After decades of remaining more or less static, these days the Warhammer 40,000 setting is evolving before our eyes, and many of the new and upcoming novels from Black Library are helping to shed light on these new developments in the lore. It’s not always clear how the various stories fit into the ongoing timeline, however, and Black Library as usual doesn’t seem inclined to provide anything in the way of an official reading order. I’ve put together this reading list to try to fit together where all of the recent books go in the ‘new 40k’ timeline – it’s entirely unofficial, and I can’t guarantee that I’ll have got everything right, but hopefully it will be a useful resource to anyone interested in keeping up with Warhammer 40,000 fiction.
NOTE: until such time as BL produces an official resource, I’ll do my best to keep this reading list up to date with new releases as and when they’re published. This version of the article was created in January 2021, but I’ve added books in here and there along the way – the last minor update was in August 2022.
A couple of caveats. Firstly, very few 40k stories are given specific dates so it’s tricky to know exactly when the events they cover take place. I’ve grouped things into various headings for the purpose of clarity, but take all of this with a small pinch of salt. Secondly, while I’ve done my best to put this together as accurately as possible, I may have got some things wrong and/or missed off a few stories here and there (I’ve read lots of recent BL books, but not all of them).
Essential Novels
I’ve added this section in as an extra (in the January ‘21 update) – feel free to skip ahead to the more detailed section where I talk about each title and link out to reviews, interviews etc., but if you just want a recommended reading order of the key novels dealing with events on Terra and the Indomitus Crusade then here’s what I would suggest:
- Vaults of Terra: The Carrion Throne by Chris Wraight
- Vaults of Terra: The Hollow Mountain by Chris Wraight
- Watchers of the Throne: The Emperor’s Legion by Chris Wraight
- Vaults of Terra: The Dark City by Chris Wraight
- The Devastation of Baal by Guy Haley*
- Dawn of Fire 1: Avenging Son by Guy Haley
- Dawn of Fire 2: Gate of Bones by Andy Clark
- Dawn of Fire 3: The Wolf Time by Gav Thorpe
- Dawn of Fire 4: Throne of Light by Guy Haley
- Knights of Macragge by Nick Kyme
- Watchers of the Throne: The Regent’s Shadow by Chris Wraight
- Indomitus by Gav Thorpe
- The Heretic Saint by David Annandale
- Dark Imperium by Guy Haley
- The Swords of Calth by Graham McNeill
- Dark Imperium: Plague War by Guy Haley
- Dark Imperium: Godblight by Guy Haley
- Belisarius Cawl: The Great Work by Guy Haley
- The Devastation of Baal by Guy Haley*
* Yes, The Devastation of Baal is included twice in this list on purpose. See later on in the article for more details of why (TL;DR due to Warp/time shenanigans it spans quite a wide range of time).
Vaults of Terra/Watchers of the Throne
It’s worth pointing out that Chris Wraight’s two Terra-set series – The Vaults of Terra and Watchers of the Throne – are very closely connected, and there’s quite a lot of overlap between the two. I’ve included them in the list above in a chronological order that Chris kindly supplied, but this is definitely not a hard and fast order; The Hollow Mountain and The Emperor’s Legion take place at roughly the same time, for example. The alternative option would be to read these books in publication order, which bounces back and forth between the two series:
- Vaults of Terra: The Carrion Throne
- Watchers of the Throne: The Emperor’s Legion
- Vaults of Terra: The Hollow Mountain
- Watchers of the Throne: The Regent’s Shadow
- Vaults of Terra: The Dark City
Blood Angels
If you’re interested in seeing how the rest of the recent Blood Angels stories fit alongside The Devastation of Baal, then here’s a recommended reading order just for these novels:
- Dante by Guy Haley
- Mephiston: Blood of Sanguinius by Darius Hinks
- The Devastation of Baal by Guy Haley
- Mephiston: Revenant Crusade by Darius Hinks
- Astorath: Angel of Mercy by Guy Haley
- Darkness in the Blood by Guy Haley
- Mephiston: City of Light by Darius Hinks
More Detail
While the lists above are all about novels, for this main (and slightly more detailed) section I’ve added in some of the Games Workshop background books and a few audio dramas as well. I’ve also gone a bit further back in time to begin with the events of the Gathering Storm (i.e. the end of the old setting). Here’s how I’ve broken it up:
- The Gathering Storm
- The Era Indomitus
- The Aftermath/Filling in the Gaps
- Other Perspectives
- What Else?
One final caveat: the majority of these stories are written from an Imperial perspective, so for the most part that’s what I’ve focused on in this article. Check out the ‘Other perspectives’ section for…um…other perspectives.
