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I prefer the latter as it has what I love the most about 40k setting that is the Emperor, Primarchs and their Legions of Astartes at its centre. I like the setting of two sides of superhumans waging the war of most titanic proportions in human history.

Technically I prefer 41st Millenium purely because that has more xenos stories that I enjoy more than purely Imperial things. But I'd say I like 41M the most followed by 30k then there's a huuuuuge gap before 42M because most of that has been dire.

I prefer M41, as it existed before 5th edition. For Black Library stories, it depends on the author and what they are allowed to do with their stories.

There have been some good Heresy novels, but that series quickly wore out its welcome.

While I do love HH, 40k lore during RT is what I really like to think about.

The new post-rift lore is growing on me but basically any lore from 3rd till then is less interesting to me.

Definitely prefer the 41st millenium. The Horus Heresy worked best for me as a time of myth, shrouded in uncertainty, a time of legends and gods. Unfortunately, the more its been explored, the less enamored I am with it. Part of that is stuff always sounds cooler in your head when its mysterious, but part of it is also just that the writing and fluff for a lot of the HH is just...not interesting, at all, the characters are painfully one dimensional and far too many have the emotional maturity of literal children, replete with actual daddy issues underlying far too many core narratives, and that just isn't terribly compelling. The 30k universe also just feels smaller, far too focused on just Space Marines, and far too much HH fluff is basically just bolter porn.

That said, in general I find most of GW's lore in the last 10/12 years to be uninteresting and uninspired relative to the stuff that we saw in earlier editions, which is unfortunately also where most of the HH stuff has come from.

I have to preface this by saying that I barely have any deeper lore knowledge of 40K, aside form a few of the comics, the stuff in computer games and lore videos, as well as general knowledge and a few wiki entries.

Of course that sounds like a lot, but I mean I have not read any of the books, but I did read a lot of the Horus Heresy already.

That said, I like the Horus Heresy more, simply because the whole thing about religion not being the center, seems more unique to me and also I feel that the HH focussed more on individuals, starting with the Primarchs, but still tossing in a few rememberancers or other civilians and their viewpoints.
In general I like the Primarchs a lot and the slower transition to chaos instead of full blown changed, makes it way more interesting to me too.

41st pre rift. Things where seeming to go bad enough with the necrons and Tyranids without the galaxy splitting in to. I've felt like my intrest in 40k lore has lessened greatly with the inclusion of the primaris. Their backstory is silly and as far as I'm aware there's only one story that goes full grimdark on them. I do like the return of Guilliman though and that Ynnead is an active force. I did prefer the old necron lore. Love what's been going on with the nids, more of that.

As 40k the setting is about the galaxy and it's inhabitants locked in war, I find the HH boring because it's cut 90% of the galaxy away to just print bolter porn.

It would be like doing nothing but printing 50+ books on the Eldar in the lead up to the fall.

The imperium doesn't need any more favoritism than it already gets.

Other armies are still sold as protagonists for customers so the 41st millennium is the only era that even notionally follows,that.

Anything that doesn't have Primaris.

Definitely prefer the 41st millenium. The Horus Heresy worked best for me as a time of myth, shrouded in uncertainty, a time of legends and gods. Unfortunately, the more its been explored, the less enamored I am with it. Part of that is stuff always sounds cooler in your head when its mysterious, but part of it is also just that the writing and fluff for a lot of the HH is just...not interesting, at all, the characters are painfully one dimensional and far too many have the emotional maturity of literal children, replete with actual daddy issues underlying far too many core narratives, and that just isn't terribly compelling. The 30k universe also just feels smaller, far too focused on just Space Marines, and far too much HH fluff is basically just bolter porn.

THANK YOU. For the longest time I thought I was the only one who felt this way but man, a lot of the HH books are just so ... boring ...

For me, it's M41 all the way. I'm with Vaktahi in that the HH era works better for me as a Legend lost in time, and the current stuff just hasn't gelled yet. I don't hate it, but at the same time, it lacks a consistent tone of voice. They want it to be EVEN MOAR GRIMDARK, but they are writing it with such a sense of optimism that it doesn't really work for me. Yeah - Abbadon has created the Cicitrix Maledictum and there's ever more threats and planets cut off and yadda, yadda, but the plot armour around Bobby G is just so strong that it never really FEELS dire.

