So how would one start checking Warhammer without any prior knowledge?

I started my journy this summer. I found some websites talking about where to start and so I followed them. Books vary in quality quite a bit. Eisenhorn was too dry, but the Nightlords trilogy was excelent. Start by watching a YT video about the lore, just a simple rundown in 15 min and pick up any book about a faction that catches your eye. My suggestion is to skip the Path of Eldar books. They are just bad.

@Tugboater203
Initially I wouldn't recommend it, but I've been coming around to the idea that you should start with the first three Horus Heresy novels, because the event is so foundational to the rest of 40K.
I by no means recommend someone then go on to the other 60 books in the series, but Horus Rising, False Gods, and Galaxy In Flames provide so much background and context to what comes after.

The Infinite and the Divine. Follows two Necrons, but you don’t need to know anything at all about them or 40K beforehand. It’s standalone, but connects with another set of books should you want more. It eases you into the density of the lore, while having the over the top charm we love about 40K.

Having read I don’t know how many warhammer books at this point I disagree with the Eisenhorn starting point. It’s good, but if you’ve read any sci/fi fantasy novel in the last 20 years then you’ve basically read Eisenhorn, but now it has a 40K paint job. Follows humans, which granted are interesting in the universe, but we’ve read enough about humans check out some immortal space robot mummies instead!

Eisenhorn novels and Cain novels are good starts. I haven’t read gaunts ghosts but I hear they are cool as well.

The other thing I’d recommend is hopping in any 40K Wiki and clicking around until you find something that interests you then find a novel based on them. As long as you aren’t jumping into the middle of a multi book series you should be fine.

40k can seem overwhelming because of the sheer amount of lore, but keep in mind this is a universe that's been added to but by bit over many years, and that you don't need to be an expert in every recessed detail of it. You can jump in from pretty much any angle, and you'll learn bits and pieces. The universe was designed in a way where not knowing certain deep rabbit holes is itself part of the universe, which is full of ignorance, garbled retellings of events, and outright myth.

Novels aren't the only way to dive into the 40k universe. It is a universe that really works when presented with a combination of art, tabletop photos, short stories, lore snippets, and the occasional longer form.

3rd through 5th edition codexes and the main rulebook are a gateway into the universe even if you don't plan on using any of the rules. All codexes and books have lore, but I personally love this era of 40k and the rulebooks for it can be found relatively cheaply.

I will warn you, as a Dune and SW fan myself, the lore and books probably are equal or surpass them. I’ve been a fan of the storyline since the 90s and with the advent of the Horus Heresy series back in the early 2000s it made my day.

That being said. A lot of people will suggest that as a starting point. It actually takes place 10k before the current events and follows everything that leads up to the downfall of the Imperium and how it ends up being basically the Grimdark setting it is today. It’s about 60+ books and some heavy reading.

The last few of that series (which JUST ended) is sort of considered a separate series called the Siege of Terra and follows the end of the Horus Heresy and the final battle between Horus and the Emperor and explains how he ended up on the Golden Throne.

If you would like something more current and a little shorter read there is the Eisenhorn series. It’s a fantastic series about an Inquisitor and his retinue. It’s a very popular 40k series.

Eisenhorn

Emperor Text to Speech :D

I started with All Guardsmen Party, only understanding about half of what was going on through context clues and some familiar names.

Now, for what I think might actually be a decent introduction to the lore: Eisenhorn trilogy, Ciaphas Cain, Helsreach, the Night Lords omnibus... And honestly, if you have any faction you're particularly interested in, just pick a book that focuses on them. If you like a certain Space Marine chapter, pick one of their books. They have internal series but each group of books is greatly independent from all others. I started with the Carcharodons books and really enjoyed them. I absolutely loved reading Assassinorum:Kingmaker because I really love the Imperial Knights giant robots. Look around.

I know next to nothing either but if you like crpgs, I've been having a blast with Rouge Trader. I felt like this was the best path to take to get the breadth of the universe.

I started this year with the first Space Marine game because it was clear after the announcement of both Space Marine 2 and Secret Level episode that Game Workshop has big plans for Titus as a character lore wise (a way to makes it appeal to bigger audience with a less grim dark hero that people with no prior knowledge to the universe can more easily relate to? 🤔).

I followed with the polar books in the Varangantua city because I love polar and now I'm reading the HUGE Horus Heresy because Warhammer 30k is the absolute beginning but with 93 books I don't recommand starting from it unless you are sure you want to commit 😅.

Eisenhorn.

@Tugboater203 lots of great suggestions, but if you like the human soldier (Imperial Guard! Astra Militarum!) - I’m a fan of Gaunts Ghosts. It’s a bit rough in the latter books - you can stop really at Necropolis, which was always one of my favorites. Lots of great moments and really nails why Chaos is the bad guy.

Helsreach was my introduction to the universe

I started with Gaunt's Ghosts by Dan Abnett. I think I read all of the ones that he wrote in that series, then Eisenhorn, and Horus Heresy.