I created this list with the rating in the video as I cant remember a thing going through it so fast :). So these are all the books with their rating: Books with an (A) are Anthology Books. In addition to the stars rating, books with 👍 received extra praise, those with 🤢 got a beating. 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*

@ReverendMeat51

2 жыл бұрын

This needs to be pinned

@ArbitorIan

2 жыл бұрын

Wow, thanks! Pinned!

@Mugdorna

2 жыл бұрын

Praise to your work brother

@TheMrDewil

2 жыл бұрын

I've decided to do some basic math to get an average rating for the whole saga (also, in my calculations I added 0.5 to book rating for extra praise and subtracted 0.5 for beating). The number I got in the end is 3.1 (rounded up). Not a very pretty number, but that's just my judgement. Basically, judging by the video and the ratings presented there, about 37% of the saga is worth any attention (ratings from 3.5 to 5.5 (also just my opinion)) with the biggest problem presented in the video is that despite the fact that saga has numerous well written stories, it's also heavily diluted with very substandard writing. This is the worst thing that can happen to any series which is supposed to be epic, but is risking to turn up to be just "meh" (again, just my opinion).

@amosb1452

2 жыл бұрын

Great, quick reference list many thanks

So anything by Dan abnett is the best of black library. Got it .

@ryanhall4659

2 жыл бұрын

Chris Wright and Aaron DB are top tier aswell. An probably the best book from black library is by guy Helen (devastation of Baal).

@stryke-jn3kv

2 жыл бұрын

I'm not keen on Gaunt's Ghosts. Sure I'm basing it on the first two books only, but they felt... hmm just kinda there? Obviously his Eisenhorn stuff is great, but for book Commissars make mine a Cain.

@wolfgangbrooks

2 жыл бұрын

@@stryke-jn3kv The first two Gaunt's Ghosts were practically all short stories stitched together. But yeah, it aims to be generic war stories and doesn't really rise above that most of the time. Though some like Necropolis and Only in Death are pretty decent, they also happen to both be siege novels and almost more about the settings than anything else. And there's some really interesting stuff, like the parts in Anarch where Abnett talks a little bit about the culture of the Sanguinary Worlds and the border marches of the Imperium. Though the rest of that book is a hot mess. Abnett is only at his best when he poking around at big idea stuff; his interpersonal stuff, which is a majority of the Gaunt's Ghosts books, is really lackluster.

@adalsteinnolafsson2819

2 жыл бұрын

@@stryke-jn3kv comparing Cain and Gaunt because they are both Commissars is like comparing Apples and Oranges as they are both fruits? (although after listening to the whole Horus Heresy and catching up on Eisenhorn and Bequin, Cain was a welcome relief).

@johnbaker4246

2 жыл бұрын

@@stryke-jn3kv The Gaunt's Ghost books get better starting with the third.

For anyone curious the timeline error in The Outcast Dead has to do with Magnus the Red and his trying to warn Terra of the heresy. Basically somehow his message isn’t received until after the drop site massacre which is like Magnus saying Horus is a traitor and everyone is like yeah dude we know… To expand on this a little, Leman Russ got tricked into destroying Prospero by Horus before he was revealed as the traitor. Which doesn’t make any sense since Magnus’ warning happens after Horus is revealed as the traitor.

@HistoritorJimaldus

Жыл бұрын

They explained/retconned it later by saying that the effects of Magnus’ intrusion were contained for a while by esoteric machinery or some such

Ok, "Wet Leopards" made me laugh really hard considering how many times that phrase is used in the book.

"Know no Fear" for me. The detail depiction of the destruction of Calth is breathtaking.

@stevenesbitt3528

2 жыл бұрын

Yeah the build up Is almost unreadable, he cranks the tension up so high.

@Steven-qb7vn

2 жыл бұрын

Yes, one of the best in the series. How he started each chapter with the date/time mark was genius in following events as they unfolded. Both sides competent too which was great. It's usually clever traitors with moronic loyalists. Nice to see some clever play from the loyalists aswell for a change. 5/5 great book.

@joperhop

2 жыл бұрын

Know no fear was amazing, its between that and the first heretic for me.

@inf3243

2 жыл бұрын

And then it started raining main battle tanks.

@djangofett4879

2 жыл бұрын

breathtakingly boring

I LOVE The Flight of the Eisenstein!

@ReverendMeat51

2 жыл бұрын

Same, that and JS's short in Tales of Heresy were great

@holtjamie77

2 жыл бұрын

Agreed, so different to other novels and after the grim disasters of the first 3 books you feel the desperate race and thin ray of hope.

