The Horus Heresy


The Horus Heresy is a series of science fantasy novels set in the fictional Warhammer 40,000 setting of tabletop miniatures wargame company Games Workshop. Penned by several authors, the series takes place during the Horus Heresy, a fictional galaxy-spanning civil war occurring in the 31st millennium, 10,000 years before the main setting of Warhammer 40,000. The war is described as a major contributing factor to the game's dystopian environment.
The books are published in [|several media] by the Black Library, a Games Workshop division, with the first title released in April 2006. The series currently consists of 65 [|published volumes]; the concluding story, The End and the Death, was released in three volumes, with the concluding volume of the series, The End and the Death: Volume III, being released in January 2024.
The series has developed into a distinct and successful product line for the Black Library; titles have often appeared in bestseller lists, and overall the work has received critical approval despite reservations. It is an established, definitive component of Games Workshop's Horus Heresy sub-brand, and authoritative source material for the entire Warhammer shared universe and its continuing development. A sequel series, The Scouring, began publication in December 2025.

Overview

The Horus Heresy is a dark, far-future military space opera concerning a galactic civil war within the nascent Imperium of Man, and which constitutes a cornerstone event of the dystopian science fantasy Warhammer 40,000 universe. The Horus Heresy is presented as a major chapter of conflict in the Warhammer 40,000 lore: it is caused by a Chaos plot to foil the Imperium's leader and founder, the mysterious Emperor of Mankind, by fomenting rebellion and internecine warfare in the expanding Imperium of Man. The story focuses on the Emperor's 18 genetically engineered sons, the Primarchs, and the legions of genetically enhanced superhuman soldiers that they lead, the Legiones Astartes, which find themselves divided into loyalist and traitor factions as they struggle for victory.
The shared universe was originally created in 1987 by Games Workshop, parent company of series publisher Black Library, as the campaign setting for the Warhammer 40,000 tabletop miniatures wargame and in 2006 Black Library began publishing The Horus Heresy series. The series consists of full-length novels, and novel-length compilations of novellas or short stories, written by [|a number of authors]. The series includes new characters as well as establishing the background of previously established Warhammer 40,000 characters who play an important role in the post-Heresy fictional universe.
The first three novels in The Horus Heresy are an opening book trilogy. This trilogy presents some of the background and causes of the Heresy, and describes the start of the conflict. The arc's focus is on [|Warmaster Horus], the principal antagonist, and covers about two years in the overall Heresy timeline; most of this period elapses before the rebellion begins. Following the trilogy, the narrative is not strictly sequential and is often presented in nonlinear fashion from book to book. Apart from the initial trilogy, the stories often concern events that happen earlier or later than their position in the series would suggest, or may include time periods already covered in other series titles.
The majority of stories in The Horus Heresy are set around the start of the fictional universe's 31st millennium, in contrast to most Warhammer 40,000 material, which takes place in the 41st millennium. The stories in The Horus Heresy routinely cover the conflict's background, with some going back centuries before the war begins. In narrower scope, the entire conflict, is depicted as having lasted for seven years. With few exceptions, the sequence and dating of Heresy events is implied rather than stated in The Horus Heresy stories.

Titles

The following lists pertain to regular or general-availability UK first editions. For special and other editions, and additional information, see § [|Media and editions].
BookTitleAuthorRelease dateLength

Sequel: ''The Scouring''

BookTitleAuthorRelease dateLength

Contributors

Contributors of the series include artists, audiobook narrators, and compilation or abridgement editors. Each may have contributed in stories that utilise different forms; where applicable, the number of contributions per form or other pertinent information is indicated in parentheses.
Artists
  • Karl Richardson Internal illustrations
  • Neil Roberts Cover art, front matter illustration; main series artist
  • Philip Sibbering Cover art, front matter illustration
  • Adrian Wood Front matter map
Audiobook narrators
  • Gareth Armstrong Unabridged novel , novella , short story
  • Sean Barrett Novella
  • Martyn Ellis Abridged and unabridged novel, short story
  • Jonathan Keeble Unabridged novel , novella, short story
  • David Timpson Unabridged novel , novella, short story
  • Toby Longworth - Unabridged Novel
Editors
  • Christian Dunn Novel abridgement ; mixed-form compilation, novella compilation, short story compilation
  • Laurie Goulding Mixed-form compilation
  • Nick Kyme Mixed-form compilation, short story compilation
  • Lindsey Priestley Short story compilation

