Finally a Warhammer youtuber with some sense. As someone who read pretty much all of the heresy, I find it utterly bizarre that people would recommend reading any heresy books before reading the first five. You miss an unbelievable amount of context. I'm still salty that adeptus ridiculous didn't even bother to start with the first trilogy before diving into betrayer.
OOF YEAH DONT DO THAT, honestly the first trilogy is probably the best arc in the entire series. Individual books here and there might be better but as for a full arc you can’t beat the opening 3-4 books
Lol recommendations are one thing. But 5 books for context is a huge barrier to entry when most people get into the universe for a single character or faction they find interesting.
Omg, a concise, reasonably lengthed list of necessary HH books? WITH explanations on why they should be read? You just became my 2nd favorite 40k youtuber.
Required Reading: Horus Rising by Dan Abnett False Gods by Graham McNeill Galaxy in Flames by Ben Counter Flight of the Eisenstein by James Swallow Fulgrim by Graham McNeill Legion by Dan Abnett A Thousand Sons by Graham McNeill The First Heretic by Aaron Dembski-Bowden Betrayer by Aaron Dembski-Bowden Know No Fear by Dan Abnett Unremembered Empire by Dan Abnett Scars by Chris Wraight Vengeful Spirit by Graham McNeill Angels of Caliban by Gav Thorpe Praetorian of Dorn by John French Master of Mankind by Aaron Dembski-Bowden The Buried Dagger by James Swallow Recommended: Prospero Burns by Dan Abnett Fear to Tread by James Swallow Angel Exterminatus by Graham McNeill Vulkan Lives by Nick Kyme The Path of Heaven by Chris Wraight The Silent War by L. J. Goulding Garro- Weapon of Fate by L. J. Goulding Slaves to Darkness by John French
I have gotten through so many of the books all the way to Warhawk. I love John Grammaticus as a character. I appreciate his scenes every time they appear and can't wait for more.
I like Prospero Burns as a stand alone horror story. Casper Hauser is a pretty sympathetic character, and his multiple nightmare lives make a great cosmic horror story. Not the most important hh book, but really great for showing how terrible Chaos is. And it's nice to have true-hearted heros and brothers pull though.
"To Know No Fear" is awesome... I'm still not an Ultramarine fan, but upon reading this one, I have the utmost respect for the Ultramarines and Robute Gilliman... Two Favorite parts? "The Void Ship Fight where Bobby G goes H.A.M." and "Guilliman's Last Conversation with Lorgar" EPIC MOMENTS!!!!
4:34 I know this is a video about 40k and specifically the series, but the way you delivered this line resonated with me beyond this franchise. So many people don't read anything, not even lore stuff about their favorite things, and it really breaks my heart. So I'm glad to see a video encouraging reading period, since so many don't. Looking forward to seeing more of your 40K videos and future projects.
I was surprised not to see Mechanicum listed, I know a lot of people don't really enjoy it, I personally do. But I think it has a lot of world building for the Mechanicus and the Titan legions, and adds depth to the series. Maybe not required, but I'd definetly recommend it.
For sure, it was nice to read a book with almost no astartes and the focus being on mostly regular people was refreshing. Also added to the sense of scale for the universe seeing the war affect people who werent out on some alien shithole planet.
You are the first RUclipsr that I've seen who made a list of the Horus Hersey books by importance. When I first got into Warhammer I tried to find a list and I saw one on Reddit and by the Emperor that was confusing.
We have pretty much the same list of required and recommended. There are one or two on your Recommended list that I haven’t gotten around to yet, but I’ve read every one of the Required list.
Fury of Magnus had shown the friendship between Perturabo and Magnus, as well as Magnus wanting Perturabo to join him in switching sides. However, what you said about what Magnus remembers of his encounter in the throne room seems to have thrown a wrench into my year-long perspective of it. While Mortis being as boring as it is even though I shed tears on a specific scene with Shiban, it was Perturabo's decision to leave the Heresy that I hoped you would notice or mention.
Shibans scene is why I actually love Mortis. Fury of magnus is important despite the end of mortis because it gives some insight onto what the thousand sons are doing after the solar war book where they are mentioned in passing.
Since I have read almost all of the books, I'm hyped to go back and read only the ones you suggest so I can keep up on lore. Thanks for all of the work, I know how long this stuff takes 💪🙏
I definitely think you should read Titandeath for anyone out there. True it’s not really that important(the only reason I actually read it was because of Sanguinius presence which was very minimum) but oh boy i actually really enjoyed it(and not just the small part involving Sanguinius) I really enjoyed the characters, we get to see the birth of a titan legion and a tragic story between two warlord Princeps of different titan legions, one of which is slowly falling to the influence of Khorne. I just found it really engaging and Jonathan Keeble does a good job(as always) in the audiobook. We also get some Mechanicum content on both sides and great action as well. Again not necessary for the overall plot of the HH but if you like Titans then this is definitely one you should get.
