Horus Heresy Novels

[Sandman2512]

I have been really interested in the lore of Warhammer 40K for quite some time now, and have read a few novels. I would really like to get into the Horus Heresy series, but was just wondering if there was a way to buy them in bulk instead of buying each on individually.

 

I also was wondering which ones are rated higher and which ones are rated lower as far as being a good read. Thank you.

[Massaen]

Not sure about bulk buys but i would firmly recommend reading the first 3, in order - Horus Rising, Flase Gods and Galaxy in flames.

 

These 3 firmly set the scene and after that you can pretty much read them at will...

 

Having said that, i red them in order and you get a more consistent tale of events.

 

The ones i found harder going were (in no particular order) Descent of angels and battle for the abyss.

 

Legion was brilliant as was mechanicum. Tales of the heresy is a series of short stories which stand alone after a fashion and contain perhaps the best peice of 40k fiction available - the last church

[HandOfDorn]

I am not aware that they can be bulk ordered yet..

 

In terms of readability, i would certainly rate 'Legion', 'Galaxy In Flames', 'Mechanicum' and 'Nemesis' as being unputdownable, they really provide depth to the series, and lots more speculation on top of that!

[Clewz]

you did used to be able to get a bulk set of about the first 5 or 6 in a box from waterstones

[Guillermus of Eisenheim]

The best ones are the first three (Horus Rising, False Gods and Galaxy in Flames), and I'd also recommend The Flight of the Eisenstein, Legion and especially A Thousand Sons, which I'm only halfway through but is awesome so far. Graham McNeill is the best author I think, but Abnett is good too.

 

Avoid Battle for the Abyss, and Descent of Angels was ok IMO, but there's not much Astartes action in it, it's mostly backstory. Hope this helps!

[Sandman2512]

Yes, thanks for the help everyone. I was definetely planing on buying the first three, and was thinking of getting the next ones after that in the order they came out, but was thinking of avoiding the ones with bad ratings.

[Jarl Kjaran Coldheart]

Yes, thanks for the help everyone. I was definetely planing on buying the first three, and was thinking of getting the next ones after that in the order they came out, but was thinking of avoiding the ones with bad ratings.

 

while normally i would say something like "dont avoid the ones with bad ratings as they are a look into the 30k mindset", but Battle for the Abyss was a true piece of crap, and a stand alone on top of that. skipping it loses you nothing.

 

other than the decent portrayal of a World Eater captain, everything else was bland and made of fail.

 

WLK

 

*edit: poor, poor spelling

[Chief Librarian Vespasian]

Bulk buying is certainly possible if you don't mind having second hand books.

 

I've seen the complete collection of the Horus Heresy Novels (minus the limited edition chapbook or the Special Edition Hardback version of Horus Rising) going for very little money on a certain online auction site. Bootfairs are also great places to find them-for example I've bought quite a few of the novels for 50 pence each and I also got my hands on the Horus Heresy Artbook, Volume 3 for £1! :) Likewise second-hand bookshops can be great places to find these gems.

 

As far as the novels go, I would echo what has been said about the first three books. Horus Rising, False Gods and Galaxy in Flames are a must have and are excellent. Though in my opinion the last of the three is the weakest in the trilogy.

 

Quite a few people dislike Descent of Angels-but I really liked it and thought it was superb-an excellent insight into life on Caliban before the Emperor arrives and the subsequent consequences when he does.

 

Fulgrim,Legion and Mechanicum are also must have books in my opinion. They are all excellent but Mechanicum shone out above the others.

 

Fallen Angels and Tales of Heresy are both good. Tales of Heresy has some real gems in it.

 

Battle for the Abyss has to be one of the worse in the series in my opinion (though there were certain aspects of it that I did like). Nemesis is also one of my least favourites. I was very,very disappointed by it.

 

'Bad ratings' are very much a matter of individual taste, so I wouldn't pay too much attention to them personally. Just get the ones that sound interesting to you and see how it goes.

[Sandman2512]

A question coming from what Chief Librarian Vespasian brought up, is there much order in the books after the first three? From what I have heard it seems the general consensus is that Battle for the Abyss and Descent of Angels are the "worst" books in the series. I was planning on reading them in order from release date, avoiding these two (especially since im not that interested in Dark Angels), and possibly picking them up after I finish the rest of the series. But I will avoid doing that if I miss something important about the general story by not reading those two novels.