@pavelmedek3968

2 жыл бұрын

@@holtjamie77 Exactly! Destiny of few is way more intense than millions.

My problem with False Gods will always be Horus himself. Dan Abnett was able to paint him as such a nuanced, interesting, almost ethereal character in Rising, but then, in False Gods, he's little more than the stereotypical, brutish (Chaos) Space Marine. Very little nuance made it from the first novel into the second, and I've always seen that as a tragically huge loss of potential.

@ayami123

2 жыл бұрын

well he was tainted with chaos so, he won't be sane very long

@johnnybigbones4955

2 жыл бұрын

YES! Completely agree. Horus is the title character for the series but he ceases to be a character from the moment he's stabbed with the stupid magic knife. It would have been so much better if he'd been motivated by his real doubts and fears about the Imperium and only started using Chaos as a tool to achieve his ends.

@tinyfishhobby3138

2 жыл бұрын

“Mustache twirling evil bad guy” is how I always describe Horus in that book, because he really did become a bad caricature at that point.

@dekai7992

2 жыл бұрын

@@johnnybigbones4955 This.

@Daggerfall40

2 жыл бұрын

I'm reading through False Gods now and I've noticed the same thing. I understand that the stress of being Warmaster is getting to him and Erebus has been whispering sweet nothings into his ear but everything that made Horus interesting in Rising is nowhere to be found in False Gods

Betrayer with Jonathan Keeble narrating is number 1 for me. It brings so much character to a faction that could easily be considered one of the most 'tropey'.

@borisdorofeev5602

7 ай бұрын

Oh yeah. Jonathan Keeble is brilliant. Galaxy in Flames is not the greatest book and I think the three star rating, given in this video, is fair. However, his narration of Isstvan 3 events is phenomenal. It's so gripping. His tempo and world flow was next level.

My entire experience with W40k is owning a small box of models and playing Dawn of war 1 when I was stuck in hospital as a young teen. I absolutely love your channel mate you have hooked me into a universe I knew nothing about.

@marinetownmick381

2 жыл бұрын

Same, I shared a box set back in the 90’s with my bro and cousin, and although we had fun with it, we soon moved on. During lockdown I decided I’d build my young son an army for when he’s a bit older, and with KZread channels like this, the countless books and much better looking miniatures I’ve become immensely hooked. My son will now be sharing the armies I’ve built when he’s a bit older with his dad, but on the plus side, he’s going to have a hell of a book collection to go with it!

@nicofolkersma2535

Жыл бұрын

The whole flight of the Campanille was breathtaking and the subsequent destruction of the anchorpoint and spacestation is brilliantly written.

Horus rising is what got me into the 40k universe.... it was great.

@Deimos0

2 жыл бұрын

I remember reading parts of the Horus Rising in Polish (my mother language) and it was horrible. Only when I got an English version I was hooked up.

@boiledkraken3798

2 жыл бұрын

Captain Loken was the GOAT

Descent of angels is one of my favourites, I really like the Caliban story before imperial contact.

@Dracobyte

Жыл бұрын

Me too as well as the order of knights that will encompass the Legion!

it should be noted though that Deliverance Lost has the best ”ship enters the warp” scene in 40k

The Flight of the Eisenstein is a christian novel with some spaceships in it

@Kiickman

2 жыл бұрын

And Garro is a beast

@H0urg1ass

2 жыл бұрын

Flight of the Eisenstein is one of only two books that I ever threw across the room when I finished reading it. If I needed to start a fire and all I had was my Horus Heresy novel collection for tinder, I would start with Flight of the Eisenstein and not even feel bad.

@ReverendMeat51

2 жыл бұрын

@@H0urg1ass why? I loved it

@H0urg1ass

2 жыл бұрын

@@ReverendMeat51 My dad used to always say when I was growing up: "Frustration is a function of expectation." That's really it in a nutshell without writing a 2k word review, but I just didn't find the writing quality good and the plot meandered all over the place. Also, I felt like it really squandered an opportunity to tell a horror story about being lost in the warp. Basically, I don't like James Swallow's writing. I've given him several chances (Blood Angel Omnibus) and now I just skip his novels entirely.

@robmcbride4576

2 жыл бұрын

@@H0urg1ass I could not get through that book and immediately just started skipping around immediately after.

Glad someone appreciates Legion as much as me. Dan just writes the average soldier so well.

