The Horus Heresy series is an epic series set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe, though 10,000 years before the main setting of Warhammer 40k. It chronicles the galaxy-spanning civil war of the 31st millennium.
Many writers have added stories to the series, which gives it a unique and fresh feel – there are some solid places to start (surprise, surprise at the beginning!) but you can dive into what interests you without needing to read the full set. Though many fans will devour all the books at some point.
The series began in 2006 and has expanded to over 50 novels, anthologies, and novellas. We’re big fans of the series but it can be an overwhelming job to know where to start so we’ve created a guide to help Warhammer fans know the general layout of the series. We’ve charted the series release order, the in-universe chronology (to our best knowledge), the best rated books, and our personal favourite entries.
This page is a bit of a beast, so use the page jumps below to skip to the Horus Heresy section you’re interested in finding out more about:
- Horus Heresy Book Series Order
- Our Personal Favourites
- The Chronological Order of Horus Hersey Books
- The Best Rated Horus Heresy Books
Horus Heresy Book Series Order
So, to begin, here is the series in its entirety by publication.
#1 Horus Rising (April 2006)
- Author: Dan Abnett
- Page Count: 412 pages
- Average Reading Time: Approximately 6.5 hours
- Goodreads Rating: 4.24/5
#2 False Gods (June 2006)
- Author: Graham McNeill
- Page Count: 416 pages
- Average Reading Time: Approximately 7 hours
- Goodreads Rating: 4.12/5
#3 Galaxy in Flames (October 2006)
- Author: Ben Counter
- Page Count: 416 pages
- Average Reading Time: Approximately 5.5 hours
- Goodreads Rating: 4.15/5
#4 The Flight of the Eisenstein (March 2007)
- Author: James Swallow
- Page Count: 416 pages
- Average Reading Time: Approximately 7.5 hours
- Goodreads Rating: 4.09/5
#5 Fulgrim (July 2007)
- Author: Graham McNeill
- Page Count: 512 pages
- Average Reading Time: Approximately 9 hours
- Goodreads Rating: 4.02/5
#6 Descent of Angels (October 2007)
- Author: Mitchel Scanlon
- Page Count: 416 pages
- Average Reading Time: Approximately 6.5 hours
- Goodreads Rating: 3.60/5
#7 Legion (March 2008)
- Author: Dan Abnett
- Page Count: 416 pages
- Average Reading Time: Approximately 7 hours
- Goodreads Rating: 4.16/5
#8 Battle for the Abyss (August 2008)
- Author: Ben Counter
- Page Count: 416 pages
- Average Reading Time: Approximately 6.5 hours
- Goodreads Rating: 3.41/5
#9 Mechanicum (December 2008)
- Author: Graham McNeill
- Page Count: 416 pages
- Average Reading Time: Approximately 7.5 hours
- Goodreads Rating: 3.88/5
#10 Tales of Heresy (April 2009)
- Authors: Gav Thorpe, Matthew Farrer, Graham McNeill, James Swallow, Dan Abnett, Mike Lee, Anthony Reynolds
- Page Count: 416 pages
- Average Reading Time: Approximately 8 hours
- Goodreads Rating: 3.79/5
#11 Fallen Angels (July 2009)
- Author: Mike Lee
- Page Count: 416 pages
- Average Reading Time: Approximately 6 hours
- Goodreads Rating: 3.74/5
#12 A Thousand Sons (March 2010)
- Author: Graham McNeill
- Page Count: 416 pages
- Average Reading Time: Approximately 7.5 hours
- Goodreads Rating: 4.27/5
#13 Nemesis (August 2010)
- Author: James Swallow
- Page Count: 507 pages
- Average Reading Time: Approximately 9 hours
- Goodreads Rating: 3.71/5
#14 The First Heretic (November 2010)
- Author: Aaron Dembski-Bowden
- Page Count: 502 pages
- Average Reading Time: Approximately 9 hours
- Goodreads Rating: 4.32/5
