Warhammer book thread(40.000/Fantasy/Age of Sigmar)

Well, is kind surprising how there isnt any thread about warhammer book so im making this one for all three settng: from age of sigmar to 40K to Fantasy.

So I will ask: what is your most recient warhammer novel and your thoughts about it?

Most recent one is probably Honor Guard, Gaunt's Ghosts. I picked up Guns of Tanith but have yet to read it, plus I have a ton of Space Marine Battles novels waiting to be read.

And two Horus Heresy novels.

This should probably be called either The Games Workshop Fiction Thread or The Black Library (WFB, AoS, 40K, etc.) Thread but anyway.

I am very far behind with my reading unfortunately but the current book I am slowly making my way through is Tales of Heresy, the first Horus Heresy anthology book. I have read the first two stories so far and while Blood Games (Adeptus Custodes defence against assassins) was very good Wolf at the Door (small Space Wolves force stranded on an isolated Human world) on the other hand was somewhat disappointing.

edited 6th Sep '17 6:40:11 AM by SebastianGray

Wolf at the doors is intersting in that it show how planet protect themselves without the imperium at large(answer: they coudnt), it make an argument for the imperium being necesary.

On the other hand I find the rest a little bit bland: the dark eldar does nothing but being evil for evil sake and is just a standar WH 40 K novel set in the great crusade.

I'm looking to start reading some 40k books, but I don't really have very high expectations of the quality based on excerpts I've read. Is there any particular subseries that's just "good" instead of "good for a 40k book".

I'd be intrigued in finding anything to read that's important or informative about the series and its lore. Quality be nice but I value learning more.

Also I can't see well so I prefer audiobooks. It looks like the BL does release audiobooks but I haven't a clue where to start.

http://www.blacklibrary.com/new-titles/audio/

edited 8th Sep '17 12:21:52 PM by Nikkolas

What book have you be reading? I recomend eseinhorn since is pretty good.

Also, I know some place to get book in spanish if you want too.

Again, Eisenhorn is a good way to start with the lore and deliver into some good parts.

Otherwise I recomend you the inquisition trilogy, some of the lore is dated but the guy go into everywhere, to craftworld to eye of terror and so own.

@Ninety

The Eisonhorn Trilogy by Dan Abnett (Xenos, Malleus and Hereticus)

Probably one of the softer points of entry, since it's basically a series of police/detective novels and as such is mostly set in the civilian portions of the 40k universe. Widely considered one of the best 40k series, and easily one of the best starting points.

Gaunt's Ghosts series by Dan Abnett (13 books so far, 14th finally on the way)

The longest running 40k series and widely considered to be the best. Military sci-fi following an underappreciated regiment of Imperial Guard specialising in stealth operations, fighting on during a crusade even after their world was destroyed behind them. First two books are basically made from a collection of short stories, from 3 onwards it really comes into its own, and Abnett is great at writing action.

Ciaphas Cain series by Sandy Mitchell (9 books and numerous short stories)

The comedic 40k series. The eponymous commissar is a mixture between Edmund Blackadder and Harry Flashheart, and his only desire is to sit out the war-torn universe of 40k a long way behind the front line, preferably in a deep bunker. Unfortunately, his accidental reputation as a Hero of the Imperium often means that he expected to put himself very much in harm's way, and much of the action and comedy stems from this dynamic.

Titanicus by Dan Abnett (standalone novel)

A novel featuring the God-machines of Mars, the giant mechs of 40k. Features great action and conflict from numerous points of view during a titan v titan war on a Forge World, while background plot points delve deeply into the nature of the alliance between Terra and Mars that underpins the entire Imperium.

Helsreach by Aaron Dembski-Bowden (standalone)

Great siege tale. Chaplain Grimaldus of the Black Templars is sent to defend a hive-city from one of the largest Ork invasions ever, despite his reluctance. Awesomeness ensues.

Night Lords trilogy by Aaron Dembski-Bowden (Soul Hunter, Blood Reaver, Void Stalker)

Fantastic trilogy about these Chaos Space Marines (or renegade Marines, really). See the world from their point of view, great characters, great world building and lore exploration, great action.

Storm of Iron by Graham Mc Neill

Iron Warriors lay siege to an Imperial fortress. One of the first Chaos Marine novels and still one of the best.

Faith and Fire, Hammer and Anvil by James Swallow

Two criminally overlooked and criminally good Sisters of Battle novels. The first deals with escaped psykers on a Cardinal world, the second sets up the Sisters for a rematch against the Necrons on Sanctuary 101.

Those will do you for now, they are all in the best 5% of what Black Library has to offer (there's a lot of naff books in there) but those are all excellent. If you can get the omnibus edition, get that one rather than the separate books since there are often short stories added in you wouldn't have otherwise read.

