<![CDATA[Latest posts for the thread "Horus Heresy Novel Order and Skipping"]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/31.page JForum - http://www.jforum.net Horus Heresy Novel Order and Skipping
So I started reading the Horus Heresy novels, got 2 and a half books in and found out that half the range is very difficult to obtain.

I had just planned on reading them in release order, but given I'm half way through the 3rd (Galaxy in Flames) and I can't purchase the 4th or 5th books for non-insane prices, I wanted to ask...

What order should I read, and what can be skipped to come back to later? Basically, is there a thread of novels that makes up the "core" that should be read in order? The first 3 books are one continuous story, but I can already see from Galaxy in Flames there's novels which are out of order (Burning of Prospero is mentioned in Galaxy in Flames, but ATS and PB are the 12th and 15th books).

So currently I'm on Galaxy in Flames... I can't find Flight of the Eisenstein, or Fulgrim, but I've gotten Descent of Angels, can't find Legion, Battle for the Abyss I don't have but saw it on sale and then there a spattering of books from later in the series I can find and many I can't.

Thoughts?]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/805912/11395322.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/805912/11395322.page GMT Re:Horus Heresy Novel Order and Skipping

It's a bit spoilery (though not too bad) and it reviews the series quite accurately IMO.

One big thing, don't read the Salamanders books. Just don't.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/805912/11395332.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/805912/11395332.page GMT Re:Horus Heresy Novel Order and Skipping The Minimalist Version (17-18 Books Total)

Part 1: The Fall of Horus

Horus Rising (1) by Dan Abnett
False Gods (2) by Graham McNeill
Galaxy of Flames (3) by Ben Counter
Flight of the Eisenstein (4) by James Swallow
Optional: Fulgrim (5) by Graham McNeil

Part 2: Lorgar & Angron

The First Heretic (14) by Aaron Dembski-Bowden
Know No Fear (19) by Dan Abnett
Betrayer (24) by Aaron Dembski-Bowden

Part 3: Imperium Secondus

The Unremembered Empire (27) by Dan Abnett
Angels of Caliban (38) by Gav Thorpe
Ruinstorm (46) by David Annandale

Part 4 - Magnus, Russ, and Khan

A Thousand Sons (12) by Graham McNeil
Scars (28) by Chris Wraight
Path of Heaven (36) by Chris Wraight

Part 5 - The Emperor & Horus

The Master of Mankind (41) by Aaron Dembski-Bowden
Angel Exterminatus (35) by Graham McNeill
Slaves to Darkness (51) by John French
Praetorian of Dorn (39) by John French

Part 6 - The Siege of Terra Series

However, there are far more plot threads and arcs than these. A proper reading chart looks like this:
http://www.kylebb.com/HH/HHSeriesOrder.html
https://www.kylebb.com/HH/HHSeriesOrder.jpeg (Non-interactive version)]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/805912/11395349.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/805912/11395349.page GMT Horus Heresy Novel Order and Skipping EC.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/805912/11395357.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/805912/11395357.page GMT Horus Heresy Novel Order and Skipping http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/805912/11395373.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/805912/11395373.page GMT Horus Heresy Novel Order and Skipping Horus rising,
False gods
Galaxy in flames
Flight of the esinstien
Fulgrim

After that point you can kinda go your own adventure. ]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/805912/11395444.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/805912/11395444.page GMT Horus Heresy Novel Order and Skipping http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/805912/11395545.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/805912/11395545.page GMT Horus Heresy Novel Order and Skipping Mechanicum though, that book was really good
You can also skip outcast dead. It was eh. ]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/805912/11395558.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/805912/11395558.page GMT Horus Heresy Novel Order and Skipping
GW should really put up some of this info somewhere because after the first few books it gets a bit confusing what comes where. I had just planned to read them in release order until I found out so many of them are hard to find (even 2nd hand people asking crazy prices for some of them).

So it seems getting Flight of the Eisenstein and maybe Fulgrim before jumping into the others is worthwhile? Eisenstein has unfortunately been one of the harder ones to find. GW does sell it through the UK store but not the Oz store and I haven't been able to find any stockists locally carrying it (I did see it on a shelf a month or two back, if I'd known how hard it'd be to find I would have grabbed it back then!).

Aash wrote:
I’ve use an e-reader rather than looking for print copies, no issues on getting hold of copies as far as I know.


