Warhammer Wednesday: The New Chaos Defiler

I may be slightly late to the party on this one*, but I become aware that Games Workshop have released a new Defiler deamon engine for Warhammer 40,000.

Seeing this reminded me that there is a scene in my Warhammer 40K novel Iron Hands where Iron Father Gdolkin goes up against a Chaos Defiler. Iron Hands is available to buy as an eBook from Black Library, and here's an extract to give you a taster...

The wall at an angled junction ahead of them had collapsed into the defile, creating a slope of spoil and earth leading up out of the labyrinthine network of trenches. Then the Iron-Father saw a shape looming up over the crest of the trench, between the Iron Hands and the ordinatus, that made their struggle so far seem like nothing more than a combat training session.

The monstrosity rose up before Iron-Father Gdolkin and his battlebrethren like some obscene amalgam of machine and unholy warp entity, a crab-like creature in form, all pistoning claw-limbs, studded with snagging barbs and cruel spikes. Mounted upon this clanking undercarriage was a baroquely forged gun-turret tank-body in which was contained the malevolent entity whose presence leaked from the rusted war engine like acid, tainting the very air around it with vileness. The main gargoylemouthed cannon of the monstrous construct was ably supported by the reaping gun of an autocannon of archaic design. A robotic arm flexed and stretched like living steel, culminating in a mass of mechadendrite tentacles, writhing with an unnatural life of their own.

Above the thorax portion of this oil- and slime-dripping creation of Chaos, a daemonic visage, formed of rust-discoloured steel, stared down on the Space Marines, as if they were nothing more than insects, baleful witchfires burning behind its eye-slits. A ragged plague standard fluttered in the steady wind blowing over the battlefield above the trench line bearing the unmistakable insignia of the Plague God and the name of the blasphemy: Ebolus. It stung Gdolkin's remaining biological eye to look upon it and he could see glyphs of the Lord of Decay forming in the rusty scars covering the metal of the machine. Each joint was emblazoned with the eight-pointed star of the Fell Powers.

Gdolkin shivered involuntarily. The whole horrific fusion of machine and Chaos-spawned daemon drew a toxic miasma of noxious fumes with it, more polluting than the industry-ruined atmosphere of Fornax Orbis Majoris. It clung to the construct like a second skin, and made the air feel greasy. Sooty exhaust turrets coughed yet more foulness into the air from the impossible engine, pounding its pistons inside the machine beast like the beating of some daemonic metal heart.

'Ferrus be with me.' Gdolkin muttered, feeling the power source of his axe thrumming in his right hand... 

To continue reading the story, click here to buy Iron Hands from the Black Library today.

* As in about six weeks late!

Warhammer Wednesday: Best Black Library sales

Today I received my latest royalty statement from Games Workshop. It may be a while since I last wrote for Black Library but I still get a few pounds and pence in royalties each year from sales of my novels and short stories, thanks to the prevalence of eBooks.

I thought it might be interesting to share the best-selling titles, based on earnings. So, here we go...

1) Iron Hands

2) The Relic - published in the Warhammer 40,000 anthology Legends of the Space Marines.

3) But Dust in the Wind

4) Journey of the Magi

5) Paradise - published in the Necromunda anthology Uprising.

Warhammer Wednesday: Sticks and Stones

I haven't done one of these for a while - a Warhammer Wednesday post.

However, with the news that the Orc & Goblin Tribes Arcane Journal is soon to be released for Warhammer: The Old World, it seemed as good a time as any to remind you* that my Empire vs. Orcs short story Sticks and Stones is available to download as an eBook from the Black Library.

War against orcs and goblins is never easy for the soldiers of the Empire. Their foes and savage and brutal and revel in battle. and never more so than when a mighty idol of their gods marches to war alongside them, fuelled by magic and the power of the Waaagh! In the midst of battle, it falls to Rutger Erlang and his pistolier comrades to deal with the manifestation of Gork (or is it Mork?) and prevent the total destruction of the Empire army.

The Bretonnian Grail Reliquae was recently featured on the Warhammer: The Old World home page. I also wrote a story about one of these back in the day, entitled Sir Dagobert's Last Battle, which can be found in Issue #9 of Hammer and Bolter .

 * Or let you know, if you're new to this blog.

Gamebook Monday: Jonathan Green meets Jordan Sorcery

I was recently interviewed by Jordan Sorcery about my work for Fighting Fantasy and the Black Library, and the video went live yesterday. And you can watch it here...

It was nice to be given the opportunity to talk about things people don't often ask me out, such as my involvement with Games Workshop and the early days of the Black Library. However, having watched the interview back, I must apologise for the number of times I use the word 'fun' during the course of our conversation.

