the tabletop, and I kicked it off with a couple of Warcry warbands for Cubicle 7’s Soulbound.

Tabletop Battles

• Meanwhile at Tabletop Battles, I reviewed the new Illustrated and Annotated Edition of For the Emperor, by Sandy Mitchell. Another win for an amazing series!

• For you Battletech fans, lynnding-library also reviewed Bryan Young’s These Violent Ends!

Warhammer Community

• Butcher’s Nails, the next Warhammer+ animated series, has seen a slight delay. Rather than this month, it will be releasing in October. Worth the wait? Let’s hope so!

• In the ongoing Pages from the Black Books series, this week saw a look at Horus Lupercal’s early campaigns in the planning stages!

• And of course, there was the aforementioned teaser for the upcoming Huron Blackheart book by Marc Collins here!

WarhammerTV (paywalled)

• Marc Collins (Eidolon: The Auric Hammer, Helbrecht: Knight of the Throne) is appearing on Scribes & Scriveners this week, the Black Library author interview series as we start preparing for the upcoming Blackheart: Claws of the Maelstrom.

Around the Webway

• New YouTube channel Concilium Historica Imperialis did a deep dive video review on Dead Men Walking, by Steve Lyons.

• Into Orks? Mars Garrett of Bell of Lost Souls published a guide to a number of Ork books and Ork-themed merchandise this week. Treat yourself!

• Jordan Sorcery sat down for an interview with Nicola Griffith (Vespertine, The Voyage South). Nicola’s wrote some of Warhammer Fantasy’s earliest fiction, and this is a real treat!

• Cinderfall Gaming has been rocking the Warhammer Adventures series recently, and they’re back this week with a look at Tom Huddleston’s Fortress of Ghosts. These were the Black Library’s short-lived experiment to aim fiction at a younger audience, and make for interesting reading now.

• The TTP Field Manual Book Club tackled The First Heretic, Aaron Dembski-Bowden’s Black Library Readers’ Hall of Fame novel of the Word Bearers. As an added bonus, they’re reviewing the audiobook version, narrated by Gareth Armstrong (my thoughts here).

• Jen and Keri of the WH40K Book Club reviewed William Crowe’s Veterans of the Fall. “The perfect palate cleanser,” they noted. “It’s exactly what we needed and wanted.”

• In the odd chance BL Readers’ Hall of Famer Josh Reynolds (Lukas the Trickster, Nagash: The Undying King) was having a down week, here’s a terrific appreciation thread that popped up this week on Reddit.

Cold Open Stories

• This week’s featured story is Home Sickness, by Alex Gentem. “After six long years of war, the Guard is finally called home. The initial emotions are myriad, and mixed – relief, astonishment, disbelief that it has happened at last. But once those settle, other things come in their wake. What has changed in their absence? Are the people they left still the same? Are they?”

Quick Hits

• Black Library Readers’ Hall of Famers Dan Abnett (Hive, Interceptor City) and James Swallow (The Flight of the Eisenstein, Nemesis) will be appearing at Monster Mania 2026, which is taking place in Kent on 30 August. Attendees are encouraged to bring memorabilia for them to sign, and Swallow has more details on his site here. He’ll also be appearing in Bexley for An Afternoon With James Swallow this coming Saturday (8/22), so make sure to check it out!

• Gareth Hanrahan (Grit in the Wheels, Rites of Binding) held an AMA on Reddit last week as he promotes his latest novel, The Dungeon Book. It’s “Kipling’s The Jungle Book meets Dungeons & Dragons,” as he describes it2, and he’ll also be doing a book signing at the Cork Waterstones this Saturday!

• Not enough Black Library author appearances, you say? Fine, fine, howabout Gav Thorpe (Kill Team, Luther: First of the Fallen) and Victoria Hayward (Deathworlder, Blood Sands)! On 24 October they’ll be appearing at three different locations- alas none in Kentucky, it seems. Sheesh, don’t any of these writers like a good bourbon?

• Maria Haskins (The Jagged Edge) has a new story appearing in Translunar Travelers Lounge magazine. Entitled The Fall of the Automatous Abbey, she describes it as a story about “a cleaning bot, a war, and finding something new at the end of all things.”

• It’s always great to see it when my favorite Black Library writers work with other, unrelated properties that I love, almost like chocolate and peanut butter. Andi Ewington (Da Red Gobbo’s Last Stand, Fire and Fungi) has an ongoing Rogue Trooper story playing out in the pages of Judge Dredd Megazine #495, with the latest installment dropping in two days!

• Speaking of chocolate meeting peanut butter, this isn’t directly Black Library related but just too good not to share. Last year Bryan Young won a Goonhammer Book Award for the BattleTech novel Outfoxed, an award he co-shared with Russell Zimmerman (Seven Ships, Resounding) for Violent Inception. This week he posted an interview with James Luceno, one of the two authors who wrote Robotech novels back in the 90’s under the name Jack KcKinney. I’m not sure how big the Venn overlap is between Warhammer, BattleTech, and Robotech, but I’ll be happy to save you a seat in here.

Combat Cards Code

Last week I had a Tacticus code up for grabs, and this week there’s one for any of you Warhammer Combat Cards players for the game’s seventh anniversary. As part of my Warhammer+ subscription I get the occasional code for bonus goodies and like to pass them along to a lucky reader.

The latest code is: reilvfww

Using that will grant you a nice little tranche of bonus summons and resources, including Supreme Commander Belisarius Cawl! As always, I simply ask that the first person to redeem it leave a comment below so that everyone after knows it’s been used.

Enjoy!

Coming Attractions

Here’s a list of the known 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.

This section will be updated weekly in this column, and anything in bold has been added (or updated) this week.

Upcoming but Undated

• Blackheart: Claws of the Maelstrom by Marc Collins

• Voice of Command, by Richard Swan

Current PODs in Production

• Hive, by Dan Abnett (Special Edition)

Upcoming in 2026

• Bjorn, the Fell-handed, by Justin D. Hill (Limited Edition, 8/22)

• Galaxy In Flames, by Ben Counter (Premium Edition, hardcover, 8/29)

• False Gods, by Graham McNeill (paperback, 8/29)

• Blood of the Godeater, by Noah Van Nguyen (hardcover, 8/29)

• Witch Hunters: The Omnibus, by Nick Horth and Richard Strachan (paperback, 8/29)

• Deathwatch, by Steve Parker (Special Edition, 9/5)

• Ghazghkull Thraka: Prophet of the Waaagh! (Illustrated and Annotated Edition), by Nate Crowley (9/5)

• Bjorn, the Fell-handed, by Justin D. Hill (hardcover, 9/5)

• Demolisher, by Andy Clark (paperback, 9/5)

• Raldoron: Revenant, by Guy Haley (hardcover, Special Edition, 9/24)

• Words of Waaagh!, by DK Books (hardcover, 10/6)

• The Sundering, by Gav Thorpe (paperback, 10/6)

• Dropsite Massacre, by John French (paperback, 10/20)

• Apostle, by David Annandale (paperback, 10/20)

• Master of Rites, by Rob Young (paperback, 10/20)

• Death Rider, by Rhuairidh James (paperback, 11/19)

• Ghost Legion, by Mike Brooks (paperback, 11/19)

• Chem Dog, by Callum Davis (paperback, 12/17)

• Ghazghkull Thraka: Warlord of Warlords, by Denny Flowers (paperback, 12/17)

• Ashes of the Imperium, by Chris Wraight (paperback, 12/17)

Thanks again for joining me for all the going’s on in the Black Library, and see you next week!

Alright folks, I hope you’re sitting down and buckled in, because today we’re goin’ for a ride! The Black Library Readers Satisfaction Survey has concluded, and it’s time to share the results. There is a lot of ground to cover today, plus we’ll also still have all of the usual content that you enjoy each week as well. As the comics would call it, an action-packed double-sized issue!

A Quick Recap

Last month we kicked off an initiative designed to get some real, usable data to illustrate how the Black Library reader and collector community are feeling about the hobby. When it comes to surveys leading is misleading, so we made the questions as neutral as I could and set them on a five-point sentiment scale.

This is intended to be an ongoing initiative, not a one-time thing. We’re planning to run it back every six months, so we can look at how opinions may change over time.

We received 315 responses, slightly higher than my target of 300. In polling 384 is considered the “magic number” because it gives you a 95% confidence level with a ±5% margin of error. Mathematically, having n=315 means we have a ±5.5% margin of error. Not bad at all!

If you’re one of the 315 who shared their opinion in the Survey, a huge and heartfelt thank you. If there’s one thing that genuinely amazed me, it was that 169 of you took the time to share your thoughts in the optional, open-ended final question. You know, the “anything else you’d like to share” part of survey, the one that everyone skips. I had zero expectations of getting much content there and you truly delivered. Bravissimo.

Three Key Takeaways

Rather than walk through the results first, I’m going to start with the biggest takeaways from the survey. The full results are definitely interesting and we’ll get to everything, but if you take nothing else from the Survey these are the biggest flags.

1. Preordering is a Concern

When 85% of your most-engaged consumers tell you there’s a problem, there probably is one. One need only spend a Saturday in one of the usual community gathering places to see how frustrating it is for us to try and order the books we want. Instant sellouts, canceled orders, website wonkiness… when the supply of product seems designed to wring every last bit of FOMO out of the customers, all it takes is one tiny bump in the road to derail the whole effort.

It’s important to note that Games Workshop does seem to be making a genuine effort to combat scalping, particularly in the wake of the Era of Ruin debacle last year. But clearly, the community feels that much more needs to be done.

2. Quality is Not Job One

When it comes to collectibles, quality is everything. The feeling of opening up a Limited Edition only to find the medallion has been misglued to the cover (or come off entirely) is deeply frustrating when we’re spending a great deal on these beautiful deluxe editions. The Black Library puts a lot of thought and effort into designing them, but something is getting lost along the way from the factory to the warehouse.

That ‘warehouse’ is an important part of this chain, too, as instances of perfectly good items arriving damaged by careless packing abound1. While many deluxe edition offerings do have an added layer of protection, it’s not always enough.

It’s worth noting that this problem is often exacerbated by Games Workshop’s low-redundancy production runs. It’s not realistic to expect GW to have a zero-defect process (nor- given what that would do to their production costs- would that be something we’d actually want). However, when you don’t have available product on hand to offer consumers as replacements and instead rely on simply refunding them their money, that’s not optimal2.

3. The App Is Not Fully Baked (Yet)

This one’s a bit of a mixed bag. Having a 40% engagement rate for the new digital app only months after launch doesn’t… seem bad? On the other hand, two-thirds of the app’s users register dissatisfaction compared to only 13% that are satisfied, numbers I’m sure GW would prefer to see flipped around.

Personally I started off being very app-skeptical since I don’t love the digital reading experience3, but once I was down in Houston for several days and had forgotten to bring one of the books I was reviewing. Rather than miss my deadline, I re-bought the book on the app and it wasn’t as bad as I’d assumed. Plus, I applaud GW for greatly expanding the range of titles that go on sale each month.

The Survey Responses

Next, let’s jump in to the results for each question in the Survey.

Were I in the prediction business (which I’m thankfully not) I’d have guessed that the red and yellow slices would have been swapped, with most respondents in the Mature category. That’s not a bad place to be, but I’m delighted to see so many people are actively building their libraries!

I probably should have broken this out by one more category. Say, $250-500, and then $500+. Suffice it to say, as noted above we have a lot of active collectors!

Almost 45% of the readers don’t bother with deluxe editions, but over a quarter of readers are heavily into them.

Almost half are dissatisfied with the preordering experience. This comes as no surprise given what we’d seen in the takeaways earlier. It’s a significant pain point for the community.

Only a third of respondents are actively unhappy with GW’s anti-scalping countermeasures.

Here’s where we see that unhappiness with the Black Library app, along with the significant chunk of folks who haven’t (or won’t) cross the digital divide.

This one’s net negative. While it’s true that the monthly sales have definitely improved with the app versus the old Black Library website, one only need look at the insane discounting during Audible’s occasional sales to see where some of the disconnect is here. 66% off an audiobook is great, but it’s not as great as the 80% Audible offers.

Relatively little dissatisfaction here. People are generally pleased with the deluxe editions.

A big win for the Black Library on this score. I would definitely encourage the 40% who don’t buy audiobooks to give them a chance. I’ve gone from extremely skeptical to an absolute evangelist in the last twelve months, and you haven’t lived until you’ve experienced Perring’s Cain or Keeble’s Gotrek.

Another positive here, though not quite as glowing. Most folks seem to think GW is doing a fine job with its communications.

This is a good example of why it’s important to look beyond just the surface of the data. If you just looked at this data point in isolation, you’d almost completely miss the severity of the issue. This question treats all respondents the same, regardless of how many deluxe editions they’ve bought. If you only buy a couple books a year, your exposure to the level of quality is much more limited than someone who is buying every single release.

When we look at the responses of those who are highly engaged in buying the deluxe issues (as we did above), then we get a very different picture. It was Mark Twain4 who noted that there are three kinds of falsehoods: lies, damned lies, and statistics. The above is a good example on how data can sometimes mislead- even when it doesn’t intend to.

This is pretty good, too. Nobody wants to experience a problem, but it’s nice to know that there’s a solution to be found when one does.

Interesting spread here. Lots of folks dissatisfied with the non-Astartes representation- but also plenty of folks who think it’s in a good place.

Less than a quarter of respondents were satisfied with this year’s Celebration. We still have some unanswered questions about this one, like… what happened to the Solomon Akurra miniature? And where did those mysterious Alpha Legion medallions come from?

I goofed here, leaving out the “Strongly Agree” category. I think it’s safe to assume anyone that felt strongly about it was happy to vote Agree, though, so the results should still be valid. I’d have liked to have split this between 30K/40K and Age of Sigmar, but also wanted to avoid making the perfect the enemy of the good in terms of number of questions.

Your Freeform Answers

Finally, the last question invited respondents to get whatever they wanted to off their chest. As noted above, the number of responses here were way beyond even my wildest imaginings.

Google Forms broken them into the following classifications5:

Here’s a selection from each.

Availability and Reprints

“I would like to be able to subscribe and lodge a credit card for limited edition issues to ensure purchase, plus BL will have an idea of future commitments.”

“As a new collector, it is disappointing to see books sell out so quickly. A pre-order doesn’t quite feel like a pre-order as they can sell out so fast. A pre-order should gauge interest for a title so you know how many to order. I’d like to at least have the opportunity to get a cool looking book if I want. But instead It feels like you have to become a part of a club understanding all the ins and outs and weird quirks to have a hope of getting something you want6.”

