# Prospero Burns makes the New York Times Bestseller List



## Lord of the Night (Nov 18, 2009)

Yes the title says it all, but just in case it doesn't.


http://www.blacklibrary.com/Blog/A-look-into-the-future.html


Not too sure that I agree with this but I suppose it reflects sales and not the overall quality, _The First Heretic_ is a far better book and I think deserves a higher place on the list, but oh well. At least the Horus Heresy series is continuing its tradition started with _A Thousand Sons_, maybe one day a HH book will be number one.


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## Child-of-the-Emperor (Feb 22, 2009)

Don't even think this is news anymore. Its near-guaranteed that each and every HH installment will be on the list simply because it is part of the series (which now has a rather large following).

But still I suppose congratulations are in order...


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## RuneGuard (Jan 10, 2011)

Makes you wonder what number did the other HH novels make it into, anyone know?


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## Djinn24 (Jan 12, 2008)

Well that just shows our hobby is getting more and more attention which is somewhat good. I am happy to hear this.


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## pb100 (Sep 11, 2010)

It's great that more and more people are reading the HH books. Hopefully other BL books will soon start drawing more attention.


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## Vaz (Mar 19, 2008)

Lord of the Night said:


> Yes the title says it all, but just in case it doesn't.
> 
> 
> http://www.blacklibrary.com/Blog/A-look-into-the-future.html
> ...


Is the next book the catalyst, to the full outset of the Heresy perhaps? I heard it was around my December time. I'm sure in the end the radiance will be burning in the skies. Oh What've I done? I'm just hoping the messenger and robot boy will forgive me.

I've given up.


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## ckcrawford (Feb 4, 2009)

I actually liked this one compared to _Nemesis_. I suppose that it helped that since _A Thousand Sons_ was a best seller, thats its counter part would have it as well. Also shows that the Heresy Series has grown.


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## Dead.Blue.Clown (Nov 27, 2009)

Lord of the Night said:


> Not too sure that I agree with this but I suppose it reflects sales and not the overall quality, _The First Heretic_ is a far better book and I think deserves a higher place on the list, but oh well. At least the Horus Heresy series is continuing its tradition started with _A Thousand Sons_, maybe one day a HH book will be number one.


A lot of things go into making a book a bestseller.

1. Anticipation, if fans have been waiting a long time for it.
2. Advertising and marketing, most of all.
3. The cover.
4. Second-most important: How well the previous novels in the series/by the same author sold, which is how bookstores estimate and pre-judge demand; indeed, it's the figure they use to buy stock and judge how much to promote something themselves.
5. And in licensed fiction, tied to #1, is the event/story itself, and how integral to the license it is (how popular the faction/characters are; how big the event is, etc.)
6. Quality, of course, but that's mostly judged on the author's previous sales and so on, because the book sells before anyone's read it.

As soon as _A Thousand Sons_ made it onto the list, it paved the way for the others, but key to the point: as soon as _ATS_ hit that list, it practically guaranteed _Prospero Burns_ was going to curbstomp every other record.

Dan Abnett is BL's most popular and most veteran author. The Space Wolves are _immensely_ popular, along with the Blood Angels (so expect Jim's Signus Prime novel to get similarly amazing sales as _Prospero Burns_, compared to, say, _Nemesis_ and _The First Heretic_). You also had the massive anticipation building of people crying out for this novel for 20 years of fandom (It's the Space Wolves attacking Prospero!), as well as a year after ATS, because of the delays in publication. Plus, the cover is Leman Russ and the Space Wolves attacking Prospero.

Literally, this has had bestseller written over it since the beginning.


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## raider1987 (Dec 3, 2010)

Dead.Blue.Clown said:


> 3. The cover.


I gotta admit, even though TFH is by far the better book in my opinion, Prospero Burns has arguably the best cover of the series. I mean... its beautiful.


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## Vaz (Mar 19, 2008)

You mean aside from the pig wolves and fuck off huge bobble head marines, boring sky, monobrow sisters, and pyramids which have such poor detail in they might well have been smooth?

