The Literary Khan: fiction, wisdom, and writings of The Khan

  That Time Again     Well for those that have followed me for a while now will know that I have a few traditions. One of which being hurling my annual pitch at the Great Library open window. I will be clear. This is about the only thing I will submit to each year. It is less about getting published, and more about giving myself a challenge. I wont pretend it is not a bucket list level item for me.      This year the limitation placed on submissions was that it had to be about the new edition of Age of Sigmar. Specifically the Dawnbringer Crusades. With a hint about focusing on the rank and file. Ok well I sketched out a joke image for my twitter followers, and then more seriously sat down and fleshed out my story idea. I had the idea that I wanted to write about a mercenary company who were hired to escourt a crusade scouting force. They would find themselves arrayed against both Krule Boys and Beastclaw Raiders. I wanted that classic order versus destruct...

         Welcome back members of the Khanate. Today we have a special guest for our readers. If you have been reading this blog for some time now you will be well aware of the my love for fiction. One of my favourite authors being Graham McNeill you can understand my excitement to host him here. As he shares some of his wisdom on writing, 40K, and the nature of writing. Before we begin I want to thank Graham for taking the time to answer some questions from your humble Khan.       KHAN: It is fair to say that you are a pillar, if not some of the base and roof, of the monolith that is Games workshop. With almost one hundred written works of fiction under Black Library, and a number of game design credits spanning a career that reaches back almost two decades. What was it like in those early days?        GM:  That’s kind of you to say so, though I continue to stand upon the mighty shoulders of those who came before ...

             In the grim darkness of the 41st millennium, there is only war. This tagline carried me through a great deal of my early Warhammer gaming years. I remember reading that opening crawl so many times. It was bleak, it was so much darker than anything I had read previously. Works from authors such as Tolkien, or the various Star Wars EU authors (may they get justice) it was my first experience with a dystopian universe. There were no plucky Skywalkers, and there certainly was not a defined good guy and bad guy. Everyone was horrible in their own way. However, lately I am seeing a growing trend in the online conversation to create a different lore setting, and potentially purge elements of the original lore to not only update the setting. But, to additionally try to give a face lift to certain elements of the setting that people are beginning to question. Yet, as I continue to watch the discussion online all I keep thinking is are we trying to ...

      So once again we have passed through the open window period of Black Library's open submission. This time they asked authors to flex their skills at writing a horror piece. They had different categories to choose from, but beyond that they allowed authors to choose any Warhammer setting. As luck would have it I had completed a short horror work for a story comp. I decided to take that work and retool it. For comparison I will post the original work as submitted to the first story competition now.  CURIOUS SCRIPTURE – (1000 words)   “Oh they know my dear, they can see everything” the singsong voice tittered in Johaanus’s ear. Just remain calm, they know nothing Johaanus thought to himself as the skin across his chest seemed to writhe. The table before him was a collection of the highest authorities of the scriptorium. The rotund prefect archivist brother Hingel sat opposite, his multiple chins quivered when he coughed. Curator Aurelius, a wizened mixtu...