Probably I write too late for you to read, but: 1) Very happy about hearing those nice words for Chris Wright. He is not just the author who best understands the white scars, but also the space wolves (I can recommend his SW novels). His writing is not perfect (some action parts are completely irrelevant), but he is a great author (in fact his Siege of Terra book is the best one by far) 2) About Wolfbane, it is not needed but it is a good book. Also it explains why the hell is Leman missing (although it comes to nothing and leads to nothing) 3) About Sons of Selenar, it is not relevant for the Siege, but it is relevant for the 41st millenium 4) Mortis is indeed the worse book of the Siege, but the First wall is quite bad as well. I 100% skipped the part of the African recruits
Every time i open youtube to put on something while i do some chores and end up listening that intro my day gets a little better, so nice you had a great year and i hope the next is even better.
Congrats on the 50K. One of life's secrets is to have a hobby that can let you decompress from the day to day grind. Also, parents can be a pain in the ass ( I also have that experience ). However, things can change on a dime and then they are gone. Find the positive within the negative. It sucks to have unresolved issues with a parent and never get to work it out before it's to late. Thanks for the book list. Keep on kicking ass!!
Just realised three of the meme books all have the Suicide Squad/heist crew trope. Outcast Dead literally has a prison break. I actually feel nostalgic about them though.😂
This just reminded me how many HH books I’ve listened to that were not worth listening to. But all in all it’s been a great series. Took me years to get through them all but I still have strong memories of where I was and what I was doing when I was listening to some of the more epic parts of these books. Definitely helped make the many night shifts go by.
My favorite segment of the HH series is probably the Imperium Secundus books (aside from Jawn sidetracking Unremembered Empire). Liked the dynamic of Guilliman, Sanguinius, and Lion. The Pharos plot, Curze going nanners and just having a grand ole time. Showing that Maccrage isnt completely without its shittier side.
I'm at the tail end of The Unremembered Empire right now and loving it and planning of reading Pharos soon after. I know what's going to happen to my two favorite characters in the series. I just want to have a good ugly cry over them
Good video for those looking to finish the entire heresy, I am comfy with only mechanicum under my belt, and might read Know no fear with the descrypition you gave.
Dude, about the university bit and turning 27, literally me, im turning 27 in June and still got one more year before I can get my diploma if all goes well. Its nice to know more people than me are in a similar situation so just wanted to share that with you. Good luck and you make great videos!
If someone wants to get into Scars I can't recommend the audiobook version read by Shogo Myakita enough. The Japanese accent he gives the White Scars just sounds really cool and goes a long way in making them distinct from other legions. It's a tremendous shame he wasn’t also reading The Path of Heaven and Warhawk. Jonathan Keeble does great work as always but his vague asian accent isn't nearly as good.
To be fair, my first book i read was the buried dagger, because i was on a field ex and wanted some books to read and i was just starting to get into 40k. The 2 40k books i found were spear of the emperor (1st 40k book i ever read), then buried dagger, which is the last book of the heresy. I then found and read fallen angels (book 11). I really enjoyed book 54 and 11, so decided i wanted the whole series. I then read the 1st 4 before taking abit of break from heresy, and reading some primarch novels, 40k novels and the 1st 2 Gaunt books
Wolfspear really is not skippable, it shows some of what the emperor did to make leman, (he's definately odin and fenris wolf combined in different measures) His spear is Gungnir slayer of wolves
I am listening to all of the books in series order currently on book 34 Pharos. There are some ups and downs for sure but i really did like Descent Of Angels though, Its the only book I have listened to this far that shows a world where they are not that advanced and things like earth have become myth and the return of the emperor to their world and gives an interesting introduction to the Lion.
Excelent video chronotheharlequin and very funny Family Guy moment, I will wait very patiently for your 8 hour video criticizing the book Warrior Coven
"Angel Exterminatus" I love this one as well!!! As outgoing as Fulgrim is Perturabo steals the show in this book...! And we get to meet Nykona Sharrowkyn of the Raven Guard!!!!
I really enjoyed Titandeath. The arc with Sanguinis and Mechanicum (and Legio Solaria) make a lot more sense and the politics going on. Also it adds a fair bit imho to Mortis.
I have read all of the dark angels books for the heresy. While i do think angels of caliban is the best choice, i dont think it works that well without the context from the first 2 and the short story. I liked all the DA books, but I dont know that i would put it in the required reading list.
I can sympathise with what you are saying about the books, I limit myself to one a month on Audible unless there are any sales on and the feeling from going from an excellent book to a middling or stinker of a book next in the series is palpable but I've committed to collecting them all so have to take the rough with the smooth. I'm just glad I didn't start collecting them back in the day and have to deal with this feeling over a longer period of time that people had to endure when waiting on the next release.
