Newbie Help

Well. There are plenty of places you could start depending on your interests. The Horus Heresy was where I first started with Warhammer 40K. I got so interested in the books that I started playing the tabletop.

So yes start with Horus Rising and work your way through the series. Its a great insight on the way Space Marines think and feel. Also if you like Chaos Space Marines in general a good series is the Word Bearer books like Dark Apostle ect ect.

Well. My very first introduction to the Loyalist Space Marines was the Space Wolf Omnibus. Effing great read. It follows the tale of Ragnar Blackmane, its a rip roaring romp through his transformation from a mere mortal boy to a true blue space marine.

Both of the Omnibus' are out so I'd highly recommend you to pick those up. Plus as a side note if you're interested in the other races... Particularly the Eldar I'd get the book Path of the Warrior. All I can say about this book is wow... I am not even halfway through and already I expect a sequel to this amazing tale.