The Gathering Storm
The point at which the old ‘5 minutes to midnight’ 40k setting started to change was when Games Workshop started building up to the Great Rift, the huge Warp storm which has split the galaxy in two. Big events included the fall of Cadia, the troubled birth of Ynnead (the aeldari god of the dead), and the miraculous resurrection of Roboute Guilliman, Primarch of the Ultramarines. For the sake of ease I’ve referred to this whole era as the Gathering Storm.
The Gathering Storm background books
The only place to get the full details of these events is in these three Games Workshop background books – Fall of Cadia, Fracture of Biel-Tan and Rise of the Primarch. They’re not currently available to purchase from GW, but they are available in the Warhammer Vault if you’re a Warhammer+ customer. If you’re not, a quick online search should give you the gist if you just want a summary. To be honest, given that they’re not novelised a summary should probably be enough to give you the context you need for the rest of the stories to make sense.
Cadia Stands by Justin D. Hill
This offers a ‘boots on the ground/grunt’s eye view’ perspective on the fall of Cadia, told from multiple Imperial Guard viewpoints and reflecting the chaos and confusion as the Cadians reel from Abaddon’s invasion.
Read my review of Cadia Stands or my Rapid Fire interview with Justin.
Vaults of Terra: The Carrion Throne by Chris Wraight
If you want to see what life is like on Terra from an Inquisitorial viewpoint, this is the book to choose. It’s largely set just before the opening of the Great Rift, so this is less about finding out what happened and more about giving interesting context to the time period as background to a great story with some fantastic characters – namely Inquisitor Crowl and Interrogator Spinoza.
Read my review of The Carrion Throne.
Vaults of Terra: The Hollow Mountain by Chris Wraight
The sequel to The Carrion Throne, this continues the story of Crowl and Spinoza on Terra in the immediate wake of the Great Rift. Once again the big picture is loosely there in the background, but this is more about the next steps in an ongoing mystery lurking beneath the surface of Terra.
Read my review of The Hollow Mountain or my Rapid Fire interview with Chris.
Dante and The Devastation of Baal by Guy Haley
These two books focus on the Blood Angels in the build up to the Great Rift, and are well worth checking out. Dante is split between the Chapter Master’s origin story and his actions during the Shield of Baal campaign, while The Devastation of Baal (the first Space Marine Conquests novel) deals with the tyranid invasion of Baal itself, which takes place just as Cadia is about to fall. If you wanted to try and be as chronologically-correct as possible then you could read Dante before the Gathering Storm background books.
The Devastation of Baal is trickier to pin down in terms of the chronology, however, but here’s how I understand it. Narratively speaking, the book starts before the Rift opens and then covers the immediate aftermath on Baal. From the perspective of the Blood Angels then, when the book ends it’s only just after the Rift has opened. However, due to some complicated Warp-related time jiggery-pokery, from the perspective of Imperium Sanctus (i.e. Terra, the Indomitus Crusade etc.) it’s a fair few years after the start of the Indomitus Crusade.
Technically speaking then, The Devastation of Baal probably also fits into the timeline at some point after the events of the Dark Imperium books (now that they’re being adjusted to take place earlier on in the crusade) and The Great Work…but for the sake of ease I’ve included it here.
Read my reviews of Dante and The Devastation of Baal, or my Rapid Fire interview with Guy talking about The Devastation of Baal.
Watchers of the Throne: The Emperor’s Legion by Chris Wraight
Also set on Terra, this takes a different approach to The Carrion Throne and shows the same time period through the eyes of the Imperial Chancellor, a Sister of Silence and a member of the Adeptus Custodes. It also features a BIG battle which takes place roughly simultaneously with the tail end of Rise of the Primarch.
Read my review of The Emperor’s Legion or my Rapid Fire interview with Chris.
Vaults of Terra: The Dark City by Chris Wraight
The third and (I assume) final novel in the Vaults of Terra series, this promises to pick up where The Hollow Mountain left off with Crowl missing, and Spinoza digging deeper into the ongoing mystery. I haven’t read it yet but I’m hearing very good things, and as I understand it this finishes shortly after the events covered at the end of Watchers of the Throne: The Emperor’s Legion.
The Era Indomitus
As Guilliman leaves Terra and sets off to liberate embattled Imperial worlds, the Indomitus Crusade kicks off the ‘Era Indomitus’, which for the purpose of this article I’m using as a catch-all for all the books that take place on or near Terra, involve some part of the Indomitus Crusade, or generally have a decent impact on the wider 40k narrative. Until recently the crusade itself was only covered in the Dark Imperium books, which take place towards the end of the crusade, but we’re slowly finding out more about this period (with more on the way).
