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So I've just finished reading Betrayer, thoroughly enjoyed it and I would recommend it as starting point to anyone who hasn't read any of the novels yet as it's one of those hard to put down books. But where to go next? There are a lot of novels in the series and as they are written by an number of different authors, I suspect that they're not all as well written as Betrayer is.
Any suggestions?

Having read them all till Shadows of threachery, i would say that by far the best are (in no particular order):
Galaxy in Flames
Know no Fear
Thousand Sons
The First Heretic
Fulgrim

Thank you kindly.

I was intrigued by the relationship between Lorgar and Erebus in Betrayer, so the First heretic seems a good next step. That will give me another couple of days reading material anyway lol.

I suggest you to read The First Heretic.

It is written by the same author, it is even better than Betrayer and it describes the starting point of the Heresy.

First Heretic it is then. Are any of the novels not worth bothering with?

Legion and anything written by Mcneil/Abbnet

@Unforgiven656 I think FeindusMaximus is not talking about what to avoid. McNeill/Abbnet are usually regarded as very good. And people who berate Legion usually say why.

Most people point out Battle for the Abyss as the worst book in the series. The rest of them have admirers and detractors.

My take on it:
Amazing: I favor Chaos and "Origins of... " books. "The First Heretic" (about the Word Bearers) comes here too.
1: Horus Rising, False Gods, Galaxy in Flames. The opening trilogy. It is a single story in three volumes.
2: Fulgrim. About the Emperor´s Children.
3: A Thousand Sons. About the Thousand Sons.
4: Many short stories.

Avoid at all costs!: senseless plots, lack of knowledge of the background, internal contradictions, bolter porn, brutal retcons...
1: Promethean Sun
2: Vulcan Lives!
3: Fear to Tread
4: Many short stories.

Mixed bag:
The rest of them

 da001 wrote:
@Unforgiven656 I think FeindusMaximus is not talking about what to avoid. McNeill/Abbnet are usually regarded as very good. And people who berate Legion usually say why.

Most people point out Battle for the Abyss as the worst book in the series. The rest of them have admirers and detractors.

My take on it:
Amazing: I favor Chaos and "Origins of... " books. "The First Heretic" (about the Word Bearers) comes here too.
1: Horus Rising, False Gods, Galaxy in Flames. The opening trilogy. It is a single story in three volumes.
2: Fulgrim. About the Emperor´s Children.
3: A Thousand Sons. About the Thousand Sons.
4: Many short stories.

Avoid at all costs!: senseless plots, lack of knowledge of the background, internal contradictions, bolter porn, brutal retcons...
1: Promethean Sun
2: Vulcan Lives!
3: Fear to Tread
4: Many short stories.

Mixed bag:
The rest of them

Thanks for the clarification. I did wonder as I'd heard Abbnet was one of the better authors. And thanks for the suggestions. The First Heretic and the opening trilogy have now been ordered.

Thanks guys.

some of the individual short stories are pretty good. The discovery of angron is decent and the one when the emperor abolishes religion and unifies man on terra was pretty cool too.

I do like Abnett as a writer, but I wasn't keen on Legion. It's told mainly through the eyes of guys in the Imperial Army, not Astartes. It is a very interesting book, but probably my least favourite so far.

The opening trilogy is great, so I'm glad you've ordered them. In my opinion, Flight of the Eisenstein and Fulgrim, which follow straight on, are just as good, Fulgrim in particular. The sixth book, Descent of Angels, is another one of the less popular titles, but I quite liked it.

I'd oppose that notion on Fear to Tread! I found it very good! I'd likewise recommend Horus Rising, First Heretic and Fulgrim, best I've read after Betrayer.

badgermeister wrote:
some of the individual short stories are pretty good. The discovery of angron is decent and the one when the emperor abolishes religion and unifies man on terra was pretty cool too.

Both (brilliant) shorties are from Tales of Heresy, in my opinion the best collection of short stories so far.

 Deadshot wrote:
I'd oppose that notion on Fear to Tread! I found it very good!