“Having only been involved for 9 months, the opportunity to purchase special editions has been frustrating. Missing out on Rynn’s World almost turned me off to this in general. Not sure the stress is worth the perceived value of these books.”

“My experience with the Gaunt PODs was excellent. There exists an amazing amount of BL books wildly inaccessible due to the many reasons we all know of. Why is there not a regular (quarterly) POD strategy? I imagine an announcement whereby BL, on an annual basis, arranges for the choice of 10 books per quarter POD, outlining the next 4 quarters in advance so that the wonderful fandom can plan how they want to stay broke?!!!”

“I really want reprints of a lot of older books. I want to suggest a pre-order to print model. Like enough people have to pre-order and pay up front and then when you hit a profitable threshold you print the book for those customers. I would happily give you money to sign up for printings. Even if they took a long time I would happily wait. Its such a shame. I would buy probably $1000 worth of books if the entire catalog was in print.”

Content Diversity and Communication

“I wish Black Library would experiment with more unique offerings, in both format and story. Bring back Horror and Crime, print books like Xenology and Liber Chaotica. I worry that outside of a few standouts, Black Library is becoming too focused on tie in novels to miniature releases. Those are expected, but feel like the focus and it’s taking the life out of the setting a bit. Comms could also use some work, please tell us when we are seeing Pandaemonium!”

“More communication needed especially when things go wrong (like with Hive). Better packing for non-premium editions would be appreciated.”

“The lack of AoS content has been a real downer mostly. For 40k the lack of xenos books is appalling, being in the hobby for years and years I’ve simply grown accustomed to not receiving a consistent stream of content, but I’d prefer an equal treatment to the rest of the factions in the setting.”

“I feel as if the art in general has taken a steep decline, with a few exceptions, most of the art the past year or so has been horrible and uninspiring. Additionally I feel as if more attention needs to be given to other factions than the Imperium. It’s absurd the difference between xenos and Imperium books. I’d love a long spanning series that features exclusively the xenos armies fighting one another, even more chaos xenos would be welcomed.”

“More AoS! More Old World!”

Digital Experience

“Let me use it offline! Biggest and only real complaint. I don’t always have service, let me read offline”

“Please tell me the app isn’t considered finished. It needs a LOT of work to have rough feature parity with my old e-reader, that I can’t use anymore, because you don’t sell files anymore. It doesn’t even hold my page correctly. C’mon, give me search function and chapter breaks at least. Bare minimum stuff we figured out during the 2000s.”

“The Black Library App is honestly the worst book reader I have ever used. It is totally unusable. It does not remember your page half the time, no night mode, gestures to manipulate the book work inconsistently, limited gestures, no bookmarks for quick reference. I will not be purchasing anymore digital books until the app is fixed. Just terrible.”

Other

“It would be good if there was some kind of Black Library membership where you can be guaranteed special editions, but allowed you to opt out of ones you’re not interested in. Similar to Humble Bundle etc.”

“The casting of Shogo Miyakita as the narrator for Scars was an excellent choice and I sincerely hope to see his return in future Black Library productions, as I found his performance to be excellent.”

Product Quality and Production

“Recently quality control seems to have taken a hit. Mis-aligned emblems or emblems falling off the books or wonky gilding. Looking back over the Dawn of Fire special editions I own, they are all perfectly embossed and emblems set perfect too. There is just the one book they forgot to make the spine gilding match the others.....”

“The quality of the writing has increased over the past 2 decades.”

“I genuinely think that the special, limited, and mega editions are some of the best out in the literature world.”

“Please please please improve your quality control, I’ve had 4 orders from your company come in with he exact same damage over the span of 3 years. Whoever you’re printing company is or whoever is running the box cutter along the spines of books needs to be dealt with. I’ve had so many different hard covers that always have the exact same slash mark from a knife and as I not only read but collect books from black library it’s nothing short of infuriating seeing the exact same damage time and time again7.”

Scalping and Website Performance

“I think the biggest issue right now are the scalpers and the fact that the books disappear 5 minutes after going on sale, but I don’t think that removing signatures or numbers is the way to go. I think its better to increase the number of books being printed to 3000-4000. Some books, like recent Mephiston had a very predictable, high demand - those should be like 4000-5000. I think the biggest W so far are the Illustrated Editions though - absolutely amazing”

“The order chaos at the site every Saturday something special is released makes me back away from ordering there and ordering any special releases. “

“Overall I am very satisfied with the black library books I’ve purchased the overall quality of the writing has yet to disappoint me. However my main problems are other factors, as someone who primarily purchases non standard editions I do feel like the prices have risen to much to fast and have added little extra”

“Make all special editions Made to Order. The GW website is clearly incapable of meeting the moment when it comes to keeping LE books out of the hands of scalpers. Thus, the only recourse is to offer the option that makes sure everyone who truly wants one, gets one.”

And Finally…

“This newsletter is amazing. I enjoy the in-depth coverage and the incredible detail!”

Aww, shucks. Thank you, friend!

Well, that’s it for the opening Satisfaction Survey! We’ll be running it back in six months, and see if there’s been any changes in the second half of the year.

Burning Books

There’s no shortage of distressing news out of the Cadia of Europe, but this one hits particularly close to home. On 01 August, the Rhanok Corporation’s logistics warehouse in Kharkiv, Ukraine was hit in another Russian attack. Reportedly, eight million books were destroyed, including 300,000 books and comics from Varvar Publishing.

Varvar is the new official translator and publisher of Black Library books under license from Games Workshop. Nearly the entire print runs of their first two releases, Dan Abnett’s Magos and The Infinite and the Divine by Robert Rath, were lost in the attack.

While a catastrophic loss, Varvar intends to keep going. Already preorders are open for the next two books they’ll be releasing, Krieg by Steve Lyons and James Swallow’s The Flight of the Eisenstein. Life’s hard enough already in that besieged country without having to lose their Warhammer, but the Emperor Protects, Varvar!

Speaking of Scalping…

Over in the Black Library Nutters Facebook Group, there was a push this week to try and understand the extent that scalping is negatively impacting book availability for us readers and collectors.

Friend of the Wordforge Vyas Sundarrajan pulled a bit of data together to show some of the impact the recent Mephiston: The Box Set had on the secondary market (specifically eBay). While the dollar amounts are certainly eye-watering, the volume on the right doesn’t suggest the problem is particularly widespread. Of course, that only takes into account the number of units sold, not the total number available in the marketplace.

Sundarrajan wasn’t the only one. Andrew Howden shared some data he’d scraped for The Wicked and the Warped’s Special Edition.

It seems reasonable to conclude that scalpers in the community fall somewhere in between “existential threat” and “bogeyman under the bed” on the threat scale- these are, after all, luxury good we’re talking about8- but it’s a particularly emotive issue given the intersection of a passionate fanbase, a limited supply of goods, and the influence of money. Big thanks to Howden and Sundarrajan for making a go at trying to quantify the scope of the issue!

What the Neighbors are Doing

Games Workshop is hardly the only company trying to find the sweet spot between “Maximum fan enjoyment” and “maximum revenue generation” when it comes to limited-edition products. It can be helpful to keep an eye on what others are doing to get a sense of what works and what doesn’t.

This week Wizards of the Coast, the HASBRO subsidiary behind Magic: the Gathering, rolled out a new scheme for its Secret Lair product line. For those not walking the planes, Secret Lair is a direct-to-consumer line of reprinted cards and preconstructed decks that are available in very limited quantities and only for a particular ordering window. In other words, just like the Black Library’s deluxe editions (but with an arguably worse ordering experience).

With the upcoming Secret Lair Commander Deck: Hatsune Miku release, WotC is taking an intriguing approach.

• A certain number of Hatsune Miku Edition decks are going to be produced.

• There will be a 24-hour window where folks will be allowed to preorder the deck.

• Orders will be fulfilled from the existing stock. Once that stock is depleted, all remaining orders will be fulfilled on a Print On Demand basis for 2027 delivery.

It’s a hybrid approach, one which gets the product out there in the marketplace quickly for many, but doesn’t leave anyone on the outside of the window looking in ruefully as long as they get their order in during the open window.

It’s interesting to consider what this might look like for the Black Library. There’s certainly going to be a feel-bad for anyone who has to wait for their book to arrive, though I imagine on balance it’s going to be less than the feel-bad for those who miss out on the book altogether9.

Next, let’s take a look at Games Workshop licensee Wicked Brick. I profiled them last month for the Black Library Bibliophiles series, and they have an interesting way of getting concept buy-in from the community: the Display Forge.

Here’s how it works:

Fans get to vote on what kind of products they’d like to see Wicked Brick bring to market. Examples here include displays for vinyl records, Funko Pops, sneakers, what have you. Their progress is tracked on the website, and once an idea gets enough votes it moves to Development.

Development is effectively a preorder. Once sufficient preorders are locked in, it can then move into production. It’s not hard to see how this could play out for the Black Library. Imagine if we could vote on what reprints and deluxe editions we might like to see- and then have the opportunity to put our money where our mouth is up front to help make sure it happens.

Here’s a quick MS Paint job adapting the Display Forge interface10:

Something like this seems to have a lot of upside, because GW doesn’t have to print a single word until they’ve got cash in hand. It’s highly scalper-resistant11, since everyone has a chance to preorder. And there’s a lot of community engagement, since we’re the ones getting to vote on what we’d like to see.

Plus, while author autographs might be a bit challenging after a certain quantity, you certainly could retain book numbering with this method.

What do you think, James Workshop? Worth a spin?

August’s Book Giveaway Winner

Thanks to everyone who entered the Wordforge August Giveaway! You all shared some terrific thoughts about your chase-n’-grail books, as well as some ideas of deluxe editions you’d love to see. I’m not saying I would crawl across glass for a Skavenslayer/Grey Seer-themed Mega Limited Edition, but, uhh… I’m not saying I wouldn’t say it, either.

Of course, there can be only one winner, and throwing everyone into the magic randomizer finds that subscriber “Ravennor” is our lucky prizewinner this month! Rav will get their pick from either the 40K Bundle (Longshot, Xenos), the Age of Sigmar Bundle (Godeater’s Son12, Hallowed Ground), or the Beyond the Black Library Bundle (White Feathers, Crimson Leaves and Thunder’s Edge). As an added bonus, all three come with a copy of the 2018 Black Library Celebration mini-anthology, thanks to friend of Wordforge Periklis Begzos.

Congratulations!

Arrivals & Departures

In this section I look at what’s coming up around the corner (Arrivals) and what’s landing on bookstore shelves (Departures).

Arrivals

The third book in the Horus Heresy Saga arrives this week in a Premium Edition format as Ben Counter’s Galaxy in Flames goes up for preorder. If you’re relatively new to collecting the deluxe editions, I would strongly encourage you to check out my article on it here, as forewarned is forearmed!

Alternately, it will also be available in standard edition hardback with new cover art. The previous Saga book, Graham McNeill’s False Gods, will also be arriving in paperback form. Good time to be getting into the Heresy!

Just last week I was pointing out the lack of Age of Sigmar releases this year, and wouldn’t you know it not two days later the mothership dropped a teaser for Noah Van Nguyen’s sequel to Godeater’s Son. Coincidence? Yeah, probably… but a new Age of Sigmar novel is wonderful news either way! Blood of the Godeater will be available both in standard hardcover as well as audiobook form.

Finally, an unexpected treat here with Witch Hunters: The Omnibus. Not sure all of what’s in here but given the authors it’s a safe bet that this will collect the adventures of Callis and Toll, the Freeguild soldier and witch hunter duo. In a happy little coincidence, just yesterday I finished the audiobook of Nick Horth’s The Silver Shard, the first Callis & Toll novel, and it’s just my cup of gritty fantasy.

Departures

Two new books should be available on store shelves this week. Guy Haley’s Archmagos and The Relentless Dead by Steve Lyons (review) have arrived in paperback!

ICYMI

Here’s what’s been going on this week for Warhammer content!

Warhammer Wordforge

• It was a Black Library Readers’ Hall of Fame weekend, which means a new installment of the companion series, The Hall Monitor. This time around we’re looking at GW’s decision to nuke the Old World from orbit… it was the only way to be sure.

• Speaking of the world that was, this week’s Wednesday feature was the latest Audio Impressions reviewing Kim Newman’s Drachenfels. One of the earliest novels for Warhammer Fantasy, it was full of surprises.

• Finally, for you role-playing gamers players Warhammer RPG Weekly celebrated Cubicle 7’s latest ENNIE!

Tabletop Battles

• First up, of course, was the Black Library Readers’ Hall of Fame piece. Six books were inducted from the Class of 2014- including a trio of Fantasy novels!

• I also reviewed the Illustrated and Annotated Edition of The Infinite and the Divine by Robert Rath for Lore Friday.

Warhammer Community

• In the ongoing Pages from the Black Books series, this week we visit the Forge World of Zhao-Arkhad, a world brought to compliance by the Thousand Sons.

WarhammerTV (paywalled)

• No Black Library content this week. That said, Deep Strike’s latest episode drops Tuesday and it’s focus is the production of the Adepta Sororitas animation Penitence, so I’ll absolutely be checking that one out.

Around the Webway

• Arbitor Ian and Mira Manga were partying like it’s 1999 this week, with their Warhammer Book Club zeroing in on the first-ever book for Felix and Gotrek: William King’s Trollslayer.

• Jen and Keri of the WH40K Book Club podcast rounded out their review of Dan Abnett’s latest with this take on Hive Part Two.

• The Fluffenhammer pod continued its series this week reviewing the issues of Warhammer Monthly, one issue at a time. This week it’s #30, with a focus on Malus Darkblade!

• Curious about DK Books’ Age of Sigmar: The Ultimate Guide? Cinderfall Gaming did an unboxing video for it, and they didn’t stop there! We’ve also been treated to reviews of Jude Reid’s Armageddon: Season of Fire as well as Flight of the Kharadron by Tom Huddleston!

• That latter book, Flight of the Kharadron, is part of the Warhammer Adventures series, which was aimed at younger readers. Here on Substack, Christian Lindke did a terrific feature taking a look at the series.

• It Always Rains in Nuln delivered a review of The Lord of the End Times by Josh Reynolds. Man, Fantasy was just a vibe this week, wasn’t it?

• This was a treat: PC Gamer had a short reel this week featuring Toby Longworth talking about doing some voice work for the upcoming Dawn of War IV game. Longworth is one of the narrators for Warhammer audiobooks that has attracted considerable acclaim, so it’s great to see him lending his talents to the game as well!

