# 'Ahriman - Sorcerer' announced.



## forkmaster (Jan 2, 2010)

So on the blog earlier today, John French announced the next part in the Ahriman-trilogy. And SPOILERS. A character from the Advent short audio about Lucius will make a return apparently. Can't wait to see more of this and the cover for the novel.


http://www.blacklibrary.com/Blog/and-the-winner.html


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

That would be Sanakht.


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## forkmaster (Jan 2, 2010)

Child-of-the-Emperor said:


> That would be Sanakht.


Ahh yes, it wasn't that much of a spoiler when I realized it! >.<


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## forkmaster (Jan 2, 2010)

John French wrote this on Twitter:



> depending on the tides of release schedules, it is probably Ahriman: Sorcerer, and it's about the Athenaeum of Kalimakus.


So the segment from the Codex: Chaos Space Marines (4th Edition) on page. 51 will finally see the light of day now then and the continuation from _ATS_ which was left open and unanswered.


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## forkmaster (Jan 2, 2010)

Also this has already been posted in another thread, but felt I should add it here as well while I'm at it. This really got me excited as I liked the first novel and the short _The Dead Oracle_ was really good.


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## 40kBookReviews (Aug 24, 2014)

I hope it ends up being better than Ahriman: Exile.

Did not think that book really did justice to Ahriman and French's writing came off rather underwhelming.

I'm willing to give it another shot though, as I really love the Thousand Sons and Ahriman, so I'd love nothing more than an awesome novel about him.


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## Vitarus (Apr 9, 2012)

Exile is my favorite Black Library book. I've decided it tops Eisenhorn and Ravenor. Sooooo excited about Sorcerer.


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

I'm looking forward to it. 

It's rumoured there will be a crossover with AD-B's Black Legion Series as well, which is exciting.


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## ckcrawford (Feb 4, 2009)

40kBookReviews said:


> I hope it ends up being better than Ahriman: Exile.
> 
> Did not think that book really did justice to Ahriman and French's writing came off rather underwhelming.
> 
> I'm willing to give it another shot though, as I really love the Thousand Sons and Ahriman, so I'd love nothing more than an awesome novel about him.


What specifically didn't you like about how the book was written? I haven't read it yet, but I thought some people say it was good. Each to its own though.


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## forkmaster (Jan 2, 2010)

Child-of-the-Emperor said:


> I'm looking forward to it.
> 
> It's rumoured there will be a crossover with AD-B's Black Legion Series as well, which is exciting.


That for one would be entirely awesome! I think he did improve much of his writing in _The Dead Oracle_ even though it's just a short so I believe this one to be better now that Ahriman is back with his powers and a purpose.



ckcrawford said:


> What specifically didn't you like about how the book was written? I haven't read it yet, but I thought some people say it was good. Each to its own though.


Many felt Ahriman was nerfed down from his former glory and power, but that is the point of the book. He hit his lowest after the Rubric and couldn't stand it anymore.


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## forkmaster (Jan 2, 2010)

Now available at the store: http://www.blacklibrary.com/warhammer-40000/ahriman-sorcerer-paperback.html

*The story:*
_Ahriman, greatest sorcerer of the Thousand Sons and architect of the Rubric that laid his Legion low, continues to walk the path towards salvation, or damnation. Searching for a cure for his Legion, he is forced to consider – was the great ritual somehow flawed from the very beginning? The answer may lie within the mysterious artefact known as the Athenaeum of Kalimakus, a grimoire of forgotten knowledge that is reputed to contain the exact words of the lost Book of Magnus... or, perhaps, even a transcription of the primarch’s deepest and most secret thoughts._

*Read it because:*
_This is the second part in the tale of one of Warhammer 40,000's most notorious villains. The Ahriman series explores the motivations of this dark sorcerer in greater depth than ever before. Horus Heresy fans will also find plenty to enjoy as the story harks back to events of this great civil war, particularly the fate of the lost Book of Magnus._


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## Malus Darkblade (Jan 8, 2010)

Why wouldn't Ahriman have had access to said journal prior to Magnus's ascension

I doubt Magnus wrote the book as a Daemon


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## Deus Mortis (Jun 20, 2009)

Didn't Kalimakus basically go "oh crap I've accidentally written this fuck off huge sorcerous tome and I don't remember half of it" and nick it when he left Prospero in ATS?


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## Malus Darkblade (Jan 8, 2010)

Oh wtf is Kalimakus then? I assumed he was a new creation.


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

Malus Darkblade said:


> Oh wtf is Kalimakus then? I assumed he was a new creation.


Kallimakus was Magnus's personal remembrancer. He was psychically grafted to Magnus so he could note down all of the Primarch's inner thoughts into the Athenaeum without actually knowing what they were. And Ahriman didn't have access to it because it was basically Magnus's personal diary, he wasn't about to share the stuff he wrote down in there with anyone.


