Unofficial reader's guide
Where to start with Warhammer 40,000
The fiction spans 400+ books across ten thousand years. You don't need to read it in order, or read all of it. Pick a path.
I'm brand new
Five first books
Each is book one of its series or stands alone. No background needed.
I can't decide
Take the 60-second quiz
Six questions, one personalised starting novel — matched to your taste.
I want the big saga
The Horus Heresy, in order
The galaxy-spanning civil war that defines the setting: all 54 books of the main order, from book one.
I have a favourite faction
Browse by faction
Pick a Legion, xenos race, or order and follow its thread.
Just show me everything
The chronological atlas
Every book mapped across 10,000 years — zoom in and explore.
I'm here for the TV series
Before the Amazon series
What to read first while the Warhammer 40,000 series with Henry Cavill is in development.
Five first books
Accessible, well-loved starting points. Each is book one of its series or stands on its own.
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- Horus Rising
Dan Abnett
Horus Heresy · Book 1 · c. 001.M31Essential
The opening novel of the Heresy arc, built around the early triumphs and fractures around Horus.
- Brutal Kunnin
Mike Brooks
Orks · Late M41 – Early M42Good first read
A fast-paced, comedic Ork war novel in which Warboss Ufthak Blackhawk leads a Waaagh! against a forge world defended by the Adeptus Mechanicus. Told largely from the greenskins' gleefully violent point of view, it is one of the most popular and accessible Ork-focused books in the modern range.
- First and Only
Dan Abnett
Gaunt's Ghosts · Book 1 · c. 765.M41 – 768.M41Good first read
The first Tanith novel, built around survival, command, and a regiment trying to matter in a vast war.
- For the Emperor
Sandy Mitchell
Ciaphas Cain · Book 1 · 931.M41Good first read
A fast, accessible Guard novel with a lighter voice and a useful human-scale view of 40k.
Common questions
- Where should I start with Warhammer 40,000 books?
- Most readers start with a self-contained novel rather than reading chronologically. Popular first reads include the Eisenhorn trilogy, Gaunt's Ghosts, and Ciaphas Cain — each stands on its own and needs no prior knowledge of the setting.
- Do I need to read Warhammer 40,000 in order?
- No. The fiction spans hundreds of books across ten thousand years and there is no single required order. Pick a series or faction that appeals to you and branch out from there.
- Is the Horus Heresy a good place to start?
- It is a great entry for the setting's galaxy-spanning origin story, but it is a long series of more than fifty books. Many readers enjoy a shorter, self-contained series first and come to the Heresy later.
- How many Warhammer 40,000 books are there?
- Hundreds — across novels, novellas, audio dramas and anthologies. This atlas catalogues 594 of them, each placed on a chronological timeline.