Jordan Sorcery has been putting out some fantastic content on his YouTube channel and has interviewed the likes of Sir Ian Livingstone, Rick Priestley, Alessio Cavatore, Gav Thorpe and Andy Chambers, to name but a few. You will also find an interactive history of Fighting Fantasy gamebooks on there.

Warhammer Wednesday: Warhammer eBooks

Monday saw the release of Krakenbane's Curse, a new Age of Sigmar short story by Yours Truly. 

A few of the short stories I have written for Black Library over the years are available as digital eShorts and three of the six novels I have written set within the Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000 universes as eBooks. Why not check out one of them today?

 

Krakenbane's Curse - A Warhammer Age of Sigmar story

Today sees the launch of the Warhammer Age of Sigmar eShorts Subscription, which includes my first, and probably only, Age of Sigmar short story. Not only that, but from today you can buy Krakenbane's Curse as a standalone story.

"The forces of Death and Order clash on the high seas of the Mortal Realms."

I wouldn't read the story synopsis on the Black Library website if I were you, as it gives away one of the major twists of the story.

My last Black Library short story was published three years ago, almost to the day, and that was the Necromunda-set Paradise. The reason why it has taken so long for another tale to appear is a story in and of itself.

Ten months bfore Paradise was published, my Warhammer 40,000 short story Journey of the Magi appeared, and that was my first new Black Library story for six years. However, because of the leadtime for Black Library publications, I actually started pitching stories for Warhammer Age of Sigmar towards the end of 2019, and from a list of three, one was selected to go forward to full submission.

To give you an idea of how stories can change, the title went from Gloomtide to Scourgetide, to Black Tide, until finally settling on Krakenbane's Curse, with the outline of the story changing slightly every time as well. 

The story was commissioned in March 2020, just as Covid-19 hit. In no time at all, the UK was in lockdown and the vast majority of businesses went into a form of stasis, including Games Workshop. I submitted the first draft of Krakenbane's Curse at the end of April 2020. And then I waited.

As a direct consequence of the Covid-19 lockdown, priorities changed at GW and Black Library, and I didn't receive feedback on my story until the start of September 2021. It went through three sets of revisions and was finally passed as finished at the start of December 2021. At the time I was told my story would appear in a forthcoming Age of Sigmar anthology. And then I waited.

And here we are today, at the start of October 2023, with Krakenbane's Curse being the first title to be released as part of the Warhammer Age of Sigmar eShorts Subscription, which will be available until 8:00am BST on Monday 16th October 2023 (although the individual eShorts will remain available for individual purchase after that).

I'm please to see that one of the other releases this week is by me old mucker C L Werner, and has the intriguing title of The Abominations of Kriik Weirdpaw.

Warhammer Wednesday: Warhammer Age of Sigmar

On Sunday, Games Workshop announced the latest Black Library eShorts week. It starts on Monday 2nd October 2023 and the focus this year is on Warhammer: Age of Sigmar.

The sharp-eyed among you will notice that one of the eShorts is a story by Yours Truly. Expect more news on Monday, when the eShorts subscription goes live.

Warhammer Wednesday: Journey of the Magi

Now that Christmas is over and we are approaching Twelfth Night, it seemed like the perfect time to plug my Warhammer 40,000 short story Journey of the Magi, in which three wise men follow a star...

On an artificial world far from the light of any sun, three sorcerers of the Thousand Sons emerge from a portal. Together, this trio will face ancient horrors – but the prize that awaits them is worth any danger. Long have these three sought the Godstar, piecing together its location from scattered scraps of knowledge. The immortal guardians of the place sleep, but it is not undefended, and the children of Prospero will pay a heavy price for that which they seek as they delve deep into the ancient mysteries of the necrons. 

You can buy Journey of the Magi here, and you can read more about the story here.

Warhammer Wednesday: The Dead and the Damned is 20 years old!

Unbelievably, my very first published novel, the Warhammer short story collection The Dead and the Damned, is 20 years old today! What's more, it is still available to buy from the Black Library as an eBook.

The Warhammer universe explodes with adventure and sudden violence as Badenov's Band, rogues and brigands all, take on all comers as they roam the Old World. Led by their raven-haired commander Torben Badenov, whose lust for glory is only surpassed by his ferocity in battle, the motley gang roams the wretched towns and haunted forests fighting until every last unholy creature they encounter joins the dead or the damned.

One of the best things* about The Dead and the Damned being published, apart from the fact that it was a proper novel**, was that Clint Langley produced the cover. Since 2002, I have written another 15 novels, many of which are also still available to buy as eBooks.

* One of the worst things was it was the first book of mine that was reviewed in SFX Magazine, and the reviewer gave it one star. That was a humbling experience.

** Although it wasn't. Not really.

Warhammer Wednesday: Empire at War

Empire at War is the latest Warhammer Chronicles omnibus to be published by the Black Library.