@themediocretellamechress9323

2 жыл бұрын

But the book was supposed to be about the alpha legion and it just wasn't they were side characters in their own book at best instead we learned about the 5-2 Chiliad and their bizarre mommy complex. I'm not saying that they were written badly and it does deserve some credit because at the time it wasn't widely known that alfarious and omigon were two separate people so this was kind of a big reveal.

@ToTheNines87368

2 жыл бұрын

@@themediocretellamechress9323 I’m not sure the book was “supposed” to be about Alpha Legion, yet it did feature them heavily and I kind of enjoyed what was there. I bet they are hard to write without ruining the mystery.

@fernandozavaletabustos205

Жыл бұрын

Abnett beign the writter behind the Darktide videogame, puts a smile on my face.

@JorgeRiveraV1972

7 ай бұрын

I think "Legion" is one of the best books ever published by the Black Library :P

18:32 damn, no love for the salamanders . As a big salamander fan the few books that focus on them it's always amazing to read.

I enjoyed Nemesis! The moment when Valdor points his finger at the bandits, after he crashes, and then pretends to shoot is one of the funniest moments I can remember in this series.

@kioneyt

2 жыл бұрын

Lol that is the bit I remember the most from it to be fair

@jacobedler296

Жыл бұрын

Make sure you check out Gunsight (James Swallow) for the follow up on Eristede Kell. A great perspective on how terrifying & inescapable Horus and the corruption of his domain can be.

I really love Flight of the Eisenstein and Master of Mankind. I think the Custodes are some of the most interesting characters in the lore. I love A Thousand Sons and Prospero Burns. The dichotomy between The Thousand Sons and Space Wolves is awesome. There are no wolves on Fenris.

VERY useful video! Thank you! (4 and a half galactic civil wars)

That synthwave though 😁

The First Heretic and the Betrayer are easily my favorite books so far in the 40k universe, Argal and Khan are such great characters and the human companions they have in both books were excellent, funny how I enjoy reading about traitor legions fall more than the loyalist.... Edit: I disagree with your stance on "Damnation of Pythos" I genuinely found their struggle of these shattered legions without their Primarch interesting and the ending of the novel just sadding because they wouldn't be remembered for their sacrifice compelling.

I actually enjoyed battle for the abyss. I think it’s very interesting to follow characters different legions that are not sure what side they are supposed to be on and so make up there own minds . World eaters and ultramarines on a team is quite fun.

@svendragon8139

4 ай бұрын

It's much better than the Descent of Angels

First, I greatly appreciate this video. I made it through all of the horus heresy books and enjoyed your opinions on each one. I enjoy the viewpoint of Primarchs and Astartes more than I enjoy the human perspective. The reason for this is that the inclinations and mannerisms of the primarchs greatly impact the universe and the plot line, where as a human's perspective contributes very little to the over all plot of the story. The best books in my opinion, have some human perspective to show the magnitude of the astartes and primarchs but focus on thicker plot lines or explain the ideology that make each legion different. This lead to my opinions on books sometimes wildly differing from your rankings, but I found that you provided a good recap of the books. I will say that to any one reading through the books, though some books are far better than others each book helps to explain the universe during this time and is worth a read.

@swarlsonegger5021

2 жыл бұрын

I think the same way as you do. Do you think there is another overview (video or otherwise) that gives a similar rating or recap of the HH books so I can pick and choose which ones I wanna read and not burn out?

@themediocretellamechress9323

2 жыл бұрын

I agree I wanted to read the heresy series to find out about the primarks and their legions not about the average person. It is nice to get a point of view of what the Galaxy was like for the average Joe or for remembrance sir but I think the Horus heresy novels went a long way to establishing space Marines as having human like qualities. These are space Marines before all the ritualistic pseudo occultism that drapes over them like a fog in regular 40K and it's nice to see them with goals and aspirations more than just dying for the emperor and the imperium.

Amused me the comment about “it’s a bit late to be introducing legions” somewhere in the 20’s, but given there are 18 legions to introduce, plus continuing story etc. it’s not surprising!

Out of all the things that are happening in the Warhammer universe, I'm never gonna believe that there is a legion of 3 meter tall dudes in power armor that are dedicated to stealth and sabotage.

@sirshotty7689

2 жыл бұрын

You’re right, there isn’t a legion of 3 meter tall dudes in power armor that are dedicated to stealth and sabotage, there are three.

@HistoritorJimaldus

Жыл бұрын

Alphas use human agents a lot

Emotionally wise - The Betrayer, Flight of the Eisenstein and Thousand sons. Overall best book - Know No Fear.