    Synopsis

Story setting

Early in the 31st millennium, the Galaxy is in the throes of the Great Crusade. Originating from Terra, it is an interstellar crusade that claims the galaxy as the rightful domain of Humankind, and aims to reunite the multitude of scattered human colonies remaining from earlier space exploration under the domain of an "Imperium of Man". Organised in numerous expeditions, the Crusade fields huge fleets and vast armies; at its forefront, led by the Primarchs, are Legions of Space Marines genetically enhanced supersoldiers numbering in the millions. Over the course of two Terran centuries, the Crusade has reached star systems more than 50,000 light years away from its original staging point in the Sol System, has assimilated millions of worlds into the Imperium, and has given Humankind a dominant position among the galaxy's species. Its grand mastermind is the "Emperor of Mankind", a mysterious superhuman of unknown origin.
The Emperor, founder and head of the Imperium, is a being of towering charisma, prowess, conviction, and ability. He has declared an atheistic worldview, the "Imperial Truth", which promotes science, rationalism, and human primacy. Unknown to the common citizenry, he is also the most powerful human psychic, referred to as psykers, and is overall one of the most formidable psychics in the galaxy. Officially, the Imperium denies the existence of psychic phenomena, including its manifestations as witchcraft and sorcery, and punishes its belief as ignorant and superstitious; yet the Imperium is also dependent on psychic activity in order to achieve faster-than-light travel between its scattered dominions. The Emperor knows that psychic phenomena originate in The Warp, a parallel dimension reflecting the events of the material world at its most emotional. Within the Warp exist Daemons, sentient vortices of concentrated feeling that are chiefly malignant. The Daemons are themselves in service to the Chaos Gods, also known as the Ruinous Powers, titanic collectives of dark will whose rulership over the parallel dimension is supreme. These malign immaterial entities forever seek to breach the material universe and subject all life within it to foul and debased whims. Awareness and perception of the Chaos Gods and their Daemons serves as the basis of numerous faiths and religions in the setting, both human and alien in origin. Knowing followers of the Chaos Gods, though rare, refer to their faith as the Primordial Truth, or the Primordial Annihilator.
Humankind's continuing biological and psycho-spiritual evolution includes the gradual development of widespread Warp-related psychic abilities that will make the species far more susceptible to Chaotic influence; united under the Imperium of Man, the Emperor seeks to protect all of mankind by using faith in the [|Imperial Truth] as a shield. The powers of Chaos desire change and conflict by nature, and seek to destabilise and subvert the Imperium's order over the galaxy from within.

