I want to get into Warhammer 40,000. Help me out?

[Queen Michael]

I read about Warhammer 40,000 on TV Tropes and decided that it seems pretty cool. I don't want to start playing, but I do want to start reading books about it. Preferably novels, though that's not mandatory.

Where do I start?

 

[Muspelheim]

Take a look at The Black Library, which is Games Workshop's own book manufactorum, basically. With all the ups and downs that brings with it. There are quite a few Warhammer and WH:40K-related books and novels available in most nerd-themed bookshops.

(SF-Bokhandeln i Stockholm har sådana, utan tvekan)

If you're also looking for simply flavourtext, there is the different Wikis, some of which does have a lot of information.

http://warhammer40k.wikia.com/wiki/Warhammer_40k_Wiki

It's useful as a lexicon of sorts, too, if the books reference something you'd like to know more of. Or perhaps improve the mental set dressing.

 

[Greg White]

If you want suggestions as to which books to read, I can offer a few suggestions:

Guant's Ghosts Series: Special forces Scottish ninja assassins. Mostly focuses on a handful of campaigns the Tanith 1st and Only took part in. Mostly fighting rebels and chaos.

Commissar Cain Series: One of the greatest heroes in the Imperium, as described in his memoirs as being the ultimate self-serving scumbag who somehow manages to be the big hero seemingly by accident. Covers conflicts with Tau, rebels, Tyranids, genestealer cults, chaos space marines, Necrons, and orks, plus some of it is pretty humorous.

Space Wolf Omnibus: Focuses on the chapter of space vikings. Covers both the chapter itself and has some parts on Holy Terra.

Hope that helps.

 

[Zontar]

The books are quite interesting, and Muspelheim gave you a desent link. A good line in the books are the Commissar Cain novels, which are a personal favourite of mine. There is also fan stories which make up a subunivere within the cannon (which don't technically exist, but given the size of the setting it's quite possible and it hasn't been denied either) on 1d4chan which has spawned the Manly Marines, Angry Marines, Reasonable Marines, Commissar fuklaw and many others. Not really cannon, but in that setting nothing is "really" cannon.

 

[SckizoBoy]

Where do I start?

Well... take it from a 40Ker... well done for for not intending to pick the hobby up. GW is screwing everyone up the ass when it comes to sales of their miniatures, especially if you don't live in the UK... though I'm making a killing snaffling up every box of Scourges I can find (those fuckers are dirt cheap compared to almost everything else), and the models look sick (they're Dark Eldar, so they can hardly look sweet... >_> ).

Anyway, books-wise, everyone before me has already made good suggestions or seconded them, so I'll take another angle.

Do read: Graham McNeill & Dan Abnett

Don't read: CS Goto

For series, the usual stuff (Gaunt's Ghosts, Ciaphas Cain etc.) is good and I thoroughly recommend them. The Horus Heresy series is really long (and still ongoing) and it's good if you can get into it, though I will admit that it can be quite hit and miss and some of the background fluff as far as the legions are concerned is still yet to be brought up fully... Night Lords anyone?! There's some continuity there, but a lot of the novels are basically stand-alone, so check them out on the WH40K wiki... the first four definitely form a story arc that's continued later down the series.

 

[Thaluikhain]

I'm going to go all old-timer, but the best 40k stuff is the older stuff, the newer stuff just isn't as good. They used to get more established sci-fi writers instead of promoting games designers back in the day, for one. There comes a point where there people behind a franchise realise they can stick their logo on any rubbish and it will sell, and GW hit that point some years back.

OTOH, Gav Thorpe wrote "Angels of Darkness", which was the best Space Marine book they had at the time of printing, later surpassed by Si Spurrier's (somewhat derivative) "Lord of the Night".

The first 2 Soul Drinkers books by Ben Counter (Soul Drinker and The Bleeding Chalice) were decent...then he wrote 4 more that weren't. His first Grey Knights book (Grey Knights) also, then he wrote a bunch more that weren't. Daemon World was also pretty good.

