The Black Library Novella Series 1

Series · 10 books · 2018

By Nick Kyme, Danie Ware, Mike Brooks, and more

Books in series

The Bloodied Rose

2018

An Adepta Sororitas novella From the depths of a crumbling cathedral come bloodied nightmares, intent on fulfilling their dark purpose by any means necessary. Only one thing stands in their way: the wrathful, holy fire of the Adepta Sororitas. READ IT BECAUSE After her first Adepta Sororitas story, the fantastic 'Mercy', Danie Ware returns with a longer tale of Sister Superior Augusta and her squad bringing their faith and fury to their enemies. THE STORY From the blasphemy of the fallen… Our Emperor, deliver us. At the edge of the Imperium sits the fetid jungle world of Lautis. Amidst the creeping foliage and ancient monuments, a horror is rising. From the depths of a crumbling cathedral come bloodied nightmares, intent on fulfilling their dark purpose by any means necessary. Only one thing stands in their way: the wrathful, holy fire of the Adepta Sororitas. Filled with the light of the Emperor, Sister Superior Augusta and her squad are a force to be reckoned with. They are here to purge the darkness from Lautis with prayer and bolter, and nothing will stop them. But the things that dwell in the darkness aren’t afraid. Augusta must put her trust in her Battle Sisters and lead them into the shadows of the crypts in search of the truth. Faith and fire are powerful weapons, but will they be enough to defeat the sinister powers that lurk in the deeps?

Steel Daemon

2018

An Astra Militarum novella Separated from his unit, airman Heit Lytviak finds himself thrust into the front lines among the hardened veterans of a Cadian tank battalion. Forced to experience the full horror of war like never before, Heit must find an inner strength to stand against the darkness. READ IT BECAUSE With Cadia gone, it's fascinating to see how survivors carry on, and how they view their place in the galaxy without their home world in it. THE STORY The Thirteenth Black Crusade has been unleashed. The Cadian Gate burns, and the full forces of Chaos spill out from the Great Eye to lay siege to a reeling Imperium. Warbands from across Eyespace have rallied beneath the banner of Abbadon the Despoiler and his Black Legion, few among them more dreaded than the Crimson Slaughter. Descending upon the planet Regallus, the fallen angels who once protected mankind now seek to butcher it, looking to add one more world to their bloody tally. For the Imperial soldiers that oppose them, it is a battle for survival. Separated from his unit, airman Heit Lytviak finds himself thrust into the front lines among the hardened veterans of a Cadian tank battalion. Forced to experience the full horror of war like never before, Heit must find an inner strength to stand against the darkness. But will it be enough to save him?

Auric Gods

2018

An Adeptus Custodes novella When Shield-Captain Cartovandis receives a mysterious distress call from the planet Vorganthian, he gathers a band of Custodians to hunt down those responsible, before warp-madness has a chance to reach its true target… READ IT BECAUSE The superhuman heroes of the Adeptus Custodes are newly returned to the galaxy at large after millennia on Terra – how will they adapt to their new role, and can they hope to defend an Imperium on the edge of ruin? THE STORY For millennia the Adeptus Custodes have stayed true to their sworn duty – defend holy Terra and the God-Emperor to their very last breath. But when the Great Rift tears the Imperium apart, loosing tides of daemons upon mankind, they are faced with a dilemma. Should they continue to guard the Palace and the Golden Throne, or take to the stars to proactively root out the Ultimate Enemy? When Shield-Captain Cartovandis receives a mysterious distress call from the planet Vorganthian, he gathers a band of Custodians to investigate. When they arrive, they find a world in the grip of self-annihilation, overrun by Chaos cultists. In a race against time, the Custodians must find out what has happened, and hunt down those responsible, before the madness has a chance to reach its true target – something much closer to their hearts.