#15 Prospero Burns (January 2011)
- Author: Dan Abnett
- Page Count: 448 pages
- Average Reading Time: Approximately 8 hours
- Goodreads Rating: 4.13/5
#16 Age of Darkness (May 2011)
- Authors: Dan Abnett, Graham McNeill, James Swallow, Nick Kyme, Chris Wraight, John French, Gav Thorpe
- Page Count: 408 pages
- Average Reading Time: Approximately 8.5 hours
- Goodreads Rating: 3.72/5
#17 The Outcast Dead (October 2011)
- Author: Graham McNeill
- Page Count: 416
- Reading Time: Approximately 9.5 hours
- Goodreads Rating: 3.74/5
#18 Deliverance Lost (December 2011)
- Author: Gav Thorpe
- Page Count: 480
- Reading Time: Approximately 8.5 hours
- Goodreads Rating: 3.85/5
#19 Know No Fear (February 2012)
- Author: Dan Abnett
- Page Count: 416
- Reading Time: Approximately 7 hours
- Goodreads Rating: 4.28/5
#20 The Primarchs (May 2012)
- Authors: Graham McNeill, Gav Thorpe, Nick Kyme, Rob Sanders
- Page Count: 416
- Reading Time: Approximately 8.5 hours
- Goodreads Rating: 3.60/5
#21 Fear to Tread (August 2012)
- Author: James Swallow
- Page Count: 516
- Reading Time: Approximately 10 hours
- Goodreads Rating: 3.94/5
#22 Shadows of Treachery (September 2012)
- Authors: Dan Abnett, Graham McNeill, Gav Thorpe, Aaron Dembski-Bowden, John French
- Page Count: 416
- Reading Time: Approximately 8.5 hours
- Goodreads Rating: 3.79/5
#23 Angel Exterminatus (October 2012)
- Author: Graham McNeill
- Page Count: 448
- Reading Time: Approximately 11 hours
- Goodreads Rating: 4.07/5
#24 Betrayer (March 2013)
- Author: Aaron Dembski-Bowden
- Page Count: 416
- Reading Time: Approximately 9 hours
- Goodreads Rating: 4.38/5
#25 Mark of Calth (April 2013)
- Authors: Graham McNeill, Dan Abnett, Aaron Dembski-Bowden, Rob Sanders, David Annandale, Anthony Reynolds, John French
- Page Count: 416
- Reading Time: Approximately 8.5 hours
- Goodreads Rating: 3.69/5
#26 Vulkan Lives (August 2013)
- Author: Nick Kyme
- Page Count: 416
- Reading Time: Approximately 8.5 hours
- Goodreads Rating: 3.61/5
#27 The Unremembered Empire (October 2013)
- Author: Dan Abnett
- Page Count: 416
- Reading Time: Approximately 7 hours
- Goodreads Rating: 4.20/5
#28 Scars (October 2014)
- Author: Chris Wraight
- Page Count: 416
- Reading Time: Approximately 8 hours
- Goodreads Rating: 4.13/5
#29 Vengeful Spirit (May 2014)
- Author: Graham McNeill
- Page Count: 544
- Reading Time: Approximately 9.5 hours
- Goodreads Rating: 3.89/5
#30 The Damnation of Pythos (July 2014)
- Author: David Annandale
- Page Count: 416
- Reading Time: Approximately 8 hours
- Goodreads Rating: 3.26/5
#31 Legacies of Betrayal (October 2014)
- Authors: Graham McNeill, David Annandale, Nick Kyme, Chris Wraight, Aaron Dembski-Bowden, Gav Thorpe, Anthony Reynolds, Guy Haley, John French,
- Page Count: 448
- Reading Time: Approximately 8 hours
- Goodreads Rating: 3.62/5
#32 Deathfire (July 2015)
- Author: Nick Kyme
- Page Count: 416
- Reading Time: Approximately 9.5 hours
- Goodreads Rating: 3.61/5
#33 War Without End (January 2016)
- Authors: Graham McNeill, Nick Kyme, Aaron Dembski-Bowden, Gav Thorpe, Chris Wraight, John French, Anthony Reynolds, Guy Haley, David Annandale
- Page Count: 624
- Reading Time: Approximately 10 hours
- Goodreads Rating: 3.65/5
#34 Pharos (December 2015)
- Author: Guy Haley
- Page Count: 480
- Reading Time: Approximately 8 hours
- Goodreads Rating: 3.99/5
#35 Eye of Terra (March 2016)
- Authors: Graham McNeill, Nick Kyme, Aaron Dembski-Bowden, Chris Wraight, David Annandale, Guy Haley, Anthony Reynolds, Gav Thorpe, Matthew Farrer, John French
- Page Count: 480
