Tag Archives: WH40K

What Is Warhammer40K?

9 Replies

So what is this Warhammer40K I keep posting about, and how does it tie in to Horus Heresy, and if there is there just a Warhammer without the 40K? And what is it all about? Is it a book series? Or a game? Well I am glad you asked, if you asked, and if you didn’t ask but are still curious then hey this post is still here for you!

Warhammer40K (or WH40K for brevity) is the SciFi aspect of the Warhammer universe. Warhammer without the 40K is their Fantasy brand. They loosely tie together and the underlying concepts are similar, but one is in a far distant past and the other is in the far flung future. Mankind is fighting in both against the forces of Chaos that would love to destroy us all, and there’s elves and orcs and undead and monsters and rebels and lions and tigers and bears! Ok so that’s a bit silly, but you get the idea. The Fantasy is the dark history and the SciFi is the dark distant future. Both story universes are constantly expanding. And both story universes are based upon…..

A game!!! That is right! Warhammer and WH40K are role playing games of mass variety. You can play small crew/solo adventures or play massive army on army warfare depending on what you are wanting to play and invest in. it is a pretty fun and immersive game experience that is well thought out. There are all sorts of suggestions on how to get involved, where to get the miniatures you use for the games, painting tutorials (because what you paint your army matters as much if not more than what army you collect!) and all kinds of resources. If you are interested in that then a good starting point is at the source: Games Workshop has a lot of pointers on where to begin and resources to offer. Also feel free to message me if you have questions and I’ll try and help out with answers! I am definitely not an expert, but I can help look for answers.

But! WH40K (and Warhammer but my focus here us more on the SciFi) is much more than just an amazing game! It also is a universe in which several talented authors weave stories and tell tales of great conflicts and incredible feats of strength and endurance. About how humanity is always on the brink of destruction but somehow still stands against the darkness! GrimDark Military SciFi at its finest! If you aren’t sure where to get started I highly recommend Gaunt’s Ghosts as a great intro! This series follows a group of weary soldiers without a home who keep fighting for humanity because they really keep fighting for each other.

The Horus Heresy fits in to WH40K by taking place 10,000 years prior in which Chaos came closest to destroying us all and it is a magnificent book series. Y’all have heard me go on and on about that and I’ll continue to do so, so you are probably most familiar with that.

So Warhammer is Fantasy, WH40K and Horus Heresy are SciFi, they are all table top games, and books, and video games, and they’re also community when you dive deep into it. For me the primary interest is in the books, but I love the game as well and find that painting the miniatures is a but meditative. This brings our intro to an end while barely scratching the surface so keep watching for more and reach out to me if you have more questions!

Advertisement

Ninth Of Nine: Galaxy In Flames

Leave a reply

We have reached the end of nine straight days in a row making posts! Wooohooo! This has been a lot of fun and it has encouraged me to post snd engage more regularly so I think overall this has been a positive experience! I hope you’ve enjoyed it too! Thank you for reading along! All the exclamation points!!!!!

Today’s book is Galaxy In Flames which is the third book of the Horus Heresy and it is written by Ben Counter. So that is the third author so far in three books. What is up with that you might ask? Well the Horus Heresy is over fifty books long as a series, with another 18 book prequel series, and the climactic battle at the end has been made into a sequel series which is already four books long and growing! This truly is the neverending series and the only way they have been able to pull this off is to have a team of authors who work together. So multiple authors have joined together for this adventure and each author brings something worthwhile to the tale.

This book brings the opening trilogy to an intense and destructive close. In the first two books you have gotten to know Horus and several other key characters. You have such hopes for humanity! This book reminds you that this is a GrimDark Military SciFi series and those normally are books that will break your heart…

This series is amazing. It is long and drawn out, that is true, but honestly I am loving working my way through it and not eager to reach the end of it. These first three books have taken you on a fast paced linear story and after this book the story will soon go sideways, forwards, backwards, and all over as it starts to show the width and depth of the galactic civil war it covers. The scope of this series is amazing!

As for Horus…. you will have to read to see what becomes of Horus. But maybe after you do you might also come to understand Horus a little better. You might not! But just maybe you might.

Thank you for joining with me on thus journey of nine posts in nine days!! I am already prepping for more posts soon so hopefully I’ll be sharing quality content with y’all now on the regular!

Sixth Of Nine: False Gods

Leave a reply

From The Godless World Trilogy over to False Gods for our sixth post out of the nine! False Gods is written by Graham McNeill and it is the second book in the Horus Heresy. As y’all know I’ve committed myself to reading this neverending and highly enjoyable series, and it is important to look back at the roots as we progress.

First off let’s talk about thus amazing cover! Philip Sibbering is an extraordinarily gifted artist who does a great job at capturing masses of Space Marines united in a singular purpose of the devastation of humanity’s enemies. Next let’s talk about why there are Space Marines and Primarchs and what is the Emperor trying to accomplish.