Subjective.
For me it was the changes the author did in the story. That fight is a classic and part of a bigger picture. He changed it all. Why? Oh, why?

Well I haven't read the original version but I found Fear to Tread's depiction most enjoyable. First he loses big style, then he comes back is all "Bitches gonna die tonight $$$"

Have you seen Star Wars?

Imagine someone rewrites it like this.
First movie: the good guys win! They kick ass!
Second movie: the good guys win again! Boy that Vader sucks.
Third movie: the good guys totally destroy the baddies!! Everyone is happy forever!

Precuels:
First movie: the good guys wins! They kick ass!
Second movie: the good guys win again! Boy the bad guys sucks.
Third movie: the good guys wins! They kick ass! The Republic is save! Wait... this is not making sense at all...

That is what the writer did there. Perhaps you find it OK because you do not know all the incredible stuff that have gone out of the window. And, eventually, I think there is a point when anyone get tired of the "good guys always win forever!!!" too, and start to appreciate some epicness and drama. Let alone character development (like Sanguinius in the first version).

And most of the book is just bolter porn. Space Marines kicking asses for hundreds of pages. No real challenge, no real fight.

Disclaimer: however, this is just my opinion, of course. This is completely subjective, and I know of people who liked Fear to Tread.

 Unforgiven656 wrote:
First Heretic it is then. Are any of the novels not worth bothering with?

The one book I would say anything negative about is Nemesis. I just couldn't get into it or garner even the slightest bit of interest in the characters in the story and I've tried to read it multiple times now. The rest have all be entertaining reads, though, they are fiction based on a game universe so YMMV when it comes to quality in specific volumes. Starting at the beginning is a good place. First Heretic is good, but does give a very specific look at the Word Bearers from early on to right in the middle of the heresy and the background in the original trilogy might be useful to you before you get to that point.

Skriker


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Robbiedbee wrote:
I do like Abnett as a writer, but I wasn't keen on Legion. It's told mainly through the eyes of guys in the Imperial Army, not Astartes. It is a very interesting book, but probably my least favourite so far.

The opening trilogy is great, so I'm glad you've ordered them. In my opinion, Flight of the Eisenstein and Fulgrim, which follow straight on, are just as good, Fulgrim in particular. The sixth book, Descent of Angels, is another one of the less popular titles, but I quite liked it.

My primary complaint with Descent of Angels was that it was more like reading a WFB novel because it wasn't until 2/3s+ way through the book that the Dark Angels get formed and it becomes about space marines instead of a bunch of knights. :\

Skriker

You guys are seriously missing out on Flight of the Eisenstein.

It was tenfold better than Galaxy in Flames; technically you can skip Galaxy in Flames as a lot of it is retold in Eisenstein anyway, but Eisenstein actually brings the "trilogy" to a satisfactory conclusion, whereafter reading Horus Rising, False Gods and Flight you can say "okay so that's how the Horus Heresy started, great read" and never have to buy another of the 20+ HH books unless you want to start finding out how each invidivual Legion fared from beginning till end of the HH.

Legion is my favourite so far, very intestesting stuff in there.

I really like Prospero Burns. Other than some overuse of "wet Leopard griwl" I thought it was fantastic.

Definitely read Thousand Sons and then follow with Prospero Burns to get the opposite view.

I also liked Prospero Burns, it did give a very good look into VI Legion's culture. The Vlka Fenryka did not like the name Space Wolves. Its a very interesting book but I thought it was slow in places, not a lot of action between the few battles.

stewy37 wrote:
I really like Prospero Burns. Other than some overuse of "wet Leopard griwl" I thought it was fantastic.

Definitely read Thousand Sons and then follow with Prospero Burns to get the opposite view.

I've got the same complaint with Prospero Burns....hahaha...I was ready to scream by the end of that book whenever I would hit the "wet leopard growl" again.

Skriker

Which short story would people rate up as their favourite, then? I quite liked the Crows one, but am looking for more quick reads..

Also OP in case there was any doubt, TFH all the way...and Unremembered Empire too, that was a fun read.