Welcome everyone to the third part of Raist’s Collection, the feature where I take you on a journey through parts of my own personal collection. And honestly I should add to that line the words, of my way too many hobbies. One of things I love to do, but at the same time is also the hobby which I seriously neglect, is reading. There is honestly nothing more relaxing, than picking up a good novel, pour yourself a cup of tea, and just sit in your comfortable chair or bed to just dream away. A well written book can make you forget your surroundings, and even time itself. Today I’m going to talk to you about a very long running series of novels, that is now nearing it’s endgame. To date 54 books have been written for it, and then I’m leaving out various novellas and audiodramas that have also been released. It’s an epic science fiction series that has it’s roots in the popular Warhammer 40000 tabletop game. It once began as little more than a small outline in one of the background books for the game. Since then though the Horus Heresy, as it is called, has grown into a highly succesful and hugely popular set of novels, many of which have reached best seller lists. And except for a few of the novellas, I have the entire series in my possession. Yes, I’m not ashamed to admit that: I am a completionist. Have I read them all so far though? Nope, but I’ll get to that later. So what exactly makes the Horus Heresy so enjoyable? Sit back, grab a chair and let me tell you all about it!
The story of the Horus Heresy
It’s the 31st Millenium. Humanity that was nearing extinction has been united and brought back from the brink of destruction, by the all powerful being known only as the Emperor. Now, the Emperor seeks to reclaim the planets lost to humanity by the various alien species that inhabit the galaxy. Having created 20 genetically engineered and all powerful beings called Primarchs, a Great Crusade is launched to go out to the stars, and liberate all the planets of the Xenos filth (their words, not mine) that conquered them. The Primarchs themselves command the so called Legiones Astartes, or Space Marines, all powerful soldiers that have capabilites far beyond those of normal human beings. Bred for war, which is pretty much their sole reason for existing, they are loyal to a fault to the Emperor. The Emperor’s most favored son, the Primarch Horus Lupercal, has been promoted to the rank of Warmaster. Without any real explanation, the Emperor himself returns to Earth leaving Horus in charge of the Crusade. All of his brother Primarchs are in awe of Horus, and wherever he goes, he manages to instill a sense of strength and nobleness.
Under his leadership more and more planets are conquered to expand the Empire, and it seems that things are going well. But then the unthinkable happens. During a mission, Horus becomes critically injured. Morality sinks to an alltime low as everyone believes that this will mean the end of the Great Crusade. However Horus makes a miraculous recovery and resumes his role as The Warmaster. But it soon becomes clear that he isn’t the same man anymore. Horus has been tainted by an ancient evil called Chaos. He is now but a former shell of himself, rotten and corrupted to the core. And thus begins the greatest war in the history of mankind. Brother fights against brother, in the conflict that will become known as the Horus Heresy. The man known as the Warmaster has one goal now, to take down the hated Emperor and conquer the universe. When more and more Primarchs and their legions start to flock to the banner of Horus, humanity stands on the brink of destruction. The gods of Chaos look on and laugh…..
The Books
I have so far read 33 books in the saga. Although not all of them have the same quality, there also hasn’t been a book that I have really hated so far. The books have been written by various authors, all adding their own tales to this epic. Some are standalone books, but there also a few that expand upon a previous story. It’s cast of characters and rich mythology is enormous, and there are very few science fiction universes that have this much details in them. As you can see from some of the pictures in this post, the covers are amazing, and the hardback version also have gorgeous artwork contained within them. After this many novels, do I have a favorite? Yes. It’s called A Thousand Sons, written by Graham McNeill. It’s also happens to be one of the most popular books and tells the story of the Primarch Magnus, commander of the Thousand Sons Legion. It’s a tragic story where this legion that was once loyal to the Emperor, is ultimately betrayed and has no choice but to join up with Horus. I have always loved stories that feature fallen heroes, and the author does an exceptional job in telling this incredibly heartbreaking tale. While I have read over 30 books now in this series, this one has so far at least, never been beaten.
The future
All good things come to an end as they say, and the same is true for the Horus Heresy. The tale will come to a climactic conclusion with an 8 part series entitled The Siege of Terra. Horus has finally reached Earth or Terra as it’s also known, for the final confrontation with his father. It will hopefully be a worthy ending to an incredibly entertaining range of books, that has delighted science fiction fans for years now. Obviously things can’t go on forever, and I think it’s good that the end is now near (and so does my wallet). Now a question that might spring to mind is, do you need to know anything about the Warhammer tabletop game to enjoy these books? There is a very short answer to that: no. I for one have never played the game (although I have played other games set in the same galaxy), and I loved these books nevertheless. There is a lot more to discover about the Horus Heresy than just these books though. There are numerous audio dramas that are highly enjoyable and expand the background even more. A graphic novel with amazing art is also available, and then there is the Visions of Heresy book, that contains even more details about the history of this epic conflict alongside some incredible art work. I will leave you with a slide show of a few pages of this lastnamed book. Raist’s collection will return with part 4, where I will show you my “pick a path to adventure” book collection. You will just have to return here, to see what exactly those are. Thanks for reading, see you next time!
