Haven't read as many BL books as I'd like. Begun the year with the goal of completing my first read-through of the Horus Heresy (seven books left) but got side-tracked by Dan Abnett's "The Hive". I am still halfway through (read the first book in a couple of days) but I doubt any BL novel will surpass it. He brings the "Dickensian aspect" (I borrowed the term from "The Wire") to the every day bleakness that is life inside a hive world. He works wonders with language and jargon but manages to weave a tapestry of characters that remain more relevant or crucial to the plot than the fateful events in the book. Looking forward to finishing it but I think I'll savour it for the summer holidays instead. I also dipped my reading toes inside the Old World (waiting for the Legend of Sigmar omnibus in the mail) and it turns out it is another wonder-filled, bottomless pit, of British grimdark fiction. Love how the Old World marries the bleak with humorous bringing to mind the literary excellence of Sword & Sorcery.
Right there with you on both counts! Hive is almost certainly going to be my BotY for 2026. And the old Warhammer Fantasy fiction is SUCH an underappreciated gem these days. I've nearly finished the audiobook of Drachenfels and it's been an incredible treat.
Indeed! I'm halfway through Callis & Toll at the moment. Very good sword & sorcery leaning in the hard-boiled/noir fiction I also love. It's a pity that old titles (like the Florin & Lorenzo omnibus) aren't available. Fingers crossed that they turn into a print-on-demand model for all past Black Library titles so we might enjoy them, scalpers free...
I have it but haven't yet read it, I recently went back through Eisenhorn (with the Illustrated/Annotated Editions), so I'm going to try and reread Ravenor before moving to it. Glad to hear it's as good as they say!
You are the first Substack channel I'm following. When I received an e-mail with the text I firstly thought that it was a regular Warhammer newsletter. I started reading and it was ... wait a minute, something is wrong, is it something different? I scrolled back and forth a few times thinking that maybe that's some kind of BL celebration newsletter :D Well, thanks for a great text! :)
was going through a pile of "shame" in terms of black library books this year and since buying kinda slowed down for me, i actually manage to catch up on the siege of terra, at least some parts where i know it would be bangers from the authors. The highlight from this year was echoes of eternity as i was waiting for my baby to be delievered. That book kept me going through the nervous waiting hours. (baby is healthy and fine now for 4 months and going!)
The one thing that really stands out to me in that book has to be Amit having that duel with the World Eater apocethary, and the line. eat shit, traitor. I think i snorted out loud when i got there. Overall, its reall grim and really dark throughout it all but I do understand now how it is like to be sanguinius, to be a guardsman, to be a loyal astartes and even the traitors. Absolute good read.
Love to hear it! I have a LONG way to go before I get to the Siege, since most of my reading is dictated by what needs to be reviewed (in other words, new books). Still, audiobooks have let me make a lot more progress than I was making in paper alone, and now there's a very real prospect of finishing it all in my lifetime. :D
Happy to recuse myself from the draw, having won recent giveaway and not really having space for books(can always squeeze in TTRPG books though :) )
But best BL book for me is one just finished a couple of days ago - Hive - amazing book with many great characters and storyline. I liked the beginning slice of life abd then when tension and dread rises, building to a strong finish.
My favorite book SO FAR this year has to be the Night Lords Trilogy (I know, I know… “that’s not one book, Isaac!”, Sue me, I couldn’t pick one of the three).
I’m re-reading Armageddon as I recently got the highly coveted LE, and I’ll be jumping into HIVE after that!
For me the absolute best black library book I’ve read this year is faith and fire. It just turned 20 so I picked up the anniversary edition and man was it a fun book. Absolute made me fall in love with the sisters of battle. I’m excited to pick up its sequel, unfortunately it’s going to be around 4 years before that book gets a anniversary edition so I may just have to find an old paperback or see if I can get lucky and find a good price on the old sister’s omnibus. But if anyone hasn’t read it I highly recommend it. It gives a great look at multiple elements and groups within the sisters of battle and I think it does a good job and considering it was their first novel their faction ever got it really does serve as a great introduction for new people to them.
Great shout, Zayne! I haven't read it yet, though I did pick up the 20th anniversary edition. For Swallow I did recently read Nemesis, which I really enjoyed for its espionage mission vibes that are right in Swallow's wheelhouse.
I'm still a rookie but the best BL book of the year for me is The Infinite and the Divine. Even beyond the comedy some particularly sharp bits of prose have stayed with me. I adore the first few pages about the forming maiden planet. Very happy to have scored the annotated edition.
