Mon, 01 Dec 2025 14:50:41 GMT

Over the last year I have been reading a lot of W40k. Thoughts and ratings follow #W40Reading

Valdor: Birth of the Imperium Chris Wraight The Imperium is founded through absolute discipline, secrecy, and industrial-scale violence. 7.5 #W40Reading

Alpharius: Head of the Hydra Mike Brooks Truth is optional when secrecy is doctrine. 9 #W40Reading

The First Heretic Aaron Dembski-Bowden It begins here...or does it? #W40Reading

Legion Dan Abnett Even at the start of the war, no one understands who the Alpha Legion really serves, including themselves 8 #W40Reading

Fulgrim Graham McNeill Pride, perfection, and art combine to damn an entire Legion. 9 #W40Reading

Know No Fear Dan Abnett Betrayal arrives at Ultramar with orbital bombardment and emotional whiplash. 10 #W40Reading

Betrayer Aaron Dembski-Bowden Brotherhood curdles into rage-fuelled atrocity. 7 #W40Reading

Master of Mankind Aaron Dembski-Bowden Who really IS Big E? Do you really want to know? 9 #W40Reading

Deliverance Lost Gav Thorpe Survival becomes meaningless when corruption infects the future. 7 #W40Reading

Mark of Calth Laurie Goulding (ed.) A shadow war of annihilation with no victory condition. 8 #W40Reading

The Crimson King Graham McNeill Magnus attempts redemption through increasingly catastrophic magic. 8 #W40Reading

Angel Exterminatus Graham McNeill Perturabo and Fulgrim destroy their alliance while pretending not to. 6 #W40Reading

The Buried Dagger James Swallow The Death Guard choose damnation for certainty. 6.5 #W40Reading

Slaves to Darkness John French Chaos formalises control while pretending it isn’t slavery. 7 #W40Reading

The Sigillite Chris Wraight Malcador proves quiet power endures longer than primarchs. 11 #W40Reading

The Lost and the Damned Guy Haley Humanity begins eating itself before the enemy finishes the job. 7.5 #W40Reading

Echoes of Eternity Aaron Dembski-Bowden Mythic heroism and utter futility collide on burning walls. 8 #W40Reading

The End and the Death: Volume I Dan Abnett Time breaks; reality buckles. 7 #W40Reading

The End and the Death: Volume II Dan Abnett Everything collapses except inevitability. 10 #W40Reading

The End and the Death: Volume III Dan Abnett Victory arrives, scarred beyond recognition. 15 #W40Reading

Angels of Darkness Gav Thorpe The Imperium survives; the secrets begin. 8.5 #W40Reading

The Emperors Gift Aaron Dembski-Bowden Space Wolves aid in saving a system.... then the inquisition arrive 9 #W40Reading

I Am Slaughter Dan Abnett Orks remind the Imperium it is mortal. 4 #W40Reading

The Last Wall David Annandale Emergency alliances expose systemic rot. 4 #W40Reading

Throneworld Guy Haley Terra becomes a battlefield and a liability. 3 #W40Reading

Eisenhorn Omnibus Dan Abnett Idealism hardens into sanctioned monstrosity. 10 #W40Reading

Horusian Wars John French Radical philosophy turns heresy into intellectual exercise. 7.5 #W40Reading

Ravenor Omnibus Dan Abnett A paralysed Inquisitor wields terrifying authority. 10 #W40Reading

Pariah Dan Abnett A blank becomes the centre of incomprehensible events. 9 #W40Reading

Penitent Dan Abnett Identity collapses under unbearable truth. 10 #W40Reading

The Carrion Throne Chris Wraight Terra rots beneath its holiness. 10 #W40Reading

The Hollow Mountain Chris Wraight Secrets beneath the Palace begin to stir. 10 #W40Reading

The Dark City Chris Wraight Power struggles reach the Throneworld’s core. 9 #W40Reading

Forges of Mars Omnibus Graham McNeill Holy exploration proves lost technology was buried for good reasons. 8 #W40Reading