Avenging Son by Guy Haley
The first book in the brand new Dawn of Fire series, this effectively takes place as the Indomitus Crusade begins. If you haven’t already read Dark Imperium, this is definitely the place to start with the Era Indomitus stories. There’s lots about Guilliman and masses of great new lore, but also all sorts of interesting arcs featuring the Imperial Navy, the Inquisition and the Administratum.
Read my review of Avenging Son or my Rapid Fire interview with Guy.
The Gate of Bones by Andy Clark
Book 2 in the Dawn of Fire series, this portrays the next steps in the early stages of the Indomitus Crusade. It takes place on/on the way to Gathalamor, as a mixed force of Imperial soldiery – led by Shield-Captain Achallor of the Custodes – races to keep the vital shrine world from Abaddon’s grip. It’s a bit more of an all-out action story than Avenging Son, but it’s a fun read and it expands the scope of the series even if it’s not exactly a sequel to the first book.
The Wolftime by Gav Thorpe
I haven’t read this, the third book in the Dawn of Fire series, so I can’t say too much about it. From what I understand though, it changes the focus of the series away from Imperial forces battling Chaos and onto the Space Wolves facing off against the greenskin menace led by the legendary ork warlord Ghazgkhull Thraka.
Throne of Light by Guy Haley
Another book I haven’t read yet, but this is Dawn of Fire book 4. The synopsis suggests it deals with Kor Phaeron’s Word Bearers targeting Black Ships, and Inquisitor Rostov searching for the Hand of Abaddon.
Knights of Macragge by Nick Kyme
One of the most interesting Space Marine character arcs in post-Great Rift 40k is that of Cato Sicarius, and this book explores what happened to the heroic captain of the Ultramarines’ 2nd Company after he and his ship were lost in the Warp after being sent by Guilliman to ensure the safety of Ultramar. It’s hard to know exactly where this fits in the timeline, but somewhere around here feels like the right place for it to go. Ideally, read Assault on Black Reach, Fall of Damnos and Veil of Darkness first.
Read my review of Knights of Macragge or my Rapid Fire interview with Nick.
Watchers of the Throne: The Regent’s Shadow by Chris Wraight
The sequel to The Emperor’s Legion, this takes a similar approach and features two of the three main characters from its predecessor. The Regent in the title refers to Guilliman, and the Primarch’s absence – and the void left behind – is very much at the core of this excellent, politics-heavy story.
Read my review of The Regent’s Shadow or my Rapid Fire interview with Chris.
Indomitus by Gav Thorpe
This takes place within the first decade of the Indomitus Crusade, detailing a crucial conflict between the Ultramarines of Fleet Quintus and the Necrons. So far, this provides the best viewpoint on the events relating to the Pariah Nexus. It doesn’t seem to be the most popular of books in some circles, but I rather enjoyed it.
Read my review of Indomitus or my Rapid Fire interview with Gav Thorpe.
Ephrael Stern: The Heretic Saint by David Annandale
As far as I can tell, this is the Black Library story which ties in the closest to the Psychic Awakening arc that’s been taking place recently in the main game. Ephrael Stern is undeniably cool, and this expands her story from the original Daemonifuge graphic novels to bring her into the current 40k setting. I wouldn’t call it absolutely essential, as Psychic Awakening doesn’t really seem to have had a major impact on the setting, but it’s interesting nonetheless.
Read my Rapid Fire interview with David Annandale talking about The Heretic Saint.
The Swords of Calth by Graham McNeill
Graham McNeill’s latest Ultramarines novel brings the ongoing saga of Uriel Ventris up to date with the current 40k timeline. As I understand it, for the full picture of how Ventris fits in with the Dark Imperium trilogy you should check out the short story The Death of Uriel Ventris, then the first Dark Imperium novel, and then The Swords of Calth. If you’re interested, you can check out my reading order for the whole Uriel Ventris (and Honsou) series here.
Dark Imperium, Plague War and Godblight by Guy Haley
For a long time Dark Imperium and Plague War were the two main books set in the current 40k timeline. They’re focused on Guilliman’s battles against the forces of his brother Mortarion, and as well as telling great stories they give a lot of information about Guilliman, Cawl the Primaris Marines and the state of the Imperium (and I assume Godblight does the same).
The first two novels were originally set at the tail end of the Indomitus Crusade, but no longer! The long-awaited book 3 – Godblight – has now been released, alongside update editions of the first two books which have been adjusted so that they now take place during the crusade, rather than at its conclusion. I haven’t personally read Godblight or the new editions of books 1 and 2, but it doesn’t sound like the tweaks are massive beyond that adjustment in the timeline.
Read my reviews of Dark Imperium and Plague War, or my Rapid Fire interview with Guy talking about Plague War.