On my readthrough I read Angels of Caliban only, I agree its enough for the context. But now that I'm caught up I went back and read the first two Dark Angels books and I would highly recommend them. They're very self contained plotwise but they show you who Zahariel is, and now that I know him he's one of my favorite characters. If you have time before TEATD 3 at least try and read Angels of Caliban, it seems like Zahariel is gonna have a big payoff and this will prime you for it.
Some short stories / Novellas absolutely not to be slept on - “Savage Weapons / Prince of Crows” duology not only setting up a portion of Unremembered Empire, but my favorite introduction to both Lion and Curze and their respective factions, ADB at his best. “Little Horus” and “The Iron Within” both awesome, “Grey Talon” and “The Crimson Fist” as well, the latter not a bad … proto introduction? To the Imperial Fists. John French is definitely one of the higher tier writers imho
I started out with Scars(the first white scar’s Horus heresy book) and then pathway to heaven then bounced around a lot because 1st, the White Scars are awesome and drew me into 40k. It does make a good starting point though
I actually quite liked descent of angels, at least up until the emperor arrived on caliban. Started going down hill after that. I found the story of regular human knights fighting chaos tainted beasts with their crude power armor, pistols and chainswords to be far more compelling
I will say Descent of Angels (and I am Not a DA fan by any means) has lovely world building. Chronologically, I believe it predates Legion, and it’s a great look at what a planet and society would look like just coming out of Old Night. Does it flesh out the greater plot? Eh, not really, I guess. But it never tried to, and I think it does a fairly good job of what it sets out to do. It’s kind of like Nemesis in that way (yeah, I loved Nemesis).
no no no . listen to me if you like 40k in general read whatever you get your hands on (except those older book before HH many of them make lil to no sense in many cases )
Oh thank God chrono I was going to lose my mind. I read the first 4 books which were amazing and then I got to Fulgrim which has its high’s and LOW’S. I was pretty much just trying to get through them just so I could get to the Prospero arc since I heard it’s good. After that I just skipped over to “A Thousand Sons” since you don’t need to read anything before it. But thanks for this also can’t wait for what’s in store for the new year.
I´m halfway through the HH books, and such a list is Great for the choice of the next read! Plus i am German and glad to hear that you want to move here!
I did a thousand sons and prospero burns in the order you recommended and I agree it hits very well. Maybe another video about books that don't really advance the plot and should be skipped (Damnation of pythos for example) or maybe the HH character series? Lots of hits and misses there.
I like fulgrim book,that Graham Mcneil wrote he is good at writing tragedy. But....man, does he suck with writing sequel for fulgrim like shatter mirror.
If you want some Zeno’s read crisis of faith and Empire of lies for Farsight and also shadow sun the patient hunter . For some tau exspansion . And some gods
Wolfsbane *IS* important and a good read. It should be read after Vengeful Spirit and Garro Pharos and Ruinstorm are also crucial in the Imperium Secundus arc. Pharos is a good read, Ruinstorm is terrible but crucial nonetheless. They should be read in the sequence of 1. Fear to Tread 2. Unremembered Empire 3. Pharos 4. Angels of Caliban 5. Ruinstorm
I recall when Thousand Sons and Prospero Burns came out. I was a huge Space Wolves fanboy and read PB first. Eh. I couldn’t have cared less about the Thousand Sons. I read it, and it became my favorite book in the entire series.
I thik it is really important to read path of heaven if you cared even a little for scars because if not you'll be asking yourself why certain really cool character is nowhere to be found during the siege of terra
"This book isn't good, I mean, John Grammaticus shows up!" I remember reading Know No Fear, and when he showed up I made a disappointed sigh 😆 But he didn't stay long, so it was fine...
I have a question: Is there any faction/ subchapter that like to primarily fight bare handed? Or a group that desires to be up close personal? Anything but the Space Wolves. (Dunno if they do fight bare handed but i know there is a Lycan esk subchaper) They just arent my primary intrest currently.
