The Warhammer 40K universe is so expansive that it often borders on ridiculousness. Released back in 1987 as a humble tabletop wargame, Warhammer 40K grew to encompass everything from novels and comic books to video games, animated series, and more. Of course, the tabletop game continues to be at the center of it all even today. In fact, the 10th Edition just came out and it’s been absolutely flying off the shelves.
Delving into the universe via the tabletop game requires a significant time investment, not to mention some pretty deep pockets. Warhammer 40K is notoriously expensive, which is probably why even a successful actor like Henry Cavill can only afford to buy and paint Custodes, one of the cheapest armies available. Jokes aside, it’s generally a better idea to start delving into 40K via a video game or a novel rather than the tabletop game. Since we already talked about the best Warhammer 40K games out there, it’s time to take a look at the wonderful world of 40K novels.
If you were planning to start reading Harry Potter or The Witcher but were intimidated by the fact that there are more than a couple of books in these series, you better strap yourself in because there are hundreds upon hundreds of books about Warhammer 40K. The biggest series alone includes over 50 novels, and that’s not even mentioning the dozens of novellas, short stories, and audio dramas that tie into it. And, technically, all of that is more of a prequel to the current 40K timeline. Unless you dedicate years of your life to this endeavor, you’ll probably never read all the 40K books ever released. But you should definitely read some of them, and the novels listed down below are the best place to start your journey.
Eisenhorn Trilogy
We’re starting off with a classic series that everybody and their grandmother always talks about, and for good reason. Eisenhorn is a trilogy written by Dan Abnett that follows the exploits of the titular Inquisitor Gregor Eisenhorn. The series gives readers a look into the inner workings of the Inquisition, one of the most powerful factions of the Imperium of Man, while also introducing them to a variety of other factions, both human and non-human. Despite being a character-driven story, Einsenhorn does a fantastic job at setting up the larger Warhammer 40K universe.
The Eisenhorn series was originally published as three separate novels - Xenos, Malleus, and Hereticus -, each named after one of the three main branches of the Inquisition. You can still find the books separately but these days it’s easier (and cheaper) to just get the Eisenhorn Omnibus, which contains all three novels along with the short stories. The series also contains a couple of audio dramas, as well as a fourth novel known as The Magos.
Furthermore, Eisenhorn is part of a larger series that includes a couple of other trilogies known as Ravenor and Bequin. However, there’s no need to worry about those if you’re new to 40K. Just start with the Eisenhorn Ombinus and see how you like it before you decide to buy any more books. Whatever you do, don’t play the Eisenhorn: Xenos mobile game because it’s absolutely awful.
The Great Devourer Omnibus
If you’re trying to learn more about Warhammer 40K because you saw the new 10th Edition Leviathan box set and thought it looked cool, you’ll definitely want to check out The Great Devourer. The Great Devourer is another Omnibus, but this one focuses on the 10th Edition’s primary antagonists, the Tyranids. The Tyranids are an insect-like alien race on a mission to consume all life in the galaxy, so don’t expect them to talk much. Or, at all.
The stories found in the Omnibus are mostly told from the perspective of the Space Marines, 40K’s poster boys, and the Aeldari (or Eldar), an ancient and highly advanced, but rapidly dwindling race of aliens who are essentially just space elves. Although you can find better books out there centered around the Space Marines and the Eldar, pickings are pretty slim when it comes to the Tyranids. The Great Devourer includes the novel Valedor by Guy Haley along with a bunch of novellas and short stories. Some of these are better than others, but you’re still getting good value from this Omnibus.
The Devastation of Ball, the first book in the Space Marine Conquests series, is a good alternative if you’re looking for more Tyranids action. Meanwhile, you can also check out the recently released Leviathan by Darius Hinks. That one focuses on the current Tyranid invasion and will bring you up to date with some of the biggest events happening in 40K right now. However, it’s only available as an audiobook as of this writing, with the physical version set to launch toward the end of the year.
Dawn of Fire Series
Dawn of Fire is an ongoing series of novels by various authors that covers the most important events of 9th Edition. Most notably, the return of Roboute Guilliman, Primarch of the Ultramarines, and the launch of the Indomitus Crusade. If you’re trying to learn more about the events leading up to 10th Edition, these are the books you want. The series kicks off with The Avenging Son and ends with The Martyr’s Tomb. At least for now. Dawn of Fire has been very successful, so we might get additional books at some point in the future.
Another series that takes place around the same time as Dawn of Fire is Dark Imperium. This one is a trilogy by Guy Haley that focuses on Guilliman’s war against his brother Mortarion and his Death Guard. Dark Imperium is more action-packed than Dawn of Fire while also featuring some horror elements here and there. It’s not necessarily the best introduction to Warhammer 40K, but it’s a good read once you already have a basic idea of what this universe is all about.
