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Belisarius Cawl

by Guy Haley

The Belisarius Cawl series by Guy Haley has 3 known books (3 published). It is best read in publication order, starting with Belisarius Cawl: The Great Work (2019). Archmagos is the latest book with a fully recorded publication date.

Books
3 known books (3 novels)
Published
3
First published
2019
Status
completed
Shelved under
Science Fiction
Start here: Belisarius Cawl: The Great Work (2019) — then read straight through in publication order.
Book one
Cover of Belisarius Cawl: The Great Work
Belisarius Cawl: The Great Work (2019)

Reading order

The date order of published books and any announced future entries — the default way to read the series.

  1. Belisarius Cawl: The Great Work

    Novel
    The Great Work opened Guy Haley's Belisarius Cawl trilogy in 2019 at 416 pages -- the longest of the three novels -- sending the Archmagos to the dead world of Sotha in search of a lynchpin technology for his self-appointed Great Work.
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  2. Genefather

    Novel
    Genefather followed in October 2023 at 352 pages, pitting Archmagos Belisarius Cawl against his dark mirror, the renegade Chaos scientist Fabius Bile, at the gathering on Pontus Avernes -- the middle chapter of Guy Haley's trilogy about Cawl's self-appointed Great Work.
    View book

  3. Archmagos

    Novel
    Archmagos closed the trilogy on 21 November 2025 at 384 pages, with Cawl racing to secure ancient necron control codes as Roboute Guilliman's window to act narrows.
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Key facts about the Belisarius Cawl series

The Belisarius Cawl series has 3 books on our list. Since all 3 are out now, you can read the whole list today.

Start with Belisarius Cawl: The Great Work, since it opens the publication order in 2019. Genefather is book 2, from 2023. Archmagos is book 3, from 2025.

Each title links to its own page, while the list keeps them in date order. Each book page shows its dates and editions.

Archmagos is the latest book with a full release date, out on 21 November 2025. Since the catalogue marks the series as complete, we list no next book.

The books came out between 2019 and 2025, while their length runs from 352 to 416 pages. That is a run of 6 years.

Guy Haley has 15 books on our list. Additionally, they write Richards & Klein, Dreaming Cities and Dark Imperium. We shelve the books under science fiction.

About the Belisarius Cawl series

The Belisarius Cawl trilogy follows the Adeptus Mechanicus' most brilliant and heretical Archmagos -- creator of the Primaris Space Marines and secret architect of much of the Imperium's modern military resurgence -- as he pursues his self-appointed "Great Work": a millennia-spanning plan to save humanity that answers to no one, not even the Emperor. Belisarius Cawl: The Great Work (2019) sends Cawl to the dead world of Sotha in search of a lynchpin technology for his plan; Genefather (2023) pits him against his own dark mirror, the renegade Chaos scientist Fabius Bile, at the gathering on Pontus Avernes; Archmagos (2025) has Cawl racing to secure ancient necron control codes needed to stabilize a passage into the Imperium's isolated far side, as Roboute Guilliman's window to act narrows.

Guy Haley has written Cawl as one of Warhammer 40,000's most quietly unsettling figures -- a being who long ago stopped answering to any human chain of command and now manipulates the Imperium's highest authorities toward ends only he fully understands, giving the trilogy a distinct flavour of scientific-conspiracy thriller inside the wider setting's war fiction.

Frequently asked questions

How many books are in the Belisarius Cawl trilogy?

Three: The Great Work (2019), Genefather (2023), and Archmagos (2025).

What order should I read the Belisarius Cawl books in?

Publication order: The Great Work, Genefather, Archmagos.

Who is Belisarius Cawl?

The Adeptus Mechanicus Archmagos who secretly created the Primaris Space Marines and pursues his own millennia-long plan to save humanity, answering to no one -- not even the Emperor or Roboute Guilliman.

Is the Belisarius Cawl trilogy finished?

Yes, as of Archmagos (2025) the trilogy is complete; no further volumes have been announced under this title as of this writing.

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