Book 1 to Book 10

1. Horus Rising: The seeds of heresy are sown
Horus Rising, the series opener, starts in the early years of the 31st millennium, during the 203rd year of the Great Crusade. It describes the rise to power of Horus Lupercal, Primarch of the "Luna Wolves" Legion of Space Marines, and the most versatile and favoured "son" of the Emperor. The Emperor has recently appointed him Warmaster, overall commander of Imperial military forces, while also leaving him in charge of the rest of the Crusade; the Emperor meanwhile returns to Terra, where in relative isolation he undertakes a secret project to which not even Horus is privy. The focus and perspective of the novel centres on a Space Marine Captain, Garviel Loken, leader of the Luna Wolves' 10th Company. He becomes a member of the Mournival, an informal advisory body to Horus, and participates in Crusade campaigns against anti-Imperial human populations and aliens, referred to in the series as "xenos". The story also hints at tensions in the nascent Imperium, exacerbated by the Emperor's absence and contentious actions and inactions these are common themes in following books.
2. False Gods: The heresy takes root
False Gods picks up a few weeks after the conclusion of Horus Rising in the series timeline, and tells the story of Horus' fall. In a complicated conspiracy implemented by followers of Chaos, Horus is mortally wounded during a Crusade mission by a Chaos-tainted xenos weapon. In a desperate action by his lieutenants to ensure his survival one taken in strict contradiction to [|Imperial doctrine] Horus is brought to a local temple with a reputation for healing. The temple is the seat of a powerful Chaos cult, and both Horus' wound and its supposed healing makes him susceptible to Chaos' influence. He ultimately turns against his "father", the Emperor, and sets in motion the entire Heresy. This novel further highlights the institutional and personal tensions that accompany the Imperium's maturity into the preeminent power of the galaxy; they include rifts among the Primarchs, as well as both between and within their Space Marine Legions. Conflicts and characters flaws are repeatedly and effectively manipulated by Chaos in pursuit of their agenda throughout the series. A parallel storyline, also present in several other books, involves the growing influence both within the Crusade Expeditionary forces and across the wider Imperium of a forbidden religious cult, whose members, while loyal to the Emperor and Imperium, defy the Imperial Truth by worshipping the Emperor as a god.
3. Galaxy in Flames: The heresy revealed
Galaxy in Flames starts shortly after the end of False Gods. It outlines the corrupted Warmaster's descent into madness, which leads to the fomentation of his plot to betray the Imperium. Horus pursues his secret planning of the rebellion in earnest, seeking and finding allies among his disgruntled fellow Primarchs, their Legions, and the Imperium's other organisations and key personalities. The novel details the first open move of the Heresy, the "Betrayal of Isstvan III", wherein factions of four Astartes Legions who were deemed unconvertible by their traitor brethren are ambushed during a planetary invasion of the fictional star system. The novel marks the first distinguishment of the "Loyalists" and "Traitor" factions within the Legions and other rebel forces, including the unmodified soldiers of the Imperial Army.
4. The Flight of the Eisenstein: The heresy unfolds
The Flight of the Eisenstein follows the eponymous Eisenstein, a space frigate of the "Death Guard" 14th Legion of Space Marines. The story follows the ship's escape from the Betrayal of Isstvan III, crewed by surviving loyalists of the four Legions present at the battle and commanded by Battle‑Captain [|Nathaniel Garro] of the Death Guard 7th Company and one of the few Commanders in the Traitor Legions that remain loyal to the Emperor followed by the perilous voyage the vessel must take across the galaxy in an effort to reach Terra and raise the alarm over the developing rebellion. Garro and the others on board the vessel face suspicion and incredulity from Imperial authorities; apart from the inconceivable news of Horus' betrayal, the situation is complicated by the fact that many of the travellers on the Eisenstein now openly proclaim their belief in the Emperor's divinity, itself a heresy.
5. Fulgrim: Visions of Treachery
Fulgrim centers on the eponymous Primarch of the "Emperor's Children". Characterised as flamboyant perfectionists, the novel tracks the descent of Fulgrim and his Legion into the service of Chaos roughly simultaneously with that of Horus in. Fulgrim is delivered a warning about Horus' imminent betrayal and the disaster that may follow [|by the alien Eldar race], but he and his staff dismiss it. The Emperor's Children eventually become the "Chosen" of Slaanesh, one of the four Gods of Chaos, with which Fulgrim is slowly and unwittingly drawn into grotesque communion. Primarch [|Ferrus Manus] and his "Iron Hands" Space Marines also play a prominent role in the novel as Fulgrim attempts to lure them into betrayal, and several other Primarchs and Legions make appearances. Described in passing is the pivotal Battle of Isstvaan V, also known as the, where several entirely Loyalist Legions are slaughtered in another Traitor ambush in the [|Isstvan star system]. The battle fully reveals the scale and ferocity of the rebellion.
