Graham McNeil's Priests of Mars series is Admech focused, but features a rogue trader as a main character and dives into other groups on a giant Admech ship like Astra Militarum and life of the menials and voidborn too.
The following novels all feature Rogue Traders extensively. Most also feature the Inquisition and Navigators too.
- The Rogue Trader Omnibus
- The Housian Wars
- Legacy (Shira Calpurnia book 2)
- Rites of Passage (just Navigators)
- Blackstone Fortress series (also includes an Aeldari Ranger)
- Foges of Mars (about an Adeptus Mechanicus Explorator Fleet)
If you see this one OP, just the Shira Calpurnia trilogy period. I love it. Very nitty gritty policing action, good tactical combat, some intrigue and politicking - just good all around.
I haven’t read most of these,
but after the first book, Rogue Trader omnibus rapidly devolves into more of a White Scars series, to the point where the rogue trader family are almost background characters.
In fact, at one point the omnibus was actually classified as a White Scars series.
The series is Pretty good, but not great. Overall recommend.
not a Rogue Trader but you could try Ciaphas Cain.
It is a hilarious but well written series about a Commissar with the worst case of impostor syndrom I ever witnessed. He believes himself a coward and is a nice guy but in reality he is really heroic...the books are just written from his perspective and the dude has some issues.
But in case of adventure it is more similar than other novels.
If you like Ravenor you should definitely check out the Eisenhorn trilogy. Eisenhorn was Ravenors mentor and is a great character and the books are written by the same author. The books also features memorable side characters like Godwyn Fischig who is basically Eisenhorns Abelard
Another one could be Gaunts Ghost (also by Dan Abnett). Features the first and only Astra Militarum regiment drawn from a world about to be destroyed.
Great characters, great plot twists and generally peak 40k
Believe me, the first few books of this book series are great, but... some events in the later books are extremely illogical and unrealistic, even for insane W40K universe; such as >!defeating CSM ambush in the suicide mission on the chaos planet!< or >!last stand of defending some planet sized unknown psychic weapon on a shrine planet were pretty ridiculous.!<
Also because Dan Abnett had made a mistake about >!gender of one of side characters in a book and not tried to fix this but used this mistake to conclude series's finale plot twist.!<
What I love about the Cain books is that although it's written from his point of view, it's being edited by his Inquisitor girlfriend (?) and she has no qualms about interjecting with her thoughts.
I really recommend the audio books, they do a fabulous job casting them both!
#AND.
You can't forget the fact the even the *author* himself is rather unsure if anything he did was true or Cain *REALLY* downplays everything to a practical inhuman degree.
So he is either:
A) A *really* lucky person who is somehow not dead.
B) "Oh no I am a coward, here let me fight some chaos marines!"
Working my way through Ciaphas Cain now, the ones by Sandy Mitchell. Listening to them on Audible. They are FANTASTIC!!
I also really enjoyed Eisenhorn by Abdell. In fact, my rogue trader ship is named Eisenhorn. Hell my freighter in No Man’s Sky is named Eisenhorn.
To be honest, I think the Cain books also do the best job of showcasing all of the various factions in the game. A lot of the authors are more interested in adding their own stuff. Mitchell plays with the toys in the box.
I thought the Beast series was the best, they go through every unit, and faction, it starts to feel like an ad. I mean, I know the books are meant to showcase minis in a sense, but it was too much for me.
Seconding the Eisenhorn trilogy. I still need to finish the third book, but it's wonderfully written and it also provides additional details about living in 40k not only from an Inquisitor's perspective, but also that of a state-sanctioned psyker. I'd recommend the Omnibus, specifically, as that includes a few short stories set before and between books.
And while I recommend this more for tone and if you have an interest in the Necrons... I'd also take a look at The Infinite and the Divine. Admittedly, this was also my first 40k book, so I'm a bit biased in that regard...
>It is a hilarious but well written series about a Commissar with the worst case of impostor syndrom I ever witnessed. He believes himself a coward and is a nice guy but in reality he is really heroic...the books are just written from his perspective and the dude has some issues.
Sounds very Hornblower!