“Betrayer” turned me from a loyalist to a traitor. Just don’t tell the Inquisition.

@regularrory4692

2 жыл бұрын

Same. I’m naming my first born son “Argel Tal”

@blackjack2526

2 жыл бұрын

@@regularrory4692 that's tooo on the nose, methinks.

@regularrory4692

2 жыл бұрын

@@blackjack2526 if he comes out with red hair I’ll name him Erebus and be super mean to him. Lol that should balance it out a little ;)

@InquisitorThomas

2 жыл бұрын

DON’T TELL THE INQUISITION WHAT?!

@invincibleunderthesun8545

2 жыл бұрын

@@regularrory4692 Lotarra would legit be a cool name for a girl.

This is really useful. Glad you enjoyed Prospero Burns too. I went into that one indifferent to the Vlke, but I was blown away by Abnett's world building around them. He made them into such a fascinating legion. Nice touch with the wet leopards too ;)

Horus Rising will always be my favorite as it got me into the universe. I just want to read it for the first time again.

@N0TYALC

11 ай бұрын

I just started reading it today. Absolutely hooked right from the beginning with the Siege of Terra fakeout. 3/4ths of the way in and I’m kicking myself for not giving the books a try earlier

This list was sooo helpful! I started listening to the audiobooks in order and realised there were some huge turkeys out there when I got to Battle for the Abyss - it almost out me off from continuing at all and really put me off any more Ultramarines content. These reviews helped me to focus on the standout novels and I haven’t been disappointed with any of the 4 or 5 star books I’ve listened to since.

@sirshotty7689

2 жыл бұрын

If it’s any consolation when I listened to the audiobook of battle of the abyss it made me feel like less of a masochist than when I tried to reread the book. Either way I’ve only ever gotten through that book in it’s entirety the first time (technically I did listen to the entire audiobook but I fell asleep during the second half and didn’t bother to re-listen). I’m glad you decided to start in order because if I had started out on awful book like abyss then I probably would’ve given up on the entire HH series.

one that really suprised me was the thousand sons. i was legit fckin sad at the end of this book. like really. didnt expect this from a warhammer novel. magnus did nothing wrong

@MrDWinpenny

2 жыл бұрын

I went into thousands sons finding them a little boring but finished it genuinely thinking about starting collecting them or at least getting Magus on my shelf.

@1Korlash

2 жыл бұрын

They were binding daemons to themselves, putting everyone off with their arrogance, unwilling to listen to any viewpoint that wasn't their own, and had a completely misguided view of the Warp and knowledge that led them to dabble in horribly dangerous stuff. Hell, Magnus's idiotic "let's ignore my allies' and critics' concerns and just call everyone who doesn't agree with me an ignorant bigot" speech is the main reason why psykers were banned at Nikaea! The White Scars note in another novel (I forget which one) that all they needed to win at the council was for Magnus to keep his damn mouth shut! Also, Magnus broke the Webway. Which he didn't *need* to do, and he should've been more wary about since he knew that it was very important to the Emperor's plans even if he didn't have all the details. But he did it anyway because his ego wouldn't let him send word of Horus's treachery via anything but a giant Warp ritual. I love the Thousand Sons, but this whole "Magnus did nothing wrong" thing is complete groxshit. He wasn't cruel or callous on the scale of many other Primarchs, but he was still a total scrub who thought he was way stronger, smarter, and wiser than he really was and fucked up

@valon5069

2 жыл бұрын

Magnus did everything wrong accidentally. Hell he could have saved Prospero if he didn’t cut off all communications

@ReverendMeat51

2 жыл бұрын

@@1Korlash Show me on the doll where Magnus hurt you. Nothing he did was out of malice, he tried his best to do the right thing, and did the only thing he could to save his Legion. His critics at Nikaea were traitor scum and loyalist hypocrites and were in actual fact ignorant bigots.

@markcoroneos7811

2 жыл бұрын

@@1Korlash 100%. Magnus dug his own grave out of arrogance and spite. Whether he did everything wrong “accidentally” or “with good intentions” is moot. He did them because he believed he knew better and it all subsequently blew up in his face.

I love the rememberencer points of view, whole serves is enjoyable if not always well written

I've just got to Wolfsbane, so almost there! I agree with most of what Ian says, but on Wolfsbane in particular I love it. It is so well written, almost nothing happens for the first half apart from world building and conversations, no bolter porn, just character development, much from the PoV of Russ. I agree with Ian that primarch PoV are normally poor, but this depiction of Russ (and the hypocrisy over psykers) is exceptional. Also love the character arc of future 40k Mary Sue Belisarius Cawl, his conversations with his acolyte buddy on the nature of the omnissiah and what it means to be human are superb bits of writing and exactly the world building I like.

