Most Underrated 40k Novels

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**Knockagh**

cincydooley wrote:
Knockagh wrote:
Titanicus, I freekin love that book. Would love to see more high end books like An unkindness of ravens, beautiful looking book.

Don't say that. They keep doing them. And they keep costing $50.

I don't so mind paying for a book that is really well presented, the hardcover Horus heresy books are way to expensive at £20 and the special edition novellas are just terrible at the money, my wife bought me the last one as a surprise present and I felt bad getting it it was so expensive. The unkindness book however was so well done in a tasteful fashion I really didn't mind paying £35. it's like the FW heresy books they are expensive but really beautifully done.

**Bobthehero**

Dead Men Walking --->Down Amongst the Dead Men These perfectly portrays the Death Korps.

Gunheads, Imperial Glory, 15 Hours.

**chaos girl**

Matt1785 wrote:
Hmm, see I'm not sure how you can know if they're not 'accepted' by people but I have some that I loved and people hated... so maybe those I can speak to.

1 - Flight of the Eisenstein (HH) - People hated it because they said it was boring.. and I think it didn't get it's due because let's face it, it had a pretty big act to follow with the first three books. I found the book really good actually, and had a hard time putting it down.

2 - The Emperor's Gift - I don't think I remember reading a book where I was laughing as hard while reading it. Not laughing because it was funny, but because I could actually get into the story. The Wolves were great in this book, and the chapter where they make planetfall... awesome.

3 - The Outcast Dead (HH) - Finally a book set in the perspective of a weakling nobody who holds a powerful truth. The forming of the Outcasts is great, and I love the individuality of the characters. I really loved just about every character in this book and have read it through a few times. People I talk to never even picked it up, saying they had no interest in 'Something besides Astartes books'... bah!

I agree with all of these.

**Dark Apostle 666**

I've not heard many people mention the Dark Heresy books, by Sandy Mitchell - Scourge the Heretic and Innocence proves nothing - They're quite good reads I thought.

**Wardragoon**

Dark Apostle 666 wrote:
I've not heard many people mention the Dark Heresy books, by Sandy Mitchell - Scourge the Heretic and Innocence proves nothing - They're quite good reads I thought.

Ohh, who prints/publishes those?!

EDIT: I accidentally a letter

**karandras15**

Took a page to get to 15 hours...but that one had me turning pages until I was done a few hours later...

I think it may be considered overrated, but I really dug the finale in the BA omnibus

**Kain**

I found the Word Bearers books to be pretty good fun.

**Sandcat**

Right, I don't know if it's underated, but since i've never seen it mentioned: Desert Raiders. Wonderful Tallarn vs 'nids action!

**chaos girl**

Words of Blood and Planet Kill. Both are anthologies of older stories.

**bocatt**

JFC FIFTEEN HOURS BY MITCHEL SCANLON.

I don't care how many times this book gets nominated!! Everyone should read it. It's only 250 pages and it's some of the most sick, brutal, deliciously twisted writing I've ever read. Best Imperial Guard novel by leaps and bounds, my personal vote for best 40k novel and it's in my top 5 of all Warhammer novels. It was my introduction to all of this and what a delightfully violent way to be thrust into this hobby.

Lord of the Night was definitely a good follow up (Ave Dominus Nox!) and Cadian Blood is another great IG/CSM novel (Count the Sevens.)

Also, Double Eagle is a great read that's not tossed around much. You don't get a lot of novels about the ace pilots fighting for air superiority over the battles on the ground but this one delivers. It's not unlike the movie Flyboys, but you know, in the future and more grim dark

**gilamonster**

I dont know if this is considered under rated but I love everything and anything read by William king most of all Space wolf series and the angel of fire.

**Coolyo294**

Bobthehero wrote:
Dead Men Walking --->Down Amongst the Dead Men These perfectly portrays the Death Korps.

Gunheads, Imperial Glory, 15 Hours.

Down Amongst the Deasd Men is amazing just for the quotes.

