http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/31.page JForum - http://www.jforum.net WHFB and 40K have been on my peripherals for years, but it was a certain MMO (which broke my heart), the first Gotrek and Felix Omnibus, and my own hunger for fantasy that finally got me into the hobby. I've always been a hardcore fantasy nerd and have considered 40K to be WHFB's slightly doofy brother. Because I knew only the bare bone lore and facts about the universe.

However, after reading about things such as Elysian Drop Troops, Raven Guard, and the Tau (yes, Tau in general) I've become more and more interested in the sci-fi side of Warhammer (as well as sci-fi in general) Lore psyches me up more for a new fictional universe than anything.
So what I want to know is this; If you could point at any two or three 40K books and say "Those! Those right there are the perfect introduction to the grim darkness of the far future!" which ones would it be?]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/535402/5768226.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/535402/5768226.page GMT http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/535402/5768236.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/535402/5768236.page GMT short story anthologies such as Dark Imperium or Tales from the Dark Millennium. They provide you with a selection of stories about various different factions, written by various different authors, so that you will be able to pick which author suits your own personal preferences the best.

"What book you like most" usually just boils down to "this is what I love" - and needless to say, taste differs between people.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/535402/5768243.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/535402/5768243.page GMT
Titanicus is great for fans of the Ad Mech and Titans.

Brothers of the Snake is alright for some basic Space Marine knowledge.

If you can find (or download) Slaves to Darkness and Legion of the Damned they're great for Chaos history.

Avoid Eye of Terror at all costs. That... and The Soul Drinkers. Terrible books.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/535402/5768507.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/535402/5768507.page GMT
Ravenor series

Eisenhorn series

Ravenor and Eisenhorn are inquisitors. Ravenor starts off as one of Eisenhorn's team then ends up running his own team.
I prefer Ravenor myself but both are good.

]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/535402/5772634.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/535402/5772634.page GMT 40k is Let the Galaxy Burn. Not the Horus Heresy novel, but the short story anthology edited by Marc Gascoigne and Christian Dunn.

Since it covers such a broad number of topics (including almost every faction) it gives a greater slice of the spectrum than most of the other anthologies. It covers nearly 40 stories, and the authors and topics range the gamut from Lovecraftian suspense stories to hard boiled military action pieces.

The reason this makes such a good starting point is that it enables you to identify the factions, authors, and story types you would like to learn more about. I didn't realize, before I picked it up, that stories about Inquisitors were so interesting to me. I thought I hated the Imperial Guard, and that I loved the Dark Angels. (As it turns out, after reading a couple of stories about each, my opinions on those scores reversed entirely!) Since the 40k franchise is so large, it incorporates a number of styles, which appeal to wholly different tastes. Finding out which factions (and which authors) cater to your tastes will help you narrow down which other books you might want to look into. You might even discover a passion for a faction you'd never heard of, or given much thought to before!

In any event, I hope that helps.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/535402/5772949.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/535402/5772949.page GMT http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/535402/5772954.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/535402/5772954.page GMT