🎯 Where Should I Start?
ⓘ About Richard Swan
Richard Swan is a bestselling author of science fiction and fantasy that is best known for the “Art of War” trilogy. Swan was born in North Yorkshire and spent many years living in Royal Airforce bases in Lincolnshire and Yorkshire and became obsessed with fighter jets. Swan began writing while he was still very young. He was just thirteen when he got started and had about eight long-form manuscripts to his name before he decided to pen one specifically intended for publishing. His head was full of “Star Wars,” “Starcraft Halo,” and “Tiberian Sun” and it was from such influences that he began developing an obsession with writing an epic science fiction work. He intended to pen several works he would call “Kinetica” that were each about seven to eight thousand words apiece.
All Book Series by Richard Swan
VIPER One: Countervalue
Latest in the series · book 2 of 2 · published 2017 Co-authored · George Lockett
Deathwing
Series opener · book 1 of 251 · published 1980 Anthology · Charles Stross,Dan Abnett,Ian Watson,Storm Constantine,Gav Thorpe,William King,Graham McNeill,Neil Jones,David Pringle,Neil McIntosh
Dark Imperium
Book 8 of 251 · published 2001 Anthology · Gav Thorpe,William King,Simon Jowett,Matthew Farrer,Ben Counter,Barrington J. Bayley,Marc Gascoigne,Andy Chambers,Robert Earl,Neil Rutledge
Words of Blood
Book 11 of 251 · published 2002 Anthology · Christian Z. Dunn,Marc Gascoigne
Crucible of War
Book 15 of 251 · published 2003 Anthology · Dan Abnett,Graham McNeill,Christian Z. Dunn,Matthew Farrer,Sandy Mitchell,Simon Spurrier,Jonathan Green,Marc Gascoigne,Edward Rusk,David Charters,Matt Ralphs
Bringers of Death
Book 21 of 251 · published 2005 Anthology · Simon Jowett,Mike Lee,Christian Z. Dunn,Sandy Mitchell,Marc Gascoigne,Mitchel Scanlon,C.S. Goto
Let the Galaxy Burn
Book 22 of 251 · published 2006 Anthology · Dan Abnett,Gav Thorpe,William King,Graham McNeill,Christian Z. Dunn,Ben Counter,Marc Gascoigne,Mark Brendan,Jonahan Curran,C.S. Goto,Andras Millward,Neil Rutledge
Tales from the Dark Millennium
Book 24 of 251 · published 2006 Anthology · Dan Abnett,Mike Lee,Graham McNeill,Christian Z. Dunn,Steve Parker,Marc Gascoigne,Matt Keefe,C.S. Goto,Darren-Jon Ashmore
Planetkill
Book 29 of 251 · published 2008 Anthology · Graham McNeill,Matthew Farrer,Steve Parker,Lindsey Priestley,Richard Williams,Henry Zou,Simon Dyton,Robey Jenkins
Sabbat Worlds: A Good Man
Book 34 of 251 · published 2011 Anthology · Sandy Mitchell
Treacheries of the Space Marines
Book 43 of 251 · published 2012 Anthology · Christian Z. Dunn
Mephiston: Lord of Death
Book 46 of 251 · published 2013 Anthology · David Annandale
Down Amongst the Dead Men
Book 47 of 251 · published 2013 Anthology · Steve Lyons
Nurgle's Gift & The Tallyman
Book 59 of 251 · published 2014 Anthology · Guy Haley
Knights of the Imperium
Book 62 of 251 · published 2014 Anthology · Graham McNeill
The Tribute of Flesh
Book 63 of 251 · published 2014 Anthology · David Annandale
Deathwatch: Kryptman's War
Book 72 of 251 · published 2015 Anthology · Ian St. Martin
Grey Knights: Sons of Titan
Book 80 of 251 · published 2015 Anthology · David Annandale
Curse of the Wulfen
Book 83 of 251 · published 2016 Anthology · David Annandale
Total War: Lord of Chaos
Book 84 of 251 · published 2016 Anthology · Rob Sanders
Deathwatch: Swordwind
Book 85 of 251 · published 2016 Anthology · Ian St. Martin
The Dark Hollows of Memory
Book 88 of 251 · published 2016 Anthology · David Annandale
The Heraclitus Effect
Book 90 of 251 · published 2016 Anthology · Graham McNeill
Way of the Dead: Three Knights
Book 91 of 251 · published 2016 Anthology · Graham McNeill
A Trick of the Light
Book 98 of 251 · published 2017 Anthology · Joshua Reynolds
Herren Von Fenris
Book 99 of 251 · published 2017 Anthology · Ben Counter,Sarah Anne Bülow,Anthea Wiederspohn
The Vorago Fastness
Book 100 of 251 · published 2017 Anthology · David Annandale
Warlord: Fury of the God-Machine
Book 104 of 251 · published 2017 Anthology · David Annandale
Legacy of the Wulfen
Book 106 of 251 · published 2017 Anthology · David Annandale,Robbie MacNiven
Champions of the Eternal War
Book 113 of 251 · published 2017 Anthology · Joshua Reynolds
