The Siege of Terra novels are the finale of the Horus Heresy, the long-running prequel saga to Warhammer 40,000. They cover the Battle of Terra itself: Horus and his traitor legions breaking the solar system and hammering the walls of the Imperial Palace while the loyalists hold out and the Emperor waits.
What the series actually is
It’s a direct continuation, not a reboot. After the 54th Horus Heresy novel, The Buried Dagger, Black Library rebranded the line under The Horus Heresy: Siege of Terra and carried the same storyline into its last act.
Everything builds to the Battle of Terra. This is the siege that ends the Heresy, so if you’ve read the earlier Heresy books, you’re watching the payoff land.
The books and reading order
There are eight main novels, three novellas and one anthology. The last novel is split into three volumes, which is why the numbering looks bigger than it is.
You can read the novellas alongside the main line or after it. They add side stories rather than moving the spine of the plot.
| # | Title | Author | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | The Solar War | John French | 2019 |
| II | The Lost and the Damned | Guy Haley | 2019 |
| III | The First Wall | Gav Thorpe | 2020 |
| novella | Sons of the Selenar | Graham McNeill | 2020 |
| IV | Saturnine | Dan Abnett | 2020 |
| novella | The Fury of Magnus | Graham McNeill | 2020 |
| V | Mortis | John French | 2021 |
| VI | Warhawk | Chris Wraight | 2021 |
| VII | Echoes of Eternity | Aaron Dembski-Bowden | 2022 |
| novella | Garro: Knight of Grey | James Swallow | 2023 |
| VIII | The End and the Death, Volume I | Dan Abnett | 2023 |
| VIII | The End and the Death, Volume II | Dan Abnett | 2023 |
| VIII | The End and the Death, Volume III | Dan Abnett | 2024 |
| anthology | Era of Ruin | various | 2025 |
Why it matters
This is the moment the setting is named after. The Heresy breaks the Imperium here, and the Emperor ends up entombed on the Golden Throne, which is the state 40k fans already know.
It’s also a big deal for the authors involved. Dan Abnett closes the whole thing out with The End and the Death, and the finale arrives in three parts rather than one book.
Where it sits in the wider Heresy
The Siege of Terra comes after the main Horus Heresy series and before the Scouring, which picks up the aftermath. Ashes of the Imperium is the first Scouring novel.
If you want the full run, start with Horus Rising and work forward. The Siege books assume you already know the legions, the primarchs and why half of them turned.
Key facts
- The Siege of Terra is the finale of the Horus Heresy novel line, covering the Battle of Terra.
- It launched in 2019 with The Solar War by John French.
- The series has eight main novels, three novellas and one anthology.
- The End and the Death, the final novel, was released in three volumes from 2023 to 2024.
- Dan Abnett wrote the closing volumes.
- The Scouring series continues the story after the siege.
FAQ
Do I need to read the whole Horus Heresy first?
Ideally, yes. The Siege novels pick up threads from across the earlier books, so jumping straight in means missing a lot of context. At minimum, read the opening trilogy and a few key later novels.
How many Siege of Terra novels are there?
Eight main novels, though the last one, The End and the Death, is split into three volumes. There are also three novellas and one anthology.
What comes after the Siege of Terra?
The Scouring series, which deals with the aftermath of the Heresy. Ashes of the Imperium is its first novel.