Having read all realesed novels, all 52 HH + SoT + Primarchs and I’d say your list is pretty much on point! The Damnation of Pythos wins the worst novel out of the lot….painfully boring to read
Keep at it bro. We understand adversity and will be patiently waiting for your videos. And if you need some help with getting lore on some of the books you haven't read or ones you don't find interesting i would be glad to help ya. Remember to stay strong. Iron Within! ✊
Oooo! I will take this. TLDR: depends on what happens in the future. So… there are three possibilities: 1) the way you described, where they never released it at all, and just legends of the past. 2) the way they did it. 70+ books. 3) the way it started out as. It was originally going to be just 10 books- straight through Horus being made Warmaster to Siege of Terra. So: 1) to be fair, the only reason the Horus Heresy exists at all is because in 1989, GW could only afford one type of plastic model, and had to explain why two similar looking soldiers were fighting each other. As epic and legendary as the “less is more, leave it up to the imagination” lean is, we definitely needed a little more detail on what went down. 2) no. It did not have to be 60+ books/novellas/short stories/anthologies that lasted 18 years lol. You could argue money was the incentive if you want- but it honestly is give us a lot. Personally, seeing all the legion’s cultures before the fall was more interesting to me than where they ended up. We got a lot of good stories, still artisticly and passionately done (I give the ratio 5:3 of good:okay-bad stories, not a bad ratio of 60+ lol). Its major downfall is this- they gave too much. Way too much. This universe needs closure now. Which we will never get. There will never be an “ending”. They’re never going to take out one of the Deamon Primarchs, as much as we would love seeing Fulgrim or Mortarion killed. We will never see the emperor wake up. We will never see the Tyrnid’s main fleet from outside the galaxy reach the inner rim. Cause if they do- no one buys the models. They make plot progressions go for sure; Acadia fell, Gullan and Lion woke up- but were never going to have the closure we need. So it’s up to you if you think the quality of the stories make up for lack of closure. 3) this may have been the best idea. We’ll have to see how GW keeps progressing the plot. But 10 novels streamlined without so much detail- I think that would have made it perfectly like the D&D setting: enough knowledge to know the setting, not enough where every table has freedom to craft an ending.
I can absolutely vouch for Angels of Caliban being entirely skippable. I literally remember NOTHING that happened in that novel, other than that Typhus showed up, briefly, here and there.
So I just found this channel and wanted to just give you a heads up: GW is extremely protective of there IP and if your channel picks up a lot more steam ( and hope it does) I’m not sure if the name black library is copyrighted by them But I just wanted to give you a heads up
Finally a Warhammer youtuber with some sense. As someone who read pretty much all of the heresy, I find it utterly bizarre that people would recommend reading any heresy books before reading the first five. You miss an unbelievable amount of context. I'm still salty that adeptus ridiculous didn't even bother to start with the first trilogy before diving into betrayer.
That just makes those youtubers easier to ignore.
OOF YEAH DONT DO THAT, honestly the first trilogy is probably the best arc in the entire series. Individual books here and there might be better but as for a full arc you can’t beat the opening 3-4 books
Lol recommendations are one thing. But 5 books for context is a huge barrier to entry when most people get into the universe for a single character or faction they find interesting.
@@Sage_6reen Then don't start with the horus heresy then ? Its a poor jumping off point into the setting.
@@Sage_6reen If you find a faction interesting, probably the best thing to do is to just read the associated codex.
Horus Heresy is one of my favorite characters in th whole combat mallet series.
Why would Horus Heresy do this to Jimmy Space 😔
@@livefromtheblacklibrary I loved it when Jimmy Space said “you did it Horus Heresy, you beat me. You truly are the Warhammer 40K”
Omg, a concise, reasonably lengthed list of necessary HH books? WITH explanations on why they should be read? You just became my 2nd favorite 40k youtuber.
Required Reading:
Horus Rising by Dan Abnett
False Gods by Graham McNeill
Galaxy in Flames by Ben Counter
Flight of the Eisenstein by James Swallow
Fulgrim by Graham McNeill
Legion by Dan Abnett
A Thousand Sons by Graham McNeill
The First Heretic by Aaron Dembski-Bowden
Betrayer by Aaron Dembski-Bowden
Know No Fear by Dan Abnett
Unremembered Empire by Dan Abnett
Scars by Chris Wraight
Vengeful Spirit by Graham McNeill
Angels of Caliban by Gav Thorpe
Praetorian of Dorn by John French
Master of Mankind by Aaron Dembski-Bowden
The Buried Dagger by James Swallow
Recommended:
Prospero Burns by Dan Abnett
Fear to Tread by James Swallow
Angel Exterminatus by Graham McNeill
Vulkan Lives by Nick Kyme
The Path of Heaven by Chris Wraight
The Silent War by L. J. Goulding
Garro- Weapon of Fate by L. J. Goulding
Slaves to Darkness by John French
Is this in order?
Good list
I love how chrono secretly loves John Grammaticus character
Honestly, chrono reminds me of Grammaticus
BOI IF U DONT
@@Warriorsoul101 John has more charisma
I have gotten through so many of the books all the way to Warhawk. I love John Grammaticus as a character. I appreciate his scenes every time they appear and can't wait for more.
Tsundere
I like Prospero Burns as a stand alone horror story. Casper Hauser is a pretty sympathetic character, and his multiple nightmare lives make a great cosmic horror story. Not the most important hh book, but really great for showing how terrible Chaos is. And it's nice to have true-hearted heros and brothers pull though.
Oh absolutely! I loved him development
Great channel. Thanks for the videos.@@livefromtheblacklibrary
Thank you!!!
