I like my 40k and Warhammer dark in both aesthetic & fluff – I’ve never had an Ork or Goblin army because the aesthetic that I like is one of bleakness & misery. Ork models can sometimes look a bit too light hearted and wacky for my personal tastes. There’s a reason I’ve been drawn to Death Guard, Nurgle, Tzeentch & Crimson Fist armies because I like my version of the grim darkness of the future to be grim. The reason I mention this is because it offers a good explanation as to why I like the Realm Of Chaos books so much.

On the way back from Games Day last weekend me and Nathan talked about the sheer volume of background information there is for both the 40k and WFB systems & the huge task it must be managing that information and keeping it all in line. I honestly believe that the universes of 40k & Warhammer are some of the impressive works of fiction created – in both quantity & quality. In many ways they are predictable and follow the cliches and paths set by authors like Tolkien but in many other ways they are completely original. For me the concept of Chaos is perhaps the most original thing about the fiction and it encapsulates everything that I love about it. Considering that the hobby is aimed at kids (in terms of starting out anyway) Chaos is pretty intense, especially in the Horus Heresy books. Think about the Emperors Children – having wild ass orgies, smearing shit all over, cutting each other up and that! Even if you separate them from the the gaming systems they’re designed to support it’s books like the one we’re about to explore that makes the fiction stand up on it’s own.

Before we go any further I want to explain what these books are to anyone who hasn’t had the pleasure of reading them. Although I am going to talk about the second book ‘The Lost and The Damned’ which covers the Chaos powers Tzeentch and Nurgle there is a book prior to this called ‘Slaves To Darkness’ which covers Khorne & Slaanesh, which is also an excellent. The books in their infancy were around before WFB and 40k were released but were not published until 1988 & 1990. I didn’t read them at the time of release as I was only 1 &  3 years old respectively but was introduced to them by a round headed Mancunian named Mark Boardman back when Corehammer had some of it’s earliest roots in 2006.

Rick Priestley on the length of time it took for the books to be published.

The idea of the book is to give stats and background on troops to use in 40k, WFB and Warhammer Roleplaying. Information can be used to create Champions of Chaos or campaigns as well as a ton of stats about specific troops like a Codex. Want to know Chaos Phonetic Runes? This books got them. Interested in Chaos Monoliths? This book has got your back. It also has background info about the early years of the Emperor & the Horus Heresy which I know a lot of people will find interesting.

The contributors to the book reads like a who’s who of some of the greats of Games Workshop in the 80’s and 90’s and it’s easy to tell that just from the pure creativity and quality of both the writing and illustration.

Excellent contributors = excellent content.

I have a confession to make before I go any further about what really makes me love the book which is that I don’t actually own a copy of it. I’ve considered taking the plunge but as the book is out of press then your only chance is on eBay where copies typically go for £70-£100 so I’ve always stuck to my PDF version.

I’m now going to give you a quick whistle stop tour of the reasons why I love this book so much…

Most of the art in the book is black & white which suits me fine – there is a coloured section in the spine but it;s reserved mostly for ‘Eavy Metal stuff.

A lot of the art is there without any explanation as to what it is or who it features.

This is part of the Chaos Monoliths section – again full of little bits of fluff & background info buried away.

Good information for those painting their own Chaos banners or just wanting a Chaos themed graffiti tag?

Everyone loves the Horus Heresy so I’ve included part of the section on it for you.

If you’re not interested in reading the book then it’s worth it just to take in all the great artwork done by some of the classic Games Workshop artists. If you’re a fan of Chaos then it’s a no brainer but it also has a lot of great information that pertains to so many different facets of the fiction that I think it’s worth everyone searching out a copy of the PDF if you can’t splurge on an eBay copy and spend a winter Sunday reading through it.

As testament to what I mentioned about the 40k/WFB universe being one of the coolest works of fiction, I leave you with the following…

A simple noble…

…who became a champion of Chaos.