Midgard Posted April 7, 2016 Share Posted April 7, 2016 As I finished reading "Deathfire", and with "War Without End" and "Pharos" on my to-read list, I was inspired to put together my current rankings of the numbered Horus Heresy books. Instead of going for the purely numerical order, I thought to organize the books in tiers, from the top-tier works all the way to the few that were, for the lack of a better term, seriously lacking. These rankings are subject to change as more books come out, or as my (admittedly subjective) rankings are influenced by my mood at a given moment. I put most of the anthologies in the "average" category, as they typically had both highlights and moments of mediocrity; the sole exception "Shadows of Treachery" got additional marks thanks to two excellent novella-length works ("Crimson Fist" and "Prince of Crows"). The non-numbered novels/novellas in the series remain unranked (including two Tallarn novels and the Betrayal at Calth tie-in novels/novellas, which I have, but have not yet finished reading). My rankings are in the context of the overall Horus Heresy series and books published by Black Library - i.e. 10/10 means an excellent Horus Heresy novel, not necessarily indicative of a literary masterpiece to be remembered with the great literary classics centuries from now (though it does not mean that it is not a good book on its own merits). The numeric ratings are a range of where these works fall, in my humble opinion, in the grand scheme of the Heresy series. Here are my rankings... what are yours? EDIT: The rankings below have been updated with "Pharos", "The Path of Heaven" (both good/above average, sometimes bordering on very good), and "The Eye of Terra" (average, often bordering on good). Next up: "The Silent War", then "Angels of Caliban", when I get to them. EDIT 2: Updated with "The Silent War" and "Angels of Caliban" (both good/above average). Top Tier (9.5/10 to 10/10) Horus Rising Legion The First Heretic Know No Fear A Thousand Sons Very Good, Borderline Top Tier (9/10) Betrayer Prospero Burns False Gods Good, Solid, Above Average (7.5/10 to just below 9/10) Galaxy in Flames The Flight of the Eisenstein Fulgrim Nemesis The Outcast Dead Shadows of Treachery (anthology) Vulkan Lives The Unremembered Empire Scars Vengeful Spirit Pharos The Path of Heaven Angels of Caliban The Silent War Average, Median (7/10 - the "baseline" for Horus Heresy series quality) Angel Exterminatus Tales of Heresy (anthology) Legacies of Betrayal (anthology) Age of Darkness (anthology) Mark of Calth (anthology) The Primarchs (anthology) The Eye of Terra (anthology) Decent, Acceptable Quality, Somewhat Flawed (6/10 to just below 7/10) Mechanicum Descent of Angels Deathfire Fallen Angels Fear to Tread The Damnation of Pythos Flawed, Mediocre to Bad (below 6/10) Battle for the Abyss Deliverance Lost Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tymell Posted April 7, 2016 Share Posted April 7, 2016 For me I think it'd currently be: Outstanding (10/10) The First Heretic Excellent (9/10) Know No Fear Scars Prospero Burns Betrayer Fulgrim A Thousand Sons Good (8/10) Legion Pharos Horus Rising War Without End (anthology) Vengeful Spirit The Primarchs (anthology) Mechanicum The Damnation of Pythos Fear to Tread Okay (7/10) Flight of the Eisenstein Eye of Terra (anthology) Legacies of Betrayal (anthology) Age of Darkness (anthology) Mark of Calth (anthology) Tales of Heresy (anthology) Shadows of Treachery (anthology) Galaxy in Flames Deliverance Lost Mixed, some bad some good (6/10) Angel Exterminatus Unremembered Empire Deathfire Nemesis Poor (5/10 + 4/10) Fallen Angels The Outcast Dead Vulkan Lives Terrible (3/10 - 1/10) Battle For the Abyss False Gods Descent of Angels Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roomsky Posted April 7, 2016 Share Posted April 7, 2016 (9.5-10/10) A Masterpiece The First Heretic (8.5-9/10) A Fantastic Book Scars Praetorian of Dorn The Path of Heaven A Thousand Sons Prospero Burns Betrayer (7.5-8/10) A Good Book Fulgrim Horus Rising Know no Fear False Gods Legion (7/10) A Flawed Gem Flight of the Eisenstein Galaxy in Flames Pharos The Unremembered Empire -CUTOFF FOR HARDBACK PURCHASE- (7/10) A Flawed Gem Shadows of Treachery (6.5/10) An Enjoyable Read Fear to Tread Tales of Heresy Age of Darkness The Primarchs (5.5-6/10) A Decent Book Nemesis Fallen Angels Angel Exterminatus The Damnation of Pythos Mark of Calth Legacies of Betrayal (4.5-5/10) A