Spear of Ultramar

2018

A Horus Heresy novella Roboute Guilliman’s path through the Ruinstorm crosses through the Charchera system, and here Warsmith Khrossus and a lone company of Iron Warriors have been given a fateful mission. At all costs, they must hold back the Ultramarines… READ IT BECAUSE For the first time ever, the full truth of why the Ultramarines failed to reach Terra in time for the siege is revealed. Read this novella and discover just how determined the Iron Warriors were to stop the Avenging Son… THE STORY The Siege of Terra looms, and the fate of the galaxy balances on a razor’s edge. Roboute Guilliman leads the immense fleet of the Ultramarines in a race towards the Throneworld, and such is the power he commands that he could turn the tide of the war in the loyalists’ favour. As determined as Guilliman is to reach Terra, Horus is as resolute in delaying his brother primarch until it is too late. Guilliman’s path through the Ruinstorm crosses through the Charchera system, and here Warsmith Khrossus and a lone company of Iron Warriors have been given a fateful mission. At all costs, they must hold back the Ultramarines. Guilliman foresees the coming ambush, but he has no choice but to plunge into it, and so begins a desperate struggle where the passage of every second could mark the difference between survival or extinction for the Imperium.

Dreadwing

2018

A Horus Heresy novella With the Ruinstorm broken and the forces of Guilliman and Sanguinius making all haste for Terra, the Dark Angels lead a bloody campaign of annihilation against the worlds of the Traitor Legions. READ IT BECAUSE Just what did the Lion do while the traitors descended on Terra? David Guymer reveals how the Lion gave in to fury, and what stopped him from breaking his Legion against an endless tide of enemies. THE STORY With the Ruinstorm broken and the forces of Guilliman and Sanguinius making all haste for Terra, the Dark Angels lead a bloody campaign of annihilation against the worlds of the Traitor Legions. But as the Legion fragments and the tally of shattered worlds between them and Terra grows, it falls to the Wing lieutenants to question whether the Lion still wages a war he intends to win – or one he has already lost.

Wanted

Dead

2018

A Necromunda novella When an ambush in the underhive goes wrong, and a Guilder gets killed, an Escher gang suddenly find themselves outlawed. Now the hunters have become the hunted, and everyone is after their blood… READ IT BECAUSE It's a rare excursion into the underhive, where we'll see what happens when gang warfare turns sneaky… THE STORY In the teeming hives of Necromunda, from the highest peaks to the lowest depths, life is a constant fight for survival. When an ambush in the Underhive goes wrong, and a Guilder gets killed, an Escher gang suddenly find themselves outlawed. Now the hunters have become the hunted, and everyone is after their blood – enforcers, bounty hunters, even other gangs. With their leader dead, Jarene has to take control and save the lives of herself and her sisters in arms, as well as restoring the honour of their gang. For the fateful ambush was no accident, and the true culprits need to face justice.

Warqueen

2018

A Warhammer Age of Sigmar novella With the Blood God’s legions massing at their borders, Darkoath Warqueen, Vedra the Sworn, finds treachery and deceit at the heart of her own army. READ IT BECAUSE It's a look at the internecine warfare of the Dark Gods' followers, and a particular focus on the Darkoath tribes who make up a huge part of the forces of Chaos. THE STORY In the scarred wastelands to the south of the Great Parch, the Darkoath Tribes dominate through ritual and slaughter. Devoted to Tzeentch, the Chaos God of Change, their wild savagery has been transformed into something far greater and more potent. For centuries, the tribes have ruled the Arad Plains, unbeaten and untamed, even as kingdoms rose and fell around them. But now, with the Blood God’s legions massing at their borders, Darkoath Warqueen, Vedra the Sworn, finds treachery and deceit at the heart of her own army. Years of dark service to Tzeentch have left her warriors obsessed with strange creeds and wayward cults. As she battles to forge a nation, Vedra must put her own faith to the test, and learn the true nature of sacrifice and power.