Cold Open Stories

• This week’s featured story is The Bond, by Andy Clark. “At an illegal auction on a dusty, windswept planet, Rycas Velominus watches the sale of his latest prize. A rare carnosaur from the edge of the galaxy, no less. It cost him a lot to acquire it, and he needs a good price to make it worth his while. But illegal auctions in far off places have a habit of attracting strange people, and not everyone is who they appear to be.”

Quick Hits

• Gareth Hanrahan (Castle of the Exile, Rites of Binding) has a new novel out this week13, The Dungeon Book. “A young girl is left to die in a wizard's dungeon but finds a new home with the monsters around her in this humorous and heartfelt standalone epic fantasy.”

• Josh Reynolds (Neferata: Blood of Nagash, Road of Skulls) wrote a new short story for the Trench Crusade setting. Best of all, you can read it for free right here!

• Rob Hayes (Anarchy’s End, No Quarter) revealed the cover to his next novel in his Titan Hoppers series, Blight Wardens. No ETA yet, but keep an eye out!

• Not enough cover reveals? Say no more! Juliet McKenna (Fear Itself) showed off the cover to her upcoming novel The Green Man’s Debt. Look for this one on 10 September!

  ---

Tacticus Turns Four

Any Warhammer gamers out there playing Tacticus? As part of my Warhammer+ subscription I get the occasional code for bonus goodies and like to pass them along to a lucky reader.

The latest code is: 000RYLJ85VHHF

Using that will grant you a nice little tranche of bonus summons and resources, so have at it! As always, I simply ask that the first person to redeem it leave a comment below so that everyone after knows it’s been used.

Enjoy!

Coming Attractions

Here’s a list of the known 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.

This section will be updated weekly in this column, and anything in bold has been added (or updated) this week.

Upcoming but Undated

• Ghazghkull Thraka: Prophet of the Waaagh! (Illustrated and Annotated Edition), by Nate Crowley

• Deathwatch, by Steve Parker (Special Edition)

• Bjorn, the Fell-handed, by Justin D. Hill (hardcover)

Current PODs in Production

• Hive, by Dan Abnett (Special Edition)

Upcoming in 2026

• Warhammer Age of Sigmar: The Ultimate Guide (hardcover, 8/11)

• The Wicked and the Warped, by Robert Rath (hardcover, Special Edition, 8/15)

• The Infinite and the Divine, by Robert Rath (hardcover, 8/15)

• Bjorn, the Fell-handed, by Justin D. Hill (Limited Edition, 8/22)

• Galaxy In Flames, by Ben Counter (Premium Edition, hardcover, 8/29)

• False Gods, by Graham McNeill (paperback, 8/29)

• Blood of the Godeater, by Noah Van Nguyen (hardcover, 8/29)

• Witch Hunters: The Omnibus, by Nick Horth and Richard Strachan (paperback, 8/29)

• Raldoron: Revenant, by Guy Haley (hardcover, Special Edition, 9/24)

• Words of Waaagh!, by DK Books (hardcover, 10/6)

• The Sundering, by Gav Thorpe (paperback, 10/6)

• Dropsite Massacre, by John French (paperback, 10/20)

• Apostle, by David Annandale (paperback, 10/20)

• Master of Rites, by Rob Young (paperback, 10/20)

• Death Rider, by Rhuairidh James (paperback, 11/19)

• Ghost Legion, by Mike Brooks (paperback, 11/19)

• Chem Dog, by Callum Davis (paperback, 12/17)

• Ghazghkull Thraka: Warlord of Warlords, by Denny Flowers (paperback, 12/17)

• Ashes of the Imperium, by Chris Wraight (paperback, 12/17)

Thanks again for joining me for all the going’s on in the Black Library, and see you next week!

Well, if we thought we were going to get through July with all the hype we could handle, it turns out that there was just a little bit more waiting for us last week as another Black Library teaser article dropped on the mothership.

The next installment in the “Character Series” is right around the corner, as it was announced that Justin D. Hill (The Bookkeeper’s Skull, Hell’s Last) has been cooking up a bit of Dreadnought-y. Bjorn the Fell-handed sees the ancient Astartes awaken on Fenris when a ghost ship carrying the taint of the Death Guard arrives in-system.

One thing I appreciate about Hill is that he frequently posts short videos on his social media (X, BlueSky) discussing the writing craft and how things are going with whatever he happens to be working on at the moment. A professional, he never lets you know precisely what he’s in the middle of writing- but it’s fun when something is announced to consider if/where he might have been referring to it indirectly. Definitely worth a follow if you’re active on those platforms.

Bjorn the Fell-handed will release in Limited Edition first this coming Saturday. As with other titles in the Character Series, a hardback is expected to follow in about a month or so, then paperback some months later.

Speaking of deluxe editions, we’ve got another treat in store. No sooner had it been inducted into the Black Library Readers’ Hall of Fame than it’s announced that Steve Parker’s Deathwatch getting a new edition. While the mothership notes that the title had recently been reprinted as a 2025 Reader’s Choice selection, this edition is pure shelf candy!

No word (yet) on when this one will be available.

August’s Giveaway!

We’ve got a fun one for this month’s book giveaway, with the winner getting their choice of one of three different books!

Not only that, but thanks to friend of the Wordforge Periklis Begzos, they’ll also get a copy of the Black Library Celebration mini-anthology from 2018! Periklis was the winner of last month’s giveaway (Jude Reid’s Armageddon: Season of Fire).

To enter, you just need to be a Wordforge subscriber (it’s free!) and leave a comment on this post answering the following question:

I’ll pick a random entrant next week, and you’ll get your choice from one of three paperback Bundles!

The 40K Bundle

Xenos, by Dan Abnett. Sure you’ve probably read it, but there’s something just cool about having a copy in its first US printing, from twenty-five years ago, right?

Longshot, by Rob Young. With the sequel Ghosts of Cadia now in our hands, this is a good opportunity to get acquainted with Cadian sniper Darya Nevic as she duels her opposite number in the t’au military. Think of this one like Enemy at the Gates, 40K style.

The Age of Sigmar Bundle

Godeater’s Son, by Noah Van Nguyen. I love Chaos corruption stories, and this one’s superb. It’s also a terrific entry-level read for folks who may be new to the setting.

Hallowed Ground, by Richard Strachan. Witch hunter Doralia van Denst searches for her missing father in the wilds of Ghur- and finds much more than she bargained for.

The “Beyond the Black Library” Bundle

Want to try something different? Here are two non-Warhammer books by Black Library Readers’ Hall of Famers Sarah Cawkwell (Valkia the Bloody, The Gildar Rift) and Josh Reynolds (Road of Skulls, Neferata: Blood of Nagash).

Thunder’s Edge was a finalist for Best Original Fiction at the Scribe Awards this year, and is set in the sci-fi world of Twilight Imperium. I reviewed it here for the Beyond the Black Library occasional series on Tabletop Battles, which looks at non-Warhammer books written by our favorite Warhammer authors.

Then there’s White Feathers, Crimson Leaves. The latest from Reynolds, it’s a supernatural mystery set in Rokugan (the setting for Legend of the Five Rings). I reviewed this one as well, here.

Good luck to all!

Black Library App Sales for August

You know what else turning of the month means? A new slate of sales on the Black Library app! As a reminder, this is a new (and welcome) approach; previously there was only one eBook offered on sale each month. With the introduction of the new app, each month appears to be bringing with it a much larger number of eBook and audiobook releases at a discounted price (50% off the eBook, 66% off the audio).

For August, the following are on sale:

• Abraxia: Spear of the Everchosen, by Chris Thursten (audio, ebook) (my review)

• Belisarius Cawl: The Great Work, by Guy Haley (audio, ebook)

• Broken Crusade, by Steven B. Fischer (audio, ebook) (my review)

• The Ghosts of Barak-Minoz, by Guy Haley (audio, ebook)

• Godeater’s Son, by Noah Van Nguyen (audio, ebook)

• Luther: First of the Fallen, by Gav Thorpe (audio, ebook) (my review)

• The Twice-Dead King: Ruin, by Nate Crowley (audio, ebook)

• Voidscarred, by Mike Brooks (audio, ebook)

  ---

Rynn’s World: Giving Up

So for the past two weeks I’ve shared my struggles trying to get a copy of the Special Edition of Rynn’s World by Steve Parker. To recap:

• I successfully ordered the book online.

• When the package came, the order picker had screwed up fulfillment. No Rynn’s World in the box when we opened it at the store.

• My Warhammer store manager emailed customer service.

• GW opted to issue me a refund, adding an additional $80 in credit for my misfortune1.

Now, since the preorder the book has shown this when accessed on the GW shop:

Knowing that sometimes has meant a restock at a later date, I began checking the store inventory to see if I could catch a second round of the things. I hate admitting defeat, so let’s just say I checked it a lot. I pretty much just left the tab open on my phone and refreshed when I had an idle second.

Day after day, no change, but always keeping me on the hook with the tantalizing possibility. Until this past Friday, when I finally got the dreaded “404 - Page Not Found” result. To my knowledge, no restock ever happened.

And that’s fine. Sometimes people get lucky, sometimes they don’t. The only reason I’m sharing this is to underline that “temporarily out of stock” is not a promise, it’s just hope.

And as Corax said in Deliverance Lost,

Or put another way, “we buy, we retreat, then we buy again.”

Age of Sigmar: A Horror and a Crime?

In 2024, there were eight new Black Library releases for the Age of Sigmar setting: Anvils of the Heldenhammer: The Ancients, Callis & Toll, Darkoath, The Dead Kingdom, The Ghosts of Barak-Minoz, Lioness of the Parch, On the Shoulders of Giants and Other Stories, and Skaventide.

That’s a new book every six weeks or so, which- for the AoS side of things- wasn’t too bad.

2025 kept a similar energy, with seven books on offer: Abraxia: Spear of the Everchosen, Grombrindal: Ancestor’s Burden, Queen of the Rose Throne, Shade of Khaine, Starseer’s Ruin, Ushoran: Mortarch of Delusion, and Verminslayer.

Now eight months in to 2026, we’ve had two (Grombrindal: The Legend of the White Dwarf, First Marshal).

Even if we suddenly went back to getting a new release every six weeks again, that would still only leave us at around half the number of releases we were getting not that long ago.

Theories abound on the internet, as they are wont to do. One purported “leak” claims that GW is going to be nuking the planar model of the setting for the next edition, moving back to a terrestrial one (the “Last World.” It may instead just be a narrative hold as they determine what the focus will be for the next edition, possibly arriving next year.

I’d be stunned if AoS fiction went the way of Warhammer imprints Crime and Horror altogether, though. And in the meantime, fans of the Mortal Realms can take some comfort that we’re getting a new, five-part serial fiction kicking off in the next White Dwarf.

Ian Green’s Doomwheel was released as part of the 2024 Advent subscription, and 2025’s Black Library Celebration subscription carried his sophomore effort The Reservoir of Rot (review). This is an encouraging sign for Green, particularly when you look at the track record of extended serials in the magazine.

• Chronicles of the Wanderer was a six-part serial written by David Guymer in 2021, later reprinted in 2023’s Grombrindal: Chronicles of the Wanderer.

• Tome Keepers: Legacy of Defiance ran for four issues in 2024. Written by Jon Flindall, it would be reprinted in its entirely in 2025’s Blood of the Imperium anthology (my review).

• Also in 2024, Tatters of Hope by William Crowe kicked off, which formed part of the recently-released Veterans of the Fall (my review).

While it’s true that others haven’t seen a reprinting as of yet, multi-part serials are a great step in the development of Black Library’s stable of writers (and something I’m now regularly looking at here on the Wordforge).

Arrivals & Departures

In this section I look at what’s coming up around the corner (Arrivals) and what’s landing on bookstore shelves (Departures).

Arrivals

Announced on Wednesday, and landing in the preorder preview four days later- a wonderfully quick turnaround for Hill’s Bjorn this week! Aside from that, a quiet week for the Black Library.

Departures

Mephiston: The Box Set, by Darius Hinks arrived this week. As a special-order item, you’re not likely to find one on the store shelves unless you are either absurdly lucky, or live near Warhammer World2.

ICYMI

Here’s what’s been going on this week for Warhammer content!

Warhammer Wordforge

• This week’s Wednesday feature was the latest Audio Impressions. As I make my way through the Horus Heresy in audio format, I’ve got a look at the second anthology of the mainline series, Age of Darkness.

• If you haven’t already, please make your voice heard in the Black Library Reader Satisfaction Survey. The polling closes Wednesday, don’t miss out!

• For you Warhammer RPG players, we had a double-dose last week! Not only did we have the regular Warhammer RPG Weekly column, but also a review of the new, Arbites-themed Lex Imperialis supplement for Wrath & Glory.

Tabletop Battles

• A quieter week here than usual (at least for the Black Library), we did nevertheless take a look at Veterans of the Fall by William Crowe, the lastest installment in the Astra Militarum Series.

Warhammer Community

• In addition to what I covered above, the mothership posted a teaser excerpt from the upcoming Robert Rath book, The Wicked and The Warped. As if we needed any more reason to get excited, right?

• In the ongoing Pages from the Black Books series, this week we look at the Xana Incursion. A Forge World caught between Traitors and Loyalists, it fiercely insisted on its neutrality. Then one day, everything changed…

WarhammerTV (paywalled)

• No Black Library content this week.

Around the Webway

• If you prefer to enjoy reviews through podcast rather than video form, don’t look now but Arbitor Ian and Mira Manga’s recent review of Nick Kyme’s Vulkan Lives dropped this week.

• Want more podcast review goodness? Jen and Keri of the WH40K Book Club tackle Part 1 of Dan Abnett’s Hive this week, and boy I’ve been waiting for this one!

• Cinderfall Gaming is back with another look at the Warhammer Adventures series, the Black Library books originally intended for younger readers. This week he reviews the audio of Tom Huddleston’s Forest of the Ancients.

• The Unseen Library gave a rave review of Justin Woolley’s Da Freebooterz Code, which didn’t surprise me at all considering how much I enjoyed the book as well!

• Over on Reddit, some fantastic stuff was coming out of the different Warhammer communities this week, including:

  • One of the translators bringing the Horus Heresy books into Chinese, u/Haldir_, sharing some of their incredible work (pictured above)

  • A terrific review of Guy Haley’s The Devastation of Baal by u/UltramarineMD, including- and I love this- a review of the book’s physical quality in the Special Edition

  • A look at Gav Thorpe’s two Phoenix Lord books, Asurmen: Hand of Asuryan and Jain Zar: The Storm of Silence by u/JustANewLeader

Cold Open Stories

• This week’s featured story is The Ones We Leave Behind, by C. T. Bing. “Sister of Silence Ketta Voss has a secret, which is exposed when she is called upon to purge chaos from an infested world; she knocks at a familiar door and her secret is revealed.”

