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77-460: The Horus Heresy is a series of science fantasy novels set in the fictional Warhammer 40,000 setting of tabletop miniatures wargame company Games Workshop . Penned by several authors, the series takes place during the Horus Heresy, a fictional galaxy-spanning civil war occurring in the 31st millenium, 10,000 years before the main setting of Warhammer 40,000. The war is described as

154-441: A common setting , story arc , set of characters or timeline . They are common in genre fiction , particularly crime fiction , adventure fiction , and speculative fiction , as well as in children's literature . Some works in a series can stand alone—they can be read in any order, as each book makes few, if any, reference to past events, and the characters seldom, if ever, change. Many of these series books may be published in

231-437: A definitive roman fleuve . Today, however, its seven volumes are generally considered to be a single novel. Proust's work was immensely influential, particularly on British novelists of the middle of the twentieth century who did not favour modernism . Some of those follow the example of Anthony Powell , a Proust disciple, but consciously adapting the technique to depict social change, rather than change in high society. This

308-473: A distinct and successful product line for the Black Library; titles have often appeared in bestseller lists, and overall the work has received critical approval despite reservations. It is an established, definitive component of Games Workshop's Horus Heresy sub-brand , and authoritative source material for the entire Warhammer 40,000 shared universe and its continuing development. The Horus Heresy

385-737: A major contributing factor to the game's dystopian environment. The books were published in several media by the Black Library , a Games Workshop division, with the first title released in April 2006. The series consists of 64 published volumes ; the concluding story, The End and the Death , was released in three volumes, with the concluding volume of the series, The End and the Death: Volume III , being released in January 2024. The series has developed into

462-571: A novel sequence. For example, the Barchester novels of Anthony Trollope are only loosely related, although they contain a recurring cast of characters; his political novels about the Pallisers have a tighter connection and dynamic. A strict definition might exclude both. With precedents such as Madeleine de Scudéry 's magnum opus, Artamène , the novel sequence was a product of the nineteenth century, with James Fenimore Cooper 's works appearing in

539-525: A numbered series. Examples of such series are works like The Hardy Boys , Nancy Drew , and Nick Carter . Some series do have their characters go through changes, and make references to past events. Typically such series are published in the order of their internal chronology, so that the next book published follows the previous book. How much these changes matter will vary from series to series (and reader to reader). For some, it may be minor—characters might get engaged, change jobs, etc., but it does not affect

616-508: A prominent role in the novel as Fulgrim attempts to lure them into betrayal, and several other Primarchs and Legions make appearances. Described in passing is the pivotal Battle of Isstvaan V, also known as the Dropsite Massacre , where several entirely Loyalist Legions are slaughtered in another Traitor ambush in the Isstvan star system . The battle fully reveals the scale and ferocity of

693-470: A series are sometimes enumerated according to the internal chronology rather than in publication order, depending on the intended purpose for the list. Examples of this series include works from the Chronicles of Narnia , where the fifth book published, The Horse and His Boy , is actually set during the time of the first book, and the sixth book published, The Magician's Nephew is actually set long before

770-530: A series can be by discipline, focus, approach, type of work, or geographic location. Examples of such series include the "Antwerp Working Papers in Linguistics", "Early English Manuscripts in Facsimile", "Garland Reference Library", "Canterbury Tales Project", " Early English Text Society ", and " Cambridge Companions to Music ". Book series can be compared with editorial collection, a type of serial publication which

847-639: A single figure named Alpharius Omegon) to support Horus. 8. Battle for the Abyss: My brother, my enemy Battle for the Abyss concerns the lead‑up to a Traitor invasion of Ultramar , a remote star system and the home base of the unshakeably-Loyalist 13th Legion, the "Ultramarines" (Book  19 and  24 ). Early in the Heresy, the Traitor Word Bearers Legion is tasked with organising and leading

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924-459: Is a being of towering charisma , prowess, conviction, and ability. He has declared an atheistic worldview , the "Imperial Truth", which promotes science, rationalism , and human primacy. Unknown to the common citizenry, he is also the most powerful human (or humanlike) psychic, referred to as psykers , and is overall one of the most formidable psychics in the galaxy. Officially, the Imperium denies