Belisarius Cawl: The Great Work by Guy Haley
With this book Haley turned his attention fully to Belisarius Cawl, combining story threads from his Dark Imperium books, the Horus Heresy and the ongoing story (mostly told by LJ Goulding) of the Scythes of the Emperor. Personally, I would say this is an essential read once you’ve tackled the two Dark Imperium books.
Read my review of The Great Work.
The Aftermath/Filling in the Gaps
In the wake of the Great Rift, there are a few good stories which don’t necessarily fit into the Era Indomitus arc but which carry on individual character arcs from earlier. These are all character-focused stories which don’t cover too much of the grand sweep of galactic events, but are well worth checking out.
Cadian Honour and Traitor Rock by Justin D. Hill
Two of the characters from Cadia Stands – Minka Lesk and General Bendikt – return in Cadian Honour, a story about how the Cadians are trying to cope with the loss of their world and the impact Cadia’s fall has had on their identity. I haven’t yet read the next novel, Traitor Rock, but it’s billed as ‘a Minka Lesk novel’ so I assume it’s a direct sequel to Cadian Honour.
Read my review of Cadian Honour or my Rapid Fire interview with Justin.
Eye of Night and Hand of Darkness by Gav Thorpe
I’ve included these two audio dramas here because they feature a few key characters from the Gathering Storm stories, namely Inquisitor Greyfax and Yvraine, with a little bit of Guilliman and Eldrad Ulthran in the mix too. Of all the stories I’m including, these are the closest to direct follow-ons from the Gathering Storm.
Read my reviews of Eye of Night and Hand of Darkness.
Our Martyred Lady by Gav Thorpe
If you’re a fan of Inquisitor Greyfax, this four-part audio drama is the next step in her story after Eye of Night. It also heavily features Saint Celestine, and has brilliant performances from Katherine Tate (Greyfax) and Emma Gregory (Celestine). I wouldn’t say it was essential to the ongoing story, but it provides a good look at the Ecclesiarchy and the Inquisition post-Great Rift.
Read my review of Our Martyred Lady or my Rapid Fire interview with Gav.
Mephiston: Revenant Crusade and City of Light by Darius Hinks
I haven’t actually read either of these, but as Darius points out in this interview Revenant Crusade is set post-Great Rift, after the events of The Devastation of Baal. Meanwhile the synopsis for City of Light specifies that it’s set “deep in Imperium Nihilus”. If you want to continue exploring the Blood Angels, these seem worth having on your list (see the Blood Angels list earlier for where they fit in the timeline).
Darkness in the Blood by Guy Haley
This explores what’s happening with the Blood Angels – and in particular Commander Dante and Chief Librarian Mephiston – after the events of The Devastation of Baal. Technically speaking, if you want to read this in chronological order then go for it in between the second and third Mephiston novels but after having read Astorath: Angel of Mercy.
Spear of the Emperor by Aaron Dembski-Bowden
Life in Imperium Nihilus on the wrong side of the Great Rift is pretty grim, which this fantastic book demonstrates to great effect. It’s a story about a Space Marine Chapter stretched too thinly and on the brink of defeat, but it explores loads of interesting ideas along the way.
Read my review of Spear of the Emperor or my Rapid Fire interview with Aaron.
Other perspectives
The vast majority of what I’ve mentioned so far has shown events from an Imperial viewpoint, but there are a few books which take a look from different perspectives as well. These are all set after the Great Rift has taken place.
Shroud of Night by Andy Clark
One of the earliest post-Great Rift novels to be published, this entertaining A-Team-esque Alpha Legion story features a couple of big-name characters in the background, but is mostly a small-scale special forces sort of story. Want to know what a tight-knit squad of Alpha Legion make of Primaris Marines and the state of the galaxy? Check this out.
Read my review of Shroud of Night.
The Lords of Silence by Chris Wraight
The Death Guard are the antagonists in the Dark Imperium books, but here they’re the disgustingly brilliant protagonists of a story which explores what life is like for the ‘bad guys’ in the wake of the Great Rift. It’s a relatively small scale story, but well worth investigating for a brilliant take on Chaos Space Marines.
Read my review of The Lords of Silence or my Rapid Fire interview with Chris.
Ghost Warrior and Wild Rider by Gav Thorpe
Gav Thorpe’s Rise of the Ynnari series currently extends to these two novels and a few accompanying short stories, and as the title suggests it focuses on the Ynnari, the newest sub-faction within the fractured Aeldari race. Yvraine, one of the key characters in the Gathering Storm, features heavily.
Read my review of Ghost Warrior or my Rapid Fire interviews with Gav about Ghost Warrior and Wild Rider.
What else?