Quick Hits

• Looking for some new reads? Nathan Long (Manslayer, Valnir’s Bane) reviewed a number of novellas this week for New Edge Sword and Sorcery Magazine!

• Not enough? Howabout Maria Haskins (The Jagged Edge) with a story review roundup for Locus! I mean, between the two if you can’t find something to grab you, I’m not sure what to say3.

• If you’re looking for new listens, Audible is having a sitewide sale for Premium members that’s up to 80% off. I just bought a dozen off my wish list for abut fifty bucks. BIG thanks to u/ExpectoAstartes in r/BlackLibrary for the head’s up!

• James Swallow’s spy thriller Nomad returns in a 10th Anniversary Edition, complete with a new short story. If you enjoyed Nemesis in the Horus Heresy (as I did), definitely check this one out!

• Big congratulations to Gareth Hanrahan and Pelgrane Press! Just a week in and the crowdfunding campaign to their latest initiative, the cozy fantasy mystery RPG Merryshire Detective Club, has smashed past its fundraising goal! “Halflings, dwarves, pooka, and boggarts uncover secrets, scandals, and suspicious happenings across a countryside full of gossip, tea, and entirely too many cousins.”

Coming Attractions

Here’s a list of the known 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.

This section will be updated weekly in this column, and anything in bold has been added (or updated) this week.

Upcoming but Undated

• Ghazghkull Thraka: Prophet of the Waaagh! (Illustrated and Annotated Edition), by Nate Crowley

• Deathwatch, by Steve Parker (Special Edition)

• Bjorn, the Fell-handed, by Justin D. Hill (hardcover)

Current PODs in Production

• Hive, by Dan Abnett (Special Edition)

Upcoming in 2026

• Archmagos, by Guy Haley (paperback, 8/8)

• The Relentless Dead, by Steve Lyons (paperback, 8/8)

• Warhammer Age of Sigmar: The Ultimate Guide (hardcover, 8/11)

• The Wicked and the Warped, by Robert Rath (hardcover, Special Edition, 8/15)

• The Infinite and the Divine, by Robert Rath (hardcover, 8/15)

• Bjorn, the Fell-handed, by Justin D. Hill (Limited Edition, 8/22)

• Raldoron: Revenant, by Guy Haley (hardcover, Special Edition, 9/24)

• Words of Waaagh!, by DK Books (hardcover, 10/6)

• The Sundering, by Gav Thorpe (paperback, 10/6)

• Dropsite Massacre, by John French (paperback, 10/20)

• Apostle, by David Annandale (paperback, 10/20)

• Master of Rites, by Rob Young (paperback, 10/20)

• Death Rider, by Rhuairidh James (paperback, 11/19)

• Ghost Legion, by Mike Brooks (paperback, 11/19)

• Chem Dog, by Callum Davis (paperback, 12/17)

• Ghazghkull Thraka: Warlord of Warlords, by Denny Flowers (paperback, 12/17)

• Ashes of the Imperium, by Chris Wraight (paperback, 12/17)

Thanks again for joining me for all the going’s on in the Black Library, and see you next week!

Almost exactly two years ago, the Black Library issued a new Special Edition of 2020’s The Infinite and the Divine, the 2020 debut from Fall of Cadia and Assassinorum: Kingmaker Robert Rath. The book’s tremendous success came as a pleasant surprise not least to the author, who confesses in the books recent Illustrated and Annotated Edition that he pretty much shot the moon in asking for things from the editorial and studio staff, figuring this might well be the one novel he’d be allowed to write.

When in November of 2025 the book overtook Dan Abnett’s Horus Rising as the “#1 Book” on the shelf at Warhammer World, Rath’s tale of two bickering Necron frenemies had undoubtedly become one of the Black Library’s best. Little surprise, then, that Rath was greenlit for a sequel, and The Wicked and the Warped- up for preorder this Saturday- will be hitting bookshelves in a month.

And with a gorgeous Special Edition to pair with the last one, the Necron wing of my own Museum is going to need some extra space…

Value City

The other big news dropping on the mothership this week was upcoming changes to Warhammer+, Games Workshop’s subscription service whose most prominent offering is access to WarhammerTV.

Previously, a subscription cost USD $60 per year if you subscribed yearly, and $7 a month if you instead opted for monthly, and for that you got the following benefits:

• Access to WarhammerTV

• Access to The Vault (the digital archive of game books1 and White Dwarf back-issues)

• Access to the Warhammer 40K and Age of Sigmar digital apps

• Merchandise discounts and partner benefits (for example, the occasional promo code for a new Tacticus character)

• Your choice of one of the two Commemorative Series miniatures released exclusively for subscribers

Whether that was worth it or not is, of course, highly subjective. Amazon Prime has a lot of benefits, for instance, but if you only watch a movie a month there are probably cheaper ways to unwind.

That said, one could also argue that the real cost could be driven down even lower, simply by selling your promotional mini each month to recoup most of the cost of the subscription. If you’re not into collecting plastic, they retail for $45 and like most Warhammer plastic they don’t depreciate all that much. Sell the mini for sticker and voila, you’re looking at a $15 annual subscription. A buck-fifty a month.

To me, this subscription has always been a no-brainer, and with the addition of the Show and Tell series here on the Wordforge in regular rotation, I’d have been quite happy to keep going at the current rate.

But lo! As such things are wont to do, this week we learned that the cost of a subscription would be increasing. The annual is rising to $75, with the monthly rate moving to $8.50. Nobody ever likes to see prices of things go up2, but I was very surprised to see that the benefits would be going up as well.

There are two big differences with the new Warhammer+ subscription. The first is that, rather than having to choose one or the other, you will now get both of the Commemorative Series figures. That’s $90 in plastic for a $75 subscription, in addition to all the other benefits listed above.

And here’s the part that got me really excited: they are also introducing a hardcover annual yearbook. “This is a lavish, coffee table-style annual packed with photos and artwork,” notes the reveal, “celebrating the worlds of Warhammer.”

Back in my Magic: the Gathering heyday, one of my favorite casual collectibles were the Player’s Guides they’d include in Fat Packs from each set. Pictured below, these would have some short lore blurbs and summaries of what the set was about, perhaps featuring decklists or different mechanics, and spotlighting some of the highlight cards from the set. Get me a Warhammer Yearbook anywhere close to that, and I’m sold.

Since it’s included in your subscription it’s impossible to put a price on it, but since it’s hardcover I don’t think $20 is too crazy a valuation based on its size in the image above. That brings us to $110 value in actual, physical merchandise for your $75 subscription. That’s… really not bad, folks. Not bad at all.

Complaints in the community about Warhammer+ typically are complaints more about WarhammerTV, and tend to fall under two broad types.

First are complaints about the WarhammerTV animations, which- at least in the circles I move in- tend to be the biggest draw3.

Second, there are complaints about the variety of programming. I get it, not every show is for every person, and I’ll be the first to put my hand up and confess I’ve never watched a single episode of Scrap Demon (even if the concept admittedly does sound cool).

Part of this, I think, lies with Games Workshop’s marketing of the channel’s offerings. Up until recently it’s been fairly footnote-level stuff, a quick blurb at the arse end of a Sunday Preview. Lately, though, we’re getting something a lot more visually attractive and clever:

I love everything about this new graphic format. First, it tells me at-a-glance what’s coming up this week in a simple, attractive format. Second, it changes what to me felt like a “content dump” every week into a programming schedule by assigning shows unique days of the week. Compare the above to what it used to look like in the Sunday Preview articles:

New week, three new shows. That’s what I mean by “content dump.” It’s a tale as old as time: if you want consumers to take your product seriously, you need to take it seriously. This is a big step up. Bravo.

So sure, WarhammerTV isn’t going to be for everyone, just like some people think there’s not a lot they want to watch on Netflix, or AppleTV, or Hulu. That’s certainly fair.

But what I think has been put to bed here is the ability to call Warhammer+ a poor value. $110 in goodies… plus The Vault… plus discounts every month for Warhammer merch4… plus the other stuff. All for $75.

Seems good.

Feeling Edgy

Saw some incredible creativity this week that I had to share. Sprayed edges refer to the practice of coloring or decorating the ends of a book’s pages, so that when it’s closed it has a striking visual look. You see this frequently on the Black Library Limited and Special Editions, for example, but here one fan took it upon themselves to do a custom job.

The book in question is a French-language edition of The Horus Heresy Collection, Vol. I, which is an omnibus series collecting the Horus Heresy books that- get this- is only offered in French and German. Verrückt, non?

This stunning treatment is by Alquinas.art, and make sure to check out the reel here.

Right on Track

Last year I noted that community member Andrew Wilmot had created a free book tracking app for the Black Library, and since that time he’s continued to develop and update it. After a large update this week put it back on my radar, I gave it a spin. While I’ve never used any kind of book tracker before, I had an absolute blast walking through the different categories for a bit and flagging the ones I’d read.

I had to force myself to quit and get back over to writing the column, but not before I poked around the site a bit. There’s a lot of neat features here, from unlocking achievements5 based on what you’ve read to seeing community ratings and usage reports (catnip to us statheads).

The secret in the sauce is the layout and organization. The site’s default not only breaks things out into their respective categories, like the Horus Heresy or Age of Sigmar, but also into individual book series such as trilogies or “The Astra Miliatarum Series.” Browsing it not only is fun for marking what you’ve read, but also in seeing what else you haven’t in a particular category. If your to-be-read list needs some inspiration, this is a terrific way to find it.

Arrivals & Departures

In this section I look at what’s coming up around the corner (Arrivals) and what’s landing on bookstore shelves (Departures).

Arrivals

The big news for new books is Robert Rath’s The Wicked and the Warped. Everyone’s favorite bickering Necron frenemies are back at it, this time facing down the forces of Chaos.

Speaking of The Infinite and the Divine, that book is being again offered in hardcover this week. If you don’t yet own the book, or (like me) you only have it in softcover and welcome an upgrade, this is your chance.

Departures

Seeing their way off into the public square this week was a trio of hardcovers. Rob Young’s latest, Ghosts of Cadia, arrived in both standard hardcover as well as a Special Edition, and Longshot- the first novel to feature sniper Darya Nevic- enjoyed its hardcover reissue.

Meanwhile, the new edition of Guy Haley’s The Devastation of Baal also hit store shelves. Originally printed in softcover as part of the Space Marine Conquests series in 2017, it’s back in hardcover as well.

ICYMI

Here’s what’s been going on this week for Warhammer content!

Warhammer Wordforge

• Black Library Readers’ Hall of Fame weekends are always big events, with The Hall Monitor series serving as a kind of director’s commentary on the project. This time around I looked at the Horus Heresy at the midway point, as well as showcasing some writers’ reactions to being inducted.

• I was also very excited to kick off a new initiative this week, the Black Library Reader Satisfaction Survey. If you haven’t had a chance to vote yet please do so, I’m looking forward to sharing the results with everyone in an upcoming Black Library Weekly!

• Finally, in this week’s Warhammer RPG Weekly we look at the new release from Cubicle 7 Games, Sylvania: The Cursed County!

Tabletop Battles

• Last Saturday saw five books get inducted into the Readers’ Hall of Fame from the CLass of 2013, as we next move forward to the books that released in 2014. Age of Sigmar is right around the corner!

• Fantasy reviewer Saelfe spent some time with Grombrindal, reviewing the Legend of the White Dwarf anthology- and came away pretty impressed!

• If, like me, you’re always curious about the lore and narrative content that comes in the different game boxes, there was also this review of the narrative elements in the new Kill Team: Exodites box!

• Finally, outside of Warhammer but always worth a mention, lynnding-library’s back with another BattleTech fiction review, this time of Jason Hansa’s A Skulk of Foxes.

Warhammer Community

• Salamanders fans had cause to rejoice this week, with the Pages from the Black Books series releasing a trove of lore about a prototype assault carrier designed by Vulkan himself.

• Got $1000 burning a hole in your pocket? Wētā Workshop has produced a new limited-edition statue for collectors, and it’s stunning. File this one under Black Library Bibliophiles, because it would be a wonderful addition to any Fantasy-heavy library display.

WarhammerTV (paywalled)

• No Black Library content this week.

Around the Webway

• Cinderfall Gaming’s been busy this week, offering not one but two reviews! First up is Morvenn Vahl: Spear of Faith by Jude Reid, while their second one is a bit unusual. Lair of the Skaven is part of the Warhammer Adventures series, an AoS line aimed at younger readers. Cinderfall typically reviews the audiobooks, with this one being narrated by none other than Dr. Who star Billie Piper!

• Speaking of Jude Reid, Kenny Boulder dropped a new book review this week of Fulgrim: The Perfect Son.

• The Fluffenhammer gang is back with their series that’s an issue-by-issue deep dive on Warhammer Monthly! This time up it’s the Kal Jerico-packed issue #29!

• Not just Cinderfall, Arbitor Ian and Mira Manga’s Book Club podcast dropped two episodes this week as well! First up is a look at Faith & Fire by James Swallow, then Mike Brooks’s Voidscarred goes under the microscope!

• Finally, just had to pass along this terrific read I saw this week on Substack from Thomas Rawlings, The Odyssey of Warhammer 40,000 - Exploring the links between Ancient Greece and Warhammer 40,000. Rawlings covers a lot of Warhammer history, and is well worth subscribing!

Cold Open Stories

• This week’s featured story is Lockwarden, by Graham Pritchett. “In the deepest depths, amid the darkest caverns, the Imperiums most profane secrets lie. The prisoners that are too valuable to kill, the creatures too dangerous to allow free. Arcane things are sequestered here, enigmas and mysteries set side by side and watched. But those things despise confinement and are always seeking that which is denied to them. A way out.”

• Also, a reminder that the current fast fiction competition’s deadline is the end of this month. Once again, I absolutely encourage anyone- even those folks who are just getting their pinkie toe wet writing- to give it a shot. After all, if I can do it, anyone can!

Quick Hits

• Given my involvement in fiction, I often get the question as to whether or not I’d like to be a writer myself. If I’m completely honest, while that intrigues me I think being an editor might be more up my alley. Thus I particularly enjoyed this piece from Danie Ware (The Triumph of St. Katherine, Aestred Thurga: Pyre of Faith), On Editors.