1001-599: Is a collection of short stories introducing and expanding upon numerous threads within the greater happenings of the Heresy. Various stories centre on the Custodian Guard , the elite Praetorian Guard -esque retinue of the Emperor, and the Sisters of Silence , a classified Imperial organisation of anti-psychic warrior‑nuns originally introduced in Book 4 . Most stories are concurrent with

1078-524: Is a dark, far future military space opera concerning a galactic civil war within the nascent Imperium of Man , and which constitutes a cornerstone event of the dystopian science fantasy Warhammer 40,000 universe. The Horus Heresy is presented as a major chapter of conflict in the Warhammer 40,000 lore: it is caused by a Chaos plot to foil the Imperium's leader and founder, the mysterious Emperor of Man, by fomenting rebellion and internecine warfare in

1155-453: Is an isolated, low-technology world that resembles a feudal medieval fantasy setting. Zahariel is introduced in the story as an Aspirant of the Order, an organisation of techno- barbarian knights . The first half of the novel is set on Caliban and covers the final battles of the Order under the leadership of Jonson, the future Primarch. The book's second half describes Caliban's unification with

1232-508: Is common in the Romance-speaking world , especially in France. Although the two are similar in many ways, book series and editorial collection differ because books in a series generally have a common subject, character, or universe; in other words, a set of volumes that are related to each other by certain thematic elements. While books in a collection do not necessarily have a common subject, or

1309-528: Is complicated by the fact that many of the travellers on the Eisenstein now openly proclaim their belief in the Emperor's divinity, itself a heresy . 5. Fulgrim: Visions of Treachery Fulgrim centers on the eponymous Primarch of the 3rd Legion, the "Emperor's Children". Characterised as flamboyant perfectionists, the novel tracks the descent of Fulgrim and his Legion into the service of Chaos roughly simultaneously with that of Horus in ( Book 2 ). Fulgrim

1386-415: Is delivered a warning about Horus' imminent betrayal and the disaster that may follow by the alien Eldar race , but he and his staff dismiss it. The Emperor's Children eventually become the "Chosen" of Slaanesh, one of the four Gods of Chaos, with which Fulgrim is slowly and unwittingly drawn into grotesque communion. Primarch Ferrus Manus and his "Iron Hands" Space Marines (the 10th Legion) also play

1463-601: Is depicted as having lasted for seven years. With few exceptions, the sequence and dating of Heresy events is implied rather than stated in The Horus Heresy stories. The following lists pertain to regular or general-availability UK first editions . For special and other editions, and additional information, see §  Media and editions . Contributors of the series include artists, audiobook narrators, and compilation or abridgement editors. Each may have contributed in stories that utilise different forms; where applicable,

1540-485: Is mortally wounded during a Crusade mission by a Chaos-tainted xenos weapon. In a desperate action by his lieutenants to ensure his survival  – one taken in strict contradiction to Imperial doctrine  – Horus is brought to a local temple with a reputation for healing. The temple is the seat of a powerful Chaos cult, and both Horus' wound and its supposed healing makes him susceptible to Chaos' influence. He ultimately turns against his "father",

1617-514: Is part of the story arc of Book 12 , however it follows a different but related timeline. The story begins more than a century before the Space Wolves-led mission to Prospero , and the concurrent start of the Heresy. It is presented from the point of view of Kasper Hawser , formerly a noted Terran academic who becomes a Crusade Remembrancer , and then the Oral Historian or skjald of

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1694-466: Is taking place, Horus' previously covert rebellion becomes visible ( Book 3 ). The novel also adds background to Horus' fall and to the planning of the Heresy campaign by Chaos and its forces. 16. Age of Darkness Age of Darkness is a compilation of nine short stories by various authors. They take place during the seven‑year period between the Dropsite Massacre on Isstvan V ( Book 5 ), and

1771-964: The Penguin English Library (from 1963). Reprint series were also published in the United States, including the Modern Library ( Boni & Liveright , from 1917), in Germany, including the Universal-Bibliothek ( Reclam , from 1867), and in most other countries of the world. A novel sequence is a set or series of novels which share common themes, characters, or settings, but where each novel has its own title and free-standing storyline, and can thus be read independently or out of sequence. A novel sequence contains story arcs or themes that cross over several books, rather than simply sharing one or more characters. Fictional series typically share

