2021 is rapidly coming to an end, which means it’s time for my usual roundup of the best black library books I’ve read over the past year. As always, I want to start with the caveat that these are my personal highlights based solely on what I’ve read; I’m not suggesting there haven’t been other great BL titles released this year, just that I haven’t read them! I should also note that I am basing my selections on books that were first published in 2021, meaning that I chose one that only had a limited edition release and will no longer be available until 2022, and that this year I am almost exclusively looking at novels. . In previous years I also covered other formats and divided my options into different articles depending on the main configuration of bl:40k, the age of sigmar and the horus heresy, but this year I will just do this article and focus. about novels.
I think it’s safe to say that 2021 has been a bit of an odd year for the black library for a number of reasons (I might talk more about this in another article), and for a number of reasons I’ve found myself less inclined to read black books in general. than in previous years. Of the 40 new titles (plus various omnibuses, etc.) released on the 21st, I have read 14 (mainly novels or anthologies) and only reviewed five. That may still sound like a lot, but that’s less than half the number of BL books I reviewed in 2020 and less than 10% (!) of what I reviewed in 2019. So this article is mostly a summary of what I’ve reviewed. reviewed in 2021 (with one exception), with a couple of honorable mentions and some thoughts on other 2021 releases that I definitely still want to read.
You are reading: Best black library books
So, without further ado, let’s take a look at my favorite personal library black books of 2021. Also check out the links to reviews or author interviews, where available. It was a tough call, but in the end I picked one book as my absolute favorite, along with four more that I definitely need to talk about (in no particular order)!
top bl pick word clue for 2021
ghazghkull thraka: prophet of the waaagh! by nate crowley
I say it was a difficult decision, and in some respects it was; all the other books I am going to mention here are fantastic. At the same time, however, there is only one book that could take the top spot, and that is nate crowley’s incredible novel ghazghkull, a book that, while relatively short for a novel, contains everything what I want from a novel. 40k story. I can’t remember the last time I laughed so hard while reading a 40k novel, or stopped so many times to marvel at how a scene or even a single line could perfectly capture the essence of 40k, orks, or even imperium. This is a powerful character study of one of the biggest names on the stage, and it really does an amazing job of bringing the big boy to life (via his little friend, the little monster, Makari), but it does so much more! also!
It is a tragedy that so far it has only been released in a limited edition format, and that the regular release is not due (according to the general book trade, nothing has been confirmed by bl) until March. I was lucky enough to get a copy of the archive as a birthday present from my peers (they’re a good bunch!), and even five months later I’m still in awe of how good this book is, and I’m devastated by it. I can’t discuss it in more detail with most people! For now, most of you will just have to take my word for how good it is, but believe me, this is one BL book you won’t want to sleep on, once it’s more available. you can thank me later!
check out my review of ghazghkull thraka: prophet of the waaagh!
and also…
penitent by dan abnett
It was a long wait. a very, very long wait. pariah was first published in 2012 and the sequel was nine years in the making, but I can honestly say I don’t care, it was worth the wait! I selfishly decided to read penitent purely for myself without thinking of writing a review, so that I could concentrate on enjoying the story without thinking about how I might talk about it later. what can I say about it now, without spoiling anything? well… for starters i would recommend reading (or re-reading) both the magos and pariah before tackling this (in fact i checked out the entire ravenor trilogy on audio as well) , just to make sure you’re completely up to date. beyond that just kick back and enjoy abnett letting his creativity run wild, exploring a weird little corner of the 40k universe unlike anywhere else in bl canon, with typically compelling characters, a weird plot and a bit of a convoluted but deeply convincing, and some serious surprises. no really… considering what happens in this book, I just don’t get how this series is going to end!
watch my interview with dan abnett talking about penitent
dark food by marc collins
black library fans have been crying out for more ‘national 40k’ stories ever since dan abnett started exploring the interesting little non-military parts of the setting in his eisenhorn stories, and with the arrival of warhammer crime i really think bl has finally come up with a very clever way of delivering what we’ve been asking for. In my opinion, grim repast is easily the best warhammer crime story to date, in that collins approaches the genre from the classic serial killer angle and offers a grimly compelling detective story. which works brilliantly as a whodunit in its own right while continuing to give Varangantua a dirty and unhappy life. It’s just an ideal blend of the tone and feel of 40k with the structure and styles of proper crime fiction, and if it doesn’t mark the start of a series dedicated to Quillon Drask, then BL will have done something very, very wrong. If the idea of warhammer crime appeals to you, read the short story Cold Cases first and then skip straight to this book.
