Black Library Advent Calendar 2019

Series · 17

books · 2019

By Graham McNeill, Jake Ozga, Nicholas Kaufmann, and more

Books in series

Illyrium

2019

A Primarchs audio drama On the Macragge's Honour, Ultramarines Sergeant Ammon defends the primarch's chamberlain, Tarasha Euten. He doesn't expect that even in the midst of danger, the venerable woman has a lesson to impart.... As the Ultramarines flagship Macragge's Honour comes under attack, Seargeant Ammon rushes to the quarters of Tarasha Euten, the primarch's chamberlain. Euten has been by Guilliman's side since he was a child and counselled him across the decades. Old in body but still sharp and wise, she gives the sergeant a lesson in leadership, using an example from the primarch's youth. Prepare to discover how young Roboute conquered the hill tribes and brought peace to Macragge...just not in the way the history books record. Written by Darius Hinks. Running time 28 minutes. Performed by Barnaby Edwards, Jonathan Keeble, Penelope Rawlins and Andrew Wincott

The Crystal Cathedral

2019

An Adepta Sororitas story The discovery of a long-lost cathedral brings joy to the Order of the Bloody Rose… until an unexpected attack turns their celebration into a desperate fight for survival. READ IT BECAUSE Witness the power and the danger of faith through the eyes of Sister Augusta as a celebration of their religion puts the Sisters of Battle into harm's way. THE STORY On Caro, the smallest moon of the planet Lena Beta, there stands a miracle. In a gorge on the moon is a cathedral to the Emperor made from pure, black glass. Sister Augusta and her fellow Battle Sisters from the Order of the Bloody Rose stand guard over this most unexpected find, taking joy in its presence – for this place was built to honour fallen sisters of their order more than a millennium ago. Yet their peace cannot last. As they mark the moment with a solemn service, an unexpected attack leaves the sisters forced to bring death to this holy place, whether they want to or not.

Reflections in Steel

2019

A Warhammer Age of Sigmar story Taken by Chaos raiders, young Kenji suffers as a slave… but does he have the strength to step onto the Eightfold Path and join his captors as a champion of Chaos? READ IT BECAUSE See how insidious the wiles of Chaos can be in the Mortal Realms, and the ways in which the Dark Gods can ensnare an unwary soul THE STORY The town of Kyoshima has survived many perils, from vicious grot wolf riders to warbands of feral flesh-eaters. Now, doom has finally come in the form of Kravoth's Reavers, followers of the Dark Gods. The fortunate died quickly – young Kenji suffers a worse fate, rescued from death by the raiders' leader, Gharm, and taken as a slave. In his captivity, he sees just one hope of survival – to join his captors. Can Kenji walk the Eightfold path, or will he be consumed by the darkness?

A Question of Taste

2019

A Necromunda story Life is very different uphive than it is for the inhabitants of the underhive… but one thing remains the same – you can never trust anyone. READ IT BECAUSE Discover the life of Necromundan nobles, and how their subtle politicking is every bit as deadly as the gang wars that rage far below. THE STORY In Necromunda's Hive Primus, life is very different for those who toil in the underhive and those who live up-hive, far above the planet's scarred surface. In the underhive, life is cheap. Up-hive, it is very, very expensive – and a commodity to be sold, not least by the guilds who grind down the remains of the dead into corpse-starch to feed the masses. When one such noble hosts a dinner with representatives of other guilds, the true cost of life becomes clear – as does one of the ways in which life is the same no matter where in the hive you live – there will always be war…

Strong Bones

2019

A Warhammer Age of Sigmar story A trio of ogors go in search of food, but find something vile and monstrous – fleshless horrors that definitely don't make good eating… READ IT BECAUSE Find out how the ogors of the Mortal Realms view the Ossiarch Bonereapers, and what they do when they can't eat their foes. THE STORY Stugkor, Aldok and Chigger are young ogors, devotees of the Everwinter who follow their stomachs – even when they're told not to by their tribe's elders. Embarking on a raid on a human settlement, the trio find that their prey has already been taken – and turned into undead monsters of bone. Worst of all, their flesh has been abandoned to rot uneaten… The three ogors discover to their horror that their prey have now become the predators…

