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Title pretty much says it all, I'm interested in learning which books from the BL focus on the Great Devourer of Worlds. I'm aware that the nature of Tyranids means there won't be books "about" them but rather reports and engagements with them, but I've a desire for some fiction involving them beyond just the Codex.

Only one that springs to mind is a part of one of the Ciaphas Cain books (I sadly can't remember which one right now).

There is also a part in Ragnar's Claw where they deal with a Tyranid infested Space Hulk.

Devestation of Baal

Warriors of Ultramar

Imperium vs Tyranids. Not just Marines. Also some space action.


Valedor

Eldar (Iyanden and Biel-tan) vs Tyranids on Duriel.

BrianDavion wrote:
Devestation of Baal

I would secound that. Prob the only true "lore" book from BL in regards to the nids.

These books are ok IMHO.

Dante (A+)
Catechism Of Hate (no stronghold vs nids which is nice)
Shadow of the Leviathan (very cool short story)
Space Marine Legends: Cassius (bit weird but ok)

I would avoid Scythes of the Emperor at all costs.

Carcharadons: Outer Dark and Devastation of Baal are both good.

 BaconCatBug wrote:
Only one that springs to mind is a part of one of the Ciaphas Cain books (I sadly can't remember which one right now).

There is also a part in Ragnar's Claw where they deal with a Tyranid infested Space Hulk.

The short story which introduces Cain features Tyranids. The novels Duty Calls, The Last Ditch and The Greater Good (books 5, 8 and 9) feature Tyranids as the major threat.

the last act of Ian Watson's Space Marine features an assault on a Hive Ship, but the depiction of Tyranids in 1st edition was quite different.

 AndrewGPaul wrote:

 BaconCatBug wrote:
Only one that springs to mind is a part of one of the Ciaphas Cain books (I sadly can't remember which one right now).

There is also a part in Ragnar's Claw where they deal with a Tyranid infested Space Hulk.

The short story which introduces Cain features Tyranids. The novels Duty Calls, The Last Ditch and The Greater Good (books 5, 8 and 9) feature Tyranids as the major threat.

the last act of Ian Watson's Space Marine features an assault on a Hive Ship, but the depiction of Tyranids in 1st edition was quite different.

After learning about Draco, I feel that everyone should avoid anything written by Ian Watson, 40k related or otherwise.

Ian Watson's novels are the best at conveying the massive, corrupted nature of the Imperium out of any of the GW novels over the years.

By "learning about" Draco, does that mean you read it, or simply read a review by someone who wasn't born when it was written, came to 40k two decades later on and reviews it based entirely on how well it matches the codexes?

 AndrewGPaul wrote:
Ian Watson's novels are the best at conveying the massive, corrupted nature of the Imperium out of any of the GW novels over the years.

By "learning about" Draco, does that mean you read it, or simply read a review by someone who wasn't born when it was written, came to 40k two decades later on and reviews it based entirely on how well it matches the codexes?

in fairness if someone is asking "what books should I read to get a feel for the universe" then yes a book that has 99% been retconned is proably a bad one

BrianDavion wrote:

 AndrewGPaul wrote:
Ian Watson's novels are the best at conveying the massive, corrupted nature of the Imperium out of any of the GW novels over the years.

By "learning about" Draco, does that mean you read it, or simply read a review by someone who wasn't born when it was written, came to 40k two decades later on and reviews it based entirely on how well it matches the codexes?

in fairness if someone is asking "what books should I read to get a feel for the universe" then yes a book that has 99% been retconned is proably a bad one

As I'm currently reading Gotrek and Felix (a series technically nullified as the old world got blown up) and just got a nice shiny new copy of Libre Chaotica - and someone who's interest in marines is what flavour they are when they come out of their metal shell - an old book isn't a problem

BrianDavion wrote:
Devestation of Baal

Ditto this one, it also has a long section written from a Lictor's perspective (3rd Person, but follows a lot of its biological behavior).

Additionally I would add the Last Chancers Omnibus to the list. Its not the best Black Library book, its one of the earlier ones before they got everything hammered out. The first short story follows the 13th Penal Legion getting killed off like flies and the final section of the first book covers a Genestealer Cult invasion that was very Grim Dark. Spoilers follow:

*Ctrl-F: Dan Abnett 'Fall of Malvolion'

*no results in thread*

Dakka, you disappoint me.

Seriously, go find this short story. It was written to coincide with the release of the 3rd ed Codex, back when good old Andy Chambers was still master of all things niddy. We had real proper Tyranids in those days, yessir. Bite your face off soon as look at you. Half of 'em still made of metal even. Not like the cute little plastic Tyranids you get these days. None of these newfangled retcon hive fleets or lack of warp travel. It was Behemoth, Kraken, Leviathan or nothin', and we liked it that way!

...sorry, what was I saying? Oh. Right. Fall of Malvolion. Check it out. It's a good one. Trust me.

Zenithfleet wrote:
*Ctrl-F: Dan Abnett 'Fall of Malvolion'

*no results in thread*

Dakka, you disappoint me.

Seriously, go find this short story. It was written to coincide with the release of the 3rd ed Codex, back when good old Andy Chambers was still master of all things niddy. We had real proper Tyranids in those days, yessir. Bite your face off soon as look at you. Half of 'em still made of metal even. Not like the cute little plastic Tyranids you get these days. None of these newfangled retcon hive fleets or lack of warp travel. It was Behemoth, Kraken, Leviathan or nothin', and we liked it that way!

...sorry, what was I saying? Oh. Right. Fall of Malvolion. Check it out. It's a good one. Trust me.

