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Series · science fiction

Belisarius Cawl

by Guy Haley

The Belisarius Cawl series by Guy Haley has 3 books and is best read in publication order, starting with Belisarius Cawl: The Great Work (2019).

Books
3 books
First published
2019
Status
completed
Last checked

Start here: Belisarius Cawl: The Great Work (2019) — then read straight through in publication order.

Book one

Cover of Belisarius Cawl: The Great Work, the first book in Belisarius Cawl

Belisarius Cawl: The Great Work (2019)

Reading order

The order the books were released — the default way to read the series.

  1. Belisarius Cawl: The Great Work

    Novel

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  2. Genefather

    Novel

    View book

  3. Archmagos

    Novel

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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.

Reading order last verified .