Book · in order
Horus Heresy Books in Order
There are 64 numbered Horus Heresy volumes: the 54-book main series (2006-2019) plus the 10-volume Siege of Terra arc, books 55 to 64, which concluded with The End and the Death, Volume III in January 2024. Three unnumbered Siege of Terra novellas sit alongside, and the sequel series The Scouring began with Ashes of the Imperium in December 2025. Read in numbered order; only the opening trilogy is strictly sequential, so we also map a 28-book essentials fast-track.
Horus Heresy Books in Order: complete list
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Why this order?
Numbered order is the answer, but not for the reason most series make it the answer. For the Horus Heresy the official numbering is also publication order, and it is the sequence Black Library itself, Wargamer and the Black Library recommended list on Goodreads all default to. What the numbers are not is a timeline. Wikipedia's own summary notes the narrative is not strictly sequential: after the mandatory opening trilogy (Horus Rising, False Gods, Galaxy in Flames) the series deliberately jumps around, with Descent of Angels (book 6) set roughly 50 years before book 1 and The First Heretic (book 14) opening about 43 years before Isstvan. Do not attempt a chronological resort; The Outcast Dead even contradicts the established Prospero timing, and 12 anthologies spanning decades make a strict timeline impossible. The numbers are a curation, and they hold even where raw dates wobble - Pharos (34) shipped as an ebook before War Without End (33), and Angel Exterminatus and Betrayer had late-2012 first editions with wide paperbacks in 2013, but the numbering, not format dates, governs.
The real traps are structural. A Thousand Sons (12) and Prospero Burns (15) are the same events from opposite sides and read best back to back, yet the numbered order wedges two unrelated books between them; our essentials track pairs them. Corax (40), Garro (42), Tallarn (45) and Born of Flame (50) are compilations of previously released novellas and audio dramas, so buying the standalones alongside the numbered volumes means paying twice. Book 20, The Primarchs, is an anthology that shares a name with the entirely separate Horus Heresy: Primarchs spin-off novel line, which is not part of the 64. Three official Siege of Terra novellas never got numbers: Sons of the Selenar slots after The First Wall, Fury of Magnus after Saturnine, and Garro: Knight of Grey after Echoes of Eternity, though Knight of Grey's events actually happen earlier in the Siege, around Mortis and Warhawk. The End and the Death is one novel split into three numbered volumes (62-64); Volume I ends mid-story by design and all three are required. And Ashes of the Imperium (December 2025) is book 1 of the sequel series The Scouring, not book 65 - it is pitched as a fresh entry point, but by definition it spoils how the Siege ends.
Because few readers commit to all 64, the second order here is an essentials fast-track of 28 books: the trilogy, the pillar novels, and all 10 Siege volumes. It is a curated shortcut, not an official Black Library product; legion loyalists should add their strand back in (Dark Angels: 6, 11, 38; Salamanders: 26, 32, 47), and of the anthologies only Shadows of Treachery (22) is genuinely plot-critical.
Timeline 2006-2025
Every entry by release year: rows that share a year are a cluster, and the long droughts are called out on the rail.
- 2006 Horus RisingFalse GodsGalaxy in Flames
- 2007 The Flight of the EisensteinFulgrimDescent of Angels
- 2008 LegionBattle for the AbyssMechanicum
- 2009 Tales of HeresyFallen Angels
- 2010 A Thousand SonsNemesisThe First HereticProspero Burns
- 2011 Age of DarknessThe Outcast Dead
- 2012 Deliverance LostKnow No FearThe PrimarchsFear to TreadShadows of TreacheryAngel ExterminatusBetrayer
- 2013 Mark of CalthVulkan LivesThe Unremembered Empire
- 2014 ScarsVengeful SpiritThe Damnation of Pythos
- 2015 Legacies of BetrayalDeathfirePharos
- 2016 War Without EndEye of TerraThe Path of HeavenThe Silent WarAngels of CalibanPraetorian of DornCoraxThe Master of Mankind
- 2017 GarroShattered LegionsThe Crimson KingTallarnRuinstormOld Earth
- 2018 The Burden of LoyaltyWolfsbaneBorn of FlameSlaves to DarknessHeralds of the SiegeTitandeath
- 2019 The Buried DaggerThe Solar WarThe Lost and the Damned
- 2020 The First WallSons of the SelenarSaturnineFury of Magnus
- 2021 MortisWarhawk
- 2022 Echoes of Eternity
- 2023 Garro: Knight of GreyThe End and the Death, Volume IThe End and the Death, Volume II
- 2024 The End and the Death, Volume III
- 2025 Ashes of the Imperium
Where to play it today
- The whole series is published by Black Library (Games Workshop) and sold through regular bookstores; early volumes cycle in and out of print, and limited editions are collector-only, so a given paperback may take some hunting
- eBooks are sold via blacklibrary.com and mainstream stores including Amazon Kindle and Apple Books; check your regional store, as editions vary by country
- Audiobooks of the full run - main series, all 10 Siege of Terra volumes plus the three novellas, and Ashes of the Imperium - are on Audible and blacklibrary.com, with Kindle/Audible Whispersync on many volumes
- No flat-rate subscription covers the series as of August 2026: it is not in Kindle Unlimited, and Warhammer+ is a video service, not a book one, so Audible credits are the usual budget route
- Corax, Garro, Tallarn and Born of Flame collect previously released novellas and audio dramas; if you own the standalones, the numbered compilations are duplicate purchases, and vice versa
- Availability and editions shift by region and over time; verify per store before buying (checked August 2, 2026)
Availability changes often and varies by region - links search each platform for The Horus Heresy.
