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.

Hey Dakka. I know that versions of this question have been asked multiple times before. But I can't find the answers I needed, so I decided to ask. I have been reading the HH series on and off for the past couple years whenever I need motivation to work on my armies. However, there are so many (SO SO SO MANY) books out now. The current count is 40.

I just want people's advice on which books are worth reading and which I should just skip. Something like a 1-5 rating (1 being a must read, 5 being don't even waste the cash).

What I've heard so far: Thousand Sons, First Heretic, Know No Fear, and Betrayer are must reads. I also like the RG and the IH, so I will be picking up any books that relate to them (like Deliverance Lost). I've been told to avoid any of the Dark Angels books, Battle for the Abyss, Outcast Dead, and the Salamanders books.

Also, if anyone has any reviews for the compilations, I'd really appreciate that. I can't find any reviews for books like Tales of Heresy or The Primarchs.

Here's the first 25 books (I already own the first 7, just fyi):
Horus Rising
False Gods
Galaxy in Flames
The Flight of the Eisenstein
Fulgrim
Descent of Angels
Legion
Battle for the Abyss
Mechanicum
Tales of Heresy [Short story compilation]
Fallen Angels
A Thousand Sons
Nemesis
The First Heretic
Prospero Burns
Age of Darkness [Short story compilation]
The Outcast Dead
Deliverance Lost
Know No Fear
The Primarchs [Novella compilation]
Fear to Tread
Shadows of Treachery [Short story and novella compilation]
Angel Exterminatus
Betrayer
Mark of Calth [Short story and novella compilation]

Thanks for your help

You might find that you really enjoy some of the books that others haven't liked and dislike those that others have loved. I recommend you read them all and form your own opinion of them. I've stopped buying them apart from a choice few as there are too many and it doesn't look like it is going to slow down. But here goes

Horus Rising 1
False Gods 2
Galaxy in Flames 2
The Flight of the Eisenstein 1
Fulgrim 3
Descent of Angels 3
Legion 2 - A great book but it started the AL down a path that many writers couldn't pull of so well.
Battle for the Abyss 3 - loathed by many but parts of it are very well written, the void warfare parts are pretty darn good.
Mechanicum 1
Tales of Heresy [Short story compilation] 2 - Last Church & Blood Games are stand outs
Fallen Angels 3 - A good insight into the early days of the Dark Angels but not much to do with the heresy.
A Thousand Sons 2 McNeills best of the series.
Nemesis 1 - One of my favs, a bit weird at times but an enjoyable read.
The First Heretic 1
Prospero Burns 3
Age of Darkness [Short story compilation] 2 - The Last Remembrancer & Rebirth are stand outs
The Outcast Dead 3 - A bit of an odd book but some interesting parts. The final battle between Horus and the Emperor in a vision and Thunderwarriors
Deliverance Lost 4 - I haven'' t enjoyed Gav's RG books I am afraid. But there are good pieces describing the Primarchs creation.
Know No Fear 3
The Primarchs [Novella compilation] 3 - I think it has Nick Kymes best story in it, Feat of Iron. I prefer his IH to his Salamanders.
Fear to Tread 3 - A bit of a let down. Signus is one of my favourite parts in the setting and I don't think Mr Swallow did it justice here.
Shadows of Treachery [Short story and novella compilation] 3 - Would be a 2 but I already had 4 of the stories. Stand outs are The Crimson Fist and Prince of Crows
Angel Exterminatus 3
Betrayer 3
Mark of Calth [Short story and novella compilation] 2 - The Shards of Erebus and Athame are a couple of my favourites.

You want to read good books, get the ones by Chris Wraight. I think he's consistently been the best writer in the heresy series so far.

Agree mostly with Pilau but I'd give Fulgrim a 2.5 and DoA a 5. Ugh hated that one.

 Pilau Rice wrote:
You might find that you really enjoy some of the books that others haven't liked and dislike those that others have loved. I recommend you read them all and form your own opinion of them. I've stopped buying them apart from a choice few as there are too many and it doesn't look like it is going to slow down...

I agree. But the point is that I don't want to go buy 20+ books, especially at the prices BL set. Amazon helps a bit, but shipping is still a killer.
So I want to try to get opinions from as many people as possible to help inform my purchases. While one person giving a 5 doesn't mean I'll necessarily not read the book, a bunch of people rating it low may lead me to skip that book for now.

Thanks for the responses so far

Pretty much anything by Abnett is a must-read.

My favourites so far are Know No Fear, The Unremembered Empire and Prospero Burns (which is phenomenally good).

I'd give the Dark Angels books a miss, thought they were very weakly written.

zerosignal wrote:
Pretty much anything by Abnett is a must-read.

My favourites so far are Know No Fear, The Unremembered Empire and Prospero Burns (which is phenomenally good).

I'd give the Dark Angels books a miss, thought they were very weakly written.

^This.

The Dark Angel books are trash. Best used for emergency toilet paper. They serve absolutely no purpose than to give DA fans something to read about their cowardly legion.

Whatever you do DO NOT read the IH book with dinosaurs on the cover. It is awful.

 SickSix wrote:
Whatever you do DO NOT read the IH book with dinosaurs on the cover. It is awful.

Damnation of Pythos?
Didn't hate it as much as Vulkan lives, but yes... That book was a bit tedious.

If you want to get the most experience, then... all of them, plus short stories. I know, I know - there are some really gakky ones, but personally I think that at this point, there's not much sense of jumping halfawy into the series, without reading the first half.