Warhammer 40K; or Space Marines Overflow

[Paragon Fury]

While looking through the bookstore earlier today, I decided to browse through the Warhammer 40K books, and I noticed a distinct lack of anything not related to Space Marines. Even upon returning home and looking through the Games Workshop site and other online retailers there was still a distinct lack of any non-Space Marine related materials.

Other than the Codex for each race/faction, for any race not of Humanity, there are literally no books about them. Humanity has the different Space Marine books (Horus Heresy, Space Wolves, Ultramarines, etc.), Imperial Guard (Ciaphais Cain, etc.) and there isn't a single Fire Warrior or Farseer book? No Orcs? Only the tiniest bit of Chaos?

I mean, I know Human factions tend to be the most popular and people think they're the most important, but seriously; I think the Greater Good could stand to have a few books written about it.

 

[Lord Of Cyberia]

There is a whole SERIES of Firewarrior novels. And plenty of Ork comic series. But yeah. Tons of Humie stuff.

 

[Callum Methven]

think there is a book called fire warrior and one called farseer lol (proably out of print though) but generaly no not much outside humanity just dont sell well enough. Maby its to hard to identify with an orc

 

[thenumberthirteen]

and there isn't a single Fire Warrior or Farseer book?

Except for <url=http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fire-Warrior-Simon-Spurrier/dp/1844160106/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1312229577&sr=8-5>Fire Warrior, and <url=http://www.amazon.co.uk/Farseer-Eldar-Trilogy-William-King/dp/184154244X/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1312229639&sr=1-4>Farseer

The reason given is that it's hard enough to write relatable, compelling human fiction let alone Ork fiction.

 

[cryogeist]

it's because gamesworkshop like the Space Marines the best
but yeah there are other books then space marine

 

[Paragon Fury]

and there isn't a single Fire Warrior or Farseer book?

Except for <url=http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fire-Warrior-Simon-Spurrier/dp/1844160106/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1312229577&sr=8-5>Fire Warrior, and <url=http://www.amazon.co.uk/Farseer-Eldar-Trilogy-William-King/dp/184154244X/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1312229639&sr=1-4>Farseer

The reason given is that it's hard enough to write relatable, compelling human fiction let alone Ork fiction.

Funnily enough it when I searched for Fire Warrior it put it in the Video game section with the Fire Warrior game, and it only turned up Eldar Farseer figures when I searched for Eldar. And Games Workshop only has the Codexes.

 

[Metalix Knightmare]

You think it's bad from the books? It gets worse in terms of the codexs. For some odd reason they've started giving each of the Space Marine Chapters their own codex. The worst of THAT being that the Ultramarines were among the first to get their own when the last Space Marine codex itself put almost ALL of it's focus on the Ultras!

That being said, yeah I'd love some more books from the Alien's perspective. An Ork book would probably be a fragging riot.

 

[Death_Korps_Kommissar]

You think it's bad from the books? It gets worse in terms of the codexs. For some odd reason they've started giving each of the Space Marine Chapters their own codex. The worst of THAT being that the Ultramarines were among the first to get their own when the last Space Marine codex itself put almost ALL of it's focus on the Ultras!

That being said, yeah I'd love some more books from the Alien's perspective. An Ork book would probably be a fragging riot.

Oh man I hate that so much. And the Ultramarines one was awful!

 

[thenumberthirteen]

and there isn't a single Fire Warrior or Farseer book?

Except for <url=http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fire-Warrior-Simon-Spurrier/dp/1844160106/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1312229577&sr=8-5>Fire Warrior, and <url=http://www.amazon.co.uk/Farseer-Eldar-Trilogy-William-King/dp/184154244X/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1312229639&sr=1-4>Farseer

The reason given is that it's hard enough to write relatable, compelling human fiction let alone Ork fiction.