Can NOT go wrong with that, top-shelf book from Rath that gets even better on the reread. I bet you're excited at the news this week of a sequel, I sure am!
Absolutely! Did not expect that AT ALL but I'm very happy, if only slightly disappointed they didn't go for the title formatting some meme threads were suggesting: "2 Infinite 2 Divine", "The Infinite and the Divine: Necromunda Drift", etc.
Best book of the year so far for me is Elemental Council. It pleasantly reminded me of Assasinorum Kingmaker by having more of a spy feel while also introducing a diverse cast that is hard not to care for.
Elemental Council is an extraordinary book! If you haven't before, make sure to check out Noah's blog for a lot more writings about the t'au and his experiences researching the book: https://www.noahvannguyen.com/blog
No need to include me in the giveaway as I already have a copy. Best BL book I’ve read this year has been Penitent. I’ve been on a mission to complete the Inquisition Series this year after starting my BL journey either the Eisenhorn trilogy last year. Finished the Ravenor omnibus, The Magos and Pariah earlier this year and I’m about 3/4 through Penitent. Even though I already know the big reveal at the end, I’ve still really enjoyed it. You can really see how DA has grown as a writer from those earlier works to Penitent. The action is crisper, the dialogue is more realistic, the exposition and scene setting is more contained.
Also wanted to comment about the “Spend Ask” section. I feel like this was the quickest turnaround for the majority of books listed in a BL WarCom article to preorder since I started last year. I feel like they would usually show ~4 books and then have them release one by one over the course of 1-3 months. I don’t recall them ever releasing 3/4 of the books immediately in the next Sunday Preview. So I wonder if this will be a recurring theme and that second half spend balloons even more as they announce and release books at a quicker pace.
I'm walking the same journey as you, just a little further back. I recently reread the Eisenhorn trilogy, this time in the Illustrated/Annotated Editions. I'm going to be working in Ravenor soon (probably in audiobook form), and from there I'll finally crack into Bequin.
Regarding spend ask, I'm reminded in the opposite way of last year's Master of Rites, by Rob Young. It was revealed in like March, and took more than half a year to finally arrive. You're right that this time it's felt like the complete opposite, a very quick turnaround. The only thing I'm sure of is that the second half of the year is going to hurt the wallet, but by what degree I'm keen to see!
Great to see some love for Brooks! That book was a huge performer, being the Goonhammer Book Award winner for Best Novel, and runner-up for the official Black Library Book of the Year. Quite an accomplishment!
I think he is my favorite Black Library author. Rereading his ork books right now and they are just delightful. Also really loved his Necromunda book. Wish they would put out more Necromunda novels but they seem to have abandoned those.
Best BL book I;ve read this year? Tough one. Hive is an astonishing bit of work, and a recent read of Space Marine for a Book Club episode of The Fluffenhammer was border-line revelatory, but gun to the head I'd probably say Archmagos, the latest in Guy Haley's entertaining adventures of Belisarius Cawl - I finished listening to it earlier today whilst riveting parts together and it's been a fun listen. Bonus points from this Long Fang for the amount of time spent fleshing out The Wolfspear and explicitly stating that there are now *multiple* Space Wolf successor Chapters running around :)
Ooh, how's the audio version of the Cawl trilogy? That's one I've been looking at getting recently. Hive is definitely book of the year material, and I'll be on the lookout for the Fluffenhammer rundown of Space Marine!
Love the Ork reference in the title. You have to respect a truly kunnin' strategy when it comes to navigating the Black Library landscape.
Finding clever ways to get the most out of the hobby without getting completely bottlenecked by limited print runs or soaring aftermarket prices is an art form in itself.
What is one "kunnin'" habit or resource you think almost every Black Library collector overlooks when they are first starting to build their library?
Haven't read as many BL books as I'd like. Begun the year with the goal of completing my first read-through of the Horus Heresy (seven books left) but got side-tracked by Dan Abnett's "The Hive". I am still halfway through (read the first book in a couple of days) but I doubt any BL novel will surpass it. He brings the "Dickensian aspect" (I borrowed the term from "The Wire") to the every day bleakness that is life inside a hive world. He works wonders with language and jargon but manages to weave a tapestry of characters that remain more relevant or crucial to the plot than the fateful events in the book. Looking forward to finishing it but I think I'll savour it for the summer holidays instead. I also dipped my reading toes inside the Old World (waiting for the Legend of Sigmar omnibus in the mail) and it turns out it is another wonder-filled, bottomless pit, of British grimdark fiction. Love how the Old World marries the bleak with humorous bringing to mind the literary excellence of Sword & Sorcery.
