10.10.2026Omnissiah

Eisenhorn reading order and other Inquisition books in Warhammer 40,000

Where to start with the Inquisition in Warhammer 40,000: the Eisenhorn, Ravenor and Bequin books in reading order, then the other inquisitors on the shelf.

The Inquisition is the Imperium's secret police with no one above it but the Emperor: inquisitors answer to no court, recruit their own retinues and decide for themselves where duty ends and heresy begins. That freedom makes them the best guides into Warhammer 40,000 for readers who prefer investigations, conspiracies and moral compromise to open battle.

Most readers start with Dan Abnett, whose Eisenhorn, Ravenor and Bequin books form one connected chain. Below is that chain in reading order, followed by the other inquisitor fiction currently in the catalog: Chris Wraight's Vaults of Terra, John French's Horusian Wars and the Agent of the Throne audio dramas, and a short detour into the Ordo Malleus and the Ordo Xenos.

EXTERNAL LINKInquisition — faction pageEvery book in the catalog tagged with the Inquisition

Eisenhorn: the trilogy to start with

Three novels following one inquisitor of the Ordo Xenos over more than a century of service. Read them in publication order; each book picks up long after the previous one, and his methods change with every step.

XenosDan Abnett · 240.M41The entry point for the whole chain. Gregor Eisenhorn corners an old foe and is drawn into a race for an abominable ancient tome, the Necroteuch. Needs no prior knowledge of the setting.

MalleusDan Abnett · 337.M41A century later Eisenhorn is a celebrated agent of the Inquisition, until a tragedy on Thracian Primaris and a figure from his past turn his own order against him. Read second.

HereticusDan Abnett · 386.M41Hunted as a radical, Eisenhorn pursues a heretic the Inquisition believes dead, and the question becomes how far he can use the enemy's weapons before he becomes the enemy. Closes the trilogy.

EXTERNAL LINKEisenhorn — series page

Shorter Eisenhorn cases

Abnett has returned to Eisenhorn many times in shorter fiction. None of these is required for the main chain, but they are best read after the trilogy, when the inquisitor and his companions are already familiar. On the site they sit in the Inquisitor series together with Ravenor and Bequin.

Master Imus's TransgressionDan Abnett · ~219.M41A case from Eisenhorn's early career: a clerk is sure he has committed a terrible crime but cannot say what it was. A good first taste of the young investigator.

Regia OccultaDan Abnett · 223.M41On a storm-wracked world Eisenhorn investigates a series of bizarre murders with the help of local officials. A self-contained mystery.

Born Unto UsDan Abnett · ~337.M41Eisenhorn and his old friend Harlon Nayl hunt the killers of a group of archaeologists and talk about the nature of gods and men.

The Keeler ImageDan Abnett · ~465.M41An artefact from the time of the Horus Heresy goes on sale on the world of Pallik, and Eisenhorn's team walks into a game of double-cross. A nice bridge for readers coming from the Heresy.

The strange demise of Titus EndorDan Abnett · ~360.M41A short story from Eisenhorn's circle. Keep it until after the trilogy.

The MagosDan Abnett · ~470.M41A full-length later case: a quiet magos on a backwater world is pulled into Eisenhorn's ongoing investigation. Read it after Hereticus, before or alongside Pariah.

Ravenor: the pupil's trilogy

Gideon Ravenor served in Eisenhorn's retinue before becoming an inquisitor himself. His three novels form a single story set largely on the hive world of Eustis Majoris, and should be read in order after the Eisenhorn trilogy.

RavenorDan Abnett · 402.M41Crippled by an enemy attack and sealed inside a life-support chair, Ravenor continues his work through his psychic powers and his retinue. Starts the trilogy.

Ravenor ReturnedDan Abnett · ~403.M41Believed dead, Ravenor and his team go undercover on Eustis Majoris to trace smugglers of stolen arcane technology. Read second.