"To Know No Fear" is awesome... I'm still not an Ultramarine fan, but upon reading this one, I have the utmost respect for the Ultramarines and Robute Gilliman... Two Favorite parts? "The Void Ship Fight where Bobby G goes H.A.M." and "Guilliman's Last Conversation with Lorgar" EPIC MOMENTS!!!!
Contender for most gripping/enjoyable read out of the whole series
4:34 I know this is a video about 40k and specifically the series, but the way you delivered this line resonated with me beyond this franchise. So many people don't read anything, not even lore stuff about their favorite things, and it really breaks my heart. So I'm glad to see a video encouraging reading period, since so many don't. Looking forward to seeing more of your 40K videos and future projects.
I loved “The Vengeful Spirit” and I can’t recommend it enough!
SAME ITS SO GOOD! Anything with Loken is good
@livefromtheblacklibrary I saw so many people hating him coming back and I really didn't get it honestly. Him coming back was a good plot
@@livefromtheblacklibrary He is my 2nd fav during the HH
Only thing that let me down was the audio performance of that book. Gareth is not the best.
I have a signed copy of it, it's a great book.
I was surprised not to see Mechanicum listed, I know a lot of people don't really enjoy it, I personally do. But I think it has a lot of world building for the Mechanicus and the Titan legions, and adds depth to the series. Maybe not required, but I'd definetly recommend it.
Mechanicum was fucking excellent
For sure, it was nice to read a book with almost no astartes and the focus being on mostly regular people was refreshing. Also added to the sense of scale for the universe seeing the war affect people who werent out on some alien shithole planet.
You are the first RUclipsr that I've seen who made a list of the Horus Hersey books by importance. When I first got into Warhammer I tried to find a list and I saw one on Reddit and by the Emperor that was confusing.
*Insert one scene of uncle ruckus "politely" telling a man to read*
PFFFFTTT LMAO
We have pretty much the same list of required and recommended. There are one or two on your Recommended list that I haven’t gotten around to yet, but I’ve read every one of the Required list.
after binging all of the videos on the channel, I really love the into theme...
and yeah, happy new year to you too!
Happy new year! And thank you! I save it for the longer videos
Fury of Magnus had shown the friendship between Perturabo and Magnus, as well as Magnus wanting Perturabo to join him in switching sides. However, what you said about what Magnus remembers of his encounter in the throne room seems to have thrown a wrench into my year-long perspective of it. While Mortis being as boring as it is even though I shed tears on a specific scene with Shiban, it was Perturabo's decision to leave the Heresy that I hoped you would notice or mention.
Shibans scene is why I actually love Mortis. Fury of magnus is important despite the end of mortis because it gives some insight onto what the thousand sons are doing after the solar war book where they are mentioned in passing.
Since I have read almost all of the books, I'm hyped to go back and read only the ones you suggest so I can keep up on lore. Thanks for all of the work, I know how long this stuff takes 💪🙏
AYYYY THANKS MAN! Glad I could help!
@@livefromtheblacklibrary BASED AND BLESSED BY THE EMPEROR 🙏🙏🙏🙏
I definitely think you should read Titandeath for anyone out there. True it’s not really that important(the only reason I actually read it was because of Sanguinius presence which was very minimum) but oh boy i actually really enjoyed it(and not just the small part involving Sanguinius) I really enjoyed the characters, we get to see the birth of a titan legion and a tragic story between two warlord Princeps of different titan legions, one of which is slowly falling to the influence of Khorne.
I just found it really engaging and Jonathan Keeble does a good job(as always) in the audiobook. We also get some Mechanicum content on both sides and great action as well. Again not necessary for the overall plot of the HH but if you like Titans then this is definitely one you should get.
I did read it after this video and you're right it was pretty good!
Probably I write too late for you to read, but:
1) Very happy about hearing those nice words for Chris Wright. He is not just the author who best understands the white scars, but also the space wolves (I can recommend his SW novels). His writing is not perfect (some action parts are completely irrelevant), but he is a great author (in fact his Siege of Terra book is the best one by far)
2) About Wolfbane, it is not needed but it is a good book. Also it explains why the hell is Leman missing (although it comes to nothing and leads to nothing)
3) About Sons of Selenar, it is not relevant for the Siege, but it is relevant for the 41st millenium
4) Mortis is indeed the worse book of the Siege, but the First wall is quite bad as well. I 100% skipped the part of the African recruits
For anyone who just wants the final list this is the timestamp to listen to 44:05
Every time i open youtube to put on something while i do some chores and end up listening that intro my day gets a little better, so nice you had a great year and i hope the next is even better.
Congrats on the 50K. One of life's secrets is to have a hobby that can let you decompress from the day to day grind. Also, parents can be a pain in the ass ( I also have that experience ). However, things can change on a dime and then they are gone. Find the positive within the negative. It sucks to have unresolved issues with a parent and never get to work it out before it's to late.
