I have recently started to collect the original Chaos Space Marine Renegades…not because I play 40k but because they look like fun to paint. Anyway this has gotten me thinking about how little I know of the 40k world…So my question is where is a good place to start with the Black Libraries 40k novels? I’ve heard good things about the Horus Heresy series but there seem to be a lot of them.
I should say that I have read a couple of the Fantasy novels…and was…less than impressed…but then I have a very particular idea of what the Warhammer fantasy world is supposed to be like (in my mind…;P) I have no preconceived notions of the 40k universe so I’m hoping I will be less critical.
The ‘Eisenhorn’ novels and the ‘Ravenor’ novels pretty much defined how I see the 40K universe, for good of bad. The other 40K novels I’ve read are pretty bad, but those two trilogies are awesome.
I haven’t found any Warhammer Fantasy novels which don’t suck.
I haven't found any Warhammer Fantasy novels which don't suck.
zobo1942
Hmmmm, well, I haven't read that many, but I really did enjoy "Palace of the Plague Lord." I liked the interpretation of different Chaos factions, the Chaos Dwarf and the whole idea of it. But that's me. Its all subjective in the end.
Also, I've really enjoyed most of the 40k novels I've read, particularly the Horus Heresy ones. While they retcon the fluff in the books quite a bit, I feel their experiments have created a more compelling universe - at least for me. I've been reading them in order, but my favourites have been "Fulgrim" and "Legion". "Fulgrim" was very well written and Legion turned the whole thing upside and I loved the role reversals.
"Storm of Iron" and "Angels of Darkness" were good reads too.
I’ll check out “Palace of the Plague Lord.” - I haven’t ready that one.
The Horus Heresy novels are OK, but for me it was the ‘Eisenhorn’ trilogy which really brought the 40K universe to life for me. I liked the descriptions of the cities, etc… where average citizens live, which helped me put the rest of the 40K ‘fluff’ into context.
For 40k the ones that i loved the most where the last chancres series about the penal legion the current stories on the space marines like Crimson Fists novel and the other ones with white covers are also really good and there are loads of great Fantasy novels as well
Having spent nearly all of my gaming career (since the late eighties) on 40K related games, I think I can chime in here with some pointers.
The seminal 40K works, that predate the Black Library books by many years, were written by acclaimed SciFi writer Ian Watson. His novels were commissioned in Rogue Trader days, specifically to add some background to the (budding) game system.
The major one for me (and when I said 40K before, I actually meant all things Adeptus Astartes) is ‘Space Marine’. The fluff written in this book still echoes through in all GW related material. It’s a bit more involved than most newer novels, but reads like a freight train. If you want to start anywhere, start there.
Then, by the same writer, read the ‘Inquisition War’ trilogy. It consists of the books ‘Draco’, ‘Harlequin’ and ‘Chaos Child’. Here too, the books and their elements have been the foundation of all later 40K fiction. They read pretty easily too, although I found the last book to be both climactic and rushed near the end. I suspect that Watson wanted to make it a four volume story, but was forced to cut it short. A shame really.
Expect the style of both abovementioned stories to be slightly different and not as polished as the more recent works. I think the words baroque or (almost) feverish fit them best, but I highly recommend them. ‘Space Marine’ is still my all time favourite 40K novel!
Then, I recommend the Eisenhorn series; ‘Xenos’, ‘Malleus’ and ‘Hereticus’. In terms of writing, suspence and descriptive background, this trilogy is just perfect when wanting to get a feel of the recent 40K background. Linked to this, is the Ravenor series: ‘Ravenor’, ‘Ravenor Returned’ and ‘Ravenor Rogue’. Books based on Inquisitors are ideally suited for the descriptions of the 40K background, as they usually take place in many different locales and (mostly) not on battlefields.
If you want battlefields and elaborations on the Imperial Guard, then the ‘Gaunts Ghosts’ series is also highly recommended. They number too many to list here off the top of my head, but all give many insights in the nature of the many battles of the Imperium from the very human perspective of the little man.
And then of course, there is the ‘Horus Heresy’ series. I found the first three, ‘Horus Rising’, ‘Chaos Gods’ and ‘Galaxy in Flames’ to be the most gripping and real page turners. the later books are mostly good, with some weaker ones inbetween, but no real duds. All describe the different events that make up the Horus Heresy at the very birth of the Imperium.
There are dozens and dozens of other novels by the Black Library and I can’t claim to have read them all. There are some real gems in there and also some potential toilet paper. Still; if you start out with the above, you will be occupied for quite some time and will have a very good understanding of the 40K universe…
thanks for your input…I’ll start poking around and seeing what I can find localy or for a decent price. I like the idea of the pre-black library books only because the figures I’m most attracted to are from the Rogue trader era. If those are too hard to find I think I will give the HH books a try as they seem like they would offer a solid background for future reading…also the IG has always interested me…real grunts compared to the infallible Space Marines certainly hols an appeal.
If those are too hard to find I think I will give the HH books a try as they seem like they would offer a solid background for future reading...
Blue in VT
Ah well now.. here's the thing. HH gives the reader the most if you already know how things "are supposed to be". It is after all written as an expose of the "mythical past" and the surprises aren't surprises if you don't expect things to be different. A lot of the characters resonate the strongest when you know how it all turned out.
They are mostly well written, especially the first are written by the better BL authors, as the later books can be sold as "part of those great HH books" and good reads. Though I must admit I felt Legion sucked, Battle for the Abyss was totally meh, could have been set anytime really. And the Dark Angel one is just plain bad. Makes a wee bit more sense with the second instalment but until the third it is rather unfinished.
