Top 10 Warhammer Books - The Best Black Library Books

[@schaaf9637]

It's ridiculous how expensive Warhammer books are... glad we have Audiobooks as an alternative for nearly all books

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

Absolutely agreed, the ebooks are a bit pricey for my tastes, but most of my audible credits go to black library books. I refuse to buy Warhammer books on eBay, and only pick them up second hand from local sales or used bookstores where they are usually more reasonably priced.

[@p3BA]

They are exactly the same price as any other novels, maybe even a bit cheaper.

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

@p3BA when they are in print. The issue is black library doesn't keep things in print long, then they skyrocket to triple digits on eBay/marketplace etc. For example check out eBay listings for titandeath, in Australia I can't seem to find one for less than $250

[@jessem1991]

@@BenjaminsBookclub that’s… immensely distasteful.

[@CrestORazors]

I know GW’s pricing is atrociously expensive ($2000 for a Titan, seriously) but this pricing is just wow

[@nadeeml9276]

Excellent video. Kinda wish there was a 'special mentions' section for Ciaphas Cain and Gaunt's Ghosts. Perhaps not in the top 11, but they come close. Looking forward to your future videos

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

If a Ghosts book were on the list I'd probably pick Guns of Tanith, which is as far as I have got in the series so far. Necropolis was also great.

[@kJD3.14]

I just find myself watching your videos and switching back and forth between KZbin and my audible account. Some great videos!

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

:D ha that's amazing, I should get an audible sponsorship one day haha, Ive had an account for like over a decade so I'm sure I'd still be in the negatives :D Thanks so much :)

[@S1mpski]

Another great one from the Horus heresy series, for me, is Angel Exterminatus. I really enjoyed the look into Perturabo's mind and his pretty pragmatic and human dream of a perfect world when Fulgrim looked into his mind, ("You don't know the things I dream. No one does, no one ever cared enough to find out" It was a powerful line for me personally.) I did not expect that from him and gained a lot more respect towards him and his legion also becoming one of my favorite legions :D. That also rose, for me, the question of what could have been, if he wasn't so neglected and turned traitor. Also, thanks for the Brothers of the Snake suggestion, it was awesome.

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

That's great to hear! I'm glad you enjoyed it! I also loved Angel Exterminatis, and also I loved Perturabo The Hammer of Olympus, made me fall in love with the Iron Warriors, my main Heresy army now :D

[@thneakythniper]

I've only read a handful of Warhammer 40k books so far, but I can already tell that Aaron Dembski-Bowden will be one of my favorite authors. I'm reading his Night Lords Omnibus rn. Talos is such a fun character to read about

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

He is just fantastic, the only things of his I havnt read Ive avoided because he keeps making me buy new armies by making them interesting, black Templars, black Legion, emperors spears, word eaters.....

[@thneakythniper]

@BenjaminsBookclub lol I got ahead of that. Before I fully got into the lore of Warhammer 40k, i told my wife to never let me get into army building no matter what. That way I don't financially cripple my family 😂

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

@@thneakythniper Ha, I got the little plastic space man bug back when I was like, 12, there was never any hope for me. 😅

[@chloe59k]

Excellent trilogy. Wish gw would make diaroma figures to paint based on the books not ment for the game so we can get the whole crew from those books. You will also like storm of iron book

[@AuramiteEX]

He used to be, imo.

[@james87367]

I’m so happy that I’ve read 70% of your top 10. I’ve listened to them all on audiobook countless times. Literally.

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

Sounds like there's 30% of the list for you to add to your wishlist :P Yeah I really enjoy the Black Library audiobooks, they are super easy listening, they almost always have fantastic narrators, great use of my Audible Sub. Just about to finish Cawl the Great Work on Audiobook today in fact! Thanks so much for watching!

[@chrishughes8102]

Know no Fear, the First Heretic and Betrayer made me love Wordbearers. The white scars books were my biggest surprise in the heresy, also fantastic!

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

Oh my gosh yes! Scars and Path to Heaven, two books I really didn't think would be great, but are some of the finest in the entire series I think. I just picked up the Word Bearers Omnibus, so keen to see if the 40k Word Bearers are as interesting as the 30k ones.

[@ryanexsus]

I had the exact opposite fuck the Word Bearers for real.

[@gtr5973]

Absolutely. Jaghatai and the White Scars were the loyalists MVPs of the heresy. While the big name legions and primarchs were fannying around navel gazing with imperium secundus, the WS were almost single handedly combating the traitor legions and still busted their arses to get back to Terra in time for the siege.

[@TraumaTeamRacing]

Just wanted to drop a comment. I think your presentation style is excellent. You are genuinely very engaging to listen to, and your enthusiasm for what you are talking about comes across very well. The fact you are speaking off the cuff with minimal edits demonstrates your knowledge on what you're talking about. I am very glad I stumbled across your channel 💪🏻 I've just gone down the Warhammer hole and I am deep into Eisenhorn (Xenos). I'm loving it! Keep up the good work and I'm looking forward to more of the book club. Subscribed 👍🏻

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

Wow thanks so much for the very very kind words. I really appreciate it! Make sure to come back and let me know when you finish up with Xenos! I adore that series :)

[@orlix666]

Great video. You really feel your passion for the material in it. Keep releasing content 👍🏻

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

Thanks so much! Means a lot

[@VerdeSocks]

Oh, this is great. I had picked up a few of your other warhammer recommendations from previous videos, great to have a video to come back to for the next one :)

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

Woo awesome! Thanks for checking it out! Let me know what you think of anything you've grabbed!! My favourite thing is when people come back and update me!

[@buddy-2575]

It is a great list you have their. I red over 150 books in the Warhammer Universe and i totaly agree with you. Greetings from Germany

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

Awesome! It's good to have someone well read agree with my choices, I will admit I was worried people would argue more with me :D Howdy from Australia! Thanks so much for watching! (Hey if you have the time, I'd love to know if my Amazon links below redirect to the proper german amazon when clicked, not trying to trick you into buying anything just interested if I set up the redirects correctly :D)

[@buddy-2575]

@@BenjaminsBookclub no problem. it redirects just fine 🙂

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

​@@buddy-2575thanks so much!

[@1mBearman]

Im a huge defender of Fulgrim from The Horus Heresy. The scene in the concert hall is so vivid I felt like I was there. Also the corruption across the ship was such a tragedy especially the rememberencers who fell in love. Easily my favourite warhammer book. Also why the emperors childrem became my favourite legion.

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

I also love Fulgrim. If this was top 11 maybe it's there. I had a very hard time narrowing the 100 or so warhammer books I've read down to 10, and I'm sure if I made this video again in a month's time things would change :) I agree the concert hall scene is brilliantly done. I also love any of the HH novels that show the legion before the start of the Heresy and Fulgrim does that fantastically.

[@1mBearman]

@BenjaminsBookclub absolutely! I also love seeing character who don't fall as well or don't embrace chaos the same way. There is a character in Eidelon like that which was really cool to see.

[@Sercotani]

getting right into it made me instantly like the video, although at 1:00 there's an error where you referred to Dante as a "primarch" when he's actually a Chapter Master..

