Name Forthcoming: April Book Haul

Right at the last minute of April I give to you: this month's Book haul!

Yes, it's a bit of a collection of assorted odds and ends, as per usual.

Let's start at the top.

These I bought after I had been to the doctor earlier this month, where I had to do my story regarding some of what's been going on this year. It took at least an hour longer than anticipated.

It was quite an emotionally draining ordeal, and on the long walk home I popped into the Grim Bookshop and casually splurged on these two well-known novels.

I needed a pick me up and these two did the trick.

The Old Man and the Sea is a tiny novel, almost a short story, really, but regardless of its length it was very pleasant to read. A beautiful tale, and though maybe not timeless, definitely indicative of a perfect time and a patient, trusting attitude. I devoured it in one sitting, which is pretty rare these days. This one is a classic for a reason.

Slaughterhouse 5 I'm reading right now and it's pretty much perfect for me: Non-linear, self aware, post-modern and meta-fictional. It's beautiful and brilliant, and though I haven''t finished it yet, I know how it ends, and it ends fine. The only thing I'm a bit iffy on is the aliens.

And up next, two novels which will herald in the age of Warhammer Horror. Expect reviews from these when I've read them.

I love the cover for Maledictions.

The Library usually don't do abstract covers like these, and these have garnered a lot of interest from people who normally wouldn't look at a Warhammer novel twice. Well done BL!

The Production value is pretty good, and granted, it bloody well should be as these effectively are meant to draw in new readers.

Games Workshop started an imprint specifically for these books. All I'm hoping for is that they do actually keep this going, and that the contents will indeed deserve to be called horror.

It does look like this will be the case, or that at the very least they're making a genuine effort to make these stand out from the other settings by the introduction of a new 'Age-blurb'. Either way, the existing settings have always had major elements of horror to them, so... the jury's still out on if this will fly.

Maledictions is a short story collection from both the 40k and Age of Sigmar settings, I think.

Which means that this book will be the first I'll be reading in the Age of Sigmar; breaking my resolution to hold off on Age of Sigmar until I have read every single novel set in the Old World.

Ah well, it was a mad idea at any rate.

The Wicked and The Damned is a collection of three tales, that are connected to each other, and which all take place in 40k.

Here's also the re-issue of Drachenfels to fit into the Warhammer Horror range. Note the Red curtains?

I promised a review of this one for last year, and I didn't get around to it.

As this is part of the Horror range I do feel more than a little obligated now.

It's not really a problem as the Genevieve novels are really quite stellar. It's not a coincidence that these got picked up to help with the launch for the Warhammer Horror range.

Also, this time Kim Newman got to use his actual name for the credits.

I also ordered the horror audio drama Perdition's Flame, but since that hasn't arrived yet I'm unable to show it here.

I was hoping that it would still arrive this month, it's why this post is so last minute.

The latest Warhammer Chronicles omnibus.

I've read two out of three novels in here, Hammers of Ulric was decent, though definitely a little bit on the side of Oldhammer, but Reiksguard was very, very good. I reviewed it here on the blog.

A link? Why don't you look for it yourself you lazy bugger?

Knight of the Blazing Sun; the one that I hadn't read, has a bunch of accompanying short stories, which is pretty neat as I now get to read those all in one go

The two Dredd Case Files I bought this month. 20 is here because it's the next one to be read, and number 26 is here because I'll end up reading it anyway, and this one was cheapest among the ones available. I just lost my job, so I do have to make some concessions in my spending...

This last one I ordered blind, having not seen the cover. And I was blown away when I first saw it.

A Glen Cook novel with some genuine Raymond Swanland cover art.

Heirs of Babylon was Cook's first novel and had been long out of print, and it's one of the few stand-alone novels of his that I hadn't read. I had been curious about it for a while.

And now Nightshade finally got off their asses and went and did their best again.

I mean I was pretty happy this one was getting a reprint, but to have Swanland's art gracing the cover again? I am genuinely very happy with this.

And look; this one even has a foreword!