Reading order
Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | I Am Slaughter | 2015 | Dan Abnett | Buy |
| 2 | The Beast Arises: Volume 1 | 2018 | Dan Abnett | N/A |
| 3 | Predator, Prey | 2016 | Dan Abnett | Buy |
| 4 | The Emperor Expects | 2016 | Dan Abnett | Buy |
| 5 | The Last Wall | 2016 | Dan Abnett | Buy |
| 6 | Throneworld | 2016 | Dan Abnett | Buy |
| 7 | Echoes of the Long War | 2016 | Dan Abnett | Buy |
| 8 | The Hunt for Vulkan | 2016 | Dan Abnett | Buy |
| 9 | The Beast Must Die | 2016 | Dan Abnett | Buy |
| 10 | Watchers in Death | 2016 | Dan Abnett | Buy |
| 11 | The Last Son of Dorn | 2016 | Dan Abnett | Buy |
| 12 | Shadow of Ullanor | 2016 | Dan Abnett | Buy |
| 13 | The Beheading | 2016 | Dan Abnett | Buy |
The Beast Arises is a monthly novel series published by Black Library between 2015 and 2016, with omnibus collections following in 2018. Set in the 32nd millennium, the series depicts a catastrophic Ork invasion that threatens to overwhelm the Imperium of Man. The Orks have organised under a single towering leader called The Beast, a figure of unprecedented intelligence and power who strikes at dozens of worlds simultaneously, including Terra itself.
The series spans thirteen novels written by eight different Black Library authors, including Dan Abnett, Gav Thorpe, Rob Sanders, David Annandale, and others. Dan Abnett opens the series with I Am Slaughter, establishing the threat and the Imperium’s initially disorganised response. Subsequent volumes follow different Space Marine chapters, Imperial Fists, and other factions as they attempt to mount a coordinated defence. The series has a strong ensemble structure, with different authors contributing books that cover simultaneous or sequential events across multiple theatres of war.
The first volume, I Am Slaughter, is the recommended starting point. The series was designed to be read in order, as the overall war arc develops progressively across all thirteen books. The Volume 1 omnibus from 2018 collects the first four novels for readers who prefer a single collected edition.