Right there with you on both counts! Hive is almost certainly going to be my BotY for 2026. And the old Warhammer Fantasy fiction is SUCH an underappreciated gem these days. I've nearly finished the audiobook of Drachenfels and it's been an incredible treat.
Indeed! I'm halfway through Callis & Toll at the moment. Very good sword & sorcery leaning in the hard-boiled/noir fiction I also love. It's a pity that old titles (like the Florin & Lorenzo omnibus) aren't available. Fingers crossed that they turn into a print-on-demand model for all past Black Library titles so we might enjoy them, scalpers free...
Best book this year so far has been Penitent. An amazing mess of factions and reveals and escalations.
I have it but haven't yet read it, I recently went back through Eisenhorn (with the Illustrated/Annotated Editions), so I'm going to try and reread Ravenor before moving to it. Glad to hear it's as good as they say!
Best so far this year for me is Dropsite Massacre!
A masterpiece, was my Book of the Year for 2025!
You are the first Substack channel I'm following. When I received an e-mail with the text I firstly thought that it was a regular Warhammer newsletter. I started reading and it was ... wait a minute, something is wrong, is it something different? I scrolled back and forth a few times thinking that maybe that's some kind of BL celebration newsletter :D Well, thanks for a great text! :)
Normally I'd expect to resemble an official BL channel only if I squinted really hard. :D
Though in fairness, the entire channel is a BL celebration of sorts. Thank you for the kind words, I truly appreciate it!
was going through a pile of "shame" in terms of black library books this year and since buying kinda slowed down for me, i actually manage to catch up on the siege of terra, at least some parts where i know it would be bangers from the authors. The highlight from this year was echoes of eternity as i was waiting for my baby to be delievered. That book kept me going through the nervous waiting hours. (baby is healthy and fine now for 4 months and going!)
The one thing that really stands out to me in that book has to be Amit having that duel with the World Eater apocethary, and the line. eat shit, traitor. I think i snorted out loud when i got there. Overall, its reall grim and really dark throughout it all but I do understand now how it is like to be sanguinius, to be a guardsman, to be a loyal astartes and even the traitors. Absolute good read.
Love to hear it! I have a LONG way to go before I get to the Siege, since most of my reading is dictated by what needs to be reviewed (in other words, new books). Still, audiobooks have let me make a lot more progress than I was making in paper alone, and now there's a very real prospect of finishing it all in my lifetime. :D
Happy to recuse myself from the draw, having won recent giveaway and not really having space for books(can always squeeze in TTRPG books though :) )
But best BL book for me is one just finished a couple of days ago - Hive - amazing book with many great characters and storyline. I liked the beginning slice of life abd then when tension and dread rises, building to a strong finish.
YES! Hive is almost certainly a lock for my BotY for 2026. I mean, you never know what the rest of the year might bring, but the bar is HIGH.
My favorite book SO FAR this year has to be the Night Lords Trilogy (I know, I know… “that’s not one book, Isaac!”, Sue me, I couldn’t pick one of the three).
I’m re-reading Armageddon as I recently got the highly coveted LE, and I’ll be jumping into HIVE after that!
You're in for a treat with Hive! And technically, an omnibus is one book, right? ADB's trilogy is some of the best 40K fiction around.
For me the absolute best black library book I’ve read this year is faith and fire. It just turned 20 so I picked up the anniversary edition and man was it a fun book. Absolute made me fall in love with the sisters of battle. I’m excited to pick up its sequel, unfortunately it’s going to be around 4 years before that book gets a anniversary edition so I may just have to find an old paperback or see if I can get lucky and find a good price on the old sister’s omnibus. But if anyone hasn’t read it I highly recommend it. It gives a great look at multiple elements and groups within the sisters of battle and I think it does a good job and considering it was their first novel their faction ever got it really does serve as a great introduction for new people to them.
Great shout, Zayne! I haven't read it yet, though I did pick up the 20th anniversary edition. For Swallow I did recently read Nemesis, which I really enjoyed for its espionage mission vibes that are right in Swallow's wheelhouse.