Yeah, black library do sell the e-book versions, unfortunately I don't have an e-reader. Maybe I'll get an e-reader, though I do like having physical books that I can line up on my shelves like trophies to remind myself what I've read, lol. If I could see myself reading 30+ books on an e-reader it'd make sense to get one, but just to read a few hard to find HH books it's probably not worth it.

I could also read them off a tablet, but I tend to read in the hours leading up to bed time when I'm trying to avoid looking at LCD screens.

]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/805912/11395660.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/805912/11395660.page GMT Re:Horus Heresy Novel Order and Skipping
 Gert wrote:


One big thing, don't read the Salamanders books. Just don't.



Ya know there's gotta be someone who likes those books...... but yeah, I skipped buying the last salamanders novel. after the first ones it just became obvious I'd be wasting my money, GW needs to stop letting Nick Kyme write novels ]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/805912/11395794.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/805912/11395794.page GMT Re:Horus Heresy Novel Order and Skipping
BrianDavion wrote:
 Gert wrote:


One big thing, don't read the Salamanders books. Just don't.



Ya know there's gotta be someone who likes those books...... but yeah, I skipped buying the last salamanders novel. after the first ones it just became obvious I'd be wasting my money, GW needs to stop letting Nick Kyme write novels
What sucks is Old Earth is the best of the three by a wide margin. Good enough to push yourself through Vulkan Lives and Deathfire? Probably not, but it is definitely the most interesting.

I was also recently informed of the ebook collection Lupercal's War which looks to have one of the best curations of short stories in terms of quality and impact. There's a few more I would've included but it's shaping up to be the best choice if you're only going to read one short story anthology.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/805912/11395831.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/805912/11395831.page GMT Horus Heresy Novel Order and Skipping HH books are rated by readers? The first 5 ish HH books were really enjoyable but I got to one which was like something written by a 10 year old so I skipped to the first DA book and by then I was ended]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/805912/11395855.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/805912/11395855.page GMT Horus Heresy Novel Order and Skipping
mrFickle wrote:
Is there anywhere where all the HH books are rated by readers? The first 5 ish HH books were really enjoyable but I got to one which was like something written by a 10 year old so I skipped to the first DA book and by then I was ended


The video Gert posted had some ratings, however I stopped watching it because it was getting a bit too spoilery for me. Like, I know basically the outcome of the HH from playing the games, but I don't want to know who kills who and in which book before I even read it. The art of doing a review without spoiling the plot points is dying, lol.

BUT, the first post which has been pinned someone gave a rundown with their ratings.

1. Horus Rising - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.5 ?
2. False Gods - ⭐⭐⭐ 3
3. Galaxy in Flames - ⭐⭐⭐ 3 (but essential)
4. The Flight of the Eisenstein -⭐⭐⭐ 3.5
5. Fulgrim - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4
6. Descent of Angels - ⭐⭐⭐ 3
7. Legion - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5 ?
8. Battle for the Abyss - ⭐ 1 ?
9. Mechanicum - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4
10. Tales of Heresy (A) - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4
11. Fallen Angels - ⭐⭐ 2
12. A Thousand Sons - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4 ?
13. Nemesis - ⭐⭐ 2
14. The First Heretic - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4
15. Prospero Burns - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5 ?
16. Age of Darkness (A) - ⭐⭐⭐ 3
17. The Outcast Dead - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4
18. Deliverance Lost - ⭐ 1
19. Know No Fear - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5 ?
20. The Primarchs (A) - ⭐ 1 ?
21. Fear to Tread - ⭐⭐ 2
22. Shadows of Treachery (A) - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4 ?
23. Angel Exterminatus - ⭐⭐⭐ 3
24. Betrayer - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5
25. Mark of Calth (A) - ⭐⭐⭐ 3
26. Vulkan Lives - ⭐ 1 (for all Salamander Novels, but in this List all have 1 Star)
27. The Unremembered Empire - ⭐⭐ 2
28. Scars - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5 ?
29. Vengeful Spirit - ⭐⭐⭐ 3
30. The Damnation of Pythos - ⭐ 1 ?
31. Legacies of Betrayal (A) - ⭐⭐ 2
32. Deathfire - ⭐ 1
33. War Without End (A) - ⭐⭐⭐ 3
34. Pharos - ⭐⭐⭐ 3
35. Eye of Terra (A) - ⭐⭐ 2
36. The Path of Heaven - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4
37. The Silent War (A) - ⭐⭐⭐ 3
38. Angels of Caliban - ⭐⭐⭐ 3
39. Praetorian of Dorn - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4 ?
40. Corax (A) - ⭐⭐ 2
41. The Master of Mankind - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5 ?
42. Garro - ⭐⭐⭐ 3
43. Shattered Legions (A) - ⭐⭐⭐ 3
44. The Crimson King - ⭐⭐⭐ 3
45. Tallarn (A) - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.5 ?
46. Ruinstorm - ⭐⭐ 2
47. Old Earth - ⭐ 1
48. Burden of Loyalty (A) - ⭐⭐⭐ 3
49. Wolfsbane - ⭐⭐⭐ 3
50. Born of Flame - ⭐ 1
51. Slaves to Darkness - ⭐⭐⭐ 3
52. Herald of the Siege (A) - ⭐⭐⭐ 3
53. Titandeath - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4
54. The Buried Dagger - ⭐⭐⭐ 3.5