• As if Nottingham wasn’t already cool enough, the Mayhem Film Festival will have just gone on sale at the time this goes to print. An annual celebration of horror, sci-fi, and cult films, the co-director of the event is Steven Sheil (Tithemarked, Ghost Planet).

• Ben Counter (Battle for the Abyss, Phalanx) is one of the writers on the upcoming multimedia podcast project called American Abyss. It’s set in a quarantined town where all manner of strangeness has been occurring, and you can listen to the first episode here!

Coming Attractions

Here’s a list of the known 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.

This section will be updated weekly in this column, and anything in bold has been added (or updated) this week.

Upcoming but Undated

• Ghazghkull Thraka: Prophet of the Waaagh! (Illustrated and Annotated Edition), by Nate Crowley

Current PODs in Production

• Hive, by Dan Abnett (Special Edition)

Upcoming in 2026

• Mephiston: The Box Set, by Darius Hinks (8/1)

• Archmagos, by Guy Haley (paperback, 8/8)

• The Relentless Dead, by Steve Lyons (paperback, 8/8)

• Warhammer Age of Sigmar: The Ultimate Guide (hardcover, 8/11)

• The Wicked and the Warped, by Robert Rath (hardcover, Special Edition, 8/15)

• The Infinite and the Divine, by Robert Rath (hardcover, 8/15)

• Raldoron: Revenant, by Guy Haley (hardcover, Special Edition, 9/246)

• Words of Waaagh!, by DK Books (hardcover, 10/6)

• The Sundering, by Gav Thorpe (paperback, 10/6)

• Dropsite Massacre, by John French (paperback, 10/20)

• Apostle, by David Annandale (paperback, 10/20)

• Master of Rites, by Rob Young (paperback, 10/20)

• Death Rider, by Rhuairidh James (paperback, 11/19)

• Ghost Legion, by Mike Brooks (paperback, 11/19)

• Chem Dog, by Callum Davis (paperback, 12/17)

• Ghazghkull Thraka: Warlord of Warlords, by Denny Flowers (paperback, 12/17)

• Ashes of the Imperium, by Chris Wraight (paperback, 12/17)

Thanks again for joining me for all the going’s on in the Black Library, and see you next week!

Happy Monday, readers, and congratulations to all of you who strapped on your flak vests, limbered up your wallets and waded into the fray that was this past weekend’s Mephiston Boxed Set preorder. While I didn’t hear of any widespread or persistent issues with this window, it certainly seemed like this one- as expected- sold out very quickly.

People certainly do love their IX^th.

What did manage to land on my radar through all this was something that I’d never given much thought to, though, and that’s global variation in pricing. To this point I’d always simply assumed that I was paying approximately the same for my products as a punter in Paris or a collector in Kyoto. Turns out, that’s not the case. At all.

Pop quiz! Consider the following countries/regions:

• Australia

• Canada

• Europe

• Japan

• New Zealand

• South Korea

• United Kingdom

• USA

Which of them would you guess paid the most for the Mephiston Boxed Set this weekend. I’m talking sticker price for the item, no shipping or anything else.

The answer? Those of us here in the United States, with a retail price of $170.

Now, which of them would you expect paid the least? Here’s a hint: it’s not the UK.

Apparently, it’s Japan. The boxed set cost ¥15,500, which in USD (at time of writing) is… $95.48? This is such a wildly unexpected amount that I’m going to show my work just in case someone can tell me what I’m doing wrong here (if indeed I am).

Again, if I made an error somewhere here please let me know in the comments, because Japan paying about half of what I pay here in the US- and significantly less than what everyone else in the world pays, too- is the kind of anomalous data point that suggests a PEBKAC error1. Otherwise, it appears to be a factor of fixed pricing running afoul of a historically weak Yen- but I’m no economist.

Here’s what the rest of the spread looks like.

Ultimately, I present this as a curiosity rather than a cause for concern. Currency valuations fluctuate as a matter of course, and undoubtedly there’s a long time horizon for Games Workshop’s price-setting. Think steering an oil tanker, not a cigarette boat. It would be confusing if prices were “updated” every preorder window to account for changes in relative currency values, and certainly would add am measure of work for GW’s staff to monitor and update on the regular.

The question for me is simply this: do I feel like I’m getting proper value for the amount I pay for an item, or do I not?

And in the case of the Mephiston Boxed Set I did- and it turns out I paid a lot less than I paid about as much as our friends in Japan did due to an unexpected twist of fate…

The Rynn’s World Mishap (Update)

Last week I spoke about my disappointment at having my order of Rynn’s World thwarted by a Games Workshop fulfillment employee. When my local Warhammer store manager cracked open the box containing my shipment, instead of what I’d ordered it contained two Chaos Battleforce boxes. The store manager was able to replace the missing For the Emperor Illustrated and Annotated Edition from his store stock, but of course no such luck for a Special Edition release. He fired off an email, and the following Monday I was not surprised to find a confirmation from GW that a refund was being processed.

Now here’s the interesting part, and where Games Workshop can do a better job at its communications with customers. Turns out, GW emailed my store’s manager to express their condolences about what happened, and let me know that not only would they be issuing me a refund, but they’d be adding a further $80 credit on top of it.

I’m very pleased with this response. I accept that, while frustrating, screw-ups can- and do- happen, and by accepting responsibility and putting me ahead with the bonus credit, that’s a fair consideration. My only thought is that it would have been better if they’d informed me of that response as well, rather than just the store manager.

The “refund is being processed” email made no mention of a dollar amount, so I had no way to know that they have approved a bonus credit. And unfortunately, the Voucher section of my account screen on Warhammer.com doesn’t have a transaction history, so unless I’m on top of exactly how much I’ve got in vouchers on the website I wouldn’t necessarily notice the increase.

It’s a small complaint, but hey, if you’re going to do something nice for a customer, wouldn’t you want to make sure they see it?

Overall, this was the second-best outcome I could have hoped for, with the best response being if they’d tracked down a copy for me and fulfilled my order. My heart is going to hurt a little when someone posts a picture of what’s in-stock at Warhammer World and I see a copy or two of Rynn’s World just sitting there on the shelf, because I know they hold a certain number of copies back for in-store distribution.

All the same, I can’t say it was unwelcome when it came to the boxed set I opened this week’s column with. I’d been on the fence about the set2, but getting that surprise voucher made the cost much more palatable.

The Six Guiding Principles of the Wordforge

I took the opportunity in Friday’s Warhammer RPG Weekly column to talk about my guiding principles when it comes to creating content about Warhammer. A lot of my Black Library readers have seen me talk about these on occasion, but a lot of RPG readers are coming here comparatively cold. It was a good exercise to sit and brainstorm, what do I stand for?, and thought it worth sharing over here.

They are as follows:

I meant it then and I mean it now, thank you to all of you reading this and this extraordinary community I find myself amongst. Now, let’s see what else is going on in the world of the Black Library!

Arrivals & Departures

In this section I look at what’s coming up around the corner (Arrivals) and what’s landing on bookstore shelves (Departures).

Arrivals

Thanks to a reveal piece on the mothership, some more exciting news for Blood Angels fans this week as Raldoron: Revenant, the next book by Guy Haley, was announced!

The book will be offered in both standard hardcover and Special Edition.

While Raldoron wasn’t in this week’s Sunday Preview, there were a couple of paperbacks that are right around the corner: Guy Haley’s Archmagos as well as The Relentless Dead by Steve Lyons (review).

Departures

Just one made the journey to the bookstore shelves this week, as the paperback Flames of Betrayal was released. It contains James Swallow’s Garro: Knight of Grey as well as the anthology Era of Ruin.

Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die

The famous line from Hunter S. Thompson came to mind when I saw this curiosity shared in the Black Library Nutters group by Eddie Arnold. This was a misprint of the new Horus Heresy Saga version of Dan Abnett’s Horus Rising.

While there’s a corner of the Magic: the Gathering community that chases oddities and misprints, we don’t see a lot of them on the book side of things. That’s not to say they don’t exist, as I previously covered my own misprint of Si Spurrier’s Hall of Fame novel Lord of the Night here. Still, this one was too warp-touched not to share!

ICYMI

Here’s what’s been going on this week for Warhammer content!

Warhammer Wordforge

• This week saw the next in the new White Dwarf Stories series, which explores that corner of the Black Library tucked away in the pages of Games Workshop’s flagship periodical. This time it was Answered Prayers, the latest by Goonhammer Book Award-winner Russell Zimmerman (Resounding, Seven Ships).

• While I talked about this earlier with the section on the site’s guiding principles, here’s another link to the latest Warhammer RPG Weekly piece which dropped last Friday.

Tabletop Battles

• TTB’s Lore Friday this week was my review of Death and Duty: An Astra Militarum anthology. Slightly problematic in that it shared four stories with No Peace Among Stars, the other anthology that released at the same time, it nevertheless had some ripping yarns!

• Longtime readers know I’m a sucker not just for the books, but for great ways to decorate your library and gaming spaces. Greg Chiasson reviewed the Secret Labs Dark Angels-themed gaming chair this week, and was pleasantly surprised!

Warhammer Community

• With the focus this week on the Ogor Mawtribes for Age of Sigmar, the mothership dropped an Ogor-themed Chronicles of Ruin story, The Law of Meat.

• The Pages from the Black Books series shifted gears (literally) this week, looking at the Knights of the Mechanicum

WarhammerTV (paywalled)

• No Black Library-related content this week.

Around the Webway

• Arbitor Ian and Mira Manga’s Book Club dove into Dropsite Massacre this week, John French’s critically-acclaimed Horus Heresy tale. It was 2025’s Black Library Book of the Year, runner-up for the Goonhammer Book Awards’ Best 30K/40K novel, and my own Book of the Year to boot!

• Kenny Boulder also offered up a video review of the Twice Dead King Omnibus, by Nate Crowley

• The Unseen Library released a top-10 list of best audiobooks for the first half of the year, and a number of 40K titles made the cut! I love seeing more audiobook reviews, since they’re helpful in keeping my own pipeline full!

Cold Open Stories

• No spotlighted story this week, but Cold Open Stories announced two of the guest judges for the current story competition, Geneviève Laprise and Kat Peterson. The current fast fiction competition’s deadline is the end of this month, and I absolutely encourage anyone- even those folks who are just getting their pinkie toe wet writing- to give it a shot. After all, if I can do it, anyone can!

  ---

Quick Hits

• James Swallow (Flight of the Eisenstein, Nemesis) announced his next novel, Tasker, as well as two previous novels (Airside and Dark Horizon) will be getting US editions! He also has two stories coming up in Commando, Britain’s comic magazine of wartime drama.

• Scholarguard, the latest by John Sollitto (Rok Crackers, Redemption through Blood) is now available. “Hunter Hardcutt has a problem. His illustrious adventuring career has died on the vine. Thankfully, the perfect job just arrived in the form of a nervous scholar named Embergleam. He needs a bodyguard to protect him on his way back to the Arcane Institute. What could be simpler than walking an academic back home?” Obviously, nothing in this job will be simple.

• The Kickstarter for Echobound Adventures, the latest by Open Owl Studios, has gone live! A cooperative tabletop game for 1-4 players, it features extensive writing by Will McDermott (Lasgun Wedding, Underhive Apex). If you’re curious about the game, make sure to check out this review by Board Stupid as well!

• Analog Magazine’s July/August issue features a novella from Tom R. Pike (Dream of the Locust, Worm of Valhalla), called Red Ships. The story tracks the death of a culture over the course of a hundred years, and while looking into that I found this interesting little tidbit: “Look for his debut military SF novel, coming out in hardcover September 2026—though the powers that be won’t let him announce the title just yet.” A debut Black Library novel, perhaps?

  ---

Coming Attractions

Here’s a list of the known 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.

This section will be updated weekly in this column, and anything in bold has been added (or updated) this week.

Upcoming but Undated

• Ghazghkull Thraka: Prophet of the Waaagh! (Illustrated and Annotated Edition), by Nate Crowley

• The Wicked and the Warped, by Robert Rath (hardcover, Special Edition)

• The Infinite and the Divine, by Robert Rath (hardcover)

• Raldoron: Revenant, by Guy Haley (hardcover, Special Edition)

Current PODs in Production

• Hive, by Dan Abnett (Special Edition)

Upcoming in 2026

• Ghosts of Cadia, by Rob Young (hardcover and Special Edition, 7/25)

• Longshot, by Rob Young (hardcover, 7/25)

• The Devastation of Baal, by Guy Haley (hardcover, 7/25)

• Mephiston: The Box Set, by Darius Hinks (8/1)

• Archmagos, by Guy Haley (paperback, 8/8)

• The Relentless Dead, by Steve Lyons (paperback, 8/8)

• Warhammer Age of Sigmar: The Ultimate Guide (hardcover, 8/11)

• Words of Waaagh!, by DK Books (hardcover, 10/6)

• The Sundering, by Gav Thorpe (paperback, 10/6)

• Dropsite Massacre, by John French (paperback, 10/20)

• Apostle, by David Annandale (paperback, 10/20)

• Master of Rites, by Rob Young (paperback, 10/20)

• Death Rider, by Rhuairidh James (paperback, 11/19)

• Ghost Legion, by Mike Brooks (paperback, 11/19)

• Chem Dog, by Callum Davis (paperback, 12/17)

• Ghazghkull Thraka: Warlord of Warlords, by Denny Flowers (paperback, 12/17)

• Ashes of the Imperium, by Chris Wraight (paperback, 12/17)

Thanks again for joining me for all the going’s on in the Black Library, and see you next week!

I found myself with a rare evening free this week, with zero competition for the television. Normally in my family of seven the competition for the remote (or PS5 controller) is hot and heavy, so this felt like getting the keys to the kingdom for a night. With no-one to object or interrupt, I could watch anything I wanted, anything at all1!

I landed, as one does, on Sharpe.

Sharpe was a television series in the UK that ran from 1993 to 1997, in the British style of a small number of movie-length episodes rather than the 30- and 60-minute installments more common here in the US. Based on the novel series by Bernard Cornwell, it follows the exploits of Richard Sharpe and his men during the Napoleonic Wars.

I watched the debut episode, which sees Sharpe’s men unexpectedly on their own deep behind the French front searching for the banker carrying the army’s wages, linking up with local partisans in the Spanish mountains who seek to bring Spain more fully into the war against Napoleon.

I found it thoroughly engaging, with terrific writing and acting and even a bit of humor sprinkled in. Nobody would call the period war historical ‘lighthearted,’ but it wasn’t nearly as grim as I’d somehow expected it to be. The action sequences and effects were fine, though you’d be under no illusions that you were watching something from the present day, with men falling about instantly dead on the battlefield rather than bleeding, screaming, and crying out for unseen loved ones.

