Best Novels for SMs

[NuclearSnowyOwl]

Hey guys, so I'm loving reading through the beginning of the Horus Heresy novels. I'm about halfway through False Gods, so please no specific spoilers :) The 40k universe is incredible.

I've been kinda dawdling around trying to choose a loyal Space Marines chapter for several months now. Without a doubt, fluff is going to be the most important thing to me in choosing which army to begin collecting/painting. So I'm wondering, if I were only able to ready one novel each about the Salamanders, Blood Angels, and Imperial Fists, what would be the best most quintessential novel to get a really good idea of which fluff I like best?

Thanks!

[PalinMoonstride]

The blood angels Omnibus (basically one big story) and the first book of the ultramarines omnibus stick out in my mind as the best two loyalist stories I have read so far. I have read a lot of space marine books and those two have always stood out to me personally.

[daboarder]

The blood angels Omnibus (basically one big story) and the first book of the ultramarines omnibus stick out in my mind as the best two loyalist stories I have read so far. I have read a lot of space marine books and those two have always stood out to me personally.

ugh, no dont ever read the Blood angel omnibus, its almost universally derided by BA players. The odd thing about it being that swallow has shown with the HH that he can actually write

If you want SM bolter porn then look at the rest of the HH heresy, the SM battles novels etc.

They aren't the best written books but they are the ones that deal with SMs.

[Deadlift]

Brothers of the Snake, by Dan Abnett. Pretty much the best space marine book ever despite not being based on a first founding chapter. It's fantastic.

If you fancy a bit of HH then Flight of the Eisenstein is really good as well and my favorite in the HH series.

The Salamander trilogy is pretty good but gets a bit long winded, the Ultramarines books by GM are pretty good. Pasanaius is one of my favourite Marine characters.

[Yriel_The_Angelic]

The best BA book, in my opinion, would have to be Fear to Tread. It's fantastic in showing you the pre-flaw side of the BA as well as showing what the red thirst can do when it does take hold en mass. I myself am an avid BA player, having over a company and a half of fully painted d00ds, and while the BA omnibus can shed some light in the happenings of the BA it is not our best source of fiction. The new Shield of Baal Deathstorm and Exterminatus are pretty decent as well. But i only recommend them if you want to continue down the path of BA.

[NuclearSnowyOwl]

Great, thanks for all these excellent answers. I'll be happy to read more, keep 'em coming :)

[tjkopena]

I tend to find a lot of the current-timeline 40k books pretty hit or miss. That's true of the Heresy books as well, but they seem to have a higher proportion of quality reads, though I admit at this point I've read an increasingly small portion of them. I strongly recommend reading through the first four and then cherry picking what interests you. I do though *strongly* recommend Betrayer, and a bit less so Know No Fear. The former makes a couple of the least interesting characters actually the most interesting, and the latter gives a lot of feel to what the Space Marines can be at their best in the larger universe, beyond just battling. It also has a really clever structure and play on one of the key phrases in the background (The Mark of Calth). Betrayer though is amazing.

I have a couple reviews up here:

http://www.rocketshipgames.com/blogs/tjkopena/2009/12/book-review-flight-of-the-eisenstein/
http://www.rocketshipgames.com/blogs/tjkopena/2013/10/book-review-know-no-fear/
http://www.rocketshipgames.com/blogs/tjkopena/2013/11/book-review-betrayer/

[completeHook]

+1 for Fear to Tread. It's great, Sanguinius, what a guy.

Vulcan Lives does feature a lot of background on the Salamanders. My one major criticism is Curze does seem to be channeling the Joker in this incarnation, his own unique brand of evil has been represented much more interesting ways in other books. But Shattered Legions vs Word Bearers with a bit of Perpetual action.

Angel Exterminatus is a good read too, again mainly Traitor Legions vs Shattered Legions but does feature the Imperial Fists. Perturabo is the star of the show, basically your bitter gamer archetype who spends most time holed up in his basement making models and thinking about how much he's going to enjoy killing Fulgrim. Also corrupted Emperors Children are always good for laugh.

[George Labour]

I'd also reccomend Helsreach and Battle of The Fang. And of course the original space wolf trilogy by William King if you want some Gotrek level violence in your grim dark coming of age tale.

