[Books] Warhammer 40k

[GKLeatherCraft]

Looking for a bit of advice, My brother has been mentioning he wants to read some 40K books, He knows loads about the 40k universe already, so it's not like he's a newbie, he's played the hell out of the PC games, and read a lot online, And I basically wondered what you guys recommend he start with? As I was gonna get him some, are the books following on from each other? or do they all tell something different? Sorry if these are retarded questions lol, Oh and I know he favours the Space marines, he likes the good ones

(sorry if this post has newbie crap in )

[Fallen Angel]

Just starting out myself and reading the Gaunt's Ghosts novels. They're really quite good.

[Bayuriel]

Currently nearing the end of Necropolis.

Lots of new characters coming up soon then, I don't want to give anything away, but the pace really picks up soon, also, without spoiling; lots of people die.

- - - Updated - - -

Looking for a bit of advice, My brother has been mentioning he wants to read some 40K books, He knows loads about the 40k universe already, so it's not like he's a newbie, he's played the hell out of the PC games, and read a lot online, And I basically wondered what you guys recommend he start with? As I was gonna get him some, are the books following on from each other? or do they all tell something different? Sorry if these are retarded questions lol, Oh and I know he favours the Space marines, he likes the good ones

(sorry if this post has newbie crap in )

Ultramarines is a decent series for space marines, stay away from Blood Angels, those books are awful.

[Fallen Angel]

Lots of new characters coming up soon then, I don't want to give anything away, but the pace really picks up soon, also, without spoiling; lots of people die.

I already kind of spoiled the end of Verghast reading some wiki lore >_> I don't mind spoilers honestly.

[Bayuriel]

I already kind of spoiled the end of Verghast reading some wiki lore >_> I don't mind spoilers honestly.

Verghast is just where it starts, lots of characters start to come and go in the coming books, and I don't want to spoil it, there are a few that will make you go "damn".

READ AT YOUR OWN RISK SPOILERS ABOUND:
Soon to be lost, Bragg, Corbec, Dorden, Feygor, Mkvenner (will be back I bet.) Caffran, Milo (didn't die will be back I bet.), Hark's left arm, Larkin's foot, Gaunt's eyes and plenty more to come I am sure

[Val the Moofia Boss]

My money is on Larkin (Very interesting character!) and Mkoll (Hoping he opens up). @Ghostmaker

[Fallen Angel]

Verghast is just where it starts, lots of characters start to come and go in the coming books, and I don't want to spoil it, there are a few that will make you go "damn".

READ AT YOUR OWN RISK SPOILERS ABOUND:
Soon to be lost, Bragg, Corbec, Dorden, Feygor, Mkvenner (will be back I bet.) Caffran, Milo (didn't die will be back I bet.), Hark's left arm, Larkin's foot, Gaunt's eyes and plenty more to come I am sure

Well fuck! Now I must know how all that happens. Pretty much all of them are awesome characters...

[Bayuriel]

Well fuck! Now I must know how all that happens. Pretty much all of them are awesome characters...

It really ramps up fast, the only one I'll spell out here cuz its kinda boring is Larkin's foot, he gets pinned down in the path of a tank, Gaunt cuts it off to save his life. Dorden is diagnosed with cancer, his stoicism about it is so great, a White Scars space marine is inspired by it complimenting him with the saying "And they shall know no fear"

- - - Updated - - -

My money is on Larkin (Very interesting character!) and Mkoll (Hoping he opens up). @Ghostmaker

Larkin and Mkoll are great characters, Best Larkin moment is The Angel at Bucephalon, Mkoll's best moment? single handedly outsmarts and kills a dark eldar mandrake

[Fallen Angel]

It really ramps up fast, the only one I'll spell out here cuz its kinda boring is Larkin's foot, he gets pinned down in the path of a tank, Gaunt cuts it off to save his life. Dorden is diagnosed with cancer, his stoicism about it is so great, a White Scars space marine is inspired by it complimenting him with the saying "And they shall know no fear"

- - - Updated - - -



Larkin and Mkoll are great characters, Best Larkin moment is The Angel at Bucephalon, Mkoll's best moment? single handedly outsmarts and kills a dark eldar mandrake

Dorden got really cool after Menazoid Epsilon. I thought Larkin's experience on Buchephalon was pretty funny and weird. Hopefully the rest of the Guard decides to quit fucking the Ghosts. They get the short, unlubed end every time.

[Telwar]

For light reading, Sandy Mitchell's Ciaphas Cain series is great start, it's basically Blackadder/Flashman in space, it's not as grimdark as most others, humor is not as forced and books "flow" really well. For quality, Dan Abnett probably writes best 40k books, Eisenhorn omnibus is widely considered the best warhammer novel(s), next to his Gaunt's Ghost series (dark but incredible military fiction).

