Ben Counter is an English author who’s written a lot of Warhammer 40,000 fiction for Black Library. If you’ve read the Soul Drinkers or Grey Knights novels, you’ve read his work.
Who he is
Counter was born in Cambridge in 1979 and has been publishing since the late 1990s. He studied ancient history at university and paints miniatures, which probably explains why his Space Marine battles read the way they do.
He’s also written for 2000 AD and works on the Out of Place podcast, a serialised fiction project running to over two dozen episodes.
The big series
The Soul Drinkers books are his longest run: six novels and a novella following a Space Marine chapter declared renegade. It starts with Soul Drinker in 2002 and wraps with Phalanx in 2012, with Traitor By Deed arriving much later in 2020.
His Grey Knights trilogy came out between 2004 and 2008 and was collected as an omnibus in 2009. He also contributed two Horus Heresy novels, Galaxy in Flames and Battle for the Abyss.
- Soul Drinkers: Soul Drinker (2002), The Bleeding Chalice (2003), Crimson Tears (2005), Chapter War (2007), Hellforged (2009), Phalanx (2012)
- Grey Knights: Grey Knights (2004), Dark Adeptus (2006), Hammer of Daemons (2008)
- Horus Heresy: Galaxy in Flames (2006), Battle for the Abyss (2008)
Other Warhammer 40k work
Beyond the headline series, Counter’s written across a lot of Black Library’s ranges. Space Marine Battles gave him Malodrax and The World Engine, and Space Marine Legends gave him Cassius.
There’s also daemon-focused work like Daemon World, plus short stories and audio dramas scattered across anthologies such as Sanctus Reach and Lords of the Space Marines. He co-wrote The Hunt for Logan Grimnar with Steve Lyons and Rob Sanders in 2020.
Where sources disagree
Publication years for a few titles differ between Lexicanum and Wikipedia. Wikipedia lists Cassius as 2014 while Lexicanum says March 2016, and The World Engine is 2014 in one place and 2015 in another. Neither’s necessarily wrong, since online serials and print collections can land in different years.
Wikipedia has also flagged his article for notability, which is why the entry is thin compared to the Lexicanum listing.
Key facts
- Born in Cambridge, England in 1979, publishing since the late 1990s
- Wrote the six-novel Soul Drinkers series for Black Library
- Wrote the Grey Knights trilogy, collected as an omnibus in 2009
- Contributed two Horus Heresy novels: Galaxy in Flames and Battle for the Abyss
- Also writes for 2000 AD and the Out of Place podcast
FAQ
What is Ben Counter best known for?
The Soul Drinkers series and the Grey Knights trilogy are his most-read Warhammer 40,000 work. He’s also written two Horus Heresy novels.
How many Soul Drinkers books are there?
Six novels and a novella, running from Soul Drinker in 2002 to Traitor By Deed in 2020. They’ve been collected into two omnibuses.
Which Horus Heresy novels did he write?
Galaxy in Flames (2006) and Battle for the Abyss (2008).