WARHAMMER 40k NOVELS - Where to start? 

Helsreach was my introduction, which starts off with Grimaldus saying "I'm gong to die on this world." He has absolute contempt for the humans he's supposed to be protecting and he has a hissy fit when he learns he's stuck defending this stupid hive city instead of gloriously dying in space. And you learn what servitors are...it's all so awful it's kind of funny. Very entertaining.

I recommend the Ciaphus Cain series. Cain is one of the most relatable protagonists in 40k and the humorous tone serves to ease you into the grim darkness of the setting. Plus many books are good introductions into factions like the tau, neurons and chaos.

If folks are interested in Chaos Space Marines, I might recommend the Night Lords trilogy. It's a bit of a different kind of Chaos Legion, as they're only _partly_ invested in this whole Chaos business. Which actually gives you a good mix of character perspectives, as the Night Lords we follow are a mix of some Chaos worshipers and mostly just standard Night Lords. Which is to say, a bunch of bastards who were bastards even before the Heresy. Now that the Heresy (and their Primarch, Conrad Kurze) have come and gone, they're really bitter about the whole thing. The group shown in the trilogy are also underdogs, which is a different angle than is usually shown with Chaos Space Marines. They're a company barely limping along, their numbers dwindling due to attrition, accidents, and infighting. Night Lords especially can be difficult to sympathize with (remember, they're the ones that mostly don't have Chaos as an excuse for how evil they are), but making them underdogs helps with this. You're left wanting to see them pull through, even if you might not necessarily want them to win. Then again, part of the arc of the novels is the group (and specifically its main character, Talos) learning to not just survive, but grasp victory for the first time in millennia.

It genuinely surprises me that there wasn’t a dedicated rouge trader series.

Dan Abnett’s “Titanicus” is an EXCELLENT introduction to the Adeptus Mechanicus and the Titan Legions, and is also part of the broader Sabbat War series that Gauntms Ghosts takes place in. A very good new reader friendly series is also Andy Hoare’s “Kingsblade/Knightsblade” which actually reads as a Young Adult novel, and is a very good introduction to Imperial Knights while also touching on the Astra Militarum, Inquisition, Orks and Chaos. The best Space Marine introduction book is from the Space Marine battles series, “Rynn’s World” by Steve Parker. That book shows you the entire structure of an Astartes chapter in relation to its mortal serfs and imperial population while also showcasing how dangerous Orks can be.

The Infinite and The Divine is just so good, it's about damn time we had some good Necron novels, and it makes a fantastic companion to The Twice Dead King which has me really impressed so far.

My introduction was William King's Space Wolf series, then Eisenhorn's trilogy, and then first 5 volumes of Horus Heresy. Random as it might seem, it gave me a good sense of the scale, an overlook on current affairs, and on 'what went wrong' part of the entire story. From there I'd say it's 'choose your own adventure' kind of thing. For me it was Gaunt's Ghosts series, and I've been keeping my straight silver close ever since :)

Solid recommendations! I started with Gaunt's Ghosts and can't recommend it more highly. Glad to see Tanith's First and Only are not forgotten.

I have been a reader of D&D for some time, mainly Forgotten Realms. I am looking forward to the 40k series. Appreciate your notes

Particularly I recommend starting with short stories collections. They are fun and quick ways to get to know the 40K environment, practices, believes and diversity of factions and races.

I recently started with the Ciaphas Cain, HERO OF THE IMPERIUM! , series.

I always use the Ciaphas Cain series to ease people in to the setting as really easy to sell it to non-fans "It's Blackadder in space" and personally I think the series does a great job of easing you into the craziness of the setting (I started with Horus Rising and went from there - talk about in at the deep end HaHaHa)

I loved the Dark Imperium novels, especially the relationship between Rotigus and Ku’gath.

Thank you so much! I have just started reading the Horus Heresy and was trying to find all stories pertaining to the Ultramarines. This video is extremely helpful!!! Thank you for the time and effort you put into this!