It seems like anything written by Dan Abnett is gold, everyone seems to hate what Nick Kyme writes, then the others fall somewhere in between

I don't know how long I'll go with the series, I really liked Horus Rising, False Gods and Galaxy in Flames I felt are noticeably worse but they're moving the story along and interesting enough.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/805912/11395873.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/805912/11395873.page GMT Horus Heresy Novel Order and Skipping
I’ve read the first 7 and broadly agree with the ratings. Battle for the Abyss was the one that really made me drop the series]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/805912/11396887.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/805912/11396887.page GMT Horus Heresy Novel Order and Skipping IMO is good for lots of small stories tied together.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/805912/11396896.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/805912/11396896.page GMT Horus Heresy Novel Order and Skipping
mrFickle wrote:
So if only read everything that’s 4 stars or better am I going to miss out on anything important.

I’ve read the first 7 and broadly agree with the ratings. Battle for the Abyss was the one that really made me drop the series


My plan is to work my way through the story arcs that jareddm posted earlier in this thread, but adding a few books that are well reviewed according to the flowchart linked at the bottom of that post (e.g. if reading "Part 4" about Magnus, Russ and Khan, might as well add Prospero Burns).

After that, see where I get to.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
 Gert wrote:
Don't limit yourself that much, I'd personally go for 3+ purely because books like Slaves to Darkness, Buried Dagger, and Crimson King are important for the stories of the Legions involved, and the Shattered Legions anthology IMO is good for lots of small stories tied together.


That list also put The Unremembered Empire as 2 stars, but it seems some people quite liked it and some didn't like it at all (the complaints being that it was a well written book but it was trying too hard to bring together different storylines and events).

Seems Gav Thorpe's offerings also gets mixed to negative reviews.

]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/805912/11396944.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/805912/11396944.page GMT Re:Horus Heresy Novel Order and Skipping
I sucked it up and have read them all. Some I enjoyed more than others, but it's rare that you don't pick up something cool or interesting.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
mrFickle wrote:
So if only read everything that’s 4 stars or better am I going to miss out on anything important.

I’ve read the first 7 and broadly agree with the ratings. Battle for the Abyss was the one that really made me drop the series


Yes, you are going to miss Fear to Tread and Angel Exterminatus both of which have huge ramifications for the primarchs and their legions.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/805912/11397045.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/805912/11397045.page GMT Re:Horus Heresy Novel Order and Skipping
Spoiler:
Nemesis
, for instance, which runs through two further books
Spoiler:
War without End and Garro
way down the line.

The first book spoilered doesn't have many fans but personally I think the payoff is worth it.

IMHO, you can definitely skip the Salamanders novels, along with Furious Abyss and The damnation of Pythos. Maybe Gav Thorpe's Dark Angel ones too, unless you're a fan.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/805912/11397091.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/805912/11397091.page GMT Re:Horus Heresy Novel Order and Skipping
 Necroagogo wrote:
Some novels which appear to be one and done can also have call backs far later in the series, so that's something to consider. There's a plot thread which begins in
Spoiler:
Nemesis
, for instance, which runs through two further books
Spoiler:
War without End and Garro
way down the line.

The first book spoilered doesn't have many fans but personally I think the payoff is worth it.

IMHO, you can definitely skip the Salamanders novels, along with Furious Abyss and The damnation of Pythos. Maybe Gav Thorpe's Dark Angel ones too, unless you're a fan.