Frequently asked questions
How many Horus Heresy books are there?
64 numbered volumes: the 54-book main series (2006-2019) plus the 10-volume Siege of Terra arc, books 55 to 64, where The End and the Death Volumes I to III count as books 62, 63 and 64 (concluded January 2024). On top of that sit 3 unnumbered Siege of Terra novellas (Sons of the Selenar, Fury of Magnus and Garro: Knight of Grey) and many optional standalone novellas and audio dramas, most later collected inside the numbered volumes. The sequel series The Scouring adds 1 book so far. Competing counts float around because Siege of Terra is marketed as 8 books, and adding the novellas gives 65 to 67.
What order should I read the Horus Heresy in?
Numbered order. For this series the official numbering is also publication order, and Black Library, Wargamer and the Black Library recommended list all treat it as the default. Only the first three books form a strict trilogy; after that the story is deliberately nonlinear, so the numbers are a curation, not a timeline. Do not attempt a strict chronological read: book 6 jumps 50 years before book 1, book 14 opens decades earlier still, and book 17 contradicts the established Prospero timing outright.
Do I have to read all 64 books?
No. The opening trilogy is mandatory; after that the essentials fast-track on this page (28 books: the trilogy, the key pillar novels and all 10 Siege of Terra volumes) delivers the complete arc. Add legion-specific branches if you care about a faction (Dark Angels: 6, 11, 38; Salamanders: 26, 32, 47). The 12 anthologies are mostly skippable, with Shadows of Treachery (22) the notable exception, and Battle for the Abyss (8) is the most widely skipped numbered novel.
Is the Horus Heresy finished?
Yes. The main story ended with The End and the Death, Volume III in January 2024, 18 years after Horus Rising (2006). The follow-up series The Scouring, which began with Ashes of the Imperium on December 5, 2025, continues the aftermath but is a separate series, not book 65.
How long is the whole series?
Well over 25,000 pages across the 64 numbered volumes, which translates to several hundred hours as audiobooks. That scale is exactly why the essentials fast-track exists: most readers who bounce off the series do so somewhere in the anthology-heavy middle stretch, not in the Siege.
Do I need the Horus Heresy before other Warhammer 40k novels, or before The Scouring?
No on both counts. The Heresy is set 10,000 years before the 40k 'present', and any 40k novel stands without it. Ashes of the Imperium is pitched as a fresh entry point to The Scouring, but it unavoidably spoils the Siege of Terra's ending, so if you care about spoilers read at minimum the opening trilogy plus the Siege first.
What about the Primarchs novels? Are they part of the 64?
No, and the naming is a trap. Horus Heresy book 20 is an anthology called The Primarchs, but Black Library also publishes a completely separate spin-off novel line called The Horus Heresy: Primarchs (Roboute Guilliman, Leman Russ and so on). The spin-off line is optional side reading and is not part of the 64 numbered volumes.
When is The Scouring book 2 out?
No second volume has been titled or dated as of August 2026. Ashes of the Imperium (December 2025) is the only released entry; watch Warhammer Community for announcements.
Is there a Horus Heresy TV show or movie?
Not yet. Amazon's untitled Warhammer 40,000 series with Henry Cavill entered early pre-production (per Cavill, June 2025), and Deadline reported Mike Flanagan in talks to executive-produce in July 2026, but there is no cast, era or release date, it is not confirmed to cover the Heresy era at all, and a premiere before 2027-28 looks unrealistic.
Last verified · Sources: en.wikipedia.org, wargamer.com, goodreads.com, blacklibrary.com, warhammer-community.com, deadline.com, warhammer40k.fandom.com, jswallow.com, audible.com
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