kai2: ...novel
Warblade (book 3 of the Konrad trilogy)...
If you are looking for a starting point in reading Warhammer then you can start with any of these ,depending on what interests you more:
Warhammer 30k: The first 4-5 novels of the Horus Heresy. "Horus Rising" -> "False Gods" -> "Galaxy in Flames" -> "The Flight of the Eisenstein" -> "Fulgrim". After that point the series gets more and more diluted, but this beginning makes a for a very well constructed storyline.
Warhammer 40k: The Eisenhorn series, is an amazing standalone starting point. The "Eisenhorn" omnibus, has been out of print for a while now, but you can find the "Xenos" -> "Malleus" -> "Hereticus", as individual novels. Recently, "The Magos" has joined the series, and these four novels form the gold standard.
Warhammer 40k: The "Gaunt's Ghosts" series, makes for and excellent starting point. I haven't read any of them, but they are universally recommended.
Warhammer Fantasy: The "Gotrek and Felix" omnibuses are an amazing starting point for Warhammer Fantasy. The first and second omnibuses(and the first novel of the third omnibus), were written/conceived by William King, and they are the gold standard! Unfortunately, William King died, and the series was taken over by another writer. I heard that his novels started up disappointing, but he does get better. By the way, the forth omnibus will come out in about five months.
These recommendations are excellent starting points because they don't require any previous knowledge of the series, and slowly introduce world building elements. After you read these, should you be interested in more, it's easy to go about. You just pick a race/faction that you liked, and read more about it. The novels are basically set up, so that if you like Ultramarines, you can just read the series about the Ultramarines. If you like eldar/dark eldar then you can read exclusively about them.
For example recently, I was interested in reading about the Adepta Sororitas, so I started looking for the "Sisters of Battle: The Omnibus", but unfortunately I discovered that this has gone out of print.:(