The Black Library, founded in 1997, is the repository for all Warhammer based novels, 40k and fantasy genres. Warhammer is tabletop strategy game that inspired video games and the novels and stories held within. The entire library consists of more than 460 books, inclucding e-books, short stories, and anthologies. The Warhammer universes consist of a fantasy realm during a medieval chronology, to a far into the future (40 thousand years) space epic. Both the fantasy and 40k books have sub-genres that include sci-fi, fantasy, crime, romance to name a few, but most are written about. The large number of choices makes it necessary for sites like this to help newcomers to Warhammer to decide where to start. It will also guide veterans to books they may have overlooked or did not believe would interest them. It is the aim of this site to list novels that should be in every Warhammer fans personal library. The Black Library has dozens of authors specializing in just Warhammer, and other writers whose talents and credentials span the entire literary world.

There are 5 "settings" in the Warhammer universe. They begin with the first-born, Warhammer 40k. 40K (as it's colloquially known) is set in the far future where war and chaos reign supreme. The legions of human armies are barely enough to hold back the onslaught of enemies trying to destroy the empire of Mankind. A futuristic take on all 7 man vs themes, whether Humans are fighting themselves, aliens, machines, or the gods themselves, it has several dozen books waiting to be ripped apart. The next incarnation would be the Warhammer - Age of Sigmar setting. The armies of Mankind are once again set upon by evil but this time set in a medieval realm where the forces of Chaos (demons spawned by demigods) are the imminent threat. However, the same genres are plentiful in the world of Sigmar. With the success of the first two settings, three more were introduced which were The Horus Heresy, Warhammer:Horror, and Warhammer:Crime. The Horus Heresy was just a tale used to explain the current state of the 40k universe, but as more and more fans began to want answers and details about the previous 10 thousand years in the galaxy, the Black Library decided to give the fans what they wanted. Warhammer:Crime and Warhammer:Horror emerged as subgenres within the other three settings. These novels were created to give a more in depth look into the societies inside the universes and how they operated at a more personal level. Whereas the other setting were on a very grand scale.

The authors that you should be aware of. Dan Abnett author of 29 novels including the very popular series; Gaunt's Ghosts, Ravenor, and The Horus Heresy. Next on the list would be Graham McNeill who has 19 books under his belt, including The Chronicles of Uriel Ventris. Guy Haley has 17 novels, as does Gav Thorpe, both who have written for all different setting in the Warhammer universe. One author that should also be looked for is Chris Wraight who penned The Last Chancers, a must read. Other authors to keep in mind: Aaron Demski-Bowden, Guy Haley, Josh Reynolds, Steve Parker, Rachel Harrison, and Peter Fehervahi. There are many authors that specialize in just Warhammer anad have influenced the storyline it has become canon. Retelling stories, that once were whispers or water-cooler gossip in the offices of Games Workshop, is now the basis of most new content. New original stories are also being created and a lot of that is happening in the the Crime and Horror divisions of the universe.

There are several series, omnibuses and anthologies that need to be read to be considered a true afficianado of the Warhammer Universe. One of the best to begin with is Gaunt's Ghost series. The only known Colonel-Commisar in all of the Astra Militarum, Gaunt leads his troops through hell and back while performing the duties that make his men hate and love him at the same time. A good next step would be the tales of Eisenhorn. An Imperial Inquisitor, the leaders in the fight against demons, has come up against an ancient evil that vows to turn one of the Imperium's strongest to the dark gods. To continue the legend of Ciaphas Cain should be on all lists. Comissar Cain, the enforcers of discipline in the ranks, has an odd way of performing his duties, by talking out of trouble in a time of chaos. Every time he tries to wiggle out of a battle he finds a way to grow his legend by winning impossible battles. These are just three of many series that would be great to use to dive into Warhammer.