Yeah.


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## Roninman (Jul 23, 2010)

That cover particular is really nice, but backround of it truly sucks. If you seen whole picture cover was from. Some can draw real nice looking characters but same invidiuals suck at drawing backround. 

It aint of course new that PB made to nytimes bestseller list. Huge anticipation and earlier successes already guarenteed spot there.


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## raider1987 (Dec 3, 2010)

Vaz said:


> You mean aside from the pig wolves and fuck off huge bobble head marines, boring sky, monobrow sisters, and pyramids which have such poor detail in they might well have been smooth?
> 
> Yeah.


Your opinion is your opinion and I have no right to argue with that, but most people picking up that book in a store will more than likely think its awesome. I mean its a shame that in the actual book you don't get to see Russ fighting on prospero... but I still think its one of the best covers in the series.


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## Child-of-the-Emperor (Feb 22, 2009)

Vaz said:


> You mean aside from the pig wolves and fuck off huge bobble head marines, boring sky, monobrow sisters, and pyramids which have such poor detail in they might well have been smooth?
> 
> Yeah.


I'd like to know what HH cover-arts you think trump _Prospero Burns_? I think one or two rival it (and depending on preference perhaps beat it), but I think there has been a definitive improvement in cover-art as the series has gone on. The opening trilogy's cover-arts were nothing special at all for example.


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## Roninman (Jul 23, 2010)

Like i said Prospero cover art could be among the best but that whole backround ruins it. I found Russ, those wolves, sisters and Astartes very good. But those pyramids, that sky and those drop pod smoketails blah.

Favourites of mine so far has been:

Nemesis - Very clear image with good backround
Legion- just this lone Astartes (alpharius?) walking among kneeled soldiers and with finally someone draw good sky
Descent of Angels - Gothic and dark like 40k should be. Friend has posters of almost all novels so far and this might be my favourite when i saw on his wall

First 5 novels have just too much things going on and thats never a good cover on any novel. Talk about comicbook look too. Some others are similar, Mechanicum, Fallen Angels. 

Just look for example Gavin Thorpe's Path of Warrior, no backround which makes this character really standout.


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## Mob (Nov 14, 2010)

But character pin-ups like that are really comic-booky too, though. The design is very effective and art very impressive, but the concept isn't anything particularly new. Talking of comics, the Space Marine Battles books always make me think of the Civil War design.

While good art is good art, interesting graphic design is something BL have been doing a fair amount recently too; POD titles, the Night Lords design, things like Dead Men Walking. The last two Ghost hardbacks were really imposing with that fuckhuge red and white font and the top/bottom margins. I really appreciate the effort gone into making the various series' have a unique book design.

Although some are pretty lackluster, like the general IG design or things like Fear the Alien. And I don't like the stripes on the HH book spines, mysterious reasons be damned, it makes them look ugly on bookshelves. All this gold (or silver, bronze depending what you got) and black and art you want to drink in...and then some matte stripe of seemingly random thickness and colour. Deflates the image of a quality product.


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## Vaz (Mar 19, 2008)

Child-of-the-Emperor said:


> I'd like to know what HH cover-arts you think trump _Prospero Burns_? I think one or two rival it (and depending on preference perhaps beat it), but I think there has been a definitive improvement in cover-art as the series has gone on. The opening trilogy's cover-arts were nothing special at all for example.


They're all shit. Check out Execution Hour and Shadow Point. Aside from being better stories, the cover is excellent. Now you're stuck with the crap omnibus.


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## ckcrawford (Feb 4, 2009)

Vaz said:


> They're all shit.


Wow dude. You have interesting taste. 

I like most of the covers. I think they give an interesting and closer look at the some of the earlier armors.


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## forkmaster (Jan 2, 2010)

I must say that I love the cover for Soulhunter and Throne of lies. Both showed that dark depth where the VIII's Legion has gone into.


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