Gaunt's Ghosts...the first book "First and Only" was good, the series went downhill from there.

The William King Space Wolf series (Space Wolf, Ragnar's Claw, Grey Hunter and Wolfblade) were good (though Ragnar's Claw and to an extent, Space Wolf really dragged on), but then he left for a bit and they gave the series to two people that hadn't written anything but were fans, really...which was not a great move.

The Commissar Cain books are basically one joke (the heroic commissar is really a coward) spread over several novels.

Pawns of Chaos by Brain Craig (better known as Brian Stableford) dragged a lot in the middle, but otherwise I'd recommend that.

Barrington Baileys "Eye of Terror" is also worth a read.

I would strongly recommend that you DON'T read anything by CS Goto. I got banned from the BL forums for giving my opinion about his stuff.

 

[Neverhoodian]

I have no interest in the tabletop game myself, but there have been some fantastic novels. Here are some of my favorites:

-The Ciaphas Cain series by Sandy Mitchell. Out of all the WH40k books I've read, these ones were the most entertaining to read. What sets this apart from the others is the use of humor. While other books on this list may use occasional humor to offset all the grimdarkness for a brief moment before plunging back in, comedy is a main focal point here. It's written in first person and reads like a memoir of someone regarded as a hero, yet he views himself as a self-centered cad. His wonderfully amusing accounts of the various misadventures he's found himself in over the years is made all the more hilarious by the use of footnotes taken by a more impartial (if sarcastic) person tasked with editing and contextualizing the material. The only real complaint I have with the series is how repetitive the stories are. Once you've read one book you pretty much know how the plot of the rest of them play out.

-The Gaunt's Ghosts series, by Dan Abnett. If I was to make a comparison, I'd say this is the Band of Brothers of WH40k. The books follow the exploits of the men (and women) of one Imperial Guard unit, the Tanith First and Only. The book does a masterful job of fleshing out the characters individual soldiers, which makes it all the more impactful when

Spoiler

they start getting killed off (It's Warhammer 40k, what did you expect?)

I'd also recommend checking out the spin-off novels that have resulted from the main story, as they deal with other aspects of combat. For example, Double Eagle depicts air combat while Titanicus covers giant mechs.

-The Space Wolves books, by William King (later books by Lee Lightner). It's an excellent entry-level book into learning what exactly makes a man a Space Marine and separates him from the rest of humanity. It also explores what makes a Space Wolf in particular different from other Space Marine chapters, with a fair degree of pseudo-Nordic wolf and werewolf-inspired motifs thrown in for good measure. If the concept of space viking-wolves sounds as awesome to you as it did to me, then you should probably check it out.

-Finally, there's Space Marine, by Ian Watson. I put this at the end of the list deliberately, not because the book is bad, but because it doesn't really "fit in" anymore with the Warhammer 40k mythos. You see, Space Marine was one of the first WH40k books ever written, back when the franchise was still trying to find its thematic footing. As such, the book contains a number of elements that straight-up don't fit anymore with what is now accepted as "canonical." There are a few other caveats I should mention as well. First, it's written in a flowery, almost poetic sort of way that may or may not be to your liking. Also, there are a number of scatological scenes and references, to the point where I started suspecting the author might have some sort of weird fetish. I still recommend it in spite of all that though, because it's still a darn good book.

The thing that struck me the most about Space Marine is how radically different it treats the titular uber-soldiers of the Imperium. While most modern WH40k books depict Space Marines as noble and stoic (if brainwashed and misguided), this one paints them in a far more sinister light. Here they're barely restrained psychopaths, embracing a dark and twisted parody of familial relations with their "battle-brothers" while violently suppressing potentially crippling psychological scars. While they may be far more than a mere man physically, it comes at the cost of any shred of humanity they may have once had. More than any other book it offers a glimpse into just how terrifyingly dystopian the Imperium really is.