You slideshow definitely shows just how lavishly illustrated they are. It might not be my kind of thing, but I completely get why you would want to collect them all.
Best wishes, Pete.
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The art is definitely amazing, but that’s pretty much one of the things this company is very well known for. That said I just also love the storyline and mythology of these books. I have ofcourse spent time in quite a lot of science fiction universes, but this one has got so many details it just feels incredibly rich😊 Definitely been an amazing journey so far😊
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Well I’m too old now to start a gazillion series of books, I’d be 6 feet under by the time I got to the 20th 🤣 but great to read that you love them and to see your happy face! They do look the biz! Great artwork.
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Lol…well, I think it’s always daunting to start with a series that has already this many entries in it. Yesterday I saw a post by Kim that also focussed on a book series that has an enormous amount of entries😊 That said, it’s sometimes definitely worth it😊 It’s been an amazing journey so far, and I’m hoping they bring it all to a good ending😊 And yes, the art is definitely a good bonus!
PS..you will live to be over a hundred Fraggle! 😊
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Dear god I hope not!!! 🤣
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Very cool.ba friend of mine is a Warhammer fan, but doesn’t collect the stuff like you. He collects Transformers and G.I. Joe.
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The Warhammer universe (both the fantasy and science fiction counterpart) is probably one of the richest universes ever created. I definitely love collecting these books, as they are a joy to read.
I still have all my original Transformers from when I was a kid, and I will never get rid of them either. I’m still a fan, and probably always will be 😊
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Oh how I envy you, I have the Horus Heresy books digitally, but I oh so prefer hardcover physical books
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Haha, thanks!😊 Yeah honestly I had never expected that this collection got so out of hand as this one did, but once I started reading them all those years ago, I couldn’t stop and just had to collect them all. (which almost makes me sound like a Pokemon collector lol 😂😂).
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I mean, once you get into 40k in any way, be it books or playing the wargame…. It’s hard to stop.
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Lol…so true…I’m honestly glad I never really got started on the Tabletop game, because I’m afraid my wallet would become very angry with me. (Then again, these books have gotten out of hand too, so there is that…😂😂).
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I think I stopped not long into the teens (maybe book 12 or 13, can’t be sure). I kind of want to get back into it, but it’s a daunting task 😂
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Haha…I so know what you mean! As much fun as I’m having spending time in the wartorn universe of Warhammer 40K, I do occasionally need a break from it. Whenever I return though, it’s always enjoyable, and you get sucked in real easily again😊 Hope you will be able to get back to it, as there are certainly some great books you still haven’t read in the series 😊
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Every time I see posts like this I certainly want to pop back into the HH
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Haha…I can definitely understand that 😊
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I told this on my blog but Warhammer 40K and me are quite the polar opposites! So I can’t really do anything with that universe. I have to admit though they do know how to make things look pretty!
I mean I am not one for big beefy guys in power armor that is also beefy..but that does look pretty in a cabinet. Just not my cabinets! A friend of mine is a big mini collector and he keeps showing me his Tau stuff! I always come up with cute stories for their background. Like Remy the Rocket guy who always dreamed about blowing stuff up. Like once he saw the prettiest fire works ever and people were screaming in amazement. So now Remy tries to recapture that magic by shooting missles into people combining screams explosions and blood to recreate his own firework show! Not because he wants to serve the big leader person but because every battlefield deserves something pretty!
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Haha…Yeah, the Warhammer 40K universe certainly is a very bleak one, with little to no pretty things around. I imagine the Emperor maybe even being quite pleased if there would be something pretty on the battlefield😊Maybe Remy the Rocket guy would be the perfect addition to this dark universe who knows? 😂
But yeah, I can understand. I have become quite addicted to it, and really am enjoying the books quite a lot😊 As for the artwork, that certainly is a trademark for them for sure! 😀
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Remy the Rocket guy sounds disturbingly like a Slaaneshi cultist..😂
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Lol…I had not even thought of that😂😂 That’s great …and you are so right! 😂😂😂
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The artwork is gorgeous Michel!
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It really is Kim😊😊 One of the great things about this saga, though the books and storyline are definitely what draws me in here 😊
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Echoing some of the other comments on how gorgeous these are!