Thanks for the book list. Keep on kicking ass!!
Happy to watch the last video of 2023
I can’t wait for 2024 :D
Just realised three of the meme books all have the Suicide Squad/heist crew trope. Outcast Dead literally has a prison break. I actually feel nostalgic about them though.😂
I love the fact you left in the "last video of 2023" hahaha! Love your vids man!
This just reminded me how many HH books I’ve listened to that were not worth listening to. But all in all it’s been a great series. Took me years to get through them all but I still have strong memories of where I was and what I was doing when I was listening to some of the more epic parts of these books. Definitely helped make the many night shifts go by.
I have been waiting for a video like this, thank man.
NP DUDE!
Can’t wait for the new Bequin book Pandemonium .
Please do a video on the philosophy of the word bearers and why they and lorgar decided to join chaos.
My favorite segment of the HH series is probably the Imperium Secundus books (aside from Jawn sidetracking Unremembered Empire). Liked the dynamic of Guilliman, Sanguinius, and Lion. The Pharos plot, Curze going nanners and just having a grand ole time. Showing that Maccrage isnt completely without its shittier side.
I'm at the tail end of The Unremembered Empire right now and loving it and planning of reading Pharos soon after. I know what's going to happen to my two favorite characters in the series. I just want to have a good ugly cry over them
man chrono you never stop grinding with these videos. cheers bro
Thank god I found the Horus Heresy reading flow chart, made shit easy to know which books to prioritize for reading.
Good video for those looking to finish the entire heresy, I am comfy with only mechanicum under my belt, and might read Know no fear with the descrypition you gave.
It is really good. If you like the mechanicus, I would recommend 'Belisarius Cawl, the great work". Its one of my personal favorites
Dude, about the university bit and turning 27, literally me, im turning 27 in June and still got one more year before I can get my diploma if all goes well. Its nice to know more people than me are in a similar situation so just wanted to share that with you. Good luck and you make great videos!
If someone wants to get into Scars I can't recommend the audiobook version read by Shogo Myakita enough.
The Japanese accent he gives the White Scars just sounds really cool and goes a long way in making them distinct from other legions. It's a tremendous shame he wasn’t also reading The Path of Heaven and Warhawk. Jonathan Keeble does great work as always but his vague asian accent isn't nearly as good.
This is actually sick you made this bro I have read like 10 and this video is exactly what I needed. So far my favorite is the Warhawks book.
To be fair, my first book i read was the buried dagger, because i was on a field ex and wanted some books to read and i was just starting to get into 40k. The 2 40k books i found were spear of the emperor (1st 40k book i ever read), then buried dagger, which is the last book of the heresy. I then found and read fallen angels (book 11). I really enjoyed book 54 and 11, so decided i wanted the whole series. I then read the 1st 4 before taking abit of break from heresy, and reading some primarch novels, 40k novels and the 1st 2 Gaunt books
I laughed at Prospero Burns getting "the axe" I'll see myself out.
Space Marine Battle/Conquest Series in-depth look? Good stuff always lad
You got that canadian rise, Chrono
Wolfspear really is not skippable, it shows some of what the emperor did to make leman, (he's definately odin and fenris wolf combined in different measures) His spear is Gungnir slayer of wolves
And it's the book that introduces the plotline of Horus' wound and his final fall to being a slave to darkness, which I feel is an important one.
Im glad you added Fulgrim to required reading. I would have been kinda upset if you hadn't for the reasons you gave.
I am listening to all of the books in series order currently on book 34 Pharos. There are some ups and downs for sure but i really did like Descent Of Angels though, Its the only book I have listened to this far that shows a world where they are not that advanced and things like earth have become myth and the return of the emperor to their world and gives an interesting introduction to the Lion.
Excelent video chronotheharlequin and very funny Family Guy moment, I will wait very patiently for your 8 hour video criticizing the book Warrior Coven
XD ILL GET TO IT! And thank you!!!
"Angel Exterminatus" I love this one as well!!! As outgoing as Fulgrim is Perturabo steals the show in this book...! And we get to meet Nykona Sharrowkyn of the Raven Guard!!!!
Excellent run-down Chrono. Congrats on 50K.
Will use this as a road map for book buys.
Luck to you, Son of Perturabo! Looking forward what else you put out.
I really enjoy your channel. Your personal stuff is really quite touching. I hope you get to the place you want to be. Iron within, Iron without!!!
I really enjoyed Titandeath. The arc with Sanguinis and Mechanicum (and Legio Solaria) make a lot more sense and the politics going on. Also it adds a fair bit imho to Mortis.
Seeing 'A Thousand Sons' in this video has made my day, love seeing the Thousand Sons getting love.
I have read all of the dark angels books for the heresy. While i do think angels of caliban is the best choice, i dont think it works that well without the context from the first 2 and the short story. I liked all the DA books, but I dont know that i would put it in the required reading list.
