10 Warhammer 40K novels that will pull you into the setting

You may know the Warhammer 40,000 universe from tabletop miniatures or video games, but what about the novels? The Black Library is vast, with decades of inspired heroism and gut-wrenching horror. And the real beauty of 40K books is that there are limitless starting points based on whatever factions interest you.

While it's easy to assume that most 40K books are about Space Marines, that's not the case. Games Workshop's publishing division, the Black Library, constantly works to expand every inch of the narrative. That means humanity isn't the only perspective shown. It leads to some of the most interesting reads centering around the ruffian Orks, ancient Necron overlords, or even scheming servants of the Chaos gods.

The selections I've gone with represent some of the best stories across the various forces in Warhammer 40,000. This is not a list of the best 40K books overall. Regardless of the faction you like, one of these novels should help you spark your journey into this expansive narrative.

Horus Rising, False Gods, Galaxy in Flames

Believe it or not, humanity wasn't always worshipping a corpse on a throne and committing heinous acts in the name of religious fervor. The story of that decline is told throughout the entire 63-book Horus Heresy series, and the whole ordeal serves as a bit of a prequel to 40K as a whole. While a 63-book series is a tall ask for any reader, it's fair to say that those interested in reading about the universe's history should at least check out the first three books in the series.

Horus Rising, False Gods, and Galaxy in Flames is a tight trilogy that starts the Horus Heresy series off, briefly introducing readers to what things were like before the seed of corruption was planted in the titular Primarch Horus and the proverbial shit hit the fan. The narrative is told through the eyes of Gavriel Loken, a loyal Captain of Horus' Luna Wolves Space Marine Legion. Over the trilogy, his resolve is tested as he watches the man he considers a father and his closest brothers descend into something unthinkable.

The Infinite and the Divine

The Necrons are an interesting faction in 40K. Initially an enigmatic and almost eldritch force, Games Workshop has shaped the species into a fearsome fallen empire in recent years. The Necrons gave up their organic bodies for immortality long ago, with the majority of the race being copies of rudimentary, servile consciousness implanted into robotic bodies. Only some of the more powerfully-willed leaders retained independent sentience, and the long passage of time often gives way to eccentricities and fixations. Necron novels are at their best when they examine the themes of immortality and how time shapes all things, and this recommendation stands as one of the most beloved Warhammerbooks, period. 

The Infinite and the Divine is a novel that chronicles the rivalry between two iconic Necron characters: Trazyn the Infinite and Orikan the Diviner. Trazyn is like a more deranged version of the Collector from Marvel, single-minded in his desire to expand his exhibition of historical relics and pieces of import. Orikan, on the other hand, has serious aims to transcend reality itself to seize the power he seeks. Unfortunately, the two formidable Necrons have set their sights on the same object, the Astrarium Mysterious. Their clash over the item sparks the feud, but time hones it into a bitter obsession.

Brutal Kunnin'

The Orks in Warhammer 40K are generally a fun faction to learn about. They all speak with a bastardization of an English Cockney accent and want nothing more than to get into a good fight with their scrap metal equipment and stolen, retrofitted tech from other species. Though a little more simple-minded than other players in the 40K universe, Orks still have plenty of good stories that paint a proper picture of what it's like to be one of the meanest and the greenest. A perfect place for any aspiring greenskin to start is with Mike Brooks' Ork books, specifically with the first novel in the series, Brutal Kunnin'.

Brutal Kunnin' splits its time between Ufthak Blackhawk, an Ork in the service to "Da Biggest Big Mek" and citizens of an Adeptus Mechanicus Forge World. Ufthak and his boys are chomping at the bit for an opportunity to fight and loot the planet, but a rival group of Orks led by Kaptin Badrukk wants to weasel their way into a share of the spoils. The feud turns into a game of showboating as the two groups temporarily agree to put differences aside to squash a mounting resistance scrambled together by the denizens of the Forge World.

The House of Night and Chain

If you're more of a horror fan, 40K has plenty to sate your desire for things that go bump in the night. The Black Library even has a subdivision called Warhammer Horror. Depending on what tickles your fancy, Warhammer has a lot of different types of horror to offer. Want a mystery thriller? There's Bloodlines from the Warhammer Crime subfamily of the Black Library. How about a monster story? Easy, check out Dan Abnett's short story The Curiosity or Alec Worley's audio drama The Watcher in the Rain. My recommendation for horror fans is a good old-fashioned haunted house story. 

The House of Night and Chain is a Warhammer Horror novel that's terrifying not because it shows some unknowable cosmic threat or body horror alien monster but because the book keeps everything relatable and human. Astra Militarum colonel Maeson Strock returns from conflict a broken man. Set to take up the role of Governor and straighten out his planet, Maeson struggles to reconcile with his children, uncover the truth behind his wife's mysterious death, and discover whether a malevolent force is behind the odd occurrences at the House of Malveil.

Eisenhorn: Xenos

If you want to get into 40K books but find some titles too dry or steeped in exposition, the Inquisition books might be just the solution. The Inquisition is kind of like the Imperium's secret police, with authority above nearly all others. These titles have a pace much more akin to detective or adventure flicks. The obvious starting point would be with the Eisenhorn series, primarily following the titular Inquisitor Gregor Eisenhorn.