Deathwatch: The Omnibus
Book 114 of 251 · published 2017 Anthology · Ian St. Martin,Justin D. Hill,Steve Parker
Lukas the Trickster
Book 119 of 251 · published 2018 Anthology · Joshua Reynolds
The Lords of Silence
Book 126 of 251 · published 2018 Anthology · Chris Wraight
Judge of the Wastes
Book 129 of 251 · published 2018 Anthology · David Annandale
Masters of Stone and Steel
Book 130 of 251 · published 2018 Anthology · Gav Thorpe,Nick Kyme
The Enemy of My Enemy
Book 134 of 251 · published 2018 Anthology · Nate Crowley
Spear of the Emperor
Book 135 of 251 · published 2018 Anthology · Aaron Dembski-Bowden
Celestine: The Living Saint
Book 136 of 251 · published 2019 Anthology · Andy Clark
Sabbat Crusade: The Deeper Wounds
Book 138 of 251 · published 2019 Anthology · David Annandale
Redemption Through Sacrifice
Book 141 of 251 · published 2019 Anthology · Justin Woolley
Agents of the Imperium
Book 142 of 251 · published 2019 Anthology · David Annandale
Servants of the Imperium
Book 143 of 251 · published 2019 Anthology · Nick Kyme,Danie Ware,Ian St. Martin
Belisarius Cawl: The Great Work
Book 147 of 251 · published 2019 Anthology · Guy Haley
The Colonel's Monograph
Book 150 of 251 · published 2019 Anthology · Graham McNeill
Vaults of Obsidian
Book 152 of 251 · published 2019 Anthology · David Annandale,Gav Thorpe,Nick Kyme,Darius Hinks,Joshua Reynolds,Guy Haley,J.C. Stearns,Denny Flowers,Nicholas Wolf
Assassinorum: Divine Sanction
Book 154 of 251 · published 2019 Anthology · Robert Rath
Opération: Shadowbreaker
Book 155 of 251 · published 2020 Anthology · Steve Parker
Journey of the Magi
Book 156 of 251 · published 2020 Anthology · Jonathan Green
Lord of the Dark Millennium
Book 157 of 251 · published 2020 Anthology · Dan Abnett
Where Dere’s da Warp Dere’s a Way
Book 161 of 251 · published 2020 Anthology · Mike Brooks
Warriors and Warlords
Book 163 of 251 · published 2020 Anthology · Gav Thorpe,Steve Lyons,Graham McNeill,Joshua Reynolds,Peter McLean,Guy Haley,Chris Wraight,Robbie MacNiven,Rachel Harrison,Phil Kelly,MattSmith
Deathwatch: Xenos Hunters
Book 164 of 251 · published 2020 Anthology · Christian Z. Dunn,Steve Parker
The Oath in Darkness
Book 166 of 251 · published 2020 Anthology · David Annandale
The Karsharat Abomination
Book 170 of 251 · published 2020 Anthology · George Mann
Imperium at War
Book 171 of 251 · published 2020 Anthology · Steve Lyons,Nate Crowley,Danie Ware,Thomas Parrott,Edoardo Albert
Assassinorum: Iron Sight
Book 172 of 251 · published 2020 Anthology · Robert Rath
The Hammer and the Eagle: Icons of Warhammer
Book 173 of 251 · published 2020 Anthology · Dan Abnett,David Annandale,Gav Thorpe,Graham McNeill,Aaron Dembski-Bowden,Nick Kyme,Sandy Mitchell,Joshua Reynolds,Danie Ware,Guy Haley,Chris Wraight,David Guymer,Andy Clark,C.L. Werner,Justin D. Hill,Rachel Harrison,John French,Nick Horth
The Infinite and The Divine
Book 176 of 251 · published 2020 Anthology · Robert Rath
Nexus & Other Stories
Book 177 of 251 · published 2020 Anthology · Dan Abnett,Steve Parker,Joshua Reynolds,Peter McLean,Mike Brooks,Danie Ware,Guy Haley,Chris Wraight,Rachel Harrison,Robert Rath,J.C. Stearns,Thomas Parrott,Phil Kelly,Marc Collins
Darkness in the Blood: Blood Angels
Book 178 of 251 · published 2020 Anthology · Guy Haley
The Shapers of Scars
Book 179 of 251 · published 2020 Anthology · Marc Collins
Ephrael Stern: The Heretic Saint
Book 180 of 251 · published 2020 Anthology · David Annandale
Assassinorum: Live Wire
Book 181 of 251 · published 2020 Anthology · Robert Rath
The Labyrinth of Lost Souls
Book 184 of 251 · published 2021 Anthology · Graham McNeill
Sabbat War
Book 188 of 251 · published 2021 Anthology · Dan Abnett,Graham McNeill,Matthew Farrer,Justin D. Hill,Rachel Harrison,John French,Edoardo Albert,John French Sloan
The Twice-Dead King: Ruin
Book 189 of 251 · published 2021 Anthology · Nate Crowley
Angels of Darkness and Blood
Book 192 of 251 · published 2021 Anthology · James Swallow,Ben Counter
Servants of the Inquisition
Book 193 of 251 · published 2021 Anthology · Ben Counter,John French
Astorath: Angel of Mercy
Book 199 of 251 · published 2022 Anthology · Guy Haley
Ghazghkull Thraka: Prophet of the Waaagh!