If you are a fan of the dark angles I would give them a miss frankly. Well I’d isn’t read the second one but the first one reveals little, is confusing/doesn’t make sense and the character development of the lion is terrible, he just changes at a few points with out any pages being given over to developing/explaining the changes.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/805912/11397452.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/805912/11397452.page GMT Re:Horus Heresy Novel Order and Skipping http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/805912/11401585.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/805912/11401585.page GMT Re:Horus Heresy Novel Order and Skipping
mrFickle wrote:
 Necroagogo wrote:
Some novels which appear to be one and done can also have call backs far later in the series, so that's something to consider. There's a plot thread which begins in
Spoiler:
Nemesis
, for instance, which runs through two further books
Spoiler:
War without End and Garro
way down the line.

The first book spoilered doesn't have many fans but personally I think the payoff is worth it.

IMHO, you can definitely skip the Salamanders novels, along with Furious Abyss and The damnation of Pythos. Maybe Gav Thorpe's Dark Angel ones too, unless you're a fan.


If you are a fan of the dark angles I would give them a miss frankly. Well I’d isn’t read the second one but the first one reveals little, is confusing/doesn’t make sense and the character development of the lion is terrible, he just changes at a few points with out any pages being given over to developing/explaining the changes.


The second one is actually better than the first.
But still..]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/805912/11405174.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/805912/11405174.page GMT Horus Heresy Novel Order and Skipping
AllSeeingSkink wrote:
mrFickle wrote:
Is there anywhere where all the HH books are rated by readers? The first 5 ish HH books were really enjoyable but I got to one which was like something written by a 10 year old so I skipped to the first DA book and by then I was ended


The video Gert posted had some ratings, however I stopped watching it because it was getting a bit too spoilery for me. Like, I know basically the outcome of the HH from playing the games, but I don't want to know who kills who and in which book before I even read it. The art of doing a review without spoiling the plot points is dying, lol.

BUT, the first post which has been pinned someone gave a rundown with their ratings.

It seems like anything written by Dan Abnett is gold, everyone seems to hate what Nick Kyme writes, then the others fall somewhere in between

I don't know how long I'll go with the series, I really liked Horus Rising, False Gods and Galaxy in Flames I felt are noticeably worse but they're moving the story along and interesting enough.


I can't take any list that gives pieces of gak like Legion, Prospero Burns, or Betrayer five stars seriously. Or Know No Fear for that matter, which peaks at the moment of the betrayal and takes a hard nosedive from then on and never really stops (the scene where
Spoiler:
Guilliman gets btfo by Kor Phaeron in single combat
was pretty funny though).

The reality is, the best thing to do is figure out which characters/Legions interest you the most and read them after you've read the first five books. Unless you're a Salamanders fan. Under no circumstances read a Salamanders book by Nick Kyme.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/805912/11405490.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/805912/11405490.page GMT Horus Heresy Novel Order and Skipping
 Void__Dragon wrote:
AllSeeingSkink wrote:
mrFickle wrote:
Is there anywhere where all the HH books are rated by readers? The first 5 ish HH books were really enjoyable but I got to one which was like something written by a 10 year old so I skipped to the first DA book and by then I was ended


The video Gert posted had some ratings, however I stopped watching it because it was getting a bit too spoilery for me. Like, I know basically the outcome of the HH from playing the games, but I don't want to know who kills who and in which book before I even read it. The art of doing a review without spoiling the plot points is dying, lol.

BUT, the first post which has been pinned someone gave a rundown with their ratings.

It seems like anything written by Dan Abnett is gold, everyone seems to hate what Nick Kyme writes, then the others fall somewhere in between

I don't know how long I'll go with the series, I really liked Horus Rising, False Gods and Galaxy in Flames I felt are noticeably worse but they're moving the story along and interesting enough.


I can't take any list that gives pieces of gak like Legion, Prospero Burns, or Betrayer five stars seriously. Or Know No Fear for that matter, which peaks at the moment of the betrayal and takes a hard nosedive from then on and never really stops (the scene where
Spoiler:
Guilliman gets btfo by Kor Phaeron in single combat
was pretty funny though).

The reality is, the best thing to do is figure out which characters/Legions interest you the most and read them after you've read the first five books. Unless you're a Salamanders fan. Under no circumstances read a Salamanders book by Nick Kyme.


It seems like Abnett is a bit of a polarising author then?

