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I've been playing 40k for about 2 years now. I have been specifically focused on Orks and have absorbed all the lore that is available on them.
I was thinking, with all the heresy models coming out of FW, that I might be interested in learning more.
I've read what is available in the 5th and 6th edition rule books, but I have a feeling people are crazy about this era of the IoM based on more than that.
Can you guys point me in the right direction to get the real meat of the story (Novels I presume?) and where to get started in terms of modeling, painting, etc?

Thanks!

For the novels, start with Horus Rising, False Gods, and Galaxy in Flames. If you're interested, there are 15 more novels and 3 more anthologies, along with the limited edition novellas. Forgeworld also just released their first giant Horus Heresy sourcebook.

Thanks!
I'll take it to heart.

Skip Battle for the Abyss. C.S. Goto may have well written that.

I actually quite enjoyed Battle for the Abyss. It's not the best book in the series obviously but I found it good enough. With the books there aren't too many that have to be read in order like the first 3 but there are a couple of pairings around. The best ones in the series depends on who you ask but Mechanicum and Legion tend to get mentioned a lot. I -loved- Legion, a great book.

You can see the order of release for the HH novels in this link.

The first 4 you should read in order. After that, it's OK to skip around a little depending on what Legions you like and don't like.

What legions do you like most?

Agreed that you should pick up Legion and Mechanicus. 2 best HH novels for me.

12thRonin wrote:
Skip Battle for the Abyss. C.S. Goto may have well written that.

Ignore the above info
Dont skip it, read it and see if you enjoy it, most people i know did.

Haha. Thanks all.

So it takes 20+ books to convey a single story?

Even at 4 books for a single story that is stupidly large.

It is quite insane, but the books are individual battles, or stories that take place over various time periods.

The first three are pretty much in order from Horus being named Warmaster to the Dropsite Massacre, but like the destruction of Prospero was over 2 books (A Thousand Sons and Prospero Burns)...

The Battle of Calth (Ultramarines vs. Word Bearers) is like on to 3 books now...

I think I'll start with the first four.
I'd really like to know enough to start a small 1500 pt traitor legion based on the fluff and based on all the cool HH stuff coming out.

Thank God that my Red Hunters don't have that much existing fluff.

4 books I could stomach, if only I had any interest in reading 40k, which I don't.

 Aerethan wrote:
Thank God that my Red Hunters don't have that much existing fluff.

4 books I could stomach, if only I had any interest in reading 40k, which I don't.

Odd that you're posting in this thread then!

And let me chime in with another vote against BATTLE FOR THE ABYSS - it is not very good at all.

And neither are any of the Dark Angel specific books, actually.

Of course, having said that, I'll also admit that I'm a sucker for the HH, and I'll probably read every one that comes out.

Though that may change based upon their switch to a hard cover release of all HH books first, and then 3 months later, a paper back version.

If reviews paint a particular book as the second coming of BATTLE FOR THE ABYSS, for example, I'll probably give that particular book a pass when it hits paper back.

I was just shocked at the 20 book list that is involved in understanding the entirety of the story.

If you can get the jist of it in 4 books though then it isn't too bad.

And my reason for not wanting to read 40k isn't out of a lack of interest(as I poorly worded it) but more out of a lack of time. My only reading time is in the bath and even then it's only about 10 pages a day, so a 500 page book takes about 6-7 weeks to finish, and my WFB book list is already a long one.

I would have recommended the Bill King bits from the original Realm of Chaos: The Lost and the Damned, also used in WD articles and the Horus Heresy boardgame(s). Two short stories, one addressing the Siege on Terra:

"On the thirteenth of Secundus, 30,014, the barrage bombardment began..."

And the other discussing the final battle aboard Horus' battle barge:

"Even through the shields impact makes the Imperial Palace shake. With a screech of tortured stone an angel topples from its alcove high on the throne room wall and crashes to the marble floor a kilometre below. It shatters into a million pieces. Splinters of stone flash across the hall like shrapnel..."

I enjoy the novels quite a bit, but I recommend starting where the story did.

I think you should just jump in and read the lot and see what you think of them. There are far worse things you could read (even than the much maligned Battle for the Abyss).

I read Battle for the Abyss after my friends did and went in with no expectations after their scathing reviews and found that, while I didn't enjoy it as much as the first 4, I didn't outright hate it either. On the other hand, I found Mechanicum to be an utter chore for around two thirds of the book and only really got into it when the end was in sight. It was, IMO, dull. Because of that, I wasn't really looking forward to A Thousand Sons (same author) but I absolutely loved that one.

As mentioned, some of the heresy books are a bit hit-and-miss. Battle for the Abyss I found a struggle to get though, same with Mechanicum. But they're the only two really, all of the others I've read (maybe 12 so far?) I've enjoyed, some more than others, but there are lots of diverse authors, and so a lot of different styles.

It's a good series on the whole.

Of course, if you just want to get the gist of the events of the Heresy, check some of the Lexicanum articles. Although be warned of book spoilers...

 Aerethan wrote:
I was just shocked at the 20 book list that is involved in understanding the entirety of the story.

If you can get the jist of it in 4 books though then it isn't too bad.

And my reason for not wanting to read 40k isn't out of a lack of interest(as I poorly worded it) but more out of a lack of time. My only reading time is in the bath and even then it's only about 10 pages a day, so a 500 page book takes about 6-7 weeks to finish, and my WFB book list is already a long one.

I mean no one is really going into this series without knowing what happened. 40k players all know about Horus's fall on the moon in the Davin System, the virus bombing and subsequent Dropsite Massacre on Istvaan III and V respectively. All of this leading up to the Siege of Terra where the Emperor teleports into the Vengeful Spirit (Horus's ship) and finds Horus standing over the corpse of Sanguinius, forcing the final battle between the Warmaster and his father... These things are basic pieces to the HH, they're in the core rules, your average player knows it...