1848-657: The Chaos Gods and their Daemons serves as the basis of numerous faiths and religions in the setting, both human and alien in origin. Knowing followers of the Chaos Gods, though rare, refer to their faith as the Primordial Truth, or the Primordial Annihilator. Humankind's continuing biological and psycho-spiritual evolution includes the gradual development of widespread Warp-related psychic abilities that will make

1925-588: The Primordial Truth , many years before Horus' corruption. The story is largely told from the point of view of Argel Tal , a Captain of the Word Bearers, who becomes commander of a Chaos- possessed elite Legion unit. It spans several decades, starting 43 years before the events on Isstvan V ( Book 5 ) and concluding around the time the Word Bearers are on their way to assault Calth ( Book 19 ). 15. Prospero Burns: The Wolves unleashed Prospero Burns

2002-508: The campaign setting for the Warhammer 40,000 tabletop miniatures wargame and in 2006 Black Library began publishing The Horus Heresy series. The series consists of full-length novels, and novel-length compilations of novellas or short stories , written by a number of authors . The series includes new characters as well as establishing the background of previously established Warhammer 40,000 characters who play an important role in

2079-426: The franchises of the film industry. Notable nonfiction book series for the general public have included: In scholarly and academic publishing , scientific and non-fiction books that are released serially (in successive parts) once a year, or less often, are also called a series . (Publications that are released more often than once a year are known as periodicals .) The connection among books belonging to such

2156-489: The "Thousand Sons" Space Marines, the 15th Legion; it mainly takes place before the Heresy begins. Following a reprimand by the Emperor for dabbling in sorcery , Magnus and his Legion secretly continue to study the forbidden subjects. Then, around the time of Horus' corruption ( Book 2 ), Magnus learns through sorcery of his brother's impending betrayal. He tries – again through sorcery – to warn

2233-656: The "Warhounds" to the "World Eaters". The book contains seven stories by various authors; several stories relate to full-length novels in the series. This anthology contains the following stories: Blood Games by Dan Abnett, Wolf at the Door by Mike Lee, Scions of the Storm by Anthony Reynolds, The Voice by James Swallow, Call of the Lion by Gav Thorpe, The Last Church by Graham McNeill and After Desh'ea by Matthew Farrer. 11. Fallen Angels: Deceit and betrayal Fallen Angels continues

2310-402: The 1820s, and Anthony Trollope 's Barchester books in the 1850s. In French literature , Honoré de Balzac 's ambitious La Comédie humaine , a set of nearly 100 novels, novellas and short stories with some recurring characters, started to come together during the 1830s. Émile Zola 's Rougon-Macquart cycle is a family saga , a format that later became a popular fictional form, going beyond

2387-598: The 18th century, with the series The Poets of Great Britain Complete from Chaucer to Churchill (founded by British publisher John Bell in 1777). In 1841 the German Tauchnitz publishing firm launched the Collection of British and American Authors , a reprint series of inexpensive paperbound editions of both public domain and copyrighted fiction and nonfiction works. This book series was unique for paying living authors of

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2464-547: The 3rd Company of the Space Wolves Legion. On the surface it is his story; the important understory concerns the long-term machinations of Chaos, whose aim is the destruction of both Space Wolves and Thousand Sons. Chaos attempts to exploit the weaknesses of the Primarchs and their Legions in order to pit them against each other – the ultimate result is the confrontation on Prospero. While this confrontation

2541-529: The 7th Company of the Ultramarines. They become aware of the powerful capital ship 's true purpose, and engage in long pursuit; they will seek to prevent the Furious Abyss from participating in the invasion and from reaching Macragge. 9. Mechanicum: Knowledge is power Mechanicum is the first book in the series not to focus on either the Primarchs or their Space Marines Legions. The novel centres on

