The Horus Heresy (Novels)

The Horus Heresy series of novels are a collection of books written by some to the Black Library's best known authors and chronicles the history of the Horus Heresy upon which most of Warhammer 40,000 canon is based. The series began in 2006 with the publication of Dan Abnett's Horus Rising and as of April 2012 consists of nineteen novels written by nine different authors with at least three more already being prepared for publication in 2012. While the novels do deal with a continuous stream of events it is possible to approach them in any order one likes.

Titles
The following is a list of current titles in the Horus Heresy novels series:

Synopsis
The novelisation of the Horus Heresy is not strictly sequential and the story of the Heresy may be presented in a non-linear chronology from book to book; novels may concern events in the Heresy that happen earlier than their position in the series would suggest, or may include time periods already covered in other books of the series.

Horus Rising details the rise to power of the Warmaster Horus, Primarch of the Luna Wolves Legion, after the Emperor of Mankind appoints him commander of the Imperial military and in charge of the Great Crusade. Much of the focus is on the Captain of the Luna Wolves' 10th Company, Garviel Loken, as he becomes a member of the Mournival (an advisory body to Horus), and his involvement in campaigns against Traitors and aliens at the close of the Great Crusade.
 * 1. Horus Rising - The seeds of heresy are sown1_Horus_Rising.jpg

False Gods describes Horus' fall to Chaos. In a complicated conspiracy implemented by Chaos allies, Horus is wounded on the moon of the planet Davin by an alien, Chaos-tainted weapon. In a desperate effort by his lieutenants to see him healed, Horus is taken to a temple on Davin. However the temple is secretly in service to Chaos and both Horus's wound and its supposed healing makes him susceptible to Chaos' influence. He ultimately turns against his "father", the Emperor. The events of False Gods describe the point at which Horus sets in motion the entire Heresy, an event that will change the galaxy forever.
 * 2. False Gods - The heresy takes root2_False_Gods.jpg

Galaxy in Flames concerns the infamous virus-bombing of Istvaan III and the Warmaster Horus' ultimate falling into madness, which results in a galaxy where brother would fight brother. In a virus-choked wasteland of death and destruction, Loyalist elements of the Luna Wolves, World Eaters, Emperor's Children and Death Guard Legions fight against the Traitors of their former Legions in a desperate show of defiance, as the first move of the Heresy is played out.
 * 3. Galaxy in Flames - The heresy revealed3_Galaxy_In_Flames.jpg

Flight of the Eisenstein follows the Eisenstein, a frigate of the Death Guard Legion commanded by Battle-Captain Nathaniel Garro of the 7th Company, one of the few commanders in the Traitor Legions who remained Loyal to the Emperor. The novel follows the Eisenstein's escape from Istvaan III (see Galaxy in Flames above) and its voyage across the galaxy in an attempt to warn the Emperor of Mankind on Terra of Horus's treachery.
 * 4. Flight of the Eisenstein - The heresy unfolds4_Flight_Of_The_Eisenstein.jpg

Fulgrim centers around the Primarch of the Emperor's Children Legion - Fulgrim. This story explains the fall of the Primarch and his Legion into corruption, eventually became the Chosen of Slaanesh, one of the Chaos Gods. Primarch Ferrus Manus and his Iron Hands Legion also play a prominent role in the novel, and the pivotal Battle of Istvaan V (the so-called Drop Site Massacre) is described in passing.
 * 5. Fulgrim - Visions of treachery5_Fulgrim.jpg

Descent of Angels is told from the point of view of the Dark Angels' homeworld of Caliban and the native Zahariel El'Zurias, who begins the novel as an Aspirant of The Order (a monastic order of techno-barbarian Calibanite knights). The first half of the novel is set on Caliban and covers the final battles of The Order under the future Primarch of the I Space Marine Legion, Lion El'Jonson. The book's second half describes Caliban's re-unification with the Imperium of Man as well as the actions of the Dark Angels Legion during the early years of the Great Crusade. Zahariel, selected as an Aspirant Space Marine, is ultimately accepted as a Neophyte of the Dark Angels Legion. A future schism within the Legion is intimated in this section of the book.
 * 6. Descent of Angels - Loyalty and honour6_Decent_Of_Angels.jpg

Legion features the Alpha Legion, the XX Astartes Legion (and last to be formed), which was known as the most secretive and inscrutable of all the Space Marine Legions. It also features the Imperial Army, and a mysterious inter-species organization called The Cabal. The book describes the events that eventually lead to the decision of Alpharius Omegon, the Legion's Primarch, to support Horus.
 * 7. Legion - Secrets and lies7_Legion.jpg

Battle for the Abyss describes the lead-up to the Battle of Calth fought between Primarch Roboute Guilliman 's Ultramarines and the Word Bearers Traitor Legion. The Word Bearers planned to use an immense warship, the Furious Abyss, to spearhead their attack. The protagonists must pursue the ship and prevent it from reaching Macragge, the Realm of Ultramar's capital world. If the Ultramarines break and give way to the traitorous Word Bearers, Guilliman's Legion will suffer a blow they may never recover from.
 * 8. Battle for the Abyss - My brother, my enemy8_Battle_For_The_Abyss.jpg

Mechanicum is about the civil war or Schism of Mars as Traitor and Loyalist Mechanicum forces fight one another to determine which side in the struggle will receive the support of the Adeptus Mechanicus. Warmaster Horus obtains the secret allegiance of highly placed Mechanicus Adepts who plot and eventually carry out a coup d'etat in order to eliminate those factions on Mars who remain Loyal to the Emperor.
 * 9. Mechanicum - War comes to Mars9_Mechanicum.jpg

Tales of Heresy is a collection of short stories set mostly during the Horus Heresy, but also including stories from other periods in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. The collection provides a wider background to the Heresy, the Great Crusade, and the Imperium of Man. Compiled and edited by Nick Kyme and Lindsey Priestley.
 * 10. Tales of Heresy10_Tales_of_Heresy.jpg

Fallen Angels continues the Dark Angels story begun in Descent of Angels. The book tells two stories: one of Primarch Lion'El Johnson and a small group of Dark Angels as they try to deny a Forge World to Horus's forces on Istvaan V; the other of Luther (Lion'El Johnson's second-in-command within the Legion), Zahariel (by now a full Space Marine), and a Dark Angels contingent sent back to Caliban as they fight against a growing insurgency that seeks to free the planet from the yoke of the Imperium.
 * 11. Fallen Angels - Deceit and betrayal11_Fallen_Angels.jpg

A Thousand Sons is the story of Magnus the Red and the Thousand Sons Legion of Space Marines, and for the most part takes place before the Horus Heresy begins. Following a reprimand by the Emperor of Mankind for dabbling in sorcery, Magnus the Red and his Legion secretly continue to study sorcery despite being forbidden to do so. Magnus learns through sorcery of his brother Horus's impending betrayal, and tries, again through sorcery, to warn the Emperor hoping this dire news would justify his disobedience. However, Magnus overreaches with his powers and causes damage to a vital and secret project the Emperor was undertaking, endangering the safety of Terra itself in the process. The Emperor is enraged and orders Leman Russ and his Space Wolves Legion, accompanied by other Imperial forces, to bring Magnus and his Legion to Terra to account for themselves.
 * 12. A Thousand Sons - All is dust...12_A_Thousand_Sons.jpg

Nemesis is set about two years after the events on Istvaan V described in Book 5, Fulgrim. It details a vital plan by a secret Imperial organization, the Officio Assassinorum, to eliminate Horus by using an Execution Force drawn from all the "Clades" (specialist assassin schools) that make up the Officio. There have been several previous unsuccessful attempts against Horus's life, and this gives a high-ranking officer of the Word Bearers Traitor Legion the idea to field a nemesis weapon of his own (a highly specialized assassin) in an audacious scheme to kill the Emperor.
 * 13. Nemesis - War within the shadows13_Nemesis.jpg

The First Heretic details the fall to Chaos of Primarch Lorgar and his Word Bearers, the XVII Legion. The story is told largely from the point of view of Argel Tal, a Captain of the Word Bearers, and spans about 50 Terran years, starting 47 years before the events on Istvaan V and leading up to the time when the Word Bearers are on their way to assault Calth as related in Book 8. Following the humiliating censure of Lorgar and the XVII Legion by the Emperor himself for introducing religious worship of the Emperor as the God of Mankind, Lorgar is swayed by two of his most trusted lieutenants Kor Phaeron and First Chaplain Erebus, who were already in secret allegiance with Chaos. Eventually both the Primarch and his Legion abandon the Imperium, and in full accord with Horus, take part in the Dropsite Massacre of Istvaan V.
 * 14. The First Heretic - Fall to Chaos14_The_First_Heretic.jpg

Prospero Burns is part of the story arc of Book 12, A Thousand Sons begins more than a century before the Space Wolves-led assault on Prospero. It is told from the point of view of Kasper Hawser, formerly a noted Terran academic, who becomes the Oral Historian (Skjald) of the 3rd Company of the Space Wolves Legion. On the surface it is his story; however the important subplot concerns the long-term machinations of Chaos to destroy both the Space Wolves and the Thousand Sons by pitting one against the other. The book also gives some important background on the Warmaster Horus's fall to Chaos, thus providing a more coherent view of the Heresy and of its planning by the Chaotic forces.
 * 15. Prospero Burns - The wolves unleashed15_Prospero_Burns.jpg

<p style="line-height: 19px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Age of Darkness is a compilation of short stories providing background information on the Horus Heresy. These cover the seven-year period between the Dropsite Massacre on Istvaan V (Book 5) and the start of the final campaign against Terra by the Traitor forces.
 * 16. Age of Darkness - The age of knowledge and enlightenment has ended. The Age of Darkness has begun16_Age_of_Darkness.jpg

<p style="line-height: 19px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">This is the first story in the series to take place entirely on Terra. It covers a relatively short period, from shortly before the Dropsite Massacre at Istvaan V (Book 5), to shortly after Primarch Magnus the Red's catastrophic psychic visit to the Imperial Palace (Book 12), an event that is central to the tale. The main character is Kai Zulane, previously a gifted Astropath attached to the Ultramarines Voidship Argo. He unwittingly becomes the keeper of a secret -- how the Horus Heresy will end -- that could decide the victor in the developing galactic civil war. The Outcast Dead are a small, disparate group of Space Marines drawn from several different Legions who are suspected to be Traitors, with whom Zulane falls in during the second half of the story. In the end, the secret kept by Zulane is revealed to the one person it is actually intended for, which provides one explanation for the post-Heresy scientific and cultural stagnation of the Imperium of Man.
 * 17. The Outcast Dead - The truth lies within17_The_Outcast_Dead.jpg

<p style="line-height: 19px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">This book is mainly concerned with the actions of the Primarch Corvus Corax and his command, the XIX Space Marine Legion, the Raven Guard, during the year following the Dropsite Massacre on Istvaan V (Book 5). However, operatives and the twin Primarchs Alpharius Omegon of the Alpha Legion (Book 7) play a prominent role. The novel also provides some information about the developing strategies and subterfuge practiced by the different sides of the conflict, including reasons for the timetable of the conflict as prosecuted by Horus, and for the actions of the Emperor as the Heresy was initially unfolding. It starts approximately 3 months after the Dropsite Massacre, with the unexpected rescue of Corax and the remnants of his Legion (at less than 5% strength) from Istvaan V. Apparently arriving at Terra a few months after the events described in The Outcast Dead (Book 17) had taken place, Corax convinces the Emperor to impart to him the necessary knowledge and material to accelerate the rebuilding of his Legion, including the top-secret remnants of gene-stock left over from the original Primarch Project. The second part of the novel describes the effort to reconstitute the Raven Guard, and the opposition to this by the hidden operatives of the Alpha Legion. The novel also features a reappearance of the Cabal (Book 7), and of other well-known characters from previous books in the series.
 * 18. Deliverance Lost - Ghosts of Terra18_Deliverance_Lost.jpg

<p style="line-height: 19px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Know No Fear documents the Word Bearers' surprise assault on Calth, a world belonging to the Ultramarines. The story starts close to where the timelines of Battle For The Abyss (Book 8) and The First Heretic (Book 14) converge. The invasion is planned and lead by the Traitor Primarch Lorgar, now fully and openly committed to the spread of the worship of Chaos. The story starts with the invasion force en route to Calth. The objective is to completely destroy the Ultramarines Legion, the largest of all the Space Marine Legions, and by doing so, cause the creation of Warp Storms due to the destructive energies unleashed by the war. The Warp Storms would isolate and confuse the Ultramarines forces and effectively neutralise them for the remainder of the Horus Heresy. The Word Bearers are also offer this slaughter of Loyalists as a tribute to their new Gods of Chaos. The story tracks the campaign from its opening phases and the actions of several characters. It is a bloody war with dark ritualistic undertones, scorched earth tactics, decisive use of technology, and the considerable involvement of Chaos.
 * 19. Know No Fear - The Battle of Calth19_Know_No_Fear.jpg

<p style="line-height: 19px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">(To be published June 2012. Anthology)The Primarchs is an anthology composed of four novellas which focus on some of the mightiest warriors and leaders that Mankind has ever known -- the Primarchs Fulgrim, Lion El'Jonson, Ferrus Manus and Alpharius Omegon -- and the roles that they may have yet to play in a galaxy-wide civil war which threatens to change the face of the Imperium forever.
 * 20. The Primarchs20_The_Primarchs.png

<p style="line-height: 19px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">(To be published September 2012.) As of April 2012 it is known that Fear to Tread takes place upon the war-torn world of Signus Prime. Warmaster Horus sends the Blood Angels Legion to the Signus system, where an army of Khornate daemons awaits them. The Warmaster's plan is to use the flaw in the Blood Angels' Gene-Seed (which will later be known as the Red Thirst) in order to turn them to the worship of the Chaos Blood God Khorne. The Blood Angels are forced to fight for their very survival of both their minds and bodies. At the height of the battle, Primarch Sanguinius is confronted by the mighty Bloodthirster Ka'Bandha.
 * 21. Fear to Tread - The angel falls21_Fear_To_Tread.jpg

<p style="line-height: 19px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">(To be published October 2012.) Shadows of Treachery is an upcoming anthology that features short stories by Dan Abnett, Graham McNeill, and Gav Thorpe, along with two novella-length stories by John French and Aaron Dembski-Bowden. From the battlefields of Phall and Istvaan, to the haunted shadows of Terra itself – the greatest war in the history of Mankind rages on. While the traitor Legions continue their campaign of terror across the galaxy, preparations are made for the defence of the Imperial Palace and the final, inevitable reckoning that must yet come between Horus and the Emperor of Mankind.
 * 22. Shadows of TreacheryImperial_Fists_vs._Iron_Warriors.jpg

<p style="line-height: 19px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">(To be published in 2012. No subtitle provided as of April 2012) As of April 2012, it is known that Betrayer will follow the Primarchs Lorgar, and Angron as they fight against Ultramarines that were not present with the rest of their Legion during the Battle of Calth.
 * 23. Betrayer23_Betrayer.png

Novellas and Short Stories
<p style="line-height: 19px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Promethean Sun is set during the Great Crusade upon the newly discovered Feral World known only as One-Five-Four-Four. The forces of the Imperium arrive to deliver the primitive natives from enslavement at the hands of the alien Eldar. The Iron Hands of Ferrus Manus and Mortarion’s Death Guard fight in theatres of war across the world, but the most vicious combat takes place in the deep jungles, where Vulkan and his Salamanders bring the Emperor’s wrath to the heathen aliens. Vulkan and his sons must brave the deadly jungles, battle monstrous reptilian beasts and contend with the vile sorcery of the Eldar if they are to liberate this world and bring the Emperor’s light to its backwards inhabitants.
 * 1.Promethean Sun - Into the fires of warSalamanders_vs._Exodite.jpg

<p style="line-height: 19px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Aurelian takes place after the infamous Dropsite Massacre of Istvaan V. The traitor Primarchs assemble to deliberate their next moves. Lorgar of the Word Bearers, however, disrupts the meeting with his accusations that Fulgrim of the Emperor's Children is not who he appears to be. His uncharacteristically confident and aggressive demeanour proving no less surprising and disruptive than his claims, the meeting is quickly adjourned by Warmaster Horus. In the aftermath, Magnus the Red of the Thousand Sons confronts Lorgar about not only his new attitude, but about his blossoming psychic powers and his knowledge of the events that have led them all to their current situation. Lorgar chooses to reveal to his brother a tale of a pivotal moment in his life; what happened when he entered the Eye of Terror some forty-three years earlier during the Pilgrimage of Lorgar Lorgar spent many long years searching the stars for the universal truths of the cosmos – when he finally came to gaze deep into the Eye of Terror, with grim inevitability he found that the Eye stared back. Guided by the Daemon Ingethel, he undertook a spiritual journey into the heart of Chaos itself and saw that the entire destiny of Mankind and the Imperium rested upon a few nexus events.
 * 2.Aurelian - The Eye stares backAurelian_-_HH_Cover_full.jpg

<p style="line-height: 19px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Army of One takes place during the civil war that blazes across the galaxy. The Hive World of Proxima Apocryphis turns traitor and Malcador the Sigillite despatches punishment in the form of a living weapon - an Eversor Assassin - the ultimate weapon in the living arsenal of the Officio Assassinorum. An Eversor is a combat-drug crazed killer. A monstrosity of surgical and cybernetic experimentation and augmentation and the ultimate instrument of Imperial terror. The singular talents of this literal one-man-army was never required more than during the dark days of the Horus Heresy, where worlds continue to rebel wholesale to the Warmaster Horus. The responsibility has fallen to the Imperial assassin to decimate Proxima Apocryphis' heretic command structure and rip the traitorous heart from the defecting forces.
 * 3.Army of One - A Horus Heresy short storyArmy_of_One_coverart.jpg

<p style="line-height: 19px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Scorched Earth is set in the aftermath of the Dropsite Massacre of Istvaan V and features two Salamanders battle-brothers searching for Primarch Vulkan’s body amongst the ruins and devastation.
 * 4.Scorched Earth Scorched-Earth-big.jpg

Audio Dramas
There are several audio-only Horus Heresy stories including:
 * The Dark King and The Lightning Tower by Graham McNeill and Dan Abnett (June 2008)
 * Raven's Flight by Gav Throrpe (February 2010)
 * Garro: Oath of Moment by James Swallow (December 2010)
 * Garro: Legion of One by James Swallow (April 2011)
 * Butcher's Nails by Aaron Dembski-Bowden (June 2012)
 * Sister of Silence by Edward Knight (April 2012) (April Fool's Day Special)
 * Garro: Sword of Truth by James Swallow (December 2012)

Audiobooks
Several of the most popular Horus Heresy Novels have been made into Audiobooks, including: The audio releases of the books Horus Rising, False Gods, and Galaxy In Flames have also been released as a limited-edition audio box-set that contains all three audiobooks and an extra bonus disc.
 * Horus Rising by Dan Abnett (Abridged CD and MP3 Audio)*
 * False Gods by Graham McNeill (Abridged CD and MP3 Audio)*
 * Galaxy In Flames by Ben Counter (Abridged CD and MP3 Audio)*
 * Age of Darkness Edited by Christian Dunn (Unabridged CD and MP3 Audio)
 * A Thousand Sons by Graham McNeill (Unabridged CD and MP3 Audio)
 * Prospero Burns by Dan Abnett (Unabridged CD and MP3 Audio)
 * The Outcast Dead by Graham McNeill (Unabridged CD and MP3 Audio)

Special Editions

 * Horus Rising (Anniversary Edition) – Dan Abnett – April 2011. "5th Anniversary Edition" to mark the 5-year publishing history of the Horus Heresy Series. "With titanium-blue foiling and a specially commissioned introduction from author Dan Abnett."

Gallery
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