Such a story would be unlikely to be written today. The Marines are not the focus of the story? The Marines arrive and don't end up saving the day? Impossible!

I enjoyed Guy Haley's Valedor, and I didn't hate The Last Hunt.

Iracundus wrote:

Zenithfleet wrote:
*Ctrl-F: Dan Abnett 'Fall of Malvolion'

*no results in thread*

Dakka, you disappoint me.

Seriously, go find this short story. It was written to coincide with the release of the 3rd ed Codex, back when good old Andy Chambers was still master of all things niddy. We had real proper Tyranids in those days, yessir. Bite your face off soon as look at you. Half of 'em still made of metal even. Not like the cute little plastic Tyranids you get these days. None of these newfangled retcon hive fleets or lack of warp travel. It was Behemoth, Kraken, Leviathan or nothin', and we liked it that way!

...sorry, what was I saying? Oh. Right. Fall of Malvolion. Check it out. It's a good one. Trust me.

Such a story would be unlikely to be written today. The Marines are not the focus of the story? The Marines arrive and don't end up saving the day? Impossible!

you make it sound like two of the most popular long running 40k series aren't about guardsmen (gaunt and cain)

Be sure to check out the short audiodrama The Calculus of Battle. It's got great action and really shows that despite all of the Imperium's technological prowess that it is often still able to do little against the swarms of the Great Devourer. I'll back up Warriors of Ultramar as well, though I felt that at times McNeil plays a little too fast and loose with the perspective/voice of the story.

Zenithfleet wrote:
*Ctrl-F: Dan Abnett 'Fall of Malvolion'

*no results in thread*

Dakka, you disappoint me.

Seriously, go find this short story. It was written to coincide with the release of the 3rd ed Codex, back when good old Andy Chambers was still master of all things niddy. We had real proper Tyranids in those days, yessir. Bite your face off soon as look at you. Half of 'em still made of metal even. Not like the cute little plastic Tyranids you get these days. None of these newfangled retcon hive fleets or lack of warp travel. It was Behemoth, Kraken, Leviathan or nothin', and we liked it that way!

...sorry, what was I saying? Oh. Right. Fall of Malvolion. Check it out. It's a good one. Trust me.

Oh no I just spoiled myself while looking for it !
Looks like a great one !
Poor Lamenters haha

Tyranids have a cameo in one of the Eisenhowever (whats his name?) books. It is the part where they play with the three way dimensionel door and they travel either in space or time.

Do you mean Eisenhorn?

 Niiai wrote:
Tyranids have a cameo in one of the Eisenhowever (whats his name?) books. It is the part where they play with the three way dimensionel door and they travel either in space or time.

Did the president time travel ?

 godardc wrote:

 Niiai wrote:
Tyranids have a cameo in one of the Eisenhowever (whats his name?) books. It is the part where they play with the three way dimensionel door and they travel either in space or time.

Didn't the president did time travel

president eisenhower time traveling to 40k....

I'd read it!

pm713 wrote:
Do you mean Eisenhorn?

Actually he means the second Ravenor novel, IIRC.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

BrianDavion wrote:

in fairness if someone is asking "what books should I read to get a feel for the universe" then yes a book that has 99% been retconned is proably a bad one

I absolutely would recommend Inquisitor / Draco to "get a feel for the universe", as despite the factual discrepancies*, it gets the tone and attitude dead-on.

* Now that Squats are back, or confirmed that they never left, the only oddites are

I am surprised the best Tyranid book has not been mentioned yet: Imperial Armour 4 - The Anphelion Project. This is both a Nid sourcebook and an in depth history of the campaing. Actually a very good read even though it is not a novel.

One of the Word Bearers novels (Dark Disciple) has the dark apostle lead an elite squad to retrieve a relic from an imperial world under invasion from a hive fleet. There's Dark Eldar in the mix too. I thought it was good fun.

Crispy78 wrote:
One of the Word Bearers novels (Dark Disciple) has the dark apostle lead an elite squad to retrieve a relic from an imperial world under invasion from a hive fleet. There's Dark Eldar in the mix too. I thought it was good fun.

the word bearers trilogy was fantastic but isn't partiuclarly tyranid focused.

No, agreed. Overall the focus is elsewhere. I'd say it fits the bill for what was asked for though, as well as being a generally good read. I loved the descriptions of the chaos occupation in the first book, and the corruption of the inhabitants.

Crispy78 wrote:
No, agreed. Overall the focus is elsewhere. I'd say it fits the bill for what was asked for though, as well as being a generally good read. I loved the descriptions of the chaos occupation in the first book, and the corruption of the inhabitants.

me too. they're one of my first reccomendations for people asking about Chaos because they really manage the creepyness and dysfunction of chaos quite well. Something some of the other stuff can struggle with, ADB's stuff is fantastic but the characters sometimes end up a little TOOO sympathetic that the real HORROR of chaos is sometimes downplayed

 Singleton Mosby wrote:
I am surprised the best Tyranid book has not been mentioned yet: Imperial Armour 4 - The Anphelion Project. This is both a Nid sourcebook and an in depth history of the campaing. Actually a very good read even though it is not a novel.

I do belive this has been deemd higly clasified.

 Niiai wrote:

 Singleton Mosby wrote:
I am surprised the best Tyranid book has not been mentioned yet: Imperial Armour 4 - The Anphelion Project. This is both a Nid sourcebook and an in depth history of the campaing. Actually a very good read even though it is not a novel.

I do belive this has been deemd higly clasified.

Started re-reading it yesterday (since I started building a Tyranid army myself it is relevant for me) and it is top-notch!