Back in maybe late second or early third, a lot of the lore centered around things like Chaos marines being legend to a lot of people. As if most of the Imperium hadn't heard of them at all, and those who HAD heard of them were either dead, or thought of them as just legends and whispers. Not as a real thing that actually exists. There was a novel from that time period where a Rogue Trader vessel got borded by Chaos Marines and the ship captain actually goes (literally) insane at the sight of them because they're something that shouldn't exist. I loved that the older stuff had more of that Lovecraft kind of feel to it. It seems like now, in the current era, everyone is like "Oh yeah, that's a Plaguebearer, they follow Nurgle ...." like it's way too common place and the setting is less interesting for me because of it.

Pre-Gathering Storm M41, then HH, then (by a pretty decent distance) post-Gathering Storm M41/42...

Give me 1980s grimdark sci-fantasy. Give it to me raw, and wrrrrrriggling, keep nasty YA yaoi manga where a dozen Marty Stus drive every single event in the entire universe.

Heresy. If you read it a certain way and avoid some of the more naff stuff you can conceptualise it as a sort of Greek tragedy, full of demi gods, the blurred lines between good and evil, and philosophy.

Tycho wrote:

Definitely prefer the 41st millenium. The Horus Heresy worked best for me as a time of myth, shrouded in uncertainty, a time of legends and gods. Unfortunately, the more its been explored, the less enamored I am with it. Part of that is stuff always sounds cooler in your head when its mysterious, but part of it is also just that the writing and fluff for a lot of the HH is just...not interesting, at all, the characters are painfully one dimensional and far too many have the emotional maturity of literal children, replete with actual daddy issues underlying far too many core narratives, and that just isn't terribly compelling. The 30k universe also just feels smaller, far too focused on just Space Marines, and far too much HH fluff is basically just bolter porn.

THANK YOU. For the longest time I thought I was the only one who felt this way but man, a lot of the HH books are just so ... boring ...

For me, it's M41 all the way. I'm with Vaktahi in that the HH era works better for me as a Legend lost in time, and the current stuff just hasn't gelled yet. I don't hate it, but at the same time, it lacks a consistent tone of voice. They want it to be EVEN MOAR GRIMDARK, but they are writing it with such a sense of optimism that it doesn't really work for me. Yeah - Abbadon has created the Cicitrix Maledictum and there's ever more threats and planets cut off and yadda, yadda, but the plot armour around Bobby G is just so strong that it never really FEELS dire.

Back in maybe late second or early third, a lot of the lore centered around things like Chaos marines being legend to a lot of people. As if most of the Imperium hadn't heard of them at all, and those who HAD heard of them were either dead, or thought of them as just legends and whispers. Not as a real thing that actually exists. There was a novel from that time period where a Rogue Trader vessel got borded by Chaos Marines and the ship captain actually goes (literally) insane at the sight of them because they're something that shouldn't exist. I loved that the older stuff had more of that Lovecraft kind of feel to it. It seems like now, in the current era, everyone is like "Oh yeah, that's a Plaguebearer, they follow Nurgle ...." like it's way too common place and the setting is less interesting for me because of it.

Think I'd have to agree with you there, one of the things that made the Rogue Trader era so fun (fluff wise- the game was utterly unplayable ) was the darkness and bewildering nature of the universe.. would love to know the novel, by the way!

Quick shout out to M32, and the War Of The Beast, feels like there's a lot in that that could be explored

I like Goge Vandire's Reign of Blood and the Thorian Crusade to push back Apostasy that followed in its wake- the days when Katherine fought as shield-bearer to Alicia Dominica- Living Saints, who clawed back swaths of the Emperor's Holy Imperium from the edge of darkness.

 Dysartes wrote:
Pre-Gathering Storm M41, then HH, then (by a pretty decent distance) post-Gathering Storm M41/42...

For me pre-Gathering Storm M41, then I don't know, I don't care about either. I guess I could rate them but I'd rather have no setting that one of those so…

PenitentJake wrote:
I like Goge Vandire's Reign of Blood and the Thorian Crusade to push back Apostasy that followed in its wake- the days when Katherine fought as shield-bearer to Alicia Dominica- Living Saints, who clawed back swaths of the Emperor's Holy Imperium from the edge of darkness.