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

Ah damnit, I did that a few times when recording😔 thought I'd caught them all. Oh well thanks for finding it 😄

[@ticker0157]

​@@BenjaminsBookclubmiss speaking when talking about warhammer lore is pretty much a guarantee

[@blakearius]

I'm about half way through Xenos atm based off your recommendation. Kinda gives me batman vibes, stern badass plays detective. Would probably be the perfect series for amazon to adapt for a TV series.

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

Batman is a good call for an inquisitor. I think when recording was the first time I realized I may have to describe what an inquisitor is, without just saying the word "inquisitor" it's odd, having been involved with warhammer lore or like 2 decades, the idea of not knowing what an inquisitor was didn't cross my mind. I think Eisenhorn would be the perfect TV show!

[@ThroatSore]

Straight into the contents. Good stuff.

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

Thanks for watching! Sorry for all the space marines

[@charactergeneric1885]

Although you've got a very solid top list, I'd argue with a huge amount of The Horus Heresy books. I'd recommend to add some Warhammer Crime novels, Bloodlines is just amazing. Then I'd add The Vaults of Terra trilogy. It reveals life of usual imperial citizens. Chris Wraight is so masterful in WH40k worldbuiling. Then let's talk about "recent" events. Dark Imperium trilogy is just gorgeous. Check it out, you'll definitely love it. The Avenging Son, the first book of "Dawn of Fire" series is a solid novel with so many POVs. Again, that's something that I think is worth reading even without checking my library, :) Thanks for the video, we need more booktubers who talk about cyberpunk and Warhammer 40000. Cheers!

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

I've picked up a few of the Warhammer crime books now, havnt got to them yet though. I read the first vaults of terra book, but it didn't grip me, and I was listening to the audio book in short bursts, if I can find a paperback of it I think I'd give it another go. I also just picked up dark imperium to give that one a go! Thanks so much for watching!

[@HistoritorJimaldus]

Watchers of the Throne > Vaults of Terra - both by Chris Wraight, both happening on Terra at the same time :)

[@abillington8759]

Know No Fear is one of the few Heresy books I reread a lot. Genuinely an outstanding book.

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

I've only read it twice, but I am considering giving the Audiobook a go for a third read!

[@HistoritorJimaldus]

A disaster movie that becomes a war story

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

​@@HistoritorJimaldusgreat tagline for it!

[@Eschrich13]

I need to give it another shot, I read it sandwiched between First Heretic and Betrayer and it felt so flat compared to how great those other 2 are. Everyone loves it though so I must be missing something.

[@MidnightHozz]

Have not read nearly as many of these as you but I have read enough to know that ADB is the best 40K author.

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

He is just brilliant!

[@HistoritorJimaldus]

It is certainly arguable! Chris Wraight is a contender too, and Dan Abnett of course.

[@blakemyers643]

Second best Dan abnett is the best. Adb puts to many of his daddy issues into his work to be number 1

[@MidnightHozz]

@ Haven’t noticed daddy issues. I think Abnett is good, but some of his work is overrated

[@sebastiaanboonstra7471]

Nonsense. It’s Dan Abnett.

[@DJchrismiller1]

I just ordered “Horus Rising” as it’s listed as book 1. Should I not start there? Do you recommend I start with “Night Lords” instead?

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

I have a whole video with 8 different books I would suggest as starting points. A lot of people start with the Horus Heresy, which Horus Rising is the first book of, and love it, I personally think that, because it's essentially a prequel taking place 10k years before the current timeline, some knowledge of the universe as it stands now makes the tragedy and emotional impact of the Horus Heresy books work better, but a lot of people disagree with me. If you have already ordered it I'd say it's perfectly fine to start there, you won't be confused or missing information for the story it's telling.

[@DJchrismiller1]

@@BenjaminsBookclubTy! I’ll look for that vid too.

[@chloe59k]

I'd recommend watching some basic lore videos first no matter what book you get. It will help get an idea of what the universe looks like. I started with the first 5 horus heresy books then went to night lords but also watched alot of lore videos that didn't spoil specific books

[@jl9782]

I started in hh then after the first 4 books. I would hop in and out. the hh striate though would in my opinion become grating.

[@TheLastArchive]

Thanks for the list, you've really helped me FINALLY sink my teeth into the Warhammer novels and I've been having a blast. I 100% agree that GW and BL should keep these books in print because I much prefer owning physical books over eBooks, but at the same time I can understand from a business perspective that keeping hundreds of books in print with constant new releases would be immensely expensive. As much as I enjoy scouring any 2nd hand book and charity shop I come across (A Thousand Sons will be mine in due time), I would much prefer the convenience of buying directly from BL haha. Surely they see the triple digit prices on eBay and think "There's demand for this" ???

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

That's amazing to hear! Really makes my day :D thanks so much! They never would, but I look at the indie books I buy on amazon that have "Printed by Amazon" on the back page, and I just wish that GW/BL would just do that after their initial print run. Surely some cut of the money is better than the 0 they are getting from third party sales. I also abhore the way they release books, prime example right now is Interceptor City, I badly want to read that, but so far only the Super Special Collectors edition that's like $250AUD has been released, and we don't even have a release date for the Hard/Paperback copies, and it's been months. Such a frustrating company to try to support haha.

[@Pawguinius]

I just finished the Night Lords omnibus. Was excellent 👍

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

Awesome! So glad to hear you enjoyed it!

[@aggersamf]

Totally with you on Know no Fear. It gave same feeling as Red Wedding in ASOIAF.

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

Agreed, some real powerful moments.

[@eergegerg23]

Planetary scale Red Wedding.

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

@eergegerg23 Horus sends his regards

[@NorscaWolves]

The talon of Horus and the black legion were my first books that I listened through audible with Jonathan keeble narrating and I'll be collecting Black legion going forward. From shame and shadow recast, in black and gold reborn.

[@NorscaWolves]

Having just finished those I'm literally on the first heretic and I've betrayer lined up after I'm so happy my solo choices on getting into the novels are apparently good picks

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

ADB took the Black Legion from just "the bad guys" to a group of characters with goals and ambitions that I absolutely get, and can root for. I don't think anyone else writes "the bad guys" as good as ADB, not even just in Warhammer, but in all the novels I've read noone has captured it as well as he has.

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

Yup, some fantastic choices! If you want to continue the Bad guys train after that I would suggest the Nightlords Trilogy!

[@scotthuizinga]

I have not read all of your recommendations, but I am in the middle of the Forge of Mars and it is AMAZING. It’s got titans, black templars, exploration and the perspective of the lowest and the top of a massive space vessel from the golden age is just great. I don’t know how it ends yet, but it’s a blast so far. I can’t recommend this enough.

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

Agreed I love that trilogy. It is on my beginner book suggestions as it does feel like a bit of a taster plate of the 40k imperium factions. I really enjoyed it! Definitely would get an honorable mention if I did them in the video!

[@scotthuizinga]

@@BenjaminsBookclubthat makes sense. I’m fairly new to 40K I’ve only been reading for the past year and this book really helped me get into the world without feeling like I’m reading a codex.