6. Descent of Angels: Loyalty and honour
Descent of Angels is a pre-Heresy story that concludes about 50 years before the start of that conflict. It introduces the "Dark Angels", first of the Space Marine Legions, and their Primarch [|Lion El'Jonson]. The story is mainly told from the viewpoint of [|Zahariel El'Zurias], a native of the fictional planet. Caliban is an isolated, low-technology world that resembles a feudal medieval fantasy setting. Zahariel is introduced in the story as an Aspirant of the Order, an organisation of techno-barbarian knights. The first half of the novel is set on Caliban and covers the final battles of the Order under the leadership of Jonson, the future Primarch. The book's second half describes Caliban's unification with the Imperium of Man as well as the actions of the Dark Angels during the early years of the Great Crusade. In this part of the story, Zahariel, selected as a candidate Space Marine, is accepted as a Dark Angel wikt:neophyte#Noun|. A future schism within the Legion is intimated towards the end of the book.
7. Legion: Secrets and lies
Legion focuses on the "Alpha Legion", the of the Space Marine Legions. Characterised in earlier publications as clandestine and inscrutable, the book constitutes a major development of the entire canon of the setting with the revelation that the Legion's Primarch is actually a pair of twins, [|Alpharius and Omegon]. The book also features the Imperial Army, the regular unmodified human fighting force of the Imperium, covering several officers and their units. Lastly, the novel introduces a new organisation to the setting, the enigmatic and ancient an interspecies organisation opposed to Chaos. The human [|John Grammaticus] is introduced as a prominent Cabal member. The story takes place over roughly a 6‑month period, about two years before the Heresy starts; it describes the events that eventually lead Alpharius and Omegon to support Horus.
8. Battle for the Abyss: My brother, my enemy
Battle for the Abyss concerns the lead‑up to a Traitor invasion of, a remote star system and the home base of the unshakeably-Loyalist 13th Legion, the "Ultramarines". Early in the Heresy, the Traitor Word Bearers Legion is tasked with organising and leading the invasion; they plan to use an immense, secretly commissioned warship, the, to spearhead the surprise attack. The vessel, commanded by Fleet Captain [|Zadkiel], launches from shipyards near Jupiter around the time of the events on Isstvan III, and sets course for Macragge, Ultramar's capital world. Leading the cast of Loyalist protagonists is [|Cestus], Fleet Commander and Captain of the 7th Company of the Ultramarines. They become aware of the powerful capital ship's true purpose, and engage in long pursuit; they will seek to prevent the Furious Abyss from participating in the invasion and from reaching Macragge.
9. Mechanicum: Knowledge is power
Mechanicum is the first book in the series not to focus on either the Primarchs or their Space Marines Legions. The novel centres on the eponymous "Mechanicum", a cult of machine-worshipping technologists based on the real-life planet Mars and which serves as the chief engineering authority in the nascent Imperium. The machinations of Horus and the Chaos-worshipping Traitors affects the Martian cult as much as every other Imperial organisation, leading to a civil war on Mars itself. [|Kelbor-Hal], Fabricator General of Mars and the technocracy's supreme leader, declares for Horus, and together they carry out a coup d'état to eliminate Techpriest and Magos adherents of the Cult who are loyal to Terra and the Emperor. As the Mechanicum is the sole power responsible for all civil and military technology in the Imperium, the conflict has vast implications for whichever side of the broader intergalactic civil war receives Mars' crucial support.
10. Tales of Heresy
Tales of Heresy is a collection of short stories introducing and expanding upon numerous threads within the greater happenings of the Heresy. Various stories centre on the, the elite Praetorian Guard-esque retinue of the Emperor, and the, a classified Imperial organisation of anti-psychic warrior‑nuns originally introduced in [|Book 4]. Most stories are concurrent with the Heresy, with some occurring in the years prior. It includes two stories that take place on Terra, one of which occurs long before the Heresy and adds to the background regarding the Imperial Truth; another entry in the compilation is a Primarch origin story, covering the contentious circumstances under which the gladiatorial Primarch [|Angron] takes command of the, which he renames from the "Warhounds" to the "World Eaters". The book contains seven stories by various authors; several stories relate to full-length novels in the series.
This anthology contains the following stories: Blood Games by Dan Abnett, Wolf at the Door by Mike Lee, Scions of the Storm by Anthony Reynolds, The Voice by James Swallow, Call of the Lion by Gav Thorpe, The Last Church by Graham McNeill and After Desh'ea by Matthew Farrer.