If you’re still looking for more, there are all sorts of other Black Library stories set post-Great Rift, including the other Space Marine Conquests novels, John French’s The Horusian Wars series, and various standalone novels. Robbie MacNiven’s Blood of Iax and The Last Hunt feature Ultramarines and White Scars respectively; Rachel Harrison’s Mark of Faith is a brilliant Sisters of Battle story; Rites of Passage by Mike Brooks is the first novel to explore the Navigator Houses; Celestine: The Living Saint makes a nice companion piece to Our Martyred Lady. I’m sure there are others, but these should give you plenty to be getting on with!
If you really want the full picture you could always go back a little further, to the events detailed in the Shield of Baal and War Zone: Fenris background books and accompanying BL stories, and/or check out Aaron Dembski-Bowden’s Black Legion books for in-depth context to the crucial character of Abaddon (although they take place long before the ‘present’ 40k timeline).
***
I hope that was useful! It’s clear that in the few years since the 40k narrative was moved forward there have been A LOT of books released, some of which fit relatively neatly into a single timeline while plenty more are a little more vague in terms of where they fit. If you want to know as much as possible about the ‘current’ 40k timeline then I would suggest reading all of these, but hopefully this article will help you to pick out exactly what you’re interested in checking out. As I mentioned earlier, I’ll do my best to keep this updated as and when new books are released!
As always, let me know if you’ve got any comments, questions or suggestions – drop a comment below or find me on Twitter!
If you enjoyed this article and would like to support Track of Words to help me to keep working on new content, you can leave me a tip over on my Ko-Fi page.
You’re some kind of mind reader (a psyker?), I had just compiled a similar list for myself not long ago. But yours is structured much better. Thanks for this!
i tried to think of issues and deal with them but fun and life comes first. thanks for feeling ok about the books it hurt to make them.
Awesome post, really makes it so much easier to grasp the newer books…btw, have you got any idea if ‘Spear of the Emperor’ will get a sequel?…I really loved that book…
That’s a lot of books and reading! I haven’t read about – or even played – anything 40k for a good few years now ( I preferred Warhammer Fantasy but they got rid of that!) But am getting back into it! I’ll have to check some of these out!
Excellent, thanks for putting this together # I’ll be following your recommendations
This is GREAT! 😀
Please, keep this reading list up-to-date, as more books are released.
Yes! This! I have bookmarked this page and it’s my go-to reference for what to read next.
Please keep it updated, and great job!
This is a great list. I dont understand why GW and BL dont make a list as well. I am actually deterred a bit from buying more books since I have no idea in which order to read what and it’s nice to avoid spoilers if possible.
They really should link to your site here 🙂
Yeah I couldn’t agree more – it’s kind of crazy that there’s any need for people like me to put these sorts of things together! I’ve thought for a long time that it must be hard to know where to look for newer fans, and it’s a real shame that BL don’t make more of an effort to help.
I’ve been on a break and it’s time to get back in. Thanks for the updated list! This is great 🙂
What do you think of GW’s retconning of the timeline and rewriting the Dark Imperium books? While I agree that Dark Imperium taking place over a hundred years after the Great Rift is a little ridiculous, a dozen years seems too short.
From what I’ve heard so far I think it’s a good shout. No point speculating about the specifics until the updated Dark Imperium books are out, I don’t think.
I can not underscore enough how constructive and indispensable it is that you keep this post alive – listing Essential novels and a Chronology. (Surprised that noone else seems too do something similar.) Not surprised it was a tip hit for you 2020! 🙂
It’s a jungle out there and you stand up against the powers of Chaos. Can not thank you enough!
No problem at all, I’m very glad that it’s helpful! It’s the sort of thing that I think BL should do themselves, and keep updated on the WarCom site…but until they decide to do that, this is the next best thing 🙂
Michael, thank you so much. I’m back in the hobby after 10yrs, wanted to read and refresh and was put off by 30ks size when trying to read fluff…and the modern era is so jumbled and confusing. When primarus happened and I returned to he miniatures I decided I’d start reading again too from there, but understanding it was a little hell in itself. I’m not kidding that I got emotional when I found your post. I felt like I found someone who said ” here man try and relax and enjoy!” It’s been a hard year and when someone thinks of others and helps to make it easier, that’s the best part of being human. Thanks a lot, truly.
Any chance of you updating this once again? 😀
Try messaging him on Twitter
Hi Juri. So I’ve made a couple of quick tweaks recently – I’ve added in The Wolf Time and Traitor Rock, and added the Godblight cover. I’m perhaps not following BL releases quite as much at the moment, but I don’t think they’ve released anything else that definitively needs including in this article. Do let me know if you think I’ve missed anything, though!
