Multcolib Recommends: The hitchhiker's guide to Warhammer 40000. The grim, dark future of Warhammer 40,000 (40K)? You should start with these books. Commentary about where to start if you're new to reading Warhammer 40K. Many people say that Dan Abnett has written some of the best Warhammer 40k books of all times. Here are the Dan Abnett books in order of reading and publication order for his sci-fi novels and comic series. In case of series with multiple authors, I am listing here only the Dan Abnett books.
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Getting into the world of Warhammer 40,000 can be a daunting challenge, no matter where you choose to start. Whether you are buying the starter set to try the table-top or you stumbled across a random piece of lore that made you curious... the question most people come to is, “Where do I even begin to learn about this stuff?” With the release of a few decent games, and a couple more coming out soon... this question is being asked more and more often.
Fear not, for I have a recommended list of books that will help you get a basic understanding of the Warhammer 40K universe without having to buy every last book that the Black Library has put out... though if you want to do that, I'm sure they won't mind at all. This is for the people that want to get as much out of the books, both as enjoyable stories and as expansions of their understanding of the larger Warhammer 40K universe.
The First book(s): “The Space Wolf Omnibus” by William King. Simply put, there is no better introduction to the Warhammer 40K universe for the uninitiated than this collection of novels. It uses the classic “fish out of water” framing device for the main character, so that the reader ends up learning along with him as he develops from a fairly normal human being on a back-water planet into a full-fledged SPACE MARINE! The story moves all around the Imperium and examines some very interesting ideas through the course of the three novels, and there is a 4th one in the series by the same author I also recommend... but stop after the 4th book; the writer who takes over for King isn't really able to capture the spirit of the characters.
What comes next:
“The Night Lords Omnibus” By Aaron Dembski-Bowde. This book examines the lives of members of a renegade band of Space Marines that (mostly) refuse to give into the temptations of Chaos. It excels at space combat and it does a very decent job of “humanizing” the main cast of characters. If you ever wondered what goes on in the mind of a traitor marine, give this one a read. The one caveat I will give with my recommendation is that this book is really, REALLY dark. It is so much so, that I actually find it an unpleasant read in places... and I think that is done on purpose. The book is almost utterly joyless, with the brief moments of levity created by sarcasm and snark rather than a break in the angst.
Or...
“Gaunt's Ghosts: The Founding Omnibus” By Dan Abnett. This series is one of the classics put out by the Black Library (the company exclusively responsible for publishing the WHFB/WH40K fluff books) and it has earned that place. The first omnibus in particular, is very good. I feel like this is where the most story happens, where as the second omnibus gets to feeling somewhat “samey” if you attempt to read it in one solid block. It's about the life and times of a company of rather eclectic members of the Imperial Guard who are sent into some of the worst battles in the Imperium and manage to come back somewhat whole... though don't get too attached as there isn't enough plot armor to go around.
Deepening your understanding:
“Storm of Iron” by Graham McNiell. When you ask people what “The Best” Warhammer 40K novel is, this one will inevitably appear near or at the top of almost everyone's list... and the reason for that is the compelling characters, vicious sense of pacing, and a truly interesting ending that left me wondering what was going to happen until the very end of it. This novel does benefit from having a good understanding of the lore and the larger world, so I would not, in anyway, suggest this as a place to begin... however, it takes the notion of the “Grim Darkness of the 41st millennium” and uses that to it's utmost advantage. Once you have a few other novels under your belt, I suggest checking out this one.
“Titanicus” by Dan Abnett. The Titans are Gods of Death on the battlefield. For the most part, they are giant stompy robots that kill anything and everything that get in their way. This book seeks to make them more then that and looks at HOW one of these machines tend to operate by focusing on the crew that man one. The moments they realize they are not invincible are some of the best moments in Warhammer 40K lore. The descriptons of the interactions with the machine spirit I found to be of particular interest and were fleshed out quite well. If you find the idea of giant robots blowing things up fun, you'll like this one.
When you have decided you are all in:
“Ciaphas Kain (any/all of them)” by Sandy Mitchell. These books are a lot of fun, but it REALLY helps to have read some of the lore in other places so that the jokes all make sense. It's in this series that all the ridiculous elements of the lore get poked with a stick... and then usually shot with a plasma pistol for good measure. You can enjoy these novels with those various asides and observations going over your head, as their will be plenty that you'll get; but these are books that really shine when you have got your mind around just how confused and even silly a place the Warhammer 40K universe is.