Know No Fear was my favourite overall - actually read that one three times. Also anything with the Custodes in was good... wish there was more about them.

Good discovery this channel, keep it up mate love the lore and the channel

@Mugdorna

2 жыл бұрын

Discovered it 2 weeks ago. Love it. His attitude is just spot on. Obviously lives the setting but isn't a GW fanboi

My favourite has got to be Fear to Tread "Only Angels may fly." So sayeth the Angel as he broke the spine of the Greater Daemon.

This video is what made me finally give the Horus Heresy series a try, already finished with false gods and so excited to read/listen to the rest of the series!

Scars, Know No Fear, Path to Heaven, The Flight of Eisenstein, The First Heretic, Betrayal..

I love what you've been doing with the channel. Good work. I agree with everything you said about the HH books, except Galaxy In Flames. I loved that book so much. As a pay-off for the first two books, and completing the turning of the Luna Wolves, it was everything I wanted. Pathos, betrayal, the mournival facing off, Saul Tarvitz doing everything he could, a proper end for Loken (or what should have been the end), and Angron unleashed on his own legion. I just couldn't have asked for a better conclusion to the initial story. I think it's a five star book.

@HistoritorJimaldus

Жыл бұрын

If they made it into a series they should scrap his ‘resurrection’ I think, he should be the Ned Stark of season one :)

I cannot recommend the audio book versions of these enough. The narrator does an amazing job and as such I love Battle for the Abyss. I love how the different space marines interact with each other and how Gareth Armstrong brings them to life. Also Audible has them for a much cheaper price than BL.

@sirshotty7689

2 жыл бұрын

Yeah I kind of agree, Gareth makes the book tolerable for me especially compared to trying to reread the book and end up hating myself every step of the way.

@MagnusMoerkoereJohannesen

Жыл бұрын

Ditto. These books can sometimes be quite the slog to get through, what with every fight being narrated in excruciating detail, but it works fantastically well in audiobook format! I was not a fan of Mechanicum until I listened to it, after which it jumped up to being one of my faves.

@viggotannhauser7251

Жыл бұрын

I really liked Battle for the Abyss as well. I also agree with the points Arbitor Ian made about it in this video, yet everyone and their mother calling it the worst book in the series is way too harsh IMHO.

@N0TYALC

11 ай бұрын

The narrator does such a great job, but I can’t stand the way he voices Mechanicum characters.

I just started to read these from a place of only vaguely understanding the Horus heresy from the codexs and this is just a top guide. Just reading the synopsis of each book, the words collection and anthology put me right off and seeing how many writers were involved, I had no idea how to judge. Thanks for this great video!

These are the books given 4 or more stars on. I am making this list for myself and anyone else who can't sit through them all, but want to read a few. (Sorry If I missed some, I was skimming) Horus rising, Fulgrim, Legion, Mechanicum, Tales of Heresy, A thousands sons, The first Heretic, Prospero burns, The outcast died, Know no fear, Shadows of treachery, Betrayer, Scars, Path of heaven, Praetorian of Dawn, Master of mankind, Tallarn, Titandeath. My favorites of these are Fulgrim, Betrayer, Scars and Mechanicum.

As a Thousand Sons fan boy I found Scars and Path of Heaven to be outstanding. They're great in their own right but as a bonus add depth to the Thousand Sons arc.

These videos are so well done. Thank you very much for putting all of these together!

You deserve WAY more subs than you have. Clearly explained stuff even a shallow toe-dipper like me can understand, enough humour to keep the videos interesting without letting it overshadow the content, and a really professional and clean style. I score you 5 Emperor Titans.

Fulgrim and false gods deserved 5 stars

@iESCAP1SM

2 жыл бұрын

Fulgrim is a masterpiece. The way the fall to chaos was depicted in both Astartes and civilians was sublime. The way the mood changes throughout the book was so well handled through characters and settings, like the sculptor and the bar. I loved it

@DP-dd6hl

2 жыл бұрын

@@iESCAP1SM Agreed. I dont even like the emperor's children. But it was easily one of the best books by far.

I’ve been reading the Horus Heresy series by publication date since last summer (with large breaks during the school semesters) and I’ve only just finished Know no Fear and started the Primarch novellas. Love that you’ve reviewed them all.

