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Basically, you read them for fun as because you love the 40k universe. Don't go in expecting literary masterpieces, but sometimes you will be surprised by some genuinely good novels

Generally, I found safe bets to be Dan Abnett (particularly anything imperial guard he writes, and of course Eisenhorn and Ravenor), the space marine battles books (huge fan of wrath of iron, nice and grim dark) and the Horus heresy, simply because of it epic scale, the primarchs and them being black library's big thing.

 Farseer Faenyin wrote:
The Space marine writers specifically seem to make them out to be FAR too powerful in an attempt to 'outdo' the prior author and how great he made his own personally loved chapter.

Whaaaat? I pretty much never see this. Examples?

Lol what?
Space Marines die as if they are nothing in the novels.

Most BL novels are mediocre (sufficient if you need something to bridge long train travels ) some are truly bad and a few ones are actualy good by their own merit (i liked Eisenhorn for example which, at least in 40k, was and still is Abnett's highpoint). Don't get too fixated on individual authors or series (HH as an example ranges from good to somewhat entertaining to awful). Abnett for example produced some good stuff (still mostly pulp, just good, entertaining pulp) but if we are honest then most of his novels work because he is a decent craftsman and writes in a universe we like to read about and not because of any unusual literal quality.

Well, Abnett also liberally borrows familiar ideas and tropes. Prospero Burns, for example, is just a 40K retelling of Michael Chricton's Eaters of the Dead (the 13th Warrior for movie fans), and Double Eagle is just a WW2 Fighter Squadron serial.

Khonsu wrote:
Lol what?
Space Marines die as if they are nothing in the novels.

Partially true. Space Marines in the novels tend to be as powerful as the writer needs them to be at any given moment. Expendable Space Marines die like their armor is made of tissue paper and their fragility is the same as any normal human being. Important Space Marines tend to be much more burly and their armor tends to be more effective. Even when Marines are fighting other Marines.

The rather amateurish way the vast majority of authors are lazy and inconsistent with this always sticks out for me. I'd say it's probably the most common shortcoming in TBL novels.

Titanicus by Dan Abnett is amazing and really captures the feel of a full war in the 40k universe.
Or, really anything by Dan Abnett.

 Arth-Rytis wrote:
I have been trying to decide whether or not to pick up some of the 40k novels, but would like some of your opinions first.
Who are the best authors? What series would you rate the highest? What stand alone novels would you recommend? Who would you compare some of the authors to?

But mainly, is it worth it? Naturally, I am a fan of "good" authors. Story content can be amazing, but doesn't really do much for me if the actual storytelling isn't just as great. I generally love comic books, but often find myself disappointed by some authors' style, or lack there of.
I am a fan of classic scifi, like Asimov. I love the insanity of Vonnegut and Palahniuk,(neither of those have to do with the genre, but their story telling is amazing.)
Overall, how would you rate the 40k novels, both in content and in storytelling?

They range in quality from excellent to garbage. Some also may not be quite as fitting to the current game story as when they were first written, the Inquisition Trilogy being written during 2nd edition, and featuring Squats in several places, seems out of sync with the current 40k universe, but is a great read.

Some BL books are just serialized 40k stories, others are really great tales, and a lot are just bolterporn or badly done fanservice. Just do some google-searching one any that look interesting to you. You'll find some great books like the Night Lords books (written by Aaron Dembski-Bowden), and some pretty bad ones that read like bad fanfic like Brothers of the Snake (written by Dan Abnett who writes the otherwise pretty allright Gaunts Ghosts books). It's easiest to check into individual books rather than Black Library as a whole.

The Thousand Sons book was quite good, however I found that the main line horus heresy books were just boring. The Grey Knights Omnibus is pretty good, too.

Eisenhorn and Ravenor series really capture the struggle of order and chaos set against the everyday lives of members of the imperium. they inspired me to get into the game and run inquisiton/grey knights. definitely worth the read.

