If you’re interested in getting into the Warhammer universe but find it a bit daunting, we don’t blame you. It’s massive. There are over 370 books and counting, which is great news because it means you can keep occupied for a while, but where to start? Here are our picks for the best Warhammer 40K novels to get you started.
Best Warhammer 40K novels as of 2025
The original Warhammer miniature wargame, Warhammer Fantasy Battle, came out in 1983. Just four years later, the very first Warhammer 40,000 game was released. And it wasn’t just kids in basements blasting through space battles; the fanbase demographic has always been broad. Even big names like Henry Cavill and Ed Sheeran are known to be fans. By pretty much any standard, it’s the most popular miniature wargame in the world, and it’s only growing, especially with a new series on the way, with Cavill himself involved. Then, in 1990, the first novel, Inquisitor, was published, kicking off decades of books set in the universe.
As a note, this list is geared more towards beginners to the Warhammer 40k novels, rather than picking the best of the best novels for longtime fans. The good news is that they’re written to be accessible to anyone, so if you’re a new reader and none of these resonate with you, you can probably find something that does and jump in wherever you like.
The Uriel Ventris Chronicles: Volume 1
The Uriel Ventris Chronicles: Volume 1 collects the first three novels in Graham McNeill’s fan-favorite Ultramarines series, Nightbringer, Warriors of Ultramar, and Dead Sky, Black Sun, along with bonus short stories that expand on the adventures of Space Marine Captain Uriel Ventris. If you’re new to Warhammer 40K fiction, this is one of the best places to start.
Across these stories, we follow Uriel as he takes command of the Ultramarines Fourth Company, one of the largest and most powerful factions in the Warhammer universe, and heads across various campaigns, each time dealing with a very different enemy.
The Eisenhorn Trilogy
Written by Dan Abnett, the Eisenhorn Trilogy follows the career of Inquisitor Gregor Eisenhorn of the Ordo Xenos. Unlike the near-godlike power of the Space Marines, Gregor is very human, aside from his cybernetic modifications and Warp powers, which draw telepathic energy from a parallel dimension. Along with his kill team, Eisenhorn is tasked with rooting out heretics and daemon threats to humanity. He’s also constantly battling the pull of Chaos, a corrupting force of negative psychic energy and disorder.
Beyond this trilogy from a New York Times bestselling author, you’ll see Dan Abnett’s name pop up on just about every “best Warhammer 40k novels” list, because he’s simply one of the greatest. This is also an excellent starting point for beginners. You don’t need a ton of pre-knowledge about the lore or the universe going in, since the story does a solid job of filling you in as you go along.
Gaunt’s Ghosts: The Founding
Gaunt’s Ghosts is another legendary Warhammer 40K series by Dan Abnett, and for many fans it’s the definitive look at life in the Imperial Guard (the regular human soldiers of the Imperium). They’ve got firepower, numbers, and strategy, but they’re nothing like the superhuman Space Marines. These are ordinary men and women thrown into the meat grinder of endless galactic war. The whole Gaunt’s Ghosts series is long, but the Founding gives you the first three novels and a few short stories for a reasonable start.
Ciaphas Cain
The Warhammer novels have a lot of darkness to them, but it’s not all grim and dim. Sandy Mitchell’s Ciaphas Cain injects some refreshing, lighthearted comedy into the universe with the main character, a Commissar in the Imperial Guard. Though technically tasked with keeping morale high and rooting out cowardice or heresy, unlike the usual iron-fisted commissars, Cain is a coward himself. He’s just trying to stay alive, which is really a more realistic take.
Along with the witty, self-deprecating memoir recounts of his adventures, you’ll also meet his indispensable aide, Jurgen (a malodorous but fiercely loyal sidekick), who’s almost as iconic as Cain himself.
Space Wolf: First Omnibus
If you love Norse gods, you’ll love this space-viking action novel. This is another Space Marine chapter in the Warhammer 40k universe, although very different from the Uriel Ventris Chronicles. You’ll find out there are numerous factions, and this is one of the more entertaining ones. This novel from William King draws heavily on Nordic lore. The story follows the youngest Wolf Lord, Ragnar Blackmane, from his feral upbringing on the icy, death-world of Fenris, through a near-death experience and his recruitment into the fearsome Space Wolves chapter, to his legendary battles against the dark forces of Chaos.
The Space Wolf: First Omnibus includes three novels: the first, Space Wolf, was published in 1999, followed by Ragnar’s Claw and Grey Hunter.
How we picked the best Warhammer 40K novels
There are tons of great Warhammer 40K novels to choose from, but as previously stated, we geared this list more towards beginners. We focused on stories that are easy to jump into for new readers, providing a solid taste of the universe, mythos, factions, and lore without feeling too overwhelming. Still, longtime readers weren’t entirely excluded from our picks, since most of the reads are good enough that longtime fans can enjoy coming back to them.
