What Is the Black Library?
“Black Library” refers to two distinct things in the Warhammer universe. First, it is Games Workshop’s fiction publishing imprint, responsible for producing novels, short stories, and audio dramas set in the Warhammer 40,000, Warhammer Age of Sigmar, and Horus Heresy settings. Second, it is an ancient Aeldari repository of forbidden knowledge hidden deep within the Webway, guarded by the Harlequins and their patron god Cegorach, the Laughing God. The publisher took its name from this in-universe location, creating a deliberate connection between the real-world books and the mythical archive.
Both meanings are significant to the Warhammer community. The publishing imprint has produced hundreds of novels that have become essential reading for fans, expanding the lore far beyond what the tabletop game’s rulebooks and codexes can convey. The in-lore Black Library, meanwhile, is one of the most mysterious and significant locations in the Warhammer 40,000 setting — a place where the secrets of the universe are hoarded and protected from those who would misuse them.
What Does Black Library Publish?
Black Library, the publishing division of Games Workshop, produces fiction set across all of Games Workshop’s intellectual properties. It has published hundreds of novels, novellas, short stories, and audio dramas since its founding in 1997, making it one of the most prolific tie-in fiction publishers in the world.
The major novel series and ranges include:
The Horus Heresy — A massive series of over 60 novels (including the Siege of Terra sub-series) chronicling the galaxy-shattering civil war between the Emperor’s loyal forces and the traitor Legions led by Warmaster Horus. This series is widely considered the crown jewel of Black Library’s output, featuring work from authors including Dan Abnett, Aaron Dembski-Bowden, Chris Wraight, and Guy Haley. The series took over 18 years to complete and fundamentally shaped the Warhammer 40,000 setting.
Warhammer 40,000 novels — Standalone and series novels set in the 41st Millennium, covering every major faction from Space Marines to the Aeldari, T’au, Necrons, and the forces of Chaos. Notable series include the Gaunt’s Ghosts series by Dan Abnett (following an Imperial Guard regiment), the Eisenhorn and Ravenor trilogies by Dan Abnett (following Inquisitors), and the Night Lords trilogy by Aaron Dembski-Bowden (told from the perspective of Chaos Space Marines).
Warhammer Age of Sigmar novels — Fiction set in the Mortal Realms, the setting that succeeded Warhammer Fantasy following the End Times. This range has grown steadily since Age of Sigmar’s launch in 2015.
Warhammer Crime and Warhammer Horror — Newer imprints that apply genre conventions (crime fiction and horror, respectively) to the Warhammer settings, offering different narrative perspectives on familiar universes.
Who Are the Key Black Library Authors?
Black Library has developed a stable of talented authors who have become beloved by the Warhammer community. The most prominent include:
Dan Abnett is arguably the most acclaimed Black Library author, known for the Gaunt’s Ghosts series, the Eisenhorn and Ravenor Inquisitor trilogies, the Bequin series, and several pivotal Horus Heresy novels including “Horus Rising” (the series opener) and “The End and the Death” (the series finale). Abnett is credited with elevating Warhammer fiction from simple tie-in material to genuinely literary science fiction.
Aaron Dembski-Bowden is renowned for his deeply character-driven novels, particularly the Night Lords trilogy (“Soul Hunter,” “Blood Reaver,” “Void Stalker”), “The First Heretic,” “Betrayer,” and the “Black Legion” series. He is widely praised for his ability to make sympathetic characters out of Chaos Space Marines and traitors.
Chris Wraight has become one of the most reliable and acclaimed BL authors, known for his work on the White Scars (“Scars,” “The Path of Heaven”), the Custodes (“The Emperor’s Legion,” “The Regent’s Shadow”), and the Vaults of Terra series.
Guy Haley has written extensively across the range, including the Dark Imperium trilogy featuring Roboute Guilliman’s return and several key Horus Heresy entries.
Other notable authors include Graham McNeill, Gav Thorpe, Josh Reynolds, Rachel Harrison, and David Annandale. The quality and style vary across the range, but the best Black Library novels are genuinely excellent science fiction and fantasy that stand on their own merits beyond their tie-in status.
What Is the Black Library in Warhammer Lore?
In the Warhammer 40,000 setting, the Black Library is an ancient repository of knowledge hidden within the Webway — the labyrinthine network of interdimensional tunnels that connects points across the galaxy. The Black Library contains the collected knowledge of the Aeldari race, including — most critically — comprehensive records of Chaos, the Warp, and the true nature of the Chaos Gods.
The Black Library is not merely a collection of books. It is described as a vast, impossible structure that exists partially in realspace and partially in the Warp, filled with crystalline data-stores, psychic recordings, living texts that change as the future shifts, and artefacts of immense power. Some of the knowledge stored within is so dangerous that merely reading it could drive a mortal mind insane or open a pathway for daemonic possession.
The Library exists because the Aeldari, during the height of their civilisation, gathered knowledge of every threat to their existence — including the Chaos Gods. When the Fall of the Aeldari occurred and Slaanesh was born from their excess, the Black Library became one of the few repositories of this knowledge to survive. Its contents represent the most comprehensive understanding of Chaos possessed by any mortal faction in the galaxy.
Who Guards the Black Library?
The Black Library is guarded by the Harlequins, the enigmatic Aeldari warrior-performers who serve Cegorach, the Laughing God — the only Aeldari deity to escape the Fall unscathed. The Harlequins are fanatically devoted to protecting the Library and its contents, using their mastery of the Webway to ensure that no unauthorised being can find or enter the Library.