Quoted for effect. Almost anything Abnett writes is gold. If I had to give a 40k novel to someone unfamiliar with the setting, I'd start with one of his books.

The Caiphas Cain series is also awesome. He's a funny/lazy commissar. The footnotes (it's an annotated autobiography) are especially hilarious. "This is Cain's way of letting us know he got a leg over with the adept."

The first three Horus Heresy books were totally awesome, and then after that it just kind of got weird, and as Cudomix says, schizophrenic.

[Val the Moofia Boss]

...The first three Horus Heresy books were totally awesome, and then after that it just kind of got weird, and as Cudomix says, schizophrenic.

You have my attention. Explain!

[Telwar]

You have my attention. Explain!

I'll try, but bear in mind it's been a few years.

The first three are very tightly written and plotted around Horus' original fall. Seeing an Imperium with tolerance instead of learned paranoia and reflexive intolerance is just fascinating, and seeing Horus fall and take his command with him is great.

After that, it starts to meander around as different authors have their different takes on it, and there wasn't really a good order given to the series, at least that I could tell.

[Deleted]

The best way to read the Heresy is in the order they were released. But the series has that many authors, quality dips up and down like a roller coaster. McNeill, Abnett, Wraight and Dembski-Bowden, you pretty much be guaranteed to be good (a couple of Abnetts earlier novels, Legion and Nemesis spring to mind are pretty poor Heresy novels overall, but well written otherwise), the problems are when Counter, Swallow and Kyme come into it. James Swallow and Nick Kyme both pretty much exclusively write Blood Angels and Salamanders stories', so they get lumbered with the 30k Blood Angels and Salamander stories, and a few others inbetween. The problem is that none of the 3 are particularly good author's. They have the occasional flashes of good stuff, but nowhere near the consistent quality of the other authors i've named.

I would say read them all, in the order they were released. But be prepared for some slogs.

[Val the Moofia Boss]

Please assume everything in the post above is sarcastic.

I will. Because there isn't an Abnett book I have read that was anything but suberb; therefore anyone who says otherwise is a liar.

@Sarcasm

[Deleted]

I wouldn't call any Abnett book bad, but some of them are let down's, atleast for the promise they seemed to have when being talked about at expo's and the like, Legion was one of them for me. I know Prospero Burn's was another one for a lot of people (I actually liked it).Nemesis isn't actually Abnett's work now I recall, it's Swallow, which I suppose makes it an alright book, because I thought it was pretty well written, which is better than I can say for most of Swallow's other work.

[Val the Moofia Boss]

I'm wrapping up The Founding, and here are my thoughts.

Larkin needs a best bud friend; Mkoll and Dorden need to get some love in their lives, Gaunt needs a hobby, and Corbec needs more swigs. Rawne is a danger and should be kicked out of the army. Milo is undoubtedly a psychic; he just doesn't know it yet. Caffy needs everything.

[Bayuriel]

I'm wrapping up The Founding, and here are my thoughts.

Larkin needs a best bud friend; Mkoll and Dorden need to get some love in their lives, Gaunt needs a hobby, and Corbec needs more swigs. Rawne is a danger and should be kicked out of the army. Milo is undoubtedly a psychic; he just doesn't know it yet. Caffy needs everything.

Rawne will grow on you in time.

[Val the Moofia Boss]

Just finished the Founding.

Wow Gaunt; I thought you were noble for once. I thought you actually had standards. And then, after Chass comes along, you threw that all away for just a bit of fun? Why couldn't you have just died damn it!

Also, I think Larkin needs Tonya more than Caffy ever will. Yes; I know I'm contradicting me myself. The difference is Larkin will never (officially) get the chance to do it while Gaunt has every chance to do it legally first. Then again; Dorden and Ana...

I can't believe this series has fallen so far in the span of 700 pages...

[Bayuriel]

Just finished the Founding.

Wow Gaunt; I thought you were noble for once. I thought you actually had standards. And then, after Chass comes along, you threw that all away for just a bit of fun? Why couldn't you have just died damn it!

Also, I think Larkin needs Tonya more than Caffy ever will. Yes; I know I'm contradicting me myself. The difference is Larkin will never (officially) get the chance to do it while Gaunt has every chance to do it legally first. Then again; Dorden and Ana...

I can't believe this series has fallen so far in the span of 700 pages...

Chass comes back on him later, Poor Tona

Gaunt IS noble and DOES care about the Tanith, more than they realize or will admit at the moment, you have another 7 or so books till you're caught up, things change.

[Deleted]

Valyrian, if you're getting that wound up about Ghosts, I can't wait to see your reaction to the Eisenhorn trilogy.