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Black Library Celebration 2026
Short stories set in the Warhammer 40k and Age of Sigmar universes.
"Irreplaceable" by Denny Flowers
"Doomwheel" by Ian Green
"Opportunity Cost" by Jonathan D. Beer
"The Nameless" by Hal Wilson
"Joy of the Martyr" by Ness Brown
"Irreplaceable" by Denny Flowers
"Doomwheel" by Ian Green
"Opportunity Cost" by Jonathan D. Beer
"The Nameless" by Hal Wilson
"Joy of the Martyr" by Ness Brown
160 pages, Paperback
Published March 28, 2026
About the author
Denny Flowers
35 books25 followersDenny Flowers is a writer of Warhammer 40k, Age of Sigmar, and Necromunda fiction. He submitted his first Black Library story during open submissions in 2018.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 17, 2026
This year's Black Library Celebration consists of 5 short stories of varying quality. While there is only so much character building and story you can develop within the span of about 30 pages, this free little book holds some value!
Irreplacable
We start off with what I imagine is a fairly standard ork centered story. Full of weirdness and dakka, we follow a grot nurse (aptly named Nurz) as he helps the Mad Dok with one of his experiments. Things obviously go wrong, and brutality ensues.
Weird, chaotic, orky, and overall enjoyable!
Doomwheel
Following a pair of Skaven operating a titular Doomwheel, this was my least favourite story of the 5. Sharing the same sense of chaos as the first story, without the charm. Bearing in mind that I am more of a 40k fan, perhaps I might have just missed some thematically cool things. For me however, this was the most forgettable story of the bunch.
Opportunity Cost
In this one we follow a group of Mechanicus whose greedy curiosity has drawn them towards a seemingly abandoned Kin ship. I really enjoyed reading the ways in which the Mechanicus communicate with each other, as they navigate whether to push on in their greedy thirst for knowledge, or retreat to safety with nothing to show for their expedition.
Though the action scenes got a bit confusing, an enjoyable story!
The Nameless
By far the best short story in this book, and the entire reason why I have rated it 4 stars. The Nameless is an excellent self-contained story set in the AoS universe, requiring no prior knowledge of the world or setting, as you follow a man wakes up having lost his memory. What follows is an excellent little story full of mystery, mistrust, and even a few twists.
By far the most pleasant surprise to come out of this book, good enough to make me want to read more from this author!
Joy of the Martyr
We close off with an Adepta Sororitas centered story, which brought me great joy, as I am a Sisters collector myself! The story in itself is very cookie cutter Sororitas, full of zealous fervour, over the top action and major themes of martyrdom. Not a bad story at all, but having read a Sororitas novel themed around Martyrs in the past, it very much felt like more of the same.
Still, pretty enjoyable action scenes and a decent look into the Sororitas themes.
Overall, with only 1 story being a complete disappoinment for me, 3 decent ones, and one incredible tale, this feels like a really good free sampler for people who are thinking about giving proper Warhammer novels a try, which I think is the entire point of them. I'm happy that I managed to pick this one up during the event, and I'm looking forward to next year's edition!
Irreplacable
We start off with what I imagine is a fairly standard ork centered story. Full of weirdness and dakka, we follow a grot nurse (aptly named Nurz) as he helps the Mad Dok with one of his experiments. Things obviously go wrong, and brutality ensues.
Weird, chaotic, orky, and overall enjoyable!
Doomwheel
Following a pair of Skaven operating a titular Doomwheel, this was my least favourite story of the 5. Sharing the same sense of chaos as the first story, without the charm. Bearing in mind that I am more of a 40k fan, perhaps I might have just missed some thematically cool things. For me however, this was the most forgettable story of the bunch.
Opportunity Cost
In this one we follow a group of Mechanicus whose greedy curiosity has drawn them towards a seemingly abandoned Kin ship. I really enjoyed reading the ways in which the Mechanicus communicate with each other, as they navigate whether to push on in their greedy thirst for knowledge, or retreat to safety with nothing to show for their expedition.
Though the action scenes got a bit confusing, an enjoyable story!
The Nameless
By far the best short story in this book, and the entire reason why I have rated it 4 stars. The Nameless is an excellent self-contained story set in the AoS universe, requiring no prior knowledge of the world or setting, as you follow a man wakes up having lost his memory. What follows is an excellent little story full of mystery, mistrust, and even a few twists.
By far the most pleasant surprise to come out of this book, good enough to make me want to read more from this author!
Joy of the Martyr
We close off with an Adepta Sororitas centered story, which brought me great joy, as I am a Sisters collector myself! The story in itself is very cookie cutter Sororitas, full of zealous fervour, over the top action and major themes of martyrdom. Not a bad story at all, but having read a Sororitas novel themed around Martyrs in the past, it very much felt like more of the same.
Still, pretty enjoyable action scenes and a decent look into the Sororitas themes.
