Wanting to get into the Lore...

[Kennek]

Hey All, 

 

A brief background on me, I've been interested in 40k for probably the last 5-8 years, collecting models here and there, picking up a white dwarf here and there, etc....  Well with the beginning of 8th edition, I'd really like to dive into some of the lore behind not only the difference between what's taking place from 7th ed. to 8th, but the overall history as well.

 

I know from an overall history perspective, it probably doesn't get much better than the Horus Heresy novels... which I plan on picking up (I plan on starting from Horus Rising and go from there).... 

 

but from a newer (in the timeline) perspective, would anyone happen to have any suggestions on where to start?  

 

I ask all of this simply because I didn't realize the primarch's were back until they hit, how is this possible, what is expected in the future... all of that.  Alot of questions, not a whole lot of answers :)  

 

Any information or suggestions you guys/girls can provide would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks again, and hopefully we'll talk soon.

 

Kennek

[DarkChaplain]

Alright, there are a couple of ways to go about it.

 

First off, the big rulebook that just came out has a general overview of the lore. It isn't particularly in-depth but it does the job to offer a relatively wide picture of what's going on and who's who.

The Codex releases (none of which exist for 8th yet) cover their specific factions' lore in more depth, but that can be pretty one-sided as a rule.

 

For more recent events, there have been various Campaign Supplements. Most notable right now would be "The Gathering Storm", consisting of Fall of Cadia, Fracture of Biel-tan and Rise of the Primarch. These are hybrids between lore books with lots of art and background material and also some scenarios and datasheets to follow the events on the tabletop. The writing can be a bit sloppy but they're supposed to explain the events leading into 8th, from the destruction of Cadia and the expansion of the Eye of Terror to Guilliman's resurrection and all.

 

Leading into The Gathering Storm, we had two Black Crusade books, Traitor's Hate and Angel's Blade and Curse of the Wulfen and Wrath of Magnus for War Zone Fenris. These deal with the return of Magnus the Red, who plays a role in TGS.

 

Before that, a few years back now but still "recent" in in-universe terms, we had two War Zone Damocles books, Kauyon and Mont'ka. They're about the Imperium's war against the Tau Empire on the fringes of the Damocles Gulf. These events will feature again soon but may not be immediately relevant to TGS.

 

With what's happening in 8th, the Shield of Baal campaign (Leviathan and Deathstorm iirc) are a lead-in to the Blood Angels' war against the Tyranids. This got covered with novellas which have been reprinted bundled in Space Marine Battles: Shield of Baal recently and was followed up by the novel Dante by Guy Haley and will see another novel continuation later this year (although the 8th Rulebook spoils the conclusion). So these events are still unfolding just until the arrival of 8th.

 

Novel-wise, you really only have Dark Imperium by Guy Haley right now for post-TGS content. It may be a worthwhile intro piece if you want to get right into current events and keep up. It has been specifically written as more of an introduction novel than most and gives a good deal of context for the current state of things. It also stars Guilliman himself. Beyond that there are two audio dramas for TGS out there.

However, 8th itself and Dark Imperium are set roughly a century further into the timeline. There is a big period there that is going to be explored by authors in the future.

 

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Now, if you want a more general introduction to 40k fiction and leave the unfolding potential clusterfrak aside for now, I'll always recommend picking up the Eisenhorn trilogy by Dan Abnett. That is the one trilogy I've had the most success with recommending to completely clueless but interested parties. It is a classic for good reason, and there've recently been reprints. The Inquisition perspective tends to give the most authentic feel of 40k's societal quirks and general feel of the setting, away from big battlefields and explosions.. mostly.

 

On the Space Marine side, I'd probably recommend something from Space Marine Battles. Maybe you already have a Chapter you are interested in, chances are it is represented there. The quality can vary a great deal but if you are open to anything, you won't go wrong with Aaron Dembski-Bowden's Armageddon stories, mainly Helsreach. You can find an omnibus with that and the sequel novella in paperback. Armageddon is also the setting for one of the major wars at the end of the pre-8th timeline and will see action in the future as well.

 

Generally, getting into the lore and setting as a whole is best achieved by following what you find interesting on the outset. Don't grind yourself through novels on factions you don't really care for. While the Xenos factions aren't well-covered for the most part compared to the Imperium, you can find novels featuring them relatively easily. Tyranids, for example, have no real Point of View stories, but are used in countless novels anyway.

 

A general word of advice: Most books aren't numbered. A lot are part of trilogies or series and it is very easy to pick them up out of order. Always make sure to check online first. Space Marine Battles are mostly standalone but some, like Purging of Kadillus, also tie into other books of the faction (in that case Angels of Darkness and the Legacy of Caliban trilogy). They can still be read on their own, but you may get more out of them as part of the series.

