'The Primarchs' series of books - linked?

[Valkyrion]

Before I take the plunge in to a new 20 book series - can I just dive in with any old Primarch, or do I need to start from book one?

[Scribe]

Before I take the plunge in to a new 20 book series - can I just dive in with any old Primarch, or do I need to start from book one?

It is not a linked series, pick and choose is fine.

[cheywood]

Before I take the plunge in to a new 20 book series - can I just dive in with any old Primarch, or do I need to start from book one?

Some of the books have links to novels in the Heresy series, but none of the Primarchs books have been connected to each other as yet.

[Sothalor]

None of the Primarchs novels are meaningfully linked to the others in terms of plot or continuity or timeline (so far). They're intended as individual explorations of the titular Primarch in focus.

 

Some of them may be more explicitly linked to other published works in the Black Library/Forge World catalogue, in terms of characters and events, but that's on a per-title basis. I think one example would be Chris Wraight's Jaghatai Khan, which could easily function as a prologue to his White Scars body of work in the Horus Heresy series.

[DarkChaplain]

They're only in so far linked that all of the Primarchs existed around the same timeframe and know each other (more or less well).

 

As such, you'll find commentary on some of the others here and there - or cameos (like Corax sparring with Guilliman, or the Lion being the bigger character in Russ's own novel), and some books may feature recurring characters from and for the Heresy series (like Guilliman's Destroyer characters being in his Siege prequel novella, too, forming an arc with Ruinstorm in the middle - all of them Annandale books). I'd also argue that the Jaghatai novel is best read as an extension/prequel to the White Scars Heresy novels, which it supplements.

 

Narratively, though, they're one-off stories or character studies, and not part of a wider "Primarchs" narrative. You can read them in any order. Just keep in mind that they are playing off the main series in many places (like Curze's book, which gives a few looks behind the curtain of other stories, too).

[Valkyrion]

Cheers. I find Alpharius one of the more interesting primarchs so I've preordered that, but beyond that book any recommendations from this series - particularly ones that deal with the primarch before he was found or given his legion?

[Sonoftheforest]

You'll want to get the Lorgar book then as it's all set on Colchis and is one of the best.

[Kenzaburo]

Alpharius is a great one, overall and for what you're looking for. I think the Curze novel is also a good choice, highlighting Curze before meeting his legion, during the time of his legion and after the fall of the legion. Angron is good, too, and shows the man Angron was originally supposed to be versus what he was turned into. 

 

While I liked the Corax novel, you don't get to see him before his rise to Primarch status, it's more of a look at Corax' psyche overall. It also has slight ties with the Curze novel, but only very minimal. Corax' youth was also already handled in the heresy series.

 

I'd say that Vulkan and the Lion might not be what you're looking for. Neither really give much insight into the primarch, while their time before the legion was handled in the heresy series. I'm also not the biggest fan of both books in general - if anything, they give a little bit more insight into how the legion overall thinks and acts.

The Khan, while great, is very interconnected with the Heresy counterpart of the scars, as others have said. The overall arc of the Khan and the scars paints a fascinating picture of their mindset and workings and is thus considered a highlight of the Heresy in general. And there's Wraight's fantastic prose, too.

Edited April 16, 2021 by Kenzaburo

[Knockagh]

Alpharius is superb not least because it was a monumental task to make it good never mind excellent.

 

Lorgar is still far and away my favourite of the series. I adore this book but it’s far from a traditional 40k book.

 

The Perturabo and Angron book i thought were superb.

 

Cruze, Corax and Khan are super solid reads and well worthwhile.

 

Ferrus, Fulgrim and the Lion I found incredibly dull but had some interesting details.

 

Personally I wouldn’t bother with Guilliman or Vulkan. Those are precious reading minutes I will never get back.