2618-506: The Crusade has reached star systems more than 50,000  light years away from its original staging point in the Sol ( Solar ) System, has assimilated millions of worlds into the Imperium, and has given Humankind a dominant position among the galaxy's species. Its grand mastermind is the "Emperor of Mankind", a mysterious superhuman of unknown origin. The Emperor, founder and head of the Imperium,

2695-568: The Dark Angels tale begun in Book ;6, Descent of Angels . The novel starts around the time of Book 6's conclusion, about 50 years before the Heresy, but forwards to just about the time of the Heresy's beginning in the opening chapters. It tells two stories: one concerns the effort of Primarch Lion El'Jonson and a small group of Dark Angels to deny a forge world (a planet devoted to manufacturing, especially of weapons) to Horus' forces;

2772-690: The Eisenstein: The heresy unfolds The Flight of the Eisenstein follows the eponymous Eisenstein , a space frigate of the "Death Guard" 14th Legion of Space Marines. The story follows the ship's escape from the Betrayal of Istvaan III, crewed by surviving loyalists of the four Legions present at the battle and commanded by Battle‑Captain Nathaniel Garro of the Death Guard 7th Company and one of

2849-552: The Emperor meanwhile returns to Terra, where in relative isolation he undertakes a secret project to which not even Horus is privy. The focus and perspective of the novel centres on a Space Marine Captain, Garviel Loken, leader of the Luna Wolves' 10th Company. He becomes a member of the Mournival, an informal advisory body to Horus, and participates in Crusade campaigns against anti-Imperial human populations and aliens, referred to in

2926-424: The Emperor, and sets in motion the entire Heresy. This novel further highlights the institutional and personal tensions that accompany the Imperium's maturity into the preeminent power of the galaxy; they include rifts among the Primarchs, as well as both between and within their Space Marine Legions. Conflicts and characters flaws are repeatedly and effectively manipulated by Chaos in pursuit of their agenda throughout

3003-640: The Emperor, believing that the gravity of the news justifies his disobedience. However, he overreaches with his powers and damages the vital and secret project the Emperor is undertaking ( Book 1 ), endangering the safety of Terra itself in the process. The Emperor is enraged and orders Leman Russ , Primarch of the 6th Legion (the "Space Wolves"), to Prospero , the Thousand Sons Legion's in‑series home world. The Space Wolves, accompanied by other Imperial forces, are to bring Magnus and his Legion to Terra to account for themselves. 13. Nemesis: War within

3080-536: The Heresy, the "Betrayal of Istvaan III", wherein factions of four Astartes Legions who were deemed unconvertible by their traitor brethren are ambushed during a planetary invasion of the fictional Isstvan star system . The novel marks the first distinguishment of the "Loyalists" and "Traitor" factions within the Legions and other rebel forces, including the unmodified soldiers of the Imperial Army . 4. The Flight of

3157-477: The Heresy, with some occurring in the years prior. It includes two stories that take place on Terra, one of which occurs long before the Heresy and adds to the background regarding the Imperial Truth ; another entry in the compilation is a Primarch origin story, covering the contentious circumstances under which the gladiatorial Primarch Angron takes command of the 12th Space Marine Legion , which he renames from

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3234-507: The Imperium of Man as well as the actions of the Dark Angels during the early years of the Great Crusade. In this part of the story, Zahariel, selected as a candidate Space Marine, is accepted as a Dark Angel Neophyte . A future schism within the Legion is intimated towards the end of the book. 7. Legion: Secrets and lies Legion focuses on the "Alpha Legion", the 20th and last of

3311-516: The Officio's disciplines, and led by top-rated sniper Eristede Kell , is tasked with the mission. There have been several previous unsuccessful attempts against Horus' life, and this gives a high-ranking officer of the Traitor Word Bearers Legion the idea to field a nemesis weapon of his own: a highly specialised assassin, who is to be used in an audacious scheme to kill the Emperor. 14. The First Heretic: Fall to Chaos The First Heretic details

3388-500: The Rings volumes or the Dark Tower series by Stephen King. Some authors make it difficult to list their books in a numerical order when they do not release each work in its 'proper' order by the story's internal chronology. They might 'jump' back in time to early adventures of the characters, writing works that must be placed before or between previously published works. Thus, the books in