Helsreach is nice as it paints an interesting picture of the Black Templars. They're kind of whiny jerks at times, but also very resolute and loyal. Plus it has one of the best space frenchmen in 40k, and some good titan fights.

Battle of The Fang is kind of a post horus heresy, but not 'modern' 40k tale and thus is kind of unique. Leman Russ is gone, but he's not quite a myth yet nor is Magnus a Daemon Prince. Also Bjorn the dreadnought Vs Magnus in a fist fight inside an exploding hangar.

Oh and I too shall reccomend Brothers of The Snake. Dan Abnett really added a lot of character and uniqueness to what would otherwise be Spartans in space.

As for Chaos Marines Blood Gorgons was nice as it too focuses on an 'original' chapter instead of the legions. it also paints them as a bit more heroic in some ways.

And of course there's also the night lord's omnibus, and the grey knights omnibus if you want the even more 'exotic' power armor types.

EDIT: Stay away from Legion of The Damned though. While not bad, it has almost nothing to do with the Legion itself.

[daboarder]

Lets be honest, the Best SM stuff is the Chaos stories

Marduk
Talos
Honsu


These guys are the ones to look for if you want to read some seriously good 40k

[NuclearSnowyOwl]

I think I need to add one more Chapter: Crimson Fists. What's the definitive novel to read to decide if I like their fluff best?

And as far as building a fluffy army list, what types of units would the CFs take/not take, other than what the codex points out about veterans and Sternguard…yay or nay on bikes, dreads, flyers, tanks, etc.

[Houghten]

Brothers of the Snake, by Dan Abnett. Pretty much the best space marine book ever despite not being based on a first founding chapter. It's fantastic.

Also the first Black Library book I ever read.

If it had been Deus Encarmine, I might not have kept reading...


I think I need to add one more Chapter: Crimson Fists. What's the definitive novel to read to decide if I like their fluff best?

The Crimson Fists only have two full-length novels - Rynn's World and Traitor's Gorge. Everything else is short stories, and not many of those either. Well, and one audio drama, but The Madness Within could have contained Space Marines from literally any chapter and still read the same, it's really about the daemon and the psyker.

[George Labour]

One of the soul drinkers novels (the third or fourth one IIRC) has a Crimson Fist element in it and their captain gets quite a bit of screen time, and even has a minor role in the last novel in the series. Sadly I forget the specific title of it but it's the one where they kind of team up with the Dark Eldar. Kind of.

[Darren Richardson]

EDIT: Stay away from Legion of The Damned though. While not bad, it has almost nothing to do with the Legion itself.

Though it does portray the Legion in an interesting way when they do show up, and that Visitor who keeps showing himself to the main character is damn creepy.....

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for an assortment of varied stories (and of varying quaility) I highly recommend the " ....... Of The Space Marines" anthologies (heroes/ Victories etc), quite a few different chapters get an appearance and the Chaos Marines got a volume all to themseleves (Treacheries)

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I'll also second the first volumes of the Ultramarines saga as well (i've read books 1 to 4 only).

And yeah, the BA ones by James Swallow really arn't that good, unless SPOILER:




you like to see Fabius Bile screw them over :D

[Harbinger Rising]

I do though *strongly* recommend Betrayer, and a bit less so Know No Fear. The former makes a couple of the least interesting characters actually the most interesting, and the latter gives a lot of feel to what the Space Marines can be at their best in the larger universe, beyond just battling.


Interesting. I've always wanted to read a more fleshed-out world-buildy type of story involving Space Marines, instead of just more bolter fire and sharpnel. I'll give it a shot.

[Tyrsday]

Anything by Dan Abnett, Brothers of the Snake and Salvation's Reach have two of the best, and most human, portrayals of Space Marines. Aaron Dembski-Bowden is second in my book, The Emperor's Gift and the Night Lords trilogy are amazing. I didn't like the Night Lords until those books. As a side note, after Vulkan Lives I came to the realization that Curze is what would happen if the Joker was playing Batman.

All Graham McNeill's books are good and he was my second favorite until being replaced by Dembski-Bowden.

The only one that I've read that I'd avoid is Sons of Dorn, or something along those lines. The writing was trite and the characters were just three different historical cultures thrown into the far-future without any independent thought thrown in.