WH40K Novel Recommendations

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I was inspired by the slight derailment of the Star Wars EU thread when we started talking about Warhammer 40K novels, so I'll make a new one just for that topic.

I have been reading a few WH40k novels over the past year and have been enjoying them immensely. Here are what I have read so far:

Fifteen Hours - This is the shortest novel I have read in WH40K, and it is more focused on telling a war story than dealing with the established universe. An excellent read if you keep in mind that it does not go too deep into the WH40K mythos.

EisenhornPretty much a must read for anyone remotely interested in WH40K literature. This story arc is one of the best I have read and is an amazing read from start to finish.

Ravenor, Ravenor Returned and Ravenor Rogue are a trilogy spin-off from Eisenhorn. I have read the first two and they are fantastic, but have not been able to get a copy of the third yet. Anyone have idea why it does not seem to be available in Canada yet?

Gaunt's Ghosts - Anyone who has played Dawn of War with me knows I love the Imperial Guard. The Gaunt's Ghosts series follows one Imperial Guard Regiment through the Sabbat World crusades. This is a long running series that has an omnibus covering the beginning novels recently released. If anyone is a fan of the Imperial Guard, this is one to get.

Lord of The Night A stand alone story that is entertaining. The author loves to use similes and metaphors to describe everything to a level of detail that can get a bit over the top at times. Still, an entertaining read.

Eldar Prophecy - This was a struggle to get through. Flat out boring and more concerned with "political intrigue" than war. Unless you are a die hard fan of the Eldar, avoid this one.

Grey Knights and Dark Adeptus - Two books that deal with the Space Marine Chapter, The Grey Knights. I finished Grey Knights and am almost done Dark Adeptus. Grey Knights is excellent, as you get to explore the world of one of the most secretive chapters in WH40K and you get a sense of how different the Grey Knights are from other Space Marine Chapters. Dark Adeptus follows the same squad of Grey Knights as they fight on the world that is like nothing you have ever read before. Both are highly recommended.

There is my list so far. Sound off on any WH40K novels you have read and recommend.

Me, I does the fantasy thing, so consider my words as you would those of any other apostate.

One of the cool things about Britain (there are five) is that you don't have these hard divisions that keep "real" authors from writing franchise fiction. An example of this is the sole 40K novel I have read, written by no less a light than Ian Watson.

Sadly, I don't remember the title. It was about an assassin, or a fellow travelling with an assassin. I'd bought it used.

In 1993.

Good luck!

H.P. Lovesauce wrote:

Me, I does the fantasy thing, so consider my words as you would those of any other apostate.

One of the cool things about Britain (there are five) is that you don't have these hard divisions that keep "real" authors from writing franchise fiction. An example of this is the sole 40K novel I have read, written by no less a light than Ian Watson.

Sadly, I don't remember the title. It was about an assassin, or a fellow travelling with an assassin. I'd bought it used.

In 1993.

Good luck!

That is the Inquisition Wars. It's three books about the Inquisitor Jaq Draco and the assassin Meh'Lindi. The books are Draco, Harlequin and Chaos Child. Today you can get them in one big omnibus with two short connecting stories. It's a really good read.

In addition I would recommend the book Execution Hour and it's followup Shadow Point. Really great if you like anything with the Imperial Navy.

I would also really recommend the Uriel Ventris series. It starts with Nightbringer, follows up with Warriors of Ultramar, then goes to a spinn-off called Storm of Iron which features a character that is the main 'villain' in the final book Dead Sky, Black Sun

H.P. Lovesauce wrote:

One of the cool things about Britain (there are five) is that you don't have these hard divisions that keep "real" authors from writing franchise fiction.

I'm very interested to hear what you think are the other 4. Entertain me.

BTW - I live in Arkham.

Crouton wrote:
H.P. Lovesauce wrote:

One of the cool things about Britain (there are five) is that you don't have these hard divisions that keep "real" authors from writing franchise fiction.

I'm very interested to hear what you think are the other 4. Entertain me.

BTW - I live in Arkham.

You are not yet ready.

I thought if anyone called me on that, it'd be someone in the U.K.

The basement of the Alamo leads to Massachusetts? I'm guessing non-Euclidean geometry is involved.

I'll toss mine onto the pile:

Last Chancers: It's another Imp Guard series, but with a different Slant from Commisar-Colonel Gaunt and his Ghosts. This one is focused on Lt Kage, a convicted felon sentenced to life imprisonment on a Penal Colony, up until the day Colonel Schaeffer offers him his 'Last Chance' at redemption in the eyes of the Emperor. 3 books in the series, and highly recommended.

H.P. Lovesauce wrote:

The basement of the Alamo leads to Massachusetts? I'm guessing non-Euclidean geometry is involved.