I can sympathise with what you are saying about the books, I limit myself to one a month on Audible unless there are any sales on and the feeling from going from an excellent book to a middling or stinker of a book next in the series is palpable but I've committed to collecting them all so have to take the rough with the smooth. I'm just glad I didn't start collecting them back in the day and have to deal with this feeling over a longer period of time that people had to endure when waiting on the next release.
Too bad they seem to not be making paperbacks anymore, I'd rather read those than ruining my eyes
I love the intro man
You're a legend, Chrono. Thank you for your work 🙏
i recently found your channel and I have to say I'm very happy I did.
On my readthrough I read Angels of Caliban only, I agree its enough for the context. But now that I'm caught up I went back and read the first two Dark Angels books and I would highly recommend them. They're very self contained plotwise but they show you who Zahariel is, and now that I know him he's one of my favorite characters.
If you have time before TEATD 3 at least try and read Angels of Caliban, it seems like Zahariel is gonna have a big payoff and this will prime you for it.
I may have to do that. I remember skipping the early dark angels stuff. But now I’m at the end and I probably would get it more now
I cannot wait for The End and the Death Part 3 and see Horus collect the 40,000th Warhammer
Some short stories / Novellas absolutely not to be slept on - “Savage Weapons / Prince of Crows” duology not only setting up a portion of Unremembered Empire, but my favorite introduction to both Lion and Curze and their respective factions, ADB at his best. “Little Horus” and “The Iron Within” both awesome, “Grey Talon” and “The Crimson Fist” as well, the latter not a bad … proto introduction? To the Imperial Fists. John French is definitely one of the higher tier writers imho
I started out with Scars(the first white scar’s Horus heresy book) and then pathway to heaven then bounced around a lot because 1st, the White Scars are awesome and drew me into 40k. It does make a good starting point though
Path of heaven is an underrated gem in the series. When Yeseuigi sacrifices himself I think that was the closest I came to crying in a 40k book
When you drop warhammer videos it's a good day indeed
ı am very happy to hear you will be covering garro , he is one of my fav characters in the lore
I actually quite liked descent of angels, at least up until the emperor arrived on caliban. Started going down hill after that. I found the story of regular human knights fighting chaos tainted beasts with their crude power armor, pistols and chainswords to be far more compelling
I will say Descent of Angels (and I am Not a DA fan by any means) has lovely world building. Chronologically, I believe it predates Legion, and it’s a great look at what a planet and society would look like just coming out of Old Night. Does it flesh out the greater plot? Eh, not really, I guess. But it never tried to, and I think it does a fairly good job of what it sets out to do. It’s kind of like Nemesis in that way (yeah, I loved Nemesis).
Having half of the book be before the imperium arrives was dope, showed what their world was like and how it affected their legion later on.
Also important to set up Luther's character book which is really really good.
After all this time the planet named "murder" still make me chuckle, man so grimdank
Sons of the Selenar is actually pretty important on modern 40k story for without the events happening in that book Cawl wouldn't have his Primaris.
How many other people were worried that he was going to try to make a case for “Battle for the Abyss?”
Angels of Caliban was aite. It was cool getting to see The Lion bane-style Curze.
no no no . listen to me if you like 40k in general read whatever you get your hands on (except those older book before HH many of them make lil to no sense in many cases )
Except Eisenhorn! That’s still amazing
The comment I was looking for
52:10
That’s because.. Vulkhan
You’ll understand why he and his legion aren’t much of a factor in the siege if you read this.
Oh thank God chrono I was going to lose my mind. I read the first 4 books which were amazing and then I got to Fulgrim which has its high’s and LOW’S. I was pretty much just trying to get through them just so I could get to the Prospero arc since I heard it’s good. After that I just skipped over to “A Thousand Sons” since you don’t need to read anything before it. But thanks for this also can’t wait for what’s in store for the new year.
I´m halfway through the HH books, and such a list is Great for the choice of the next read! Plus i am German and glad to hear that you want to move here!
Hate to nitpick but the book is called Wolfsbane not Wolf Spear. Love the vid, keep up the great work!
I did a thousand sons and prospero burns in the order you recommended and I agree it hits very well.
Maybe another video about books that don't really advance the plot and should be skipped (Damnation of pythos for example) or maybe the HH character series? Lots of hits and misses there.
My favourite heresy book is First Heretic (so far ;)
That’s a GOOD one!
Outcast Dead has a super slow start, but overall, I liked it.
I like fulgrim book,that Graham Mcneil wrote he is good at writing tragedy. But....man, does he suck with writing sequel for fulgrim like shatter mirror.
There really needs to be a prequel to The Reflection Cracked.