I have been reading through the Heresy books...I love them...working on "Legion" right now...action packed.

Just got my copy of the Eisenhorn trilogy BECAUSE of this video! Thank you!!❤❤

I'd recommend Ahriman: The Exile and Ahriman: Sorcerer for those interested in the Thousand Sons at all. It's probably the most sympathetic portrayal of the Chaos side I have ever seen to the point it might make heretics out of people. I know there are a lot of interest in the Thousand Sons right now because Rubric Marines have been selling out all over the damn place. If you're going to build an army of dusty Egyptian sorcerers, you might as well get to know the best one there is, Ahriman the Bad Ass.

The Gaunts Ghosts series is a good start. Also, its weird how people forget that the Halo Scar pretty much started disappearing after the events of the Priests of Mars series and the Kotov/Telok expedition

Couldn’t find Eisenhorn at the bookstore, so I walked out with MARK OF FAITH, a Sororitas novel, and it’s surprisingly very good! I’m about halfway through so far but it’s not only setting up two intricately woven protagonists, but it also really captures the inner truth of what it means to be a battle sister guided by faith in something you can’t communicate with

This is a video that I would have wished was made a few years ago. Such a great topic! Super useful for new 40K community members :)

My intro to WH40k was the Fire Warrior book (based on the bad game). It was a great place to start because the main POV character was part of an alien race that was relatively new to the WH40k universe. Plus it was a fun pulpy action book

Perfect timing.. got a friend wanting to get into the books so will recommend this vid to him

I started with Ian Watson's Space Marine published by boxtree. Never knew about GW but started getting white dwarf the month after. Went to a very interesting talk with Ian Watson a few years after that. (Edited to change Livingston to Watson. I got my Ians mixed up)

I started with the Black Legion series (Talon of Horus) since I'm a big chaos fan (base knowledge of 40k, but never read the books before that) and it was the BEST starting point imo. I LOVE ADB and he's by far my favorite WH author even after reading many others

A friend of mine recommended Ciaphas Cain as my entry point to 40K. Though that may have been taking my personal tastes I to account, too.

Just started the Eisenhorn Omnibus - brilliant. Great recommendation, thanks!

As a faithful servant of the dark Gods I would also like to recommend some books from the chaos point of view: Talon of Horus and Black legion(great if you want to learn about the origins of the black legion, also might change your opinion on Abaddon since he has been memed to death by the community) Lords of silence (hey, just because you are a disgusting and mutated monstrosity doesn't mean you can't have life goals) The night lords trilogy (just because we skin people alive doesn't mean we are all bad!) honorable mentions to the Fabius Bile and Ahriman trilogies. I have not read them my self, but I have heard nothing but praise!

As a complete newcomer to the series/franchise as a whole, this was a great vid to get my bearings and look to dive into the 40k world. Cheers!

what happened to Caiphas Cain!! ok, there are pros and cons to the writing style, but all in all, very light hearted, funny, and good at introducing the different inhabitants of the universe :)

My personal favorite book from Black Library is The Infinite and The Divine. It’s a wonderful introduction to Trazyn, and Orikahn, a look into Necron Society, and gives people an understanding that the Necrons aren’t just “Soulless Terminators In Space”… which… they are- but they have wants, and personalities all their own.

The Great work does a huge amount of fleshing out for Cawl, plus some really cool stuff goes down :D The Infinite and the Divine is probably my favourite GW book (And ive read most of them) just... top work!

Path of the Eldar series is also a real good non-Imperium series. Good introduction to Eldar society and how they structure their armies.

If you want to get into space marines, the ultramarines/ iron warriors omnibus is a nice introduction, since you get a taste of the large scale conflicts, but even more small missions, driven by character. Also it’s interesting to see so many parts of the lore and the conflict explored (from both sides)

Well that without doubt is the best explanation of the 40K universe I have ever read/heard. Well done and a massive thank you.