And if that picture above reminds you in some vague, echoing way of Gaunt’s Ghosts, well, there’s good reason for that.

The Warhammer DNA

To his credit, Dan Abnett wears his inspiration on his sleeve. “I wanted to capture the spirit of the Sharpe books,” he shared in a 2017 interview with Track of Words about the Ghosts, “which is to say a brave and capable leader with a group of men who will often find themselves doing really unlikeable missions because they’re essentially disposable, and to have that sort of feeling about it.” He continued,

When he writes that Tanith marching song, Over the Skies and Far Away, Abnett’s providing a direct- if subtle- homage to the Over the Hills and Far Away of the Sharpe’s Rifles.

To be clear, Commissar Ibram Gaunt is hardly Richard Sharpe ported into the grim, dark future, but the struggles of the two have a number of parallels. Their burdens of command are cultural, with Sharpe being an officer elevated from the common soldiery, while both chafe against the ascendant military aristocracy (be it senior staff of the British Army or the Volpone Bluebloods).

Watching Sharpe- perfectly enjoyable on its own merits, mind- was like looking into the evolutionary history of one of my favorite Warhammer series, and one I’d absolutely recommend.

Want another? Widely held to be a direct influence on the conception of the Mechanicum, Walter M. Miller Jr.’s 1959 novel A Canticle for Liebowitz. In a post-apocalyptic setting, robed monks obsessively preserve humanity’s technological heritage, endlessly copying schematics and blueprints that they do not themselves fully comprehend. Each have their own language unintelligible to others, the monks employing Latin rather than Lingua-Technis, and are reserved and remote from the rest of society.

The copy pictured above is a beautiful special edition reissue from The Folio Society, and to date is the only non-Games Workshop work of fiction that occupies space in my Black Library Museum.

Making History

History and evolution had a central place in Robert Rath’s highly acclaimed The Infinite and the Divine, too, and there was a lot of excitement this week with the announcement that it would be getting a sequel.

The Wicked and the Warped will see Trazyn and Orikan reunite to track down a missing expedition lost on a planet that’s been corrupted by Chaos. No hint of a release date as of yet, but the launch will have a standard hardcover offered alongside a Special Edition.

Not only that, but in keeping with recent form the original book will be reissued in hardcover at the same time. If you missed it the first time back in October of 2026, now’s your chance to add it to your library as well!

And since we’ve got a bit of time before The Wicked and the Warped arrives, why not check out Robert Rath’s recommended reading list to make sure you’re ready?

Our July Giveaway Winner!

Last week we held a giveaway for Jude Reid’s Armageddon: Season of Fire, just the read for welcoming in Warhammer 40K’s 11th Edition and a Return to Armageddon.

After pulling up ye olde randomizer at Random.org, Periklis Begzos is our lucky winner! Congratulations Periklis, look for a message from me to get your shipping details, and I hope you enjoy the book!

Arrivals & Departures

In this section I look at what’s coming up around the corner (Arrivals) and what’s landing on bookstore shelves (Departures).

Arrivals

Just one for preorder this week- but it’s a big one! The Mephiston trilogy by Darius Hinks is arriving in a gorgeous-looking Limited Edition box set.

This is almost certain to be a high-demand item, and if you’re relatively new to the ordeal here’s the guide I wrote for Tabletop Battles that might be of some help!

Departures

Loads of books made their way to store shelves this week, with paperbacks of Robbie MacNiven’s Vagabond Squadron (review), Krakenblood by Marc Collins (review), and Adrian Tchaikovsky’s Starseer’s Ruin (review) now available for purchase.

Joining them were the Illustrated and Annotated Edition of Sandy Mitchell’s seminal For the Emperor, a new edition of Dan Abnett’s The Sabbat Worlds Crusade, and the Special Edition of Rynn’s World, by Steve Parker.

It was apparently my turn for a disappointing experience this week as Games Workshop’s order fulfillment bungled my online order. Instead of a box containing For The Emperor and Rynn’s World, clearly marked on the invoice included in the box, the order picker instead threw in two of the recent Battleforce: Chaos Space Marines Warbands and called it good.

Given that the alternative is that we all get replaced by robots I try to respond to such errors with grace, but I’ll admit given the difference in what I ordered and what I got I wonder if the picker even looked at the invoice.

My store manager came through, of course. After reclaiming both Battleforces for store inventory, he gave me the store’s remaining copy of For the Emperor. Alas all he can do for Rynn’s World is email GW’s customer service. I think we all can guess how this story ends, but perhaps the Emperor will provide after all.

UPDATE 7/13: I received a form email happy to tell me that my refund was being processed. Insert your “disappointed, but not surprised” meme of choice here.

ICYMI

Here’s what’s been going on this week for Warhammer content!

Warhammer Wordforge

• Since this week is a Black Library Readers’ Hall of Fame week over at TTB, my companion piece The Hall Monitor dropped on Saturday as well. This time I talked a bit about the surge in inductions we’ve seen in 2010 and 2012, and what that might portend as we continue to move forward towards the modern day. Also, the fun Top 20 lists got an update too!

• This week’s featurette saw the return of Black Library Bibliophiles, the series dedicated to collection and display of the books we love. This time around I reviewed Wicked Brick, who makes officially-licensed Warhammer acrylic displays for the minis that take some inspiration from the Black Library!

• For the RPG players, this week’s Warhammer RPG Weekly highlighted a terrific idea from one of the community’s reviewers, who is selling his reviewer copies of board and RPG games for a charity benefit!

Tabletop Battles

• The big news this week was that eight books were inducted into the Black Library Readers’ Hall of Fame from the class of 2012- a tremendous accomplishment!

• I also provided this week’s Lore Friday review, diving into Justin Woolley’s swashbuckling ork-stravaganza, Da Freebooterz Code.

• Robert “The Chirurgeon” Jones is back this week with the next in his series of Lore Explainers on Armageddon. This time he zeroed in on the Second War of Armageddon, a stage where an ork by the name of Ghazghkull Thraka comes to prominence!

Warhammer Community

• The Pages from the Black Books series continued this week covering the war at Calth, this time focusing on the Mechanicum forces involved in that terrible clash.

• While discussed above, for those who may be skimming I’ll add the link to the Black Library article this week announcing The Wicked and the Warped here as well!

WarhammerTV (paywalled)

• Deep Strike is the series that goes behind the scenes of Warhammer’s video games, licensed books, animations and more. This week they dove into Sigmar’s Toll, the 2025 Age of Sigmar animated series.

Around the Webway

• Terrific piece this week on Wargamer spotlighting Toby Longworth, narrator of many a Black Library audiobook whose “preposterously versatile voice has performed over 200 books and audio dramas for Games Workshop over almost a decade, somehow perfectly inhabiting a thousand different characters, from curt, feminine air traffic controllers, to lofty, booming primarchs, to daemonic warp-things with throats made from hatred.” I love to see the narrators get some attention, and Longworth isn’t one I’ve covered here in Audio Impressions- yet.

• The TTP Field Manual pod reviewed Adrian Tchaikovsky’s recent Age of Sigmar novel Starseer’s Ruin this week, as part of their book club series.

• Warhammer RPG site It Always Rains in Nuln gives a review of Rise of the Horned Rat, the End Times novel from Guy Haley.

• The Fluffenhammer crew has been doing an issue-by-issue deep dive into the pages of the comic serial Warhammer Monthly, which ran from 1998-2004. This week it’s the Mordheim-filled issue #28 under the microscope!

• Meanwhile in the Horus Heresy, Arbitor Ian and Mira Manga’s Book Club examined the anthology Mark of Calth, the 25th book of the series.

• Finally, over on Reddit the Black Library subreddit’s bi-weekly book discussion turned its attention to Nagash the Sorcerer, from Hall of Famer Mike Lee.

Cold Open Stories

• And now for something completely different! This week’s featured story is Hyperphagia, by Daniel Dolgos, a more lighthearted tale featuring- of all things- a squig! “Hunger is great sauce, as the Irish say. And no better creature on the 40K galaxy than a squiggly beast to put that saying to the test, because as much as Squigs are the Orks, primary food source, Squigs need to eat too. And my word, can they eat when they put their minds to it…”

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Quick Hits

• Paul Kane (Triggers) saw his latest venture, the folk horror graphic novel Men of the Cloth, launch on Kickstarter this week. It’s based on Kane’s novelette of the same name, which also was the basis for the 2021 horror film Sacrifice. Looks great, Paul!

• Andrew Kenrick, former Editor of White Dwarf, published a new history book, Rex Juba. A biography of Juba II of Mauritania, it’s available here through Penguin Books, you can find preorder information for it here.

• Finally, last March I noted the Kickstarter campaign for a tribute anthology for legendary fantasy writer David Gemmell, one stacked with a lineup of Black Library writers. The campaign was successful, and preorders are now available for The Iron Code, including stories from Dan Abnett (Pariah, First and Only), Jonathan Green (The Dead and the Damned, Necromancer), Juliet McKenna (Fear Itself), Gavin Smith (Suffer Not a Human to Live, Apex Predator), Anna Stephens (Trisethni the Unseen, Gothghul Hollow), and Adrian Tchaikovsky (On the Shoulders of Giants, Starseer's Ruin)!

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Coming Attractions

Here’s a list of the known 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.

This section will be updated weekly in this column, and anything in bold has been added (or updated) this week.

Upcoming but Undated

• Ghazghkull Thraka: Prophet of the Waaagh! (Illustrated and Annotated Edition), by Nate Crowley

• The Wicked and the Warped, by Robert Rath (hardcover, Special Edition)

• The Infinite and the Divine, by Robert Rath (hardcover)

Current PODs in Production

• Hive, by Dan Abnett (Special Edition)

Upcoming in 2026

• Siege of Terra: Flames of Betrayal, by various (paperback, 7/18)

• Ghosts of Cadia, by Rob Young (hardcover and Special Edition, 7/25)

• Longshot, by Rob Young (hardcover, 7/25)

• The Devastation of Baal, by Guy Haley (hardcover, 7/25)

• Mephiston: The Box Set, by Darius Hinks (8/1)

• Warhammer Age of Sigmar: The Ultimate Guide (hardcover, 8/11)

• Archmagos, by Guy Haley (paperback, 8/11)

• The Relentless Dead, by Steve Lyons (paperback, 8/11)

• Words of Waaagh!, by DK Books (hardcover, 10/6)

• The Sundering, by Gav Thorpe (paperback, 10/6)

• Dropsite Massacre, by John French (paperback, 10/20)

• Apostle, by David Annandale (paperback, 10/20)2

• Master of Rites, by Rob Young (paperback, 10/20)

• Death Rider, by Rhuairidh James (paperback, 11/19)

• Ghost Legion, by Mike Brooks (paperback, 11/19)

• Chem Dog, by Callum Davis (paperback, 12/17)

• Ghazghkull Thraka: Warlord of Warlords, by Denny Flowers (paperback, 12/17)

• Ashes of the Imperium, by Chris Wraight (paperback, 12/17)

Thanks again for joining me for all the going’s on in the Black Library, and see you next week!

If there’s an upside to having to drive back and forth between Louisville and Houston, where my wife is staying for her clinical trial, it’s that there’s lots of time to unwind with a good audiobook. After all, if you’ve going to be a captive audience for fifteen-odd hours, you might as well make the most of it, right?

As a result, I’m not only am I well stocked for Audio Impressions for the foreseeable future, but I’m even behind in writing them up for the Wordforge. Nice problems to have!

As longtime readers may recall, because so much of my active reading is determined by what I’m looking to review for Tabletop Battles, I’ve struggled a bit to find time to round out my Black Library experience. Progress on the Horus Heresy, for example, had slowed to a crawl, and I was dismayed to think I’d never get to dive into some of the classics like Trollslayer, by William King. Published in 1999, there’s not much demand for a review of the book now, relegating it to the dreaded “background/pleasure reading” category which gathers far more dust than attention.

Audiobooks have been a real game changer, and I couldn’t be happier. I almost exclusively listen to them in the car, but with five kids to drive to their respective activities that offers up a surprising amount of book time. While I’ve been mainly focusing on the Heresy and old fantasy titles, this last trip I nabbed another long overdue: Brutal Kunnin’, by Mike Brooks. Stories like these make the time- and the miles- just fly by.

With another trek southward coming up in a week or so1, I’d love to hear any recommendations you might have for some particularly delightful audiobooks. Feel free to leave a comment, or hit me up on social media!

Now, let’s see what the week’s brought our way!

July Giveaways

Welcome back to Armageddon! To ring in the arrival of Jude Reid’s Armageddon: Season of Fire, we’ve got a hardcover copy to give away to one lucky subscriber (and remember, subscribing is free!).

To enter, simply make sure you’re a subscriber to the Warhammer Wordforge, then leave a comment on this article telling me what the best Black Library book you’ve read so far this year.

That’s it! I’ll pick a name at random next Sunday from all entries, and the book shall be on its merry way to their library.

While you’re at it, Mythicanum is a new content channel that’s releasing Warhammer lore content, and to celebrate their first milestone of 100 subscribers, they’re giving away a hardcover of the Era of Ruin anthology.

Black Library App Sales for July

A new month means a new slate of sales on the Black Library app. As a reminder, this is a very new (and very welcome) approach; previously there was only one eBook offered on sale each month. With the introduction of the new app, each month appears to be bringing with it a much larger number of eBook and audiobook releases at a discounted price (50% off the eBook, 66% off the audio).

For July, these are:

• Eight Lamentations: Spear of Shadows, by Josh Reynolds (eBook)

• Dark Imperium, by Guy Haley (audio, eBook)

• Farsight: Crisis of Faith, by Phil Kelly (audio, eBook)

• For the Emperor, by Sandy Mitchell (audio, eBook)

• The Lioness of the Parch, by Evan Dicken (audio, eBook)

• Blood of Sanguinius, by Darius Hinks (audio, eBook)

• Storm of Iron, by Graham McNeill (audio, eBook)

• Cadian Honour, by Justin D. Hill (audio, eBook)

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Arrivals & Departures

In this section I look at what’s coming up around the corner (Arrivals) and what’s landing on bookstore shelves (Departures).

Arrivals

Lots of goodies incoming, including most of what was recently teased on the mothership. First up is Ghosts of Cadia by Rob Young, the next chapter in the story of sniper Darya Nevic. It will be offered both in standard hardcover as well as a Special Edition, pictured above.