If you want some Zeno’s read crisis of faith and Empire of lies for Farsight and also shadow sun the patient hunter . For some tau exspansion . And some gods
Saturnine is a great book, so far My favorite of all "Siege of Terra" series
Wolfsbane *IS* important and a good read. It should be read after Vengeful Spirit and Garro
Pharos and Ruinstorm are also crucial in the Imperium Secundus arc. Pharos is a good read, Ruinstorm is terrible but crucial nonetheless. They should be read in the sequence of 1. Fear to Tread 2. Unremembered Empire 3. Pharos 4. Angels of Caliban 5. Ruinstorm
I really feel like the only person that really liked Mortis. 😢
There are TWO of us 😂
I recall when Thousand Sons and Prospero Burns came out. I was a huge Space Wolves fanboy and read PB first. Eh.
I couldn’t have cared less about the Thousand Sons. I read it, and it became my favorite book in the entire series.
I thik it is really important to read path of heaven if you cared even a little for scars because if not you'll be asking yourself why certain really cool character is nowhere to be found during the siege of terra
I'm reading Fulgrim right now, feels like I'm about to leave the shallow end and start swimming 😂
"This book isn't good, I mean, John Grammaticus shows up!"
I remember reading Know No Fear, and when he showed up I made a disappointed sigh 😆 But he didn't stay long, so it was fine...
Omg I needed this list before I bought a shit load of HH audio books on sale.
Can't get enough of your Grammaticus bashing. I honestly like him very much. But I still enjoy the roasting.
Me watching the last video of 2023 come out in 2024
IT BE LIKE THAT
I have a question: Is there any faction/ subchapter that like to primarily fight bare handed? Or a group that desires to be up close personal?
Anything but the Space Wolves. (Dunno if they do fight bare handed but i know there is a Lycan esk subchaper) They just arent my primary intrest currently.
Having read all realesed novels, all 52 HH + SoT + Primarchs and I’d say your list is pretty much on point!
The Damnation of Pythos wins the worst novel out of the lot….painfully boring to read
If John gramaticus ends up being ollanius pius people will be furious
Keep at it bro. We understand adversity and will be patiently waiting for your videos. And if you need some help with getting lore on some of the books you haven't read or ones you don't find interesting i would be glad to help ya. Remember to stay strong. Iron Within! ✊
I'm telling you, there's some bloody good guard books.
Very hot take I've seen somewhere else: was it better not to cover the Horus Heresy at all and just leave it as mysterious legends from the past? ;/
Oooo! I will take this. TLDR: depends on what happens in the future.
So… there are three possibilities: 1) the way you described, where they never released it at all, and just legends of the past.
2) the way they did it. 70+ books.
3) the way it started out as. It was originally going to be just 10 books- straight through Horus being made Warmaster to Siege of Terra.
So:
1) to be fair, the only reason the Horus Heresy exists at all is because in 1989, GW could only afford one type of plastic model, and had to explain why two similar looking soldiers were fighting each other. As epic and legendary as the “less is more, leave it up to the imagination” lean is, we definitely needed a little more detail on what went down.
2) no. It did not have to be 60+ books/novellas/short stories/anthologies that lasted 18 years lol. You could argue money was the incentive if you want- but it honestly is give us a lot. Personally, seeing all the legion’s cultures before the fall was more interesting to me than where they ended up. We got a lot of good stories, still artisticly and passionately done (I give the ratio 5:3 of good:okay-bad stories, not a bad ratio of 60+ lol). Its major downfall is this- they gave too much. Way too much. This universe needs closure now. Which we will never get. There will never be an “ending”. They’re never going to take out one of the Deamon Primarchs, as much as we would love seeing Fulgrim or Mortarion killed. We will never see the emperor wake up. We will never see the Tyrnid’s main fleet from outside the galaxy reach the inner rim. Cause if they do- no one buys the models. They make plot progressions go for sure; Acadia fell, Gullan and Lion woke up- but were never going to have the closure we need. So it’s up to you if you think the quality of the stories make up for lack of closure.
3) this may have been the best idea. We’ll have to see how GW keeps progressing the plot. But 10 novels streamlined without so much detail- I think that would have made it perfectly like the D&D setting: enough knowledge to know the setting, not enough where every table has freedom to craft an ending.
I can absolutely vouch for Angels of Caliban being entirely skippable. I literally remember NOTHING that happened in that novel, other than that Typhus showed up, briefly, here and there.
A thousand sons is amazing, top ten. Magnus never fell, however
Banger intro, banger video, banger content creator
Magnus: but dad was a prick
Vulkan: no; dad is a prick
...
...
the solar war took me 5 attemps to read it and one to listen to it...and cant remember a single thing that happen in it
So I just found this channel and wanted to just give you a heads up: GW is extremely protective of there IP and if your channel picks up a lot more steam ( and hope it does)
I’m not sure if the name black library is copyrighted by them
But I just wanted to give you a heads up
Happy new year🎉
YOU TOO! 🧡