Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Greetings,

I am trying to read as much as I can to get the back history for 40K. I have read the first three books in the Horus Heresy. Are there more in that series? I am playing Dark Angels. Are there any good books that are relevant for DA? I tried to read the Eldar Prophesy book, and really had a hard time staying awake reading it. What are some good books to build my core knowledge? Then, what are just some good 40K books?

In all honesty you are probably best off looking in wikipedia or other internet sites. For entertaining reads try the Cain series - best 40K novels in production.

Go to http://wh40k.lexicanum.com. Read anything and everything there. Lots of good stuff. And while I will admit that the Ciaphas Cain books are excellent, I think that Dan Abnett's Gaunt's Ghosts novels are as good or better. My top 40k fiction prize, though, has to go to the Eisenhorn Trilogy by Abnett.

Okay, thank you. I'll go check that out.

Keep on reading the Horus Heresy novels, though the Horus Heresy is not the ENTIRE of the 40k history. Anyway, keep reading until Descent of Angels.

A lot of people don't like this book, but I quite like it, and it gives you a good insight into exatly WHY the Dark Angels are the way they are...

I recommend the short story Deathwing by Bill King. It is a fantastic story and you learn all the secrets of the Dark Angels 1st Company. I also recommend the 2nd edition codex Angels of Death... a lot of fluff pertaining to the Dark Angels. Angels of Darkness by Gav Thorpe is also a good read plus there was a story in the old Inferno called The Black Pearl that was very good too. Descent of Angels was okay but the end was very hurried which hurt the novel overall... otherwise it could have been a good book.

G

For a good read, i recommend most Dan Abnett novels. the soul drinkers omnibus is good as well as the Eisenhorn and Ravenor series too.

Pretty much everything that's been said is dead-on. I recommend typing "Warhammer 40000" into Wikipedia - you'll get a lot of well-written background.

In terms of Black Library authors, I rank as follows:
1. Dan Abnett (for Eisenhorn)
2. Graham McNeill (for Fulgrim)
3. James Swallow (for Flight of the Eisenstein)

Ben Counter and Sandy Mitchell are taste-specific: Counter writes over-the-top action, and Mitchell's books are funny (though a bit too wordy, imho).

Wow, looks like I have a lot of reading ahead of me. (Does a happy dance) Thanks!!!

also read a few bits and bobs in some of the other specialist space marine codicii theres a bit of stuff relevant to DA

I have been reading all the codex for as much fluff as I can possibly absorb.

Here's a quick thing to know

There are no nice people... seriously... the nicest human still threatens to blow off the heads of his friends, close friends mind you, and the meanest.... well... the authors politely leave that up to your imagination.

The nicest race is the Tau. Why? Because, unlike most races they give you two options, "join us, or die"

Everyone else says "DIE!!!!!!"

I might get shot down for this, but I'll go ahead and say it. One of the best ways to get a broad spectrum look into the 40k universe is to buy collection books, such as 'Let the Galaxy Burn'. Those big tomes may have less quality in them, but for a newbie they contain a lot of different information and fluff perspectives to really get an idea of how expansive the universe is.

Also, it'll give you a much better appreciation for the work of guys like Abnett.

The best 40k books I've read were the 3 Eisenhorn books and the 3 Ravenor books. Though they don't really go over general 40k fluff, they give you a good feel of the 40k universe.

Best overview I've ever seen of 40k is on TVtropes.org

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Warhammer40000

Great link. Some good humor too. Thanks Eldramesha.

It's fairly obvious, but it hasn't been said here yet...

If it's information you're looking for, presented in a very good format, then you need to look no further than the background section of the rulebook (5th Ed.) and each race's codex.

Personaly, I feel that reading any novel or background book without the info in those books is like diving into the deep end of the 40K pool.

I have read all the fluff and have spent many hours in the gaming store reading all the different codexes that I don't own. Plus I have read all of the ones I own many times over. I want more than the core books provide. Thanks for the suggestion.

Well, then if you want to immerse yourself in the universe, I'd join others in suggesting the Gaunt's Ghosts series by Dan Abnett above all others. It's the series that most faithfuly captures the overall ambience of 40K.

Enjoy.

Thanks, I'll check that series out.

I'd say read Dark Apostle and Iron Hands both give a fairly personal account of things from the perspective of Space Marines (Word Bearers in the first case, Iron Hands in the second). They are also that suitably over the top scale that makes 40k so much fun. Iron Hands does suffer from a rather severe case of movie marines though. Storm of Iron is also good.

Wow, you all have suggested so much. That is awesome. I have my reading for the next few months. THANKS!!!!!!

Here's a slightly more ... um ... interesting overview of 40k...

http://1d4chan.org/wiki/Warhammer_40k

http://1d4chan.org/wiki/Grimdark



EDIT - this one's also VERY important

http://1d4chan.org/wiki/Pauldrons