See Also: Wings of Fire Audiobooks | Audible.com
see my review of grim repast
silent hunters by edoardo albert
There are many space marine stories out there, and even some featuring carcharodons, but silent hunters strikes me as one of the strangest, most unexpected and interesting. I have ever read. it’s the kind of story where you go in expecting one thing and quickly realize that every time you think it’s going to go one direction, it goes in a completely different one. Carcharodons are as creepy as anything I’ve ever read, all empty black eyes and creepy silences; the drukhari are capricious and almost playful, while they are also downright hideous; the plot encompasses water worlds and a pleasure cruiser, the strangest sea spaceship I’ve ever read about, and the most amazing depiction of the web yet. it’s just interesting, very cleverly done and frankly unlike almost anything else I’ve read about bl. if you like the weirder aspects of 40k then this is definitely for you, but frankly I’d say it’s pretty much required reading for any 40k fan.
see my review of silent hunters
watch my interview with edoardo albert talking about silent hunters
the end of enlightenment by richard strachan
strachan’s first bl novel, blood of the everchosen, was easily my favorite age of sigmar book from last year, and also made it into my top 20 sff books of 2020, and I loved reading it. this, his second novel in years, and I discover that it is just as good. It’s a very different novel, of course, focusing on the lumineth and the bonereapers rather than Chaos’s multitude of deadly followers, but it displays the same evocative, engaging prose and a clear eye for a compelling, character-driven narrative. . I love a story where the protagonist and antagonist are equally entertaining, and the two central figures here manage to be both exemplary of their kind and genuinely interesting characters in their own right. This is a perfect book for AOS fans who want to learn more about these two factions, but it’s such a good story that it’s honestly a perfect recommendation for anyone even vaguely interested in the setting. If you haven’t read any of Richard’s stories yet, go ahead!
check out my review of the end of enlightenment
watch my interview with richard strachan talking about the end of enlightenment
honorable mentions
For this year’s honorable mentions, I’m going to quickly talk about a couple of 40,000 anthologies that I can happily recommend to anyone who enjoys a good short story. They are two very different anthologies, but I really enjoyed them.
sanction & sin: a well-balanced anthology exploring what life is like for some of varangantua’s women, from all-gun-firing badasses to everyday folks trying to make ends meet life. . it’s great to see an entire anthology focused on the female point of view, especially with four of the stories being written by women, but ultimately this is just an entertaining collection of stories that do a great job of bringing the “domestic 40k” to life “. check out my review of sanction & sin and also my interview with four of the featured authors.
See Also: Five English grammar books to make you a better TEFL teacher – Impact Teaching
sabbat war: the third anthology set in the small corner of dan abnett’s 40k environment, the worlds of sabbat, features A couple of stories from Abnett himself along with tales from a variety of authors both familiar and new (give or take) up to 40k. there are a few standout stories here, but all in all it’s another really successful exploration of the lesser-seen aspects of this consistently fantastic series.
year 2021
I asked on twitter if people were still interested in me writing this post since I had read very few of the 2021 releases of black library (thanks to those who replied!), and one of the interesting responses I received suggested that I talk a little bit about some of the other 2021 releases that I haven’t been able to read but would definitely like. I thought that was a great suggestion, so here are some books from 2021 that are still 100% on my tbr list:
the twice dead king: ruin by nate crowley: I’ve loved everything I’ve read from nate, and keep listening! so many good things about this book! however, I’m tempted to wait until the sequel (The Twice Dead King: Reign) is released, so I can read them side by side. I think it will be great!
the book of martyrs by phil kelly, danie ware and alec worley: i am a big fan of the fictional sisters of battle , and I’m interested in the full stories, so this has been on my list for a while. It helps that you’ve also enjoyed all the danie and alec sister stories so far!
gitslayer by darius hinks: there are few more entertaining warhammer characters to read than gotrek gurnisson, and i’ve had a lot of fun after his exploits from age of sigmar so far. I just know this is going to be so much fun, and I can’t help but love that title!
liber xenologis by darius hinks: I actually started this shortly after it came out but got distracted so I have to come back soon. darius’s black stone fortress stories are great so i really like the idea of this background book being written ‘in-universe’ by janus draik, and all the weird alien creatures they tend to be some of the coolest. stuff over 40k!
warhawk by chris wraight: to be honest i’m not that excited or committed to the terra site as I thought it would be, but I’m sure I’ll enjoy warhawk when I get to read it. chris is always an excellent writer, and it seems like he’s getting really good reviews, so i hope it’s worth reading.
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so there you have it: my personal top black library of 2021! i would love to talk about the bl books i am looking forward to in 2022 but sadly not many have been announced yet. however, keep an eye out for an article coming soon where I’ll talk about the general sff books coming in 2022, which will likely include at least one bl title that’s been announced.
Tell me what you think of the books I’ve covered here and what were your favorite black library releases of 2021! what you enjoyed the most, write me in the comments below or on twitter.
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