I started my journey into the Black Library with the stories of Uriel Ventris in the Ultramarines Omnibus. Even if you're not the biggest fan of the Ultramarines, its a good series of books and it's been a go to for me when recommending starting points for 40k.

I can also recommend the ciaphas Cain books

Excellent reccomendations, really glad to see the Shira Calpurnia trilogy in there - often overlooked but it does a fantastic job of illustrating the world of 40K and how it actually works in a civilian setting. In the grim darkness of the far future there may only be war but in order to fuel that the economy has to keep rolling.

Thank you for all these great recommendations!

I really appreciate the recommendation for Spears of the Emperor. Not being the biggest fan of space marines it wasn't on my radar at all but I got the audiobook and really enjoyed it.

Your video production skills are amazing. :)

Night lords omnibus is a extremely good starting point too. ADB at his finest

For people who are loosely acquainted with 40k lore, but wanna know what's happening right now, I'd recommend Shroud of Night. It is one of the few Alpha Legion books, with, while not deep, likable legionaries, and it has cameos from notable players like Celestine and Kharn, as well as an intro to Primaris, as well as how the Heretic Marines and Firstborn Marines react to them.

Thanks, Ian! I was overwhelmed trying to figure out where to start lol

Fantastic work, sir! Ill happily recommend it to any acquaintances who might want to delve into 40k.

Another great vid!! 👍

Night Lords Trilogy is probably one of the best in the wh40k setting. It is really engaging considering that the books protagonists are a bunch of ruthless murderers.

Thanks, really useful! Just read the first Gaunts ghost book and wasn’t sure where to go after that.

The Gaunts Ghosts series are amazing and the best series from my perspective. The entire Sabbat World setting is great och very nicely detailed. You truly feel how powerful how both loyal and traitor Astartes are compared to normal soldiers and the battles are told in a very detailed and vivid way. The characters are great and as in game of thrones no one is safe..

I think the Caphias Cain Novels are a good startpoint aswell. I would love if you would do a seperat video about the series.

Great vid, I've only just started reading 40k books. I started with The Emperors Gift by Aaron Dembski-Bowden because I like Grey Knights and there's not much written about them. I'm currently enjoying the Eisenhorn books and although I've already got some others queued up I'll take a look at some of your recommendations too.

I definitely think Ciaphas Cain is a great entry point too.

Definately The Horus Heresy(THH). The greatest WH40K series and once completed it's a great way to then start fleshing out your Warhammmer 40K knowledge by reading any of the other myriad novels or series in any order really-whether prequel or sequel. Also it can't be argued that these novels showcase the main historical events that so many of the other novels seem to orbit and mention. I mean THH explains the opening dialog at the start of nearly every WH40K novel. That's how I started. And I have to say that although THH is a long reading trek indeed it certainly hooked me on the whole WH40K universe. And I can't believe that any other way to start learning about the whole kick-ass concept that is WH40K would be as rewarding. It's just so crux. Is that too obvious?

I honestly think the tau’s farsight series is also a good intro to the universe. The tau whilst alien, have a view of the world that’s closer to a modern human’s understanding of the world. It gives you a great outsider view of the 40k universe as the characters in it are slowly being confronted with the horrors of said universe and having to try and understand it.

As for us Eldar players, I would very much recommend both the Path of the Eldar and Path of the Dark Eldar trilogies. And the related Mask of Vyle, a Harlequin/Dark Eldar book. Also I did like both Ynnari books, shame these did not sell well. Both Phoenix Lords books (Asurmen and Jain Zar) I've got mixed feelings. On one hand, they were ok, but I somehow did not imagine the Fall and the start of the whole Path system, as described. Also, why there are only two? I need my Dark Phoenix story and finally know, what exactly happened!

Fifteen hours was where I started, I thank its a great starting place.

The book that was recommended to me as a start was The Bloodied Rose by Danie Ware. Follows a squad of Sisters of Battle and I really enjoyed it! I found it was a very smooth entry into that faction.

