Aaron Dembski-Bowden Books in Order

The Best Starting Points for Aaron Dembski-Bowden

If you are new to Aaron Dembski-Bowden’s (often affectionately referred to as ADB by the community) writing style, you shouldn't start with a chronological approach. Because his works span various eras of Warhammer lore and include massive multi-author franchise series, the safest and most satisfying path is to follow his character-driven focus. Readers generally recommend two excellent entry points:

• The Night Lords Trilogy (Start here for Chaos Space Marines): Starting with Soul Hunter (2010), this trilogy is widely considered some of the absolute best fiction in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. It introduces you to ADB's talent for turning brutal villains into compelling, tragic antiheroes.
• Helsreach (Start here for Loyalists): If you prefer to read about the loyal defenders of humanity, the standalone novel Helsreach (2010) is a fan-favorite masterpiece. It follows Grimaldus, a chaplain of the Black Templars, defending a hive city under siege.

The Night Lords Trilogy

This series follows the warband of First Claw, warriors of the treacherous VIII Legion. It is essential to read these books in order of release to appreciate the progression of the characters and their descent into tragedy:

1. Soul Hunter (2010)
2. Blood Reaver (2011)
3. Void Stalker (2012)

Reader Tip: To get the complete experience, track down the short stories "Shadow Knight" (a prequel recounting the early days of Talos) and the audio drama "Throne of Lies" (2010), which are set during the events of the trilogy and are collected in the Night Lords Omnibus.

The Black Legion Series

Focusing on Ezekiel Abaddon, the future Warmaster of Chaos, this series chronicles the formation of the Black Legion in the wake of the Horus Heresy. It is planned as a trilogy but currently stands at two highly acclaimed novels. They must be read in order:

1. The Talon of Horus (2014)
2. Black Legion (2017)

These books offer a fascinating look at the Eye of Terror and the early alliances forged among the defeated traitor legions.

The Horus Heresy & Siege of Terra: Traitor Origins

While the broader Horus Heresy series contains over 60 books written by a collection of authors, ADB's contributions are critical to the overarching plot. For readers specifically wanting to follow his narrative thread, you should read these books in this order:

1. The First Heretic (2010): Focuses on the Word Bearers and the tragic origins of the galactic rebellion.
2. Aurelian (2011): A novella showing Lorgar's spiritual pilgrimage, fitting directly between The First Heretic and Betrayer.
3. Betrayer (2012): The direct sequel to The First Heretic, following the brutal alliance of the World Eaters and Word Bearers.
4. The Master of Mankind (2017): Shifts the focus to the Emperor Himself and the desperate war fought in the Webway beneath the Imperial Palace.
5. Echoes of Eternity (2022): Part of the climactic Siege of Terra finale, wrapping up many of the character arcs and thematic threads ADB established in his earlier Heresy works.

Standalone Masterpieces

If you prefer self-contained stories that require very little outside reading, ADB has penned several excellent standalone novels:

• The Emperor's Gift (2012): Follows the Grey Knights (specifically the warrior Hyperion) during the First War for Armageddon and the subsequent clash with the Space Wolves.
• Spear of the Emperor (2018): A unique, highly praised look at the Emperor's Spears chapter in the isolated region of Imperium Nihilus, narrated from the perspective of Anuradha, a human thrall.
• Cadian Blood (2009): ADB's debut novel for Black Library, featuring the Cadian Shock Troopers combating a plague of undead on a corrupted shrine world.

Publication Order vs. Chronological Order

While reading in publication order is perfectly fine, a chronological reading path is highly satisfying if you want to understand how the galaxy fell from the heights of the Great Crusade to the decay of the 41st Millennium. Here is the chronological path for Aaron Dembski-Bowden's core novels:

1. The First Heretic (31st Millennium / Horus Heresy era)
2. Betrayer (31st Millennium / Horus Heresy era)
3. The Master of Mankind (31st Millennium / Siege of Terra era)
4. Echoes of Eternity (31st Millennium / Siege of Terra era)
5. The Talon of Horus (Early Post-Heresy era)
6. Black Legion (Early Post-Heresy era)
7. Cadian Blood (41st Millennium / Modern Era)
8. Helsreach (41st Millennium / Modern Era)
9. The Emperor's Gift (41st Millennium / Modern Era)
10. The Night Lords Trilogy (Soul Hunter, Blood Reaver, Void Stalker) (41st Millennium / Modern Era)
11. Spear of the Emperor (Late 41st Millennium / Era Indomitus)

A Note on Franchise Series and Shared Lists

When looking at database lists, you will often see Aaron Dembski-Bowden's name associated with massive series such as the 19-volume Imperial Guard Books, the 57-volume Space Marine Battles Books, or even the 195-volume Warhammer: Age of Sigmar Books. It is important to know that these are multi-author shared-world lines. For example, ADB only wrote Cadian Blood in the Imperial Guard line and Helsreach in the Space Marine Battles line. He has not written any novels for the Age of Sigmar setting, despite database listings of those collections. To get a true ADB experience, you should stick to the specific titles he authored rather than trying to read these shared series in their entirety.

What to Know Before You Start

Before you dive in, there are a few styling hallmarks of ADB's writing you should know:

• Humanizing the Transhuman: While Space Marines are often portrayed as stoic, unfeeling weapons, ADB spends considerable time showing their internal struggles, brotherhoods, flaws, and emotional vulnerabilities.
• The Thrall Perspective: ADB frequently gives voices to the ordinary humans who serve these superhuman titans, offering a grounded and terrifying perspective on the galaxy.
• No Easy Answers: His Chaos characters are not cartoon villains; they are tragic figures who genuinely believe they are fighting for survival or freedom, making their conflicts heartbreakingly complex.