I’m still very much a normie with 40k but I want to get into the lore before the show comes out. Unfortunately it’s not like LOTR, Wheel of Time, Ice and Fire, etc where I can buy a series of books and start on book one. I’ll see what books are a good starting point and I’m sure there are some YouTubers that can give lore insight that I can listen to on my walks. I have like 40 books to read in my immediate stack so I’ll hold off on any of the books until I can knock those out.
With the show coming I’m wondering if the usual suspects have tried to latch onto the IP or have the fans gate kept it pretty well?
Let's run down some of the major storylines:
Horus Heresy - The big one, lots of involved authors. A massive tale told from all possible perspectives. Not for the casual reader.
Gaunt's Ghosts - Probably the most highly regarded of the serial stories. Basically an entire brigade of Rambos with no home to go back to.
Eisenhorn & Ravenor - Inquisitors doing inquisitor shit. Pretty much every character either turns out to be a hypocrite or gets fucked over for trusting a hypocrite.
Ciaphas Cain - Blackadder Goes Forth in SPAAAAACE.
Ragnar - Mary-wolfing-sue incarnate. Not even Bjorn's plot armor is this thick.
However, instead of going into 40k, I suggest you pick up Glen Cook's The Black Company. Can be a bit more confusing at times but the characters feel a lot more real.
Ever have a friend who fucks up 100% of the time, but it just works? Cain! Ever try to flee the battlefield, but run into the enemy-- and slaughter them on accident? CAIN! Ever get repeatedly promoted because the universe has to balance out born losers? CAAAAAAIN! That's who I'm talkin' bout.
I'd just watch this video that perfectly explains Cain
Also fun fact, he was pronounced KIA so many times only to return, they just put him as missing because they don't know if he'll come back again despite the fact he is one of the few in 40k to die OF OLD AGE.
He also fucked an inquisitor and lived so he is ridiculously lucky.
"Not even Bjorn's plot armor is this thick" What about Cato Sicarius?