Serpents of Ardemis

2019

A Warhammer 40,000 story Attending a grand ball on a distant world, Navigators Lady Chettamandey and Lord Azariel are drawn into political intrigue with deadly consequences. READ IT BECAUSE See an episode from the life of Navigator nobles set before the events of the novel Rites of Passage. THE STORY Lady Chettamandey and Lord Azariel of the Navigator House Brobantis visit the world of Ardemis for the governor's annual ball – but it's not just dancing and drinks on the agenda. Contracts and politics are at stake. When an anonymous note is left in their chambers providing just the information they need, it falls to Chetta and Azariel to untangle a twisted web of motivations and get to the heart of a mystery. Written by Mike Brooks

#11

The Child Foretold

2019

A Warhammer Horror story A chance encounter sets a farmer on the path to destruction on a world being slowly choked by alien flora. READ IT BECAUSE Experience a tight, gripping thriller in which you won't be sure where the true threat lies until the final revelation… THE STORY On the agri world of Ballard's Run, an invasive alien weed is killing the crops and blighting the farmers who have dedicated their lives to working the land. Kavel is one such labourer. A former member of the planet's militia, he lost his family fighting the orks a decade ago. Now the so-called 'warrior weed' threatens to take all that he has left. But fate has other plans for him… A chance encounter with a wounded woman sets him on a collision course with a group that plans to bring destruction to Ballard's Run – and nothing will stand in their way.

#15

Champions, All

2019

A Warhammer 40,000 story Black Templars Emperor's Champion Cenric and a penitent Sister Repentia face an alien warlord amidst the ruins of a once-mighty Imperial fortress. READ IT BECAUSE Discover how the exalted Emperor's Champion views Battle Sisters of the Adepta Sororitas – and how even those deemed sinners and seeking penance can be heroes. THE STORY For 47 years, the Edioch Crusade has burned its way across the galaxy, bringing the Emperor's light to xenos, heretics and unbelievers alike. When they encounter a once-glorious Imperial fortress brought low and occupied by vile greenskins, the Black Templars and Adepta Sororitas of the Crusade resolve to put the aliens to the sword. For Brother Cenris, Emperor's Champion of the Crusade, the battle brings him into contact with a Sister Repentia, Penance. Together they will face a horrific foe and prove that all the Crusade's warriors are champions. Written by Marc Collins

#16

The Age of Enlightenment

2019

A Warhammer Age of Sigmar story Hamilcar Bear-eater teams up with the Knights of the Heldenhammer to defend an ancient Stormvault – but are they defending what lies within the structure, or keeping it imprisoned? READ IT BECAUSE Enjoy another outrageous tale of Hamilcar, and see his interactions with the most sinister of the Stormcast Eternals, as well as something infinitely darker and more terrible. THE STORY The mighty Hamilcar Bear-eater returns to battle! When fortune brings him to the Unchained Lands, where the forces of the Free Cities wage war on the Nighthaunt hordes of Nagash, he seizes a chance for glory and joins the fight. But Hamilcar is not the only Stormcast Eternal in the battle – and the Lord-Celestant Settrus. master of a warhost of Knights of the Heldenhammer, is no friend of the Bear-eater. Yet they have common cause as they fight to stop the hordes of Death from defiling an ancient Stormvault… but what lies within may be more dangerous than all the spirits and skeletal constructs of Shyish.