Darya’s first novel was 2023’s Longshot, which as part of the Astra Militarum series was released only in paperback. In conjunction with Ghosts of Cadia, it’s now being offered in a standard edition hardcover as well!

Another book making a reappearance in hardcover is Guy Haley’s The Devastation of Baal. Originally part of the Space Marine Conquests- another paperback series- this was originally published in 2017 before being brought back in 2023’s Lords of Blood omnibus.

And finally, speaking of that Lords of Blood omni, look what’s being offered en francais?

Departures

Maming its way into the world this week is Graham McNeill’s False Gods, the Horus Heresy Saga edition, which was offered both in standard edition hardcover as well as a Premium Edition. Dan Abnett’s Horus Rising appeared in paperback as part of the Saga, and Andy Clark’s Gloomspite- offered once again in hardcover- also joined in the fun!

Half-Year “Spend Ask” Check-In

Now that we’re halfway through the year, I thought I’d check in and see how the Black Library’s “spend ask” was doing.

Spend ask refers to the amount of deluxe product Games Workshop is releasing during a particular time. “Premium” product here is any non-standard edition, from Special/Limited Editions right down to Illustrated and Annotated Editions. Listed in USD, this is the dollar amount you’d expect to shell out if you bought one of everything.

Two quick things jump out at me here. First, 2026 has seen an increase from the previous year, but it’s fairly modest. Quarter 2’s increase of $40 is the retail cost of a single Illustrated & Annotated Edition.

Second, it’s probably time to start getting your wallets ready. As you can see, the second half of the year is always where the pain increases. At the moment, we already know there’s a hit coming with the Mephiston Box Set from Darius Hinks. What else might be on offer- and if we’ll get another Mega Limited Edition- only the Black Library knows, but forewarned is forearmed.

ICYMI

Here’s what’s been going on this week for Warhammer content!

Warhammer Wordforge

• First up on the Wordforge, I put together a kind of how-to guide for the site, including guidance on quickly and easily tailoring subscriber notification emails to make sure you’re only getting the stuff you want. This will remain pinned to the front page for reference for awhile.

• This week’s featurette was a look at the newly-completed Aeronautica Imperialis animation, as the last episode dropped about a week ago.

• For the RPG players, this week’s Warhammer RPG Weekly had a relatively quiet week, though Cubicle 7 Games’ bestseller positions on DriveThruRPG were almost universally up!

Tabletop Battles

• Heroes of the Black Library received a new installment, with Commissar Ciaphas Cain in the spotlight! This series covers the character’s history in print, plastic, and even covers goodies to decorate your library.

• Togepi stepped in for this week’s review, giving us a look at Chris Wraight’s Ashes of the Imperium, the kickoff novel for the new Scouring series.

Warhammer Community

• The Pages from the Black Books series continued this week covering the war at Calth, where the Ultramarines were betrayed and nearly destroyed by the Word Bearers.

WarhammerTV (paywalled)

• Nothing new in the world of the Black Library here, though the long-running Loremasters series featured the Word Bearers this week.

Around the Webway

• If you’re missing a few of the DK Books Warhammer releases, such as The Art of Warhammer Video Games, this might be a good time to remedy that, as Mars Garrett of Bell of Lost Souls put together a list of current sales and discounts for them.

• Jordan Sorcery’s GW Book Club is back, this time with a walk through the pages of the Warhammer Armies: Undead codex from the game’s Fourth Edition.

• Cinderfall Gaming posted a first look at the new Warhammer Age of Sigmar: The Ultimate Guide, the latest offering from DK Books.

• If you’re relatively new to the Black Library, the TTP Field Guide pod may have just the thing for you this week, choosing a book for each faction in the game.

• Many years ago there was a television commercial which asked, “how many licks will it take to get the center of a Toostie Pop?” u/ChillSappho took a similar approach to the Black Library this week in a terrific Reddit post worked out how long it might take a reader to get through the Black Library. Warning: there’s math!

• Finally, a couple of notable reader reviews on Reddit:

  • u/NewSpeak2050 assessed Chem Dog, by Callum Davis

  • Farseer, by William King, was given an unsparing review by u/PlatoIsOverrated

Cold Open Stories

• This week’s featured story is Rejoice, by Kyle Tam. “Sometimes the most unsettling horrors in the 41st Millennium don’t arrive with bolter fire or daemonic invasions. Sometimes they begin with a single message... and an invitation to rejoice.”

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Quick Hits

• Anna Stephens (Gothgull Hollow, Trisethni the Unseen) shared that her new “pun-riddled fantasy heist” novel, An Honesty of Thieves, will be published in March of 2027.

• Maria Haskins (The Jagged Edge) is a nominee for the 2026 Ignyte Awards, which has public voting open until 16 August. She’s up for the Critics Award and is a regular contributor covering speculative fiction for Strange Horizons magazine.

• Now this is interesting: Josh Reynolds (Neferata, Road of Skulls) shared a free short story he wrote for the shared universe, Hookland. The whole thing’s worth a look, as Josh talks a bit about the Hookland concept and plenty more.

• Jonathan Green (The Dead and the Damned, Crusade for Armageddon) has released a special edition boxed set for the five-year anniversary of his ACE Gamebook Dracula: Curse of the Vampire. A new chapter offering a “behind-the-scenes” look, postcards, a pin badge and more, they are individually signed and numbered.

• James Swallow (Nemesis, The Flight of the Eisenstein) shared a blog post this week outlining some of the things he’s been working on, including a new novel as well as helping bring his Dark Horizon to television!

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Coming Attractions

Here’s a list of the known 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.

This section will be updated weekly in this column, and anything in bold has been added (or updated) this week.

Upcoming but Undated

• Ghazghkull Thraka: Prophet of the Waaagh! (Illustrated and Annotated Edition), by Nate Crowley

• Mephiston: The Box Set, by Darius Hinks

Current PODs in Production

• Hive, by Dan Abnett (Special Edition)

Upcoming in 2026

• Rynn’s World, by Steve Parker (Special Edition, 7/11)

• For the Emperor (Illustrated and Annotated Edition), by Sandy Mitchell (7/11)

• The Sabbat Worlds Crusade, by Dan Abnett (hardcover, 7/11)

• Krakenblood, by Marc Collins (paperback, 7/11)

• Vagabond Squadron, by Robbie MacNiven (paperback, 7/11)

• Starseer’s Ruin, by Adrian Tchaikovsky (paperback, 7/11)

• Siege of Terra: Flames of Betrayal, by various (paperback, 7/18)

• Ghosts of Cadia, by Rob Young (hardcover and Special Edition, 7/25)

• Longshot, by Rob Young (hardcover, 7/25)

• The Devastation of Baal, by Guy Haley (hardcover, 7/25)

• Warhammer Age of Sigmar: The Ultimate Guide (hardcover, 8/11)

• Archmagos, by Guy Haley (paperback, 8/11)

• The Relentless Dead, by Steve Lyons (paperback, 8/11)

• Words of Waaagh!, by DK Books (hardcover, 10/6)

• The Sundering, by Gav Thorpe (paperback, 10/6)

• Dropsite Massacre, by John French (paperback, 10/20)2

• Ashes of the Imperium, by Chris Wraight (paperback, 12/17)

Thanks again for joining me for all the going’s on in the Black Library, and see you next week!

Being in the US preorder window means getting an early look at how things may be going when it opens up in Oceania, a fact I talked about last week when things didn’t quite get off on the right foot. This week seemed to be a similar challenge, with inventory appearing to go out of stock almost instantly.

But this week, the real excitement seemed to be reserved for us in the North American region. And what a ride it was.

The preorder window opened up at 12:55pm EST for me right as rain. One minute Cain and the gang weren’t there, then they were. My must-have was the For the Emperor Illustrated and Annotated Edition, with the Special Edition of Rynn’s World a close second. The pair of library decoratives- the Cain/Jurgen mini and Valhalla banner- would be nice-to-haves.

My cart full, I went to check out with my pre-loaded voucher and got this:

That wasn’t immediately concerning; this is an error I see weekly, and usually a refresh or two puts it to bed and allows me to proceed.

Not this time. Refresh after refresh, the red box kept reappearing.

At first I wondered if there may be a rush on the site, the kind of thing we saw last June with the Era of Ruin special preorder window that was almost instantly crashed by botters. But very quickly the flags went up on the play in r/BlackLibrary, and the number of people saying they were having site issues told me this was a system issue, not a stock one.

Despite all the frustration, that came as some relief. Last week when Oceania’s stock went out immediately, some came back in an hour or two later. Perhaps we’d see that happen here?

Ten minutes went by, then twenty. Ordinarily that’s a death sentence for preordering, but at this point I was determined to see it through. I was eventually rewarded for my persistence with a momentary change of scenery:

You don’t say.

But I kept at it, because what else was I going to do. I saw this twice, confirming some sort of technical issue at work:

There won’t be a test, but this will be important later.

Sweet Success

The dam broke at 1:33pm, thirty-eight minutes after the preorder window opened. Someone posted on r/BlackLibrary that they’d managed to break through and complete their order, so I figured any refresh now would see my order complete. When it didn’t, I removed the Cain/Jurgen mini on a whim to see if that might make any difference. Whether that measure was causal or coincidental I’ll never know, but it worked on the very next attempt.

Then I went back and bought Cain, easy as you like.

When situations like this happen, an order confirmation never feels truly safe. It wouldn’t surprise me if three days from now I got an order cancellation notice from Games Workshop, but for now I’ll take the win.

Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch

Soon after, I dropped in at my local Warhammer store and chatted a bit with the store manager. He shared that they’d had some issues with the in-store preorder as well, but ultimately was able to resolve it and everyone waiting to preorder got everything they wanted.

Then he shared something interesting. While he doesn’t know any more about this stuff than anyone else (he’s a store manager, not GW IT), he suspected there might have been an issue with the newly-implemented product recommendation window that triggers upon checkout.

I didn’t connect the two things in my head right away, but upon reflection one certainly could call that recommended-product window a “carousel,” right? And it was intended to pop up during checkout, right?

Hmm.

The Fallout

On the one hand, system issues happen. It sucks and it’s frustrating, but there hasn’t been a site invented yet that is immune to them. Games Workshop should get a certain amount of grace here, not least because these are luxury goods rather than life necessities1.

But by the same token, we can’t have conversations around website reliability in a vacuum. That’s because at the end of the day, it’s all part of the consumer experience, a conversation that also includes:

• FOMO capitalization

• Artificial scarcity

• Customer integrity assurance (read: anti-scalper countermeasures)

• “Spend-ask” considerations

• Premium product exclusives/incentives

Obviously, much too much to tackle in one go. But I think while it’s important to recognize Games Workshop’s efforts to make the Black Library consumer experience more enjoyable (anti-scalper measures, the introduction of de-limiting measures for premium products, and printing on demand come to mind), we also need to acknowledge when things fall short.

If you missed the carnage and want to see how the day went, here’s the subreddit’s preorder megathread. Have at it.

Of course, it wasn’t all bad news…

The Emperor provides?

Every Librarian’s Nightmare

Some people call us ‘worriers,’ but I prefer the term advanced contingency planners.

And of all the misfortunes that could befall a family, I have to imagine a house fire is way up there. In my mental imaginings of such a calamity, I think how I’d get my wife and five kids out of the house first. The younger kids upstairs can climb out onto the roof of the garage if they had to, while the teenager downstairs can clamber out of his window. Come to think of it, he’s probably started doing that already.

Then, of course, the critters. The budgies first, as their tiny respiratory systems are the most delicate. Then the reptiles, the rats, and the guinea pigs. The cats are on their own- that’s what you get when you can’t be bothered to exclusively use the litter box. You want to make independent choices, do you? Well have at it.

With the pets rescued- thus avoiding lengthy therapy bills for the kids- I’ve got just enough time to dash in one last time, for the barest essential of family treasures.

Like I said, I’ve thought about this a number of times, replaying the scenario in my head. Drilling for the possibility should it oneday occur. The only part I haven’t quite figured out yet is how to explain to my wife how I managed to come out with an armful of Warhammer books instead of our wedding album. But I’m working on it.

Earlier this month on the Black Library subreddit, u/GovernmentFast9743 shared that this had tragically come to pass, and unlike my imagined scenario, he lost his entire Warhammer collection. Three armies’ worth of miniatures, five bookshelves’ worth of books. Terrifying.

But there’s a happy ending to this one, and that’s why I wanted to share it this week.

When u/dvduster read about what happened, he reached out to u/GovernmentFast9743 and offered to help rebuild his library. He had a score of Black Library hardcovers and Special Editions that he’d be happy to let go for about ten bucks a book. And if that wasn’t enough, he’d drive the four hours down to Florida to meet up and hand-deliver them.

In any collector community it can be easy to get caught up in the goings-on of the parasites and opportunists who make finding older books or preordering new ones such a painful process. It’s great to have a reminder that at the same time, the community does look out for its own as well.

Best of luck in your collecting, u/GovernmentFast9743, and glad it was only your material possessions that were damaged in the fire. For u/dvduster, you get this week’s Unsung Hero Award for your selfless generosity. Communities like ours are always the better for having people like you in them.

The Big Reveal

Exciting news dropped this week with another surprise tranche of reveals from the Black Library. While I’ll never be sad to see one, I always find this method of whetting consumer appetite to be a little… anticlimactic? Just as with this past March and some Ork-themed books, I have to wonder if there isn’t perhaps a way to use these tasty reveals that has a little more impact? It’s not like Games Workshop is any stranger to generating excitement about upcoming products:

But the important thing in the end is the books, and boy howdy do we have some treats in store!

Ghosts of Cadia, by Rob Young

Look who’s back! Fresh off Master of Rites (review), Rob Young returns to the Astra Militarum with this sequel to 2023’s Longshot. That story was sort of a 40K version of the movie Enemy at the Gates, with sniper Darya Nevic going scope-to-scope with a t’au rival, and I’m delighted that Darya (and Rob!) are back in action.

The book will be offered both in standard hardcover as well as a Special Edition (pictured above).

Longshot, by Rob Young

Now this is an extra surprise. Similar to what they did with Andy Clark’s Demolisher last December, they’re bringing back the preceding book in an upgraded format. While Steel Tread received the same Special Edition treatment that Demolisher did, here we just get a standard hardcover release. No complaints here, I’m never loved how the Astra Militarum Series books are softcover-only, and will be delighted to replace mine with a hardcover copy.