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Haha, they definitely are😊 Though the art is awesome, it’s the stories themselves that really draw me into these 😊😊
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I’m not sure whose commitment I should admire more – the writers for still churning out so many books or you for reading them! 😀
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Lol….probably both haha😂😂 Well…if something is good, it’s good no real doubt about it. But yeah this certainly will in all likelyhood be the longest running book series that I have ever read😊 Nothing will beat it😊
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Whoa! 54+ books so far and you’ve read 33 of them? Both of those numbers are HUGE when it comes to series. And unfortunately, that might keep me away, but I’m impressed both by how much you’ve read and your passion for the series. I’d never heard of it before, though I had heard of the game. I hope the final run of books gets even better, going out on a very high note. Enjoy!
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It’s always difficult to end a series such as this with a high note. Even though the outcome is set (it takes past in the past of the Warhammer 40k universe) it will be interesting to see how the final books are going to wrap it up. It’s definitely a series that I have a lot of passion for, and enjoyed for the most part. I do take breaks from it, but always go back to it again eventually 😊Thanks again for a great comment! Appreciate it!😊
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That’s a lovely collection of books! Lots of them in the series for sure. The art work looks wonderful. How nice to find a long series like that to enjoy 🙂
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It’s an absolute incredible series of books, and one that to date I’m still enjoying very much. Even though I do take breaks from it at certain points, whenever I’m going back to it, it’s like coming home in a certain way. The art is definitely a wonderful bonus! 😊
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What a phenomenal universe! I just love the sound of it all, even if the quality isn’t always up there, the mythology just makes it sound so wonderful and well-worth exploring. The books too look extraordinary! I can understand why you’d want to collect them all! I think this is also where I thought I’d one day start my journey too and it sounds pretty good! Thanks for showcasing your incredible collection and making us want to be fart of the fandom! 😀
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I definitely think this is a good starting point if you ever want to visit the Warhammer 40 K universe. For one thing it’s in the universe’s past. For another, it really feels like kind of a stepping stone of the Warhammer 40 K universe. A sort of beginning so to speak 😊
It’s definitely something I’m pretty much convinced of, knowing your taste in books/movies, that I pretty much know you would enjoy😊And the art really is an extra bonus😊
If you do explore it some day, I hope you will enjoy it just as much as I did 😊
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You have the hardbacks for all? I am still at the beginning of the heresy. With plans of buying the paperbacks as i find them easier to read. I have a few books in between still, but wil see how it goes. Thank the Omnisiah for bol.nl🙂. Been getting pretty good deals on there for the paperbacks… Also, buddy reading this series with a fellow blogger is also great the way i am doing at the moment. Great post mate. One day we can hopefully visit each other’s Black Libraries🙂… I have a really nice copy of Thousand Sons i still have to get to and am eager to show off when I do. Take care man.
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Haha, I wish I had all of the hardbacks, but no sadly not. I started with the hardbacks from book 31. I do have all of those now, but everything below that number is a paperback. It’s definitely been a wild ride, and I will be starting with book 34 Pharos tomorrow. It’s been a while since I’ve visited the wartorn universe of the 31st millennium, it’s about time that I retunr there😊
Nice to hear you have been getting some good deals in the paperbacks, and yes those Black Libraries are bound to be shown off to each other one day😊 The Emperor Protects!
Thanks for the kind words, and I hope you will enjoy Thousand Sons as much as I did, it’s definitely one heck of a book. You take care as well my friend 😊
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Are there any books up to 31 you do not have in physical? If i have them and decide not to keep i could always send it your way…
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Ahh man, you are far too kind! Really thank you so much for the offer😊 But it’s not necessary at all. I have all the books (just not all in hardback) but haven’t missed a single one of the main novels😊 Thanks again for your kindness😊
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No problem
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Okay I’ve read many series but 54 books OMG! But reading the description I can understand how it must have extended into this many volumes as well! I find it interesting that different authors penned different parts of it too kind of like gow different people write different episodes in a TV series maybe? I don’t know if it’s the right comparison. Also I can totally relate to your completionist feeling! I love collecting the physical books as well and am a repetitive reader myself. Anyways I’m.looking forward to your post on the conclusion of this series as well!
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Haha…yeah 54 books is definitely huge. I do plan on writing a final post for the last book, but that’s probably going to be in 2022 in all likelyhood. Have a lot more books to read of this saga, and the end itself has also not been published yet. But yeah, this is a series that I have highly enjoyed😊And am still enjoying.
It’s a great comparison, and you are right…it is kind of like that. Many authors have contributed, introducing new storylines and characters, and that’s definitely what’s so fun about this😊
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Interesting!
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