 

[Joseph Harrison]

I'll add my support for the Gaunt's Ghosts and Ciaphis Cain books, they're probably the best ones out there.

 

[Zykon TheLich_v1legacy]

Clearly you all meant to mention the Eisenhorn and Ravenor books didn't you? Hmmm? They give a bit more of a glimpse into the Imperium's social structure. If you're not really into war, war and more war, they're a nice break.

Also the Rogue Trader and Dark Heresy novels are far less war focussed, although since the licences have gone to FFG now I doubt the series' will be finished.

I would recommend getting their short story anthologies. Maybe it's just my own bias for sci-fi shorts, but I find they tend to focus on more interesting and varied premises.

The Horus Heresy novels vary in quality but the first 4 or 5 at least are pretty good. Best of all though they give you a glimpse of what went on before the entirety of humanity had had their brains replaced with suet pudding.

Ciaphus Cain gets another recommendation. I am starting to tire of them a bit but considering the series is on novel number 9 or thereabouts that's to be expected somewhat.

 

[L. Declis]

Do you want political drama, with backstabbing and investigation?

Novels: Ravenor, Eisenhorn

Do you want the massive, galaxy spanning story of betrayal, brother killing brother and the fall of the golden age of man?

The Horus Heresy Novels I'd recommend: Horus Rising, False Gods, The Galaxy in Flames, The First Heretic, The Flight of the Eisenstein, Know No Fear, Unremembered Empire, Thousand Sons. Read those in the order they were released; there is a lot more out there, but if you read those, you'll generally understand everything that is happening without having to read EVERY book.

Would you like gritty, down in the mud soldier drama?

You've got Gaunt's Ghosts, which is a gritty everyone-dies-slowly war movie in a novel. Very grimdark.
You've got the Last Chancer series, which is an Expendables style balls-to-the-wall action novel which doesn't take itself too seriously, and has a sense of humour as well. Medium grimdark. 3 books, all in a single book now.
Then you've got Ciaphus Cain; no grimdark, all humour.

Do you want a book which is a joy to read about Space Vikings?

Go for the Ragnar/ Space Wolf series. Not a hard read, just some Space Viking/wolves running around, hitting things with axes, being awesome, but still knowing when to turn on the grimdark to make a thrilling story. It also is a great introduction; it uses the main character as a "don't know nothing" guy, so everything is explained in a off-hand manner which isn't bogged down, but doesn't leave you scratching your head.

Final piece of advice for getting into 40k:

The best fluff was the fluff you were introduced to. Don't listen to the gruff old veterans about what is good and what is bad; they don't like change. And don't listen to the newer chaps either; they don't know. But if you listen to the old players, you'll never enjoy it, and if you listen to the newer ones, you'll not want to.

 

[Soviet Heavy]

I'll throw in my recommendations on the gaming front. You can't go wrong with the Dawn of War games, and while Space Marine is a bit repetitive, it absolutely nails the absolute brutality of the setting so damn well that you won't care.

The Dawn of War games can delve into the wackier side of the franchise, and they have some truly memorable characters and completely fantastic voice work. If you're up for some bloody good RTS combat, pick them up on a Steam sale.

EDIT: I should also mention, to anyone reading this thread in retrospect. Avoid the 40K wiki. Much of it is fanon. Instead, use the Lexicanum website, which details all recorded information.

 

[Ihateregistering1]

Before you buy any books, read the Wiki (this is a good one, someone already posted the link, but here it is again http://warhammer40k.wikia.com/wiki/Warhammer_40k_Wiki

If you find yourself reading it continuously and loving it, then WH40K is definitely for you and then start spending money on the books. Also, play 'Dawn of War', and get either "Dark Crusade" or "Soulstorm" (the original game is much better than the sequel), it's a damn good game even without the 40K elements in it, but it totally nails the aesthetic, sounds, and feel of the universe.