LotN


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## Malus Darkblade (Jan 8, 2010)

Makes sense now. Been a while since I've read ATS


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

Kallimakus was also mentioned in one of the old _Codex: Chaos Space Marines_ editions. A while after the Heresy, Ahriman and his Rubrics eventually tracked down the Athenaeum and laid siege to the world that it was on. A cult had arisen around Kallimakus's works which was destroyed by the Rubrics. Ahriman claimed the lost works of Kallimakus and moved on.


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## forkmaster (Jan 2, 2010)

Child-of-the-Emperor said:


> Kallimakus was also mentioned in one of the old _Codex: Chaos Space Marines_ editions. A while after the Heresy, Ahriman and his Rubrics eventually tracked down the Athenaeum and laid siege to the world that it was on. A cult had arisen around Kallimakus's works which was destroyed by the Rubrics. Ahriman claimed the lost works of Kallimakus and moved on.


Indeed this! I asked French about it, and he answered that was the main plot for this novel, but it kind of expanded further beyond that if I'm not mistaken.  I think that's where he was first mentioned and later added into ATS as a minor character.


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## Khorne's Fist (Jul 18, 2008)

Downloaded this today. Looking forward to reading it. Just have to finish off _Gods of Mars_ first.


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

I've downloaded it too. Just gotta get round to reading it at some point!


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## Vitarus (Apr 9, 2012)

Finished it today. For my tastes, Exile is one of the top few BL books out of the 40-ish I've read. Sorcerer doesn't do it for me as much. Still, very good stuff. Love the machinations (a word I learned how to spell just this minute). Some more very interesting ways of using psyker powers. And, of course, the continuing of Ahriman's story.


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## forkmaster (Jan 2, 2010)

Vitarus said:


> Finished it today. For my tastes, Exile is one of the top few BL books out of the 40-ish I've read. Sorcerer doesn't do it for me as much. Still, very good stuff. Love the machinations (a word I learned how to spell just this minute). Some more very interesting ways of using psyker powers. And, of course, the continuing of Ahriman's story.


I would agree on some levels. My biggest problem with this book is that it doesn't explore deeper into Ahriman, the Thousand Sons in general, the Rubricae and we won't get to know something in particular about the Athenaeum of Kallimakus which was first mentioned in the 6th Ed CSM Codex. I was to be honest, disappointed with the novel. Not only the lack of exploration of the things already mentioned, but also playing around too much with some established lore and changing it. I am all for changes, but this weren't changes in a good way.


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## Vitarus (Apr 9, 2012)

Can't argue with that. Especially about wishing there was more exploration of Ahriman and the Thousand Sons. I'm hoping this is mainly setting up a fantastic third book.


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## forkmaster (Jan 2, 2010)

Vitarus said:


> Can't argue with that. Especially about wishing there was more exploration of Ahriman and the Thousand Sons. I'm hoping this is mainly setting up a fantastic third book.


I really hope so as well. The first book I could forgive as it was a origin-story where the ending paid off somewhat with the confrontation with Amon and his sorcerers. Here we hardly see Ahriman and I never got invested in Ignis or Sanakht despite both having great potential.


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## Vitarus (Apr 9, 2012)

Yeah, the more time I reflect on it, the less happy I am with Sorcerer. Lol. Here's hoping for a great Unchanged!


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## piemelke (Oct 13, 2010)

I enjoyed the book, it was not great but more than ok, I guess what did not help is reading ToH and the description of Khayon as it was a reference.
I actually did like what Ignis stood for. I did like some of the KN writing although I found they were killed off too easily.
All in all I recently finished ,stormcaller,ToH, (rebirth in between, not all that bad for Nick) Gods of Mars, sorcerer and I am not dissapointed,


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## forkmaster (Jan 2, 2010)

piemelke said:


> I enjoyed the book, it was not great but more than ok, I guess what did not help is reading ToH and the description of Khayon as it was a reference.
> I actually did like what Ignis stood for. I did like some of the KN writing although I found they were killed off too easily.
> All in all I recently finished ,stormcaller,ToH, (rebirth in between, not all that bad for Nick) Gods of Mars, sorcerer and I am not dissapointed,


Yes, the book is ok but French had so much potential which he didn't use. That is what bothers me most. KN writing? What do you mean about that term? What does it mean?


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## piemelke (Oct 13, 2010)

sorry I meant the grey knights
I did like the description on how their gestalts merges, but I feel they were killed off too easily, even for TS


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## Vitarus (Apr 9, 2012)

Yup. Grey Knights are often introduced as these extraordinary beings, amazing even by Space Marine standards. Then all this crap happens while a GK is there as guard, in a room full of frickin' Inquisitors no less!


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