3465-544: The Space Marine Legions. Characterised in earlier publications as clandestine and inscrutable, the book constitutes a major development of the entire canon of the setting with the revelation that the Legion's Primarch is actually a pair of twins, Alpharius and Omegon . The book also features the Imperial Army, the regular unmodified human fighting force of the Imperium, covering several officers and their units. Lastly,

3542-543: The Warp exist Daemons, sentient vortices of concentrated feeling that are chiefly malignant. The Daemons are themselves in service to the Chaos Gods, also known as the Ruinous Powers, titanic collectives of dark will whose rulership over the parallel dimension is supreme. These malign immaterial entities forever seek to breach the material universe and subject all life within it to foul and debased whims. Awareness and perception of

3619-451: The conclusion of Horus' campaign. The stories present various facets of the unfolding conflict, as suspicion, insecurity, and paranoia spread through the galaxy on the wake of the Warmaster's betrayal. Subjects include: a Primarch prepares for the end of the Imperium; a Traitor PSYOP topples an Imperial planet; an unusual diplomatic contest will decide which side will be chosen by a world on

3696-423: The conventional three-volume novel . A roman-fleuve (French, literally "river-novel") is an extended sequence of novels of which the whole acts as a commentary for a society or an epoch, and which continually deals with a central character, community or a saga within a family. The river metaphor implies a steady, broad dynamic lending itself to a perspective. Each volume makes up a complete novel by itself, but

3773-409: The early years of the 31st millennium, during the 203rd year of the Great Crusade. It describes the rise to power of Horus Lupercal, Primarch of the "Luna Wolves" Legion of Space Marines, and the most versatile and favoured "son" of the Emperor. The Emperor has recently appointed him Warmaster, overall commander of Imperial military forces, while also leaving him in charge of the rest of the Crusade;

3850-401: The end of False Gods . It outlines the corrupted Warmaster's descent into madness, which leads to the fomentation of his plot to betray the Imperium. Horus pursues his secret planning of the rebellion in earnest, seeking and finding allies among his disgruntled fellow Primarchs, their Legions, and the Imperium's other organisations and key personalities. The novel details the first open move of

3927-463: The entire cycle exhibits unifying characteristics. The metaphor of the roman-fleuve was coined by Romain Rolland to describe his 10-volume cycle Jean-Christophe . In the preface to the seventh volume, Dans la maison (1908/1909) he wrote: "When you see a man, do you ask yourself whether he is a novel or a poem? ... Jean-Christophe has always seemed to me to flow like a river; I have said as much from

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4004-520: The eponymous "Mechanicum", a cult of machine-worshipping technologists based on the real-life planet Mars and which serves as the chief engineering authority in the nascent Imperium. The machinations of Horus and the Chaos-worshipping Traitors affects the Martian cult as much as every other Imperial organisation, leading to a civil war on Mars itself. Kelbor-Hal , Fabricator General of Mars and

4081-495: The existence of psychic phenomena, including its manifestations as witchcraft and sorcery , and punishes its belief as ignorant and superstitious; yet the Imperium is also dependent on psychic activity in order to achieve faster-than-light travel between its scattered dominions. The Emperor knows that psychic phenomena originate in The Warp, a parallel dimension reflecting the events of the material world at its most emotional. Within

4158-509: The expanding Imperium of Man. The story focuses on the Emperor's 18 genetically engineered sons, the Primarchs, and the legions of genetically enhanced superhuman soldiers that they lead, the Legiones Astartes , which find themselves divided into loyalist and traitor factions as they struggle for religious hegemony. The shared universe was originally created in 1987 by Games Workshop , parent company of series publisher Black Library , as

4235-537: The fall to Chaos of Primarch Lorgar and the 17th Space Marine Legion, the "Word Bearers". Decades before the start of the rebellion they become heretics relative to the Imperial Truth by introducing religious worship . This results in public and humiliating censure of Lorgar and the entire assembled Legion, by the Emperor himself. The despairing Lorgar is subsequently swayed by two of his most trusted lieutenants, who are in secret allegiance with Chaos; eventually both Primarch and Legion covertly embrace (and promote)