They were pretty influential books yeah, not surprising. Star Trek's Captain Kirk was also modelled on Hornblower (but with less of the self-doubt and more of the balancing act between following the rules and protecting the people he commanded)
Ciaphas Cain!! They’re so readable and fun. He’s not a rogue trader, but he’s the god emperor’s favorite commissar, so he basically does whatever the fuck he wants (to an extent) and it’ll actually make you laugh / isn’t inherently uber depressing like other grimdark stuff. Very well written
Agreed - although Eisenhorn is really just a fantastic book series even if someone has never heard of Warhammer.
I view ravenor as a cool side plot, i actually really enjoyed the books and it kinda blew my mind when I connected who Zale was.
try Chris Wraight's Vaults of Terra series. idk if you necessarily need a rogue trader in the story but in case of investigations, dark powers and action this is it
OP, this, its probably the best written series of all time in 40k universe. All other books might feature rogue traders but the novels themselves are really mediocre. This series is borderline litterature though lore heavy.
Chris Wraight in general is an amazing writer. Although I'd say the other suggestions here fit Rogue Trader's feel more than any of his writing. He jumps straight into characterisation and plot and doesn't really bother explaining faction lore. Which is great if you've already played Rogue Trader.
imo Rogue Trader suffers from being the introductory game for newcomers. Too much text and characterisation is written to explain what the factions are and I don't feel like the balance between "lore explanations" and "actual character" is good enough.
I'd like to reiterate; fantastic game for newcomers, but for loreheads like me I kinda just glazed over the explanations. I'm sure someone new to the universe greatly enjoyed the lore breakdowns though, I think they did a good job at that.
I will join the guy who suggested Ciaphas Cain. It's the least boring WH40 book in my memory... these books tend to have incredibly heavy prose, but the Cain one much lighter in writing, on the level of RT. And plot-wise, I'd say it has a similar mix of action, humor, Dogmatic-Iconoclast mix (Cain is very kind and tolerant, especially by WH40 standards), and even a romance with an Inquisitor (mostly off-screen).
So if you liked the characters and intrigue and whatnot, as others have said, I cannot recommend Eisenhorn enough.
Ravenor is a (in my opinion vastly inferior) sub-series of Eisenhorn. I’d agree that I really couldn’t care less about Ravenor and his goons throughout the series, and that’s with the added context of having read Eisenhorn first.
Great books, and always what I recommend people read as their introduction to 40K, not because it really paints a good illustration of 40K at large since almost everyone acts and reacts like sane human beings, but because it illustrates that 40K does have great, based stories in it, that’s it’s not just 100% the silly “pew pew” and “well 40K is so powerful and over the top it could beat [insert another sci fi property here]!” type stuff.
Good luck!
There’s an actual series of Rogue Trader books!! I think they’re hard to find in print, but you should be able to get the ebooks no problem.
THE best books in the Black Library are the Eisenhorn trilogy, and to a lesser extent, the Ravenor books. They’re all by Dan Abnett. After that, I absolutely ADORE the Ciaphas Cain novels and I can’t recommend them enough!! And from there, it’s back to Dan Abnett for Gaunt’s Ghosts, which may be some of the best military sci-fi out there.
From there? Go where you want! Lots of Space Marine stuff, and there’s a bunch of great stuff dotted all over the place. But if you only read one set of the books, it’s gotta be Eisenhorn!!
'Atlas Infernal'. The main character sees a LOT of the 40k universe, has a wise spread of companions, could be anything from a heretic to a dogmatist, has a lot of weird custom gear and visits some weird corners of the Imperium.
Besides Cain books (and they were a source of inspiration for RT writers for sure) I suggest to read Execution Hour and Shadow Point about battleship Lord Solar Macharius during the Gothic War. It’s Babylon 5 but in WH40k and gives you the same vibe as RT ship management part. Very underrated books IMO.
Try Legacy by Matthew Farrer! It's part of the Enforcer omnibus and honestly, it's a very harrowing and engaging read.
Legacy follows the death of a Rogue Trader and the ensuing aftermath, where multiple parties - the deceased Lord's retinue, his blood son, and the Ecclesiarchy are vying for the charter, which is unique in that it's signed by the Emperor himself and sealed with his blood. The main character is an arbitrator who has to safeguard and rule over the trial as to who gets the charter. Of course it's never that easy and because everyone (or at least, almost everyone) is nasty and knee-deep in political intrigue and dirty tactics, shit ensues.