[@Zinian]

My favorite are the Last Chancers series because they're written from the viewpoint of regular grunts and criminals of the Imperium. It's also got one HELL of a great ending. (At the end of the third book.)

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

I have had this one on my TBR for awhile, havnt found a copy yet, and I figured one guard series at a time was plenty, but after I finish Gaunts Ghosts I'll jump in!

[@sanguinius01z]

Great video man! Definitely going to try some of these.

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

Awesome! Make sure to come back and let me know what you picked and what you thought!

[@stormblessed8877]

Excellent list. Some absolute classics. Only one i have yet to read is Infinite/Divine

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

Thanks so much for watching! Let me know if you decide to check it out!

[@joesheridan9451]

Chris Wraight lords of silence. I think it gives abds night lords a real run for its money in terms of traitor stuff and it’s just a single book

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

I have been hunting a reasonably priced copy of that for ages. One day I will luck into a copy less than $200

[@joesheridan9451]

@@BenjaminsBookclub I gave up trying to get 40k books physically a long time ago. I use kindle

[@xevious4142]

Highly recommend the Emperor's gift by ADB too. Essential Grey Knights lore and goes into some stuff regarding Angron, the first war of Armageddon and the space wolves

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

So every ADB book has made me buy the army its based on, Grey Knights are especially tempting, because I collected them in High School. I have the book on my shelf, I am holding off reading it until Grey Knights get the rumored range refresh, so then when I inevitably buy them after reading the book I'm at least buying new models ha!

[@serarthurdayne9490]

This is a good list. Shame Master of Mankind couldn’t find a spot on there somewhere. Maybe you need to do a top 50!

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

Im sure if I did a top 50 I would still somehow miss a bunch of books :D I havn't read Master of Mankind yet, I need to read like, 4 more HH books then it'll be on deck.

[@NouMPSy]

No Gaunts Ghosts mentions is kinda criminal :D I agree that its bad for new new readers, but I would also argue that Infinite and the Divine is a good 40k starter book for someone who is already familiar with grand scifi novels, or maybe even space operas. it creates a fascinating world touching several races and their interactions, gives tidbits which will give newer reader a cool "oh shit" moment later on (such as when they find out what a Krork is), all the while focusing on two of the (surprisingly) most human characters in the entire 40k universe.

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

Yeah I think its a great book, just need a tad of background knowledge, not a lot, but a little bit. Gaunts Ghosts, I struggled getting it on the list, I kept being like "I'll put Guns of Tanith, wait no, that one builds on Honour Guard, which Built on Necropolis, which buil.." and I couldn't nail it down, it doesn't have the easy trilogies some of the other books on the list had. If I were to pick one book, it'd be Guns of Tanith, which is as far as I have got so far in the series.

[@NymeriaDT]

Thank you for this video. I am trying to get literate on Warhammer 40k ever since Henry Cavill said he was working on it. I knew it was a tabletop game but that was the limit and the extent of my knowledge. I've been watching KZbin videos to to obtain a summary overview of the entire lore but I do want to read books that are core to the series. I know there's like a hundred and fifty of them and your video helps cull that down a lot

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

Thanks so much for watching! Yeah it is a daunting universe with all the games, books, videos, shows. Have you seen the Warhammer 40k episode of Secret Lair that just dropped on Prime? It was great! If you are looking for any more advice on where to startz I also have a video where I go over a few of my choices for great starting points, it's a bit older and the quality isn't up to my standards anymore but I stand by the content :) kzbin.info/www/bejne/qJazXqGpqq5nqNU

[@NymeriaDT]

@BenjaminsBookclub Thank you so much

[@thehunter24]

Just realised the stack of Iain M Banks books behind you. Very nice!

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

I adore the culture series :)

[@paulcremin42]

I dont agree with all of these, but numbers 1 and 2 are absolutely spot on. 🤘🔥

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

Rock on! I don't think I've ever seen a top 10 list Ive agreed with 100% ha. I so badly want to read more Night lords stuff by ADB, come on Black Library.

[@snowmanschneemann5443]

Good review, and I quite agree. Although, I need to look into Titanicus and Helsreach. With that said, I’ve just finished the Ahriman omnibus and have to say I was captivated from page 1.

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

I think Ahriman is my next big omnibus/series. I've had it on the shelf for years

[@blakemyers643]

​@@BenjaminsBookclubI'm working through the audiobooks right now and it has some of the strongest narration I've heard from there audiobooks so far

[@trentonbaird8956]

My favorite Blood Angels book is the Bloodquest comic. It is awesome!

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

I have never read any of the 40k comics, I need to track that one down for sure! Thanks!

[@toothpicktomo9964]

Good to see a bit of Pierce Brown in the background. Great series.

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

Agreed! Read the first three, waiting for the next book to be a bit closer before I continue the series! I think I reviewed all three on the channel too :)

[@alexandergilhespie5295]

I've just finished spear of the emporer and wow the ending was so good I had to flick to previous chapters with my new gifted hindsight. Hats off to ADB

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

Yeah it was one of those books where it just clicks at the end and made me flip back as well! I also started an Emperors Spears little force right after finishing it :D

[@Pergattori]

Great video, but really jealous of those Wheel of Time books in the background

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

Would it make you angrier, to know, I have read none of them?

[@Pergattori]

@@BenjaminsBookclub haha, not at all, please just dont start with that abortion of a series on prime , but if you like LOTR, give it a go....if you can find the time that is

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

@@Pergattori It is going to be book 10 in my Fantasy Reading Challenge this year, so it's up next! I purchased the whole box set, because I'd had my eye on the books for years, and then one day in the book store I noticed that book 1 had been replaced with a TV show tie in cover and book 2 & 3 had the awful fake stickers on them. So I had a gift card from a friend that was the exact amount for the full collection of box sets, and the covers on those hadn't been, molested, yet, so I just pulled the trigger, can't stand TV Show/Movie covers/"stickers"

[@joemillward4711]

Glad to see Betrayer/The First Heretic so high up read most of the traitor perspective books and the duel at the end of betrayer is iconic. I'm a big fan of the Erebus short story Child of Chaos he's such a unapologetic character love to hate him

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

Some of the bits of Betrayer, left me speechless, I won't say what for spoilers but I had to put the book down and go for a walk after one reveal.

[@hehmda672]

Damn, bro, if I would create the top-10 warhammer books list, I would do it of the same books! Our tastes are the same. These books are really good. Btw, I’ve read eisenhorn when I was a teenager, like 16yo, and I’ve reread it few month ago, when I’m 34 and trilogy is still very good. And I’m generally a classic literature person, like Somerset Moem, Turgenev or Anton Chekhov.

[@preben555]

A lot of great books here! If you like stories about blood angels in 40k era I highly recommend "Death of Integrity" by Guy Haley. It's got blood drinkers, novamarines, machanicum and genestealers. And the plot twist in that book is awesome.

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

This is a book I have had on my wishlist for years, but I can just never find a copy for a reasonable price, and I don't think it even has an audiobook :( I've always wanted the space hulk books as well!

