Soul Hunter is a Warhammer 40,000 novel by Aaron Dembski-Bowden, published by Black Library in March 2010. It’s the first full novel in the Night Lords series and the book that made a lot of readers care about a warband of murderers in power armour.
What Soul Hunter is
It’s a 416-page novel, released in softcover in 2010 with an ebook edition following in 2011. Jon Sullivan painted the cover. In March 2017, Ian St. Martin picked it for Black Library’s Hall of Fame collection, which is a decent sign of how the book has held up.
The story follows the Night Lords, a Traitor Legion that turned on the Emperor during the Horus Heresy and has been hunted as heretics ever since. They don’t fight for Chaos glory or any grand cause. They raid, they terrorise, and they prey on a dying Imperium from the dark between worlds.
Where it sits in the series
Soul Hunter comes after the short story Shadow Knight and before Blood Reaver, with the trilogy closing out in Void Stalker. There’s also an audio drama, Throne of Lies, set in the same corner of the setting. You can read Soul Hunter on its own, but the series rewards going in order.
If you’ve only met the Night Lords as generic villains in a codex, this is the book that gives them a voice, a culture, and a reason to be afraid of the dark.
| Book | Type | Position |
|---|---|---|
| Shadow Knight | Short story | Before |
| Soul Hunter | Novel | Book 1 |
| Blood Reaver | Novel | Book 2 |
| Void Stalker | Novel | Book 3 |
| Throne of Lies | Audio drama | Companion |
Why it matters
Soul Hunter is often named as one of the best Space Marine novels Black Library has put out, and it’s a big part of why Dembski-Bowden became a fan favourite. It takes the Night Lords’ whole deal, fear as a weapon, and builds a story around characters you shouldn’t like but end up rooting for anyway.
It’s also a good entry point if you want something darker and more character-driven than the usual bolter-and-chainsword fare.
Publication details
- Author: Aaron Dembski-Bowden
- Publisher: Black Library
- Released: March 2010
- Length: 416 pages
- Cover art: Jon Sullivan
- 2010 softcover ISBN: 9781844168101
- 2011 ebook ISBN: 9780857870810
- Hall of Fame selection: March 2017, chosen by Ian St. Martin
Key facts
- Soul Hunter is a Night Lords novel by Aaron Dembski-Bowden, released by Black Library in March 2010.
- It’s the first novel in the Night Lords series, after the short story Shadow Knight and before Blood Reaver.
- The book runs 416 pages, with cover art by Jon Sullivan.
- It was chosen by Ian St. Martin for Black Library’s Hall of Fame collection in March 2017.
- The Night Lords are a Traitor Legion that turned against the Emperor and now raid the Imperium from the darkness between worlds.
FAQ
Do I need to read Shadow Knight first?
Not strictly. Shadow Knight is a short story that comes before Soul Hunter, but the novel stands on its own. Reading the short first just gives you a bit more context.
Is Soul Hunter part of a trilogy?
Yes. It’s book one of the Night Lords trilogy, followed by Blood Reaver and Void Stalker. There’s also an audio drama, Throne of Lies, in the same series.
Who wrote Soul Hunter?
Aaron Dembski-Bowden. It was published by Black Library in March 2010 and later picked for the Black Library Hall of Fame in 2017.