In 1996 McNeill started work in an architects’ office designing new flats and commercial properties, until he saw an advertisement for a writer in the December 1999 copy of White Dwarf.
His works — False Gods (2006), Fulgrim (2007) and Mechanicum (2008), are part of The Black Library's Horus Heresy novel series.
Early 2009 saw the release of his first novel outside of the Black Library, I, Mengsk (McNeill, 2009), set in Blizzard Entertainment's StarCraft universe.
The novel tells the tale of three generations of the Mengsk family - Angus and his revolutionary activities, his son Arcturus and his rise to power (leading up to the events of the first game), and Arcturus' son Valerian as he struggles to embrace his family's legacy (leading up to the events of the second game).
[2] As a senior narrative writer, McNeill develops backstories and lore for individual characters of the game and the in-game world.