#17

The Sanguinalia Day Massacre

2019

A Necromunda story Every warrior has a story. For Thrax, who fights in the underhive death-pits, it is a tale of hardship, tragedy and murder. Discover it now… READ IT BECAUSE Experience a story told in an unusual way, as you'll learn the truth of Thrax's life and situation across a series of vignettes. THE STORY Life is hard in Necromunda's underhive. Is it any wonder that the blood-soaked spectacle of the pit fights is so popular? For Pitboss Barras, it's his living – and a good one. So when Thrax, a convicted murderer and Orlock ganger who killed his own parents, becomes available to add to his fights, he seizes it. But there's more to Thrax's story than meets the eye, and it will culminate in the arena as he faces Barras' star attractions…

#18

Broken Saints

Part 1

2019

An Adepta Sororitas audio drama. Sister Adamanthea, revered by the faithful as a symbol of the Emperor's will, must cast her doubts aside when disaster strikes during a holy parade. Listen to It because: Hear another side of the Adepta Sororitas through the eyes of a Battle Sister who has returned from Repentia to the sisterhood. The story: Sister Adamanthea is an oddity among the Adepta Sororitas - a Sister Repentia who has been cleansed of her sin and returned to her duty, rather than finding penance in death. Seen by the faithful as a living miracle, she herself is unsure. Still feeling the weight of her crime, she wonders if she belongs in the sisterhood at all. When she is forced to appear with a famed priest on a most holy day, Adamanthea's doubts itensify...until disaster strikes.

#21

Skull Throne

2019

A Warhammer Horror story A resident of the Realm of Death faces horror when Chaos raiders come to their home – can they survive and turn the tables on their foes? READ IT BECAUSE Discover a twisted and twisting tale of existential crisis in Shyish, where nothing is as it seems. THE STORY Life in the wild places of Shyish is not as life elsewhere in the Mortal Realms. How could it be, when Shyish is the Realm of Death itself? For one inhabitant of that benighted land, the dream of life within death becomes a nightmare when dark invaders come to Shyish and takes their skull for the pleasure of a dark god. Yet even death isn't always permanent in Nagash's domain, and the sole warrior has the chance to fight again and avenge themselves on their foes…

#22

The Test of Faith

2019

A Dark Angels story A mission to cleanse a xenos infestation from a vast mining carrier turns into a test of faith and purity for a pair of Dark Angels Chaplains. READ IT BECAUSE Experience the strained relationship between the Dark Angels and their new Primaris recruits in a tale of brutal battle and shocking betrayal. THE STORY The integration of Primaris Space Marines into the many Chapters across the Imperium has not always been easy. For the Dark Angels, with their many secrets, it is perhaps most difficult of all. On a mission to clear xenos-influenced traitors from massive mining vehicles on an airless world, Interrogator-Chaplain Raguel is all too aware of the threat the new recruits pose to the Chapter's uneasy balance. His pupil. Hadariel, is the first Primaris Chaplain to be considered for inclusion in the Dark Angels' Inner Circle – but can Belisarius Cawl's engineered warriors really be trusted with the deepest secrets of the Lion's sons?

#23

Assassinorum

Divine Sanction

2019

A Warhammer 40,000 story A Callidus Assassin's mission is imperilled when an agent of another temple interrupts her. Can she salvage victory, or will her task end in ignominious failure? READ IT BECAUSE Enjoy a fast-paced tale packed with mystery, drama and a host of twists and turns. THE STORY For months, a lone Callidus Assassin has insinuated herself into a human society that is in danger of falling to the deviant philosophy of the T'au Empire. When her time to strike comes, she is beaten to her kill by a lone gunshot, made from a nigh-impossible distance and angle. A shot that could only be made by an Assassin of the Vindicare temple. With her mission in ruins, the Callidus tries to unravel the mystery and ensure that she can salvage victory from the brink of defeat.

#24

Morningstar

2019

A Primarchs audio drama Ahriman and Magnus the Red return to the ruins of Tizca in search of power – but to find it, long-buried truths must be brought to light… The Thousand Sons have thrown in their lot with the traitor Horus, and Terra awaits them. Their appointed task shall be to break the psychic defences around the Imperial Palace – but not even Magnus the Red has the magical might to defy the Emperor's will so brazenly. He needs a weapon. Amidst the ruins of the city of Tizca lies what he needs, the legacy of a world long dead and a war that brings shame to the Crimson King. Now, he and his favoured son Ahriman seek that weapon – and Ahriman will also have answers to questions he didn't even know need asked... Written by Graham McNeill. Running time 24 minutes. Performed by Sean Connolly, Richard Reed & Claire Wyatt.