You’ve easily become my favourite Warhammer YT Channel! I’ve been in and out of the hobby for the last 20 years and just spent the last 2 reading the entire HH My biggest takeaways from the series are how the Ultramarines aren’t totally boring and how the Alpha Legion is easily the most interesting and needs fleshing out so much more!

I started with the First Heretic. It offers a very good entry point for most of the major themes and plots of the lore.

I find my favourite HH books are all ones with less Astartes in, Mechanicum being the top, then Nemesis & Legion.

@FunkyNige

2 жыл бұрын

And if the Astartes are in it, the less about the primarchs the better. I’m up to about book 20 and find myself skipping the chapters where primarchs are talking to each other…

@Uterr

2 жыл бұрын

I freaking love Legion

@ratedjentertainment

2 жыл бұрын

I loved Mechanicum. Such a bonkers book, but the Titan Battle were so kick ass!

@jsl2011uk

2 жыл бұрын

Depends on the primarchs. You won't like the seige of terra books lots of primarchs talking to each other.

The most obvious pattern is, if Dan Abnette is writing, you're getting a 5/5 book.

@evanwoodham6296

2 жыл бұрын

And Graham McNeill, a 4 star

@archdornan3068

2 жыл бұрын

He just knows how to write the 40K setting and 30k

@LordVader1094

Жыл бұрын

Unless it's Saturnine. One of his few stinkers with the stuff it adds (or rather takes away) from the narrative.

@seprithlicastia463

9 ай бұрын

I really, really do not like Prospero Burns. So far, everything else I have read of his is good. He is clearly talented.

@YourMiqoIsBasic

8 ай бұрын

@@seprithlicastia463I have to agree, heard so much good stuff about it and finished it with a sour taste in my mouth

Well done mate, somehow didn't feel rushed. Choice of star fills each time kept me amused.

Keep rewatching this each time I finish another few books - only 4 more to go before Siege of Terra now! :)

Loved the rating system. It was a great reference to the subject matter. Very well done and humorous. Also thanks for the warnings about the actual content and its worthiness to spend the time to read it.

Have to agree with the first 5 being really good but from there you can basically pick and choose what to read about but also completely agree that Legion is hands down the best book in the series and its not even a competition, nothing comes close at all, my ones I'm looking to get next are A Thousand Sons and Prospero Burns to read that arc, to me personally I love Garro and co and the whole Knights Errant/birth of the Grey Knights arc so that stands out to me, besides that I'm a Dark Angel fanboy at heart so I'll take anything I can get with them, might get ones to do with the Iron Warriors too especially post-Heresy cause that's when Perturabo becomes a proper badass, besides that there's not a ton of Legions I find enjoyable, for the loyalists I would have to probably say the Blood Angels though I do admittedly like the Raven Guard's story too, for the traitors you gotta love Magnus at least, Kurze I guess is cool in his own way, the others are kinda bland and boring Edit: its March 2022 and I've since read The First Heretic which was fantastic, 5 stars easily, Know No Fear again 5 stars, currently on Betrayer and really loving it, I have Scars but I do kinda wanna read Unremembered Empire cause it does intrigue me how that came about, plus my boi The Lion and also the Angel himself, Sanguinius are in it so I wanna see how they interact with each other but after Scars its gonna be Vengeful Spirit

@blackopsy9

Жыл бұрын

Legion would have been better if the first thirty or so pages were more readable. You're immediately thrown into the book with a one-sided interrogation (from the future), then thrown into the desert with guardsmen wielding wildly similar and unpronounceable names/ranks, and then of course you come face to face with the enigma of the Legion itself.

Your videos are great for painting to! Thank you. Keep up the great work!😃😊

love that i found this 😋 would love to see reviews on the books after the horus heresy, and also maybe guidelines on how to read warhammer books, where to start and stuff 😋

General rule of thumb: anything by ADB is God tier

@invincibleunderthesun8545

2 жыл бұрын

Essentially yes

@user-ro2nn7lt3r

2 жыл бұрын

meh... Night lords was pretty cool, Talon of Horus was just shite

@Mugdorna

2 жыл бұрын

I love ADBs books. His Night Lords series was great

@thehappy15a

2 жыл бұрын

He’s good at writing bad guys

@blackjack2526

2 жыл бұрын

*laughs in Master of Mankind*

I find myself thinking back to the Fulgrim book a lot, theres just a ton of memorable parts in it.

Awesome just finished this one so thought I’d dive into your review. Great thoughts and really nice reflections

This is what I call quality content

The First Heretic and Know No Fear are stand out HH novels for me. Currently reading Master of Mankind which has proven very good so far.