The Emperor is the most powerful Psyker (human able to use supernatural powers) in the known galaxy. He has existed since the early days of humanity and has tried guiding the species through the years. However humanity grew too far too fast and imploded in upon itself after spreading through the galaxy. A time known as Old Night descended in which humanity lost its science, art, communications, and soul. We had spread through the galaxy but now we were lost and adrift.

The Emperor at this point came from behind the scenes to the forefront and conquered Earth, determined to reunite humanity and to guide it into a great golden age. To do this he created genetically enhanced soldiers known as Space Marines and created his “sons” the Primarchs to lead them. Then he launched humanity on a 200 year long crusade to reconquer the galaxy. Reuniting the splintered worlds of humanity under one banner, his banner, whether they wanted it or not. Thus the Imperium Of Man was founded.

To truly understand the Heresy you must understand how vital Horus is, and how much the Emperor trusted him, and how badly the Emperor misled him. To unite humanity the forces of the Imperium have to travel through the Warp. A dark place full of wonder, mystery, terror, gods, and Chaos. The Emperor thought he could conquer this too without letting his people know that chaotic gods existed and were striving to destroy the universe. But through a series of events detailed within the pages of this story Horus comes into contact with these beings. Beings his father told him didn’t exist, while knowing they did. Now Horus must decide who to trust. Chaotic false gods, or a deceitful father.

The stage is set, the players are present, and now the greatest soul to ever exist besides the Emperor must decide what path is right not only for himself, but for all of humanity too.

Third Of Nine: Horus Rising

1 Reply

Today’s post is sneaking in just before the end of the day. It was a busy one today, y’all! For more info on why I’m doing bine posts nine days in a row please check out post one of nine. For today’s post I’ve chosen the first book of a series that means a lot to me: Horus Rising by Dan Abnett which is the first book of The Horus Heresy

Trying to watch Horus rise….

Y’all know I’ve made the joke that the only way to finish a never ending series is to never stop reading it, and I’ve followed that advice and am currently on book thirty-nine of the Heresy. This series is an intense drama that spans the galaxy. It is GrimDark Military SciFi at its finest. Totally over the top action and emotions and a moving storyline! If you want a series to lose yourself in then this one is perfect for that.

At the heart of this series is a conflict between a father and his son, The Emperor Of Mankind created twenty superbeings know as the Primarchs. These Primarchs were created in the Emperor’s image with each carrying on a specific trait of his. Horus is the most favored and the greatest of all the Primarchs. Horus is who the Emperor entrusts the crusade to reunite all of humanity under the rule of the Imperium. Horus is who turns from his father and embraces a darker power.

If you are familiar with the lore of Warhammer40K then you know that ten thousand years prior to WH40K something terrible happened that almost destroyed humanity. That terrible thing is The Horus Heresy. This series is WH40K delving deep into its roots! Horus stands at the heart if it all, and now having read Horus Rising three times I think I understand his choices a bit better. Now I am not condoning galactic civil war, it’s just that you start to get a better feel for Horus and for why he makes the decisions he does. It is easy yo assume that just because someone is a superbeing they shouldn’t be prone to petty jealousies and they should be able to move past betrayals, but what if BECAUSE they ARE a superbeing they FEEL these raw emotions even more deeply than we could ever imagine? Worth considering!

This book introduces you to sone of the lies that Horus has been fed by the one he trusted the most, but it doesn’t spell out those lies clearly, and it doesn’t offer you the deeper truths. This series is one you have to dig in to in order to find out all the lies and truth, and once you do I think you find that the Horus’ rise makes more sense.

On the next post featuring book two of this series I’ll talk a bit more about the supporting cast! Hope you’re enjoying this journey through nine days of blogging!

Book 36 Of ?

8 Replies

I’ve just completed reading the 36 book of The Horus Heresy and I really enjoyed it a lot!

The Path Of Heaven by Chris Wraight features the White Scars who are an interesting Legion to follow. Based off of a Mongal Horde sort of group their Legion cherishes speed as one of their primary traits, and they feel like outsiders from the very Imperium they’ve fought to expand and protect. This outsider mindset plays heavily into their decisions on which factor to support in the Galactic Civil War.

The book started a little slow, ironically as speed is so cherished by this Legion, but I think the slowness was primarily a result of over focusing on the enemies in this book, and setting up the deception that warfare brings with it. That said once this book started rolling it really drew me right into it and didn’t let go until the very end! One of the better books in the series.