Would you like it enough to read all the way up to book 47, in which Sebastian Thor has a tense conversation with Goge Vandire’s Minister of Lavatories over his loyalties in the coming conflict?

The Horus Heresy always feels less like self-parody to me. It's a stronger setting that takes the time to ask questions about why everyone's so screwed and explore more interesting areas of the story, instead of the cartoonish "there is only war stop thinking" nonsense that you get in 40k.

Tycho wrote:

Definitely prefer the 41st millenium. The Horus Heresy worked best for me as a time of myth, shrouded in uncertainty, a time of legends and gods. Unfortunately, the more its been explored, the less enamored I am with it. Part of that is stuff always sounds cooler in your head when its mysterious, but part of it is also just that the writing and fluff for a lot of the HH is just...not interesting, at all, the characters are painfully one dimensional and far too many have the emotional maturity of literal children, replete with actual daddy issues underlying far too many core narratives, and that just isn't terribly compelling. The 30k universe also just feels smaller, far too focused on just Space Marines, and far too much HH fluff is basically just bolter porn.

THANK YOU. For the longest time I thought I was the only one who felt this way but man, a lot of the HH books are just so ... boring ...

For me, it's M41 all the way. I'm with Vaktahi in that the HH era works better for me as a Legend lost in time, and the current stuff just hasn't gelled yet. I don't hate it, but at the same time, it lacks a consistent tone of voice. They want it to be EVEN MOAR GRIMDARK, but they are writing it with such a sense of optimism that it doesn't really work for me. Yeah - Abbadon has created the Cicitrix Maledictum and there's ever more threats and planets cut off and yadda, yadda, but the plot armour around Bobby G is just so strong that it never really FEELS dire.

Back in maybe late second or early third, a lot of the lore centered around things like Chaos marines being legend to a lot of people. As if most of the Imperium hadn't heard of them at all, and those who HAD heard of them were either dead, or thought of them as just legends and whispers. Not as a real thing that actually exists. There was a novel from that time period where a Rogue Trader vessel got borded by Chaos Marines and the ship captain actually goes (literally) insane at the sight of them because they're something that shouldn't exist. I loved that the older stuff had more of that Lovecraft kind of feel to it. It seems like now, in the current era, everyone is like "Oh yeah, that's a Plaguebearer, they follow Nurgle ...." like it's way too common place and the setting is less interesting for me because of it.

Posting my agreement to the above. The earlier stuff is better, pre 5th for me mostly, but the raw and mysterious atmosphere from RT days is an absolute treasure.

I read a few HH books and they're pretty crap. There are a few interesting tidbits but overall I think the HH era is better left unexplained.

I am just the opposite. while i love the pre-primaris lore (and the game mechanics before 8th ed, except formations). i am a huge fan of 30K having read most of the novels.

 BobtheInquisitor wrote:

PenitentJake wrote:
I like Goge Vandire's Reign of Blood and the Thorian Crusade to push back Apostasy that followed in its wake- the days when Katherine fought as shield-bearer to Alicia Dominica- Living Saints, who clawed back swaths of the Emperor's Holy Imperium from the edge of darkness.

Would you like it enough to read all the way up to book 47, in which Sebastian Thor has a tense conversation with Goge Vandire’s Minister of Lavatories over his loyalties in the coming conflict?

If it was well written...
Sure.

Somewhere between 35k and 39k. Where the dark is to be feared and the depths less traveled, IMO.

Unification/GreatCrusade/Horus Heresy era for me. I only miss Tyranids there.

Everything 40k up to the latest Primaris-era background, which comes across as a way of shoehorning in some new background to get people to buy new space marines. Fair enough the miniatures are lovely, but the background actually puts me off getting them (which I'm sure wasn't the intent!) It's also, in my view, turned on its head the core soul of the 40k universe, by replacing the last days of a dying empire with hope (return of the Primarchs, better space marines etc.) - although I realise that aspect of the background hadn't really been supported in recent years, and to be fair to GW it has taken some balls to try and move on the background material after it has remained static for so many years.