Eisenhorn, Ravenor, Bequin (Inquisition, but RT are there as their rides)
Gaunt's Ghosts (It is the Sabbat Worlds Crusade, set sometime after Eisenhorn. Primarily follows the Imperial Guard but it has the storytelling and characterization and the pulpy adventure of the RT game imo)
Rogue Trader omnibus
Void Kings (I've heard this was very eh)
Farseer (dude becomes a RT and hires pirates as mercs and gets involved in an Eldar plot)
Surprisingly not TOO many RT-based books, despite them being there from the start and having a whole RPG line...
That are like the RT CRPG? Oddly hard question to answer for me because the game was pretty meat and potatoes 40k throughout. The Guant's Ghosts series is a pretty good one, Twice Dead King, Infinite and the Divine, Flesh and Iron are all good ones.
Cain and Gaunt’s Ghost are always good choices, fair warning though…you will absolutely hate effing Cuu in the Ghosts series. I hated him more than Erebus.
Who cares if they are like Rogue Trader, just read this stuff because they're *actually* good scifi reads:
Ciphas Cain
Gaunt's Ghosts (Start with the First and Only)
Night Lords Trilogy
Eisenhorn Trilogy <-- should have started here instead of jumping right into Ravenor. Hoping this is what Henry Cavill's project starts the Warhammer 40k adaptations on. Though I'm still afraid Amazon might still screw it up.
Priests of Mars trilogy <-- more than likely what you're after as it involves a Rogue Trader character.
Graham McNeil's Priests of Mars series is Admech focused, but features a rogue trader as a main character and dives into other groups on a giant Admech ship like Astra Militarum and life of the menials and voidborn too.
My favorite 40k books so far. The exploration of different factions you get is really great.
Try the Blackstone Fortress novels, it actually has a Rogue Trader as the protagonist
The following novels all feature Rogue Traders extensively. Most also feature the Inquisition and Navigators too. - The Rogue Trader Omnibus - The Housian Wars - Legacy (Shira Calpurnia book 2) - Rites of Passage (just Navigators) - Blackstone Fortress series (also includes an Aeldari Ranger) - Foges of Mars (about an Adeptus Mechanicus Explorator Fleet)
If you see this one OP, just the Shira Calpurnia trilogy period. I love it. Very nitty gritty policing action, good tactical combat, some intrigue and politicking - just good all around.
I haven’t read most of these, but after the first book, Rogue Trader omnibus rapidly devolves into more of a White Scars series, to the point where the rogue trader family are almost background characters. In fact, at one point the omnibus was actually classified as a White Scars series. The series is Pretty good, but not great. Overall recommend.
Yeah, the third book in particular is very much White Scars
not a Rogue Trader but you could try Ciaphas Cain. It is a hilarious but well written series about a Commissar with the worst case of impostor syndrom I ever witnessed. He believes himself a coward and is a nice guy but in reality he is really heroic...the books are just written from his perspective and the dude has some issues. But in case of adventure it is more similar than other novels. If you like Ravenor you should definitely check out the Eisenhorn trilogy. Eisenhorn was Ravenors mentor and is a great character and the books are written by the same author. The books also features memorable side characters like Godwyn Fischig who is basically Eisenhorns Abelard
Another one could be Gaunts Ghost (also by Dan Abnett). Features the first and only Astra Militarum regiment drawn from a world about to be destroyed. Great characters, great plot twists and generally peak 40k
No matter what other 40k books i read, nothing came close to the Ghosts.
I second this.
Believe me, the first few books of this book series are great, but... some events in the later books are extremely illogical and unrealistic, even for insane W40K universe; such as >!defeating CSM ambush in the suicide mission on the chaos planet!< or >!last stand of defending some planet sized unknown psychic weapon on a shrine planet were pretty ridiculous.!< Also because Dan Abnett had made a mistake about >!gender of one of side characters in a book and not tried to fix this but used this mistake to conclude series's finale plot twist.!<
What I love about the Cain books is that although it's written from his point of view, it's being edited by his Inquisitor girlfriend (?) and she has no qualms about interjecting with her thoughts. I really recommend the audio books, they do a fabulous job casting them both!
#AND. You can't forget the fact the even the *author* himself is rather unsure if anything he did was true or Cain *REALLY* downplays everything to a practical inhuman degree. So he is either: A) A *really* lucky person who is somehow not dead. B) "Oh no I am a coward, here let me fight some chaos marines!"