Legion is hands down my favourite so far, but I'm only 20 or so in. The TS books were stella too. I FORCED myself to read batle for the Abyss on a trip to and from London. Did you know how BIG that spaceship is? The Cannons are HUGE and the doors VAST. The Engines are ENOURMOUS!! Its big, we get it. The final battle for some reason reminded me of the Milky Way advert where the Red car and blue car had a race. I genuinely didnt give a shit who won.

Really enjoying the channel fella , happy to have you in the community

I'm still astounded that the one Horus Heresy book I've read, that I chose on a whim from a used bookstore, happened to be _Legion,_ one of the better ones. I really lucked out on that one. I almost bought Battle of the Abyss at the same time. Glad I didn't.

@thatlonewolfguy2878

2 жыл бұрын

I bought both at the same time to read on the way to and during my trip to Spain with friends and I couldn't put Legion down once I started, I loved it so much! Battle for the Abyss was so boring though, I've tried it twice and can't get more than halfway through cause it's that boring

@sirshotty7689

2 жыл бұрын

@@thatlonewolfguy2878 yeah I almost bought abyss as my first HH book but I decided to read them in the release order instead. One of the happiest decisions of my life. And I’m glad I read Horus rising, false gods, and galaxy in flames first. I enjoyed them so much that I’d probably consider them some of my favorite 40k books let alone HH books.

Perfect timing. I'm working my way through the horus heresy series and I was wondering what to skip and what I have to read.

Thank you for all the recommendations!

My intro was The First Heretic. Great place to start and following up with Know no Fear really flips the script by reversing the Ultramarines from an antagonistic force to the Word Bearers to the underdogs on the Defense.

I personally found the primarchs and their perspective the most captivating part of the series but I do agree with humans alsp being an important factor

@Eldeecue

Жыл бұрын

Absolutely. I mean....when I hear a story about, say, Hercules? I want it to be about _Hercules_, not the guy who mows Hercules' lawn.

Tallarn is such a good book, easily in my top 3 of the Horus Heresy books

Huge fan of your channel! Great work on this video.

I just finished Battle for the Abyss, I’m reading them all

@anxioussamurai9017

2 жыл бұрын

What did you think of it? A lot of people hate it but I actually really liked it.

@HistoritorJimaldus

2 жыл бұрын

@@anxioussamurai9017 I didn’t mind it, some good void combat and the Saturnine fleet was introduced - everyone died though lol

Two things my favourite books in the series have in common. Dan Abnett and Graham McNeil. They both write believable characters and well thought out plots. And I'd be surprised if Abnett hasn't seen sevice. Guy writes a firefight like he's actually been under fire. I need to get back to these books but I need to replace the first 20 books and it's a daunting prospect.

Know No Fear, and Fear To Tread are my two top rated Horus Heresy novels. Also, got to say, you seem to dislike the focus on the Astartes and Primarchs. But it’s the Horus Heresy. That’s a period of Warhammer all about Space marines and their Primarchs. Also also :) Mortis was pretty good.

Fantastic video, thank you. Would love more 40k book reviews down the line!

Great roundup. I mostly agree. Looking forward to your eventual round up of the Siege of Terra books.

Master of mankind is epic, and for me back into the HH

I loved Crimson King the background it gave to the depths of Magnus shattering and the effect on his psyche was incredibly well done to me and provided alot of the answers to the questions of why he wasnt a loyalist.

@HistoritorJimaldus

Жыл бұрын

I’m reading it now, it also tells what happened to the remembrancers from Prospero and brings back Lucius and Yasu Nagasena - I’m enjoying it :)

Five Wet Leopards was a deep reference 😂😅

Great video. Would love to see a similar one for Primarchs,seige of Terra/40k books too!

As a salamanders player making their way through the HH series..... feels bad man.

@Willehable

2 жыл бұрын

As an Iron Hands player, you might have it worse but I feel your pain.

@LimerickJim

2 жыл бұрын

The Salamanders books tell us where Vulcan has been since the HH but they do it extremely subtly and it's rad.

@Deimos0

2 жыл бұрын

@@LimerickJim the problem with the HH Vulkan build up is that they kind of fckd that in the War of the Beast - imo they should've left Vulkan alone, instead of dragging him in to the whole thing with the orks.

@LimerickJim

2 жыл бұрын

@@Deimos0 disagree. The war of the beast shows that Vulkan is aware of what is going on in the galaxy. He's not napping or in stasis somewhere.