I'm still a rookie but the best BL book of the year for me is The Infinite and the Divine. Even beyond the comedy some particularly sharp bits of prose have stayed with me. I adore the first few pages about the forming maiden planet. Very happy to have scored the annotated edition.
Can NOT go wrong with that, top-shelf book from Rath that gets even better on the reread. I bet you're excited at the news this week of a sequel, I sure am!
Absolutely! Did not expect that AT ALL but I'm very happy, if only slightly disappointed they didn't go for the title formatting some meme threads were suggesting: "2 Infinite 2 Divine", "The Infinite and the Divine: Necromunda Drift", etc.
Best book of the year so far for me is Elemental Council. It pleasantly reminded me of Assasinorum Kingmaker by having more of a spy feel while also introducing a diverse cast that is hard not to care for.
Elemental Council is an extraordinary book! If you haven't before, make sure to check out Noah's blog for a lot more writings about the t'au and his experiences researching the book: https://www.noahvannguyen.com/blog
No need to include me in the giveaway as I already have a copy. Best BL book I’ve read this year has been Penitent. I’ve been on a mission to complete the Inquisition Series this year after starting my BL journey either the Eisenhorn trilogy last year. Finished the Ravenor omnibus, The Magos and Pariah earlier this year and I’m about 3/4 through Penitent. Even though I already know the big reveal at the end, I’ve still really enjoyed it. You can really see how DA has grown as a writer from those earlier works to Penitent. The action is crisper, the dialogue is more realistic, the exposition and scene setting is more contained.
Also wanted to comment about the “Spend Ask” section. I feel like this was the quickest turnaround for the majority of books listed in a BL WarCom article to preorder since I started last year. I feel like they would usually show ~4 books and then have them release one by one over the course of 1-3 months. I don’t recall them ever releasing 3/4 of the books immediately in the next Sunday Preview. So I wonder if this will be a recurring theme and that second half spend balloons even more as they announce and release books at a quicker pace.
I'm walking the same journey as you, just a little further back. I recently reread the Eisenhorn trilogy, this time in the Illustrated/Annotated Editions. I'm going to be working in Ravenor soon (probably in audiobook form), and from there I'll finally crack into Bequin.
Regarding spend ask, I'm reminded in the opposite way of last year's Master of Rites, by Rob Young. It was revealed in like March, and took more than half a year to finally arrive. You're right that this time it's felt like the complete opposite, a very quick turnaround. The only thing I'm sure of is that the second half of the year is going to hurt the wallet, but by what degree I'm keen to see!
Best BL book I have read this year is Voidscarred. Really enjoyed the writing the characters and seeing more of the corsairs.
Great to see some love for Brooks! That book was a huge performer, being the Goonhammer Book Award winner for Best Novel, and runner-up for the official Black Library Book of the Year. Quite an accomplishment!
I think he is my favorite Black Library author. Rereading his ork books right now and they are just delightful. Also really loved his Necromunda book. Wish they would put out more Necromunda novels but they seem to have abandoned those.
Best BL book I;ve read this year? Tough one. Hive is an astonishing bit of work, and a recent read of Space Marine for a Book Club episode of The Fluffenhammer was border-line revelatory, but gun to the head I'd probably say Archmagos, the latest in Guy Haley's entertaining adventures of Belisarius Cawl - I finished listening to it earlier today whilst riveting parts together and it's been a fun listen. Bonus points from this Long Fang for the amount of time spent fleshing out The Wolfspear and explicitly stating that there are now *multiple* Space Wolf successor Chapters running around :)
Ooh, how's the audio version of the Cawl trilogy? That's one I've been looking at getting recently. Hive is definitely book of the year material, and I'll be on the lookout for the Fluffenhammer rundown of Space Marine!
They've been pretty great - John Banks is an ace narrator and has really zeroed in on the voices for Cawl, Qvo, Alpha-Primus and Felix :)
The best Black Library book I've read this year would be a tie between Know no Fear and Dropsite Massacre...
Great choices, Know No Fear just got elected into the Black Library Readers' Hall of Fame today!
Love the Ork reference in the title. You have to respect a truly kunnin' strategy when it comes to navigating the Black Library landscape.
Finding clever ways to get the most out of the hobby without getting completely bottlenecked by limited print runs or soaring aftermarket prices is an art form in itself.
What is one "kunnin'" habit or resource you think almost every Black Library collector overlooks when they are first starting to build their library?