[@julianfeo1995]

Relatively new to the 40k novels having only listened to about 8 currently but cadian blood by ADB has been my favourite so far really enjoyed that one

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

Well this is crazy, there is a Cadian Novel, the regiment of guard I collect, written by ADB, my favorite black library author, and I had no idea it even existed! I am going to source a copy ASAP! Thanks so much!

[@julianfeo1995]

@BenjaminsBookclub no problems it's a brilliant read/listen, you are spot on about his character writing. Every character is so well written and likeable even the ones your supposed to hate

[@syncarn]

Assasinorum: Kingmaker is an amazing book that is worthy of your list! I've read 40+ Black Library books and it is my favorite.

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

I have heard a few people recommending it now, I would never of checked it out as I've never been super interested in the assasornorium much, but I think I'll add it to my TBR pile and try to find a copy! Thanks so much!

[@hamburger-n5p]

Are there books that lead up to the Horus Heresy? I feel like there’s something out there with Hastur getting killed but I don’t know what book/series that would be

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

Some of the Horus heresy books take place before the real start of the heresy, but as for a series that leads into it I don't believe so. I know hastur is mentioned in a few heresy books here and there, but I don't believe (I could very well be wrong) there is a book about him, I think he's in the prequel of Fear to Tread, but other than that I can't remember any sorry!

[@hamburger-n5p]

@ really? Damn. The way Horus Rising starts off it feels like I missed a lot leading up to it. I wasn’t sure if there was something out there that fleshed out the Luna Wolves a little better pre-Heresy

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

@@hamburger-n5p The Horus Heresy follows on the backend of the Emperors Great Crusade, his reconquering of the galaxy after the Dark Age of Technology. I suspect it is supposed to feel as though something is missing, it is telling the story of the end of something great. A few books deal with parts of the Great Crusade, including the first parts of Fulgrim. A lot of the Primarch books do take place before the Horus Heresy and might help fill some of those gaps.

[@skulver]

I never realised old Warhammer 40k books were so expensive. I might have to dig through the archives here lol.

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

Could have a nice pay cheque hiding in the shelves! Let me know what you find!

[@te7940]

Great video! I really enjoyed watching this! I've been reading W40k books for two years now and I've read 34 books so far. From your list I've read: The Devastation of Baal The Invinite and the Divine Titanicus Eisenhorn trilogy Night Lords trilogy I'm currently listening to Helsreach. I agree with Night Lords, Eisenhorn and Devastation being awesome. I really didn't like Titanicus (just read it a week ago). Too much action, too little story (yes, titan lore is cool, main story thing is cool, but aside from that there wasn't much story). My top 5 would be 5 Fifteen Hours (probably odd one in this list but I loved it. A new Imperial guardsman ends up on the wrong battle front due to a clerical error. The battle is fought much like WWI with trenches) 4 Spear of the Emperor (if this was made into a movie it would be Apocalypse Now) 3 Necropolis (Gaunt's Ghosts) 2 The Devastation of Baal 1 Night Lords

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

I adored Spear of the Empeor as well, made me start a small primaris spears army, can't wait for book two! I hadn't heard of Fifteen Hours before, it sounds great! I will check it out! Thanks so much!

[@PsyKotyK]

Have you read konrad Cruze book ? Should that be read b4 night lords or does it matter?

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

I haven't read it, so it didn't effect my enjoyment of it. The Nightlords stuff has some flashbacks that deal with Cruze, so you get the background you need for him.

[@shadeofheresy]

Talon of Horus is so epic. All ADBs books are fantastic tbh. First Heretic, Master of Mankind, Betrayer, Helsreach....feel like Ciaphas Cain needed to be on there.

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

I did really like Ciaphas Cain, for me humour in books doesn't often land, I'm not big on comedy. The comedy in Cain is fantastic though, and maybe if it was fresher in my mind (Last read Cain years ago) it might of made it on the list.

[@sog242]

I am all with you onthe Dembski Bowden hype train. Not a fan of number 5 but a big thanks for the number 1. I'll take a look.

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

Aw no love for Helsreach? That's fair :) If you didn't love the book, you might like the fan animation that was made based on it, I'd say check it out, I loved it as well :D Let me know what you think!

[@Questpeace]

The one Warhammer-related purchase I haven't made since becoming a fan during the pandemic-- an ereader. At this point, they should offer one. I wish the Black Library had the money (???) to keep their books in print after a certain date (until the next date, years and years later). Got me a well-loved Flight of the Eisenstein for [redacted]. Got the hardback of Titanicus in great condition for [redacted, except this time it was a steal]. As a lifelong lover of novels and a more recent lover of Warhammer-- greatly enjoying the Infinite and the Divine is natural and appropriate. It's the most unique book I've read from the Black Library, and one of the most accomplished literarily.

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

Agreed, The Infinite and The Divine was great, I really hope it starts a push for more interesting Xeno fronted BL books. I'm not sure I would want a Games Workshop e-reader, unless it came on a sprue and you had to put it together yourself :D. My go to format for the books I can't get is Audiobook, the narrators they get are almost always fantastic.

[@Questpeace]

@BenjaminsBookclub I'm bad at audiobooks, personally, but I'm more down to assemble my own eReader than you could fathom haha! Thanks again for the video!

[@Wu.Tang.Financial]

Love the list, but gotta have gaunts ghosts for me. So much focus on the space marines in 40k, I love seeing it from a guard perspective. Necropolis has to be one of my favorites, a defense of a besieged hive city from heretics is just metal as hell.

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

I struggled getting the Gaunts Ghosts on the list. I think I overthought it to be honest. I have only read the first, I want to say five, but I am really enjoying it. I wanted to put Guns of Tanith on the list, but the caveat is you have to of read Honour Guard, and Necropolis, and The rest, and I just couldn't figure out an easy way to slot them all in. Guns of Tanith or Necropolis should probably be on the list you're right.

[@Wu.Tang.Financial]

@ there’s so many to choose from, and you listed all bangers (haven’t read titanicus yet) and I agree that nobody writes the chaos baddies like ADB. The night lords trilogy is so so good

[@luker5674]

Know No Fear is one of the best books I’ve ever read. Possibly one of the most cinematic books, proper Bayhem

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

I learnt a new word today, and Bayhem absolutly describes Know No Fear!

[@hehmda672]

Damn, bro, if I would create the top-10 warhammer books list, I would do it of the same books! Our tastes are the same. These books are really good. Btw, I’ve read eisenhorn when I was a teenager, like 16yo, and I’ve reread it few month ago, when I’m 34 and books is still very good. And I’m generally a classic literature person, like Somerset Moem, Turgenev or Anton Chekhov. And extra respect for adding The First Heretic, I think this is the best HH story. For some reason it is often overshadowed by books like Galaxy Burns

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

First Heretic is just superb! Have you read the rest of Abnetts Inquisitor stuff? I have only read the four Eisenhorn novels so far, I keep meaning to start Ravenor but just havn't gotten around to it yet.

[@hehmda672]

@BenjaminsBookclub yes, Ravenor is also great, on a level of eisenhorn and in some cases even better. Bequin series is also nice, while in some places I feel "nu gw".

