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According to estimates, at least one new Warhammer 40k book is published in The Black Library each month.
If you haven’t read any of the novels and would like to start, it can be challenging to decide which novel to start with due to the constant flow of new content being released.
In this article, we have gathered a collection of Warhammer 40k novels that, we believe, are excellent starting points for learning about the lore and background of the game.
So, let’s get started.
A Background On Warhammer 40,000
Before we take a deep dive into the literary collection, we should first take a look at the background of Warhammer 40k, and what it is really about.
Warhammer 40,000 is the most popular miniature wargame in the whole world, being notably popular in areas such as the United Kingdom.
It was originally produced in 1987 by Games Workshop, and has grown in popularity over the past four decades.
A stationary human civilization plagued by alien invaders and supernatural beings is the premise of this sci-fi game.
The game’s models include a collection of mortals, aliens, and monsters with magical abilities that use cutting-edge weapons.
Although they do not share a common universe, this game was originally intended to be Warhammer Fantasy Battle‘s science fiction equivalent. Their settings, though, are comparable.
A substantial collection of novels and audiobooks published by the Games Workshop company’s publishing division have contributed to the fictitious lore of the game’s events and characters over time.
There are numerous books within this section, which is known as the Black Library.
The Black Library
The fictitious Black Library, which occurs in the Warhammer 40,000 universe, and is home to the Eldar race’s accumulated knowledge of Chaos and the Necrons, is what inspired the name of this publishing house.
The Black Library was originally founded to create Inferno!, a bimonthly magazine that held a collection of short stories, comic strips, and features from the Warhammer realms. Inferno! was founded in 1997.
In late 1999, several series of sci-fi and fantasy novels came into development. From here on, more and more novels began to arise.
The Black Library currently has more than 200 Warhammer novels, including works based on the fictitious worlds of Warhammer Age of Sigmar, Warhammer Fantasy Battle, and, of course, Warhammer 40k.
The Warhammer 40k Books To Start With
Below, we have compiled a list of novels from The Black Library that you may want to read to begin your Warhammer 40k reading journey.
These works span over 10,000 years of imperial history, and cover a variety of factions.
You do not need to read these books in the exact order that we have placed them, but we do recommend that you get through as many as possible to gain as much information on the lore of Warhammer 40k.
Eisenhorn – Dan Abnett
Many devoted readers of the Warhammer 40k universe consider Eisenhorn to be a fantastic introduction to the 40k setting.
The Inquisitors are some of the most mysterious people in the mythology, wielding enormous power. Gregor Eisenhorn is an Inquisitor, and is, perhaps, one of the most intriguing characters in Warhammer 40k.
Gaunt’s Ghosts – Dan Abnett
In Gaunt’s Ghosts, Abnett paints a clear picture of what it means to be an average human living in a universe filled with the creatures and soldiers of the 40k world, including orks, dark eldars, and space marines.
This is a great book to begin with, as it helps new readers to get a basic understanding of the 40k universe.
Gaunt’s Ghosts remains one of the most iconic Warhammer 40k novels to this day, and for good reason.
Ultramarines – Graham McNeill
Perhaps the most renowned faction in the entire 40k universe is the ultramarines.
Despite their reputation as among of the series’ more conventional characters, McNeill does a terrific job of giving them life and casting a more fascinating light on them in this series.
Your comprehension of the space marine tales will be greatly influenced by Uriel Ventris, an ultramarine captain, and his story.
These books are a great introduction to the Space Marine legion, as well as the Chaos Space Marines.
Space Wolves – William King/Lee Lightner
To effectively expand your understanding of the 40k universe, we advise that you read Space Wolves after finishing Ultramarines.
Ragnar Blackmane, one of the most legendary members of the legion, is one of the many characters that are the subject of these books.
Together, the six books—which cover everything from Space Vikings to Space Romans—help new readers comprehend the complete range of legion types that exist.
The Horus Heresy – Various Authors
You might be discouraged by the time commitment required to learn about the Horus Heresy given that you have 50 volumes to read. However, we suggest that you read these.
The Horus Heresy volumes, which are set in the year 30,000, provide the historical insights into the current timeline that the majority of Black Library’s works, and Games Workshop’s board game are situated in
The Beast Arises – Various Authors
So, this series is technically Warhammer 31k, as this is a 12-book series set in an Imperium still suffering from the repercussions of the Horus Heresy.
However, this is still considered to be a series included in the Warhammer 40k series.
The centre of the Beast Arises series is on humanity’s attempts to fend off an attack by its fierce ork enemies, who have been an enemy for generations.
These novels go into greater detail regarding the orks and the various dangers they pose to humanity.
Night Lords – Aaron Dembski-Bowden
The renowned Night Lords trilogy by Dembski-Bowden is frequently selected by Black Library readers as their favourite Warhammer 40k series overall.
It is also widely acknowledged as the greatest Warhammer 40k series focused on Chaos.
The Traitor Legions’ Night Lords are perhaps the most abhorrent and reprehensible; they are hideous sadists who take pleasure in dread and pain.
However, this series takes a lighter approach to them, showing them as more than simple villains.
Final Thoughts
So, there we have it: those were our top picks of books and series that we believe are great starting points for learning about the Warhammer 40k universe.
It may take a while to read every single recommended book in our list, but we have no doubt that you’ll have a great time working your way through them!
We hope you found this article helpful.
I first had the idea for Seeking A Good Book when I was in college and everyone would come to me for book recommendations. More often than not, everyone I recommended a book to would always come back with a glowing review of it.
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