Pre-Heresie Fulgrim here, checking in with a much awaited video on the Horus Heresy, and more specifically on my Horus Heresy reading list.
If you want to get straight into it, you can follow the first link in the description box below.
You'll get to my page where I have listed 30 books from the series, which I recommend you to read.
I composed, compiled the list with some assistance from you.
A while back, I asked if you had any additions you would like to see in the list, and I took your recommendations into consideration, and I added a few more books to the list.
Now, I do realize that reading the entire series, 54 books, it makes for quite the time investment, so I tried to shorten it down, but at the same time, in a way that you would get the full story.
Something to point out here as well, that the series isn't actually finished, it continues with The Siege of Terra.
So maybe I'll make another video later on when that series is concluded.
So anyway, the book to start with is of course The Masterpiece by Dan Abnett.
Horus Rising.
This is also the book that got me hooked.
So a few years back, well many years now, 2013, I decided to read some science fiction because I had never read any science fiction before.
I had never read anything Warhammer 40,000 before.
Now technically speaking, this is Warhammer 30,000 since it is set 10,000 years before the current Warhammer 40,000 setting.
Now previously I had been a fan of Tolkien of course and of Warhammer Fantasy.
Otherwise I hadn't been much of a fantasy fan.
I am still not the main genre of books.
I've read historical fiction and I'm still not a fan necessarily of science fiction.
I'm not necessarily even a fan of Warhammer 40,000.
I'm specifically a fan of the Horus Heresy.
So that is to make it very precise if I read something.
So of course I do often get recommendations for science fiction books but yeah no I limit my science fiction interest to Warhammer 40,000 or more specifically Warhammer 30,000.
Anyway I read it and I got absolutely hooked by the narrative, by the fill, by the epic sensation of things.
The absolutely compelling theme of a god emperor who creates 20 genetically modified suns with the help of the dark gods.
And the fill itself is the most important thing.
The fill is one of a modern day Iliad and Odyssey.
That is the epicness of it all.
That you have gods, you have demigods, you have mortals.
The mortals in the Horus Heresy, they aren't overly interesting to be honest.
I more like to read about the Primarchs and the Adeptus Astartis.
Now anyway, you might wonder, is there any political or philosophical message in the books?
No, there aren't any such things except for, you know, a few philosophical discussions and you will probably recognize some thoughts and some historical characters in the books as well.
I would like to know more specifically what Dan Abnett and this author, Aaron Dembski Bowden, what their metaphysical inspirations were for writing the lore.
Speaking of which, this is one of the most interesting parts of the Entire universe, the entire setting of Horus Heresy, the metaphysics.
So, to give an example, you have demons, of course, and this is a good example from this fine book, one of my favorite books, The Creation of Demons.
So, one of the most powerful demons in the entire existence in the universe is the demon of the first murder.
So, a horrendous sin, the first murder in humanity's history.
That sin, the evil, it created something in the Immaterium, so the parallel world, and that was the extremely powerful demon.
So, you do something bad in this world, and it has an effect on the other world, the Immaterium.
And sometimes the Immaterium can leak into the physical realm, and there you have demon incursions and stuff like that.
And I won't spoil anything, but this also has to do with the fall of Horus that he gets corrupted by these other powers.
And then it goes on in some really interesting stuff.
An interesting dynamic between the Emperor and the dark gods that he may or may not have had dealings with before.
So, very interesting, very interesting stuff indeed.
So, another one of my favorite books, same author, The First Heretic.
And this is also centered on religion, one could say faith finding a true calling.
Now, this is of course a bit of a tragedy because he goes from good to worse, so to speak.
He gets corrupted, as we would see it, the Primarch in that story.
So, very interesting, very well written, and just overall exciting and epic.
So, anyway, I could talk a lot more about the Horus heresy, but if I would just say why I am a fan of it, it's because of the epic film reading about heroic demigods on a very grand scale.
And you have these rivalries between the brothers.
Some are loyal to the Emperor, some are loyal to Horus, intrigues, rivalries, everything like that on a truly epic scale.
So, anyway, do check out the reading list.
And if you want to read the series, you start with this, see if you like it or not.
If you don't like it, there are many other books to read.
