Reddit reviews Eisenhorn (A Warhammer 40,000 Omnibus)

If you'd like to know a little bit more about the human society in Warhammer 40K's universe, I recommend you read the Eisenhorn Trilogy. You'll understand how Chaos can breed inside human planets, how the Inquisition works, and how Godly Space Marines are to common humans, or even less common humans, such as psychers. If you like 40K, I'd say it's a must read.

Start with Eisenhorn omnibus. Brutal and glorious.

This is my favorite book even outside of 40k.

http://www.amazon.com/Eisenhorn-Warhammer-40-000-Omnibus/dp/1844161560

EDIT: Jesus its $37?!!? Get a used copy or pick it up at your library.

My favorite 40k books are usually by Dan Abnett (and it's not a very unusual opinion). The omnibus about inquisator Eisenhorn is probably the best of his that I've read.

I agree that Horus Heresy series is also a great place to start, as it sets the background for the 40k universe. I really enjoyed the first 5. At the time that was all that was published -- I had no idea there were 28 now, wow!

Kylar, Durzo, Dorian, Solon, Feir, Logan, Lantano, Viridiana, Elene...so many characters that I absolutely fell in love with from the Night Angel Trilogy by Brent Weeks.

Also right now I decided to start reading some Warhammer books i've had sitting on my shelf. Am almost done with the first book in the Eisenhorn omnibus and it is amazing. I never knew how badass an imperial inquisitor is! I can't wait to read the next Inquisitor trilogy by Dan Abnett, "Ravenor"

You talked to the right guy! If you want an awesome point of view and introduction (or just great stories if you are already a fan) to the Warhammer 40k universe I suggest you read the following in the order I put them:

Eisenhorn Omnibus

Ravenor Omnibus

The Emperor's Gift

All these are intertwined, there is another trilogy to follow up Eisenhorn and Ravenor but only the first book has been release for that so far. The Eisenhorn Trilogy are three of my favorite books and I read from many, many sources outside of WH40k

I tried out Eisenhorn after seeing the badass cover art, and did not regret it. If you liked Gaunt's Ghosts, this is going to be candy for you.

I know it may not be what you're after necessarily, but give the Eisenhorn trilogy by Dan Abnett a go from the Warhammer 40k universe. I actually enjoy it a lot, and it's fairly similar to what you want in being gritty and sci-fi. However, it's also magnitudes darker than Cowboy Bebop. However, Eisenhorn is an Inquisitor - a man tasked with protecting the Imperium from corruption and sedition, and investigating a possible cult that has taken root.

The full trilogy in one omnibus, but you can buy them individually

Individually they're titled Xenos (Book 1), Malleus (2), Hereticus (3)

If you have the time, read Eisenhorn- it's a great introduction the Warhammer 40k universe.

https://www.amazon.com/Eisenhorn-Warhammer-40-000-Omnibus/dp/1844161560

Eisenhorn is for the most part an investigation type driven story with many literary devices and themes of duality. Out of all the books in my Warhammer Library, this one by far is my favorite, mainly because of the wide-array of relatable characters. Anyone with no background knowledge of the Warhammer universe can pick up and read this book. However, if you want something more action packed oriented where the story focuses more on the Emperor and all his Primarchs and how they all fell from grace, start with the Horus Heresy novels.
I'll provide you with links to both books:

Eisenhorn by Dan Abnett: http://www.amazon.com/Eisenhorn-Warhammer-40-000-Omnibus/dp/1844161560

Horus Heresy Book 1: "Horus Rising" by Dan Abnet:http://www.amazon.com/Horus-Rising-Heresy-Dan-Abnett/dp/1849707448/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1464468488&sr=1-1&keywords=horus+rising

Off mobile, here's a link to the omnibus on Amazon :)

The Eisenhorn Trilogy (easily found at most book stores) is probably the most commonly recommended starting point, and for good reason: It's fantastic writing, and provides most of the knowledge you need as it goes on. If you like that, there is a story about his successor called the Ravenor Trilogy.

You can also pick up any short story collection and follow along mostly without issue.

Reading 40k novels/stories is tricky because the universe has grown almost out of control with characters and places and concepts, but the more you read the more you assimilate the information, and after a while you don't even know how you learned this stuff. But damn if it isn't entertaining sci-fi.