Ravenor RogueDan Abnett · ~404.M41The hunt for the arch-heretic Zygmunt Molotch becomes an obsession, and Ravenor defies his own order to finish it. Closes the trilogy.

Bequin: where the two lines meet

PariahDan Abnett · 500.M41The first Bequin novel, and the point where the Eisenhorn and Ravenor stories converge. In the city of Queen Mab, the pariah Alizebeth Bequin finds herself caught between two inquisitors who were once allies. Read it last, after both trilogies.

EXTERNAL LINKInquisitor — series pageRavenor, Bequin and the shorter Eisenhorn stories

Vaults of Terra: an inquisitor on the Throneworld

Chris Wraight's trilogy keeps the Inquisition at home: Erasmus Crowl of the Ordo Hereticus and his acolyte Luce Spinoza investigate a conspiracy on Terra itself, and the story runs on into the opening of the Great Rift. It has no ties to Abnett's books and can be started at any point.

The Carrion ThroneChris Wraight · ~999.M41Crowl's routine duty leads him into a conspiracy that reaches the halls of the Imperial Palace. Starts the trilogy.

The Hollow MountainChris Wraight · ~999.M41Crowl pursues the plot in secret while the Great Rift tears open in the skies above Terra. Read second.

The Dark CityChris Wraight · ~012.M42With Crowl missing, Interrogator Spinoza must decide how far she will go to finish his investigation. Closes the trilogy.

SanguineChris WraightA separate Crowl case from the same series: an old friend's call for help takes him to the docks of Luna. Can be read on its own.

EXTERNAL LINKVaults of Terra — series page

Inquisitor Covenant: The Horusian Wars and Agent of the Throne

John French built a second inquisitorial saga around Covenant, a Puritan psyker who reserves his hatred for inquisitors who would use the powers of Chaos as a weapon. The novels follow him; the audio dramas follow one of his agents.

ResurrectionJohn FrenchAn inquisitorial conclave ends in a massacre, and Covenant sets out after a fellow inquisitor he believes to be a heretic. Starts the series.

IncarnationJohn FrenchOn a shrine world sinking into a Season of Night, Covenant tries to stop a radical sect from creating a living saint. Read second.

DivinationJohn FrenchEleven stories about the people in Covenant's service, his agents, psykers and killers. Best after the two novels.

EXTERNAL LINKThe Horusian Wars — series page

Blood & LiesJohn FrenchIanthe, a former Astra Militarum soldier, starts her service as Covenant's Agent of the Throne by investigating a cult. The first of three audio dramas.

Truth & DreamsJohn FrenchIanthe's hunt for a fugitive psyker lands her in conflict with Imperial authority. Second in the audio series.

Ashes & OathsJohn FrenchA failed assault forces Ianthe into a pact with the mysterious Zand. Third in the audio series.

EXTERNAL LINKAgent of the Throne — series page

The Ordos at war: Grey Knights and Deathwatch

Each major Ordo has a military arm. The Grey Knights fight daemons for the Ordo Malleus, and the Deathwatch hunt aliens for the Ordo Xenos. These books are closer to Space Marine fiction than to investigation, but they show the Inquisition's war from the other side.

IncorruptibleDavid AnnandaleA Grey Knights squad boards a lost Purifier ship and finds signs of battle and possible corruption. A compact, self-contained story.

DeathwatchSteve ParkerKill-teams of the Deathwatch, drawn from many Chapters, on missions against the xenos. The first novel of Steve Parker's series.

EXTERNAL LINKDeathwatch — series page

What next

The shortest reliable route is Xenos, Malleus and Hereticus, then the Ravenor trilogy, then Pariah. If that chain hooks you, Vaults of Terra is the natural next step for a darker, slower investigation on Terra, and the Covenant books offer a different view of the same order. All of these stories belong to the 41st Millennium; the timeline page shows what else happens around them.

EXTERNAL LINKThe 41st Millennium on the timeline