[@squashedhobbit6049]

When ibe finished my current warhammer book ive got night lords on my shelf waiting to be read next, really looking forward to it

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

I really hope you enjoy it! I loved it (clearly) make sure to come back and let me know what you thought! What is your current read?

[@squashedhobbit6049]

@@BenjaminsBookclub I'm currently reading The last Whiteshield omnibus, it's an ok read, but really it's my love of the Astra Millitarum and Cadia that's carrying it

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

@squashedhobbit6049 I own a good dozen Leman Russ's and a couple Baneblade Variants, I have been eyeing more guard books, I think I want to read Baneblade by Guy Haley next.

[@squashedhobbit6049]

@@BenjaminsBookclub I've dabbled in 40k books for years but only recently really getting into it, I've recently started collected the Mini's and it was a toss up between the Astra Millitarum or Death guard, I went with Death Guard as they are my favourite chaos and I like the lore of nurgle.

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

@squashedhobbit6049 they are also an absolute joy to paint, Ive painted about a dozen plague marines in like 6 different schemes, so much fun.

[@mrn7900]

Interesting list, and with so much to choose from, it's really hard to narrow things down to a top ten. But uh... no love for the Imperial Guard? Gaunts Ghosts? That was the series that got me interested in WH40K novels again after a few years of following other interests. Non Astartes characters are more relatable, and there are several scenes in the Gaunts Ghosts series which brilliantly show just how different the average guardsman is to a Marine. Having said that, I enjoyed your breakdowns of this top ten. Nice stuff. :)

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

I'm very new to Gaunts ghosts, only started them a few months ago, just finished Guns of Tanith. Necropolis has been my favourite so far.

[@mrn7900]

@@BenjaminsBookclub I couldn't pick a favourite book from Gaunts Ghosts, but I can remember plenty of favourite characters and scenes. Marines don't appear very often in this series, but when they do, they are clearly a different breed than the Guardsmen. Don't want to give away too much, but there's a scene in one of the later books where the Ghosts are hard pressed trying to repulse a boarding party trying to take their transport ship. Three Astartes arrive at the breach point and the tide of battle completely turns. Just three Marines. If you ever review this series, I'd love to hear your thoughts. :)

[@jjkrayenhagen]

I kind of disagree with Prospero Burns and A Thousand Sons. They were released in the order you suggested, but I think reading Prospero Burns first keeps you in the dark as to just how much the Space Wolves were manipulated and I think that was going to be the original release order.

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

Oh that's interesting, I had never even considered flipping their order. It would definitely change the feeling towards the space wolves during Propsero Burns. I think the anger/tragedy of Prospero Burns following A Thousand Sons is very powerful though, knowing they are being misled but powerless to change it. A very interesting thought, I think either order is going to be great and leave you with different sentiments. Thanks so much!

[@larsickenroth7169]

Very much recommend 'The Lords of Silence' (Death Guard), it's gruesome, terrifying but also pretty funny and tragic.

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

Added to the TBR!

[@misomiso8228]

Great list. Here are a couple of other suggestions... Double Eagle - Fantastic Stand Alone Dan Abnett book. Titanicus but with planes instead of Titans. The Emperor’s Gift - Underrated ADB, but one of his best. Lord of the Night - Nightlords before ADB. Great Simon Spurrier book. Fire Caste - No 40k list is complete without a Peter Fehervari book. He's the closest BL has to a cult author. Mature. Daemon World - Weird and wonderful entry by Ben Coulter. The Masque of Vyle - Great contained short story from Andy Chambers, one of the architects of modern 40k. Carrion Throne - Detective story by Chris Wraight based on Holy Terra. Riders of the Dead - Another Stand alone by the master DA, but this time set in the Old World. Dracenfels - One of the earliest GW books ever written, and still a classic.

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

A great list of suggestions! I have read and absolutly loved Double Eagle, it's a book I recomend to newer readers as well, it reads like Masters of the Air but in 40k, brilliant. I listened to Carrion Throne on Audio Book, but I didn't give it the chance it needed, I was doing lots of short trips as we moved houses, so I listened to it in like 5-10minute chunks. Also the audiobook gave voices to a few charecters that I really struggled to understand, so I want to try to find a paperback one day and give it a re-read. The rest I have either not read, or for a few, not heard of :O Added to my TBR! Thanks so much!

[@misomiso8228]

@@BenjaminsBookclub Cool! Mask of Vyle is very short and so easy to fit in between books. Emperor's Gift is ADB's most underrated book. It's a real gem. Riders of the Dead if Classic Dan Abnett. it's my favourite Old World book. Worth a read.

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

@@misomiso8228 So I have Emperors Gift sitting on my shelf. I am 100% certain I'll love it. But I also know it'll make me want to buy Grey Knight models...so I might wait until they get a range refreash to read it :D

[@BIGPAPADILF]

No Chris Wraight or Sandy Mitchell? Phenomenal recommendations but keep grinding out that Horus heresy because Chris Wraight really starts standing out as one of the best black library authors in the novels close to the end of the HH. Also Dan Abnett really out does himself in the siege of terra series, absolutely gripping. Dude... How in the world did the Ciaphas Cain series not make it anywhere on the list? I've started recommending it as the best beginner book over Eisenhorn. P.S. lovely commentary, you did a great job, keep reading!

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

Thanks so much! I suspect Cain didn't make it just due to how long ago I read any of it. I think I read the first four books like 10 years ago. And while I definitely loved them, comedy doesn't often hit me quite right, and it rarely stays with me over time. I think if I read it again, which I am tempted too, it might raise up the list again. As for a beginner book, when I was putting my list of beginner books together I stayed away from it, just because I think having a good understanding of the universe and the major players, either from the game, wiki, KZbin, books etc, will help the jokes land a bit better. Especially knowledge about inquisitors and comissars, but it has been a long time so I may be wrong there.

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

As for Chris Wraight, Scars and The Path of Heaven were outstanding, completely blew me away, I expected them to be okay at best, and only really grabbed them cause I got them at MSRP at my local store but they were phenomenal. The only other Wraight I've "read" is The Carrion Throne, which I have to admit I didn't give a good chance to, I listened to it on Audiobook as moving houses, so it was short 5-10 minute stretches, often while I was distracted, I didn't pay enough attention to it, and have vowed to find a physical copy for a reread

[@BIGPAPADILF]

@@BenjaminsBookclub your reasoning makes total sense. Comedy in the grimdark setting is difficult to pull off and feels a bit off when not done the right way. My experience on recommending books for beginners is probably quite a bit smaller than yours. For me, after recommending Eisenhorn to a handful of the guys in my friend group they all seemed to hit me with the same response, that Dan Abnetts writing is phenomenal yet they got lost in or intimidated by his vivid imagery. Not quite getting around to seeing the brilliance of his character development. But after recommending Ciaphas Cain they were able to relate a bit more and throughout his series were introduced to a handful of the factions in the series. My small experience. I totally love the whole series and regularly reread it.