The Red Hours

2018

A Warhammer Age of Sigmar novella At the bleeding edge of Chamon sits a lone outpost: The Grave of Heroes. Once a great fortress, it’s now no more than a thinly disguised prison for soldiers the armies of Sigmar would rather forget… READ IT BECAUSE A unique setting, compelling characters and an action-driven plot combine with Evan Dicken's fantastic prose to create an unmissable novella. THE STORY At the bleeding edge of Chamon sits a lone outpost: The Grave of Heroes. Once a great fortress, it’s now no more than a thinly disguised prison for soldiers the armies of Sigmar would rather forget. Into this oubliette comes Byrun Hess, disgraced Captain of the Sigmarite forces, who finds himself buried in a dead-end posting with a tiny garrison, ranging from the undisciplined to the almost heretical. While Hess attempts to instill some measure of discipline, one of Chamon’s brutal shardstorms quickly shifts his priorities to simple survival. Things go from bad to worse when the garrison’s Warden is viciously murdered in a bloody scene that shows signs of dark sorcery, and tempers flare as the survivors accuse each other of the crime. Not sure who to trust, Hess' disquiet is compounded by the chilling discovery of a newly exposed ancient vault in the mountainside that once confined a terrifying supernatural force – the likes of which these mortals have never seen before.

The Bone Desert

2018

A Gotrek Gurnisson novella When a series of assassination attempts strike, Gotrek and his companion soon learn that it is not only ravenous beasts and sinking sands that hunger for their flesh… READ IT BECAUSE Gotrek's back in prose, in the first follow-up to the audio drama Realmslayer. New adventures with a new companion – but perhaps an old enemy – await the Slayer! THE STORY The world that Gotrek Gurnisson knew is long dead, alongside every soul the legendary monster slayer once cared for. Adrift in this curious new age, the duardin scours the treacherous Bone Desert in search of the axe he inherited from the God Grimnir, which too has been lost to the annals of time. When a series of assassination attempts strike, Gotrek and his aelf companion Maleneth soon learn that it is not only the wasteland’s ravenous beasts and sinking sands that hunger for their flesh. The heroic duardin is certain these highly calculated and creative attacks are the work of his infamous nemesis – the skaven, Thanquol. But is all as it seems?

#10

Heart of Winter

2018

A Warhammer Age of Sigmar novella Fleetmaster Arika Zenthe travels to the icy frontier of the Realm of Beasts to find and kill her father, the legendary Zarkand Zenthe, only to find herself caught up in the cruel aelf’s plans for conquest. READ IT BECAUSE The aelves haven't been explored much in the Age of Sigmar, and this tale delves into the politicking and cruelty of the corsairs who ply the seas of the Mortal Realms. THE STORY Fleetmaster Arika Zenthe travels to the icy frontier of the Realm of Beasts to find and kill her father, the legendary Zarkand Zenthe, only to find herself caught up in the cruel aelf’s plans for conquest. Captured and poisoned by the very man she sought to slay, Arika faces a desperate race against time to retrieve an ancient artefact known as the Heart of Winter, which possesses the power to quench the magical fires safeguarding the free city of Izalend – Zarkand Zenthe’s intended target. Arika Zenthe will have to employ every ounce of her ruthlessness and cunning to retrieve the Heart from the depths of the haunted Druichan forest, turn the tables on her father and prevent his empire-building schemes.

Authors

Nick Kyme

Author · 73 books

Nick Kyme (b. 1977) writes mostly for Black Library. His credits include the popular Salamanders series and several audio dramas.

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.

Robbie MacNiven is a Scottish author and historian. His published fiction includes over a dozen novels, many fantasy or sci-fi works for IPs such as Warhammer 40,000 and Marvel's X-Men. He has also written two novellas, numerous short stories and audio dramas, has worked on narrative and character dialogue for multiple digital games (SMITE: Blitz and Age of Sigmar: Storm Ground), has written the colour text for multiple RPG rulebooks and has penned the scripts for two graphic novels and two comics, for Osprey Publishing and Commando Comics respectively. In 2022 his X-Men novel "First Team" won a Scribe Award. On the non-fiction front, Robbie specialises in Early Modern military history, particularly focussing on the 18th century. He has a PhD in American Revolutionary War massacres from the University of Edinburgh - where he won the Compton Prize for American History - and an MLitt in War Studies from the University of Glasgow. Along with numerous articles for military history magazines he has written four books on different aspects of the American Revolutionary War, three for Osprey Publishing and the latest for Helion Books. He has also written the scripts for eight episodes of the hit YouTube educational channel Extra Credits. Outside of work and writing, his passions include re-enacting, gaming, and following Rangers FC home and away.