Warhammer Adventures novels launch this month

By John Freeman on February 6, 2019

Games Workshop launches Warhammer Adventures, its new imprint of children’s books aimed at eight to twelve-year-olds this month, joining its extensive, multimedia stable of gaming products and novel ranges.

Announced last year, the lines are produced by Black Library, the Games Workshop group’s publishing division, the two series respectively featuring the Warhammer 40,000 and Warhammer: Age of Simar settings. Each range focusses on exciting, action-packed stories with a diverse range of child protagonists.

Warhammer Adventures will be available in English initially, with French and German editions following soon after, comprised of two series: Warped Galaxies by Cavan Scott, illustrated by Cole Marchetti, kicking off with the first adventure, Attack of the Necron; and Realm Quest by Tom Huddleston, also illustrated by Cole, which launches with City of Lifestone.

Both titles launch on 16th February 2019, price £6.99 paperback

News of the launch received a quarter of a million hits on the Games Workshop blog on the announcement of the launch, which is hardly surprising given how the company’s games have enthralled audiences for over thirty years with Warhammer 40,000 science fiction and Warhammer fantasy universes. The company feels Warped Galaxies and Realm Quest are the perfect, safe and adventurous introduction, with inspiring illustration, to SFF worlds.

The art for these first novels is by San Francisco based concept artist Cole Marchetti, who specialises in character work and whose credits include work on the Marvel Avengers Academygame in 2016.

Best-selling novelist Cavan Scott was a 2016 World Book Day author, and his Star Wars: Adventures in Wild Space – The Escape hit number one in the overall UK book charts. He has previously written for Games Workshop’s The Black Library and has a great deal of experience writing for children. Besides Star Wars and Warhammer 40,000, he has contributed to many high-profile tie-in series including Doctor Who, Vikings, Penguins of Madagascar, Skylanders, Angry Birds, Judge Dredd and Blake’s 7.

Image: Games Workshop

“Warped Galaxies is set in a war-torn future were humans use technology but have largely forgotten how it works,” notes Cavan. “The spaceships are gothic, the tech is a weird-mash up of medieval and futuristic inventions and the aliens are terrifying.

“What’s not to love about people who turn human skulls into floating robots or courageous Space Marines fight green-skinned orcs on distant planets?

“Warped Galaxies follows explorer Zelia Lor, ganger Talen Stormweaver and martian inventor Mekki, survivors of a terrible planetary disaster. They have to get an ancient alien artefact back into the hands of Zelia’s Mum. There’s only one problem: they have no idea where Zelia’s Mum actually is, and everyone they meet seems out to destroy them.

“OK, that’s two problems, but trust me, things are never easy for these kids.”

It is the 41st Millennium, and humanity’s fate hangs in the balance. The Imperium of man is an empire of a million worlds populated by untold trillions, but its strength is an illusion, and the Emperor’s great plan for humanity lies in tatters. Aliens, traitors, and worse close in from every side. The end times beckon. It is a dark and terrible time for all, young and old alike. In the grim darkness of the far future, there is only war, and yet, there remain glimmers of hope…

The heroes of City of Lifestone: Elio, Kiri, and Alish. Image: Games Workshop

Realm Quest writer Tom Huddleston is an author and freelance film journalist based in East London. Another experienced writer, he has penned two original fiction novels, as well three instalments in the official Star Wars: Adventures in Wild Space series.

12-year-old Zelia, the daughter of galactic explorer Elise Lor, is one of the Warhammer 40,000 universe’s newest protagonists. Image: Games Workshop

“The Realm Quest stories take place across the Mortal Realms, eight distinct but interconnected worlds filled with epic landscapes, ferocious creatures and limitless potential for adventure,” he explains.”However, our focus is on Ghyran, the Realm of Life, where populous human cities are scattered throughout a vast landscape of wilderness, forest, mountain and plain.

“When their master Vertigan is kidnapped by the devious rat-men known as the Skaven, five brave children must band together to get him back. The quest will take them across the Mortal Realms, encountering fierce beasts, noble guardians and all manner of mayhem.”

For long ages, the once glorious Mortal Realms were assailed by the dread forces of Chaos, until the God-King Sigmar returned from High Azyr to drive back evil. But even though a semblance of peace has returned to pockets of this vast magical setting, adventure and danger lie around every corner for the cautious and unwary alike…

• You can sign up for the email list at the official website

• Follow these new stories using the tag: #WarhammerAdventures | Author social media: @TomHuddleston / @cavanscott / @gamesworkshop

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John Freeman

John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.

He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.