Part of our Orks hub: every Orks guide, lore page and painting tutorial in one place.
Start with Brutal Kunnin’ by Mike Brooks, billed as the first full Warhammer 40,000 novel told from the Orks’ point of view. Then read its sequel Da Big Dakka, followed by Nate Crowley’s Ghazghkull Thraka: Prophet of the Waaagh!. Those three cover Ork kultur, the clans and the most famous warboss of all, and they’re properly funny as well as brutal.
After that, the list moves on to the newer Ork novels and the grot spin-offs, then to classic books where the Orks are the enemy, seen through Imperial eyes.
Quick list
| Order | Book | Author | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brutal Kunnin’ | Mike Brooks | Your first Ork book |
| 2 | Da Big Dakka | Mike Brooks | Ufthak vs the Drukhari |
| 3 | Ghazghkull Thraka: Prophet of the Waaagh! | Nate Crowley | Ghazghkull’s life story |
| 4 | Warboss | Mike Brooks | Clan rivalry and Ork politics |
| 5 | Ghazghkull Thraka: Warlord of Warlords | Denny Flowers | Blood Axes under Ghazghkull (2026) |
| 6 | Grotsnik Da Mad Dok | Denny Flowers | Painboyz and mad science |
| 7 | Da Red Gobbo Collection | Mike Brooks and others | Grots fighting back |
| 8 | Helsreach | Aaron Dembski-Bowden | Black Templars vs a Waaagh! |
| 9 | Caves of Ice | Sandy Mitchell | Comedy, with Orks and worse |
| 10 | Catachan Devil | Justin Woolley | Catachans vs a green tide |
| 11 | I Am Slaughter | Dan Abnett | The Beast Arises, a huge ancient Waaagh! |
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How this order works
Books 1–7 are told from the Ork (or grot) point of view, and that’s where the faction comes alive. Books 8–11 show what facing a Waaagh! is like for humans. They’re some of Black Library’s best war stories, but the Orks are the threat rather than the heroes. If you prefer bundles, two recent omnibuses cover a lot of this list, so see the omnibus section near the end.
Start here: Orks from the inside
1. Brutal Kunnin’ — Mike Brooks
Price details
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Ufthak Blackhawk and his boyz hit Hephaesto, an Adeptus Mechanicus forge world full of loot, only to find the Freebooter Kaptin Badrukk already besieging it. Their warboss orders them to work together for now. Ufthak has other ideas.
- Series: Ufthak Blackhawk, book 1
- Era: 41st Millennium
- Why first: It gets you inside Ork heads in a way no earlier book did, and it’s darkly hilarious. Our Brutal Kunnin’ review has more.
2. Da Big Dakka — Mike Brooks
Summoned by his boss and sure he’s in trouble, Ufthak leads his Waaagh! through the webway into Commorragh. There he’s thrown into the Drukhari fighting pits and comes up against an ambitious Archon.
- Series: Ufthak Blackhawk, book 2
- Era: 41st Millennium
- Why here: It’s a direct sequel to Brutal Kunnin’, and Orks loose in the Dark City is as chaotic as it sounds.
3. Ghazghkull Thraka: Prophet of the Waaagh! — Nate Crowley
The Beast of Armageddon’s full story, told to the Inquisition by his grot banner-bearer, Makari. It follows Ghazghkull’s rise from a mysterious beginning to the greatest warboss in the galaxy.
- Series: Standalone
- Era: Spans Ghazghkull’s whole career
- Why here: It’s the essential Ork character novel and doubles as a history of his wars. Our Ghazghkull Thraka lore page is a good companion.
The essentials: newer Ork novels
4. Warboss — Mike Brooks
Warboss Gazrot Goresnappa lies “proppa dead” under a fallen Gargant’s head, so the biggest bosses of six feuding clans fight it out for the top job. A prophecy about a mysterious gate under the human city has them all racing to find it first.
- Series: Standalone. It’s also in The Green Tide omnibus.
- Era: 41st Millennium
- Why here: It’s the best book for understanding the six clans, which helps if you’re choosing a clan to paint.
5. Ghazghkull Thraka: Warlord of Warlords — Denny Flowers
Slitta da Stabba is a new Blood Axe warboss who answers to Ghazghkull. When Ghazghkull picks the Blood Axe world of Gabal for a showdown with the Black Templars, not all of the boyz are happy about it.
- Series: Standalone (released March 2026)
- Era: 41st Millennium
- Why here: It shows Ghazghkull’s Waaagh! from the point of view of a boss living in his shadow, so read it after Prophet of the Waaagh!.
6. Grotsnik Da Mad Dok — Denny Flowers
The legendary painboy Grotsnik, credited with creating Ghazghkull, comes to the aid of a Beastboss whose rampage on Hive Prome is fizzling out. It soon becomes clear the Mad Dok is working on something that could change ork-kind for good.
- Series: Standalone (released 2025)
- Era: 41st Millennium
- Why here: It’s a gleefully grim look at Ork “medicine” and ties neatly into Ghazghkull’s story.
7. Da Red Gobbo Collection — Mike Brooks, Denny Flowers and Rhuairidh James
Grots across the galaxy put on the cape of Da Red Gobbo and lead the “Revolushun” against humans, Chaos and their own Ork masters.