Mediocre Book Mechanicum Descent of Angels (4/10) A Poor Book Vengeful Spirit Deliverance Lost Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b1soul Posted April 8, 2016 Share Posted April 8, 2016 I would put Scars and UE way above Nemesis and Outcast Dead My top tier would be... Horus Rising Legion Know No Fear Scars First Heretic Betrayer Right below that... A Thousand Sons Prospero Burns Unremembered Empire Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeritorA Posted April 8, 2016 Share Posted April 8, 2016 Primarchs anthology is top tier for me, simply because it's contain 'Serpent Beneath' - the best AL story in all the BL history as a publisher. Plus to the definite top tier we could add Horus Rising; Legion; Scars; First Heretic and some very splendid novellas. Like Purge or Wolf KIng - which were beyond awesome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b1soul Posted April 9, 2016 Share Posted April 9, 2016 My favorite short stories would be Blood Games and Little Horus ... very, very cool Grey Talon by Wraight is very good too Abnett really gets Custodes and White Scars. His "flesh-spare" Bion Henricos was such a badass IH character EDIT: Oh yeah...even though I'm not a fan of Curze, Sevatar, or the VIIIth, the prose of Savage Weapons and Prince of Crows is superb. ADB has a way with words. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Newtoncain Posted April 12, 2016 Share Posted April 12, 2016 Unremembered Empire = the book that stopped me from reading any more. I have read every HH book/novela up to Unremembered Empire point. What was it 4 or 5 Primarchs on the same planet at once. Top; Horus Rising False Gods Galaxy in Flames Legion The First Heretic A Thousand Sons Mid: Betrayer Prospero Burns The Flight of the Eisenstein Fulgrim Nemesis The Outcast Dead Mechanicum Low/forget about it: the rest of the list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sviox Posted April 13, 2016 Share Posted April 13, 2016 Very Good: Horus Rising False Gods Galaxy in Flames Legion The First Heretic Know No Fear A Thousand Sons Prospero Burns Betrayer The Unremembered Empire Scars Vengeful Spirit Mechanicum Good: The Flight of the Eisenstein The Outcast Dead Vulkan Lives Deathfire Fear to Tread Descent of Angels Fallen Angels The Primarchs (anthology) Mark of Calth (anthology) Acceptable: Fulgrim Nemesis Angel Exterminatus Deliverance Lost Shadows of Treachery (anthology) Tales of Heresy (anthology) Legacies of Betrayal (anthology) Age of Darkness (anthology) Poor: The Damnation of Pythos Battle for the Abyss Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
veterannoob Posted April 20, 2016 Share Posted April 20, 2016 I'm gonna try but may miss some. This is a nice procrastination exercise while my work glares at me, demanding attention. So, thanks for that:) Top Tier (9.5/10 to 10/10) Horus Rising Legion The First Heretic Know No Fear A Thousand Sons Betrayer Unremembered Empire Very Good, Borderline Top Tier (9/10) Fulgrim Tales of Heresy (anthology) False Gods Good, Solid, Above Average (7.5/10 to just below 9/10) Prospero Burns Galaxy in Flames The Flight of the Eisenstein Descent of Angels (stand alone) Shadows of Treachery (anthology) Vulkan Lives Scars Vengeful Spirit Angel Exterminatus Deliverance Lost The Primarchs (anthology) Pharos Average, Median (7/10 - the "baseline" for Horus Heresy series quality) War Without End (anthology) Legacies of Betrayal (anthology) Age of Darkness (anthology) The Outcast Dead Mechanicum Decent, Acceptable Quality, Somewhat Flawed (6/10 to just below 7/10) Mark of Calth (anthology) Nemesis Deathfire Fallen Angels Fear to Tread Vulkan Lives Flawed, Mediocre to Bad (below 6/10) Battle for the Abyss Damnation of Pythos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeritorA Posted April 21, 2016 Share Posted April 21, 2016 Top Tier (9.5/10 to 10/10) - now have an addition of 'Path of Heaven' to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b1soul Posted April 22, 2016 Share Posted April 22, 2016 Top Tier (9.5/10 to 10/10) - now have an addition of 'Path of Heaven' to it. Stop teasing us pls Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midgard Posted July 5, 2016 Author Share Posted July 5, 2016 Updated the OP as I am progressing through the series. At this time, I only have "The Silent War" and "Angels of Caliban" to read before being fully caught up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roomsky Posted