For other perspectives, I’d also consider the Warhammer Crime novels and short stories. Those are set sometime during the Great Rift but don’t fit in any category, yet are still great books (and in my mind pretty good intros to 40k, as they don’t require any prior knowledge of anything – the reader can be as clueless about the whole setting as the characters are)
Yeah that’s a fair point. The point of this article is mostly to focus on the core 40k storyline, but the Crime stories are certainly an interesting addition to the overall 40k range.
Thank you for your work. There’s such a huge amount of WH40k books out there that it is hard to keep track and decide what should I read next. This really helped.
I’m so glad it was helpful, thanks for letting me know 🙂 I hope you enjoy your next 40k read(s)!
Will this list be updated ?
It’s had a few minor updates over the course of 2021, and I’ve just added in Throne of Light in the Dawn of Fire series. Very few new 40k novels outside of this series have really tackled the main ongoing narrative, so I don’t think there are any other crucial books to include as yet (bearing in mind I’m not trying to factor in every single newly released 40k book, just those that impact the big events of the setting).
Do you plan to refresh it in the upcoming weeks ? 🙂
It’s had a few minor updates over the course of 2021, and I’ve just added in Throne of Light in the Dawn of Fire series. Very few new 40k novels outside of this series have really tackled the main ongoing narrative, so I don’t think there are any other crucial books to include as yet (bearing in mind I’m not trying to factor in every single newly released 40k book, just those that impact the big events of the setting).
I just want to say that I’ve been following this list for the last year and I’ve found it really helped in understanding the current state of the 40k lore, after finishing all the HH books to-date. Just upto swords of calth but I did swerve off to re read all the Ultramarine books! Thank you so much.
I’m so pleased it’s been useful, that’s great! Thanks for letting me know 🙂
I don’t suppose you’d know of a list that’s basically the opposite of this one? IE, a list of all recent novels that have no tie-ins to or mentions of the new metaplot at all. I get some people like the new stuff, but a few of us did actually quite like the “static” minutes-to-midnight setting.
That’s a good question actually. The short answer is that no, I don’t have a list of releases which don’t impact or explore the metaplot – I hadn’t really thought about it before. The longer answer is that to be honest, most BL books can be read without any wider awareness of the metaplot. All of the Crime, Horror and Necromunda ranges for example, plus a large proportion of the recent regular 40k releases – Day of Ascension, both Twice-Dead King books, Volpone Glory (although this is part of the Sabbat Worlds series – likewise both Urdesh novels), Steel Tread, Da Gobbo’s Revenge, etc.
Yeah I bit the bullet and ordered all the Crime ones, I’m just a bit hesitant these days after Vaults of Terra did a “minutes to midnight” first book and then jumped right into the Gathering Storm and after metaplot in the sequels. I also have a pretty visceral dislike for the Primaris/Cawl fluff, so i don’t want to be enjoying a book and then have that come out of nowhere to spoil things. And because this is the internet: all opinions are personal, I am not implying anyone reading this is bad or wrong or incorrect if they happen to like and enjoy things I do not 😛
I’m hoping the recent books are an indication they’re going to try and spin out the Sabbat Crusade into a replacement for the Heresy since that should be pretty safe from intrusions by the new background(touch wood), but I’ve not had a chance to read the new stuff yet with the annoying Paperback Gap.
I don’t know that I’d say BL are trying to position the Sabbat Worlds series as a replacement for the Heresy, but it’s certainly been interesting to see some non-Abnett novels in the series. Although, you may have given me an idea for an article… 🙂
Thank you for such a great list. I am reading the emperor’s legion right now and they mention something happening with the space wolves planet. Would you happen to know if they have books on currently what is happening there?
Glad you’re finding it useful 🙂 I can’t quite remember what events are being referred to specifically, to be honest. There are some books set on/around Fenris – things like Curse of the Wilden, Legacy of Russ and The Hunt For Logan Grimnar – but they might be a little bit earlier in the timeline. Not quite sure. I didn’t particularly enjoy them either, so wouldn’t necessarily recommend them.
There’s also Gav’s new Dawn of Fire book The Wolftime – I haven’t read it myself, but I guess it must take place quite early on in the Indomitus Crusade.
Also, I am curious as to why the second book of the emperors legion should be read after the dawn of fire series. Is it ok that I read both the books together
Yeah that should be fine. If I remember right, I put them in that order because The Hollow Mountain is set after the beginning of the Indomitus Crusade. So technically the early Dawn of Fire books (at least) happen before the events of The Hollow Mountain, although I don’t know the exact chronology. If you want to go straight into it though, I don’t think that will be an issue.
I just wondered, is there actually a book that explains the primarchs return, how it happened?
I have just started reading the books in this list, with Cadia Stands.
So my thanks to you for creating this list and maintaining it are boundless.
Thank you.
PS – The reason that BL should create the list, since it will drive the purchase of books.