Funnily enough it when I searched for Fire Warrior it put it in the Video game section with the Fire Warrior game, and it only turned up Eldar Farseer figures when I searched for Eldar. And Games Workshop only has the Codexes.

Fire Warrior was my first Black Library novel, and I thought it was ok (as I recall). GW doesn't promote out of print books really so it requires a good memory to recall what books came out.

Warhammer fantasy fiction has a bit more focus on other races. And in GW's defence there are a few very good Chaos book (including the Horus Heresy series of which some are written from the heretic's side) generally though it's hard to get a reader to sympathise with a Chaos character, and Necrons, Tyranids, and Orks don't really have enough emotional range to make good reading.

 

[theonecookie]

While looking through the bookstore earlier today, I decided to browse through the Warhammer 40K books, and I noticed a distinct lack of anything not related to Space Marines. Even upon returning home and looking through the Games Workshop site and other online retailers there was still a distinct lack of any non-Space Marine related materials.

Other than the Codex for each race/faction, for any race not of Humanity, there are literally no books about them. Humanity has the different Space Marine books (Horus Heresy, Space Wolves, Ultramarines, etc.), Imperial Guard (Ciaphais Cain, etc.) and there isn't a single Fire Warrior or Farseer book? No Orcs? Only the tiniest bit of Chaos?

I mean, I know Human factions tend to be the most popular and people think they're the most important, but seriously; I think the Greater Good could stand to have a few books written about it.

Well I know that thair are eldar nad tau books the real question who wants to read an ork or chaos book apart from a few of the more intresting chapters thay are fairly bland as thay only realy have one motive depending on which god thay side with

khorn: murder shit
nurgul: i have polio
slanesh (sp?): sex drugs and rock un roll
technarch(yeh dont ask) gona out smart sum dudes

and thats it orks would be even worse in that respect as the whole race is fairly one dimensional as thay only live to stop you living although saying that space marines get way to much love out of all the imperium forces. Hell look at the sister of battle thay barely get a mention in their own codex

 

[Soviet Heavy]

You think its bad that only Space Marines and ImpGuard get books? Well, lucky you then, because no fucking book stores in my area even hold onto ANY copies of 40K books other than Marine titles.

Hell, I went to the local GAMES WORKSHOP, and they didn't have a single Gaunt's Ghosts novel in the bloody store. Sure, they had fifty copies of Ryn's World, but not a single Ghosts novel.

 

[Superbeast]

Well, currently available for non-Marine/Human armies:

Blood Gorgons (Chaos - Blood Gorgons)
Dark Apostle (Chaos - Word Bearers)
Dark Disciple (Chaos - Word Bearers)
The Lord of Night (Chaos - Night Lords)
Blood Reaver (Chaos - Night Lords)
Soul Hunter (Chaos - Night Lords)
Throne of Lies E-Book (Chaos - Night Lords)
Midnight on the Street of Knives - E-Book (Dark Eldar)
Farseer (Eldar)
Path of the Warrior (Eldar)
Fear the Alien (Various Xenos)
Enforcer (Imperial - Adeptus Arbites)
Double Eagle (Imperial - Navy Pilots)
Titanicus (Imperial - Titans)
The Gothic War (Space Combat)
Necromunda Omnibus

It is not a huge range, and this also does not count the large number of books which feature the entire gamut of "enemies of the Imperium" as the adversaries to whichever main character, whom often have detailed and involved parts, with the books following their narrative as well, instead of just being cannon-fodder (particularly the Gaunt's Ghosts and Horus Heresy series).

There are also a fair number of books which are currently out-of-print, which should be available on the second-hand market (such as the aforementioned Fire Warrior).

Marines/Imperial Guard are the most common armies, so it makes sense that more books are aimed their way - this is exacerbated by the fact that these two factions are the easiest to write books about, as the author can make the reader empathise and get into the psyche/motivation of a Marine/Guardsman far more easily than any other faction. Chaos are the next easiest, and also a popular race too, hence so many books about them.