Never touch anything by C.S. Goto.

edited 14th Sep '17 9:46:25 AM by GoldenKaos

" since it's basically a series of police/detective novels"

eisenhorn is more spy movies, he is pretty much warhammer james bond, the third one is really telling in that a moment it feel like movie script turn book, Abett is THAT good.

Thanks!

I'd also recommend The Emperor's Gift by the same writer as the Night Lords trilogy. It's a great, short and sweet standalone about the Grey Knights, the First War for Armageddon and its aftermath. It includes Grumpy Grandpa Bjorn at his grumpiest and grandpa-est.

I've started reading the "Legend of Sigmar" trilogy right now. Good so far, I like all the culture we're getting about the pre-Empire tribes. All the names are just similar enough to what they were in the game to know where everyone's from.

The Sigmar books are probably my favourite of the Time of Legend series that I have read (I was a little disappointed by the Nagash books despite, or perhaps because of, being a great fan of Nagash from the first time he had rules in the original game).

In other news The end is nigh for the Horus Heresy series.

It's also interesting how back in those days 2000 greenskins draws a "I didn't think there were that many greenskins in the whole world!" when the modern-day Empire deals with invasions of hundreds of thousands of Greenskins.

I didnt like sigmar trilogy, like I said in the other thread, Mcnail is painfully fan of "tell, not show" with the narration sometimes telling the reader what the chararter feel.

On the other hand I like the esque conan times of time before and how diferent the empire feel, also is good to see the good guy asending for once rather than in contanst defense like every other book.

Detective/spy - same ballpark, really.

kinda but not the same, you know how it work.

Also, I have seen in 4chan saying HH is becoming a fan fic of warhammer, have anyone agree or is just 4chan whinning as usual?

All BL is basically Warhammer fan-fic when you think about it.

Dunno why they single out HH for that, though I guess sillier things do go on in that series that people find harder to swallow.

Just reread Storm of Iron, fucking love that book. I know there's an Iron Warrior omnibus out but I believe it's a short story and Storm of Iron?

I need to reread that second Ultramarine novel that I read before the Iron Warriors one. I knew nothing of Honsou or what was going on.

I was about to say "Fuck the Iron Hands" but that's Wrath of Iron.

Anyways, I'm getting to the end of Heldenhammer. I love the sudden jump in scale. Huge armies used to be like 8,000 troops, but now we have hundreds of thousands of orcs fighting against an army of fifty thousand humans, not to mention the dwarves that are there.

It's two full novels and a short story iirc.

And in regards to Graham McNeill's Ultramarines and Iron Warriors series, this is the order to read them to follow the stories chronologically:

• Ultramarines Omnibus 1: Chains of Command (Short), Nightbringer, Warriors of Ultramar
• Iron Warriors Omnibus: Storm of Iron, The Enemy of My Enemy (Short)
• Ultramarines Omnibus 1: Dead Sky, Black Sun
• Planetkill (Anthology): The Heraclitus Effect
• Ultramarines Omnibus 2: The Killing Ground
• Iron Warriors Omnibus: The Heraclitus Effect (Short)
• Ultramarines Omnibus 2: Courage and Honour, The Chapter’s Due
• Iron Warriors Omnibus: The Iron Without (Short)
• Ultramarines Omnibus 2: The Eye of Vengeance
• Iron Warriors Omnibus: The Beast of Calth (Short)
• Renegades of the Dark Millennium (Anthology): The Corpse Road

Codex, Torias Telion: The Eye of Vengeance, Marneus Calgar: Lord of Ultramar , Two Kinds of Fool and Do Eagles Still Circle the Mountain?^note From the Honour of the Space Marines anthology take place after The Chapter’s Due, so they fit in somewhere between The Iron Without and The Corpse Road, unfortunately, I haven't read them, so I'm not sure where to stick them. Though the summaries I've seen make all of them, aside from the last one, to take place shortly after The Iron Without.

edited 28th Sep '17 9:48:24 AM by BlackSunNocturne

Ciaphas Cain. HERO OF THE IMPERIUM!!!

He's like a less horrible version of Flashman, and the books actually have some humour in them, not just constant grimdark.

edited 30th Sep '17 8:03:27 PM by TamH70

How far have you gotten into the series? I hope you are reading the omnibuses, because they have a lot of short stories to fill in the gaps. Also, if you can, read The Smallest Detail, which is from Jurgen's POV and awesome.

Have anyone here ever read the Inquisition trilogy of ian waston? What día you think about it?

I read them (the ones from before they were rewritten to turn the Squat into a Tech-Priest) and while they definitely haven't aged well they are still entertaining and nicely show how the background of the game was back in 1st Edition. The final book Chaos Child is probably my favourite of the three.