Ciaphas Cain: Hero of the Imperium Sandy Mitchell A self-proclaimed coward repeatedly saves the Imperium by accident. 9 #W40Reading

Ciaphas Cain: Defender of the Imperium Sandy Mitchell Survival through strategic cowardice and misdirected heroism. 9 #W40Reading

Ciaphas Cain: Saviour of the Imperium Sandy Mitchell Legend grows as Cain desperately tries not to die. 9 #W40Reading

Sons of the Hydra Rob Sanders Loyalty becomes a philosophical problem. 10 #W40Reading

Shroud of Night Andy Clarke A doomed mission fails exactly as planned. 8 #W40Reading

Harrowmaster Mike Brooks Paranoia becomes a survival strategy. This is a lie 9 #W40Reading

The Talon of Horus Aaron Dembski-Bowden Defeat is reorganised into purpose. 7.5 #W40Reading

Black Legion Aaron Dembski-Bowden Resentment hardens into empire. 7.5 #W40Reading

Fabius Bile: The Omnibus Josh Reynolds Ethics, limbs and humanity are discarded in pursuit of improvement. 10 #W40Reading

Night Lords Omnibus Aaron Dembski-Bowden Terror replaces meaning until it becomes the meaning 10 #W40Reading

Cypher: Lord of the Fallen John French Nobody agrees what he wants. But he has swords. 7.5 #W40Reading

Ahriman Omnibus John French Fixing your biggest mistake by making bigger ones 7 #W40Reading

Treacheries of the Space Marines Christian Dunn (ed.) Betrayal as a professional skill. 6.5 #W40Reading

Tomb World Jonathan Beer Necrons deal with a human infestation 8.5 #W40Reading

The Infinite and the Divine Robert Rath Spite becomes an eternal hobby. iStatler and iWaldorf go to the Opera 10 #W40Reading

The Twice-Dead King: Ruin Nate Crowley Immortality begins to rot. 8 #W40Reading

The Twice-Dead King: Reign Nate Crowley Power proves hollow. 8 #W40Reading

Day of Ascension Adrian Tchaikovsky Yeah, genestealers have families. And Patriarchs... 8.5 #W40Reading

Death of Integrity Guy Haley Cooperation proves harder than killing monsters. 7 #W40Reading

Watchers of the Throne- Emperors Legion Chris Wraight The Custodes intervene far too late. 7 #W40Reading

Watchers of the Throne- Regents Shadow Chris Wraight The Custodes intervene far too late. Again 8 #W40Reading

The Fall of Cadia Robert Rath The old Imperium dies screaming. Trazyn "helps" 10 #W40Reading

Dark Imperium Guy Haley Guilliman returns to manage decline. 8 #W40Reading

Dark Imperium: Plague War Guy Haley Mortarion weaponises entropy. 8 #W40Reading

Dark Imperium: Godblight Guy Haley Gods intervene openly. Big E goes gardening 7 #W40Reading

Genefather Guy Haley Saving humanity carries unacceptable costs. Maybe 10 #W40Reading

Archmagos Guy Haley Time is an illusion.... 9 #W40Reading

Belisarius Cawl: The Great Work Guy Haley Progress survives through disobedience. 10 #W40Reading

Bloodlines Chris Wraight Honest policing in a dishonest city. 8 #W40Reading

Flesh and Steel Guy Haley Flesh, steel, and hypocrisy collide. 8 #W40Reading

Grim Repast Marc Collins Civilian misery, efficiently monetised. 7 #W40Reading

The Wraithbone Phoenix Alec Worley Crime intersects prophecy. 5 #W40Reading

The Oubliette J.C. Stearns Do not call up that which you cannot put down 10 #W40Reading

The Bookkeeper’s Skull Justin Hill Accounting errors prove fatal. 7 #W40Reading

Dark Harvest Josh Reynolds Faith turns quietly monstrous. 7 #W40Reading

Cult of the Spiral Dawn Peter Fehervari Belief mutates into cosmic terror. 5 #W40Reading

Requiem Infernal Peter Fehervari Salvation and damnation become indistinguishable. 5 #W40Reading