Anyone ever read the WARHAMMER 50K novels?

[bionicbob]

I have never played any variation of the games, and have little to knowledge of the Warhammer universe, but whenever I am in a book store I always pick a Warhammer 40k novel off the shelf to read the synopsis.

They seems like an intriguing universe but so far I have been very hesitant to commit to reading one.

Does anyone read these? Are they any good? Do you need to be Warhammer game player to understand them? And where would a newbie start as there seems to be dozens of novels?

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

AFAIK, you can start with pretty much any novel you want.

Just be prepared for something so dark, depressing and unrelentingly bleak that it makes nuBSG look like Barney the Dinosaur.

 

[StarfleetUK2K1]

As I player of the game and a lover of the background fluff, I'd suggest you'd do best to start with the horus heresy series as they're basically setting the major background elements. The First trilogy, is Horus Rising, False Gods, Galaxy in flames.

Give them a start and it'll be a good way to decide if you like them

 

[Rulius]

Warhammer 40k Is even more grim than the fantasy version, the Ultramarine omnibus is very good... tho you can as stated start at the beginning... heh

 

[Arrqh]

Just be prepared for something so dark, depressing and unrelentingly bleak that it makes nuBSG look like Barney the Dinosaur.

And how! I've always found the TVTropes description of 40k to be a source of great hilarity for that reason.

I've become a pretty big fan of the 40k universe over the past year (large due to Dawn of War) and I've really enjoyed the bits of the fluff I've read online but I've never gotten around to reading any of the novels largely because the list of books I want to read in general is just really large. But from the stuff I've been exposed to it's been pretty easy to understand the context of the series and what's what.

If you have any questions about the details of the universe, I've found the 40k Lexicanum to be a great source. (unfortunately their Warhammer Fantasy equivalent isn't nearly as indepth!)

 

[John Clark]

I've read some of them. Some are decent enough, but like people say, the whole universe can be a little dark.

Personally I liked the Ghost series and the Space Wolf novels I read. As I recall, I also enjoyed Inquisitor by Ian Watson when I read it.

 

[James Swallow]

Just be prepared for something so dark, depressing and unrelentingly bleak that it makes nuBSG look like Barney the Dinosaur.

Yeah, that's about right.

(re: thread title - 50K? We haven't written that many books yet...)

 

[Spiderpope]

I have never played any variation of the games, and have little to knowledge of the Warhammer universe, but whenever I am in a book store I always pick a Warhammer 40k novel off the shelf to read the synopsis.

They seems like an intriguing universe but so far I have been very hesitant to commit to reading one.

Does anyone read these? Are they any good? Do you need to be Warhammer game player to understand them? And where would a newbie start as there seems to be dozens of novels?

Depending on what you want out of the book, there are a few good places to start with 40k.

If you want a relatively normal human perspective of the universe, then i'd recommend the Gaunts Ghosts novels by Dan Abnett. The first Omnibus, The Founding, is relatively cheap and has the first three novels combined in it.

If you want a not so normal viewpoint, and read what is quite possibly the best 40k novel trilogy written so far, then grab the Eisenhorn omnibus, also by Dan Abnett. Its the best that the Black Library have released so far, and a must read if you plan on picking up the fancy pants looking Ravenor trilogy.

For the point of view of a Space Marine, a genetically modified super warrior, i'd recommend the Blood Angels duology, also available in an omnibus edition, by James Swallow. The Blood Angels are one of the more interesting chapters, and the novel delves into their mindset nicely.

And of course if you really want a chronological beginning, then start with the Horus Heresy novels. This is an ongoing series which deals with the defining historical event of the Warhammer 40k universe- the aforementioned Horus Heresy. The first book of the series is Horus Rising, and the series has been good so far, with the possible exception of Battle for The Abyss. Particular highlights of the series are Flight of the Eisenstein by James Swallow, Legion by Dan Abnett and Descent of Angels by Mitchel Scanlon(although many will probably disagree with me on the last one)

And if you have any interest in the Warhammer Fantasy setting, the Black Library are also publishing a similar series called The Time of Legends, which delves into the history of the major players of the Warhammer world and make a good starting point.

However as others have said, the main strength of the Black Library books is that they are relatively stand alone. The individual series within the universe are linked, but mostly include recaps of previous events and arent completely unintelligible to a new reader.

 

[firehawk12]

Just be prepared for something so dark, depressing and unrelentingly bleak that it makes nuBSG look like Barney the Dinosaur.

And how! I've always found the TVTropes description of 40k to be a source of great hilarity for that reason.

Jesus Christ. How do you even write stories about people who are such unrelenting bastards?

"In the future... the Nazis are the good guys."

 

[Jono]

Dwan of War got me interested in the universe, though about a decade before I got the "Space Crusade" boardgame, which was is a kids version of the table top (though with a board).

The first novel I read was the Eisenhorn omnibus, mainly because it was the only big and meaty WH40K novel at the bookstore when I was looking for something to read and I throughly enjoyed it. Also read Founding and the Ultramarines omnibus novels and enjoyed them. Wanting to read the Horus Hersey novels but they aren't in the bookstore I visit and getting to a Games Workshop is too much effort.

 

[FPAlpha]

Descent of Angels by Mitchel Scanlon(although many will probably disagree with me on the last one)

I might have to hurt you now! Descent is.. not so good (regarding its place in the Heresy series.. a decent adventure novel but totally out of place in that series).

Now.. Black Library books (the publisher) are light reading.. somewhere around the level of Star Wars and Star Trek books. They tell a story and entertain you but they don't really challenge you like some world literature level books.