4312-803: The fence; a non-combatant may be a rebel agent or a herald of unpalatable truths for the Imperium; a Loyalist Space Marine in a Traitor Legion holds his own against his erstwhile brothers. Several of the included stories are linked through continuity; some are also prequels or sequels to stories in other series books. This anthology contains the following stories: Rules of Engagement by Graham McNeill, Liar's Due by James Swallow, Forgotten Sons by Nick Kyme, The Last Remembrancer by John French, Rebirth by Chris Wraight, The Face of Treachery by Gav Thorpe, Little Horus by Dan Abnett, The Iron Within by Rob Sanders, Savage Weapons by Aaron Dembski-Bowden. Book series Reprint series of public domain fiction (and sometimes nonfiction) books appeared as early as

4389-468: The few Commanders in the Traitor Legions that remain loyal to the Emperor  – followed by the perilous voyage the vessel must take across the galaxy in an effort to reach Terra and raise the alarm over the developing rebellion. Garro and the others on board the vessel face suspicion and incredulity from Imperial authorities; apart from the inconceivable news of Horus' betrayal, the situation

4466-404: The fictional universe's 31st millennium, in contrast to most Warhammer 40,000 material, which takes place in the 41st millennium. The stories in The Horus Heresy routinely cover the conflict's background, with some going back centuries before the war (and the 31st millennium) begins. In narrower scope, the entire conflict (including the Heresy proper and its proximate formative period),

4543-427: The first book. This was done intentionally by C. S. Lewis , a scholar of medieval literature. Medieval literature did not always tell a story chronologically. There is no useful, formal demarcation between novel sequences and multi-part novels. Novels that are related may or may not fall into a clear sequence. It is also debatable whether a trilogy is long enough and whether its parts are discrete enough to qualify as

4620-406: The first pages." The term has subsequently been applied to other French novel sequences, particularly of the years between the world wars, notably: The 19th-century predecessors may be distinguished as being rather "family sagas", as their stories are from the perspective of a single family, rather than society as a whole. Marcel Proust's À la recherche du temps perdu has come to be regarded as

4697-527: The invasion; they plan to use an immense, secretly commissioned warship, the Furious Abyss , to spearhead the surprise attack. The vessel, commanded by Fleet Captain Zadkiel , launches from shipyards near Jupiter around the time of the events on Isstvan III ( Book 3 ), and sets course for Macragge, Ultramar's capital world. Leading the cast of Loyalist protagonists is Cestus , Fleet Commander and Captain of

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4774-505: The main storyline. Examples of this type include Tony Hillerman 's Jim Chee and Joe Leaphorn books. In other series, the changes are major and the books must be read in order to be fully enjoyed. Examples of this type include the Harry Potter series. There are some book series that are not really proper series, but more of a single work so large that it must be published over two or more books. Examples of this type include The Lord of

4851-405: The multitude of scattered human colonies remaining from earlier space exploration under the domain of an "Imperium of Man". Organised in numerous expeditions, the Crusade fields huge fleets and vast armies; at its forefront, led by the Primarchs, are Legions of Space Marines  – genetically enhanced supersoldiers numbering in the millions. Over the course of two Terran centuries,

4928-400: The novel introduces a new organisation to the setting, the enigmatic and ancient Cabal  – an interspecies organisation opposed to Chaos. The human John Grammaticus is introduced as a prominent Cabal member. The story takes place over roughly a 6‑month period, about two years before the Heresy starts; it describes the events that eventually lead Alpharius and Omegon (publicly

5005-469: The number of (multiple) contributions per form – or other pertinent information – is indicated in parentheses. Artists Audiobook narrators Editors Early in the 31st millennium, the Galaxy is in the throes of the Great Crusade. Originating from Terra ( Earth ), it is an interstellar crusade that claims the galaxy as the rightful domain of Humankind, and aims to reunite

5082-485: The other is the story of Luther (Lion El'Jonson's second ), Zahariel El'Zurias (by now a full Space Marine), and a Dark Angels contingent sent back to Caliban , the Dark Angels Legion home world. They get involved in the fight against a growing insurgency that seeks to free the planet from under the Imperium's thumb. 12. A Thousand Sons: All is dust... A Thousand Sons is the story of Primarch Magnus and

