Forge World HH fluff/rulebooks - essential HH reading?

[R_F_D]

Over the last few weeks I have been listening to the After Ullanor podcast [which reviews the HH books and is hosted on the Freebooters Network] and one of the things I have taken away is just how much background information there seems to be in the Forge World books.  As an aside, they're good reviews and have refreshed my memory of books read eons ago, much to my enjoyment!

 

This has lead me to thinking, are the FW books essential reading to get the fullest flavour of the BL HH series?  My knowledge of the HH stems from the Index Astartes articles from White Dwarf however these only briefly referred to 30k history.  Therefore I have loved this series for exploring events only briefly touched on when I first encountered them but it seems to me that there is now so much out there that is not available to someone who only reads BL products.  Supplementary to this, is anyone aware of if/when the FW books will be brought out?

[Kelborn]

Well...they add a lot to the setting, imho.

Still haven't finished all of them as I focused on their take on the Legions instead of the overall HH fluff. Until now, I'm really satisfied with each Legion and I can't wait for the Dark Angels and White Scars!

 

While you (as the reader) have an insight on certain pov from characters, for example Lorgars view on Istvan or Guiliman during Calth, the FW books give a really good overview on the entire campaign and add some decent details as well.

 

A good example is the Burning of Prospero. While we do have Mc'Neils depiction in A Thousand Sons, there's so much more, which was added in Inferno. We got the entirety of events previous to the battle itself. Furthermore, we get to know of what the Custodes and Sisters actually did on Prospero. It's arguable if FWs stuff is essential to get the fullest flavour. IMHO it does a pretty damn good job and it's definitely not a waste of time. :)

[Knockagh]

I've been with the heresy from day one and can honestly say the FW books are my favourite bit by far. I dont think they are essential reading if you are going to read every single novel but they help me when I get lost.

Also and I'm slightly ashamed to admit this I've been loosing interest in the heresy of late so much so I'm a least 4 books behind but I can categorically say when the next FW book comes out I will be getting night sweats until it's in my hands. They are that awesome.

If you didn't want to read all the novels but wanted a good solid background and the main storyline you could probably just read the FW books. If I was starting out now that's what I would do and then pick and choose the highest rated novels.

[Sandlemad]

Maybe not essential but they really are very good. Alan Bligh and John French and the others who contributed hit on a solid and very consistent house style, basically writing fictional military history rather than novels or short stories. If you liked the old Index Astartes articles you will definitely like these, they take that style to its apex of quality. Overall I couldn't point to a bad or 'dud' FW book whereas everyone can think of a few BL heresy novels that would qualify.

 

Kelborn mentions Prospero; the FW authors really commit to a style that foregrounds how difficult it is for an imperial researcher to know concretely what happens in the chaos of war. As such it's a broader view than the novels so in terms of content, yes, there's a huge amount. While (for example) the BL coverage of the Raven Guard is largely focused around Corax and those who were close to him, the FW books are free to range more generally across the Raven Guard's activities before and during the heresy. 

 

The FW books also delve into nerdy details in ways that would seriously slow down a conventional narrative. Histories of particular patterns of wargear, biographies of individual marines who ended up catching a bullet in the first 30 seconds of the dropsite massacre, detailed analyses of how the military hierarchy of the mechanicum works, cultural notes on how legion iconography changed across the great crusade. It's good stuff if you're interested in it. 

In doing so they touch upon factions that are barely covered at all in the BL books (the Solar Auxilia, the Custodes, the Sisters of Silence, the titan legions, individual knight houses, large parts of the Mechanicum) or that fans feel have been under- or poorly served (Iron Hands, Death Guard, Salamanders).

 

As to when the FW books will be brought out, they're available on the FW website. They're wonderfully produced books, rule issues aside, and the art is great but they are expensive. Large chunks of the text are reproduced on the Warhammer 40k wiki site though (the otherwise rubbish one, the not-lexicanum one) if you want to get a taste of the writing.

[Jarl Kjaran Coldheart]

I think the FW books are essential, and usually more enjoyable than the BL novels.

[bluntblade]

Depends what your views are on Gloriana class vessels.

 

I jest. They're very good, add a hell of a lot to what the SoH were up to in the early Heresy.

[Brother Captain Kezef]

The HH books are like reading a WW2 history book by Antony Beevor.

 

basicly awesome

[Tymell]

This has lead me to thinking, are the FW books essential reading to get the fullest flavour of the BL HH series?

 

I think they're essential to getting the fullest flavour of the setting, certainly. They're not essential to reading and understanding the BL books (I don't think there are any plot points you won't understand without them, for example), but they're honestly some of the best material written about the Horus Heresy.

 

Supplementary to this, is anyone aware of if/when the FW books will be brought out?

 

Future ones, you mean? The next due is Angelus, which will cover the Blood Angels and Dark Angels in several conflicts (including Signus and Thramas), as well as the Night Lords and Dark Mechanicum. I think it was originally expected later this year, but the unfortunate passing of Alan Bligh has understandably set that one back. Beyond that, I expect there'll be more covering other events/forces, but exactly when I have no idea.

Edited August 27, 2017 by Tymell

[Marshal Loss]

Yes. They are the best part of the entire HH series

[HeritorA]

Forge World Horus Heresy books are the best what happened to HH since 'Horus Rising'

Each one is epic and show the part of HH Black Library has lost and forget a long time ago - apocalyptic warfare of the Galactic war :)

[R_F_D]

Future ones, you mean? The next due is Angelus, which will cover the Blood Angels and Dark Angels in several conflicts (including Signus and Thramas), as well as the Night Lords and Dark Mechanicum. I think it was originally expected later this year, but the unfortunate passing of Alan Bligh has understandably set that one back. Beyond that, I expect there'll be more covering other events/forces, but exactly when I have no idea.

My bad Tymell. What that sentence should have read was, do we know if FW will be releasing the books in a paperback or e-book format?

The HH books are like reading a WW2 history book by Antony Beevor.

 

basicly awesome

 

Very interesting you say that as John French was tweeting last week about rereading that very author! The battle Stalingrad to be precise, I wonder why...  

Edited August 28, 2017 by R_F_D

[HeritorA]

 

Future ones, you mean? The next due is Angelus, which will cover the Blood Angels and Dark Angels in several conflicts (including Signus and Thramas), as well as the Night Lords and Dark Mechanicum. I think it was originally expected later this year, but the unfortunate passing of Alan Bligh has understandably set that one back. Beyond that, I expect there'll be more covering other events/forces, but exactly when I have no idea.

My bad Tymell. What that sentence should have read was, do we know if FW will be releasing the books in a paperback or e-book format?

The HH books are like reading a WW2 history book by Antony Beevor.

 

basicly awesome

 

Very interesting you say that as John French was tweeting last week about rereading that very author! The battle Stalingrad to be precise, I wonder why...  

 

Because Beta-Garmont and Titan Death They wouldn't write themselves ;)