Yeah I don’t understand why BL don’t create something like this themselves. It really wouldn’t be hard for them to do! Ah well. Glad this article is proving useful at least!
Sadly Guilliman’s return hasn’t been covered in novel form, not really. It’s referenced in the first Dark Imperium novel, but only very briefly in passing. The only actual depiction (as far as I know) is in the Rise of the Primarch background book. It’s a shame, but I’d be very surprised if BL went back and covered it now.
So, I am currently down to Watchers of the Throne – Emperors Legion. So progress is good 🙂
Devastation of Baal, was strange given who turns up in the last 20 pages of the book … Like “pop” I am here with this new form of “xxx” soldier, oh and Baal is in the Imperium Nihilus, there has been a “time” loss and then buggers off. I am thinking wooh, I have known it’s coming, but talk about sparse on the details. Why is Baal 70 years later than when it was … where did it go?
Imperium Nihilus wasn’t explained well, either. Or maybe I missed it, it was 2am.
What has been useful, is I have been buying WH40k books on the kindle at 2.99 for a while now on amazon whenever on sale, and all bar one up to now, have been at a reduced price. Very happy.
Hey, awesome list. I was wondering where all the other series fit in like the horus heresy or the imperial guard stuff like gaunts ghosts? I’m struggling to figure out where to really properly start off with 40k
Thanks, I hope it’s useful! That’s a good question, actually. From the series you mention, the chronological (in-universe) order is that the Heresy comes first (circa M31), then you jump ahead roughly 10k years to the Ghosts series (about 750-ish.M41) and then another couple of hundred years to the ‘current’ 40k timeline which is about the start of M42. Those are all rough dates, off the top of my head.
The problem is, with the exception of a few series like those ones, most 40k fiction isn’t dated that accurately. So generally speaking I wouldn’t recommend trying to read 40k stuff in chronological order. Instead, I’d say just pick a series that you think looks cool and jump in. You certainly can’t go wrong by starting with the Gaunt’s Ghosts books, or the Eisenhorn books. Hope that helps!
A little update is required for a couple of new releases. Throne of Light and The Dark City are both out now. Can’t wait to jump back in with Spinoza and Crowl, great series!
Thanks for the heads up on The Dark City.
Any chance you’ll update this in the next few months? I refer back here often as I work through the newer books and really appreciate your work!
I noticed that “Assault on Black Reach” mentioned the Primarch a lot. So these books covering Cato Sicarius are about the time of the Primarchs return?
No, the Sicarius stories are all set a bit before the ‘current’ 40k timeline and the return of Guilliman. He was always an important figure in Ultramarines lore, and hints had been seeded here and there that maybe his wounds were healing despite being in a stasis field, so he was referenced a fair bit in most Ultramarines stories. Assault on Black Reach came out in about 2009 I think, so was a long time before all the new stuff.
Thank you for clarifying that. It makes sense now, in the way they are referring to him.
I hope you are on a bit of a kick back, the number of books I have bought because of your guide 🙂
No problem at all 🙂
Hah, I wish! I do get small affiliates fees from anything bought after clicking on one of the Amazon links I add, but nothing like that from BL – but that’s ok, I’m just glad this article is proving useful! 🙂
Oh, I didn’t realise that if I clicked on the link on the webpage, it would help out. I just use the store on the Kindle itself.
I will strive to do better.
No worries – if you do use those links that would be lovely, but there’s absolutely no obligation! 🙂
Hi, would you make an update please ? 😀
I did update this page not long ago. What are you looking for in particular?
Small request, when you add say a book to the list, do you mind putting the MM/YYYY by the side, that way it’s easier to spot new books, especially if they not be added just at the bottom, since some books are in groups.
The work you’ve done here is much appreciated! I’ve been buying the books one by one and reading them as I go. Do you have a list of new 40k books on the release schedule? That would be much appreciated.
Glad it’s useful 🙂 Hope you’ve been enjoying the books! It’s not 40k-specific, but I do try to track all upcoming BL releases (based on WarCom and other information available online) here: https://www.trackofwords.com/2020/01/11/keep-track-of-upcoming-black-library-releases/
Im really glad i found this list.This is very helpful.Im just wondering will you ever put the books from where the King in Yellow is metioned in here (a bequin,Eisenhorn and Ravenor).I have heard a lot of people talk about.Im not sure though if this the mainplot since my first books were the three Dark Imperium books.
Brilliant, very glad it’s useful! This particular article is specifically looking at on the current 40k timeline – i.e. from the fall of Cadia onwards, and into the Era Indomitus – so I’m not planning on adding any books set earlier in the timeline. I want to keep it as focused as possible, otherwise it would just get out of hand and difficult to use.
