Best Black Library book of 2017? Vote here.

[OPTIMVSCHRISTVS]

1. Black Legion

2. Warmaster

3. Carrion Throne

4. Devastation of Baal

5. Lorgar or Perturabo- liked them both about equally.

[ShadowSwordmaster]

1.Aaron Dembski-Bowden: The Black Legion

 

2.Chris Wraight:Watchers of the Throne 

 

3.Graham McNeill: The Crimson King

 

4.Gav Thorpe:Rise of the Ynnari

 

5.John French: Horusian Wars: Resurrection

[Felix Antipodes]

I tried to pick a top five books but there were just so many great reads last year I couldn't do it. Then I tried just picking five authors since most had several out over the period. Still too many to shoehorn into so small a space. May we have the same problem in 12 months time.

[Taliesin]

Summing up, doesn't look like there is a clear winner for 2017, with several books frequently mentioned and a few others popping up regularly as well.

Heresy wise the year was "ok" but for BL overall it was clearly a very strong year with many highly rated books.

[Ascanius]

My favourite Black Library novel of 2017 was Black Legion.

 

The Warmaster is a fine book but, as has been pointed out, is really "Part 1" of a larger story.

 

Vaults of Terra: The Carrion Throne and Watchers of the Throne: The Emperor's Legion, along with The Horusian Wars: Resurrection, are very enjoyable.

 

I actually really liked Dante, and I didn't expect to care that much about it because I've never cared about the Blood Angels much before, but it was quite good.

 

The Devastation of Baal is good, too, but it's very fighty. Same can be said for Dark Imperium; nothing really wrong with it, just balanced a bit more towards things I'm less interested in.

 

I also read and enjoyed Lorgar: Bearer of the Word, The Crimson King (well, I listened to this one), Magnus: Master of Prospero, and Perturabo: Hammer of Olympia. I also liked Garro but I'd read or listened to many of the stories beforehand, so it doesn't really count the same way.

[Apothecary Vaddon]

Emperor's Legion/Carrion Throne 1 and 1a easily. Some of the best fiction to come out of BL to date, imo. Red Tithe is a close second for the creation of a unique chapter and truly even-handed storytelling (it wasn't all the bad guys winning, it wasn't all the good guys winning, it was both and it was brilliant to read)   

 

 

edit   

 

also if there were ever a category for 'best introductory novels' to 40k, I'd definitely throw all of Paul Kearney's works in there. His Calgar series is really pretty good, underrated, imo (Siege had this brilliant exposition on Orks that would be perfect from a total beginner's point of view). And I got a hold of Dark Hunters: Umbra Sumbus before it got axed from the release schedules due to copyright issues with the title, and it was similarly great. Not as good as the Calgar series but great for a first novel in the 40k universe.

Edited January 16, 2018 by Apothecary Vaddon

[Marshal Rohr]

40K did have a stellar year with the inquisition novels and the well done marine work. It’s really stuff like Dante and Dark Imperium that felt like more of the same.

[Knockagh]

40K did have a stellar year with the inquisition novels and the well done marine work. It’s really stuff like Dante and Dark Imperium that felt like more of the same.

Mmmm I wouldn’t lump Dante in the same bag as Dark Imperium. Dante was a very different marine book focusing on the cultural background of both the chapter and Dante himself. Dante was my favourite marine book in years, I’m not mad on marine books but I loved Dante

[Warpmiss]

I only started reading BL books this year (I had only read the original Eisenhorn trilogy 3 years ago) so I still haven't read most of these.

 

Therefore, I have to give another vote to "Perturabo", not only I loved it as a novel but it was what finally convinced me to start my own Iron Warriors warband.

 

I would probably also give my vote to Lorgar but I'm not done with that one.