 

[rcs619]

I read about Warhammer 40,000 on TV Tropes and decided that it seems pretty cool. I don't want to start playing, but I do want to start reading books about it. Preferably novels, though that's not mandatory.

Where do I start?

Fair warning, a lot of 40k novels can be kind of hit or miss. It really depends how much the author 'gets' the setting or not. Or, I guess, how much they actually want to *do* with the setting. The authors who want to take the easy route tend to write a bunch of Space Marine wank-fiction about how awesome and cool and awesome space marines are always. You can do cool things with the Space Marines, but it is very, very easy to make them very, very boring. Especially if they're already one of the more traditional, dull Chapters to begin with (I'm looking at you, Ultramarines). I will say, Space Wolves are usually a good bet. They're basically vikings in powered armor and as far as the different space marine Chapters go, they're pretty unconventional and just kind of do their own thing.

I see people mentioned Eisenhorn. Good. Go read that Personally, I tend to favor the Inquisition and the Imperial Guard. They're actually real people, instead of 9ft tall, post-humans tromping around in 3 tons of armor, and I think they tend to lend themselves to more complex stories and more interesting conflict. Especially the Inquisition, since there's so many different factions, and cliques and groups that all hate and distrust each other to various degrees to begin with. Also, the Inquisition has the Deathwatch, which is basically the space marine All-Star team, with each Chapter sending some of their best warriors to serve on the 'Watch.

Beyond novels and the tabletop, I really can't recommend Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine enough. It really is a very well-done 3rd person action game, and while it isn't perfect (it can get a little bit repetative and the ending could have been better), it is very fun, and does a great job immersing you in the setting. One of the best representations of Warhammer 40,000 and space marines in general in any videogame. It actually made me not hate the Ultramarines, which is a huge point in its favor. The "Dawn of War" RTS series is also pretty solid all around, and even the old games hold up pretty well.

 

[Timedraven 117]

Helsreach, Gaunt's Ghosts (all), Caiphas Cain (all), Eisenhorn (all, why wouldn't you?), Ravenor (all, Continuation of Eisenhorn), 4chan has a nexus of really good fanfiction about various other groups that either get more grimdark, serious or plain out wacky (Looking at you Disco Marines). In that order.

Helsreach is a good start to the universe, lacks the dark humor but it gets you a good gist of what Space Marines are like with interactions with humans.

Gaunt's Ghosts has the view solely fitted upon a Veteran Guard Unit as the last of the people from their planets fight for survival and the right to a world.

Ciaphas Cain, after all that grimdark you need something to wash it out in. Well Ciaphas Cain has a cup of Amasec and a few good stories to tell with plenty of humor.

Eisenhorn/Ravenor are good, darker, choices, it really helps to understand the universe to get the most out of them.

After all 6 books of the Inquisition 4chan has good humor and a true variety, chaos, daemons, Sisters of Battle, Space Marines, Commissars, The commissar's "allies" (Imperial guard), and Good Eldar/Tau stuff.


The Games get my upvote if your interested.

 

[Alexei F. Karamazov]

I started getting into Warhammer 40K after a friend of mine bought The Black Crusade player's handbook, and asked me to GM it. I had been DMing a D&D game for about 3 months at that point, and had played other tabletop games before, but I had never done anything in the universe before, nor had I played any of the Warhammer 40K RPGs. It's a shame our party never really got off the ground, because the game seemed really interesting and fun (it's a D100, if anyone is interested), and hopefully we can try again once school is out for this semester.

Anyways, reading the book and learning the rules also required me to learn a bit of the lore, and what I read (even though it's paltry compared to others who are really into the series) piqued my interest. I tried out the Space Marine video game, and that was very enjoyable. Like others have said, it can get somewhat repetitive, but it was never uninteresting, if that makes sense. And it always had such over-the-top combat that it (almost) never got old.

