How many warhammer 40k books are there

Eisenhorn tackles corruption in every corner of the galaxy, from mutants and daemons to heretics. Throughout the series, Eisenhorn manages to convince you that he has everything under control while slowly losing his grip due to the influence of Chaos. As a result, the events temper Eisenhorn's moral compass that presents a fine line between loyalty and betrayal. Within this omnibus edition, there are three full-length novels - Xenos, Malleus and Hereticus - which all share the same name as the Ordos or commonly known as Orders within the Inquisition.

Eisenhorn is ideal for the entry-level Warhammer 40, enthusiast as it offers a blend of action, character development and moral disposition in an easy to follow writing style.

If you enjoy science fiction, especially with technology blended within a religious backdrop, then this is the ideal Warhammer book for you.

The series is unique from the other Space Marine material as Ragnar isn't an all-powerful hero from the get-go. With this, you get a sneak peek into the history of the Space Marines and the fabled process to induction. Author William King does an outstanding job of slowly exposing you to the Space Marine lore, making this an ideal starting point for Space Marine enthusiasts. There's a lot of detail that the Codex: Space Wolves does not provide, such as why the Chapter avoids wearing helmets and how they behave differently compared to other factions.

Besides, who doesn't love Vikings in space? Leading the charge is Talos Valcoran, a genetically modified super-soldier with a quest to seek vengeance upon the human empire he helped create. Although a Traitor Legion, you'll end up sympathising with the Night Lords due to Dembski-Bowden's ability to give these characters emotion. In some cases, you'll cheer them on as they are faced with various challenges throughout, despite their horrific deeds against humankind and Xenos alike.

Outside of conflict, the Night Lords grapple with the memories of their lost Primarch, the Imperium and themselves. Night Lords: Omnibus is one of the best book series you can read within the Warhammer 40, setting. It's dark, tragic and offers insight into a deeply misunderstood faction.

Even then, you don't need to do any further reading as the trilogy is independent of any other Black Library material. If Blackadder translated to Warhammer 40,, it would be Ciaphas Cain. The series follows the struggles of Commissar Ciaphias Cain, a happy-go-lucky leader with the infamous task of holding discipline amongst an army of unruly people.

Cain is clever at covering his shenanigans while keeping the image as a hero of the Imperium. One of the funnier 40K books, it extrapolates the idea of beings who essentially cannot die to imagine an entire species filling infinity with pointless one-upmanship—as well as plays that take literal decades to perform and nobody enjoys. Honourbound is another book about a commissar, but where Gaunt and Cain are atypical, one of the first things Severina Raine does in Honourbound is execute one of her own soldiers for cowardice.

Which is exactly what commissars are meant to do. And yet, Raine comes off sympathetic, as do the soldiers who serve under her—even though one's an addict who does some terrible things and the others are so superstitious they shun the psyker attached to their squad and call her a "witch". Written in present-tense, Honourbound constantly pauses to dive into the thoughts of its ensemble cast, peppering the battles and intrigue with psychological insight that makes it as much character study as war story.

The Horus Heresy line jumps back 10, years to a formative point in the setting's history. Like most prequels they're better experienced after the stories they're set before, full of foreshadowing that pays off if you know what's coming. In these, the perspective is split between superhuman space marines and ordinary remembrancers—artists, photographers, poets, and journalists brought along to record their Great Crusade for posterity, who instead witness its fall into corruption and betrayal.

It's a look at the Imperium before religious dogma dominated it, imperfect but far from "the cruelest and most bloody regime imaginable" it becomes.

Unfortunately the Horus Heresy books were a victim of their own success, selling well enough that initially modest plans were expanded into a line that numbers over 50 books, full of padding and stories that bounce back in the timeline to fill gaps no one cares about.

A rare exception is Legion , a spy novel that uses yet another of 40K's grand pointless wars as a backdrop. Other than that, the best way to approach the later Heresy books is to cherry-pick ones that focus on factions or characters you're already interested in and skip the rest.

When Marvel Comics got the 40K licence the result was both a solid introduction to the setting for comics readers, and an enjoyable blast of the old megaviolence.

Marneus Calgar is a five-issue series about how the chapter master of the Ultramarines first became a space marine, told in flashback as a tech-adept tries to discuss the finer points of budgeting ammunition with him. This is constantly interrupted by battles with entire armies of heretics, pages of impaled bodies and blood. Which is great. The other 40K comic worth reading leans into comedy even harder. Deff Skwadron is about ork fighter pilots in junker planes with three speeds: stop, fast, and "Waaagh!

The dogfights are chaotic, sketchy swirls of ink where engine parts and limbs fly through the air like confetti at a wedding. Deff Skwadron is an older one and can be hard to find in print, but worth it. Warhammer Fantasy books to read after you play Vermintide Every Warhammer 40, game ranked Major events in the Warhammer 40, timeline The best Warhammer 40K starter set guide, and beginner tips Warhammer 40, Dawn of War deserves a remaster.

Jody's first computer was a Commodore 64, so he remembers having to use a code wheel to play Pool of Radiance. Thanks for the updated list! While I agree that Dark Imperium taking place over a hundred years after the Great Rift is a little ridiculous, a dozen years seems too short. I can not underscore enough how constructive and indispensable it is that you keep this post alive — listing Essential novels and a Chronology. Surprised that noone else seems too do something similar.

Not surprised it was a tip hit for you ! Can not thank you enough! Michael, thank you so much. Thanks a lot, truly. Hi Juri. The point of this article is mostly to focus on the core 40k storyline, but the Crime stories are certainly an interesting addition to the overall 40k range.

Thank you for your work. This really helped. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. What else? Share this: Twitter Facebook. Like this: Like Loading Please keep it updated, and great job!