[@BIGPAPADILF]

@@BenjaminsBookclub for Chris Wraight, my favorite books of his are Warhawk, Scars, then Path of Heaven, and the outlier book Valdor. Warhawk and Scars being a couple of my favorite books in the HH. You're well versed in your 30k/40k and I look forward to catching up on some of your videos and seeing what more is to come. Have a blessed day boss!

[@mrgoodkat8567]

Helsreach makes you feel a certain way. Grimaldus keeps bringing up his gut feeling that his death is near. The gloom and depression you mentioned is almost palpable

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

Absolutely, the melancholy of a book that is otherwise just a Warhammer bolter porn story is so well done.

[@kJD3.14]

Out of curiosity and this question could be for anyone. With so many many books being in The Horus Heresy story arc should they be read in order as they are numbered or is there a reading order that maybe connects the different books in the series better? Much like in this video where you mention a couple books that talk about the same events but aren’t numbered one after the other in the series. This may be a more complicated answer than I realize since I’m new to this universe if so I apologize.

[@Jock-jb4no]

The first three books should be read first 1. Horus Rising, 2. False Gods & 3. Galaxy In Flames. as these books marks the very beginnings of the heresy Book 4 The Flight Of The Eisenstein takes places straight after the events of book 3 but can be skipped The rest of the books can be read in any order as the time line skipps all over the place after book 3. The Siege Of Terra books mark the very end of the heresy, so should be read last or after you've read all the books from the heresy series that your interested in

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

I'd say read the first three, I would say read book 4 just because it's really good, after that you can mostly just pick and choose from which storylines interest you, lots of big scary graphs you can check out too.

[@kJD3.14]

Awesome thanks for the info. I’ll definitely be looking more into it.

[@HistoritorJimaldus]

Have you seen Mira Manga’s interviews with some of these authors? :) she has one with Abnett on Titanicus

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

Ohh I havnt I'll check them out thanks!!

[@HistoritorJimaldus]

@@BenjaminsBookclub ADB coming soon hopefully, if GW allow it :)

[@ditlevbjerregaard571]

It is a cool list. I tend to prefer non-action focused books, like "Day of Ascension", "Bloodlines", "The Twice-Dead King", but nothing beats the Night Lords trilogy.

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

Ha, Three books that I have high on my TBR/Wishlist. I own Bloodlines and it'll probably get read early next year. I tried for hours searching the internet for affordable copies of Twice Dead King but no luck :( Day of Ascension is super interesting to me, I adore the genestealer cults, and I love Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky, so it's also on my list of books I need to source! Thanks so much!

[@cybernac3213]

@@BenjaminsBookclub Twice Dead King is genuinely one of the best books that I have read in years, Warhammer or not. If you give it a chance, I personally think you'll like it better than Infinite and the Divine.

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

@cybernac3213 I will redouble my efforts to find a copy! Huzzah

[@chloe59k]

Just finished storm of iron and it might be my new highest recommend. It's what warhammer is supposed to be.

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

Yeah I think forgetting to find a spot for Storm of Iron on this list is my biggest regret of the video. It is a remarkable book.

[@fran_akron]

Sorry the question, but im at work right now..... Which books of those are stand alone books?

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

The Infinite and the Divine, Helsreach and Titanicus are all stand alone. Night lords is a trilogy sold in one omnibus,

[@fran_akron]

@@BenjaminsBookclub thank u mate

[@Nygaard2]

Completely agree that Aaron D-Bowden is the strongest writer currently working for Black Library.

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

I am terrible at keeping up to date on things in publishing news (as a booktuber I should get better at that ha) but I really hope we get a new ADB novel soon, I'll take anything, 3rd BL book, 2nd emperors spears book, New focus, Nightlords continuation, give me anythign ADB GW please!

[@CrestORazors]

Have you read the Fabius Bile series?

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

Not yet! I just finished Cawl the Great Work, so I think my next series for 40k will be Bile, probably start it in the new year, then follow it up with Genefather.

[@davidk6269]

My top Warhammer books include the following (in no particular order): Inquisitor trilogy ("Inquisitor", "Harlequin" and "Chaos Child") by Ian Watson Eisenhorn trilogy by Dan Abnett Ravenor trilogy by Dan Abnett "Lord of the Night" by Simon Spurrier Word Bearers trilogy ("Dark Apostle", "Dark Creed", "Dark Disciple") by Anthony Reynolds "Shadow Point" by Gordon Rennie "Execution Hour" by Gordon Rennie Ciaphas Cain novels by Sandy Mitchell Gaunt's Ghosts novels by Dan Abnett "Horus Rising" by Dan Abnett

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

God I have been trying to find extraction point and the other battlefleet gothic book for years, always hideously expensive. One day I'll break down and source the ebook. I have just picked up that word bearers omnibus! Keen to get into it!

[@davidk6269]

@@BenjaminsBookclub Thanks for you reply! I hope that you enjoy the Word Bearers novels as much as I did! Sadly, the third novel has (in my opinion) some minor continuity problems and typographical errors towards the end--the book must have been rushed out, I assume. Regarding "Extraction Point" and "Shadow Point", if you do not want to splurge for the out-of-print books, ABorder Prince on his YT channel has done a dramatic reading of both. You might want to check it out. ; )

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

@davidk6269 oh really!? I didn't know that I will be checking that out immediately! Thanks so much!

[@davidk6269]

@@BenjaminsBookclub You're welcome! Execution Hour and Shadow Point were uploaded about 2 years ago. I truly hope that you enjoy them!!! ; )

[@hamburger-n5p]

Are you able to help a brother out finding copies of Horus Heresy books? Any extra copies I could buy from you 😅? I actually have a copy of Warhawk that wasn’t cut properly during printing. It’s not perfectly rectangular, but all the words are still readable (just barely! Cut goes right to the edge of the lettering). I’m holding on to it as an interesting trade piece

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

I wish, I am always hunting for the main Horus heresy books I'm missing, black library is useless at printing books really.

[@Battlechicken12]

I’m upset that the siege of Terra book Warhawk isn’t on this list

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

I havnt read any of the Siege of Terra books yet, I have about 9 Horus Heresy Novels to get through first. I'll probably make it to the siege in like, September next year :D

[@Battlechicken12]

@ lol good luck mate you might also add saturnine to that list

[@stoyanpanchev664]

Definitely read some fantasy Warhammer. Looking forward

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

Do you have any suggestions for where to start?

[@stoyanpanchev664]

@@BenjaminsBookclub My only suggestion would be to avoid getting overly focused on the "slayer"series

[@jl9782]

fantastic video iv read all of these and I MOSTLY concur. How many Black Library book do you think you have gotten through. I'm broaching 100.

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

I had never considered the number, went through a list on Wikipedia of Black Library Novels. I think I have read 92, but I may be missing some off the list.