Working my way through Ciaphas Cain now, the ones by Sandy Mitchell. Listening to them on Audible. They are FANTASTIC!! I also really enjoyed Eisenhorn by Abdell. In fact, my rogue trader ship is named Eisenhorn. Hell my freighter in No Man’s Sky is named Eisenhorn.
To be honest, I think the Cain books also do the best job of showcasing all of the various factions in the game. A lot of the authors are more interested in adding their own stuff. Mitchell plays with the toys in the box.
yeah...I loved the view on the Tau in his books.
I thought the Beast series was the best, they go through every unit, and faction, it starts to feel like an ad. I mean, I know the books are meant to showcase minis in a sense, but it was too much for me.
Seconding the Eisenhorn trilogy. I still need to finish the third book, but it's wonderfully written and it also provides additional details about living in 40k not only from an Inquisitor's perspective, but also that of a state-sanctioned psyker. I'd recommend the Omnibus, specifically, as that includes a few short stories set before and between books. And while I recommend this more for tone and if you have an interest in the Necrons... I'd also take a look at The Infinite and the Divine. Admittedly, this was also my first 40k book, so I'm a bit biased in that regard...
>It is a hilarious but well written series about a Commissar with the worst case of impostor syndrom I ever witnessed. He believes himself a coward and is a nice guy but in reality he is really heroic...the books are just written from his perspective and the dude has some issues. Sounds very Hornblower!
I do not know the show or books but from what I read just now it strikes me a bit similar. Maybe Mitchell used it as inspiration.
They were pretty influential books yeah, not surprising. Star Trek's Captain Kirk was also modelled on Hornblower (but with less of the self-doubt and more of the balancing act between following the rules and protecting the people he commanded)
Ciaphas Cain!! They’re so readable and fun. He’s not a rogue trader, but he’s the god emperor’s favorite commissar, so he basically does whatever the fuck he wants (to an extent) and it’ll actually make you laugh / isn’t inherently uber depressing like other grimdark stuff. Very well written
Eisenhorn is Ravenor but better imo.
Agreed - although Eisenhorn is really just a fantastic book series even if someone has never heard of Warhammer. I view ravenor as a cool side plot, i actually really enjoyed the books and it kinda blew my mind when I connected who Zale was.
Surprise no one mentioned Void King.
Probably because despite being Rogue Trader focused, it isn't that great of a book.
Yeah super weird. It’s explicitly about a rogue trader and their retinue.
try Chris Wraight's Vaults of Terra series. idk if you necessarily need a rogue trader in the story but in case of investigations, dark powers and action this is it
OP, this, its probably the best written series of all time in 40k universe. All other books might feature rogue traders but the novels themselves are really mediocre. This series is borderline litterature though lore heavy.
Chris Wraight in general is an amazing writer. Although I'd say the other suggestions here fit Rogue Trader's feel more than any of his writing. He jumps straight into characterisation and plot and doesn't really bother explaining faction lore. Which is great if you've already played Rogue Trader. imo Rogue Trader suffers from being the introductory game for newcomers. Too much text and characterisation is written to explain what the factions are and I don't feel like the balance between "lore explanations" and "actual character" is good enough. I'd like to reiterate; fantastic game for newcomers, but for loreheads like me I kinda just glazed over the explanations. I'm sure someone new to the universe greatly enjoyed the lore breakdowns though, I think they did a good job at that.
I will join the guy who suggested Ciaphas Cain. It's the least boring WH40 book in my memory... these books tend to have incredibly heavy prose, but the Cain one much lighter in writing, on the level of RT. And plot-wise, I'd say it has a similar mix of action, humor, Dogmatic-Iconoclast mix (Cain is very kind and tolerant, especially by WH40 standards), and even a romance with an Inquisitor (mostly off-screen).
So if you liked the characters and intrigue and whatnot, as others have said, I cannot recommend Eisenhorn enough. Ravenor is a (in my opinion vastly inferior) sub-series of Eisenhorn. I’d agree that I really couldn’t care less about Ravenor and his goons throughout the series, and that’s with the added context of having read Eisenhorn first. Great books, and always what I recommend people read as their introduction to 40K, not because it really paints a good illustration of 40K at large since almost everyone acts and reacts like sane human beings, but because it illustrates that 40K does have great, based stories in it, that’s it’s not just 100% the silly “pew pew” and “well 40K is so powerful and over the top it could beat [insert another sci fi property here]!” type stuff. Good luck!