I read Prospero Burns a while back (without having read anything in the series). Admittedly I've forgotten most of it now, but I seem to recall it was written well but I didn't like the idea of writing it from an outsider's perspective. I read it because I'm a SW fan, so I'd rather it have been a POV from a SW captain the same way the Sons of Horus books were mostly from Loken's perspective or Flight of the Eisenstien was mostly from Garro's perspective.

I'm up to "Fulgrim" now.

I really liked Horus Rising, and based on that book I thought the series was going to take a much more nuanced approach to the Chaos Marines' motives versus the questionable methods of the Emperor and rising bureaucracy of the Imperium, while Horus' fall to Chaos would be more of a realisation of the evils of the Imperium that made him head down a road that too late became clear it'd lead to Chaos. That's the impression I got from Horus Rising, but instead Horus very quickly turned into a moustache twirling villain without a lot of logic as to why.

We'll see how far I get with the rest of the series, lol. I might do the Thousand Sons/Space Wolves/White Scars series after I finish Fulgrim.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/805912/11406074.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/805912/11406074.page GMT Horus Heresy Novel Order and Skipping
AllSeeingSkink wrote:
[
I read Prospero Burns a while back (without having read anything in the series). Admittedly I've forgotten most of it now, but I seem to recall it was written well but I didn't like the idea of writing it from an outsider's perspective. I read it because I'm a SW fan, so I'd rather it have been a POV from a SW captain the same way the Sons of Horus books were mostly from Loken's perspective or Flight of the Eisenstien was mostly from Garro's perspective.

I'm up to "Fulgrim" now.

I really liked Horus Rising, and based on that book I thought the series was going to take a much more nuanced approach to the Chaos Marines' motives versus the questionable methods of the Emperor and rising bureaucracy of the Imperium, while Horus' fall to Chaos would be more of a realisation of the evils of the Imperium that made him head down a road that too late became clear it'd lead to Chaos. That's the impression I got from Horus Rising, but instead Horus very quickly turned into a moustache twirling villain without a lot of logic as to why.



This was my biggest disappointment, I was all settled in for a nice long fall to Chaos that gave Horus some depth. Having Loken as a close ally then foil worked really well and provided a good perspective to watch the descent and try and prevent it. However it's very suddenly Horus is hurt and that's all it takes to tip him to Chaos. I really liked the conflict Horus appears to have with Chaos on Davin but it just ends when Horus with little motivation it seems goes 'alright then let's give this rebellion a go it will be good for a laugh'. As a book Fulgrim's biggest issue is it has far too much going on, it's as much plot as the first three books into the series packed into one and becomes a mess.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/805912/11406110.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/805912/11406110.page GMT Horus Heresy Novel Order and Skipping
AllSeeingSkink wrote:
 Void__Dragon wrote:
AllSeeingSkink wrote:
mrFickle wrote:
Is there anywhere where all the HH books are rated by readers? The first 5 ish HH books were really enjoyable but I got to one which was like something written by a 10 year old so I skipped to the first DA book and by then I was ended


The video Gert posted had some ratings, however I stopped watching it because it was getting a bit too spoilery for me. Like, I know basically the outcome of the HH from playing the games, but I don't want to know who kills who and in which book before I even read it. The art of doing a review without spoiling the plot points is dying, lol.

BUT, the first post which has been pinned someone gave a rundown with their ratings.

It seems like anything written by Dan Abnett is gold, everyone seems to hate what Nick Kyme writes, then the others fall somewhere in between

I don't know how long I'll go with the series, I really liked Horus Rising, False Gods and Galaxy in Flames I felt are noticeably worse but they're moving the story along and interesting enough.


I can't take any list that gives pieces of gak like Legion, Prospero Burns, or Betrayer five stars seriously. Or Know No Fear for that matter, which peaks at the moment of the betrayal and takes a hard nosedive from then on and never really stops (the scene where
Spoiler:
Guilliman gets btfo by Kor Phaeron in single combat
was pretty funny though).

The reality is, the best thing to do is figure out which characters/Legions interest you the most and read them after you've read the first five books. Unless you're a Salamanders fan. Under no circumstances read a Salamanders book by Nick Kyme.


It seems like Abnett is a bit of a polarising author then?

I read Prospero Burns a while back (without having read anything in the series). Admittedly I've forgotten most of it now, but I seem to recall it was written well but I didn't like the idea of writing it from an outsider's perspective. I read it because I'm a SW fan, so I'd rather it have been a POV from a SW captain the same way the Sons of Horus books were mostly from Loken's perspective or Flight of the Eisenstien was mostly from Garro's perspective.