The Horus Heresy I thought was awesome when less was known about it and it was shrouded in mystery. Seems an odd thing to say as I love modelling that period (previously in 28mm, now in smaller scale) and my Collected Visions books are almost falling to pieces they have been read so many times, but it's made a lot of those epic histories now seem quite mundane, 'unravelled the rainbow' so to speak and lost a bit of its magic. The big dropping of the ball at the heart of 30k I think is Horus' turn to Chaos - I always thought it would have carried so much weight if there had been real, human reasons for Horus to turn on his father and 200yrs of history, rather than Chaos and essentially 'a wizard did it' as a plot catalyst. I respect that this was a design decision on the behalf of the HH series writers - to go with the fantastical and essentially turn 30k into Science Fantasy (rather than Fiction), and I know it's a subjective thing but I really disliked the route they have taken.

to be fair, 40k has always been Science Fantasy with a thin veil of scifi.

Which is where you get grots & Emperor-class titans being on the same field of battle alongside literal deamons & wizards.

BrianDavion wrote:

 BobtheInquisitor wrote:

PenitentJake wrote:
I like Goge Vandire's Reign of Blood and the Thorian Crusade to push back Apostasy that followed in its wake- the days when Katherine fought as shield-bearer to Alicia Dominica- Living Saints, who clawed back swaths of the Emperor's Holy Imperium from the edge of darkness.

Would you like it enough to read all the way up to book 47, in which Sebastian Thor has a tense conversation with Goge Vandire’s Minister of Lavatories over his loyalties in the coming conflict?

If it was well written...
Sure.

I might- the role of the 4 Living Saints is my interest; Vindire didn't find the Daughters of the Emperor until well into the Age of Apostasy; if there was an expansive series of novels, I'd probably have to get through 30% of the story before I even met the characters I actually wanted to read about. The writing would have to be pretty good in order to get through that first bit. Once my Sisters were front and centre, we're good to go.

*War of the Beast and The Scouring cry in the background*

Tycho wrote:

For me, it's M41 all the way. I'm with Vaktahi in that the HH era works better for me as a Legend lost in time, and the current stuff just hasn't gelled yet. I don't hate it, but at the same time, it lacks a consistent tone of voice. They want it to be EVEN MOAR GRIMDARK, but they are writing it with such a sense of optimism that it doesn't really work for me. Yeah - Abbadon has created the Cicitrix Maledictum and there's ever more threats and planets cut off and yadda, yadda, but the plot armour around Bobby G is just so strong that it never really FEELS dire..

I dunno, on the other hand, between cracking the galaxy and tyranids, and what the necrons are up to (their sectors-wide scheme of dominating by depression), it kind of does feel dire, but its so EPIC IN SCOPE!!! that it doesn't actually feel that the Imperium, even Roboute, can counter any of the actual threats out there. Sure, Ragnar can run off and get a mutual kill on Ghaz, and come back, but not-quite-ganking a big boss character is pretty much the limit of what anyone can accomplish in the setting. The hordes are endless, numbers don't matter, but of all the major things that can wipe out humanity, there isn't a gosh darn thing anybody can do.

So we default back to punching baddies in the face. And the baddies punch back rather than finishing their evil schemes. Or suffer Sudden Incompetent Villain tropes, which makes them feel laughable and the 'heroes' less heroic.

I guess you could probably suggest that people who favour the heresy might be more interested in the story, the elements of the Greek tragedy and the philosophy, that of the state of man, and its various dichotomies, and less interested in aliens and scifi warfare, and vice versa for those who prefer the sci fi aliens and mass warfare of 40k. Perhaps? I don't know.

PenitentJake wrote:

BrianDavion wrote:

 BobtheInquisitor wrote:

PenitentJake wrote:
I like Goge Vandire's Reign of Blood and the Thorian Crusade to push back Apostasy that followed in its wake- the days when Katherine fought as shield-bearer to Alicia Dominica- Living Saints, who clawed back swaths of the Emperor's Holy Imperium from the edge of darkness.

Would you like it enough to read all the way up to book 47, in which Sebastian Thor has a tense conversation with Goge Vandire’s Minister of Lavatories over his loyalties in the coming conflict?

If it was well written...
Sure.

I might- the role of the 4 Living Saints is my interest; Vindire didn't find the Daughters of the Emperor until well into the Age of Apostasy; if there was an expansive series of novels, I'd probably have to get through 30% of the story before I even met the characters I actually wanted to read about. The writing would have to be pretty good in order to get through that first bit. Once my Sisters were front and centre, we're good to go.

I could see a trilogy or a trilogy of trilogies being sufficient to cover that period, depending on how in-depth you went.