Best of all, for something so heavily involved in war and identity and politics, there is almost zero political agenda, by some miracle. Female characters complement male characters rather than trying to replace them. "Good guys" lose and protagonists die very frequently, giving a nice sense of urgency and importance to each story because -- let's face it -- in almost any sci-fi nowadays the protagonist is going to win because box office. Romance is almost never a theme, and in the rare instance it appears, it has a more powerful effect due to occurring naturally (and sparsely), rather than as part of a formula.

Good stuff all around.

I have to agree about science fiction having a "best by" date. I like a lot of old school fiction but I am also a cold war era fan. : ) An interesting read, if not solidly horror could be the Eisenhorn It has demons and the fall of a man laid out pretty well.

Any of these three series I recommend as modern-day Lord of the Rings classics

Eisenhorn, books 1-3 of a 9 book series are simply the best books I've ever read - the series is currently on book 7. I recommend Eisenhorn to anyone that just likes to read. Books 4-6 are just as good, called Ravenor, with the 7th book in the series now out, called Pariah.

Another amazing series of books I love are the Old Man's War books, effectively a series of 6 books with some short stories in between and the last book being broken up into thirteen short stories (such was the demand for the books while they were being written). Fantastic, fantastic series - I recommend them to anyone.

I also love and recommend The Dark Tower series, 7 books. They're the only thing written by King that I've liked.

I want the Eisenhorn Omnibus for mine.

The Eisenhorn Trilogy

I ran a pretty successful six-month long campaign. Actually got to finish the story arc, unlike most campaigns I've run. We found the system...workable. The character options were pretty interesting, though the psyker felt OP to the players and the psionic manifestation effects were often game changing, usually in an amusing way, but sometimes they proved distracting from the main story just because some of their effects are so life-altering.

We all love the setting and were willing to put up with the idiosyncrasies of the system mechanics. I'd highly recommend reading Dan Abnett's Eisenhorn omnibus - it will really give you a good feel for the whole Inquisitor/Acolyte feel. Abnett's a really fun read all around.

I'm sure the Imperium could accommodate a submerged city like Rapture, even its Randian philosophy (though if it deviated from worship of the emperor, it's heresy - perfect fodder for an inquisitor and his/her team). Though I'm curious to know what else you have planned for the character.

EDIT: incorrectly called Rapture a "subterranean" city.

Pick up a few of the books. I would read, in order:

Caiphas Cain, HERO OF THE IMPERIUM

Gaunt's Ghosts

Eisenhorn

Ravenor

Those 4 will give you a fairly firm grounding of the lore and a feel for the universe. The first two are war books, the latter two focus on the inquisition.

You said up to present day, but what about... 40k?

I started in the Eisenhorn trilogy, personally, on a friend's recommendation. It gives you a good feel for the politics of the Imperium of Man, and the kind of intrigue that goes on behind the scenes, as well as a small glimpse at the dangers posed by the forces of Chaos.

You can purchase the trilogy in an omnibus edition here.

In the Warhammer 40000 universe:
Dan Abnetts Eisenhorn trilogy: Xenos, Malleus, and Hereticus.
or his series about Gaunt's Ghosts

Eisenhorn is probably the best possible place to start in 40k. You get every possible angle of 40k explored in this omnibus as well as a some fantastic characters. Add Ravenor for flavor.

After that, dive into the military side of things with Gaunt's Ghosts. This covers primarily the Imperium vs Chaos side of the conflict, but also the internal conflicts the Imperium suffers from.

Now that you're thoroughly acquainted with the human side, view the universe through the eyes of the super-human Space Marines in The Ultramarines Omnibus. This series shows the strengths (and weaknesses) of the Space Marines as well as introducing the terrifying Chaos Space Marines more thoroughly.

Cry for death to the False Emperor with Soul Hunter. Follow up with the sequels in Void Stalker and Blood Reaver to get a very interesting perspectives from the Renegades.

Finally, finish your introductory odyssey with The Horus Heresy. You'll be reading how the modern universe came to be.

This is a "fuck-ton" of reading and will keep you busy for 6 months to a year or more before you finish. These series are the best of the best in the novel side of things. There are huge amounts more in the Army Codexes ^^that ^^you ^^should ^^be ^^able ^^to ^^find ^^for ^^$0 ^^on ^^"sharing" ^^sites and other excellent novels. PM me anytime and I'll happily answer questions/suggestions.