On a somewhat related note, we also recommend checking Indomitus by Gav Thorpe. This is just a single novel and it also revolves around the Indomitus Crusade, just as its name suggests. The antagonists here are the Necrons and there are some interesting bits of info regarding their ruler, Szarekh, The Silent King. The main reason why you may want to give this one a try is because it will likely tie into Pariah Nexus, the upcoming Warhammer 40K animated series.
Belisarius Cawl: The Great Work
This one also covers some of the events of 9th edition, but we wanted to give its own entry because it’s a pretty special book. Belisarius Cawl: The Great Work is a novel by Guy Haley that follows the eponymous Archmagos Dominus of the Adeptus Mechanicus. Aside from Guilliman himself, Belisarius Cawl is arguably the most important character in the Imperium right now and this is the first – and so far, the only – book where he’s the main protagonist.
Belisarius Cawl is a fascinating character who has been around for over 10,000 years. During all that time, the Archmagos Dominus did more than anyone to further the cause of the Imperium and is responsible, among other things, for the creation of the Primaris, the new and improved version of Space Marines. Without going into too many spoilers, this novel covers some of his previous achievements while also giving us some insight into the old man's current big project.
The Infinite and the Divine
Speaking of special books, next up we have The Infinite and the Divine by Robert Rath. This is arguably the best standalone Warhammer 40K novel published so far, which is really saying something considering the size of Black Library. The story in this one takes place over many millennia and centers around Trazyn the Infinite and Orikan the Divine, two Necrons who are the very definition of frenemies. Despite doing their best to foil each other’s plans, the two Necrons often find themselves working together to uncover a mystery millions of years old.
The Infinite and the Divine is often described as a buddy cop comedy. The story has everything from action and humor to drama, suspense, and so much more. In many ways, this is the complete opposite of your typical Warhammer 40K story and that’s exactly what makes it so good. The Infinite and the Divine isn’t a great pick for those who want to learn the basic gist of Warhammer 40K, but rather it’s an amazing standalone novel that just so happens to take place in the 40K universe. Definitely a must-read for newcomers and long-time fans alike.
Since we’re talking Necrons, we also have to give a huge shoutout to the Twice-Dead King duology by Nate Crowley. These books provide readers with a truly fascinating look into Necron society and all its different factions. The Twice-Dead King is diametrically opposed to The Infinite and the Divine in terms of tone, but the story is just as good, if not slightly better in some ways. If you prefer serious themes, go with the Twice-Dead King. If you prefer more lighthearted books, go with The Infinite and the Divine. And if you’re a diehard Necron fanboy like me, just read them both because Szarekh knows we don’t have much else right now.
Gaunt’s Ghosts Series
Gaunt’s Ghosts is a series of novels by Dan Abnett that rivals even Eisenhorn in terms of popularity. The series mostly revolves around Commissar Ibram Gaunt and the Tanith First, a regiment of the Astra Militarum. Whereas the Space Marines are larger-than-life futuristic super soldiers, the Astra Militarum, better known as the Imperial Guard, are just regular soldiers fighting across countless worlds to defend the Imperium of Man. The Astra Militarum truly is the Imperium’s first and last line of defense against the horrors of the galaxy.
Gaunt’s Ghosts is one of the most grounded Warhammer 40K series out there, although it still maintains all the grimdark elements you would expect from this setting. The series is the perfect starting point for those who love military novels, fictional or otherwise. That said, Gaunt’s Ghosts is also a lengthy series that was written over the span of two decades, so it’s definitely a bit of a time-sink.
The Gaunt’s Ghosts series comprises 16 novels along with several spin-off novels and various short stories. Finding every individual book can be a bit of a pain these days, but luckily the entire series was eventually compressed into three Omnibuses known as The Founding, The Saint, and The Lost.
Ciaphas Cain Series
If something like Gaunt’s Ghosts feels a bit too heavy for your liking, we recommend instead checking out Ciaphas Cain by Sandy Mitchell. The series stars Ciaphas Cain, a cowardly Commissar who becomes known far and wide as one of the greatest heroes of the Imperium despite absolutely sucking at his job. Ciaphas Cain is a tongue-in-cheek series that incessantly mocks the Imperium’s propaganda machine while documenting Cain's adventures through a series of memoirs redacted by Inquisitor Amberley Vail, who seems to be the only person skeptical of the Commissar’s many legendary exploits.
To say that Ciaphas Cain is just Warhammer 40K’s version of The Adventures of Baron Munchausen would be a fairly apt description. Similar to other series that span dozens of books, most of the stories starring the reluctant hero Ciaphan Cain were collected into a handful of Omnibuses for our convenience. If you want to jump into the series, start with the Hero of the Imperium Omnibus before delving into Defender of the Imperium and then Saviour of the Imperium. There are also a couple of standalone novels along with an anthology of short stories that came out earlier in 2023.