When I first got into the Black Library, I actually started with the Ciaphis Cain series, it’s a good mix of subterfuge, comedy, and intrigue from the POV of Commissar Ciaphis Cain and his Valhallan Regiment.

Knocked it out of the park! Took your suggestions and just finished Spear of the Emperor and will go to Brothers of the Snake next. I’m in😂👊🏼

I've read a bunch of 40k novels and I still think that Space Wolf is my favorite so far. It's pretty simple all about one guy's training but it does a really effective job building the setting.

Can’t wait for you and Mira to get to the Gaunt’s Ghosts books :)

The Ciaphas Cain books are brilliant and would be equally good smarter books with a less grim oppressive feel then most 40k books.

Spears of the Emperor is my favourite BL I read this year. I may have even started a fully converted ES force...

Probably not for everyone but I really enjoy the ciaphas cain series. Gets a bit repetitive but it’s light hearted

Count myself lucky I read the short stories in White Dwarf 30 years ago onwards to get some insight for the novels that followed.

I read the spears of the emperor by your recommendation, first ever WH40k book, and what a book man super good can't wait to jump on the other books now

Thank you for your recommendation. I am reading Xenos and am really enjoying it.

My first books were Ian Watson's novels, and after those the Gaunt's Ghosts series. But my first introduction to Warhammer 40k was the first Dawn of War game.

Great list. I only started reading 40k about two years ago. I agree that the first Dawn of Fire book Avenging Son is a good jumping on point for the universe. A large part of the story takes place on Terra so you get some good human perspectives of those that work within the insane bureaucracy of the Imperium. There's a subplot with an inquisitor and lots of other snapshots of the universe as a whole. I think novel Dante is a good introduction to Space marines. It is an origin story about a human's path to becoming a space marine. Definitely worth a read. After Dante, the second book, The Devastation of Baal is pretty much everything I'd want out a 40K war story. It is epic. So you have somewhere to go next if you like the first book.

Thanks Arbitor

Thank you brother

WH40K got me interested in reading again. I had fun getting introduced to the universe with the first four Space Wolves books. Now I'm onto the Eisenhorn series. Reading the first book. It's fing amazing.

I'm a lapsed gamer from the 90's who still enjoys the lore and have just stumbled across your channel. Must say; LOVE the unapologetic antifascist bent; SO refreshing to hear nowadays. Your videos are well presented and informative too. All power and continued success to your arm.

I love that there are so many short stories. I just barely got into warhammer and my first read is ghazghkull thraka by nate crowley. I'm loving how it's told so far. I'm so hyped to get into it and kind of like that I have so many options to go from here.

Requiem Infernal is a really, really good "unreliable narrator" novel, portraying what is possibly one of the best representations of Chaos ever. Same thing for The Reverie, still by Peter Fehervari. This author follows the same will of displaying original and strange new cultures and worlds that Dan Abnett likes.

Coming back here to say that Spears of the Emperor is a fantastic book and my favourite 40k novel so far. I don't know if it's great for a person truly new to the universe, but it's a compelling novel with a great sense of the themes of the 41st (2nd?) millennium.

I can second the Wrath of Iron recommendation. It's a great book about the Iron hands, excellently written, maybe my favourite Imperium book. It questions whether the pain the Imperium puts humanity through is even justified by its survival.

In my opinion double eagle by dan Abnett is probably the best book for beginners for a few reasons, it’s a brilliant book, probably the best black Library book I’ve read. Its a single, self contained, story, so requires no prior knowledge of the setting or reading a huge series to see how it ends, but at the same time ties into the Gaunt’s ghosts book, leaving an opportunity to delve deeper into black library for the context behind the war. Its whole ‘Battle of Britain but in space’ thing makes it easy to understand what’s going on for non 40K fans, and it has a great cast of memorable and relatable characters, that shows a great mix of military and civilian life in the 41st millennium

Great video! I’m currently wrapping up halo series this month. Think I’m going to read some Star Wars for a few months and jump into 40k. I couldn’t get into the games but might be able to for the books

Currently enjoying The Lords of Silence by Chris Wraight. It's an interesting spin on the life and slow decay of a warband of the Death Guard, although it does seem to jump around a bit within it's own timeline, which can be a tad confusing at first. Definitely NOT a "where to start" kind of book though, but worth a look if you are already embedded into the world of 40K.