- Reading Time: Approximately 7.5 hours
- Goodreads Rating: 3.70/5
#36 The Path of Heaven (April 2016)
- Author: Chris Wraight
- Page Count: 432
- Reading Time: 8 hours
- Goodreads Rating: 4.13/5
#37 The Silent War (May 2016)
- Authors: Graham McNeill, James Swallow, Nick Kyme, John French, CZ Dunn, Rob Sanders, Anthony Reynolds, Chris Wraight
- Page Count: 480
- Reading Time: Approximately 9.5 hours
- Goodreads Rating: 3.76/5
#38 Praetorian of Dorn (August 2016)
- Author: John French
- Page Count: 478
- Reading Time: Approximately 8 hours
- Goodreads Rating: 4.13/5
#39 Corax (October 2016)
- Author: Gav Thorpe
- Page Count: 464
- Reading Time: Approximately 8 hours
- Goodreads Rating: 3.81/5
#40 The Master of Mankind (November 2016)
- Author: Aaron Dembski-Bowden
- Page Count: 448
- Reading Time: Approximately 8 hours
- Goodreads Rating: 4.22/5
#41 Garro (February 2017)
- Author: James Swallow
- Page Count: 384
- Reading Time: Approximately 8 hours
- Goodreads Rating: 4.02/5
#42 Ruinstorm (October 2017)
- Author: David Annandale
- Page Count: 480
- Reading Time: Approximately 6.5 hours
- Goodreads Rating: 3.73/5
#43 Old Earth (November 2017)
- Author: Nick Kyme
- Page Count: 400
- Reading Time: Approximately 8 hours
- Goodreads Rating: 3.72/5
#44 The Buried Dagger (February 2019)
- Author: James Swallow
- Page Count: 400
- Reading Time: Approximately 8 hours
- Goodreads Rating: 4.14/5
#45 The Solar War (May 2019)
- Author: John French
- Page Count: 384
- Reading Time: Approximately 7.5 hours
- Goodreads Rating: 4.04/5
#46 The Lost and the Damned (October 2019)
- Author: Guy Haley
- Page Count: 416
- Reading Time: Approximately 8 hours
- Goodreads Rating: 4.23/5
#47 The First Wall (March 2020)
- Author: Gav Thorpe
- Page Count: 460
- Reading Time: Approximately 8 hours
- Goodreads Rating: 3.77/5
#48 Saturnine (March 2020)
- Author: Dan Abnett
- Page Count: 464
- Reading Time: Approximately 10 hours
- Goodreads Rating: 4.57/5
#49 Mortis (April 2021)
- Author: John French
- Page Count: 560
- Reading Time: Approximately 10 hours
- Goodreads Rating: 3.59/5
#50 Warhawk (October 2021)
- Author: Chris Wraight
- Page Count: 482
- Reading Time: Approximately 9 hours
- Goodreads Rating: 4.32/5
#51 Echoes of Eternity (September 2022)
- Author: Aaron Dembski-Bowden
- Page Count: 522
- Reading Time: Approximately 10 hours
- Goodreads Rating: 4.53/5
#52 The End and the Death: Volume I (February 2023)
- Author: Dan Abnett
- Page Count: 480
- Reading Time: Approximately 11 hours
- Goodreads Rating: 4.44/5
#53 The End and the Death: Volume II (November 2023)
- Author: Dan Abnett
- Page Count: 752
- Reading Time: Approximately 11.5 hours
- Goodreads Rating: 4.18/5
#54 The End and the Death: Volume III (January 2024)
- Author: Dan Abnett
- Page Count: 512
- Reading Time: Approximately 9 hours
- Goodreads Rating: 4.47/5
Our Personal Horus Hersey Series Favourites
There is a huge amount literature in the Horus Heresy series, and it can be hard to know where to begin. The first three books are an essential place to start in our opinion. However, after that, you can dive into the ones that interest you. We have picked out favourites to help you narrow the search:
Aaron
Personally, my favorite book in the Horus Heresy series is ‘A Thousand Sons’ by Graham Mcneill. It gives a great, tragic inside look at the burning of Prospero and the fall of the Thousand Sons legion at the hand of the Space Wolves. It’s great when read in tandem with ‘Prospero Burns’ by Dan Abnett, which recounts the events from the perspective of the besieging forces.
