📚 Warhammer 40K Reading Order Checker
Plan your Black Library reading journey — estimate reading time, track series progress & find your next read
⚡ Quick Preset Scenarios
⚙️ Reading Planner Inputs
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📘 Series Quick Reference
📅 Series Reading Time Estimates
| Series | Books | Est. Total Hours | Weeks at 5hrs/wk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Horus Heresy | 54 | ~475 hrs | ~95 weeks |
| Siege of Terra | 8 | ~80 hrs | ~16 weeks |
| Gaunt's Ghosts | 15 | ~135 hrs | ~27 weeks |
| Eisenhorn | 3 | ~21 hrs | ~4 weeks |
| Ravenor | 3 | ~24 hrs | ~5 weeks |
| Night Lords | 3 | ~27 hrs | ~5.5 weeks |
| Ultramarines | 6 | ~48 hrs | ~10 weeks |
| Primarchs | 20+ | ~120 hrs | ~24 weeks |
| Beast Arises | 12 | ~84 hrs | ~17 weeks |
📏 Book Format Dimensions & Weight
| Format | Size (in) | Size (cm) | Avg Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paperback Novel | 6.75 x 4.19 in | 17.1 x 10.6 cm | 300–450 g |
| Hardcover Novel | 9.25 x 6.25 in | 23.5 x 15.9 cm | 550–800 g |
| Omnibus Collection | 9.25 x 6.25 in | 23.5 x 15.9 cm | 900–1400 g |
| Graphic Novel | 10 x 6.5 in | 25.4 x 16.5 cm | 400–600 g |
| Anthology | 9.25 x 6.25 in | 23.5 x 15.9 cm | 500–700 g |
| eBook | N/A | N/A | 0 g (digital) |
| Audio Drama | N/A | N/A | 0 g (digital) |
📌 Reading Speed Reference
| Reader Type | Pages/Hour | Hours/350pg Book | Books/Month (5hr/wk) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slow — Immersive | 20–30 pgs/hr | 12–18 hrs | ~1 book/month |
| Average Reader | 30–50 pgs/hr | 7–12 hrs | 1–2 books/month |
| Fast Reader | 50–80 pgs/hr | 4.5–7 hrs | 2–3 books/month |
| Speed Reader | 80+ pgs/hr | < 4.5 hrs | 3+ books/month |
💡 Planning Tips
The universe of Warhammer 40k is huge. There is no single right order to read all books, because the fiction extends through many authors, eras, factions and crossing timelines. It forms a vast world, not simply one story.
Many series stand alone and have only few or any ties between them. That can seem overwhelming even so it gives big freedom about how one approaches the books.
How to Start Reading Warhammer 40k
The easiest way to start is to choose a series that serves as an entry point, and later continue according to factions or narrative arcs. For anyone who is new, good starting points are the Book “Lord of the Night“, “Deathwing“, “Honourbound” or the series about the Dark Spectrum. Also the stories of Ciaphas Cain work well as an introduction to the universe of 40k. When one feels comfortable with one series, simply expand the Reading Order according to the factions that most attract.
There exists a guide in style of a flowchart that describes all main ways, also the Horus Heresy, the adventures of Eisenhorn, the Dark Spectrums, the Battles of the Space Marines and standing alone novels. In total above four hundred titels appear, if one counts novels, stories and readers. That is a lot of books.
The series Horus Heresy forms the core of the legends. It now holds more than ninety books, although not all of them must be read. For instance, readers with short stories can be skipped.
The first six novels present directly the history of Horus, who falls from grace and becomes corrupt. Those early books are written so that they are friendly to newcomers. Main notions, like Chaos or the journey through the warp, receive clear explanation.
Even so, starting with the Horus Heresy does not always work for everyone. It is prehistory, and such prequels usually assume knowledge about the current timeline.
In a single series, read entries according to order. For instance, the series “Dawn of Fire” should be read from the 1st Book until the 9th in sequence. Even so, bouncing between various series is perfectly fine.
The broad timeline of 40k covers main events since “The Gathering Storm” until “Arks of Omen“. Between them is the ruin of Cadia, the psychic storm rising and the return of the Primarchs. A guide for Reading Order tries to tie where all recent books fit in this fresh 40k timeline.
The Black Library did not give an official Reading Order, so unofficial aids cover that gap. One well known resource for following the new reading list of 40k is found at “Track of Words”, although it does not always stay fully current.
For lovers of stories about Chaos, the collection “Iron Warriors” of Graham McNeill and “Talons of Horus” form good next steps after getting to know the traitor legions. The lore of Warhammer 40k reads like historic fiction. The world is discovered threw the movements of players in it, instead of following one strict sequence ofevents.
