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What, in your opinion, is the FIRST 40K novel that every new player should read?

Thanks in advance!

Xenos.

If you want to get deep into the classic "heavy metal"-esque core of 40k with a dash of almost everything, the Inquisition War is pretty awesome, and will give you a sense of how the 40k universe has evolved over time.

Beyond that, I'd actually pick a book from a faction you're interested in playing to get you more into the groove. If you're into Chaos Space Marines for example, I'd recommend something like Storm of Iron, Lord of the Night, Soul Hunter, etc.

Fifteen Hours. No question (at least in my opinion).

Eisenhorn trilogy. It captures so much of the 40k universe perfectly.

Waaaghpower wrote:
Fifteen Hours. No question (at least in my opinion).

No, its a good book but its a terribly warped view of the Guard, and this is why we have people legitimately thinking that the average Guardsman dies within hours of being on the battlefield.

 Bobthehero wrote:

Waaaghpower wrote:
Fifteen Hours. No question (at least in my opinion).

No, its a good book but its a terribly warped view of the Guard, and this is why we have people legitimately thinking that the average Guardsman dies within hours of being on the battlefield.

I think the book does a good job of establishing that it's not a normal day on the job for guard. (Again, in my opinion.) The idea of a whole ship full of soldiers being diverted because of a clerical error is also quintissentially 40k, (again, in my opinion).

I absolutely loved the Horus Heresy start point of 3 books starting with Horus Rising.

VAYASEN wrote:
I absolutely loved the Horus Heresy start point of 3 books starting with Horus Rising.

I prefer the heresy to be lower down on the list, if you get the 40k setting first and understand that the heresy is a time of myth then read them, it adds more perspective imo.

I second storm of iron and the ultramarine series as a starting point though.

I also feel that Horus Heresy is a bad place to start as it kind of assumes you know whats going on in the universe in general.
A lot of its charm comes from things being different than how they are in 40k.

That said, I think Helsreach is a good place to start as well, as it portraits well how the Imperium works in general and the terror that orks mean to them.

 Bobthehero wrote:

Waaaghpower wrote:
Fifteen Hours. No question (at least in my opinion).

No, its a good book but its a terribly warped view of the Guard, and this is why we have people legitimately thinking that the average Guardsman dies within hours of being on the battlefield.

Don't they?

Wrath of Iron by Chris Wraight. Its brutal.

 Bobthehero wrote:

Waaaghpower wrote:
Fifteen Hours. No question (at least in my opinion).

No, its a good book but its a terribly warped view of the Guard, and this is why we have people legitimately thinking that the average Guardsman dies within hours of being on the battlefield.

Good thing real life isn't like that...

(WW1 life expectancy 6 weeks for junior officers, however note that could be widely variable depending on when you deployed to the firing trench. Now something like Stalingrad on the other hand was far worse, with life expediencies of 24 hours with the first trial - simply getting to the city - claiming many men.)

Not a novel.

The first thing a new BL reader should pick up is the short story compilation Let the Galaxy Burn (not the Horus Heresy novel of the same name) edited by Christian Dunn and Marc Gascoigne.

Tons of short stories there, across a whole slew of authors and topics. Several of which connect to existing novel series. Starting with that gives new readers an idea of which factions, authors, and topics tickle their fancy, which will lead to a more satisfying first novel choice.

Ciaphas Cain.

Because it is pretty much the only thing in 40K that remembers that it is meant to be funny.

Gaunts Ghosts - second omnibus

Ciaphas Cain.

Some Guard novels

Abnett's Inquisition novels are a good intro to the setting, and I think First and Only is an enjoyable read that is pretty accessible for new people.
Aaron Demski Bowden has written some great Space Marine orientated schlock, and I think any of his books would be a good intro for a Space Marine or Chaos Space Marine enthusiast. I always come away from his books wanting to collect the factions involved.
I enjoyed Ciaphas Cain, although the prose is not of a particularly good quality. It is just enjoyable stuff and not too serious.

Edit to add: But most Black Library stuff is really poor in my experience outside of those few authors.

Dune

The Horus Heresy: Horus Rising... no question. Gives you the best start on the background everything that's happening in 30K and 40K.

SG

 BaconCatBug wrote:
None. The BL novels are trash of the highest order.

What an insightful addition to the conversation.

I would definitely push for any of Abnett’s of McNeil’s series. Rynn’s World is very good too. If your looking for a more Xenos take, path of the dark eldar is good.