I've seen gameplay of the Dawn of War series, and it looks really fun, but I don't have a gaming PC, so I unfortunately won't be able to give that a shot. I don't know a lot about the tabletop miniature game, but the most common thing I've heard is that it's expensive to get into. I assume it's good, otherwise it wouldn't have survived for so long.

So in the end I don't have any novels to suggest (I've been copying down the titles of books others have been suggesting for future consumption), but if you're into tabletop RPGs, see if you can find some people to try out one of the 4 Warhammer tabletop games. The rules are mostly the same from game to game, from what I've seem while skimming the other rulebooks at a local game store. Also, just pick up Space Marine, it's maybe $13 and is a good place to start to get the feel of the series down.

 

[Tanthius]

Basically if it says Dan Abnett it's awesome. Read all his stuff. Even his Brothers of the Snake was one of the better space marine books out there. TItanicus is one of my very favorite books which focuses on the Titan battles and how they are a world apart from everything else. That said, I sort of pity you in a way. You're just becoming interested in the setting in an era when Matt Ward is changing the fluff and background and fundamentally breaking what makes it cool. So as long as what you read predates his warp-tainted hand, you should be ok. Unless of course you're cool with Necrons being space mummies, and Space Marines having alien battle buddies.... *shudder*

 

[The Forces of Chaos]

You may want to join http://www.thebolthole.org/ Good forum for Black library topics. I can recommend the Word Bearers series If you like Mad zealots. But really you can start from any novel for the most part.

 

[Ieyke]

I read about Warhammer 40,000 on TV Tropes and decided that it seems pretty cool. I don't want to start playing, but I do want to start reading books about it. Preferably novels, though that's not mandatory.

Where do I start?

In my expert(seriously) opinion, start with the Eisenhorn Trilogy (Xenos, Malleus, Hereticus), or begin reading the Horus Heresy series(especially the initial Horus Rising trilogy).

The best two writers are EASILY Aaron Dembski-Bowden and Dan Abnett.
Basically anything by these two guys is good.

FTR:
- Avoid Graham McNeill's Ultramarines series. He's a decent writer, but has no idea how to write Ultramarines.
- DO read Nick Kyme's Ultramarines books - Assault On Black Reach, Fall Of Damnos, and Spear Of Macragge. Nick Kyme, Dan Abnett, and Aaron Dembski-Bowden all know how to write for the Ultramarines.

-

HORUS HERESY SERIES:
Horus Rising - The seeds of Heresy are sown
False Gods - The Heresy takes root
Galaxy in Flames - The Heresy revealed
The Flight of the Eisenstein - The Heresy unfolds
Fulgrim - Visions of treachery
Descent of Angels - Loyalty and honour
Legion - Secrets and lies
Battle for the Abyss - My brother, my enemy
Mechanicum - War comes to Mars
Tales of Heresy - [Short story compilation]
Fallen Angels - Deceit and betrayal
A Thousand Sons - All is dust...
Nemesis - War within the shadows
The First Heretic - Fall to Chaos
Prospero Burns - The Wolves unleashed
Age of Darkness - [Short story compilation]
The Outcast Dead - The truth lies within
Deliverance Lost - Ghosts of Terra
Know No Fear - The battle of Calth
The Primarchs - [Novella compilation]
Fear to Tread - The Angel falls
Shadows of Treachery - [Short story and novella compilation]
Angel Exterminatus - Flesh and iron
Betrayer - Blood for the Blood God
Mark of Calth - [Short story and novella compilation]
Vulkan Lives - Unto the Anvil
The Unremembered Empire - A light in the darkness
Scars - The legion divided

 

[thiosk]

The big big reason to go with Ciaphas is because its FOOTNOTED. An inquisitor provides necessary background information and describes political, economic, and technological realities within the imperium as they pertain to the story.

Ciaphas is formulaic-- read one, you've read em all. But you want to read em all, but I enjoy them.

Gaunt I've given up on. I've read probably what, 10 or so novels now. The man always keeping gaunt down. Same problem every book.