Yeah, there's a wormhole from San Antonio to Salem, but we try not to talk about it. It's how the Republicans got to New Hampshire.

Not sure why you don't have Rogue yet, J. I started it last Wednesday, and finished it... last Wednesday.

I'll second the Ultramarines Omnibus, but I'll put a vote in for my favorite Chapter - Russ' Boys. King's novels are very solid. And Space Wolf is a great introduction to the process of becoming a Space Marine. Albeit one that's not Codex standard.

I was hoping we'd put together a thread on 40k fiction. Way to go, Doc. I really want to pitch the Horus Heresy series. If you're like me, part of the draw of the universe is its history, and this is the apocryphal point which shapes everything after it. The origin of myths and the birth of legends. Besides, its a good way to get a taste of each author, as each novel's written by different authors and have distinctly different style.

My favorite author has to be Abnett. He's fantastic. I would read just about anything he wrote, and I've not been disappointed once, throughout Eisenhorn, the Ravenor trilogy, and all the Gaunt's.

Found a listing on Amazon. To someone whose only experience with Warhammer 40k lore comes from wikipedia, which books would you recommend reading first?

Thirteenth wrote:

Found a listing on Amazon. To someone whose only experience with Warhammer 40k lore comes from wikipedia, which books would you recommend reading first?

Eisenhorn without a doubt.

Dr._J wrote:
Thirteenth wrote:

Found a listing on Amazon. To someone whose only experience with Warhammer 40k lore comes from wikipedia, which books would you recommend reading first?

Eisenhorn without a doubt.

I've read Eisenhorn, and while it's good, the first person thing gets to me in places. My personal recommendation for a start point would be Last Chancers.

Eisenhorn or First & Only - Either will give you a good glimpse of the universe, but Gaunt's will be more a view from the lines of battle, while Eisenhorn is more about the civilization behind those lines.

Thanks for this thread guys. I've eyed those Ultramarines and Inquisition Wars collections, but had no idea if they were any good or not.

Game based fiction can be pretty chancy.

I'd recommend the entire Horus Heresy series of books. Those are all pretty decent reads, and a cool look into the "past" and see how horus became the evil.
Most of the omnibus editions are decent, I think I liked the Ultramarines and the Inquisition wars most though.

mateo wrote:

Thanks for this thread guys. I've eyed those Ultramarines and Inquisition Wars collections, but had no idea if they were any good or not.

Game based fiction can be pretty chancy.

I echo this, I'll have to check some of these out now, thanks.

Hmm, to date I think I'm missing only 4 novels from having a complete Black Library 40k collection. Most of the highlights are mentioned above but I have a few favorites as well that are usually overlooked-

The Ciaphas Cain novels by Sandy Mitchell are quite entertaining if a bit on the light/humor side of being a Commisar. Solid action, some great stories and writing almost on par with Dan Abnett.

http://www.blacklibrary.com/author.asp?id=67

Caves of Ice
Ciaphas Cain : Duty Calls
Ciaphas Cain : Hero of the Imperium
Death or Glory
For the Emperor
The Traitors Hand

I would also highly recommend the series about the Adeptus Arbites Shira Calpurnia by Matthew Farrer for a bit deeper look into the civil aspects of the 40k universe. Deception and intrigue in 40k, wonderful stuff!

http://www.blacklibrary.com/product.asp?prod=60100181026&type=Book

Mmm the smell of new books.

I bought The Founding, Eisenhorn, and Last Chancers. I almost got the Cain series by Sandy Mitchell as well, but decided against it due to an already excessive amount of reading material from the three omnibuses. (Love the Imperial Guard, thanks for asking).

I've read First & Only and Into the Maelstrom and I liked them both. What 40K books are mostly about Space Marines? I want to read more about them.

atom wrote:

I've read First & Only and Into the Maelstrom and I liked them both. What 40K books are mostly about Space Marines? I want to read more about them.

The Ultramarines Omnibus is only Space Marines. The main character is Captain Uriel Ventris who is a captain in the 4th company of the Ultramarines. It gives you a good look into how a marine is and also gives an insight into the less 'clean' chapters. A definately recommended read.

There's also the whole Space Wolf series that might show you how a viking lived, if said viking had power armour, bolter and a chainsword.

Agemmon wrote:
atom wrote:

I've read First & Only and Into the Maelstrom and I liked them both. What 40K books are mostly about Space Marines? I want to read more about them.

The Ultramarines Omnibus is only Space Marines. The main character is Captain Uriel Ventris who is a captain in the 4th company of the Ultramarines. It gives you a good look into how a marine is and also gives an insight into the less 'clean' chapters. A definately recommended read.

There's also the whole Space Wolf series that might show you how a viking lived, if said viking had power armour, bolter and a chainsword.

Ragnar is the man. I haven't read the stuff on Uriel Ventris and his company, but Ragnar is just downright mean.