Some of them are really good, most of them are ok and some of them are really bad.

The 40K universe is very diverse with many main races but sadly it is policy for BL books to be human/Imperium centric which means either stories about imperial soldiers, Space Marines or something else human as the main heroes and everything else as the enemy (with few exceptions).

Some books need a little more background knowledge to appreciate the full meaning or get various insider themes but most of them are pretty easy to understand.. Space Marines are big and heavily armored, imperial soldiers are numerous and supported by heavy equipment, Inquisitors are real bastards sometimes but given their task they need to be etc.

Recommendations would the Gaunt's Ghosts series about an elite scout regiment of imperial soldiers led by a Commissar-Colonel (Commissars being the guys who execute you on the spot for cowardice or ineptidude). Very interesting characters that come alive which hurts even more when they start dieing.

The Horus Heresy series is very good too.. it tells the basic backstory of the 40K game and what happened to the Imperium at that time. For someone who doesn't know what happens even more interesting though there's enough going on for veterans too. Differs wildly in writing quality.. the first few books are awesome but some later books are real stinkers and can be skipped without losing information about the main storyline.

Then there are various single books that are really good but they are too many to mention.

Have fun.

 

[Ayelbourne]

Jesus Christ. How do you even write stories about people who are such unrelenting bastards?

By making them fight even worse unrelenting bastards, of course.

 

[Rulius]

It's certainly not a place I'd want to live...when the crushing oppression the Imperium is prefered to the alternatives....

 

[firehawk12]

Although, I suppose there's something to the idea of being hunted by Nuns.

 

[Ayelbourne]

^Only if you're into SM:

Link.

 

[SilentP]

Jesus Christ. How do you even write stories about people who are such unrelenting bastards?

To be honest, the grim darkness, especially for some factions, is so heavy, it's best to view as a great parody of 'gritty sci-fi' (which is what it was originally, but decided to take itself seriously).

Though some of the books are good if you want to see how humanity faces the very darkest possibilities and futures within the galaxy and itself.

If you find the idea seems too depressing, I'd perhaps suggest reading the Caiphas Cain novels first, which are quite a light hearted read in comparison to the depressing atmospheres in other books, though a hint of parody may be lost on those completely new to the universe.

That said, I've always wondered how the denziens of the Star Trek universe would react to seeing the WH40K universe

 

[Arrqh]

Sides, der alwayz be da Ork boyz. We ain't all gof lik dem hummie boyz or like dem eldar wimminz. We jus have da WAAAGH! An dat why we iz da biggest an da bestest!

Ahem, sorry, had something in my throat there.

 

[Spiderpope]

Descent of Angels by Mitchel Scanlon(although many will probably disagree with me on the last one)

I might have to hurt you now! Descent is.. not so good (regarding its place in the Heresy series.. a decent adventure novel but totally out of place in that series).

Oh i'm well aware that my opinion is pretty much the opposite to how most people view 'Descent'. But i view it as one of the stronger books in the series. The problem with the Dark Angels is that the turn of Luther, as laid out in Codex Angels of Death and onwards, was pretty much a case of "Chaos Did It", something that plagued the earlier 40k fiction (briefly resurrected in the form of "The C'tan Did It"), and was fairly black and white. Descent carries on what Gav Thorpe started in 'Angels of Darkness', giving the Dark Angels a more 3 dimensional background - sure the Fallen were wrong turning to Chaos, but given how Lion El'Jonson treated them can you blame them?

'Descent' also fulfills the same role as Horus Rising and False Gods, if we dont see what Luther was like prior to his fall, then why should we care about him?

Although i doubt i will sway anyone, i've been debating this with fellow GW enthusiasts since the books release and ive yet to convert anyone to loving 'Descent of Angels' . 'Battle for the Abyss' however, is a book where i share the majorities opinion. Ben Counter can do much better.

Jesus Christ. How do you even write stories about people who are such unrelenting bastards?

To be honest, the grim darkness, especially for some factions, is so heavy, it's best to view as a great parody of 'gritty sci-fi' (which is what it was originally, but decided to take itself seriously).

Though some of the books are good if you want to see how humanity faces the very darkest possibilities and futures within the galaxy and itself.

If you find the idea seems too depressing, I'd perhaps suggest reading the Caiphas Cain novels first, which are quite a light hearted read in comparison to the depressing atmospheres in other books, though a hint of parody may be lost on those completely new to the universe.

That said, I've always wondered how the denziens of the Star Trek universe would react to seeing the WH40K universe

I dont know how i forgot the Cain novels, they are another must read. And i agree a better entry level story if you arent quite sure if you can handle the GrimDark.

 

[firehawk12]

It certainly sounds like an interesting universe... but I think I'm content to stay with Dawn of War for now. The novel series looks like it's as long as the freaking Star Wars novel series though.

 

[MarianLH]

I think the Gaunt's Ghosts and Ciaphus Cain series are both approachable to an outsider and good books in and of themselves. The various space marine novels I've found to be less impressive, but I haven't read all of them.

As I player of the game and a lover of the background fluff, I'd suggest you'd do best to start with the horus heresy series as they're basically setting the major background elements. The First trilogy, is Horus Rising, False Gods, Galaxy in flames.

Give them a start and it'll be a good way to decide if you like them

I rather strongly disagree with this. A great deal of the enjoyment of the prequels lies in the contrast between them and the established Imperium of the 41st millenium, with its myths and legends about this era. They're still good novels, but someone new to the universe will be missing out on that extra layer of fun. They should be saved until later.


Marian