#25

Armageddon Saint

2019

A Last Chancers novel – available first as an eBookl! When Lieutenant Kage of the 13th Penal Legion seemingly returns to life, he becomes a symbol for the Emperor's servants… but his old commander Colonel Schaeffer has plans for Kage. READ IT BECAUSE It's the triumphant return of fan-favourite characters, thrown into another mission where chances of survival are slim and only the strongest can hope to prevail. THE STORY Lieutenant Kage of the 13th Penal Legion is dead, his charred remains lost to the depths of a fiery chasm. But as his battalion – the Last Chancers – mourns, a new hero rises from the ashes. The Burned Man. Kage’s miraculous survival attracts a cult of desperate followers, who believe him sent to the ork-infested world of Armageddon by the God-Emperor Himself. However, the rampaging greenskins are not the only threat to his new life. The ruthless Colonel Schaeffer, his former commander, has seen through his ploy and will stop at nothing to bring his errant charge to justice… Yet unbeknownst to both men, darker powers yearn to see Armageddon bathed and bound in blood. Kage and Schaeffer must put the ghosts of their past aside and unite, or see the Emperor’s Light forevermore extinguished upon this tortured world. Written by Gav Thorpe

#26

The Oubliette

2019

A chilling Warhammer Horror novel set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. Do you dare cross the threshold of The Oubliette? With the death of Ruprekt Matkosen, his daughter Ashielle is now the Lord Governor of Ceocan. Her father’s murderers still lurk in the shadows, threatening not only her rule but every mortal soul under her protection. Even her own people cannot be trusted: any one of them may be part of the poisonous plot to destroy her family. Deep beneath the palace, locked away from all human contact, Ashielle finds a weapon unlike any other: a monster, more adept at hunting in the darkness than any assassin. Allying with such a horror is surely blasphemy. But with doom lurking around every corner, Ashielle is forced to revive an ancient pact with the beast. But she soon discovers that her family’s mortal enemies are not the only evil that hungers to consume her.

Authors

Nicholas Kaufmann is the Bram Stoker Award-, Thriller Award-, Shirley Jackson Award-, and Dragon Award-nominated author of numerous books and stories. In addition to his own work, he has written for such properties as Zombies vs. Robots, The Rocketeer, and Warhammer. He lives in Brooklyn, NY with his wife.

Mike Brooks was born in Ipswich, Suffolk and moved to Nottingham when he was 18 to go to university. He’s stayed there ever since, and now lives with his wife, two cats, two snakes and a collection of tropical fish. When not working for a homelessness charity he plays guitar and sings in a punk band, watches football (soccer), MMA and nature/science documentaries, goes walking in the Peak District or other areas of splendid scenery, and DJs wherever anyone will tolerate him. And, y’know, writes.

Denny Flowers

Author · 6 books

Danny Flowers is a writer of Warhammer 40k, Age of Sigmar, and Necromunda fiction. He submitted his first Black Library story during open submissions in 2018.

Robert Rath is an author and screenwriter from Honolulu, Hawai'i. As an author, he's known for working with the publisher Black Library, writing fiction set in the worlds of Warhammer. His work for them includes the necrons novel THE INFINITE AND THE DIVINE, the assassins novel ASSASSINORUM: KINGMAKER, the Warhammer Crime novella "Bleedout," and numerous short stories. Since 2018 he's served as Head Writer of the animated YouTube show Extra History, where his scripts have attracted over 150 million views He lives in Hong Kong with his family, amid and a growing pile of models he *swears* are for research.

Michael R. Fletcher

Author · 19 books

Michael R. Fletcher is a science fiction and fantasy author, a grilled cheese aficionado, and a whiskey-swilling reprobate. He spends his days choreographing his forklift musical (titled "Get Forked"), and using caffeine as a substitute for sanity. Any suggestions that he is actually Dyrk Ashton in disguise are all lies. Blog (kinda): http://michaelrfletcher.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MichaelRFlet... Twitter: @FletcherMR Instagram: fletcher_michael_r