5159-424: The post-Heresy fictional universe. The first three novels in The Horus Heresy are an opening book trilogy . This trilogy presents some of the background and causes of the Heresy, and describes the start of the conflict. The arc 's focus is on Warmaster Horus , the principal antagonist , and covers about two years in the overall Heresy timeline; most of this period elapses before the rebellion begins. Following

5236-400: The preconstructed novel sequence is often attributed to E. E. Doc Smith , with his Lensman books. Such sequences, from contemporary authors, tend to be more clearly defined than earlier examples. Authors are now more likely to announce an overall series title, or write in round numbers such as 12 volumes. These characteristics are not those of the classical model forms, and become more like

5313-404: The rebellion. 6. Descent of Angels: Loyalty and honour Descent of Angels is a pre-Heresy story that concludes about 50 years before the start of that conflict. It introduces the "Dark Angels", first of the Space Marine Legions, and their Primarch Lion El'Jonson . The story is mainly told from the viewpoint of Zahariel El'Zurias , a native of the fictional planet Caliban . Caliban

5390-463: The series as "xenos". The story also hints at tensions in the nascent Imperium, exacerbated by the Emperor's absence and contentious actions and inactions – these are common themes in following books. 2. False Gods: The heresy takes root False Gods picks up a few weeks after the conclusion of Horus Rising in the series timeline, and tells the story of Horus' fall. In a complicated conspiracy implemented by followers of Chaos, Horus

5467-674: The series. A parallel storyline, also present in several other books, involves the growing influence – both within the Crusade Expeditionary forces and across the wider Imperium – of a forbidden religious cult , whose members, while loyal to the Emperor and Imperium, defy the Imperial Truth by worshipping the Emperor as a god. 3. Galaxy in Flames: The heresy revealed Galaxy in Flames starts shortly after

5544-500: The shadows Nemesis is set about two years after the events on Isstvan V described in Book 5, Fulgrim . It is a look at the war behind the war, the covert operations undertaken by the opposing sides in order to influence the visible conflict. Specifically, it deals with a plan by a secret Imperial organisation, the Officio Assassinorum , to eliminate Horus; an "Execution Force" consisting of operatives from all of

5621-424: The species far more susceptible to Chaotic influence; united under the Imperium of Man, the Emperor seeks to protect all of mankind by using faith in the Imperial Truth as a shield. The powers of Chaos desire change and conflict by nature, and seek to destabilise and subvert the Imperium's order over the galaxy from within. 1. Horus Rising: The seeds of heresy are sown Horus Rising , the series opener, starts in

5698-565: The technocracy's supreme leader, declares for Horus, and together they carry out a coup d'état to eliminate Techpriest and Magos adherents of the Cult who are loyal to Terra and the Emperor. As the Mechanicum is the sole power responsible for all civil and military technology in the Imperium, the conflict has vast implications for whichever side of the broader intergalactic civil war receives Mars' crucial support. 10. Tales of Heresy Tales of Heresy

5775-405: The trilogy, the narrative is not strictly sequential and is often presented in nonlinear fashion from book to book. Apart from the initial trilogy, the stories often concern events that happen earlier or later than their position in the series would suggest, or may include time periods already covered in other series titles. The majority of stories in The Horus Heresy are set around the start of

5852-657: The works published even though copyright protection did not exist between nations in the 19th century. Later British reprint series were to include the Routledge's Railway Library ( George Routledge , 1848–99), the Oxford World's Classics ( Oxford University Press , from 1901), the Everyman's Library ( J. M. Dent , from 1906), the Penguin Classics ( Penguin Books , from 1945) and

5929-674: Was a step beyond the realist novels of Arnold Bennett (the Clayhanger books) or John Galsworthy . The twenty-novel Aubrey-Maturin series by the English author Patrick O'Brian has been called perhaps the best-loved roman fleuve of the twentieth century: "[an] epic of two heroic yet believably realistic men that would in some ways define a generation". Although sequences of genre fiction are sometimes not considered to be romans-fleuves , novel sequences are particularly common in science fiction and epic fantasy genres. The introduction of

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