Daniel
My favorite book in the series is The First Heretic. It helps shows how the Heresy began and how the Word Bearers aren’t just some generic villains, but misguided zealots. I think Lorgar’s fall and Argel Tal’s arc are some of my personal highlights in the series. Plus, it has Gal Vorbak. Need I say more?
The Chronological Timeline of Horus Hersey Books
Publication order is great, but it can be good to know the timeline of events. We’ve compiled the series below by an in-universe timeline. This can be subjective, but we’ve given it a shot below.
The Years Leading Up to the Heresy
- The First Heretic – The Word Bearers fall to Chaos. This sets the scene for the Heresy.
- Descent of Angels – The origin story of the badass Dark Angels.
- Legion – You learn about Alpha Legion’s secret dealings and how they fit into the wider Heresy.
- Fallen Angels – A sequel to Descent of Angels. You learn more about the Dark Angels’ internal conflicts.
Heresy Begins
- Horus Rising – We become acquainted with Horus and start to see him edging towards Chaos.
- False Gods – Horus falls to Chaos and corruption begins.
- Galaxy in Flames – Horus unleashes death on Istvaan III.
- The Flight of the Eisenstein – Beginning during the atrocity on Istvaan III, we follow Garro as he makes a break for it to to warn the Emperor of Horus’ corruption.
- Fulgrim – Fulgrim goes rouge and falls to Slaanesh.
- Mechanicum – Mars is divided as the Mechanicum Civil War begins.
- Tales of Heresy – A load of different tales around this period.
- A Thousand Sons – This book deals with the burning of Prospero and what happens to Magnus.
- Prospero Burns – The same event from the Space Wolves’ perspective.
- Nemesis – A good old assassin story. The target: Horus Lupercal himself.
The Shadow War & Mid-Heresy Conflicts
- The Outcast Dead – We find out about the Emperor’s secret projects on Terra.
- Deliverance Lost – Follows the Raven Guard’s struggle on Istvaan V.
- Know No Fear – The Battle of Calth between the Ultramarines and Word Bearers.
- The Primarchs – Various stories about key Primarchs during the Heresy.
- Fear to Tread – Horus tricks the Blood Angels who have to battle for survival.
- Shadows of Treachery – Different short stories looking at both heroism and betrayal.
- Angel Exterminatus – Follows Perturabo, Primach Iron Warriors and Emperor’s Children plot.
- Betrayer – The World Eaters and Word Bearers attack Ultramar; the Ultramarines come to the fight.
- Mark of Calth – Short stories about the aftermath of Calth.
- Vulkan Lives – A story about Vulkan’s fate after Istvaan V.
- The Unremembered Empire – Roboute Guilliman establishes the Imperium Secundus.
- Scars – This book focuses on the White Scars’ internal struggles and decisions in the war.
- Vengeful Spirit – Horus, now fully Chaos mad, decides to attack on Molech believing there is secret power there.
- The Damnation of Pythos – We follow the survivors of the Isstvan V Drop Site Massacre. Unfortunately, Chaos and corruption and death enclose them; tragedy unfolds.
- Legacies of Betrayal – Various tales of the Heresy.
- Deathfire – The Salamanders’ mission to recover Vulkan.
- War Without End – A bunch of mid-Heresy stories that follow different events that shape the war.
- Pharos – The Night Lords attack the Ultramarines on Soros. Roboute Guilliman hopes to use the Pharos device to unite loyalist forces.
- Eye of Terra – More short stories of mid-Heresy events.
- The Path of Heaven – The White Scars’ final actions before Terra.
- The Silent War – Based around Malcador’s secret war against traitors.
