Need a recommendation: Best Tyranid novel?

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**Nightbringer's Chosen**

A friend is getting into Tyranids, and quite likes the fluff. Thought I'd pick him up a book to help him get into the mindset. Any suggestions for which novel is the 'best' in regards to Tyranid...-ness?

**Oppl**

http://www.blacklibrary.com/Home/Search-Results.html?filter_type=6&filter_Action=0&filter_name=SearchTerm&submit=GO&filter_value=tyranid

Warriors of Ultramar is the only one I've read. They are all, obviously, from non-Tyranid viewpoints (since its kinda hard to make a Tyranid narrative

)

**djphranq**

A Tyranid narrative would go like thus:

First we nom nom nom. Then we lurk lurk lurk. Then we nom nom nom some more... in the end we find that George was the father... and then some more nom nom nom-ing ensues.

**Psienesis**

The Tyranid Saga:

Day 1
Soooo *hungry*!

Day 2
Still hungry. Still in space. Damn, it's cold. Are we going to be out here another thirty million years?

Day 3
Hungry, hungry, hungry... damn I'm hungry!

Day 18765
A planet! At last! Food!

Day 18775
Today, I got to eat a small, nearly furless biped.

Day 18776
Soooo *hungry*!

**Harriticus**

This is pretty much what a Tyranid narrative would be like:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTc3PsW5ghQ

**hazal**

Psienesis wrote:The Tyranid Saga:

Day 1
Soooo *hungry*!

Day 2
Still hungry. Still in space. Damn, it's cold. Are we going to be out here another thirty million years?

Day 3
Hungry, hungry, hungry... damn I'm hungry!

Day 18765
A planet! At last! Food!

Day 18775
Today, I got to eat a small, nearly furless biped.

Day 18776
Soooo *hungry*!

best story ever

**Nightbringer's Chosen**

Oppl wrote:Warriors of Ultramar is the only one I've read. They are all, obviously, from non-Tyranid viewpoints (since its kinda hard to make a Tyranid narrative )

Obviously.

And thanks.

Was Warriors of Ultramar good?

**somecallmeJack**

Warriors of Ultramar is pretty decent as the books go. I'd recommend it.

**porkuslime**

The Ciaphas Cain book (I think) "Death or Glory" has a Tyranid hive splinter seeded onto a a planet with really unique land formations.. as well there is a short story with Cain running headlong into a different mass of nids..

Good stuff... and Cain is a hoot to read about too...

**Prawnkus**

I've read only two with nids, and that was Desert Raiders and Black Tide. Desert Raiders dealt with some different cultures of the Tallarn, and that's probably the only BL book with the Talarn. Black Tide dealt with both chaos and Tyranids, and it was interesting to see them interact with one another.

**Nightbringer's Chosen**

somecallmeJack wrote:Warriors of Ultramar is pretty decent as the books go. I'd recommend it.

Blah. Looks like it's only out as an eBook now, and as part of an Omnibus. Damn, that looked promising.

**tedstea**

Warriors of Ultramar is legit.

**Darkvoidof40k**

Nightbringer's Chosen wrote:
Oppl wrote:Warriors of Ultramar is the only one I've read. They are all, obviously, from non-Tyranid viewpoints (since its kinda hard to make a Tyranid narrative )

Obviously.

And thanks.

Was Warriors of Ultramar good?

It's very good.

But pick up the entire Ultramarines series while you're at it.

Novels #1-3: Ultramarines omnibus (Nightbringer, Warriors of Ultramar and Dead Sky, Black Sun + short story Chain of Command)
Novel #4: The Killing Ground
Novel #5: Courage and Honour
Novel #6: The Chapter's Due

I definitely suggest reading the entire series; it really is great. Also, the omnibus is the only way to buy Warriors of Ultramar, unless you get the original off ebay or some such way. What's more, it was written before the current Tyranid codex came out; but it really is still a great book.

**Shovan**

I was checking out some Tyranid models today at the GW site and I found that at the bottom of the models list it showed novels.

http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/listProducts.jsp?catId=cat440179a

Check out the bottom. I have interest in reading Fear The Alien myself.

**Shayden**

Try the Cain novels, at least the ones involving tyranids.

**Mr Morden**

Cain novels are always worth a read IMO

recently read Desert Raiders by Lucien Soulban and thought it one of the better BL novels - lots of good backgroung for the Tallarn and much Tryanid action showing how unrelenting they are.

http://www.blacklibrary.com/all-products/Desert-Raiders.html

**Eumerin**

Prawnkus wrote:and that's probably the only BL book with the Talarn

One of the Cain novels ("The Traitor's Hand", I think) includes (read - pokes fun at) some Tallarn. One of Cain's old "friends" from his school days - an uptight, overly rigid individual - is assigned as their regimental commisar in that book.

If you've ever read a Cain novel, I'm sure you can figure out the rest...

**Darkvoidof40k**

I still stand by my judgement that the Ultramarines series is the best introduction to 40k, it deals with all of the following races to an extent:

Space Marines.
Chaos Space Marines.
Dark Eldar.
Tyranids.
Necrons.
Traitors and Renegades (non-Astartes).
Daemons.
Tau Empire.
Grey Knights.
Imperial Guard.

10 'factions'.

But for sheer grimdark and awesomeness, Gaunt's Ghosts, hands down. But this isn't a thread to debate books, so lets leave that point here.

**Hlaine Larkin mk2**

The cain one has his adjutant run headlong at a tyrant or something that with a melta and just so handily happens to be a null hurting the nid, he then gets shot by the governor who was corrupted by the nids who gave him +2 arms which he hid in his coat. Butthe adjutant was saved his helmet. It was quite a good read but not as good as Bill Kilng or Dan Abnett.

**Nightbringer's Chosen**

Mr Morden wrote:Cain novels are always worth a read IMO

recently read Desert Raiders by Lucien Soulban and thought it one of the better BL novels - lots of good backgroung for the Tallarn and much Tryanid action showing how unrelenting they are.

http://www.blacklibrary.com/all-products/Desert-Raiders.html

That one sounds perfect...and is also out of print. Dammit.

**Eumerin**

Hlaine Larkin mk2 wrote:The cain one has his adjutant run headlong at a tyrant or something that with a melta and just so handily happens to be a null hurting the nid, he then gets shot by the governor who was corrupted by the nids who gave him +2 arms which he hid in his coat. Butthe adjutant was saved his helmet. It was quite a good read but not as good as Bill Kilng or Dan Abnett.

Those were stealers, not 'nids proper. The 'nids turn up in a different book.

Cain seems to be a magnet for genestealer cults.

**Mr Morden**

Nightbringer's Chosen wrote:
Mr Morden wrote:Cain novels are always worth a read IMO

recently read Desert Raiders by Lucien Soulban and thought it one of the better BL novels - lots of good backgroung for the Tallarn and much Tryanid action showing how unrelenting they are.

http://www.blacklibrary.com/all-products/Desert-Raiders.html

That one sounds perfect...and is also out of print. Dammit.

I read it as part of the Hammer of the Emperor anthology - the other two stories are not bad and there are a couple of short stories as well.

http://www.blacklibrary.com/Warhammer-40000/new-titles/Hammer-of-the-Emperor.html