[@jl9782]

@BenjaminsBookclub nice i just finished the heresy

[@laurenbastin8849]

So thing is, A Thousand Sons and Prospero Burns were originally meant to be published directly alongside each other, but Abnett got sick whilst working on Prospero Burns so it got delayed quite a bit. They were both written with very close collaboration between authors, in fact according to Graham McNeil they were initially supposed to writing the opposite books to one another! You can see why superficially, Dan loves his magic esoterica and works a lot of those concepts into his writing of the warp, while McNeil is passionately a Scottish Highlander and would no doubt have enjoyed writing a norse reiver themed legion, but apparently as they discussed the concepts between each other they realised that they were each more interested in writing about the other, almost compounded by the fact that neither of them would have gravitated towards those options individually. It’s a sign of what can be truly amazing about Black Library, two fantastic authors bouncing off of each other and being driven to make something truly special

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

That makes so much sense. They feel like a complete duology, and I love the flavour of each Authors influence on the other. They are a remarkable achievement. Thanks so much for this I had no idea!

[@wyoguy9720]

I know these are stand alones, or trilogies… but Gaunts Ghosts by Dan Abnett is absolutely amazing. Sooooo many great books.

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

Absolutely agreed, Ive read up to find if Tanith so far and am really enjoying myself! If one of the books I've read so far were to be on the list it'd be Necropolis for sure.

[@wyoguy9720]

@ I really loved Traitor General. Super grimdark.

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

@@wyoguy9720 I havn't got to that one yet, but maybe before the end of the year!

[@cory9919]

I appreciate your collection of Culture novels. Wanna know a real tragedy? I randomly discovered and read Hydrogen Sonata and THE DAY i finished that book I found out Ian Banks had terminal cancer.

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

I was so excited when I found out Hydrogen Sonata was coming out so soon after surface details, and thendevestated when I found out why it was so fast :(

[@p3BA]

If you have not read it already, I strongly recommend Cypher - Lord of the Fallen. Especially the first few hours are pure magic in a world building way. Cypher depics Terra and it's comings and goings in all the grim and dark imaginable.

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

Now there's a book I would probably of never picked up without the nudging. Never been a giant Dark Angels fan, and Cypher is a charecter I don't know much about, although I did buy his model, scrape all his insignia off and paint him as a blood angel 🤫🤫🤫 But it's added to the wishlist now! I'll keep an eye out for it!

[@p3BA]

@BenjaminsBookclub same thing. I skipped the whole Dark Angels arch while going through all of the Horus Heresy. But for some reason I picked up Cypher after reading the current lore.

[@OptimusPasche]

My absolute favourite 40K novel that you didn’t mention; Imperator: Wrath of the Omnissiah by Gav Thorpe Two more that I rate; Double Eagle by Dan Abnett and Skitarius/Tech-Priest by Rob Sanders

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

I love titanicus so much, I need to check out Imperator! Double Eagle is a masterpiece as well, it should probably be on this list somewhere but I couldn't fit it in, one of my favourites though for sure.

[@OptimusPasche]

@ I read Imperator as an adventure novel. I can’t explain why but it gave me Robinson Crusoe vibes. I like Gave Thorpe in general, but I think this is his best book.

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

@@OptimusPasche Ive liked quite a few of Gav Thorpes books. I think I even have this one on Audible.

[@bagmuk6]

Great video thanks

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

Thanks so much! Means the world getting comments like this :)

[@ketaminejones3981]

The Emperor’s Gift is a great one if anyone’s looking for another recommendation

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

So I had a Grey Knights army in high school, and every ADB book has made me buy the army he focuses on, the only reason I havnt read Emperors Gift, which I do have on my shelf, is I'm not sure my wallet can handle ADB forcing me to buy some Grey Knights.

[@Thmspdrsn]

No Fabius Bile Trilogy?

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

One of the series's I have been wanting to get to, but so many books, so little time. I have just about finished Cawl the Great Work, I think I will do Bile soon, and then Genefather after I finish that one.

[@axefonky4547]

The Infinite and the Divine is pure genius. NIghtlords omnibus is a an absolute gem, peak warhammer book. The only drawback is when you v finished it, all the others books seems... less good xD. I'd like to ad a special mention to "Storm of iron", an underated book who deserve more love.

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

My biggest regret of this video is not having Storm of Iron have a place. I don't know where I would put it, or what would drop off, but I do absolutely love that book. It made me buy a 30k Iron Warriors army :D

[@axefonky4547]

@@BenjaminsBookclub This book made me came back in the hobby after a 20 years break :D. I think it's the natural order to buy Iron warriors after Storm of Iron. Like Nightlords after... Nightlords :D

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

@@axefonky4547 My wallet can't take how many new armies black library novels make me buy :D

[@SciFiFinds]

I'm somebody who's been casually interested in Warhammer for years, mostly through the video games, art and general aesthetic. Feels like an impossible task to get into this universe without dedicating hundreds of hours so this video is really useful in case I want to jump in and get a hit of this dark universe. Great video as always

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

I genuinely think a lot of these books are just solid books, without needing to buy in to the entire shebang. That being said I have been 100% bought in for like, 2 decades so I may not be unbiased 😂 Thanks so much!

[@sidewinder3694]

Just read a book Holy shit dude

[@ideal9544]

I felt the same until starting with the books. Horus Rising is a fantastic start.

[@shadeofheresy]

Start with Horus rising or Eisenhorn.

[@g-shockfan6149]

For 1000 sons n P, read the related short stories as they will explain further about the lore about this battle. Cheers 🍻 they are not essential but highly recommended.

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

I need to read more of the heresy short story collections overall for sure! Which book are the Prospero ones in do you know?

[@loganmunoz5373]

New to 40k and it’s incredibly frustrating how hard it is to get like 80% of the books physically. I’ve read dozens of Star Wars novels and they’re so readily available. It’s kinda discouraging since I prefer physical books and have only bought the first 5 Horus heresy books and the rest are insanely expensive. Luckily I’ve bought most other 40k titles available right now on paperback.

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

I was shocked at how bad Black Library is at keeping books in stock, if I can get an indie authors book on Amazon with a "printed by Amazon in Sydney NSW" label in the back, surely black library can print on demand some of their best books, there is clearly a market for them if people are willing to pay the, frankly insulting, eBay prices.

[@Omegon]

My favourite series is The Last Chancers.

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

I need to check that one out, I have heard good things, I think when picking a long running guard series to read I just went with the easy choice of Gaunts Ghosts, but I have room for more Guard books, I can put them next to my 15 Leman Russ models and 2 Baneblades :D

[@HammerWar-wz4et]

The two carcharodon books are wicked

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

I've heard that! I should try to pick up copies, I think I saw them in a recent Black Library E-Mail so they may be findable! Thanks so much!

[@gareth0412]

It's a good list. My 30k List would be: ⭐The End and the Death 1+2 1. Master of Mankind 2. Know no Fear 3. Valdor: Birth of the imperium 4. Horus Rising 5. Lemun Russ: The great Wolf 6. Saturnine 7. Unremembered Empire 8. Sigismund: The eternal crusader 9. 10. 40k is harder but I'd swap Bequin for Eisenhorn in terms of Abnetts great espionage and intrigue work. Fabious Bile and Cawl are also amazing and give you a broader view of the human faction, they also dip their toes in other races.

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

Great list, I havnt got to Master of Mankind yet, I think I have like 4 booksish in my TBR list of HH before Master of Mankind, but I'm pretty sure I'll adore it. I also really liked I remembered empire, I saw a lot of people saying to skip it online but I'm not sure why, I loved it.