"Far better to die with your weapon fully loaded than to empty it in vain. Your weapon can always be recovered and used after the battle. "

"It has already been calculated that you cannot win this battle. That is not your objective. Your objective is to ensure that victory costs the enemy dearly. The enemy’s resources far outweigh your own. For every second you stand against his guns, however, you deplete those resources. You make him weaker. The price of this achievement, in return, is only that resource most abundantly available to us, most easily replenished. The price is that which is already the Emperor’s by rights. Praise be to our father, our guardian. Today, you face defeat, at the small cost of your worthless lives. But die bravely, die hard, and your meagre sacrifice will help pave the way for His most glorious triumph in the future. Praise be to the Emperor!

**Manchu**

Is "Down Among the Dead Men" a short story? Never heard of it. Just came into this thread to post "Dead Men Walking is seriously underrated" so how appropriate to find it already being discussed.

Automatically Appended Next Post:

Pilau Rice wrote:
Legion of the Damned.

It certainly doesn't have a lot of the ghostly Space Marines in it, but the story itself is very good and offers a good insight into the Sons of Rogal Dorn, especially the Feast of Blades.

YES YES YES! This book is very good and it's almost never talked about.

**Bobthehero**

Short story, slightly linked to Dead Men Walking, made by the same author.

**Dark Apostle 666**

@Wardragon - As far as I know, the Dark Heresy books are Black Library, but I could be wrong - IIRC I picked them up from Waterstones a few years back.

**Atropamin**

The books about the Sisters of Battle "Faith & Fire" and "Hammer & Anvil" were quite entertaining...

**LoyalistAlphaLegion**

Maybe it's because I don't have my ear to the ground (too much time looking at books for that) but two novels that I have dog-earred and broken into ragged messes but still read at least monthly are "Scourge the Heretics" and "Innocence proves Nothing" by Sandy Mitchell. I just wish he'd write the 3rd one, but I suspect the novel line got snuffed out...

**Zookie**

I'd say 15 hours too. I don't know why so many people hate it. It has its flaws but so do most 40k novels

**Andilus Greatsword**

For my own contribution, I want to put forward Xenocide by Simon Jowett in the compilation Bringers of Death. It was one of the first Black Library books I'd read, but damn did it hammer me with the grimdark. Loved it, and it was a refreshing take on the universe.

DarthMarko wrote:
Seriously : "Prospero Burns"...Why ? People, resented Dan for leaving out the burning thing and making it look like "the songs of the young Hawser ", but for me. this book was epic....Abnett is epic...

Agreed, although not so much underrated as it is a love/hate reputation.

Void__Dragon wrote:
Battle of the Fang: I have a love/hate relationship with this book. Chris Wraight writes very interesting and high-paced action scenes, and the book does have a few characters I am fond of, such as Wyrmblade. For the bulk of the novel, it is also fairly easy on the plot armour: An experienced sergeant that tries to fight five Rubric Marines gets unceremoniously executed, a single wounded Thousand Sons sorcerer and his pet Rubric Marine is far more than a match for a hardened Space Wolf scout, and sorcerers in general lay a serious hurting on many times their number of Space Wolves when they show up. The book also manages to avoid ADB-grade non-protagonist plot armour (Thanks for making Kharn a little bitch ADB) with a few moments that come to mind, like a Wulfen-enraged Blood Claw tearing through several times his number of Rubric Marines before being put down, and a heroic Navigator putting the hurting on a powerful sorcerer with a single use of his eye. Alas, the climactic battle with Magnus was so terrible it made me consider revising my opinion on the book entirely, but upon reflection, while having flaws, it is not the utter crap people sometimes think it is.

Yeah... for the first 2/3 of it, Battle of the Fang was the best bolter porn I'd read, but when the Fang gets shut up and Magnus appears everything gets fethed over so royally that it destroys all the enjoyment I'd had up to that point.

Bonde wrote:
Fifteen Hours thoroughly impressed me. I wasn't sure if it was because it was the first 40K novel i ever read, but I remember it as being really gritty and down to earth, where you really see the cruel facts in a guardsmans life.

It sounds amazing, I really need to read the damn thing!