July 5, 2016 Share Posted July 5, 2016 It's fun seeing just how diverse the readership is. I don't think there's any true consistency here beyond "Horus Rising is good." It may be interesting to list how we rank authors as well as novels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Servant of Dante Posted July 6, 2016 Share Posted July 6, 2016 It's fun seeing just how diverse the readership is. I don't think there's any true consistency here beyond "Horus Rising is good." It may be interesting to list how we rank authors as well as novels. I haven't read many of the HH books, but I just picked up (and read) the Crusade's end omnibus (the first 3 books + 3 short stories) and I loved it. Read vengeful spirit before that. meh (but a neat ending, the BA got screwed over though). Read Mechanicum first. I really liked it. Just seeing the God-Machines walk was enough to make me giggle with glee. Oh, and I got Tales of Heresy just to have the story "The Last Church" Spoiler (not really): the Emperor acts kinda like a Heretic. *head explodes* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roomsky Posted July 6, 2016 Share Posted July 6, 2016 It's fun seeing just how diverse the readership is. I don't think there's any true consistency here beyond "Horus Rising is good." It may be interesting to list how we rank authors as well as novels. I haven't read many of the HH books, but I just picked up (and read) the Crusade's end omnibus (the first 3 books + 3 short stories) and I loved it. Read vengeful spirit before that. meh (but a neat ending, the BA got screwed over though). Read Mechanicum first. I really liked it. Just seeing the God-Machines walk was enough to make me giggle with glee. Oh, and I got Tales of Heresy just to have the story "The Last Church" Spoiler (not really): the Emperor acts kinda like a Heretic. *head explodes* The Last Church is great, though I thought After De'shea was even better. Still all kinds of disappointed Matthew Farrer didn't do more in the series. Machanicum has grown on me since I read it, though i still think the first 2 thirds are clunky (And yes Graham, I know what Mars looks like, you don't have to devote a flowery paragraph to its landscape every chapter.) The last third totally makes up for it though. It also sounds like you have a serious shortage of ADB. I recommend 30 cc of The First Heretic, stat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
veterannoob Posted July 10, 2016 Share Posted July 10, 2016 It's fun seeing just how diverse the readership is. I don't think there's any true consistency here beyond "Horus Rising is good." It may be interesting to list how we rank authors as well as novels. I haven't read many of the HH books, but I just picked up (and read) the Crusade's end omnibus (the first 3 books + 3 short stories) and I loved it. Read vengeful spirit before that. meh (but a neat ending, the BA got screwed over though). Read Mechanicum first. I really liked it. Just seeing the God-Machines walk was enough to make me giggle with glee. Oh, and I got Tales of Heresy just to have the story "The Last Church" Spoiler (not really): the Emperor acts kinda like a Heretic. *head explodes* IT's still the best short story in HH, all BL, imo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pariah32 Posted September 6, 2016 Share Posted September 6, 2016 I have chosen my top 10 though my top 10 has been heavily influenced by this years steller releases!!! Vengeful Spirit Angels of Caliban Path of Heaven Praetorian of Dorn Prospero Burns Thousand Sons Scars Betrayer Know no Fear Legion Runners up would be Tallern Ironclad Mechcanicum If I had to pick 5 Novellas Wolf king The seventh serpent The Purge Aurelian Cybernetica Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biscuittzz Posted September 6, 2016 Share Posted September 6, 2016 I've just started the Horus Heresy series with Horus Rising, however as an RG fan I was going to get Deliverance Lost next. Now I know what happens exactly but why on every list and review I see/hear is it rated so badly? ( Majority of the ratings above have it rock bottom). Is the author/writing bad or just the overall premise of the novel? Edit: As an aside will picking books to read that are much further on in the series have much effect? I want to get Praetorian of Dorn but would I be out of the loop so to speak if I picked it up? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