 

Ah, another decent suggestion would be the Legends of the Dark Millennium: Ultramarines or Astra Militarum books, as well as the Space Marines omnibus, There is Only War or the likes. These include countless short stories on all manner of factions and characters, some tie-ins to trilogies/series and many of the different authors. Reading a few stories from these anthologies might sway you towards Author A, B or C and Faction X, Y or Z and you can grow pretty organically from there.

 

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As for the Horus Heresy and The Beast Arises, I'd recommend taking it easy there. HH especially is the flagship series and it is tempting to hop right in. However, I always recommend getting a good feel of the state of the 41st Millennium first. There is a big contrast between the two eras and character arcs can be much more effective when you know how little actions made with good intentions lead them to ruin. The full tragedy of the civil war becomes apparent that way, in my opinion.

 

I've not really spent enough time reading the ForgeWorld HH books to say much about them, but if you're looking for general lore on the HH, the Legions and the course of the Heresy, these are undoubtedly great value.

[Kennek]

Absolutely fantastic response.  Thanks a million for the response.  This is precisely what I was looking for.  

[DarkChaplain]

Happy to help.

 

Ah, and for the Horus Heresy: After the opening trilogy (Horus Rising, False Gods & Galaxy in Flames), things get messy with the reading order. Flight of the Eisenstein and Fulgrim can be read as simple continuations in a way (especially since Eisenstein branches off directly from GiF), but to get the best experience especially later on, you'd best look up some reading order guides.

 

They've put out so many short stories over the years, especially after the midway point, that a lot of tiny bits go here and there and can enhance a particular novel's impact by being read in tandem rather than when they appear in the numbered series.

 

For example, Legacies of Betrayal, #31, features the White Scars novella Brotherhood of the Storm, which is a prequel to #28, Scars. It was released a few years earlier but then collected in LoB. Veritas Ferrum from the same collection and Sermon of Exodus from #33, War Without End, are both prequels to #30, The Damnation of Pythos.

 

And then there's a big plotline about Nathaniel Garro from Flight of the Eisenstein that has been going on in audio dramas for years but only recently got a numbered book. One audio drama that is reprinted in it is VITAL to #29, Vengeful Spirit, but Garro: Weapon of Fate is #42 in the series! If you read VS on its own you'll be MIGHTY confused as to the main character's involvement. There's another piece (or rather two) that ties directly between the two that is part of The Silent War, #37.

Vengeful Spirit also continues a plotline or two that have been scattered through short stories, some of which again weren't collected in numbered books until recently.

 

So, in a way, I'd recommend getting the anthologies early. You shouldn't finish them in a straight order and instead leave the individual short stories, as far as they tie into the novels, to be read alongside, before or after. War Without End alone has stories that tie into Fulgrim and Galaxy in Flames and sets up and continues a bunch of other plotlines.

 

The anthologies are as follows:

#10: Tales of Heresy (8 short stories)

#16: Age of Darkness (9 short stories)

#20: The Primarchs (4 Novellas)

#23: Shadows of Treachery (2 Novellas, 5 short stories)

#25: Mark of Calth (1 Novella, 7 short stories; thematic collection, not republished)

#31: Legacies of Betrayal (1 Novella, 18 short stories)

#33: War Without End (21 short stories, previously 4 short anthologies from events etc)

#35: Eye of Terra (1 Novella, 15 short stories)

#37: The Silent War (1 Novella, 13 short stories)

#40: Corax (3 Novellas, 3 short stories; thematic collection)

#42: Garro (technically a novel, but collecting all Garro audio dramas in prose plus a Novella)

#43: Shattered Legions (1 Novella, 10 Short Stories)

 

and soon there'll be Tallarn as well, which is another thematic collection. By that I mean that they don't need to be taken apart but can be read as one thing, unlike the anthologies that collect older shorts.

 

So keep those in the back of your head if you ever get confused and don't be afraid to ask about things or look up the charts various people made. I'd especially recommend Tymell's page here:

https://sites.google.com/site/tymellsheresy/release-list

 

Careful, it is full of spoilers in the timelines but damn me if that wasn't impressive work organizing things.

[R_F_D]

What DC said about Tymell's work - Tymell has a spoiler free timeline here  scroll to the bottom for the various story arcs, which I think are in chronological order?

[HeritorA]

What DC said about Tymell's work - Tymell has a spoiler free timeline here  scroll to the bottom for the various story arcs, which I think are in chronological order?

Well if we count as off today > it's semichronological now, I think