Here's the blurb from the back cover:

The Empire is the largest and most powerful realm in the Old World. Founded by the warrior-god Sigmar, it is built up of city-states and provinces that are now bound together under the rule of the Emperor Karl Franz. Only through the actions of its valiant heroes has it repelled the numerous invasions brought against it. And in the far north stands Kislev, one of the Empire’s staunchest allies and the first bastion against the rampaging Chaos hordes beyond…

This omnibus edition collects together three tales of heroism and sacrifice focusing on the dour but courageous Winged Lancers of Kislev, the doughty rank and file of the Imperial halberdiers and the pious warrior-priests of the Sigmarite faith. Also included are an array of short stories focusing on the many fighters of the Empire.

As well as featuring novels by Dan Abnett, Nick Kyme and Darius Hinks, Empire at War also includes a reprint of a short story of my own featuring the Kislevite mercenaries known as Badenov's Band, who were the stars of my first published novel The Dead and the Damned.

Warhammer Wednesday: The Emperor's Champion

This Saturday, 8th October 2022, is Warhammer Day, and is focused on celebrating 35 years of the tabletop miniatures game Warhammer 40,000.

To mark this occasion, Games Workshop is releasing a new Emperor's Champion miniature/diorama. Although it's entitled Bayard’s Revenge, the model of an Emperor’s Champion triumphing over a mighty Ork Nob, reminded by of my Warhammer 40K novel Crusade for Armageddon, which just happens to features an Emperor's Champion of the Black Templars Chapter triumphing over multiple Ork Nobs.

Although Crusade for Armageddon is no longer in print, and not available as an eBook either, my popular short story The Relic, that features many of the same characters from that particular novel, is available in both Legends of the Space Marines and War for Armageddon: The Omnibus.

Warhammer Wednesday: The Solemnus Crusade

Black Templar Space Marines appear to be popular at the moment, what with the release of Marc Collins' new novel about High Marshal Helbrecht*. So, today seems like the perfect time to remind you that I have written a few stories about the Black Templars Chapter myself.

In reading order they are: 

Sanctuary - a short story which first appeared Issue #38 of Inferno! magazine.

Crusade for Armageddon - the first in a planned trilogy, that follows the brothers of the Solemnus Crusade as they seek revenge against an Ork Warboss on the war-torn planet of Armageddon. It also features Steel Legionnaries and the crew of a Titan.

Conquest of Armageddon - espionage, timey-whimey shennanigans, Chaos Marines, more Orks, and a Kroot. What more could you ask for, excepte perhaps for the trilogy to have been finished?

The Relic - set after the events of the two novels. As it says on the Black Library website, "Dreadnought Brother Jarold leads warriors from the Black Templars Chapter in battle against the greenskins in the frozen Dead Lands. Following a distress beacon, they find another Dreadnought in the ice, buried for half a century. When the orks attack en masse, the two Dreadnoughts make a last stand against the bestial invaders."

The Armageddon Ominbus - my Black Templars stories were combined into this short-lived print-on-demand title, which now goes for upwards of £90 on eBay. Shame I've only got the one copy myself.

War for Armageddon: The Omnibus - The Relic is also available in this new omnibus that features of work of various other BL authors as well, with stories all set during the Third War for Armageddon.

Click on the images below if you would like to buy of of these titles.

Dave Allsop's accompanying illustration for Sanctuary.

* I don't think the High Marshal was a thing when I started writing Black Templar stories for the Black Library.

Warhammer Wednesday: Tales from the Grim Darkness of the Far Future

Last week I alerted you to the old Warhammer short stories of mine that are still available to download as eBooks from the Black Library. This week it's the turn of my ever-popular Warhammer 40K tales.

All of the stories feature Space Marines of one kind or another. But Dust in the Wind has Imperial Fists facing off against Necrons, The Relic features Black Templars battling Orks, and Journey of the Magi sees Thousand Sons* versus more Necrons**.

So, if you haven't tried one of my Warhammer 40,000 stories before, why not check out one of these today?

* Yes, I know they're technically Chaos Space Marines.

** I just can't get enough of those undead robots!

Warhammer Wednesday: Tales from The-World-That-Was

My latest royalty statement arrived from Black Library last week*. What it highlighted to me is that a number of my old Warhammer stories - from what would now be referred to as 'The-World-That-Was' - are still available in eBook format, either alone or as part of larger collections.

If you would like a taste of my old school Warhammer writings, why not check out one of them today?

Hammer and Bolter Issue 9 contains my short story Sir Dagobert's Last Battle, which is one of the best Warhammer stories I think I ever wrote. Sticks and Stones appeared near the end of Warhammer's life, before it evolved into Warhammer: Age of Sigmar.

* Yes, I still earn a few pennies from sales of my BL stuff.