Like many players who have jumped on theSpace Marine 2hype train, I’m diving deeper intoWarhammer 40Klore. I’m a long time Warhammer player, having been in the hobby for over two thirds of my three decade long life, but I’ve rarely ventured into theHorus Heresy.
WhenGames Workshopstarted doing its big boxes of Heresy-era Marines, I dove in. I bought three copies of Betrayal at Calth (designed by the wonderfulJames Hewitt) to build a full Heresy-era force, but I didn’tget it. I painted them as Sons of Horus because they seemed important and I liked the green, converted 20 Reavers, and repurposed the Contemptor Dreadnoughts for my 40K Iron Hands (they’d take care of their relics). I even bought the Forgeworld Abaddon, and was very confused as to the identity of the other character in the box.
The Horus Heresy Is Warhammer’s Greatest Story
That character is Loken, the protagonist of Horus Rising, the first novel in the Horus Heresy book series. My tattoo artist inspired me to pick up the book because he’s reading up until Fulgrim to inspire his Emperor’s Children army. I’ve read widely in the 40K universe, from the Soul Drinkers trilogy to plenty of Mechanicus tales and, of course, the Eisenhorn books. From Orks to T’au to Necrons to humanity itself, I’ve read Warhammer novels that span the entire galaxy.
If you want to read a brilliant book about two old man Necrons bickering about the minutiae of the universe, I heartily recommend The Infinite and the Divine by Robert Rath.
Even with my tattoo artist picking up the series, I wasn’t too interested. I prefer stories that steer clear of Space Marines – ultimately the most boring protagonists in Workshop’s grimdark future – and show how regular folks, humans who are decidedly unsuper, deal with the tragedy that is life in the 41st millennium. That, and the fact that there are 64 books in the series, was putting me off.
Then I saw Horus Rising in the library. I realised that I could dip my toes in the heretical waters for free. I checked it out. Not only did it cost me nothing, but my month-long loan gave me a deadline to finish it. Libraries are great.
Is The Horus Heresy Worth It?
Two chapters in, and I was hooked. I get why Dan Abnett tops the New York Times bestseller list with his latest Warhammer tomes. I’m only about a quarter of the way through at the time of writing, but I’m already committed. I don’t know if I’ll manage all 64 titles, but I’ll read enough to understand the story in more detail than rulebooks and Codices have taught me.
But in what order do you read them? Are some books skippable, as some readers suggest? What about the short stories and novellas that I’m not sure are included in the main 64? I went online to figure it out.
What’s The Best Horus Heresy Reading Order?
As an avidDiscworldfan, I’m used to weird reading orders. Although I’m a Publication Order Truther for Pratchett’s world, as you can watch his style and the setting evolve over the years. That said, I’m rereading the Death series at the moment and really enjoying it, so read it your way.
That said, I wanted some expert advice for this mammoth task. And the advice online is incredibly varied. A popular recommendation suggests you start at Book 35. Already midway into Book 1, I ignored that and powered on, but Books 1-5 are generally considered the most important to read in order, first.
After that, you may generally pick which direction you want to go in. Choose your Chapter preference. Follow a character who you’ve grown attached to. Follow a narrative thread until the Siege of Terra, and then dive into the action. I’ve decided to usethis very simple spreadsheet(above) to plan my approach. Yes, that was sarcastic. Yes, I might be going mad.
The Horus Heresy Book Club
This is why I’m proposing a Horus Heresy book club. It doesn’t matter if you’re brand new to Warhammer excited by smashing Tyranids in Space Marine 2, you’re a veteran of the hobby on your umpteenth re-read, or you just want to read more books and fancy a 64-novel long series, you’re welcome!
TheGamer as a website isn’t really equipped to become a forum, but if people are interested, we can always discuss the novels in the comments, or take to social media with a hashtag (if only I still had a Twitter — sorry, X — account). But I feel like taking on a task this enormous and this complicated can only be aided by not doing it alone. Together, we can make this series less daunting.