So let’s talk about this series a bit! This is book number 36 of…. well right now 56 I think m, but as the series is still ongoing who really knows? And that is honestly something that I’m really enjoying about this series, the fact that it just keeps on going and growing. I’ll admit I was a bit frustrated with how sideways everything went early on after a quick start out of the gate with the first few books, but now I know I’d rather the series be this sprawling and wide ranging. The Heresy itself is supposedly only a ten year period of time but the series has jumped around to ten or forty or two hundred years before the “present” time. Each jump deepens the story and increases the build up! The best analogy I can think of is if you ever watched Dragonball Z and you remember how they’d spend like three episodes building up energy for one powerful punch, that’s similar to what the authors are doing here! If they’re going to tell a story of galactic civil war they’re going to truly make it as epic as the galaxy itself!

As a plus for any considering if they want to dip their toes into The Horus Heresy I can truly say I’m still loving this series 36 books into it and I’m eager for however many more books it will last!

PS: it appears WordPress just changed their App and now instead of writing one long blog post it’s split it into several boxes which is causing me some consternation and throwing me off my blogging game just a little right now, but hopefully it posts ok and I get accustomed to it soon! Hope y’all are all well!

Damming The Heresy Or Adding To The Flow?

2 Replies

When reading a never ending series you realize the only way to reach the end is to never stop reading. That said every so often it’s good to pause and evaluate if you’re enjoying the series. Upon finishing the thirtieth book of The Horus Heresy I decided to do just that.

One of my early complaints about The Heresy was that every few books you’d get a story that didn’t advance the overall storyline. It felt like it would go sideways. This was a way of building up the series, of showing you what was happening all around the Imperium Of Man during The Heresy. The Damnation Of Pythos by David Annandale felt like one of those sideways books and I won’t lie I was a little frustrated by that at the start. Especially considering the previous book actually featured Horus and advanced the story greatly! To go from a book that’s focused on one of the central characters to the Heresy to a book that features a battered and near destroyed company of Space Marines trying to pull themselves together after being almost destroyed in events that took place in the fifth book of the series was a little like changing gears while driving without using a clutch.

However I must admit that as I read on in the book I started to see how this story fits in the overall story, and I was able to appreciate the added depth it brought to series. It’s also an amazing example of GrimDark SciFi such as you often see in the pages of a Warhammer40K book, I say that to say it felt more WH40K than Horus Heresy style and I’m happy with that. This book, whether intentionally or not, started to form more of a bridge between the events of The Horus Heresy and the events of the every day Imperium Of Man in the 40K universe. Less hope and more faith combined with inner struggles and ultimate sacrifices for gains you can’t yet see.

Thirty books into this Heresy and I’m still quite happy with this series and the directions the authors are taking it in. Truth told I’m going to be sad when I reach the end of this never ending series. I’m going to miss it because it has been such a great reading experience.

That said I’m also starting the thirty-first book right now. Because the only way to reach the end of a never ending series is to never stop reading it. Let The Heresy Continue.

Ongoing Heresy

Leave a reply

The only way to complete a never ending book series is to never stop reading it! Y’all know I love The Horus Heresy, and since I’m now twenty-six books deep into this forty plus book series it seemed a good time to pause and reflect on it!


I first started reading this series when it was first published but after reading the first six books I was distracted and I had set it down. Well, discouraged would be more the phrase. I had not expected the overall story to be put on hold while we saw everything else going on in the universe! And that’s kind of what happens. But I still thought it was a great story and had potential so four years ago I started the series over and this time I LOVED it! I knew more of what to expect. So when I heard it was over twenty books I wasn’t surprised. So grand a heresy, so great a tragedy deserved several books to lay out the whole story. Then it passed thirty books. Then it passed forty books….. but then I realized something: How do you finish reading a never ending series? By never stopping reading it! 


I have just completed reading the twenty-sixth book in the series. Nick Kyme struck gold with Vulkan Lives. This book has almost perfect pacing! And within its pages you reach one of the primary questions/frustrations so many have had with this series. The question of WHY. Why do we have this heresy? Why didn’t the principle parties sit down and sort out their issues since they are described as gods? Well in Vulkan Lives we are reminded that as much as the Emperor elevated all the good, noble, true, and incredible traits in the Primarchs, he also elevated all the bad, evil, selfish, and dark traits in the Primarchs. 


But I don’t mean to get lost in the weeds for this post. I mean to reflect. From the first book Horus Rising through the twenty-sixth book Vulkan Lives the authors have crafted an immense and awesome STORY. It’s a rabbit hole to be sure but one that’s worth jumping down and exploring. You don’t have to be a Warhammer40K fan to appreciate this story. You’ll truly learn enough by starting with the first book and reading on. I do think you’d have a difficult time if you aren’t a fan of SciFi as it is GrimDark Military SciFi, but at its heart this is a tragic tale of children rising against their parent and their siblings and the stakes in this family struggle are nothing less than the galaxy itself. 

Now to start the twenty-seventh book! 

Comfort Reads!

Leave a reply

Comfort Reads: Authors/Series you turn to in stressful/busy times to relax and unwind OR Authors/Series that you find to be easy to turn to again and again. 