Book 200 of 251 · published 2022 Anthology · Nate Crowley
Assassinorum Kingmaker
Book 201 of 251 · published 2022 Anthology · Robert Rath
Huron Blackheart: Master of the Maelstrom
Book 202 of 251 · published 2022 Anthology · Mike Brooks
The Triumph Of Saint Katherine
Book 203 of 251 · published 2022 Anthology · Danie Ware
The Brightest And Best
Book 205 of 251 · published 2022 Anthology · Mike Brooks
Helbrecht Knight Of The Throne
Book 208 of 251 · published 2022 Anthology · Marc Collins
The Twice-Dead King: Reign
Book 211 of 251 · published 2022 Anthology · Nate Crowley
Renegades: Harrowmaster
Book 212 of 251 · published 2022 Anthology · Mike Brooks
Only War: Stories from the 41st Millennium
Book 213 of 251 · published 2022 Anthology · Edoardo Albert
The Lion: Son of the Forest
Book 220 of 251 · published 2023 Anthology · Mike Brooks
Cypher: Lord of the Fallen
Book 221 of 251 · published 2023 Anthology · John French
Yarrick: The Omnibus
Book 231 of 251 · published 2024 Anthology · David Annandale
Lelith Hesperax: Queen of Knives
Book 233 of 251 · published 2024 Anthology · Mike Brooks
Soldiers of the Imperium
Book 237 of 251 · published 2025 Anthology · Steve Lyons
Aestred Thurga: Pyre of Faith
Book 244 of 251 · published 2026 Anthology · Danie Ware
Da Freebooterz Code
Book 246 of 251 · published 2026 Anthology · Justin Woolley
Legends of the Waaagh!
Book 249 of 251 · published 2026 Anthology · Dan Abnett
The Wicked and the Warped
Book 250 of 251 · published 2026 Anthology · Robert Rath
Dawn of Fire: Crusade of Vengeance
Latest in the series · book 251 of 251 · published 2026 Anthology · Gav Thorpe,Guy Haley,Andy Clark
? Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Richard Swan?
Richard Swan is a bestselling author of science fiction and fantasy that is best known for the “Art of War” trilogy. Swan was born in North Yorkshire and spent many years living in Royal Airforce bases in Lincolnshire and Yorkshire and became obsessed with fighter jets. Swan began writing while he was still very young.
Which Richard Swan series should I start with?
The best place to start is The Art of War Trilogy series, the earliest of Richard Swan's multi-book series: it opens with Reclamation (2015) and runs to 4 books across 2015–2018, ending with Hadan's Reach (2018). Richard Swan's other series stand alone, so they can be read in any order.
How many books has Richard Swan written?
Richard Swan has 271 books catalogued in this guide, published between 1980 and 2026. 265 of them belong to 6 named series — the largest being the Empire of the Wolf series with 5 books — and 6 are standalone titles, collections or anthologies.
In what order should Richard Swan's series be read?
Read each series in publication order — the numbered entries in each series follow the year each book first appeared. Richard Swan's series do not depend on one another, so they can be started in any order; by start date they are The Art of War Trilogy (2015–2018, 4 books), Ascendancy WarShort Stories/Novellas (2016–2017, 2 books) and Empire of the Wolf (2022–2026, 5 books), plus 2 more.
How are Richard Swan's books organised into series?
This guide splits Richard Swan's 271 books into 6 named series and 6 titles that stand alone or appear only in collections: Empire of the Wolf (5 books, 2022–2026); The Art of War Trilogy (4 books, 2015–2018); Ascendancy WarShort Stories/Novellas (2 books, 2016–2017); The Great Silence (2 books, 2025–2026); The Decurion Saga (1 book, 2026), plus 1 further series.