veterannoob Posted September 6, 2016 Share Posted September 6, 2016 Updating my list now. Top Tier (9.5/10 to 10/10) Horus Rising Legion The First Heretic Know No Fear A Thousand Sons Betrayer Unremembered Empire Path of Heaven Praetorian of Dorn Very Good, Borderline Top Tier (9/10) Fulgrim Tales of Heresy (anthology) False Gods Good, Solid, Above Average (7.5/10 to just below 9/10) Prospero Burns Galaxy in Flames The Flight of the Eisenstein Descent of Angels (stand alone) Shadows of Treachery (anthology) Vulkan Lives Scars Vengeful Spirit Angel Exterminatus Deliverance Lost The Primarchs (anthology) Pharos Lighting Tower/Dark King Angels of Caliban Average, Median (7/10 - the "baseline" for Horus Heresy series quality) War Without End (anthology) Legacies of Betrayal (anthology) Age of Darkness (anthology) The Outcast Dead Mechanicum Decent, Acceptable Quality, Somewhat Flawed (6/10 to just below 7/10) Mark of Calth (anthology) Nemesis Deathfire Fallen Angels Fear to Tread Vulkan Lives Flawed, Mediocre to Bad (below 6/10) Battle for the Abyss Damnation of Pythos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roomsky Posted September 6, 2016 Share Posted September 6, 2016 I've just started the Horus Heresy series with Horus Rising, however as an RG fan I was going to get Deliverance Lost next. Now I know what happens exactly but why on every list and review I see/hear is it rated so badly? ( Majority of the ratings above have it rock bottom). Is the author/writing bad or just the overall premise of the novel? Edit: As an aside will picking books to read that are much further on in the series have much effect? I want to get Praetorian of Dorn but would I be out of the loop so to speak if I picked it up? Deliverance Lost is a prime case of a good premise hurt by a mediocre author. Gav's delivery (hoi hoi) turned what should have been an interesting read into a bit of a slog. Unless you hold strong allegiance to the old Raven Guard fluff, then it will be even worse. If you want some Raven Guard, give his short stories a try. I found most of them much more bearable. I don't think there's any novel that really needs prior knowledge to enjoy. I'd say that if you aren't too concerned with order, try and at least go in the order particular authors wrote books. (eg: Aaron didn't write anything before The First Heretic, so you could read that whenever. But then he wrote Betrayer, which i'd recommend reading after The First Heretic). Also I'd recommend the first 3 in order before you start branching. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tymell Posted September 6, 2016 Share Posted September 6, 2016 I've just started the Horus Heresy series with Horus Rising, however as an RG fan I was going to get Deliverance Lost next. Now I know what happens exactly but why on every list and review I see/hear is it rated so badly? ( Majority of the ratings above have it rock bottom). Is the author/writing bad or just the overall premise of the novel? Edit: As an aside will picking books to read that are much further on in the series have much effect? I want to get Praetorian of Dorn but would I be out of the loop so to speak if I picked it up? Personally I have no big problem with Deliverance Lost. I can see why some do, but to me it was fine. It's not the best, and I do feel Gav isn't as good at the others as giving a legion a clear identity, they do come off a lot of the time as just "black coloured space marines". But I've read it through twice and neither time felt it to be a chore. I did enjoy it less the second time, because I could see more of that lack of legion culture, and I could see some plot points with issues. But I also don't feel it ruins the RG story or anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biscuittzz Posted September 6, 2016 Share Posted September 6, 2016 I've just started the Horus Heresy series with Horus Rising, however as an RG fan I was going to get Deliverance Lost next. Now I know what happens exactly but why on every list and review I see/hear is it rated so badly? ( Majority of the ratings above have it rock bottom). Is the author/writing bad or just the overall premise of the novel? Edit: As an aside will picking books to read that are much further on in the series have much effect? I want to get Praetorian of Dorn but would I be out of the loop so to speak if I picked it up? Deliverance Lost is a prime case of a good premise hurt by a mediocre author. Gav's delivery (hoi hoi) turned what