Warhammer 40k Forum and Wargaming Forums banner

Black Librarys 2019 Advent Calendar!

3K views 20 replies 2 participants last post by  elizabethcaroll 
#1 ·
Day 1: Illyrium


THE STORY
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.

We've done this before so I will continue with this, this year too!
 
See less See more
1
#2 ·
Day 2: The Crystal Cathedral.


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.

There has been an increasing number of Adepta Sororitas-shorts as of late and I would appreciate if they made a anthology or collection with them all just to buy them in one go.
 
#3 ·
Day 3: Reflections in Steel


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?

Uninterested!

Day 4: A Question of Taste


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…

Might get this one!
 
#4 · (Edited)
Day 5: Augur of Despair Part 1


THE STORY
The Arch-Militant Neyam Shai Murad and the noble crusader Gotfret de Montbard have retrieved a great prize from the Blackstone Fortress – a cube they found with the help of an unscrupulous data-trader. This mysterious artefact may answer all their questions about the alien labyrinth… if they can return it to Precipice. Many dangers stand in their way, including a rampaging ambull, Negavolt cultists and the ever-shifting maze of the fortress itself. And even if they do return, they shall need aid to decipher the device, from a most untrustworthy ally…

I am intrigued by this, but I do love some lore regarding the Blackstone Fortress.
 
#5 ·
Day 6: Augur of Despair: Part 2


THE STORY
Disaster has befallen Neyam Shai Murad and Gotfred de Montbard. Trapped in Gandar Sett's laboratory and surrounded by the mad genetor's living experiments, they must fight to survive. However, Sett holds their future in his hands and he will not see his creatures harmed. Can the pair fend off the wild beasts long enough for the containment fields to reactivate, and defend the genetor in the process? Even if they do, they may not be able to trust Sett to help them unravel the mystery of the artefact they found in the Blackstone Fortress…

Day 7: Augur of Despair: Part 3


THE STORY
Neyam Shai Murad and Gotfred de Montbard have returned to the Blackstone Fortress, guided by a map projected by the mysterious artefact they found on their last expedition. With only the servitor X-101 to aid them, they seek a shrine they believe the map will lead them to – but the defences of the alien labyrinth stand against them, and should they find what they seek, they may discover that even greater foes await them, for many are the dangers that lurk within the Blackstone Fortress.


Chris Dows likes to work in trilogies. XD
 
#6 ·
Day 8: Strong Bones


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…

Day 9: Serpents of Ardemis


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.

I'm interested in Mike Brooks Navigator-stuff so this is a must-buy later on for me!
 
#7 ·
Day 10: The Revelation of the Word


THE STORY
Long ago, the primarch Lorgar was humbled by his brother Guilliman for his belief in the Emperor's divinity. Led down a dark road by this shaming, Lorgar embraced Chaos. Now, he and his Word Bearers rampage across Guilliman's realm, burning his 500 worlds in the name of their new gods. But on such world, Lorgar finds a mystery that brings his past into the present and shines a new light on his endeavours. It seems that Lorgar's legacy may be greater than even he could have ever imagined…

So the regular HH-series is not over it seems. There will be anthologies FOR YEARS to come it seems like! Not sure what I feel about re-treading through the Shadow Crusade again.
 
#8 ·
Day 11: The Child Foretold


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.
 
#9 ·
Day 12: Heirs of Grimnir: Part 1


THE STORY
The mysterious death of Runefather Aruk-Grimnir and his son and heir, Angruk, spark a crisis in Karag-Unbak, the great Fyreslayers lodge. As his remaining sons squabble over the throne, further disaster is revealed – the gates to the lodge's vault lie open and a treasured possession is missing… one without which the very future of the Unbaki may be cast into doubt. Sure that they know the culprits, the Runesons march to battle – but have the chosen the right foe?
 
#10 ·
Day 13: Heirs of Grimnir: Part 2


THE STORY
The Runesons of Karag-Unbak seek to avenge the death of their father, and retrieve his stolen legacy chest, without which the lodge's future is in doubt. Battling their way into the heart of an enemy lair, the brave and bold Fyreslayers find themselves surrounded by vile skaven. WIll they sell their lives dearly, and doom their kin to oblivion, or will duardin ingenuity win the day?