My main Comfort Reads would be L.E. Modesitt Jr and Warhammer40K. I know, Modesitt really makes you think and WH40K is quite GrimDark. Maybe not what everyone would turn to, but both are very comfortable for me to turn to. 


Modesitt has a method of creating characters I can easily identify with and enjoy and he makes me think. You feel that he respects the intellegence of his reader. I know that no matter how many times I pick up one of his books I will learn something new and appreciate his work more. I find that very comforting. 


Warhammer40K isn’t relaxing reading, but it is in a way. The universe of WH40K and The Horus Heresy is a very bleak, dark, and dangerous universe. It’s one that doesn’t paint a bright future and it doesn’t offer hopes of ever improving after. Yet it is comforting to read of the heroic acts of those that keep the Imperium Of Man alive. Reading about the superhuman Space Marines or the very human Imperial Army fighting bravely against the darkness that is about to overwhelm humanity is interesting and I find it to be a universe I can always turn to for distraction. 

What authors or book series are your Comfort Reads? 

November Reading Plans!

Leave a reply

I’m not the most organized reader. However this year I’ve worked towards setting monthly goals and I’ve had fun with this! It’s helped me read a few books I would have missed out on while still allowing me to be distracted by something shiney when distraction is needed!


This month my goals are these five books, a few others on my kindle, of course some comic books, and then whatever shiney books come my way and demand attention!


Ship Of Fools by Richard Paul Russo is absolutely amazing! Yes I’ve already read it. This will be my first reread and I’ve got a few friends joining in for fun! I loved this Horror SciFi! It captures the anxiety terror of the original Alien film. It is about a generational ship that’s been lost in space for generations, but the passengers are about to learn they aren’t as alone as they’ve believed….


I started House Of Leaves by Mark Z Danielewski in October with the goal of reading it all alongside some friends who were hosting a group read of it. I fell short of the goal but there’s no way I’m giving up on this amazingly creepy story!


How do you finish a never ending book series? By never stopping! Rolling on to Betrayer by Aaron Dembski-Bowden to continue seeing where The Horus Heresy takes me. I mean I already know where it goes, that’s not the surprise of this series, the surprise is in the journey! 


Time to finish Winterbirth by Brian Ruckley which I started back in 2014! So y’all have already heard me describe this awesome book. 200 pages left to read!


And introducing to my bookshelf and currently reading pile: Awakenings by Edward Lazellari! An Urban Fantasy with characters who have forgotten their pasts having to recover who they were to save not only their own lives but also the world! This book not only caught my eye but also the author’s twitter account did! This copy is a signed copy that was mailed to me for a read and review and I’m excited to tear into it. More on that in a future post!

There you have it! November’s reading goals! Feel free to join me in reading any of these or discuss them! Book talks are the best talks. Do you have any November reading goals? 

Ten Years Of Heresy

Leave a reply

Imagine it is the year 40,000. You a part of a vast galactic empire that is based out of Earth. You only know war. On every border you are attacked. The enemy has struck deep into the heart of your territory. War is all there is. You long for the God Emperor to awaken and rescue humanity from itself but He has been locked away for 10,000 years and you aren’t even convinced that He is still alive anymore… yet you have lived your whole life for Him, and you know you’ll die for Him. For there is only war. 
This is the grim dark universe of Warhammer40K it is a universe in which humanity barely holds on, seems on the verge of destruction, but still fights. It is a harsh future which promises only destruction and the slow fight leading to it. What happened to humanity to set it on this path of constant warfare? 


To answer that you’ll need to turn back time 10,000 years to a golden age of expansion and enlightenment. To a time when the glorious Emperor walked amongst his chosen warriors and guided humanity. To a time before he was a God locked away from all of humanity. To a time when everything seemed possible and promising. To a time when the future was bright. To a time when the Emperor’s chosen sons took up the mantle of leadership. You would have to return to a time when his greatest son, Horus, turned his heart away from his own father and betrayed him. To when Horus split the galaxy into warring fragments. To a time when Horus believed the Heresy of Chaos and fell victim to it. To the time of The Horus Heresy. 


The Horus Heresy is an excellent Military SciFi series that covers the fall of the greatest galactic empire in epic heroic fashion. It is the tenth anniversary of the publication of Horus Rising by Dan Abnett. Ten years and over thirty books later the Horus Heresy is still going strong! I am twenty books into this excellent series. Each new book adds an extra layer to this epic story. It has kept me following year after year and book after book. The authors (there are several contributing authors to the series) keep the story fresh, interesting, engaging, and worth reading. This is an excellent series for anyone to read and if you are a fan of Military SciFi you’d be hard pressed to find something better to invest in. Here’s to a wonderful ten past years and here’s to many more stories in The Horus Heresy!