The second Horus Heresy novel is "False Gods" not "Chaos Gods". Just saying so that interested peeps know what to look for.
GRNDL
:o You sir, are absolutely right. That will teach me to type lengthy replies at work. Alt-Tabbing whenever somebody walks into the office is a sure way to lose track of one's thoughts. Can't they see I've got more important things to do?:P
Yikes I just looked on line for Space Marine...and used copies are $122!!!!
Scarry expensive.
Blue
Blue in VT
They are commonly priced pretty over the top on Ebay, but I've had better luck on Amazon before. I re-aquired the entire Draco trilogy off there for about 10 to 15 GBP a piece about two years ago. They have also been reprinted by BL a couple of years ago in one volume, which might still be found for reasonable prices...
Oh; and I echo your thoughts on the old stuffs; I'm pretty big on the Rogue Trader era minis myself, as well as the early nineties (that would be 2nd edition). Luckily, I've been way ahead of the curve there, and judging by the prices regularly encountered nowadays for miniatures I often got for less than the shipping costs up to the release of the Horus Heresy series, I may just have made my fortune with those... ;)
I enjoyed “Space Marine” and the Inquisition War trilogy a lot, they have a very raw vibe to them and retrospectively were a perfect introduction into the 40k fluff for me. I initially read them in the German versions which captured the writing style by Ian Watson very well, but now prefer the English original. Space Marine is available as “print on demand” BTW, so you don’t necessarily have to spend your whole income on an old copy.
The Black Library published an interview with Ian Watson awhile ago, which sheds some interesting light on his work for GW and provides interesting bits of information how he planned to go on with the story about Draco.
My current absolute favourite has to be “Soul Hunter” - a very gritty, action-packed and blood dripping drama from the perspective of the ever-terrifying Night Lords. Luv it!
On a lighter side I can also recommend the “Ciaphas Cain” books. Although it does not seem like it but intelligent humour, applied in small dosage works very well with 40k!
I think if you had original print versions of the Draco trilogy you’d have something, but the newer print versions are readily available as far as I know. I bought my copies at Chapters/Indigo a few years ago (big-box book chain in Canada).
In my experience none of the Black Library novels, 40k or otherwise, are anything to write home about. However, that said, both the Ravenor series and the Draco trilogy are not too bad.
There is definitely something to be said for the 80s/early 90s Rogue Trader era novels and their thematic proximity to the experience of hallucinogenic drugs x.x
I would steer clear of the Horus Heresy novels and see if you can get a copy of the old Codex Imperialis book from the first 40k boxed game. The lore in that book, and my memories of reading it as a 10-year-old, are far more mythic and satisfying (for me) than any of the contemporary novelizations could be.
I would steer clear of the Horus Heresy novels and see if you can get a copy of the old Codex Imperialis book from the first 40k boxed game. The lore in that book, and my memories of reading it as a 10-year-old, are far more mythic and satisfying (for me) than any of the contemporary novelizations could be.
Khan!
LoL, because we make very objective judgements at that age. ;) The thing is in the 20 odd intervening years that there's been a significant amount of retconning and development of the universe - the old novels aren't necessarily accurate to the spirit of the new material.
Yeah, for sure! I just prefer the spirit of the old material, or how I like to think about the old material.
I prefer to think of the Horus Heresy in terms of vague suggestion and 10 000 year-old superstition. In my opinion historical lore in fantasy and science fiction settings is all the better for being ambiguous and open to interpretation. When I think of the final confrontation between Horus and the Emperor for instance, all I need to know is that they fought on a spaceship, Sanguinius had already had a go and was dead at Horus’ hands, and that it was probably pretty awesome. And Mike McVey’s old diorama helps too. Likewise with great story ideas like the flight of the Eisenstein and the creation of The Rock and Leman Russ’ rivalry with Lion El’Jonson. I don’t need the grade B- novelization (purely my opinion), it’s all in my head from being an obsessive pre-teen
Yeah, I know what you mean: early Warhammer influenced me a lot, but at the same time, the continuing development on the universe has really blown my mind recently. The novel Legion’s suggestion that the Alpha Legion are good guys is pretty awesome and paints a much larger picture of what 40k is all about.
In terms of novel quality, I felt like the early Horus Heresy novels sort of missed the mark. They were entertaining reads but really felt unfocussed, like they were just trying to fill in the blanks. There’s still some cool stuff there, but I felt the series really ratcheted up at #4 with the Flight of the Eisenstein and really hit the mark with Fulgrim. I think most of issues with the books came from the fact that it didn’t match up with my impressions (and I do mean impressions) of the beginning of the Heresy, notably the virus bombing of Isstvan IV, which they seemed to move to Isstvan II, IIRC. It could be retconned that the details of the Heresy have been forgotten over the intervening 10,000 years and the 40k Imperium believe it happened elsewhere, but are wrong, but… well, you see my point.
So following the advice of many in this thread I bought the omibus version of the first Gaunts Ghosts Novels called “the founding” and I have just finished it up. It was a good read…lots of action and intrigue and decent character development. I’m not sure about the last of the novels " Necropolis " which is basically a medieval siege taking place in the 40k environment…I like the idea but it doesn’t really work for me with “modern” weapons…but the characters were good and it was a fun read.
Anyway…this is not a book I feel like I need to hold onto. If anyone is interested in reading it I would be happy to pass it along to a fellow forum member…if you pay for Media Mail postage I’ll send it to you. Let me know if you are interested.