I'm up to "Fulgrim" now.

I really liked Horus Rising, and based on that book I thought the series was going to take a much more nuanced approach to the Chaos Marines' motives versus the questionable methods of the Emperor and rising bureaucracy of the Imperium, while Horus' fall to Chaos would be more of a realisation of the evils of the Imperium that made him head down a road that too late became clear it'd lead to Chaos. That's the impression I got from Horus Rising, but instead Horus very quickly turned into a moustache twirling villain without a lot of logic as to why.

We'll see how far I get with the rest of the series, lol. I might do the Thousand Sons/Space Wolves/White Scars series after I finish Fulgrim.


For what its worth, I really enjoyed Betrayer, Know No Fear and Prospero Burns.

There are flow-charts online that offer reading orders for the various arcs. I find since we know how the story "ends" the order is not all that critical. Its helpful to read in the "right" order, but not essential outside of the first four books of the series.

For me, the success of HH books depends on how much the author can make me care about the characters. The stories themselves in how they advance the plot of the HH are, well, a secondary concern for me. In the books that occur "before" the Heresy there is the additional feeling of impending doom that can make the books fun to read.

As a Dark Angel fan I have to admit that I found the HH offerings rather disappointing.

When the series introduces Perpetuals to a story, though, I tend to switch off. What the heck were they thinking?]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/805912/11406172.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/805912/11406172.page GMT Re:Horus Heresy Novel Order and Skipping
By the same token, I'd be very dubious of a list that only scores slaves to darkness and wolfsbane a 3 while giving know no fear a 5. I'd swap the scoring here round in a heartbeat.

Likewise, legion is pretty poorly written and while the overall plot sets up some cool themes it's a basically a cringey sci-fi novel with some deus-ex machina and heresy theme thrown in.

I think everyone can agree that the first 2 dark angel books and the first 2 salamanders books are utter trash though.

Deliverance lost is a decent book in and of itself, but it completely disregards a ton of established lore and timelines. And it one of the main culprits of the whole "mk6 wasn't available during the heresy" debacle

The best thing to do for the heresy (in my opinion) is to get an audible membership and get the books on there. It's way cheaper, you don't waste a ton of space, and if the book is rubbish you can refund it for another!]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/805912/11406290.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/805912/11406290.page GMT Horus Heresy Novel Order and Skipping
TangoTwoBravo wrote:
There are flow-charts online that offer reading orders for the various arcs. I find since we know how the story "ends" the order is not all that critical. Its helpful to read in the "right" order, but not essential outside of the first four books of the series.


Whilst I know how the story ends, I'm hesitant to jump too far forward because I don't know all the stuff in between and don't want it spoiled. Like, I don't know which of the major characters live and die aside from some of the primarchs, even the characters that I do know whether they die I don't know who kills them and in what part of the series. For the most part I don't know what major encounters happen between legions.

So I want to get through the major plot points before I just go exploring the other books.

One example, I was watching a video review and the reviewer said "so this is the book where X character kills Y character" and I'm like WTF??? I didn't even know that Y character died let alone that he was killed by X character, that book would have been so much more enjoyable if I learned that through reading the book instead of random spoiler in a review video.

]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/805912/11406878.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/805912/11406878.page GMT Re:Horus Heresy Novel Order and Skipping
I would say, like others above, that the first 5 books are very important to set up the story and ground you in the universe as it is at the start of the conflict. From there is kinda branches out and is a bit of a mishmash for about 20 novels, some good, some bad but not very joined up. They then decided to do story arcs so seeing which of those you like and then reading them is likely a good way to go.

One thing I would suggest is a list of books to just avoid as they are just bad stories, badly told - reading them could kill your enjoyment of the series and missing them loses you nothing.
For me that list would include:

Decent of Angels - It's not really set during the Heresy (being a book about knights on horses) so felt very out of place, plus the characters are near universally unlikable - for DA fans only, assuming they have time to burn.

Battle for the Abyss - Universally regarded as the worst book in series, written like a fan submitted novel, just very bad and completely unimportant to the rest of the story.

Fallen Angels - More of the boring, unlikable characters from the first DA book doing unimportant things.

The Damnation of Pythos - A really weird book, again completely out of the overall story and a kind of survival horror story at best.