Dan Abnett wrote a short story that went something like this, though set in the Warhammer 40k universe. It was a good story, and a linking piece of the Eisenhorn series, which is a great read if you like sci-fi stuff at all, even if you have no interest in the Warhammer 40k world. Pretty good read even if you don't like sci-fi stuff...very cool development of characters over a long period.

For (currently) free Kindle books, David Weber's On Basilisk Station is the first book in the space-opera Honor Harrington series. The second book The Honor of the Queen, is one of my favorites in the entire series. Eric Flint's 1632 turned into a massive and awesome alternate-history series. If you'd like to delve into Alaskan-based murder mysteries, give Dana Stabenow's A Cold Day For Murder a try as the first in the some eighteen book Kate Shugak series.

For paid Kindle books, there's Hugh Howey's Wool Omnibus is the beginning of the dystopian Silo series; the followup Shift Omnibus is actually a prequel trilogy that I haven't gotten yet but is very readable. Naomi Novik's first novel in the alt-history Temeraire series, His Majesty's Dragon, is currently $.99.

In print, Elizabeth Moon's military fantasy The Deed of Paksenarrion is available used for a very affordable price and is an epic series. The Cage was my introduction to a fantasy universe written by SM Stirling, Shirley Meier, and Karen Wehrstein. Diana Gabaldon's Outlander is a sort of alternate history/light romance series set in Scotland that I've thoroughly enjoyed. Brent Weeks' assassin-based (excuse me, wetboy) fantasy Night Angel Trilogy was recently released as an omnibus edition. Empire from the Ashes collects Weber's Dahak sci-fi trilogy into an omnibus edition. Weber and John Ringo co-wrote March Upcountry and the other three novels in the sci-fi Prince Roger quadrilogy. If you haven't tried Harry Turtledove's alt-history sci-fi WW2 'Worldwar' series, In the Balance starts off a little slow plot-wise but picks up good speed. EE Knight's sci-fi/futuristic fantasy Vampire Earth starts off with Way of the Wolf. Mercedes Lackey wrote the modern-fantasy Born to Run with Larry Dixon, and the rest of the SERRAted Edge books with various other authors. Neal Stephenson's cyberpunk and slightly dystopian Snow Crash is hilarious and awesome. Maggie Furey's Aurian is the first of a fantasy quadrilogy that I enjoyed many years ago.

If you're at all familiar with the Warhammer 40k universe, the Eisenhorn Omnibus is Dan Abnett's wonderful look into the life of an Imperial Inquisitor. He's also written a popular series about the Tanith First-and-Only Imperial Guard regiment starting with The Founding Omnibus. He also wrote the first book in the Horus Heresy series, Horus Rising (I highly recommend reading the first three novels together as a trilogy and then cherry-picking the rest).

... and if you've read all that already, I'll be impressed.

Edit: Why yes, I do read a lot. Why do you ask?

Eisenhorn is generally considered to be the magnum opus of the 40k novels.

Eisenhorn by Dan Abnett
Set in the warhammer 40k universe I think it is his best work. Combines the inquisition, chaos magicks, xenos aliens, and space demons in one action packed omnibus. The emperor protects!

http://www.amazon.com/Eisenhorn-Warhammer-40-000-Omnibus/dp/1844161560

The Eisenhorn and Ravenor Series by Dan Abnett from the Black Library.

Books! Especially the two Dan Abnett trilogies: Eisenhorn and Ravenor.

http://www.amazon.com/Eisenhorn-Warhammer-40-000-Omnibus/dp/1844161560

http://www.amazon.com/Ravenor-The-Omnibus-Dan-Abnett/dp/1844167372

Each is an "omnibus", three relatively short novels that were combined into a single book (750 or so pages paperback each?).

Start with Eisenhorn, it's a great primer to the general 40K world. Ravenor is much darker, and also fantastic.

Oh my God, it's such good stuff. Pirate the epub versions, or buy a used copy for pennies somewhere. I think they're out of print now.

Go here and click around. Warhammer 40k doesn't have one singular story line to focus on. It's an entire universe wherein tons of different storylines, each with their own lore, are told via books, games, movies, etc... In my opinion, this is a decent book to start on as it doesn't draw on previous lore knowledge very much. It almost reads like a sci fi/fantasy detective novel.