“Eisenhorn: The Omnibus” by Dan Abnett. This is for those that want to examine the Imperial underbelly, so to speak. This isn't a light read compared to some others, but it is compelling all the same. There is a lot of depth and lore to consume in this one. I recommend taking your time with these books more than you might some of the others, as there is some subtlety here that I missed on my first read. It's about an interesting character living in interesting times doing what he thinks is right. As the reader, we are left wondering if we agree or not... without the author telling us how we should feel about it.
“The Horus Heresy” by Multiple Authors. This is not for the weak or the uninitiated. Many people recommend this is as a place to start with the Warhammer 40K lore but I disagree. These novels are not the same style as the others because the very nature of the stories differs. We already know the inevitable outcome of all of the large scale battles, so it takes a step back from the action and looks at the characters in all their tragically flawed glory. Knowing what happens after, there are moments in the books that evoke powerful emotions in the reader... because we have formed a connection with the lore. That is something a new reader wouldn't have the joy to experience and I think these novels are better read once you've gotten yourself decently immersed. You don't need to read all of the books in the series, but do read the first three, as they set the stage for a grand epic saga.
There are tons more series that have been written, but these are recommendations that almost every fan agrees on. If your favorite chapter of Astartes has a series of books, check the reviews BEFORE you pick it up... otherwise they might not be your favorites when you are finished. The Warhammer 40K lore has been building for well over 20 years now... and that means there will be a few sub-par reads, but it also means that there is some truly enjoyable stories to be found as well. One of the things I love about the lore is how much of it there is to dig into...I hope this helps you get started!
Also, if anyone should have any thoughts about really good books/stories that people should read, share them! This list is not really for lore-hounds who want to know how many tentacles a Blue Horror has, but for people who go, 'What the hell is a Blue Horror and how do I kill it and/or tame it?'
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Active1 year, 3 months ago
After playing a lot of Warhammer 40K: Space Marine, I suddenly have a huge urge to read more about that universe.
It seems this story is quite old and lots of books have been written about it, and things can be overwhelming for someone new.
What should I read and in what order?
I'm interested in the lore of the game, who is the emperor, how did this war come to be, who are the orcs, where do they come from, why is there a fascination with the emperor as if he were God?
This is exciting for me!
Only Bolivian HereOnly Bolivian Here
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This question came from our site for passionate videogamers on all platforms.
9 Answers
Games Workshop maintains a publishing arm called the Black Library. (Named after the Eldar repository of knowledge in the lore itself, in case you wonder why some books talk about it directly).
There are a large number of novels in the Black Library for you to choose from, broken down into either stand alone books, parts of long running series or trilogies. Different books focus on the different races, with the most prevalent being Space Marines and Imperial Guard, plus whoever they happen to be fighting against. There is no correct reading order outside of any particular series, it is dependent on what you want to read about within the universe.
For the series with the greatest number of races involved in it, I would recommend the Ciaphus Cain series of novels. For a fairly detailed overview of the history of the Imperium, the civil war and why things are as ruined for humanity as they are, I'd recommend The Horus Heresy, Collected Visions, which is not a novel.
Here is a selection of books, categorised by protagonist, with a brief overview of what each will tell you and who the antagonists are. There are other books available, but I'm not going to detail anything I can't guarantee will be in the series:
The Inquisition
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Imperial Guard
Space Marines
Chaos Space Marines
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staticbeaststaticbeast
There's a HUGE number of background novels.
This is a user-made Amazon list of them, in rough publication order. It's only a partial list, there is at least one more part.
I'd think that, from your question, you'd enjoy the Horus Heresy. It deals with the background of the Emperor (may He live eternally, to save us from Chaos), the creation of the Chaos Marines, and a lot of backstory on the Space Marines and their chapters.
The fluff portions of the codexes are also a good place to start. You should be able to find them in half-price book stores fairly easily (if anyone around your area plays) from old editions. Just keep in mind that canon is flexible, and codexes even from the last edition may ACTUALLLY be misinformation planted by traitorous forces to lead you astray.
JeffJeff
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I also read up on some stuff while playing the game and afterwards...
I usually found my answers on this Wiki:http://warhammer40k.wikia.com/wiki/Warhammer_40k_Wiki
It's not as detailed as ready the official material (army codexes), but for me it was just fine.
It is some very interesting stuff :)
HolgerHolger
I would suggest a few books/omnibus-es to begin with.
Eisenhorn and Ravenor (two Inquisition books, WONDERFUL reads) and Titanicus (About the Legio Titans. Another wonderful read.) all three by Dan Abnett. Dan Abnett is a freaking genius. Alot of people go on about Gaunt's Ghosts, but personally i don't like the ghosts novels very much. His Inquisition books and Titanicus, however, are some of the best books I've ever read.