Night Lords Trilogy
As you’ve probably gathered by now, there are plenty of Warhammer 40K books centered around the Imperium or one of its many factions. But what about the Imperium’s greatest enemies, the dark forces of Chaos? Well, as it happens, there are a number of excellent stories told from the perspective of chaos, many of which can be found in the highly-acclaimed Night Lords trilogy by Aaron Dembski-Bowden.
The Night Lords are a chapter of Space Marines that betrayed the Imperium and, along with several other chapters, turned to Chaos during an event known as the Horus Heresy. This trilogy follows the traitorous Chaos Space Marines as they try to rebuild their forces, adapt to the new realities of the galaxy post-Heresy, and attempt to avenge the death of their Primarch, Konrad Curze. If you were looking for a series that presents Chaos Space Marines in a believable and almost, dare I say, human manner, Night Lords is for you.
The main Night Lords trilogy contains three novels known as Soul Hunter, Blood Reaver, and Void Stalker. Instead of trying to track down the individual novels, we recommend grabbing the Night Lords Omnibus as it contains not only the entire trilogy, but also a couple of short stories to boot. In addition, you can also check out a related audio drama known as Throne of Lies.
Fabius Bile Trilogy
Since we’re already talking about Chaos Space Marines, we also want to direct your attention toward the Fabius Bile trilogy by Josh Reynolds. This is a more character-driven series that follows the Chaos Lord Fabius Bile, former Chief Apothecary of the Emperor’s Children Legion and master of genetic manipulation. Fabius Bile is somewhat reminiscent of Belisarius Cawl, however, this particular mad genius uses his extensive intellect for his own twisted goals and is hated by both the Imperium and Chaos alike.
A traitor among traitors, Fabius Bile is on a quest to surpass the Emperor’s Adeptus Astartes project and create the ultimate human form. Unlike Belisarius Cawl, who improved on the Emperor’s existing work when he created the Primaris Space Marines, Fabius Bile has a different approach that leads him to create a wide variety of monstrosities, each more abominable than the last. The series features some pretty gruesome imagery even by Warhammer 40K standards, so we wouldn’t recommend delving into this one unless you’re sure that your stomach can handle it.
The Fabius Bile series contains three novels known as Primogenitor, Clonelord, and Manflayer along with an additional three short stories and an audio drama. Once again, you can make things easier for yourself by simply picking up the Fabius Bile Omnibus.
Brutal Kunnin
For our final recommendation, we decided to go with something a bit more lighthearted. While Orks appear as antagonists in a wide variety of Warhammer 40K books, they rarely get to stand in the limelight. Brutal Kunnin by Mike Brooks changes that. This novel is all about everyone’s favorite green boyz as they unleash a massive Waaagh against the Adeptus Mechanicus forge world of Hephaesto. Needless to say, things don’t go exactly as planned.
In typical orkey fashion, the would-be conquerors of Hephaesto end up fighting among themselves more than their enemies when it is revealed that two rival clans decide to besiege the planet at around the same time. Despite their best efforts to cooperate, mayhem inevitably ensues as Warbosses try to one-up each other in order to prove that they’re the biggest and baddest Ork. What makes Brutal Kunnin special is that this is the first full-length novel told from the perspective of the Orks. If you want to learn more about the green tide, or are already a Dakka Dakka fan, Brutal Kunnin is a must-read.
Bonus Pick: The Horus Heresy Series
While we’re very hesitant to recommend this to someone who’s just getting into Warhammer 40K lore, we would be remised if we didn’t at least mention The Horus Heresy. This is the mindbogglingly lengthy series we briefly talked about in the intro and it contains 62 novels, or just 54 depending on whether you count The Siege of Terra as its own separate thing. There are also various related novellas, short stories, anthologies, audio dramas, and more. All in all, there are over 100 books to look forward to here. Not exactly what you would call light reading.
We’re not even going to attempt to advise you where to start and how to go about tackling this massive series. Instead, we’re simply going to direct you toward this handy Horus Heresy Timeline Interactive Chart. Even the chart is a bit overwhelming, let alone the series itself. Rumor has it that there are people other who started delving into Warhammer 40K via The Horus Heresy series and somehow lived to tell the tale. We can neither confirm nor deny these rumors, but we will say that you should probably not attempt to delve too deep into this one unless you have a ridiculous amount of free time on your hands.
As far as what this series is all about, The Horus Heresy chronicles the massive civil war that split the Imperium of Man and turned Space Marine chapters against each other some 10,000 years ago. In other words, this is Warhammer 30K. Although The Horus Heresy has its own separate wargame and is doing its own thing at the moment, it’s technically still part of the larger 40K universe. Key characters like the Emperor, the Primarchs, and the Chaos Gods are present here as well, along with most of the Space Marine chapters you may already be familiar with.