should have been an interesting read into a bit of a slog. Unless you hold strong allegiance to the old Raven Guard fluff, then it will be even worse. If you want some Raven Guard, give his short stories a try. I found most of them much more bearable. I don't think there's any novel that really needs prior knowledge to enjoy. I'd say that if you aren't too concerned with order, try and at least go in the order particular authors wrote books. (eg: Aaron didn't write anything before The First Heretic, so you could read that whenever. But then he wrote Betrayer, which i'd recommend reading after The First Heretic). Also I'd recommend the first 3 in order before you start branching. Thanks for the reply. I actually find any short stories concerning the RG quite tiresome. The whole sneakiness theme has been done to death. OK we know they're the most adept at that style but they're also perhaps the 2nd most tactical and flexible Legion, behind the obvious UM and tied with Alpha Legion IMO. Corax did best Guilliman tactically and strategically at one point in those simulation things. I'll stick to the author's own timeline of writing so I guess. Thanks. Yep I was planning on reading the first 3 as I've seen that advised all the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biscuittzz Posted September 6, 2016 Share Posted September 6, 2016 I've just started the Horus Heresy series with Horus Rising, however as an RG fan I was going to get Deliverance Lost next. Now I know what happens exactly but why on every list and review I see/hear is it rated so badly? ( Majority of the ratings above have it rock bottom). Is the author/writing bad or just the overall premise of the novel? Edit: As an aside will picking books to read that are much further on in the series have much effect? I want to get Praetorian of Dorn but would I be out of the loop so to speak if I picked it up? Personally I have no big problem with Deliverance Lost. I can see why some do, but to me it was fine. It's not the best, and I do feel Gav isn't as good at the others as giving a legion a clear identity, they do come off a lot of the time as just "black coloured space marines". But I've read it through twice and neither time felt it to be a chore. I did enjoy it less the second time, because I could see more of that lack of legion culture, and I could see some plot points with issues. But I also don't feel it ruins the RG story or anything. As I've said above I'm annoyed they've never been expanded past stealth or sneaking about. Every short story or novella is something along the lines of...... "The enemy are entrenched. OK let's sneak up on them." "The enemy are not entrenched. OK let's sneak up on them." "The enemy aren't here. OK let's find them and then sneak up on them." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeritorA Posted September 8, 2016 Share Posted September 8, 2016 I've just started the Horus Heresy series with Horus Rising, however as an RG fan I was going to get Deliverance Lost next. Now I know what happens exactly but why on every list and review I see/hear is it rated so badly? ( Majority of the ratings above have it rock bottom). Is the author/writing bad or just the overall premise of the novel? Edit: As an aside will picking books to read that are much further on in the series have much effect? I want to get Praetorian of Dorn but would I be out of the loop so to speak if I picked it up? Personally I have no big problem with Deliverance Lost. I can see why some do, but to me it was fine. It's not the best, and I do feel Gav isn't as good at the others as giving a legion a clear identity, they do come off a lot of the time as just "black coloured space marines". But I've read it through twice and neither time felt it to be a chore. I did enjoy it less the second time, because I could see more of that lack of legion culture, and I could see some plot points with issues. But I also don't feel it ruins the RG story or anything. As I've said above I'm annoyed they've never been expanded past stealth or sneaking about. Every short story or novella is something along the lines of...... "The enemy are entrenched. OK let's sneak up on them." "The enemy are not entrenched. OK let's sneak up on them." "The enemy aren't here. OK let's find them and then sneak up on them." Exactly! Sneaky sneaking ravens everywhere Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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