📚 Warhammer Reading Order Checker
Check your progress, find your next read, and track series completion across all Warhammer universes
| Series Name | Setting Era | Total Books | Avg Pages | Best Entry Point | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horus Heresy | 30K | 54 | 330 | Book 1: Horus Rising | Medium |
| Siege of Terra | 30K | 8 | 350 | After HH Book 54 | High |
| Gaunt's Ghosts | 40K | 16 | 295 | Book 1: First & Only | Easy |
| Night Lords | 40K | 3 | 410 | Book 1: Soul Hunter | Medium |
| Eisenhorn | 40K | 3+ | 360 | Book 1: Xenos | Easy |
| The Beast Arises | 32K | 12 | 190 | Book 1: I Am Slaughter | Medium |
| Ultramarines | 40K | 6 | 280 | Book 1: Nightbringer | Easy |
| Dark Angels | 40K | 6+ | 300 | Book 1: Ravenwing | Medium |
| Time of Legends | Fantasy | 15+ | 340 | Varies by arc | Medium |
| Old World | Fantasy | Growing | 320 | Any standalone | Easy |
| Format | Typical Pages | Reading Time (50pp/day) | Size (approx) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard Paperback | 250–400 | 5–8 days | 7.5 x 5 in / 19 x 13 cm | Most common BL format |
| Hardcover Deluxe | 300–450 | 6–9 days | 9 x 6 in / 23 x 15 cm | Signed editions available |
| Omnibus | 700–1100 | 14–22 days | 9.5 x 6.3 in / 24 x 16 cm | 3–4 novels bundled |
| eBook | Same as print | Same as print | Digital | Often released same day |
| Audiobook | N/A | 8–20 hours total | Digital | Full cast productions |
| Novella | 100–160 | 2–3 days | 6.75 x 4.75 in / 17 x 12 cm | BL Advent Calendar etc. |
| Reading Speed | Pages/Day | Time per Novel (320pp) | Time per Omnibus (800pp) | Full HH Series (54 x 330pp) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Casual Reader | 25 | ~13 days | ~32 days | ~713 days (~2 yrs) |
| Regular Reader | 50 | ~6 days | ~16 days | ~357 days (~1 yr) |
| Avid Reader | 100 | ~3 days | ~8 days | ~178 days (~6 mo) |
| Power Reader | 200 | ~2 days | ~4 days | ~89 days (~3 mo) |
Jumping into the books about Warhammer 40,000 can seem scary at first, but here is the secret: there is not only one “right” way to do it. The world stretches through many authors, different times, groups of factions and timelines that cross in unexpected spots. The good news?
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Most of the 40k stories stand well on their own during reading. Some that belong to certain series require you to follow a certain order, but besides that everything depends on what attracts you most.
How to Start Reading Warhammer 40k Books
The simplest way to start is to choose a series that seems fun to you, then expand from it by faction or story arc. There are more than 400 titles of Warhammer 40k out there, novels, stories, collections of short stories, everything possible. Getting into the fiction works best when you balance three elements: the timeline, the difficulty of the text and the type of story that genuinely sounds fun for you.
Are you looking for space opera? Heavy combat action? Deep legends about Primarchs?
Political plots in the Empire? Here are the choices.
The Horus Heresy forms this huge backstory that covers the civil war that created the whole 40k universe as we know it. It starts with Horus Rising by Dan Abnett, where the first trilogy sets the bases before the stories split in many directions. Here is what you should know though: the Horus Heresy is not great for total newcomers.
Starting with such a backstory assumes that you already have a bit of insight about how everthing works in the current timeline. Also, reading every book in strict order? Almost impossible task.
Some books are hardly available, which forces you to hunt used copies in a whole adventure. And honestly, a lot of entries in the Heresy simply are not worth the time that they require.
When you want something totally different in tone, look at the series Eisenhorn. It is full of action and plot, with focus on mysterious political dealings inside the same Empire. Think dark detectives, agents working from the shadows, betrayal growing in an ageing empire.
The first one is called Xenos.
The bigger timeline of 40k also includes heavy events, the Gathering Storm, Arks of Omen, the fall of Cadia, the Psychic Awakening, Primarchs returning. Black Library has not released an official Warhammer Book Reading Order for how those new arcs relate, which makes finding your way harder then needed.
Some books seem fun but turn out to be dense and hard to read. For instance, Godblight is the third novel of the Dark Imperium series, so jumping in the middle means losing bits. Lion: Son of the Forest, on the other hand?
It stands alone and you can pick it up any time. The adventures of Ciaphas Cain work well as an entry point to 40k. Gaunt’s Ghosts hit different in a good way. It is easy to connect with.
For space marines, the Ultramarines omnibus is easyto enjoy. Fans of Chaos could try the Night Lords omnibus or follow Talon of Horus.