Day 14: Heirs of Grimnir: Part 3


THE STORY
The architect of Karag-Unbak's woes has been revealed, and for the remaining Runesons of the murdered Runefather Aruk-Grimnir, just one task remains – to end the life of their father's killer. Whoever strikes the killing blow will be named his successor, and lead the Unbaki into the future. Yet it's not going to be easy, for their quarry is nothing less than a Verminlord, one of the great daemons of the Horned Rat – and he is waiting for them…
 
#11 ·
Day 15: Champions, All


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.
 
#12 ·
Day 16: The Age of Enlightenment


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.
 
#13 ·
Day 17: The Sanguinalia Day Massacre


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…

If the previous Advent Calendar is anything to go by, this will most likely end up in an anhtology later on and I recommend that you hold off buying it separate.
 
#14 ·
Day 18: Broken Saints: Part 1


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.

Day 19: Broken Saints: Part 2


THE STORY
Treachery has been revealed on an Imperial world – human acolytes of the Alpha Legion have infiltrated the faithful populace and triggered a catastrophe. As the Adepta Sororitas battle the unmasked heretics, they look to their leader for guidance – but Sister Adamanthea faces trials of her own. With her faith in herself and the Emperor in doubt, she must rally herself and her warriors to combat the enemy – even as she discovers that they may be closer than she thought.


Day 20: Broken Saints: Part 3


THE STORY
The architect of treachery has been revealed… and Sister Adamanthea is in his clutches. The arch-heretic believes he can bend the devout Battle Sister to his cause, and will stop at nothing to turn one of tthe Adepta Sororitas away from the Emperor's light and into the embrace of Chaos. Adamanthea must set aside her doubts and fears and marshal her faith in the Emperor if she is to resist temptation and defeat the traitors in her midst.
 
#15 ·
Day 21: Skull Throne


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…
 
#16 ·
Day 22: The Test of Faith


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?

Alright this story actually sounded interesting, especially with all the theories surrounding Belisarius Cawl.
 
#17 ·
Day 23: Assassinorum: Divine Sanction


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.

This actually got me excited!
 
#18 ·
Day 24: Morningstar


THE STORY
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...

I love the Thousand Sons, especially the 1st novel. The audios has been sort of diappointing along the novel about Magnus. The Crimson King was decent. I have medium hopes for this one but I am sort of curious about it.
 
#19 ·
Day 24: Last Chancers: Armageddon Saint


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.

I haven't read the previous stories but they are certainly on my to-read-list.
 
#20 ·
Day 26: The Oubliette


THE STORY
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 bloodline. 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 skulking around every corner, Ashielle is forced to revive an ancient pact with the beast. Yet she soon discovers that her family’s mortal enemies are not the only evil that hungers to consume her.

Daemon-pacts sounds interesting! My problem with the Horror-label is that they mix both 40k and AoS and sometimes I'm uncertain where the story takes place.
 
#21 ·
Each year, Black Library releases an Advent Calendar full of short stories based on their most popular novels. This year, they have released three audio dramas, all focusing on Banshees. While these tales are a little creepy and dark, they are definitely worth reading. Here are some of my favourites! You can also find them on Amazon and other online book stores. And while they're a bit pricey, they're definitely worth the purchase.

In the Dark Artifacts trilogy, author C.L. Werner introduces two Order of Azyr agents who find themselves caught in a grave robbery. They're tasked with stopping the thief, who has stolen a tainted artifact of the God of Death. This is the perfect gift for fans of the fantasy genre. You can read the whole trilogy, or pick up one of the individual stories.

The Dark Artifacts trilogy by C.L. Werner is a thrilling adventure set in Necromunda. The book follows two Order of Azyr agents who must investigate the death of a grave robber. They uncover an artifact of Khorne that will turn them into the ultimate hero. However, the mystery surrounding the artifact is just as chilling as the story itself.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top