The anthologies are normally a good place to start - I think the GW stores are still recommending "Crusade + Other Stories" as a starting point.

handamputation wrote:
What, in your opinion, is the FIRST 40K novel that every new player should read?

Thanks in advance!

The big rule book.

I don't any of the novels contribute towards anything a new player should learn about the game. The codex and BRB cover basically all the fluff you should know.

My go-to has always been Gaunt's Ghosts, but I would also recommend either the Cain novels or (if comics are permitted) Deff Skwadron to show the more lighthearted aspects of 40k

Lots of great and pretty classic, for black library at least, suggestions in the thread. I'll toss my hat in the ring with The Priest of Mars trilogy.

It's AdMech centric, but unlike a fair few BL novels, other factions are main protagonists alongside the featured one. A lot of Space Marine Novels are, expectedly, almost entirely focused on the Space Marines and whatever mook enemy they're beating up.

It's got AdMech, Black Templars and Imperial Guard as it's protagonists, and an extra one that gets in to the realm of spoilers. As for the enemy, Dark AdMech, Chaos and some xenos trickery. Dips in to lore and background for the 'good guys', fun action and quite grimdark.

Ill second Eisenhorn, since it covers so much of the Imperium from the man on the street to the epic battles in the stars.

I will also say the Ultramarines trilogy by Graham Mcneil.

HOWEVER! I think the best new starting point to the new stuff would have to be Dark Imperium 1 and 2. It frames the current era, the problems with Primaris, the man in the trench, and so much more, even giving details on religion.

LeperColony wrote:
Dune

I'll buy that and raise you A Canticle For Liebowitz and Starship Troopers.

To "get the joke" of 40k, or understand the baseline narrative mechanic of most of the setting, requires a familiarity with "shown not told" dramatic irony that is generally not present in a lot of more contemporary books that I've found.

People generally like protagonists that allow them to experience by proxy some of the aspects of their personal fable - the thinking of oneself as invulnerable, omnipotent and omniscient and the central focus of the world.

Narratives where the focus is just a small, ultimately inconsequential part of the overall story and DOESN'T know more than the audience, a reader who lives in the contemporary modern world, tend to be less popular than narratives where the characters are the center of the universe and the fulcrum upon which every event unfolds.

This preference is what creates settings like the Horus Heresy within 40k, and characters like Belisarius Cawl, Yvraine and the Custodes.

I would recommend the official DoW books by CS Goto. They are some of the best written fiction the BL puts out, and they're a lot of fun to read.

the_scotsman wrote:

LeperColony wrote:
Dune

I'll buy that and raise you A Canticle For Liebowitz and Starship Troopers.

To "get the joke" of 40k, or understand the baseline narrative mechanic of most of the setting, requires a familiarity with "shown not told" dramatic irony that is generally not present in a lot of more contemporary books that I've found.

People generally like protagonists that allow them to experience by proxy some of the aspects of their personal fable - the thinking of oneself as invulnerable, omnipotent and omniscient and the central focus of the world.

Narratives where the focus is just a small, ultimately inconsequential part of the overall story and DOESN'T know more than the audience, a reader who lives in the contemporary modern world, tend to be less popular than narratives where the characters are the center of the universe and the fulcrum upon which every event unfolds.

This preference is what creates settings like the Horus Heresy within 40k, and characters like Belisarius Cawl, Yvraine and the Custodes.

I'd say I agree with this. This is kind of why I don't like a lot of the BL series.

the_scotsman wrote:

LeperColony wrote:
Dune

I'll buy that and raise you A Canticle For Liebowitz and Starship Troopers.

To "get the joke" of 40k, or understand the baseline narrative mechanic of most of the setting, requires a familiarity with "shown not told" dramatic irony that is generally not present in a lot of more contemporary books that I've found.

Yeah, I think it really is important to read the classic sci-fi that 'inspired' Warhammer 40,000. It gives you the reference for where a lot of the elements of the setting came from and why 40k creators included them in their universe. Also, they are really good reads.

I would add Asimov's Foundation.

Good question - some helpful answers above along with some not so helpful ones.

How old is the reader? If it’s a young blood then any of the Start Reading books should work. Short and snappy.

If it s an older initiate then the playbook widens. The first three books of the Horus Heresy are great - the first stands on its own and establishes what a Space Marine is. On the other hand, perhaps save that for later.

Anything Dan Abnett or Dembeski is going to be a good start.They get it.

For a 40k focus the Gav Thorpe Dark Angels trilogy is very well done and gives a walk through of what it means to be a Space Marine, albeit with an Unforgiven focus.