[@gareth0412]

@@BenjaminsBookclub 4 primarchs, alpha legion, necron teleportation family drama and a wolf pack fighting Curze. A fantastic book

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

@@gareth0412 100% Agreed, I have Pharos up next, which I believe is the sort of follow up, how did you find that one?

[@atlanta_greg_7612]

I agree that Infinite and Divine is not a good beginner book. It is good though.

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

Agreed, love the book, but think it would confuse and turn off newcomers!

[@Nvrmnd667]

I've read 10 books of the Heresy so far (skipped some based on an essential reading list) and I agree The first Heretic and Betrayer are my absolute favourite Heresy books so far and Argel Tal one of my favourite 40k characters overall. And the Nightlords Omnibus is just godlike. ADB is so good in writing those evil characters I mean at the beginning of the book I never thought I would feel sympathy for someone like Uzas but in the end...😢 Also I hope ADB will continue the Story of Decimus. The Black Legion books might be the weakest of those 3 series for me but they're still a solid 8/10.

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

How he just makes me care for these awful villains, it's crazy, and then the way he writes Erebus proves he can also make villains that are just atteocious and I despise them, he can do both sides of the coin, I really hope he starts releasing books again soon!

[@Nvrmnd667]

@BenjaminsBookclub yeah I fully agree

[@seannyhan2254]

For the Emperor by Sandy Mitchell First and only by Dan Abnett Xenos by Dan Abnett Space Wolf by William King Angels of Darkness by Gav Thorpe 13th Legion by Gav Thorpe Farseer by William King Fire Warrior by Simon Spurrier Path of the Warrior by Gav Thorpe Storm of Iron - Graham Mcneill Soul Drinker - Ben Counter Nightbringer by Graham Mcneill

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

This is a great list! I would swap in Guns of Tanith or Necropolis for First and Only. I need to read Farseer & Fire Warrior, my Xeno reading has been lax. Storm of Iron, that book should of been on this list, it's so good. Too many books, too little space, I feel ike I would of gotten to like a Top 32 if I included all the ones I loved. I have just managed to get my hands on the Soul Drinkers omnibus! So I am excited to jump in!

[@seannyhan2254]

@BenjaminsBookclub You're in for a treat. Soul Drinkers is great! Agreed, Necropolis ought to be there in place of First and Only. Also should have mentioned Shatter point by Gordon Rennie

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

@@seannyhan2254 Shatter Point! The Rennie Battlefleet Gothic books have been my bane for years, I have been trying to get ahold of them since I got into reading warhammer, but I have never been able to get a copy. One day

[@Cripplerzeist]

Good list! Looking over your shoulder, I wonder, is Red Rising the most warhammeresque non-warhammer series out there? ( i just finished Iron Gold)

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

It definitely has some of that feeling doesn't it! I've only read the first 3 so far.

[@thomasjgamble3865]

Ok having all the Banks Culture books behind you gives this vid immediate credibility

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

If you had asked me from like. 2010 to 2022, who my favourite Author was I would of snap answered Banks, now the answer is more complicated, but he would still be in the conversation and may still win the top spot. I may do videos on them one day, I adore that series and that universe.

[@scottschofield5000]

Legion of The Damned by Rob Sanders. Not the best Black Library book but, it is one of my favorites. I think people were initially discouraged and dissed the book because of it's title, it's actually about The Excoriators Space Marine chapter, the LOTD are just a maguffin that shows up at the end to 'save' the day (Or do they?) It's weapons grade Grimdark. Imagine Helsreach, but even bleaker odds and the thing they are going to die protecting is completely insignificant. Imagine a dozen of the hardest, toughest special forces sent to protect the Worlds Largest Ball of Twine in Cawker City, Kansas from a force of 100,000 coked up spetsnaz (and a couple 100 zombies thrown in). Good grimdark stuff.

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

Oh that sounds like my jam! I love bleak stuff. It's added to my list to try to find a copy of, getting so hard to find copies of some of the older books though :( Thanks so much!

[@chloe59k]

Storm of iron>helsreach both great tho

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

Yeah I'm not sure where Storm of Iron ends up on this list, but it probably should of been here.

[@usmansabir3897]

I still wonder why the night lords never got subsequent books

[@cvampaul]

I think Night Lords story is done as is.

[@SerVanzu]

ADB wants to write more but GW wont give the greenlight (He talked about writing another NL trilogy on his twitter a couple of years ago). Or he might be writing something right now and we dont even know

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

ADB has been very public about mental health issues that kept him from writing for a long time. I believe (and this is 100% from memory and could very well be wrong) that he is currently working on Emperors Spears book 2? I think GW is trying to push books in factions they offer models for, I suspect we would see another Night Lords trilogy from him if GW ever makes them a proper 40k supported army unfortunately.

[@usmansabir3897]

@@BenjaminsBookclub it's probably because night lords miniatures don't sell much. Just unfortunate, they are probably the only real renegade legion and therefore more interesting because most of them usually hate both sides

[@blakemyers643]

​@@usmansabir3897the night lords kill team was a huge success so maybe that will spur them to do more

[@EternalDM]

Scars and Path to Heaven deserve at LEAST an honorable mention

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

Fantastic books! I was so blown away by them. I went into Scars expecting an okay at best read, only picking it up because it was in stock at a store when I was holiday if I remember correctly, and was shocked that it was geniunely fantastic. Im sure if this was a top 15-20 they'd be here, my list of honourable mentions that could of made this list but just missed out is a mile long!

[@houstonhall1144]

If you’re new to reading Warhammer 40K Trust this man’s opinion 💯

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

Thanks so much! Means a lot!

[@Cal12517]

like your list! read a few of them will check out titanicus and infinite and divine as i was always hesitant with those two if they would be good or not. I would also recommend lords of silence (not as top 10) but its a good read! I DO have a question. Have you read any age of Sigmar books? I have been trying to get into it more as the tabletop game is fun and i want to get more into the books but really have no idea where to start or whats good.

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

Thanks so much! Yeah Titanicus and I&D are great, A friend of mine recently read Lords of Silence and really liked it too, he was a death guard player though so I didn't know how much Bias there was there, but I have been recomeneded it several times now, I think I'll try to find a copy! I havn't read any Age of Sigmar, I havn't even read the rulebook/lore for it yet. The game looks awesome though.

[@Cal12517]

@@BenjaminsBookclub i honestly bought a kindle just for black library books as i found it easier to buy ebooks for them, including Lords of Silence. That makes sense though, if you do get into AoS I would love to one day see a list of most recommended!

[@joharhernandez-carr8504]

Amazing list. Just wanted to know why you left our Horus Rising. Not mad or anything. Just genuinely curious.

[@BenjaminsBookclub]

The first 3 books were all on and off this list a lot during its like, 15 iterations haha. I think it comes down to my feeling that the first three, and First Heretic, tell a similar story, in the corruption of a primarch and the legion, and for my money I think First Heretic does it slightly better? Its 100% subjective. The first 3 books, and Fulgrim would probably be #11 and #12 though.