I do however have a separate guide to Dan Abnett’s whole Inquisition cycle – the Eisenhorn, Ravenor and Bequin books, along with all of the associated short stories: https://www.trackofwords.com/2021/02/14/a-guide-to-dan-abnetts-inquisition-series/
They’re not really connected to the current timeline and the Era Indomitus, but they are fantastic stories so I’d definitely recommend giving them a go! That guide gives you a chronological reading order if you want to approach the series in that way. Enjoy!
Ah thanks for the explanation. Thx. I `ll check it out. I guess part of the main story will be the arks of omen when the books release.
Does anyone have a 2023 BL release schedule, and has anyone looked whether any of it influences the fine list above?
Nearly finished the “Essential List”. I will need to take a mini BL break 🙂
Impressive! 🙂
This is awesome!! As everyone else has said, thanks so much for doing this! I have been a casual warhammer reader for a while but have now passed the point of no return and am fully engaged and it is really hard to try to figure out which books go where. Why is Black Library/Warhammer SO bad making things less confusing? Thanks again!!
It’s weird isn’t it? You’d think they would want to help readers navigate their books and series, but apparently not! Glad this has helped though 🙂
Having got to the near end of complete, the movement of The Dark Imperium to near the front of Indomitus Crusade and the content of Devastation of Bhaal, does give away the end of the Dark Imperium trilogy.
Probably best if you put the exact chapter in Devastation of Bhaal the reader needs to stop at, before coming back to it at the end of Belisarius Cawl: The Great Work.
It’s been a great read.
A bit of John Scalzi next, and a Neal Asher, then back onto the “additional” books.
Hey, great list, always using it as a reference. I am half way through now
I am wondering. Are you planning to make any other 40k lists when it comes to the coming lore ?
Or maybe try to make a comprehensive 40k timeline with all books divided pre and post Guiliman ?
I am asking since GW is coming up with new content all the time and what happens after Cawl ?
They are making the Arks of Omen, the new 10th edition.. so it is hard to keep up with everything
Really glad it’s proving useful, thanks for taking the time to let me know 🙂 Always great to hear!
To be honest, I’m not planning much more in the way of this sort of BL content. I’ll try to keep this page updated as and when ‘important’ new books come out, but I’m struggling for enthusiasm to do much more BL stuff these days.
Just want to say, I’ve had so much fun reading through the books listed here. Am a massive lore fan and this has helped a lot.
Brilliant, so glad it’s been helpful! 🙂
As stated by others, I’ve found this so very helpful… using the main list to help navigate the vast array of books acquired! Thanls for pulling this together.
Brilliant, always very happy to hear it’s of use! Appreciate you letting me know 🙂
How should i read these in order? I am new to 40k and want to read the most up to date stories and not having to read everything to get a picture of the lore
Thanks, this has been helpful. Read about 15 or so books from the your list. BL owes you a finders fee.
Very glad it’s helped! That’s a good chunk of books, great work 🙂
May want to update it now with the Lion novel.
The lion novel ????
Yes
Thanks, I found the book “The Lion Novel” 🙂
Cypher is out now as well. Although a stand alone book, I think it takes place at a similar time to others. It’s written in a unique style, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Located on Terra within the palace.
For those keeping up, The Iron Kingdom and The Martyrs Tomb are the 5th and 6th books in the Dawn Of Fire sequence.
Also The Lion Son of the Forest is out and probably sits after the Devastation of Baal
Would you happen to know when the 5th and 6th books of the dawn of War series would fall in the order of books to read they are the only ones I don’t know the order to.
Sorry, the only ones I am actively tracking are those related to the Rift. However this pre order tracker helps
https://www.trackofwords.com/2020/01/11/keep-track-of-upcoming-black-library-releases/
This would’ve been way more helpful without the spoilers. Cool list, but now I know entirely too much about what happens in the books. If this is made for new readers, it shouldn’t ruin the stories for them without a spoiler warning or something!
This isn’t updating anymore? A Shane since I’ve used it since it’s creation. Awesome job, nonetheless
I might yet update it at some point, just depends on whether I can find the time and motivation. We’ll see. Glad it’s proving useful even as it is, though.
This really helped me start reading 40k. Hope it continues to be updated.
Hello Michael,
I have been using your list as my go to resource for determining my order of reading.
It really really is. I have followed this list for years and appreciate your hard work.
Heck, I’d even be willing to donate a smaller sum as a thank you for your time.
Please update if possible!
Love this list, please update when you have the time and energy
Can anybody tell me what chapter I should stop at in the devastation of Baal to avoid the spoilers spoken about in this article?
I’ll second what the recent commenters have said; this is a well made reading order for people who want to be up to date with the current metaplot of the setting.
Here’s to an updated list covering the more recent arrivals. Thumbs up!