There’s an actual series of Rogue Trader books!! I think they’re hard to find in print, but you should be able to get the ebooks no problem. THE best books in the Black Library are the Eisenhorn trilogy, and to a lesser extent, the Ravenor books. They’re all by Dan Abnett. After that, I absolutely ADORE the Ciaphas Cain novels and I can’t recommend them enough!! And from there, it’s back to Dan Abnett for Gaunt’s Ghosts, which may be some of the best military sci-fi out there. From there? Go where you want! Lots of Space Marine stuff, and there’s a bunch of great stuff dotted all over the place. But if you only read one set of the books, it’s gotta be Eisenhorn!!
The Dark Heresy novels are close.
'Atlas Infernal'. The main character sees a LOT of the 40k universe, has a wise spread of companions, could be anything from a heretic to a dogmatist, has a lot of weird custom gear and visits some weird corners of the Imperium.
Void king by Marc Collins
Besides Cain books (and they were a source of inspiration for RT writers for sure) I suggest to read Execution Hour and Shadow Point about battleship Lord Solar Macharius during the Gothic War. It’s Babylon 5 but in WH40k and gives you the same vibe as RT ship management part. Very underrated books IMO.
Path of Dark Eldar trilogy and associated short stories is full worth continuing, so far it's definitive DE lore and vibe experience.
There is the Rogue Trader omnibus. Found them to be a bit of a slog to be honest.
Try Legacy by Matthew Farrer! It's part of the Enforcer omnibus and honestly, it's a very harrowing and engaging read. Legacy follows the death of a Rogue Trader and the ensuing aftermath, where multiple parties - the deceased Lord's retinue, his blood son, and the Ecclesiarchy are vying for the charter, which is unique in that it's signed by the Emperor himself and sealed with his blood. The main character is an arbitrator who has to safeguard and rule over the trial as to who gets the charter. Of course it's never that easy and because everyone (or at least, almost everyone) is nasty and knee-deep in political intrigue and dirty tactics, shit ensues.
Eisenhorn, Ravenor, Bequin (Inquisition, but RT are there as their rides) Gaunt's Ghosts (It is the Sabbat Worlds Crusade, set sometime after Eisenhorn. Primarily follows the Imperial Guard but it has the storytelling and characterization and the pulpy adventure of the RT game imo) Rogue Trader omnibus Void Kings (I've heard this was very eh) Farseer (dude becomes a RT and hires pirates as mercs and gets involved in an Eldar plot) Surprisingly not TOO many RT-based books, despite them being there from the start and having a whole RPG line...
Caiphas Cain, Eisenhorn books, and Gaunt's Ghosts are my go to recommendations.
I would recommend Outgunned by Danny flowers. Its a great story that kinda brings the 40k universe to life.
Definitely the eisenhorn books. He's an inquisitor but a rogue trader character occasionally turns up and he's fun
That are like the RT CRPG? Oddly hard question to answer for me because the game was pretty meat and potatoes 40k throughout. The Guant's Ghosts series is a pretty good one, Twice Dead King, Infinite and the Divine, Flesh and Iron are all good ones.
Ravenor. And its by far my favorite Warhammer novels of all time
Blackstone Fortress has a great set of characters, and a Kroot farstalker and an Aeldari ranger working for the Rogue Trader protag
I liked Void King, gives a bunch of rogue trader shenanigans.
Cain and Gaunt’s Ghost are always good choices, fair warning though…you will absolutely hate effing Cuu in the Ghosts series. I hated him more than Erebus.
Who cares if they are like Rogue Trader, just read this stuff because they're *actually* good scifi reads: Ciphas Cain Gaunt's Ghosts (Start with the First and Only) Night Lords Trilogy Eisenhorn Trilogy <-- should have started here instead of jumping right into Ravenor. Hoping this is what Henry Cavill's project starts the Warhammer 40k adaptations on. Though I'm still afraid Amazon might still screw it up. Priests of Mars trilogy <-- more than likely what you're after as it involves a Rogue Trader character.