- Contains: Da Gobbo’s Revenge (novella, Brooks), Da Gobbo’s Demise (novella, Flowers), Da Gobbo Rides Again (Rhuairidh James) and short stories
- Era: 41st Millennium
- Why here: It’s the lightest, silliest entry on the list, and a nice change after the warboss books.
Deeper cuts: the Orks as the enemy
8. Helsreach — Aaron Dembski-Bowden
During the Ork invasion of Armageddon, Chaplain Grimaldus and a band of Black Templars must hold Hive Helsreach as their numbers fall and the Orks keep coming.
- Series: Space Marine Battles
- Era: 41st Millennium, the war for Armageddon
- Why here: It’s one of the most loved Space Marine novels and shows exactly why a Waaagh! is terrifying. See our Helsreach review and our Wars for Armageddon explainer.
9. Caves of Ice — Sandy Mitchell
Commissar Ciaphas Cain investigates disappearances on an ice world just as an Ork invasion lands, and something else stirs under the ice.
- Series: Ciaphas Cain, book 2
- Era: 41st Millennium
- Why here: It’s a comedy, so it’s a nice change of pace, and it features Orks and Necrons in one book.
10. Catachan Devil — Justin Woolley
The Catachan 57th Jungle Fighters land on Gondwa VI, a world overrun by greenskins, and decide to attack rather than dig in, saddled with a barely trained survivor from another regiment.
- Series: Standalone. It’s also in The Green Tide omnibus.
- Era: 41st Millennium
- Why here: It’s a fast, close-quarters jungle war story that pairs well with Warboss if you buy the omnibus.
11. I Am Slaughter — Dan Abnett
The Imperial Fists leave Terra for the first time in centuries to wipe out a xenos threat, and run into something far bigger and greener than they expected.
- Series: The Beast Arises, book 1 of 12
- Era: The 32nd Millennium, long before modern 40k
- Why here: It’s last because it opens a 12-book series about an ancient Ork invasion of the Imperium. Start it only if you want a long commitment.
Omnibus shortcuts
- The Green Tide (2026) collects Warboss and Catachan Devil, the novellas Iron Resolve and Prisoners of Waaagh!, and four short stories, including Mike Brooks’s Where Dere’s Da Warp Dere’s a Way, where Ufthak first appeared. Check price on Amazon
- Legends of the Waaagh! (2026) collects Caves of Ice, Helsreach, the novella I Am Slaughter, and a short story from each author. Check price on Amazon
Common mistakes
- Expecting a joke book. Ork novels are funny, but the best ones (Brutal Kunnin’, Prophet of the Waaagh!) are also violent and surprisingly thoughtful.
- Reading Da Big Dakka first. It’s the sequel, so start with Brutal Kunnin’.
- Starting The Beast Arises as a “quick Ork read”. It’s a 12-book event series, so try a standalone first.
- Buying books you already own in an omnibus. The Green Tide and Legends of the Waaagh! overlap with several single novels here, so check the contents first.
- Skipping the grot books. Da Red Gobbo is some of the most fun you’ll have with the faction.
FAQ
What is the best first Orks book?
Brutal Kunnin’ by Mike Brooks. It’s told from the Ork point of view, needs no background, and leads straight into its sequel, Da Big Dakka.
What order are the Ufthak Blackhawk books in?
The short story Where Dere’s Da Warp Dere’s a Way came first, then Brutal Kunnin’, then Da Big Dakka.
Is there a book about Ghazghkull?
Yes. Ghazghkull Thraka: Prophet of the Waaagh! by Nate Crowley tells his life story, and Ghazghkull Thraka: Warlord of Warlords (2026) shows his Waaagh! through the eyes of one of his bosses.
Which Ork book helps me pick a clan?
Warboss, because it pits bosses from all six clans against each other. Then check our Orks army page and our Orks codex guide for how the clans play.
Are Ork books good for new Warhammer readers?
Yes. They’re among the most accessible Black Library books because they don’t lean on Imperial politics or the Horus Heresy, and they’re written with a lot of humour.
Who is Ufthak Blackhawk?
Ufthak Blackhawk is the Ork boss at the centre of Mike Brooks’s Ork books. He first appeared in the short story Where Dere’s Da Warp Dere’s a Way, then took the lead in Brutal Kunnin’ and its sequel Da Big Dakka. He’s unusually sharp for an Ork, which is where a lot of the humour comes from, but he’s every bit as violent as the rest of his boyz.
Is Ghazghkull in Helsreach?
Not as a main character. Helsreach is set during Ghazghkull’s invasion of Armageddon, but the story stays with Chaplain Grimaldus and the Black Templars defending one hive city. The Orks are a faceless, unstoppable enemy rather than characters. If you want Ghazghkull himself on the page, read Prophet of the Waaagh! and Warlord of Warlords.
Do I need to read The Beast Arises to understand Ork novels?
No. The Beast Arises is a separate 12-book event series set in the 32nd Millennium, thousands of years before the modern Ork novels. Brutal Kunnin’, Warboss and the Ghazghkull books all stand on their own. Only start The Beast Arises if you want a long series about an ancient Ork war against the Imperium.