For Space Marines: Dawn of War omnibus (The story of the blood Ravens). I forget who it's by, but you can find it on amazon easily enough.Soul Drinkers omnibus (the sotry of the traitor/loyalist Soul Drinkers chapter). This one's by Ben Counter.
Also an excellent one to pick up is Enforcer omnibus, by Matt Farrer. This one follows an Adeptus Arbites officer (think, the police of 40K. More skilled than Guard, and almost on Astartes/Space Marine levels of tactics/discipline.)
There are also a few Sisters of Battle books around, though I've never read them (on my to-do list).
acolyteacolyte
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What should I read and in what order?
I'm interested in the lore of the game, who is the emperor, how did this war come to be, who are the orcs, where do they come from, why is there a fascination with the emperor as if he were God?
If you want that info then you have to read the books in a specific order.If i was you i would start reading Space marines codex to get you going and put some stuff into perspective.
After that i would read a bit of the HORUS HERESY books as the Emperor and all of the myhtical universe actors are mentioned in some way in the books.The emperor is described in some, the primarchs and the founders of different Space Marine Chapters also.
After that is is a case of preference.
Imperial guard novels - to get a feel of the organisation and different units
Space marine battles - to see the variance in different Space Marine Chapters
Eisenhorn trilogy/Omnibus followed by Ravenor trilogy/omnibus - To see what the inquisition is all about. It gets mentioned a lot in books as beeing the big bad wolf and theese books give a good insight what the Inquisitors do and how they go on about it.
Gaunts Ghosts - if you love the imperial guard or just like the writing style od Dan Abnett
Space Wolf - if you want to dig a bit more into the creation of Space Marines etc. there are 7 books as far as i know and the first 2 describe how a mortal gets transformed into a Space Marine.
Ciaphas Kain novels - Should be read last as they fil last chronologically speaking from a writers perspective. ( it is ca. 125.M42 when the author gets Down and writes some of the older books )
After that it is really your perogative. Depending on what you like as there are a LOT of books and background material out there.
CherubelCherubel
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Whatever you do, start with Eisenhorn (or maybe even Inquisition War) or Gaunts Ghosts, or something else. Save the Horus Heresy for later. (The HH series is so much the better read with a good background knowledge).
demonkoryudemonkoryu
There has been a rather similar question over at rpg.SE titled 'How can I get a good background on the Warhammer 40K universe?'
Since your question seems to imply (to me, at least) that it's not primarily detailed storylines (ie novels) that you're looking for but a concise, overall picture (who's who, what's what, when did what happen etc), I dare be bold enough and paste my answer for the abovementioned question here:
It might sound strange, but Wikipedia and/or the 40k section of the (unofficial but rather thorough) Lexicanum seems like a good starting point to get to know the setting. :)
Note that I've added further emphasis to Lexicanum, which, with it encyclopedic entries can most probably satisfy your initial curiosity and help decide which areas and factions you find most intriguing. Once you got that, you can get started with the relevant sourcebooks and novels for additional detail and immersion. :)
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OpaCitiZenOpaCitiZen
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I also found my way into the Warhammer 40k universe via the Space Marines game. It is such a fantastic mythos...I recommend starting with the Ultramarines omnibus by Graham McNeil. It's a good read and the Ultramarines are a good chapter to start out with because they are sort the poster children for what the Space Marines represent. Other Chapters are more interesting, but the Ultramarines constantly seek to epitomize the basic standards of the Adeptus Asartes. They are also the Chapter represented in the Space Marines game.There are so many great books it's hard to say where to go next. I would actually avoid the Horus Heresy for now as it is a very complex mythology that provides origins for the world - but lacking a basic familiarity with the current lore it may prove to be a bit overwhelming.
They actually just released a book called Space Marines which contains a series of short stories. You may want to start there. This will give you a broad spectrum of chapters and authors.
E.B. MileyE.B. Miley
I will second the massive omnibus 'Space Marines' short story collection. It collects three earlier SM short story collections plus a few of newer stories. If you've never read the earlier colections it's a fantastic place to start. I'm 80% through it after getting it for christmas and then getting distracted by the Horus Heresy novels (just started #5). Both are excellent. The 40k wiki sites (i tend towards Wikia mostly because its mobile optimized and i can read them on the go though Lexarcanium is just as good) are great for background without shelling out for the codexes or game rules if you aren't going to play.
BrianBrian
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