Cegorach himself is intimately connected to the Black Library. As the Aeldari god of trickery, misdirection, and guile, Cegorach escaped Slaanesh’s birth by hiding in the Webway, and the Black Library exists under his patronage and protection. The Harlequins consider their guardianship of the Library to be a sacred duty, and they will fight with absolute ferocity to prevent any outsider from breaching its defences.
The Library is hidden within the Webway in a location that constantly shifts. Its entrances appear and disappear unpredictably, and the paths leading to it are guarded by traps, illusions, and Harlequin war-troupes. Even other Aeldari — Craftworld Eldar, Drukhari, and Corsairs — cannot access the Library without Harlequin permission, and such permission is granted extremely rarely.
Why Does Ahriman Want to Enter the Black Library?
Ahzek Ahriman, the exiled Chief Librarian of the Thousand Sons Traitor Legion, has spent millennia attempting to gain entry to the Black Library. His obsession stems from his desire to undo the Rubric of Ahriman — the catastrophic spell he cast in an attempt to save his Legion from the mutating effects of Chaos, which instead transformed the majority of Thousand Sons Marines into mindless, dust-filled suits of armour known as Rubric Marines.
Ahriman believes the Black Library contains knowledge that could reverse the Rubric and restore his brothers to their former glory. This quest has driven him across the galaxy and into conflict with virtually every faction in the setting. He has fought Harlequins, manipulated Craftworld Eldar, bargained with daemons, and committed countless atrocities in pursuit of this single goal.
The irony of Ahriman’s quest is a central theme of his character. He seeks knowledge to undo the consequences of seeking knowledge — an endless cycle of ambition and catastrophe that mirrors the tragedy of the Thousand Sons as a whole. Whether Ahriman will ever reach the Black Library, and what he would find if he did, remains one of the ongoing narrative threads of the setting.
In the novel “Atlas Infernal” by Rob Sanders, Ahriman does briefly gain entry to the Black Library, only to find that the knowledge he seeks is beyond even his ability to comprehend or use. This encounter suggests that the Black Library is not simply a storehouse of facts but a living entity that reveals only what it chooses to reveal — and to whom.
Why Is the Publisher Called Black Library?
Games Workshop named its fiction publishing imprint after the in-universe Black Library as a deliberate thematic connection. Just as the lore’s Black Library is a repository of forbidden knowledge about the Warhammer universe, the publishing imprint serves as the real-world repository of expanded Warhammer lore and storytelling.
The name creates a satisfying meta-narrative: when readers purchase Black Library novels, they are, in a sense, accessing knowledge from the Black Library itself. The publisher’s logo and branding reinforce this connection, and Black Library events and releases are often marketed with language that plays on the mystique of the in-lore location.
This naming convention also reflects Games Workshop’s understanding that the lore and narrative of their settings are as important to many fans as the tabletop game itself. By giving the fiction imprint a name rooted in the deepest lore, Games Workshop signalled that Black Library publications would be treated as legitimate and significant expansions of the Warhammer universe rather than disposable tie-in merchandise.
How Should New Readers Start with Black Library?
For readers new to Black Library fiction, the best starting point depends on which aspect of the Warhammer universe interests them most:
For Warhammer 40,000 newcomers, “Horus Rising” by Dan Abnett is the traditional recommendation — it opens the Horus Heresy series and provides an excellent introduction to the setting’s themes and characters. Alternatively, the Eisenhorn trilogy (starting with “Xenos”) offers a more accessible, thriller-style entry point through the eyes of an Imperial Inquisitor.
For readers interested in the human perspective rather than Space Marines, the Gaunt’s Ghosts series (starting with “First and Only”) follows an Imperial Guard regiment and is widely considered some of the best military science fiction in any setting.
For those drawn to morally complex narratives, the Night Lords trilogy by Aaron Dembski-Bowden tells the story from the perspective of Chaos Space Marines and is frequently cited as Black Library’s finest work.
For Age of Sigmar readers, “Soul Wars” by Josh Reynolds provides a strong introduction to the Mortal Realms setting.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Black Library books considered canon?
Black Library novels are generally considered canon within the Warhammer universe, but Games Workshop maintains the principle that “everything is canon, but not everything is true.” This means that events in novels happened within the setting, but different accounts may contradict each other — reflecting the unreliable nature of historical records in a galaxy spanning millions of worlds and tens of thousands of years. When novel content contradicts codex or rulebook content, the latter typically takes precedence.
How many Black Library books are there?
Black Library has published well over 500 novels and novellas, plus hundreds of short stories and audio dramas. The Horus Heresy series alone comprises over 60 novels. New releases are published regularly throughout the year, with major releases often timed to coincide with new tabletop game editions or army releases.
Has anyone other than Ahriman entered the Black Library?
Very few beings have been granted access to the Black Library. The Harlequins have occasionally permitted specific individuals entry for reasons known only to Cegorach. In the novel “Atlas Infernal,” Ahriman briefly enters the Library. The Eldar Farseer Eldrad Ulthran is known to have communicated with the Library’s guardians. Access is extraordinarily rare and always controlled by the Harlequins and Cegorach.
Is the Black Library connected to the Webway?
Yes. The Black Library exists within the Webway and can only be accessed through it. Its location within the Webway constantly shifts, making it virtually impossible to find without Harlequin guidance. This connection to the Webway also provides the Library’s primary defence — the Harlequins are the undisputed masters of Webway travel, and they can manipulate its pathways to prevent unauthorised access.
Does the Black Library contain knowledge about the Emperor?
Almost certainly. The Aeldari civilisation predates the Emperor’s rise, and the Aeldari have observed humanity for millennia. The Black Library likely contains extensive records on the Emperor, the creation of the Primarchs, and perhaps even the Emperor’s dealings with the Chaos Gods. However, this knowledge is not shared with the Imperium, and few humans have ever been in a position to ask.