There are others you can happily skip if you don't find the legions/characters involved interesting, many don't like the Salamaders centric ones but I felt they at least played into the main story arc a bit more at times.
Others like Nemesis and The Outcast Dead don't do anything for the main story Arc and don't involve important character but do focus on other aspects of the setting which I found interesting.

The ones I've listed above are the ones I actively disliked by the end and felt like a waste of my time reading.

]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/805912/11406955.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/805912/11406955.page GMT Horus Heresy Novel Order and Skipping
1. Horus Rising
2. False Gods
3. Galaxy of Flames
4. Flight of the Eisenstein
5. Fulgrim
14. The First Heretic

Next up...

7. Legion
19. Know No Fear

Anything I should squeeze in before Know No Fear? I know Thousand Sons came before it in release order, is it worth jumping over to there first? I do have a copy of Thousand Sons so could read that first.

Some sources were saying "Fulgrim" is an optional, I feel like it's reasonably important in setting up the Emp Children and Iron Hands then Isstvan V battle. Though I appreciate some folk thing it's rushed, it did feel a bit like that.

]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/805912/11424239.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/805912/11424239.page GMT Horus Heresy Novel Order and Skipping IMO you should read both before anything else.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/805912/11424265.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/805912/11424265.page GMT Horus Heresy Novel Order and Skipping
 Gert wrote:
A Thousand Sons and Prospero Burns are two sides of the same coin and IMO you should read both before anything else.


They where supposed to be that but Dan had a different idea. Prospero Burns is good if you like space wolf's sorry the vulkyra Fenrika and "wet leoprd growls"...

I didn't mind Prospero Burns.

Stay far far farrrrr away from nick kymes work especially his salamanders stuff. which is a shame as I like the sallies but he doesn't do them any favours especially with the kurze shenanigans.

Deliverance lost was alright... 3/5 maybe? not bad but since it fills in some blanks and has some interesting idea's in it. I like how the imperial fists and iron warrors hated mk6 armour but the raven guard loved it kinda neat.

Did I mention stay away from the salamanders books? please do. I liked the idea of the shattered legions especially shadarak and his band of merry warriors but...

To me the HH books started off great, but they then had so much fluff and filler and 'neat little things' that near the end it was like oh gak we gotta get the siege of terra going, wrap up all this crap BL writers and get the siege going so we can make some new books.

I found most of the anthologies to be some of the best books as I think 40k/30k writing style works best as short stories. Some of them are just amazing with 'neat little things' again.

Stay away from battle for the abyss, its horrible fan fiction....did I mention to stay away from the salamanders books? If I didn't please stay away from them.

The one book that I really enjoyed was the Valdor stand alone book. That was some interesting reading which gave me a few WTF moments which I enjoyed. ]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/805912/11425247.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/805912/11425247.page GMT Horus Heresy Novel Order and Skipping http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/805912/11425287.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/805912/11425287.page GMT Horus Heresy Novel Order and Skipping
 BobtheInquisitor wrote:
My problem was that so much of the series was based on dramatic irony that it entirely felt like set up, like each book was Krispy the Chaos Clown putting a pie on a step stool where Primarch Bart would walk into it.


In fairness that's the intent of the HH on a whole. I had the chance to ask Graham McNeil if he would dscribe the intent behind the HH story as "an epic greek tragedy" and his response was "ohh yes absolutely 100%" ]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/805912/11426379.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/805912/11426379.page GMT Horus Heresy Novel Order and Skipping
Also I've been a SW fan since the mid 90's and this book made me dislike SW, haha.

So far pretty much all the books I've read made me like the heretic chapters pre-heresy and dislike loyal chapters pre-heresy, but then dislike all of them post-heresy It just feels like the reasons for them turning traitor are silly, meanwhile the loyalists just come across like massive dicks. Maybe its just because all the books so far have been written from a traitor perspective?

Anyway, I guess the question is what next, I've been through...

1. Horus Rising
2. False Gods
3. Galaxy of Flames
4. Flight of the Eisenstein
5. Fulgrim
14. The First Heretic
12. A Thousand Sons

From here I could go to Know No Fear to follow on from The First Heretic, or Prospero Burns to get the SW side of that story (and hopefully redeem the Space Wolves a bit) or maybe a bit of a tangent onto Legion.

]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/805912/11440257.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/805912/11440257.page GMT Horus Heresy Novel Order and Skipping WS.
Or keep reading one particular arc, like I did with the EC but I was building and painting my army at the same time so it was pretty motivating ]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/805912/11440562.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/805912/11440562.page GMT