[Guillermus of Eisenheim]

Descent of Angels really isn't that bad, it's just very different, because the Space Marines only appear for the last few chapters. I personally thought it was ok, so as Vespasian says, don't pay too close attention to the ratings, as they're just opinion. But Kieran is right about Battle for the Abyss, it's mediocre at best.

[Pacific81]

'Bad ratings' are very much a matter of individual taste, so I wouldn't pay too much attention to them personally. Just get the ones that sound interesting to you and see how it goes.

 

Seconded. If I had listened to people's advice on reading material (not just concerned the HH series), then I would have missed out on some truly excellent reads.

 

It's a deeply subjective matter - for the price you can get them for, you may as well buy what appeals to you - if you're 100 pages in and struggling to turn to the next one, do what you do with any other book and put it in a bag for the charity shop.

 

I actually didn't think Battle for the Abyss was that bad - admittedly it had some silly elements, but the main criticism seems to come from a) Ultramarine fans and b ) Space Wolf fans, who didn't like how their respective marines behaved in the book. But, without giving anything away, I think especially for someone who doesn't know a great deal of background it shows the different characters of the various legions well, and how they interact with each other - how they were far from close brothers even before the heresy happened.

[Sandman2512]

I was wondering if any of you had a favored online store for buying books such as the Horus Heresy series. I looked at my local shops and none of them had any of the books. I know I could order them from Barnes and Noble, but would like to find another site to order from that is cheaper then Barnes and Noble. Thanks.

[Jarl Kjaran Coldheart]

'Bad ratings' are very much a matter of individual taste, so I wouldn't pay too much attention to them personally. Just get the ones that sound interesting to you and see how it goes.

 

Seconded. If I had listened to people's advice on reading material (not just concerned the HH series), then I would have missed out on some truly excellent reads.

 

It's a deeply subjective matter - for the price you can get them for, you may as well buy what appeals to you - if you're 100 pages in and struggling to turn to the next one, do what you do with any other book and put it in a bag for the charity shop.

 

I actually didn't think Battle for the Abyss was that bad - admittedly it had some silly elements, but the main criticism seems to come from a) Ultramarine fans and b ) Space Wolf fans, who didn't like how their respective marines behaved in the book. But, without giving anything away, I think especially for someone who doesn't know a great deal of background it shows the different characters of the various legions well, and how they interact with each other - how they were far from close brothers even before the heresy happened.

 

my main beef was how pathetic the Word Bearers were. the heroes are only as good as the villians, and these villians were pathetic.

 

thank Russ and the Emperor a competent author is getting their hands on them.

 

WLK

[Kurgan the Lurker]

eBook formats should be available starting next month:

 

http://www.blacklibrary.com/Digital

 

So if you have an eReader of one time or another you can probably get the entire series for cheaper than the paperbacks/hardbacks.

[Chief Librarian Vespasian]

A question coming from what Chief Librarian Vespasian brought up, is there much order in the books after the first three? From what I have heard it seems the general consensus is that Battle for the Abyss and Descent of Angels are the "worst" books in the series. I was planning on reading them in order from release date, avoiding these two (especially since im not that interested in Dark Angels), and possibly picking them up after I finish the rest of the series. But I will avoid doing that if I miss something important about the general story by not reading those two novels.

 

 

To be honest there is some order to the books.

 

Although admittedly this order is certainly not as direct or as obvious in later books, as it is in the first 3 novels (Horus Rising, False Gods, Galaxy in Flames).

 

However if you do read them out of order then you can run the risk of finding snippets of information or revelations, which tie in with the previous books that you haven't read-because you've read them out of the order they were published in. So my own personal recommendation to you would be to read them in the order they were released in, just to safeguard yourself against such an eventuality.

 

The different coloured tops of the books spines are there to indicate story arcs that go together-for example Horus Rising, False Gods and Galaxy in Flames all have dark red spine tops-their stories directly follow on from each other and they focus on the same particular Space Marine Legion. So the spine edging can help guide you to some extent-but you could still run the risk of finding out stuff prematurely if read out of order.

 

So I definately think that your plan to read them in order is the right one.

 

Hope that helps.

[HandOfDorn]

I'm not sure you are allowed to actually openly endorse websites etc on here, but I found www.bookdepository.co.uk an excellent source for the HH novels, as they are pretty much all below the retail price, as I got my copies of Thousand Sons and Nemesis for just scant of £4 and £5! Plus all postage is free, even to overseas countries, all in all a bargain for brand new books!

 

Now I must run and escape on the next Cargo Ship, as I fear the inquisition may now be coming for me..