MWHistorian wrote:Titanicus by Dan Abnett is amazing and really captures the feel of a full war in the 40k universe.
Or, really anything by Dan Abnett.

Having recently lent Titanicus to someone who isn't in the hobby, but is a third year English Literature student, the following comments apply:

"It was fun to read, but required way too much prior knowledge of the Warhammer setting to be really good as a stand-alone novel."

 Furyou Miko wrote:

MWHistorian wrote:Titanicus by Dan Abnett is amazing and really captures the feel of a full war in the 40k universe.
Or, really anything by Dan Abnett.

Having recently lent Titanicus to someone who isn't in the hobby, but is a third year English Literature student, the following comments apply:

"It was fun to read, but required way too much prior knowledge of the Warhammer setting to be really good as a stand-alone novel."

Pretty much all of the Black Library novels.

I'd say it's pretty difficult to get into these books without lots of patience or prior knowledge.

That is true. Even the GG novels, being basically an homage to the entire "war story" genre, is coated in the themes of the 40K setting. If all you had ever read was modern military fiction, or even the various classic "war stories", you'd recognize the gist of the stories, but you'd get lost in the minutiae of how the IG functions.

 Arth-Rytis wrote:
I have been trying to decide whether or not to pick up some of the 40k novels, but would like some of your opinions first.

My opinion is to check out some of the books from your local library first. That way you can figure out if you like them or not for free before you start making purchases. This is how I've figured out, for example, that I really don't care for anything the BL puts out (that I've read, anyways). If I wanted a shallow action story, I'd just watch a movie, as the explosions are more real and the whole thing is over in only 90 minutes.

It's also why I wrote my own 40k novel. It is possible to write a story first in a 40k setting second, rather than the other way around.

Most of us aren't so lucky to have a library that has BL books. And those that are are going to have the real runts of the litter that no one should be reading anyway. The Dawn of War books or some other Ben Counter or CS Goto garbage. You're not exactly going to find anyone donating their copies of Eisenhorn around here.

I found some of the books in my public library system. They all seem to come from the same place, so I think one of the librarians is a fan .

jareddm wrote:
Most of us aren't so lucky to have a library that has BL books. And those that are are going to have the real runts of the litter that no one should be reading anyway. The Dawn of War books or some other Ben Counter or CS Goto garbage. You're not exactly going to find anyone donating their copies of Eisenhorn around here.

You never know till you look though.

jareddm wrote:
Most of us aren't so lucky to have a library that has BL books. And those that are are going to have the real runts of the litter that no one should be reading anyway. The Dawn of War books or some other Ben Counter or CS Goto garbage. You're not exactly going to find anyone donating their copies of Eisenhorn around here.

Pirate the gak out of them.

 Void__Dragon wrote:

jareddm wrote:
Most of us aren't so lucky to have a library that has BL books. And those that are are going to have the real runts of the litter that no one should be reading anyway. The Dawn of War books or some other Ben Counter or CS Goto garbage. You're not exactly going to find anyone donating their copies of Eisenhorn around here.

Pirate the gak out of them.

BL books are cheap. There's no need to pirate them if you research them first and decide if you want them or not. Now codices and rule books on the other hand... Yo Ho Yo Ho...

... £17 for a terribad Ebook is not cheap.

 Furyou Miko wrote:
... £17 for a terribad Ebook is not cheap.

If it's bad, why are you buying it? The good consumer researches his or her purchases through reviews or stints at the Book Store before purchasing.

And seventeen pounds for a book, just what the hell are you buying exact? Always buy physical copies, they're cheaper and don't hurt your eyes.

I think part of the problem with most BL books is the fact that they're written for a teen-aged audience. There's a fairly strict limit on what can be present in the books, how things are stated, and explained (or not), and how "deep" the writer can go. The stories are kept fairly simple, for the most part, with a pulpy action vibe that keeps you turning pages, but it's the very definition of summer fluff reading.

