So it is possible it just slipped off my radar and you lot are all aware of what I'm about to impart - but I just picked up the newly released Ravenor Omnibus from the Black Library and found out something fairly cool... The book is a very pretty tome, done up in black and silver, containing all three of the Ravenor novels supplemented with two short stories (Thorn Wishes Talon and Playing Patience); however, the interesting bit is in Dan's introduction. Seems Dan is planning a third and (likely) final trilogy of novels with he tentatively entitles (in his head) the "Bequin Trilogy".

The Editors Militant of the Black Library on the other hand think of it as " Eisenhorn versus Ravenor ".

We're going to bear witness to the fall of Gregor Eisenhorn who will likely go as deeply Radical as Quixos, and I dare say Gideon will probably have to take a few steps more down that path ('cause he is already on it) to stop him.

Just thought you guys would like to know - I hadn't heard about this yet and I know that Dan's books are inspiring for many Dark Heresy Players and GMs.

I had actually heard a rumor to this effect a couple weeks ago, but not with any attributed source. Thanks for confirming.

That is SO exciting for me! I loved both these series, particularly the Ravenor trilogy, (my preferred series more for artistic than content reasons). I thought Abnett's writing grew a lot between Eisenhorn and Ravenor. So to see the writer he is today applied to the subject material of Eisenhorn just makes me squirm in anticipation.

(As a side note..wasn't Thorn wishes Talon also in the Eisenhorn Omnibus?)

YES! The fall fo Eisenhorn, from the view of the woman he loves? Freaking. AWESOME.

He was talking about it briefly about this time last year, IIRC - he did, for the second year running, a Q&A session at GenCon UK last August, and it was mentioned then.

Being a massive Eisenhorn fan, this is great news. I could never get into Ravenor.

Thorn Wishes Talon?? Is there anywhere else were this story is place as i have the frist printings of Eisenhorn books.

I really like Eisenhorn's code, i actually spent an afternoon at work noting all the time he use's it. Think i've lost it since though

I had a vague idea about statting up some of the Ravenor/Eisenhorn characters for DH.

However I then remembered that they'd all be quite high level characters, so it might be an idea to wait for the Ascension book, AND as I recall the books are set about 100-200 years before the events of Dark Heresy.

I thought that perhaps you could stat up an older Ravenor as Supreme Grand Master of the Ordos Scarus (an outcome I saw as a distinct possibility) and use him as a contempary character for DH...

But then an even more exciting idea was perhaps that FFG could create an Eisenhorn/Ravenor era & setting sourcebook, in the manner of the Star Wars RPG era books (like the rebellion era sourcebook, or the knights of the old republic sourcebook) and put the whole of the Scarus sector, principle characters at key stages of the storyline, xeno races (saruthi in particular) new weapons etc etc....now THAT would be a sourcebook! I'd buy it!

Mind you, if Dan Abnett's doing a new trilogy, we might have to wait a few years....

TS Luikart said:

Eisenhorn gone bad? Nooo!!...

Lightbringer said:

I'm actually using Eisenhorn as my acolytes' Inquisitor in the tabletop game I'm running, and it's being set in the proper DH current timeline. I know it's a push, the original Eisenhorn books being set about 400 years before the current time in Calixis, but Eisenhorn wouldn't be the first Inquisitor to have survived to hit the age of 600, especially given the estoric lore and rejuve treatments he seems to have all the time.

And, whilst I've not used any of the characters from the books for Eisenhorn (except Cherubael, but the Acolytes haven't run into him yet... mwahahaha), I have used the characters that follow Eisenhorn in the Inquisitor game. I've stated up Lucius "Slick" Devlan, and he's the contact my characters are current talking to (Slick having been undercover in an underhive drug dealing gang on Fenksworld) at the moment.... until the bullets start flying

I'll have to post up the sheets I made of them at some point, since Slick and the rest don't have to be that high rank to feel about right (I think Slick himself is only about rank 5-6 Scum)

No I didnt know that!

Thats excellent news. I am a fan of both trilogys!

Thanks T.S!!!