The HH series is about everything from the moment that Horus becomes the Warmaster in Horus Rising (technically that happens before the book starts) to all the battles between brother astartes and primarch, to the final pages where the Emperor is interred on the Golden Throne.

I'd personally ignore anyone saying 'don't read this book', as some books that are despised by some are loved by others, and vice versa. Books, like films and music, are very much a personal thing.

I'd agree with what others have said, start with the first 3 books in order to give yourself a solid grounding in how it all kicks off, then read whichever titles you fancy. I read up to Fulgrim in order, then jumped around quite a bit.

narked wrote:
I'd personally ignore anyone saying 'don't read this book', as some books that are despised by some are loved by others, and vice versa. Books, like films and music, are very much a personal thing.

QFT - Definitely.

For example, it was suggested to avoid the Dark Angels books, and yet the first of those is actually one of my favourites of the series so far... I think Nemesis was also suggested as an "avoid" and I also really enjoyed that...

Of course, some of the "avoid" warnings I have agreed with, but I still read them to make my own mind up

narked wrote:
I'd personally ignore anyone saying 'don't read this book', as some books that are despised by some are loved by others, and vice versa. Books, like films and music, are very much a personal thing.

Good advice.

I HATED Mechanicum, but some people love that book. I also can't stand the Dark Angels as a legion, and found their two books to be the absolute worst, but then, there are people that like them.

Read them all. If there are any you don't like, go back in a time machine and tell yourself not to read them ...

 dienekes96 wrote:
I would have recommended the Bill King bits from the original Realm of Chaos: The Lost and the Damned, also used in WD articles and the Horus Heresy boardgame(s). Two short stories, one addressing the Siege on Terra:

"On the thirteenth of Secundus, 30,014, the barrage bombardment began..."

And the other discussing the final battle aboard Horus' battle barge:

"Even through the shields impact makes the Imperial Palace shake. With a screech of tortured stone an angel topples from its alcove high on the throne room wall and crashes to the marble floor a kilometre below. It shatters into a million pieces. Splinters of stone flash across the hall like shrapnel..."

I enjoy the novels quite a bit, but I recommend starting where the story did.

This is incredibly awesome advice that I second!

By all mans start there - it is fantastic stuff.

And it is a bit depressing to realize that we're still 20 to 30 BOOKS away from getting there...

Yes it could be seen as BL milking it for what it is worth, but I'd like to see them tell the whole story. Besides, we were more or less warned years ago that this would happen.

Finally, we all know how it ends anyway!

I like the story they've been telling. 4 books would have been too few.

One thing I do like is the fall of some of the characters, or a motivation as to what or why.

I will also defend the first Dark Angels novel to the death for doing something the nay-sayers refuse to see: Giving us a good, strong look at a world before discovery by the Imperium and how deep the seeds of heresy can be sown sometimes.

The second DA novel.. Here's a shovel, have fun.

 BrookM wrote:

I will also defend the first Dark Angels novel to the death for doing something the nay-sayers refuse to see: Giving us a good, strong look at a world before discovery by the Imperium and how deep the seeds of heresy can be sown sometimes.

I'll give them credit for that, but found the world they picked to be boring. I'd have rather read all about Mortarion's world or Horus'.

My favorites outside the first three have been A Thousand Suns, First Heretic, and Know No Fear. I was a Dark Angels player and I hated all the DA books so far.

 Aerethan wrote:
So it takes 20+ books to convey a single story?

Even at 4 books for a single story that is stupidly large.

It's at 20+ books and the Heresy seems to really just be getting started!

A friend stated that he's waiting for Monty Python's God to show up and say "Get on with it!" with the hope that they'll get to the open rebellion era a bit more fully.

However, they are doing a really good job of mixing things up. In general, I've found the HH books to be a bit more 'mature' than many of the other 40k novels I've read. There's a definite tone that a lot of the writers use with their characters that they instinctively know that they're on the precipice of something horrible happening and powerless to stop it. I feel that some writers use their Hours Heresy titles to be a bit more experimental than the somewhat formulaic 'modern' 40k titles, with stories revolving around flashbacks, weird twists, and other interesting constructs.

Personally, I'm cool with picking and choosing from the line. Read the first Abnett book or two for setup, then bounce around to characters you find interesting. Some books take a very different tone: The one Space Wolf book jumps around in the timeline and focuses on a human trying to learn about the very private Space Wolves and has a lot of cues drawn from epic myths, while others focus on Space Marines in the golden age and have more of an action-adventure feel.

A few canon oddities have crept in. I believe Magnus is the center of one, as he jumps around a bit without explanation. This is a difficult aspect, as presumably writers want the big 'Team Evil' to set plots in motion, while some of the works on Magnus focus on his honest efforts to help and fix things. I don't know of a book that covers his turn to the Chaos side yet, but I may have missed it. There are, as said,a lot of these things.


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 Graf Hagin wrote:
I think you should just jump in and read the lot and see what you think of them. There are far worse things you could read (even than the much maligned Battle for the Abyss).

I read Battle for the Abyss after my friends did and went in with no expectations after their scathing reviews and found that, while I didn't enjoy it as much as the first 4, I didn't outright hate it either. On the other hand, I found Mechanicum to be an utter chore for around two thirds of the book and only really got into it when the end was in sight. It was, IMO, dull. Because of that, I wasn't really looking forward to A Thousand Sons (same author) but I absolutely loved that one.

I agree with all fo your comments. BftA wasn't terrible, just not great, in my mind. Mechanicum felt a bit disjointed, like there was an effort to stretch it out. It may be that there's a huge fan community desire for information on the Adeptus Mechanicus that anything is going to be well received.