I loved Ian Watson’s Inquisitor book. I think that was the first WH40k novel, though I could be wrong. I liked the idea that the genius emperor could keep secrets from himself thanks to a dissociative identity condition.

For someone with a passing familiarity with WW2 films, particularly Battle of Britain stories, Abnett's 'Double Eagle' would be a good way to drip your toes in. In doesn't give much explanation, if I'm remembering right, but it being Imperial Guard fighting Rogue Imperial Guard keeps it relatively grounded so you can be drawn in by the worldbuilding without hitting too many words or ideas that, without existing knowledge, make no sense. Unlike 'Storm of Iron', which I LOVE, but is completely incomprehensible to someone with no existing knowledge :)

Brutal Kunnin is such a great book.

My first 40K novels were the Gaunt’s Ghosts & William King’s Space Wolf novels. The Uriel Ventris novels as well as Faith & Fire are also great intros.

I know there is a Flashman-esque one, which I am absolutley reading

I love this, watched more than once. Could you do one for the Seige of Terra, because for me that's seriously hit and miss as well!

The warhammer crime novels are ace, I strongly suggest you give them a go.

I started at the Eisenhorn series. I watched alot of lore videos 1st so i understood some things beforehand. I did the Ravanor books next, most of Cain books, and 1st 4 Horus Heresy books. The Ravanor books surprised me when they encountered tyranid gaunts and didnt know what they were. It was a time travel thing and it was stated that they would be a threat in 300 years. Didnt realize till then that those books were that far back of current timeline of 40k.

Happy Friday everyone!

For an introduction into chaos I'd recommend the dark apostle series. Bonus points that it's set around a character who then gets a cameo appearance from 10000 years earlier in the horus heresy books.

Be brave! Address the Elephant in the room. Ian Watson's Inquisition war trilogy...

For me the best starters outside the first five horus heresy books are: Inquisitor by Dan Abnett Ciaphas Cain by Sandy Mitchell Gaunt’s Ghosts by Dan Abnett Ultramarines by Graham McNeill Iron Warriors by Graham McNeill

storm of iron was my first, and boy did that hook me into the franchise

Xenos was my first entry into the series, will never forget the night I started up the audiobook for the first time

Sandy Mitchell’s Cain books are basically Warhammer Flashman, with a lot less racism (speciesism is another matter). Who knew, eternal war in space can be funny.

I've never actually played a game of Warhammer, but I have read some of the stories about CIAPHAS CAIN, HERO OF THE IMPERIUM, and they're quite fun 😃

Once again The Bob Ross of Warhammer drops an epic video.

Spears also did a very good job showing both sides of the chaos divide.

I started with the Grey Knights trilogy… LOVED IT

I don't even think you need the time jump. As you say these sorts of mini empires have always existed in setting (planets dealing with/colonised by the Tau even for into this bracket). Just set the next couple of campaigns out on the fringes where nobodies seen a space marine in generations and you'll start to get the message across. Throw in a couple of white dwarf articles on how to build a non Imperial world using the guard codex and other gw bits and you're off. Always keen to see how non Imperial settlements treat psykers and mutants. It's always felt like a big bit omission from the Tau colonisation worlds (unless it's been addressed and I've missed it).

I´ve accumulate over 200 BL books so far but if I have to pick just a single one which I would recommend as an entry point it is "Helsreach" by Aaron Dembski Bowden. Personally, my first BL novel I've read was Angels of Darkness...it's tiny compared to the latter releases, which makes it probably a less intimidating book for a first read instead of the big tomes the likes of the Dawn of Fire series ^^