Aethel - the Eisenhorn Omnibus contains Missing In Action and Backloth for a Crown Additional - both of which are excellent fodder for RPG ideas. I think Missing in Action is one of the most tragic stories Dan has written (not counting some of the Heresy stuff).

I'm fairly certain that Dan would never do anything so simple as "Eisenhorn goes bad"...

...but what if he finds out that by doing something truly terrible he can save Alizebeth?

TS Luikart said:

I totally agree, I trust Abnett to do us all proud and pull it off without us all howling for blood

TS Luikart said:

He'll do it. He's Eisenhorn The Radical inquisitor we all know and love

Im reading Ravenor for the first time at the moment (oh how I love these THICK omnibuses, they take ages to read through! ), and I have read Eisenhorn before so yes, it would be cool to see another trilogy about Alizabeth Bequin.

Another thing I liked about the Ravenor Omnibus is the included map over the Scarus Sector. It just begs to be used in Dark Heresy games, and im thinking of maybe extrapolate upon describing the Scarus sector, like the Calixis sector has been described in DH. But thats just an idea at the moment, since im busy with translating a rulebook for a swedish RPG to english (350-pages long ).

I need to get my mits on the Ravenor Omnibus :/ I have the first 2 but I can't find the final one anywhere Plus, I just like reading the Authors introductions for some reason.

cyclocius said:

It's because you're a nerd just like the rest of us!

Oh yeah, how could I forget ? xD

This is indeed exciting news. Abnett's work is always a pleasure to devour.

If the Bequin trilogy does shape up to be Eisenhorn vs. Ravenor, I really hope that Eisenhorn wins or at least kills Ravenor. While I enjoyed the Ravenor series, I never liked Ravenor as a character - he seemed like a moody tool in my estimation. Perhaps he'll redeem himself in these new books.

Also looking forward to Prospero Burns!

Heresy! Ravenor isn't a "moody tool!" He's a walking, talking...er...OK, talking metaphor for the Emperor himself: critically injured, kept alive by arcane machinery, psychically powerful and noble of heart.

I reckon Abnett'll do a Luke Skywalker/Darth Vader redemptive thing where Ravenor saves Eisenhorn's soul and Eisenhorn dies heroically saving Ravenor.

NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Eisenhorn can't die!

SPOILERS

Fischig tried to do the same remember? Eisenhorn turned him into a deamonhost

Yes, although Eisenhorn knows very well that his days are numbered once he gets declared Hereticus Traitorus Extremis. He himself hunted down Quixor, and if he doesn't change his ways will end the same way (or worse).

One word: Sweet !

I've found the Eisenhorn and Ravenor series to be particularly inspiring, and eagerly await the next trilogy, but we'll likely have a bit of a wait before we see it. Abnett ha a lot on his plate these days!

By the way, I had a look at the new Ravenor omnibus today, and there's a copule of Ravenor short stories in there that I hadn't seen before, inbetween the three novels... I might have to get a copy, which brings the total I've spent on this series to about £50...Grrr!

Eisenhorn vs. Ravenor...did someone call cherubael? heres how i think its gonna go cherubael offers Eisenhorn Elizabeth restored to normal if he does a few things for him (i.e. frees him and gets him some terrible artifact of the warp or something) then Eisenhorn does the old "yeah i got the girl and now your gonna die" though ravenor is tasked with hunting him down and figuring out what the frak is wrong with this situation.

ThenDoctor said:

That sounds highly probable

This is good news.

The Ravenor series didn't work as well as Eisenhorn series, in my opinion. There's a number of reasons for it. One, Abnett didn't seem to know what to do with Ravenor. He splits the focus between Ravenor and his retinue and the result makes Ravenor seem distant, passive, and not really in control of his people. This is aggravated by his retinue repeatedly doing all sorts of bad stuff (defying his orders, doing warp crack, keeping secrets about other members of the retinue being demonically possessed) and Ravenor being described as being brilliant, but not doing much to demonstrate said brilliance.

Thought for the day: Callixus Sector is right next to Scaurus Sector.