Though I did like Abnett's Lovecraft references in Pariah...

 Psienesis wrote:
I think part of the problem with most BL books is the fact that they're written for a teen-aged audience. There's a fairly strict limit on what can be present in the books, how things are stated, and explained (or not), and how "deep" the writer can go. The stories are kept fairly simple, for the most part, with a pulpy action vibe that keeps you turning pages, but it's the very definition of summer fluff reading.

Though I did like Abnett's Lovecraft references in Pariah...

We need somebody like HP Lovecraft to write a 40K novel from the POV of a Daemon.

Well... not HPL himself (he's been dead for 70 years now)... but if someone like Clive Barker or Brian Lumley wanted to step up to the plate, I would not be upset.

Wyzilla wrote:

 Furyou Miko wrote:
... £17 for a terribad Ebook is not cheap.

If it's bad, why are you buying it? The good consumer researches his or her purchases through reviews or stints at the Book Store before purchasing.

And seventeen pounds for a book, just what the hell are you buying exact? Always buy physical copies, they're cheaper and don't hurt your eyes.

It was book three of a series I was invested in, and I expected it to be at least as good as the previous one.

 Psienesis wrote:
Well... not HPL himself (he's been dead for 70 years now)... but if someone like Clive Barker or Brian Lumley wanted to step up to the plate, I would not be upset.

Nah. I wouldn't mind if Lovecraft walked out of his grave and penned out a Black Library novel before ripping Derleth out of his grave and punching the skull off his skeleton.

 Furyou Miko wrote:

Wyzilla wrote:

 Furyou Miko wrote:
... £17 for a terribad Ebook is not cheap.

If it's bad, why are you buying it? The good consumer researches his or her purchases through reviews or stints at the Book Store before purchasing.

And seventeen pounds for a book, just what the hell are you buying exact? Always buy physical copies, they're cheaper and don't hurt your eyes.

It was book three of a series I was invested in, and I expected it to be at least as good as the previous one.

What series?

McNeil's 40k mechanicus series - Priests of Mars, Lords of Mars, Zero-day Exploit (short story) and the crap-pile that was Gods of Mars.

 Furyou Miko wrote:
McNeil's 40k mechanicus series - Priests of Mars, Lords of Mars, Zero-day Exploit (short story) and the crap-pile that was Gods of Mars.

That's McNeil though. When he writes a good book, it's a fluke. When he writes two, its a statistical abnormality. The third was bound to go into nutjob land.

Although I bought the Bastion Wars Omnibus, so I'm a sucker too.

 Psienesis wrote:
Well... not HPL himself (he's been dead for 70 years now)... but if someone like Clive Barker or Brian Lumley wanted to step up to the plate, I would not be upset.

Or Ligotti.

they're crap if you're into literary fiction and nothing else.

personally, i enjoy reading them, unless they're so rubbish it makes my brain hurt. like the damnation of pythos. that was awful.

i have a sensible book on the go for reading when i'm commuting. one that will improve my knowledge, or one that will make me tingle with pleasure by the author's use of plotting or language.

i have a black library book for reading before i go to sleep. lowbrow,uncomplicated, mostly about superhumans bashing each other. ideal.

hey sorry im late to this thread but I consider myself more into the lore and fluff than the actual table top stuff.

If you have the time and I really mean time, I would def. recommend starting the Horus Heresy Series.... and I know there is gonna be some troll nerd that replies to my post and will say "Horus Heresy isnt in the 40k and this thread is about 40k novels" but my counter argument to that is.... Shutup

The Horus Heresy is the seed that created the 40k universe... It sets up the stage, characters and dogmatic principles of the 40k world.

Like I said earlier... only if you have time. I am on book 19 and I have been reading the series for about two years and there are still an ass load of books left. However each book is a puzzle piece to a beautiful (or tragic depending how you view it) story.

It gives you a lot of fluff and helps your mind understand the reason why the 40k sucks so much and why people live the way they do....

Peace