Mephiston: The Box Set by Darius Hinks

Brace for impact! Blood Angels deluxe editions command some eye-watering prices on the secondary market, and I expect this one will provoke a similar preorder frenzy upon release. Darius Hinks’ original Mephiston trilogy was released from 2017-19, and just from the pictures this looks to be one of the more attractive of the recent spate of boxed sets.

The Devastation of Baal, by Guy Haley

Originally printed in 2017 as part of the Space Marine Conquests softcover series, like Longshot this one from Guy Haley is coming back for a hardcover treatment. Over the years a good number of Black Library books have been released as softcover-only, so I like seeing opportunities for upgrades for those who like the look and feel of a good hardback.

We probably won’t have too long to wait for these, and with the Blood Angels highly involved with Armageddon there’s a good chance these releases will be tied into something… a Codex, perhaps?

The Big Summer Preview Show

Despite its recent run of technical issues, I always enjoy these shows and look forward to them even if there isn’t the promise of much Black Library content. After all, any library is only improved by having miniatures on display with the books, so even if there isn’t much for the Library, there may be some treasures for the Black Library Museum!

I enjoyed Saffgor’s writeup over at Tabletop Battles, and while I didn’t see much in the miniature department that screamed Black Library this time2, I was excited to see that there’s an upcoming animation. The Butcher’s Nails will be a one-shot episode for the Hammer & Bolter series, featuring the World Eaters. The first-person POV looks kinetic as hell, and you can be sure it’ll get reviewed here in an upcoming Show and Tell.

Arrivals & Departures

In this section I look at what’s coming up around the corner (Arrivals) and what’s landing on bookstore shelves (Departures).

Arrivals

Just one this week, the last of the Siege of Terra series in paperback from. Flames of Betrayal combines the Era of Ruin short story anthology (review) alongside James Swallow’s novella Garro: Knight of Grey.

Departures

We’re getting this glut of terrific paperbacks right now, so I hope folks who missed out on them the first time around in hardcover are taking full advantage. First up is Jonathan Beer’s Necron story Tomb World, which had a terrific focus on the Imperium’s logistical vulnerability. I reviewed it here, and interviewed the author here.

The Remnant Blade showed Mike Vincent taking on the Night Lords- no small task after they’ve been so closely identified with Aaron Dembski-Bowden for so long! Vincent leans a little less into a sympathetic portrayal, navigating the Byzantine intrigues of the Chaos warbands (review).

Mike Brooks’s Voidscarred cleaned up at the awards last year, taking Best 30K/40K Novel in the Goonhammer Book Awards as well as runner-up for the official Black Library Book of the Year. TTB’s Falcon40K reviewed it here.

Finally, the gorgeous Special Edition of Jude Reid’s Armageddon: Season of Fire arrived this past weekend for any of you lucky devils who managed to snare one. Fetching in black and gold, it’s pure shelf candy.

ICYMI

Here’s what’s been going on this week for Warhammer content!

Warhammer Wordforge

• For this week’s featurette I jumped back into the pages of White Dwarf, taking a deep dive into the five-part serial The Chronicles of Bain by Black Library newcomer Neil Andrew Miller. I thought he knocked it out of the park, but don’t take my word for it- read it for yourself if you’ve got this year’s back issues handy!

• For the RPG players, this week’s Warhammer RPG Weekly looked at the new Sons of Russ release, as well as how Cubicle 7 Games’ releases are performing on the DriveThruRPG bestseller list.

Tabletop Battles

• The big news, of course, was that this was a Black Library Readers’ Hall of Fame week over at TTB. 2011 saw a trio of titles inducted, a respectable number but just a fraction of what got in for the star-studded Class of 2010.

  • Please don’t forget to vote! We’re using Google Forms now for the public voting, so it should be easy for everyone to make their voice heard for the Class of 2012!

• I returned to the Beyond the Black Library occasional series this week over on TTB, penning a review of White Feathers, Crimson Leaves- Aconyte’s latest Legend of the Five Rings novel from Black Library veteran Josh Reynolds (Neferata, Lukas the Trickster).

• While we’re afield of Warhammer for the moment, you can also check out Lynnding-Library’s BattleTech book review of By Civil Blood Betrayed, the third book in the Dominion Civil War tetralogy by Bryan Young.

Warhammer Community

• The Pages from the Black Books series continued this week with an excerpt for the Ultramarines. This is taken from 2015’s The Horus Heresy: Book 5: Tempest, and is a free download at the mothership!

• As discussed in detail above, here’s the link to the Black Library reveal this week. Plenty of goodies in our future.

WarhammerTV (paywalled)

• The final episode of the newest animated mini-series, Aeronautica Imperialis, dropped this week on WarhammerTV. Here’s the announcement over on the mothership, but you’ll need to be subscribed to enjoy the actual show.

• There’s also a new episode this week of Scribes and Scriveners, the Black Library interview feature. This time around they’ve corralled Denny Flowers to talk about Ghazghkull Thraka: Warlord of Warlords!

Around the Webway

• The Black Library subreddit’s most recent book discussion was, appropriately enough, Helsreach, by Aaron Dembski-Bowden.

• Jen and Keri of the WH40K Podcast took aim at Rich McCormick’s Zardu Layak: The Crimson Apostle this week, feeling it came up a little short. I can’t say I disagreed.

• We got a two-fer this week from Cinderfall Gaming! First up was the review of Death Rider by Rhuairidh James, and then Tom Huddleston’s The City of Lifestone. If that second one isn’t quite coming to mind, it was part of the “Warhammer Adventures” series aimed at younger readers. Not something you see reviewed every day!

Cold Open Stories

• This week’s featured story has an intriguing premise. My Name is Roboute by Jennie Ruskin looks at the life of a normal, everyday person in the Imperium, one whose name carries no small weight. “A name can affect a personality, in ways that go far beyond self-perception. It can influence not only how a person sees themselves, but how others see them too. Worse still, it can great expectations. His name is Roboute. His name is grand, a marker of greatness. But he is not.”

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Quick Hits

• It’s Scribe Award season again! These awards are kind of like the Oscars for the International Association of Media Tie-In Writers (IAMTW), awarding those creative voices who bring excellence to the world of tie-in writing (such as for Warhammer or any other established property). A number of our Black Library writers made the shortlist this year, and the winners in each category will be announced next month at the San Diego Comic-Con.

  • Josh Reynolds was nominated for Return of the Monster Men (Adapted)

  • Tim Waggoner (Skin Man) had three nominations: Terrifier 3: The Official Movie Novelization (Adapted), Conan: Spawn of the Serpent God (Original Novel – Speculative), and Conan: Marked for Death (Short Story)

  • Carrie Harris (The Strength of Symbols, A Forbidden Meal) for Snagged (YA/MG)

  • Sarah Cawkwell (Silver Skulls: Portents, Valkia the Bloody) for Thunder’s Edge – Echoes of Memory (Original Novel – General), which I reviewed here.

• The latest from Adrian Tchaikovsky (Starseer’s Ruin, On the Shoulders of Giants), Green City Wars, which he describes as “a cyber/solarpunk noir detective story starring a raccoon” arrived in bookshops this week!

• Gareth Hanrahan (Castle of the Exile, The View from Olympus) did an AMA over at the r/rpg subreddit, on the occasion of his latest venture, the Merryshire Detective Club RPG. Its crowdfunding launch is just three weeks away, and you can check out Wargamer’s terrific feature on it here.

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Coming Attractions

Here’s a list of the known 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.

This section will be updated weekly in this column, and anything in bold has been added (or updated) this week.

Upcoming but Undated

• Ghazghkull Thraka: Prophet of the Waaagh! (Illustrated and Annotated Edition), by Nate Crowley

• Ghosts of Cadia, by Rob Young (hardcover and Special Edition)

• Longshot, by Rob Young (hardcover)

• Mephiston: The Box Set, by Darius Hinks

• The Devastation of Baal, by Guy Haley (hardcover)

Current PODs in Production

• Hive, by Dan Abnett (Special Edition)

Upcoming in 2026

• False Gods, by Graham McNeill (hardcover and Premium, 7/4)

• Horus Rising, by Dan Abnett (Saga edition paperback, 7/4)

• Gloomspite, by Andy Clark (hardcover, 7/4)

• Rynn’s World, by Steve Parker (Special Edition, 7/11)

• For the Emperor (Illustrated and Annotated Edition), by Sandy Mitchell (7/11)

• The Sabbat Worlds Crusade, by Dan Abnett (hardcover, 7/11)

• Krakenblood, by Marc Collins (paperback, 7/11)

• Vagabond Squadron, by Robbie MacNiven (paperback, 7/11)

• Starseer’s Ruin, by Adrian Tchaikovsky (paperback, 7/11)

• Siege of Terra: Flames of Betrayal, by various (paperback, 7/18)

• Warhammer Age of Sigmar: The Ultimate Guide (hardcover, 8/11)

• Archmagos, by Guy Haley (paperback, 8/11)

• The Relentless Dead, by Steve Lyons (paperback, 8/11)

• Words of Waaagh!, by DK Books (hardcover, 10/6)

• The Sundering, by Gav Thorpe (paperback, 10/6)

Thanks again for joining me for all the going’s on in the Black Library, and see you next week!

Spare a moment’s thought for our friends on the other side of the world. While living in the Land Down Under or Middle Earth certainly has no shortage of benefits including extraordinary wildlife and Aussie Rules Football, they’re also on the bleeding edge of the Games Workshop preorder window.

That means when things go right, the only thing they have to worry about is their traditionally-lean allocation. When things go wrong, well… then they’re the ol’ canary in the coal mine.

This past weekend, things went very wrong indeed.

Saturday, of course, was a big preorder day for the Black Library as the second book in the Horus Heresy Saga, Graham McNeill’s False Gods, went up for preorder in both standard hardback and Premium editions. If you’re relatively new to the Black Library, let’s take a quick detour back to March of 2019 and this bad boy:

The Solar War by John French was the kickoff novel for the Siege of Terra series, each installment of which was released in a beautiful, Limited Edition leatherette treatment with embossed medallion. This series was catnip to collectors- and, naturally, chum in the water for scalpers. It’s difficult to overstate just how frustrating this era was for many, working to complete a collection of books that frequently sold out at near-instant speed.

As a result, we’ve been conditioned to chase these books like they’re front-row seats for a concert. If you’re not in the running the moment the gates open, well, there’s always eBay- and may the Emperor have mercy on your wallet. While it does appear that Games Workshop has taken steps to limit the influence of scalpers (implementing a Captcha and de-limiting the ‘Premium Editions,’ for instance), I think a lot of us go into the experience fearing the worst.

Folks in Australia and New Zealand experienced exactly that.

The Saturday Preorder Megathread on the Black Library subreddit showed story after story, but as the window of opportunity made its way Eastward things did seem to stabilize. Some problems in the UK… and then a very smooth experience for us in the US, with product being still available for longer than many expected.

Unsung Hero Award

It looks like the issues this time around were technical in nature, rather than being a supply problem. It’s unfortunate, but the site hasn’t been invented yet that’s impervious to technical misadventure (go ask our Magic: the Gathering-playing friends how “magical” an experience they have with Secret Lair drops). Being the tip of the global spear means you’re always going to be the guinea pig for high-demand order days, and I wish I could say there’s an upside to that beyond just serving as a warning for others.

But I do want to take a moment to recognize u/PedroDelCaso. Once GW had worked out the bugs and stock for the Oceania region was restored, this guy leapt into action like Paul Revere copying and pasting an alert to everyone and anyone that had been impacted.

Good on you, Pedro! When we look out for one another, that’s when a community truly becomes greater than the sum of its parts.

Penny for Your Thoughts (Conclusion)

Last week I asked subscribers to share their thoughts around the structure of the site, and thank you to all who did here, on Reddit, and elsewhere!

The general consensus seemed to be, “give us the tools to customize the notification emails we get from you, and we’ll take it from there!”

So here it is! Black Library content will be divided into two Sections.

Black Library Weekly will get you just the Monday column.

Black Library Features will get you everything else. That’s typically the Wednesday featurette (Audio Impressions, Show and Tell, Black Library Bibliophiles, etc.) as well as The Hall Monitor every other week.

And of course, there’s:

Role-Playing Games will get you all RPG content, from the weekly column on Fridays to anything else.

Again, this is just concerning email notifications for subscribers in an effort to make sure I’m not flooding people’s inboxes. If you need a refresher on how to add or remove what you’re subscribed too, I have a walkthrough here.

And with that, this should be the last site-based content you’ll have to sit through for awhile. Thank you to everyone helping to make the Warhammer Wordforge the best it can be!

Now, it’s a big week for new stuff, so I hope you’ve been saving up!

Arrivals & Departures

In this section I look at what’s coming up around the corner (Arrivals) and what’s landing on bookstore shelves (Departures).

Arrivals

Hooboy! It’s been quiet in the Black Library for a bit, so I guess we can’t be too surprised that we’ve just hit the first “Bonanza Week” we’ve had in awhile. There’s a crazy amount of goodies up for grabs this Saturday, including the Illustrated and Annotated Edition of Sandy Mitchell’s For the Emperor.

No product in recent times has gotten me more excited than the Illustrated and Annotated Editions. As I talked about in my review of Chris Wraight’s The Lords of Silence, these are simply an incredible value for dollar. Not only do you get a classic Warhammer story with some nice illustrations throughout, but the author’s additional commentary is absolute gold. Ciaphas Cain has left a huge mark on the Black Library, and being able to get into Mitchell’s head for a guided tour of the first book of the series is an opportunity you really shouldn’t miss.

As a reminder, unlike other deluxe editions these are distributed through Warhammer retailers in addition to being available online. If you’re worried about being able to obtain one when the preorder window opens on Saturday, check in with your friendly neighborhood Warhammer store or FLGS.

Next up we’ve got a new printing of Dan Abnett’s Sabbat Worlds Crusade. This has been offered before, including as part of a Limited Edition boxed set, but much like the iterations of the Imperial Infantryman’s Handbook it’s nice to see them periodically return for a new generation of readers and collectors.

A new Special Edition of Rynn’s World by Steve Parker was teased awhile back, and we’ve been waiting to see when it was gonna drop. Well, the wait is over! Originally part of the Space Marine Battles series and published in 2010, it sees the Crimson Fists fighting off an Ork invasion of their homeworld.

For those like me who take as much enjoyment from decorating their library (or museum) as stocking it, the new miniature of Ciaphas Cain (and his faithful sidekick Jurgen) are hitting the store shelves. You get a choice of bases, able to build them separately (as shown above) or together as a diorama.

I’ll admit I find the distinguished gentlemen unsettlingly simian in appearance here, but the ability to have a Cain diorama makes this a no-brainer all the same.