I have read some of the books here and there, particularily loved Legion, but it seems there are some more worth digging into.

great video, thank you. After reading Know No Fear I finally realized what a joke was that Battle For the Abyss book. Word Bearers lost their biggest ship and core part of their attack plan but it was not even mentioned in Know No Fear....

The very first WH40K book I read was Know No Fear and I am supremely thankful for that. It was a relatively simple book that not only grabbed my attention but made me genuinely feel for the humans of this universe. Making my way through the Horus Heresy (not necessarily in release order) and so far the only books that got me to feel extremely emotional was Galaxy in Flames (when Horus made his announcement), The First Heretic (when Argel apologized) and A Thousand Sons (when Magnus confessed to his sons).

I really find it interesting that you prefer the POV to be from normal human characters as I figured the pull of 30k was to see the primarchs in action and to help flesh them out as characters. Though I do recall many of my favourite parts of these novels being the ones that included normal humans interacting with the astartes or primarchs. I'd say some of my favourites books would be Betrayer, Angel Exterminatus and the first 3 (since they really are one narrative split into three books)

Love your content Ian, I am fairly new to 40k and am mostly interested in the lore. Your videos are the best I've seen! Eager to see more!

Loved the Outcast Dead

saw the title of this video... WHAT, thats insane , really nice job.

Thank you so much for these recommendations! I just wanted to tell you that your Warhammer 40K videos have inspired many Latinamerican fans to make their own. I hope you can invite folks like 3HuntLeo to your podcast, he and his crew know English so there should be no issues about the language barrier. Thank you again for everything you do for the community, greetings from a Mexican fan!

I personally loved the Salamanders focused novels but to each their own. Also I LOVED Titandeath, but I'm a member of the Questoris Familia so I suppose I am a mark for it.

Great vid idea. I just finished the first 5 and wanted to know what next. Glad the 1st heretic is a good one

This absolute mad man holy cow you reviewed all of them you have our biggest respect and gratitude

I really wish a more competent writer would take up the Salamanders. While Vulkan being a perpetual allows him to avoid the "Black guy dies first" trope, knowing that he'll always survive robs him of agency. I think the Horus Heresy series suffers from poor forethought. I would like GW to take another crack at the saga with a richer pool of writers and a more even distribution of attention towards all the elements within, sometime in the future.

@rahma4

Жыл бұрын

Interesting view to be honest, 'cause I felt it just offered a shift in the threats he has to overcome. While his mortality might not be in danger, there are other fates that could befall someone who can't die - or ways to work that immortality into his suffering. It opened, rather than closed, a whole new realm of possibility to him, and to have him be at the mercy of a master sadist/torturer, was the only 'right' route to go with the most humane and empathic of the primarchs - loved seeing how he (d)evolved.

As someone who has read through every single book in this series so far, I agree with many of your points. One of my personal favourites is Prince of Crows by Aaron Demski-Bowden, such an amazing Night Lords novella!

@HistoritorJimaldus

Жыл бұрын

Sevatar is a top character for sure!

I'm currently reading Titandeath, and I think ever since around book 40, it's solely been a sunk cost thing for me. "I've read 40 books, what's another 10-15"...Boy howdy did I assess that one wrong. I will say, as a Salamanders fan, I do feel like you did my boys a bit dirty in the video, but at the end of the day, I can't begrudge an opposing opinion to my own.

Great video, been meaning to pick up some Horus Heresy books ever since watching your 40k timeline and other Horus Heresy video. Can I ask if you're planning to do a summary of the recent story advancement in 40k? I'd love to see you do 20 min version of that; you have a great talent for recapping.

I found Garro to be quite an important character, he ties a fair few things together from another perspective.

"The First Heretic" is always going to be my #1

@Marduk1813

2 жыл бұрын

Absolute essential read. IMHO the most important book of the series. And a great novel.

@evanwoodham6296

2 жыл бұрын

It sticks with you. I didn't cry at the end I swear

@evanwoodham6296

2 жыл бұрын

@@argeltalthecustodiankiller6552 custodes were outnumbered, two of the possessed were commanders and so had better fighting prowess

Dan Abnett is just a king.

Really fun video! Little note on Damnation of Pythos, it was indeed not a Horus Heresy novel. It was a regular stand-alone book that David was working on that got changed into a HH book at the last minute, and it shows. Stand-alone it's a great book though imo, just doesn't do anything for the Heresy itself.

I wouldn’t give all the Salamanders novels such a low rating, just finished Old Earth and it had good content for the Eldar and perpetuals!