Readers are introduced to the Puritan Inquisitor in Eisenhorn: Xenos. The book starts simple enough, with Eisenhorn pursuing an old adversary. However, after the Inquisitor claims revenge, he is quickly swept up into a conspiracy plot that drags up the name of a heretic believed long dead. The hunt for the truth leads Eisenhorn into a race against mysterious Xenos and the forces of Chaos as they vie for an artifact of dark power. The novel is packed with twists and turns, and it's only the first entry in a trio of trilogies.

Valedor

The Aeldari are something of a tragic species in 40K. The space elves inherited the galaxy after the Necrons toppled their own gods, well before humanity started its writhing existence. The Aeldari had no opposition, and so a golden age became an age of unchecked pursuits into pleasure and self-fulfillment. The whole ordeal birthed the Chaos god Slaanesh, cursed the Aeldari to have their souls consumed by the entity upon death, and fractured their whole society. 

By the time we reach the actual 41st millennium, the Aeldari are a dwindling people cast adrift in the cosmos. Slaanesh has claimed many, and even more fell to Chaos' call and became the Drukhari, taking up residence in the once great city of Commorragh. Other internal factions, like the Harlequins or the Ynnari, further splinter the species. But what if these distant kindred had to band together to stop an all-consuming horde from growing even stronger?

Valedor is a novel where the protagonists are faced with a simple task: damage control. While Tyranid forces of Hive Fleet Leviathan rip through the system, Prince Yriel realizes that an even more serious threat is coming. In a previous engagement, a portion of another Tyranid menace, Hive Fleet Kraken, was spirited off into the Warp to delay disaster. Now, it's on a collision course with Hive Fleet Leviathan, and when the two meet, even more deadly Tyranids will be made. Yriel must make a last-ditch effort to stop this apocalyptic scenario, even working alongside Drukhari and other Aeldari adversaries.

Dark Imperium

If you want to be caught up on what's currently going down in 40K, it can be challenging to parse out exactly where to start. The Warhammer 40K universe has never really had the same kind of reset or hiatus that most other franchises experience, so there are literally decades of lore that continue to be built upon. While it's all fascinating stuff, readers need to start somewhere. What better place to start with the modern 40K  narrative than the novels that set up the current state of the galaxy?

Dark Imperium is vital to the ongoing setting in 40K, establishing much of what is currently taken for granted. Mortarion's Death Guard has returned, alongside the planet Cadia's fall and the Cicatrix Maledictum's formation, a great Warp rift severing the galaxy in twain. To meet these dark times, the Primarch of the Ultramarines, Roboute Guilliman, is revived, and Primaris Space Marines become an integral part of the Imperium. With the Death Guard's sights set on his Ultramar, Guilliman must summon the strength to defend his people in these uncertain times.

The Lords of Silence

For the heretics out there who want to get a better understanding of what's going on under the helmet of a Choas Space Marine, there are options. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the excellent Fulgrim or The First Heretic, the fifth and 14th books in the Horus Heresy series, respectively. However, that's hardly representative of Chaos in the current setting, and things get so much more enjoyable after these Asartes have had 10,000 years or so to develop some kind of fixation or quirk. That's doubly so for those prominent Heretic Astartes directly aligned with one of the four Chaos gods, like the Emperor's Children, Death Guard, Thousand Sons, or World Eaters.

The Lords of Silence follows a Death Guard warband by the same name, coloring the faction with some character over tales of exploits. While all of the standard chaotic debauchery and defilement are present, the book also offers an intriguing take on the philosophy of these blighted warriors. Even more interesting, readers get to see the undying gifts of Grandfather Nurgle take root and blossom in a hapless Guardsman who becomes a new member of the troupe.

Fire Warrior

There isn't exactly an overwhelming amount of Tau content from the Black Library. The Tau are often depicted as either vastly more advanced or prepared than their enemies and economical in how they wage war. Couple that with the species' main philosophy of "The Greater Good," an idea that every action should do the best for the most Tau, and you don't necessarily end up with riveting stories encapsulating the same kind of action or tension as other 40K factions. Thankfully, something we did get for the species makes up for all of the missteps that have dogged the Tau's narrative endeavors. 

Fire Warrior is a novel adaptation of a PlayStation 2 game by the same name. While everything about that last sentence should indicate that readers ought to stay away from Fire Warrior, the opposite is actually true. The story nails the Tau perspective, and it does this by providing readers with a relatable character. The protagonist, Kais, is a Tau Fire Warrior who attempts a near-suicide mission behind enemy lines. The goal? To save a crash-landed Ethereal, a Tau leader.

Lion, Son of the Forest

While Dark Imperium helps readers get a general idea of what the setting is like in the current era of Warhammer 40K, it's not the most recent occurrence of a loyalist Primarch returning to the story. Lion El'Jonson is the Primarch of the Dark Angels, and he was thought lost after his home planet of Caliban was destroyed following the Horus Heresy. In truth, the Primarch slept under vigil by the enigmatic robed Watchers until the day of his return came.

Lion, Son of the Forest details the return of Lion El'Jonson to the setting. The Primarch awakens to find himself older, no more wiser, and on the wrong side of the Great Rift. Separated from his Dark Angels, The Lion struggles to find his place in the hostile shadow of the Imperium he knew. It's not long before the Primarch comes across something he is familiar with: the Dark Angels who fought against him during Caliban's destruction, The Fallen. However, The Fallen have been waiting for their lost father to return to make amends and clear their names.

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