- Praetorian of Dorn – This one looks at Alpha Legion’s infiltration of Terra.
- Corax – The Raven Guard’s final efforts in the war.
- The Master of Mankind – The Emperor’s perspective and battle in the Webway.
- Garro – The final fate of Nathaniel Garro.
The Road to Terra & The Siege Begins
- Ruinstorm – The Blood Angels, Ultramarines, and Dark Angels push to Terra.
- Old Earth – The final actions of Vulkan before the Siege.
- The Buried Dagger – Mortarion’s fall to Nurgle and the Death Guard’s final transformation.
The Siege of Terra (The end stuff!)
- The Solar War – The traitors break through the Sol system’s defenses.
- The Lost and the Damned – This book covers the early battles on Terra’s surface.
- The First Wall – The Imperial Fists’ put up a despearate defense.
- Saturnine – This is a novel that looks at a key turning point in the Siege.
- Mortis – We follow the Titan war on Terra in this novel.
- Warhawk – Jaghatai Khan vs. Mortarion.
- Echoes of Eternity – Sanguinius’ final stand.
- The End and the Death: Volume I – The climactic battles on Terra.
- The End and the Death: Volume II – The final days of the Siege.
- The End and the Death: Volume III – The conclusion of the Heresy and the Emperor’s ascension to the Golden Throne.
The Best Rated Horus Heresy Books
Now, as with any art, it’s subjective. However, according to readers voting, these are the top five highest reviewed books in the series:
1. Saturnine (March 2020) 👑
- Author: Dan Abnett
- Page Count: 464
- Reading Time: Approximately 10 hours
- Goodreads Rating: 4.57/5
2. Echoes of Eternity (September 2022)
- Author: Aaron Dembski-Bowden
- Page Count: 522
- Reading Time: Approximately 10 hours
- Goodreads Rating: 4.53/5
3. The End and the Death: Volume III (January 2024)
- Author: Dan Abnett
- Page Count: 512
- Reading Time: Approximately 9 hours
- Goodreads Rating: 4.47/5
4. The End and the Death: Volume I (February 2023)
- Author: Dan Abnett
- Page Count: 480
- Reading Time: Approximately 11 hours
- Goodreads Rating: 4.44/5
5. Betrayer (March 2013)
- Author: Aaron Dembski-Bowden
- Page Count: 416
- Reading Time: Approximately 9 hours
- Goodreads Rating: 4.38/5
We think the above are fantastic books with Dan Abnett and Aaron Dembski-Bowden showing how good at writing these worlds they are. However, go with what interests you the most, you have a wealth of wonderful writing waiting to discover.
Methodology
We’ve taken data from multiple sources (e.g. Goodreads for book ratings – ratings as of February ‘25) to give a bit more credence to the findings.
We’ve estimated an average reading speed of 250 words per minute and used https://howlongtoread.com/ as our source. This site seems to take approximate word count rather than page length as its basis, so that’s why you may see differences in timings for the same page number.
Also, a big shout out to https://wh40k.lexicanum.com/. We used our own knowledge for this article but it at times wasn’t enough, and Lexicanum came to the rescue and continues to be an excellent online source for all things Warhammer.
Frequently Asked Questions About Horus Heresy
Is Horus Heresy canon?
Yes we believe it is and Games Workshop normally take the stance of everything is lore, but not everything is necessarily true. So, things could be changed in the future if needed.
How many books are there in the Horus Heresy?
There are 54 main books in the Horus Heresy series (this includes anthologies etc.).
Is Horus Heresy complete and finished?
Yes and no – the main story has concluded; however, they’ll most certanily be spin-offs or stories in the future.
Is the Horus Heresy 30k or 40k?
It’s 30k and takes place10,000 years before the 40k era.
Do I need to read anything before Horus Heresy?
Nope, not in our opinion. It’s probably useful to start with the first few novels to get a feel for it, but then we’d advise just dipping into the stories that sound interesting to you. We’ve found that the most enjoyable way to read the series.
Which is the longest book in the Horus Heresy series?
Vengeful Spirit (by Graham McNeill) at ~170,000 words.
Which is the shortest book in the Horus Heresy series?
Tallarn: Executioner (by John French), a novella.
