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.

I got a friend who is interested in at least getting into 40k fiction, and I don't know what book to start him off with.

What's a good novel that someone who has no knowledge of the 40k universe should start off with?

Does he have a codex yet?

Send him to the Lexicanum.

Also; he must watch this.

If he needs specifics then going through the codexs but that could lose him a bit. I'd recommend the Horus Heresy series ( not the current books).

Visions of war.
Visions of darkness.
Visions of treachery.
Visions of death.

This gives a good account of the background which is the foundation of the 40k universe. He could read the on going HH series but that could be a bit heavy if you have no understanding of what's going on. The above books give enough info and some great artwork to inspire the imagination. When he has a good understanding of this then moving on to something like Eisenhorn which really gives a feel for the dark gothic style of the 41st.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

Eiríkr wrote:Send him to the Lexicanum.

Also; he must watch this.

'beats the snot out of him' .......... Brilliant!

I'd suggest the Eisenhorn series by Dan Abnett. It provides enough of a background to give you an idea of what's going on, plus the lead-in block that prefaces every 40k novel provides sufficient background on the history of the Imperium to set the stage, and the rest does a good enough job of explaining what's what for a first-time reader.

The Rulebook and the Codices are probably a good start. The Horus Heresy I would not recommend, given that it has little to do with how the setting looks in the 41st millennium.

My personal recommendation would be to get him one of the short story anthologies, preferably one that deals with more than one single faction.

If you can still get it (ebay?), "Dark Imperium" was pretty good. The quality of its stories fluctuated, but they dealt with a lot of different groups and as such are probably an excellent way to get a good feel for what they are about. You've got small and easily digestible stories in there about Space Marines, Imperial Guard, Navy, Sisters, CSMs, Tzeentch, Psykers, ... even the Eldar, Dark Eldar, and the 'nids make an appearance, though not as protagonists. This anthology basically provides a short glance at about half the stuff the entire franchise is about, not focusing on something particular but rather giving a broad idea of every facet. As such it should be good for people new to the setting, as it should make it easier for them to find out what they like. Your friend can then decide what he finds most interesting and then select further, "more specialized" reading for that.

Dark Imperium Index

guard books. Guard are alot easier to relate to than anything else. Also they are funny.

Like Lynata says, get him started with a compilation.

I recommend Let the Galaxy Burn, got some of the best 40k short stories ever written in there.

Or if you want to do it a cheap way, you could direct him to the Black Library site as there are .pdfs available for pretty much each book. They aren't full stories obviously, but your friend will get a taste of what they are like.

Here's some of my favorite ones
One about the Blackheart that is in the previously mentioned Let the Galaxy Burn ass well as Into the Maelstrom

http://www.blacklibrary.com/Downloads/Product/PDF//m/maelstrom.pdf

The Eisenhorn Trilogy:

http://www.blacklibrary.com/Downloads/Product/PDF//e/eisenhorn.pdf

And probably my favorite 40k book ever, Daemonworld:

http://www.blacklibrary.com/Downloads/Product/PDF//d/daemonworld.pdf

Frankly, you'll appreciate the setting a great deal more if you first read Dune and some Michael Moorcock.

Gaunt's Ghosts.

Stay away from Eisenhorn. Stay away from Ciaphus Cain.

Stay away from any 40K books that is very lore heavy. Gaunt's Ghosts book are perfect because they're basically World War 2 fights in a futuristic setting. There is no 40K terminology or lore that you have to know to understood what everything is.

Get him reading at least a few GG books, then he can expand from there.

Eisenhorn, Gaunts Ghosts, Ciaphas Cain, Ultramarines Omnibus, IG Omnibus. If he is into the fantastic/supernatural side, Word Bearers and GK Omnibuses.

A very good one is the Space Marine Battles novel Helsreach, it features IG, Orks, BT and Salamanders, as well as Titans, Mechanicus, and civilian viewpoints.

GG and Cain if he's into guard,
First three books of the HH series if he's interested in that period (And Fulgrim and Legion)

The problem with GG, by way of introducing someone to 40K, is that it's basically a war-story with laser guns. It's not a great introduction to 40K, as other than Gaunt and a couple other characters, there's really nothing there to separate it from all sorts of other war-stories, fictional or otherwise.

Then you also get into the whole Sabbat Crusade and the Saint series, which gets really heavily into the religious aspect of the 40K universe without a lot of grounding in the "why" of it.

I started with Ciaphas Cain so I'd say that.

Get them to play the original Dawn of War.

The first Space Wolf book is pretty good for that, as it starts with a "normal" human and charts their development into a Marine.

English Assassin wrote:Frankly, you'll appreciate the setting a great deal more if you first read Dune and some Michael Moorcock.

This is an extremely worthwhile response that everyone ITT should pay attention too.

Also, Slaves to Darkness is the nicest piece of fiction GW have ever put out, so read that.

The Fall of Damnos is a pretty decent starter. Not super lore heavy, plenty of action, and it's well-written.

This - http://www.amazon.com/Sabbat-Worlds-Anthology-Dan-Abnett/dp/1849700109

It covers a lot of the Imperial side of course, but because it covers more than just the Guard I think it would be a decent start. Just be sure to have him google pictures of stuff if he doesn't know what a certain thing is. Hell I recommend that for any book within the 40k universe.

I would suggest "Brothers of the Snake".

English Assassin wrote:Frankly, you'll appreciate the setting a great deal more if you first read Dune and some Michael Moorcock.

I don't think they are necessary to like 40k more (though I read the Frank Herbert Dune books years before I really knew what 40k was so perhaps my appreciation does come from having read those books. The original Dune series is my all time favorite works of fiction btw. If you are a sci-fi fan and haven't read them then you need to remedy that as soon as possible) but the works of those writers undoubtedly had influence on the 40k fluff.

I'd echo what others have said in Gaunt's Ghosts and one of the short story omnibus books. Let the Galaxy Burn gives stories that address almost every xenos race and Imperial force around and the overall quality of the stories are pretty good.

p.s. Go read Dune! (stay away from Brian Herbert's Dune books though. They are anathema!)

I agree wholeheartedly with the op's title.

40k novels for noobs?
They are essentially 40k by numbers, so very suitable for noobs.

Anyone who has read "classic" SF or literature will know precisely WHERE GW has "homaged" the influences from, though.

Pilau Rice wrote:I recommend Let the Galaxy Burn, got some of the best 40k short stories ever written in there.

I just noticed that "Let The Galaxy Burn" has many of the short stories I liked in "Dark Imperium" reprinted, so I would say that it makes a good recommendation for the aforementioned reasons.

My opinion on the Cain novels as a means to get to know the setting should be known, though. That's like showing someone "Hogans Heroes" in order to make him understand WW2.

Brothers of the Snake is a good stand alone novel about marines.

Eisenhorn is good for people who no nothing about 40k I've had a few non-hobbists enjoy it.

Personally IMO the Ravenor series is the only 40k publication that could be turned into a blockbuster movie.

Especially with all the 3D junk these days.

However it helps to read Eisenhorn first.