The Formic Wars
science fiction
Series · science fiction
Ahriman
The Ahriman series by John French has 5 known books (5 published). It is best read in publication order, starting with Ahriman: Exile (2013). Ahriman: Unchanged is the latest book with a fully recorded publication date.
- Books
- 5 known books (5 novels)
- Published
- 5
- First published
- 2012
- Status
- ongoing
- Shelved under
- Science Fiction
Start here: Ahriman: Exile (2013)
— then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The date order of published books and any announced future entries — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
Ahriman: Exile
Ahriman: Exile opens John French's series in 2013, introducing Ahzek Ahriman, the exiled former Chief Librarian of the Thousand Sons whose ritual to save his Legion instead froze most of them into living statues. Cast out for the act, he wanders the galaxy as a sorcerer of Tzeentch hunting the knowledge to undo his own mistake. It runs 416 pages. Alternative text for cover: Cover of Ahriman: Exile - Book 2:
Ahriman: Sorcerer
Ahriman: Sorcerer followed in 2014 at 409 pages, close in length to the series opener, continuing Ahriman's obsessive hunt for the knowledge to reverse the Rubric that has defined the Thousand Sons' tragedy for ten thousand years. Alternative text for cover: Cover of Ahriman: Sorcerer - Book 3:
Ahriman: Unchanged
Ahriman: Unchanged, dated 3 December 2015, matches Ahriman: Exile at 416 pages, closing out the original trilogy's three-year run as Ahriman's hunt for a way to undo his own greatest mistake reaches its first conclusion. Alternative text for cover: Cover of Ahriman: Unchanged - Book 4:
Ahriman: Eternal
Ahriman: Eternal did not appear until 2022, seven years after Ahriman: Unchanged, at 336 pages -- the shortest book in the series -- opening a new gambit as Ahriman attempts to bend time itself and prevent the Rubric from ever being needed. Alternative text for cover: Cover of Ahriman: Eternal - Book 5:
Ahriman: Undying
Ahriman: Undying, the fifth and most recent novel, was published in 2024 at 368 pages, two years after Ahriman: Eternal, continuing Ahriman's audacious attempt to reach back through time and stop his own catastrophic ritual before it happens. Alternative text for cover: Cover of Ahriman: Undying
Key facts about the Ahriman series
The Ahriman series has 5 books on our list. Since all 5 are out now, you can read the whole list today.
Start with Ahriman: Exile, since it opens the publication order in 2013. Ahriman: Sorcerer is book 2, from 2014. Ahriman: Unchanged is book 3, from 2015.
Ahriman: Eternal is book 4, from 2022. Ahriman: Undying is book 5, from 2024.
Each title links to its own page, while the list keeps them in date order. Each book page shows its dates and editions.
Ahriman: Unchanged is the latest book with a full release date, out on 3 December 2015. The catalogue marks it as ongoing, yet no next book has a date so far.
The books came out between 2013 and 2024, while their length runs from 336 to 416 pages. That is a run of 11 years.
John French has 13 books on our list. Additionally, they write The Horusian Wars and Cado Ezechiar. We shelve the books under science fiction.
About the Ahriman series
John French's Ahriman series follows Ahzek Ahriman, the exiled former Chief Librarian of the Thousand Sons Space Marine Legion, whose ancient ritual to save his brothers from a slow psychic death instead froze most of them into living statues -- the "Rubric" that has defined the Thousand Sons' tragedy for ten thousand years. Cast out even by his own kind for the act, Ahriman wanders the galaxy as a sorcerer of Tzeentch, obsessively hunting the knowledge to finally undo his own greatest mistake. Ahriman: Exile (2012), Ahriman: Sorcerer (2014) and Ahriman: Unchanged (2015) form the original trilogy charting that hunt; a decade later, Ahriman: Eternal (2022) and Ahriman: Undying (2024) continued the story as Ahriman attempts an even more audacious gambit -- bending time itself to reach back and prevent the Rubric from ever being needed.
French writes Ahriman not as a straightforward villain but as a self-aware antihero whose intelligence and guilt are inseparable from his monstrousness -- a character who understands exactly how much horror he's caused and is still willing to cause more to fix it. The series is widely regarded as one of Black Library's most psychologically complex takes on a Warhammer 40,000 "villain protagonist," and its narrative influence extends into other 40K fiction exploring the Thousand Sons and the Eye of Terror.
Frequently asked questions
How many books are in the Ahriman series?
Five novels: Exile (2012), Sorcerer (2014), Unchanged (2015), Eternal (2022), and Undying (2024).
What order should I read the Ahriman books in?
Publication order: Exile, Sorcerer, Unchanged, Eternal, Undying. The first three are the original trilogy; Eternal and Undying are a later continuation that assumes you've read them.
Do I need to read the Ahriman short stories too?
No. Several short stories and audio dramas (collected in Ahriman: Exodus and elsewhere) expand on the character between novels, but this catalogue tracks novel-length entries only, consistent with its general scope.
Is the Ahriman series finished?
As of Ahriman: Undying (2024) the series is ongoing with no further volume confirmed at the time of this curation.
If you like the Ahriman series
Last updated