Finished First and Only yesterday. Overall an excellent read, but it felt too short. I guess that's why I bought the omnibus. Allegedly, there are around 11 novels in the series right now, with a second omnibus on its way. Are they all as solid as the first?

Thirteenth wrote:

Finished First and Only yesterday. Overall an excellent read, but it felt too short. I guess that's why I bought the omnibus. Allegedly, there are around 11 novels in the series right now, with a second omnibus on its way. Are they all as solid as the first?

The Gaunt's Ghosts novels are as solid as they come.

AnimeJ wrote:

The Gaunt's Ghosts novels are as solid as they come.

Damn skippy. It gets abit deeper and more nuanced as you go along, but that's a good thing, not a bad one.

I'm not sure that I understand the draw of the Imperial Army. They're just cannon meat, right? I've never played the faction because they seemed so weak in the original DoW. I became interested in the fiction because it seemed like an opportunity to read about futuristic one-man-armies blowing sh*t up, and it was impossible to get any more of that out of Heinlein. So can someone explain to me why the Imperial Army seems to be more of the focus in the fluff?

buzzvang wrote:

I'm not sure that I understand the draw of the Imperial Army. They're just cannon meat, right? I've never played the faction because they seemed so weak in the original DoW. I became interested in the fiction because it seemed like an opportunity to read about futuristic one-man-armies blowing sh*t up, and it was impossible to get any more of that out of Heinlein. So can someone explain to me why the Imperial Army seems to be more of the focus in the fluff?

I had a good post, then my browser barfed and I lost it, so here's the short version:

Imperial Guard are essentially the backbone of the Empire. Commisar Colonel Gaunt and his Ghosts, along with Col Schaeffer, Lt Kage and the rest of the Last Chancers are prime examples of this. If you're looking for one-man army style stuff, then check out the books about Inquisitor Ravenor or Inquisitor Eisenhorn. Both are outstanding, with lots of small squad asskicking.

buzzvang wrote:

I'm not sure that I understand the draw of the Imperial Army. They're just cannon meat, right? I've never played the faction because they seemed so weak in the original DoW. I became interested in the fiction because it seemed like an opportunity to read about futuristic one-man-armies blowing sh*t up, and it was impossible to get any more of that out of Heinlein. So can someone explain to me why the Imperial Army seems to be more of the focus in the fluff?

The appeal behind them is that in a universe filled with super-human soldiers, blood thirsty Orks, hell-spawned demons, and aliens of unspeakable horror, the Imperial Guard are simple humans fighting against it all. No genetic modifications and no sorcery, just human beings fighting against all the horrors in the universe through sheer force of will and courage.

Dr._J wrote:

The appeal behind them is that in a universe filled with super-human soldiers, blood thirsty Orks, hell-spawned demons, and aliens of unspeakable horror, the Imperial Guard are simple humans fighting against it all. No genetic modifications and no sorcery, just human beings fighting against all the horrors in the universe through sheer force of will and courage.

Yes. Exactly.
That, in my mind, makes for stories and characters that are ultimately identifiable to us as readers. You use the fantastic setting to bring out that humanity, and that makes for good science fiction.

The appeal behind them is that in a universe filled with super-human soldiers, blood thirsty Orks, hell-spawned demons, and aliens of unspeakable horror, the Imperial Guard are simple humans fighting against it all. No genetic modifications and no sorcery, just human beings fighting against all the horrors in the universe through sheer force of will and courage.

Well, I guess when you put it that way... Gaunt's Ghosts had not really interested me, but I might have to give them a shot. After Eisenhorn, that is. I think I am going to leave the Horus Heresy alone for a while. Besides the Heresy series, are there any novels that are written from the CSM or Xeno perspective?

I finished Xenos (Book 1 of Eisenhorn) a couple of days ago. Great, great, great! I liked the detective story style. I liked that everything was already on a massive scale, but Eisenhorn had apparently never left the sub-sector, giving you this glimpse of how vast the Imperium truly is. I liked how he described the dystopian setting without really ever editorializing, basically saying it was what it was. I noticed in the short story afterwards that he's describing events around the mid 200's:M41. So this all happened ~750 years prior to "present day"?

I'm rapidly creating the Abnett : WH40k :: Stackpole : Battletech analogy (which is a good thing, in my mind). All of his protagonists seem to be stereotypical consummate badasses, but oh well. It's game based fiction. I know what I'm getting when I pick up the book.

M41.200 means that it's the 41st millenium. That's only a partial notation, and I don't recall how to read partial notations.

Here's a handy little explanation.

I'm glad you're enjoying them. Harlon Nayl is one of my favorite characters (and character names) in Abnett's works. Fantastic stuff.

If you want something abit more poetic when you're done with Eisenhorn, there's a distinct difference in style with the Ravenor trilogy.

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