Overall, with only 1 story being a complete disappoinment for me, 3 decent ones, and one incredible tale, this feels like a really good free sampler for people who are thinking about giving proper Warhammer novels a try, which I think is the entire point of them. I'm happy that I managed to pick this one up during the event, and I'm looking forward to next year's edition!
April 27, 2026
Some really top-notch stories here, with the last two providing the kind of emotional resonance I have never experienced before in Warhammer fiction.
I suppose it's smart that in a free book, they pulled out all the stops and really didn't compromise or dump together some old crap they had lying around.
The tragedy and human drama of 'The Nameless' is the stand out for me. But the arc of anger to achievement in 'Joy of the Martyr', and with some cuttingly grusome horror to underscore it was superb. The enslaved mini-world of 'Doomwheel' and the crumbling over-confidence of 'Opportunity Cost'. All very memorable.
But, good god, that first story was absolute shite. Funny orcs ruin the whole setting. If orcs are supposed to be terrifying beasts, portraying them like this just breaks the whole facade. Frighteningly unfunny, for one thing.
Still, one miss, with such glorious hits. Easily skippable. The rest, a powerful testament to what Warhammer fiction COULD be without the relentless padding of seemingly requisite word counts (or at least overstuffed and overcooked ideas) of most of the novels I've read.
I suppose it's smart that in a free book, they pulled out all the stops and really didn't compromise or dump together some old crap they had lying around.
The tragedy and human drama of 'The Nameless' is the stand out for me. But the arc of anger to achievement in 'Joy of the Martyr', and with some cuttingly grusome horror to underscore it was superb. The enslaved mini-world of 'Doomwheel' and the crumbling over-confidence of 'Opportunity Cost'. All very memorable.
But, good god, that first story was absolute shite. Funny orcs ruin the whole setting. If orcs are supposed to be terrifying beasts, portraying them like this just breaks the whole facade. Frighteningly unfunny, for one thing.
Still, one miss, with such glorious hits. Easily skippable. The rest, a powerful testament to what Warhammer fiction COULD be without the relentless padding of seemingly requisite word counts (or at least overstuffed and overcooked ideas) of most of the novels I've read.
March 31, 2026
Irreplaceable" by Denny Flowers 3/5 - Average story of Orks. Denny Flowers has written a lot better stories!
"Doomwheel" by Ian Green - 3/5 - Amusing! I found the idea of the Doom wheel very funny!
"Opportunity Cost" by Jonathan D. Beer - 2/5 - Dull. Nothing really happened!
"The Nameless" by Hal Wilson 4/5 - The best story of the bundle.
"Joy of the Martyr" by Ness Brown 2/5 - I've never enjoyed the Sisters of Battle, they're always so one-dimensional!
"Doomwheel" by Ian Green - 3/5 - Amusing! I found the idea of the Doom wheel very funny!
"Opportunity Cost" by Jonathan D. Beer - 2/5 - Dull. Nothing really happened!
"The Nameless" by Hal Wilson 4/5 - The best story of the bundle.
"Joy of the Martyr" by Ness Brown 2/5 - I've never enjoyed the Sisters of Battle, they're always so one-dimensional!
May 15, 2026
Ce recueil Black Library Célébration 2026 (édition FR) est une vraie réussite.
« Zone Mortelle » brille par son intensité militaire, « La Combine du Traître » retrouve l’humour savoureux de Ciaphas Cain, « Les Noces d’Obsidienne » offre une ambiance sombre et gothique, tandis que « L’Enfant du Chaos » apporte toute la tragédie de l’Hérésie d’Horus (même si cette dernière était malheureusement déjà présente dans le Black Library Célébration 2022).
« Zone Mortelle » brille par son intensité militaire, « La Combine du Traître » retrouve l’humour savoureux de Ciaphas Cain, « Les Noces d’Obsidienne » offre une ambiance sombre et gothique, tandis que « L’Enfant du Chaos » apporte toute la tragédie de l’Hérésie d’Horus (même si cette dernière était malheureusement déjà présente dans le Black Library Célébration 2022).
April 13, 2026
Short story ratings as follows:
Irreplaceable: 2/5, Ork characterization is difficult and I’ve only really enjoyed them written by Mike Brooks
Doomwheel: 5/5, peak Skaven, yes-yes (rats are so evil and cute)
Opportunity Cost: 3/5, it’s fine!
The Nameless: 3/5, also fine
Joy of the Martyr: 4/5, a very solid Sororitas story
Irreplaceable: 2/5, Ork characterization is difficult and I’ve only really enjoyed them written by Mike Brooks
Doomwheel: 5/5, peak Skaven, yes-yes (rats are so evil and cute)
Opportunity Cost: 3/5, it’s fine!
The Nameless: 3/5, also fine
Joy of the Martyr: 4/5, a very solid Sororitas story
April 27, 2026
4 great writers and also Hal Wilson.
April 12, 2026
It was an oké read. Some of the story's were good and others were a big meh.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews