Skip to content
Warhammerism

Warhammer 40,000

The Horus Heresy — essential path

The civil war, without reading fifty-plus volumes.

How this path is ordered: The opening trilogy in order, then the widely recommended core arc by series number (numbers shown are the series' own), finishing at the Siege of Terra's end. Skipped volumes are side stories, not required reading. Reviewed 2026-07-17.

0 of 15 read0%
  1. Horus Rising

    Dan Abnett · 2006

    № 1

  2. False Gods

    Graham McNeill · 2006

    № 2

  3. Galaxy in Flames

    Ben Counter · 2006

    № 3

  4. The Flight of the Eisenstein

    James Swallow · 2007

    № 4

  5. Fulgrim

    Graham McNeill · 2007

    № 5

    Spoiler note: Concludes the opening arc's fallout.

  6. LegionOptional

    Dan Abnett · 2008

    № 7 — the Alpha Legion enigma.

  7. A Thousand Sons

    Graham McNeill · 2010

    № 12

  8. Prospero BurnsOptional

    Dan Abnett · 2010

    № 15 — the same fall, other side.

  9. The First Heretic

    Aaron Dembski-Bowden · 2010

    № 14 — where it truly began.

  10. Know No Fear

    Dan Abnett · 2012

    № 19

  11. Betrayer

    Aaron Dembski-Bowden · 2013

    № 24

  12. The Master of MankindOptional

    Aaron Dembski-Bowden · 2016

    № 41 — the Emperor's war beneath Terra.

  13. The Solar War

    John French · 2019

    № 55 — the Siege of Terra begins.

  14. Saturnine

    Dan Abnett · 2020

    № 58

  15. The End and the Death

    Dan Abnett · 2023

    № 62 — the end.

    Spoiler note: The conclusion of the entire series.

Optional entries are branches, not homework — the core path stands on its own. Found an ordering problem? Tell us.