Helion Rain by George Mann (Audiobook)

The world of Idos is on the verge of destruction, wracked by catastrophic storms and plagued by ravening tyranids. Into this maelstrom come the Raven Guard 4th Company, the warzone perfectly suited to their lightning-strike methods of combat. Led by Veteran Sergeant Grayvus, their mission is simple – to rescue the planet’s last survivors. But in the midst of this nightmare, they receive new orders to locate and destroy a power station..

By way of introduction to Sergeant Grayvus of the Raven Guard, Helion Rain drops you into the middle of the war for the survival of the imperial world of Idos. Plagued by the unrelenting Tyranids and hammered by the meteor swarms sweeping the world, Idos stands on the brink of destruction.

In HR, George Mann eschews the preliminary stages of the war to focus on the desperate gambit which could change the outcome of this war, the kind of behind-enemy-lines raid the Raven Guard are so good at, and which is entrusted to Grayvus and his squad of scouts. Mann does make the assumption that the listener is at least familiar with the basics of the 40K universe here, but to be fair it is a relatively safe bet.

HR is combat heavy, with the background chatter of bolters and howling aliens a near constant throughout as Grayvus and his squad fight their way towards their objective, although Mann makes full use of the lulls between engagements to flesh out some of the traditions of the Raven Guard, and perhaps it’s the relative fleeting nature of these moments that gives them more impact.

Performed by Black Library stalwart Toby Longworth, the characters voices are clear, and the background sound effects are used well, never overpowering or undermining the narrative. All in, it’s a nice piece that underlines the war in Warhammer, gloriously oversupplied with exploding xenos and the desperate heroism of the Astartes.

Garro: Legion of One by James Swallow

Nathaniel Garro, loyalist Death Guard, and hero of the Eisenstein, has found a new calling in his service to the Emperor. Surrounded by a cloak of secrecy, Garro travels the galaxy in pursuit of his new goal. His quest will lead him to heart of the most destructive warzones, and reveal a secret that will change the course of the Horus Heresy itself...

Legion of One follows on from Oath of Moment, which I reviewed in December, and is released in April. Oath of Moment was brilliant, so when I transferred Legion onto my ipod my excitement was tempered with a note of trepidation. Fortunately, this was one of those too rare occasions where the sequel doesn’t suck.

Legion is set a year after Garro recruited Brother Rubio, and introduces another member of his team, Varen the World Eater, who like Garro had remained loyal in defiance of his erstwhile brethren. But now Malcador’s orders have brought them to a virus bombed shell of a planet, its surface home to nothing but ruined cities and the ghosts of those who called Istvaan III home.

Or so it would seem..

The backdrop of the ruined world evokes some great imagery, and when the revenant known as Cerberus made his appearance it made me grin like a madman.

It’s another strong performance by both James Swallow and Toby Longworth, and one that sets the bar very high indeed for those to follow. James is onto a winner here and I know I’m not alone when I say that the wait for the next instalment is going to feel very long indeed.

You can listen to an extract here.

Garro: Oath of Moment by James Swallow (Audio Book)

In surviving the horrors on board the Eisenstein, Nathaniel Garro proved his courage and absolute loyalty to the Emperor. On his return to Terra, Garro is despatched on a mission of even greater importance – a mission given to him by Malcador the Sigillite himself. He soon finds himself back amongst the stars and on the fields of battle, thrust into a warzone where the Ultramarines are believed to be battling a greenskin invasion. Once again Garro must fight for survival, but now he also fights to achieve a higher purpose...

Garro: Oath of Moment picks up the story of Nathaniel Garro, the man of the hour of James Swallow’s first Horus Heresy novel “The Flight of the Eisenstein”, and jumps in at the battle for Calth as Imperial forces and the Ultramarines battle the turncoat Word Bearers. It’s here, amongst the death and fire of battle that the grey armoured figure of Garro emerges, implacable and deadly.

How he comes to be there and the crux of his new mission is revealed in a series of smoothly integrated flashback sequences that compliment rather than detract from the pace of the story. Garro reveals his purpose to the warrior he has come to recruit, but finds that the loyalty he holds so dear now threatens his mission as the Word Bearers close in. The action is vividly described, with the sound effects enhancing the experience without competing against Toby Longworth’s narration.

Garro was an engaging, heroic character in Flight of the Eisenstein, and it’s good to have him back again. Grim, deadly and bearing a righteous hatred for the traitor Legions who have followed Horus, he represents everything that’s cool about loyalist Space Marines, and his new mission from Malcador is positively bursting with potential for some great storytelling.

For me, this is by far Toby’s best performance to date, and he brings James’ story to life. I cued it up on my iPod while I was writing this, and I’ve been sitting here doodling Space Marines on my notepad for the last half an hour, listening to it for the 3^rd time, unable to stop myself even if I wanted to. If you’re looking to give 40K audio a go, this is what you’re looking for – you don’t need to have read Flight of the Eisenstein, although you’ll have a much better feel for Garro’s character if you have.

The second instalment, Garro: Legion of One, is out next April, which feels like a painfully long time to wait when you all you want to do is find out what happens next!

You can listen to an extract of Oath of Moment here.

Raven's Flight - Gav Thorpe

After the horrors of the Dropsite Massacre, Corax and his mighty Raven Guard face a desperate struggle to survive in the caves and mountains of Isstvan V. Escape from the roaming Chaos Legions seems impossible.

Meanwhile, Colonel Valerius of the Imperial army begins suffering horrific dreams, believing the Raven Guard to be in trouble – are such nightmares enough to initiate a daring rescue?

The decimated Legion must hold out against the forces of the World Eaters long enough to reach an improbable salvation and escape this hostile world.
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Hostile world? More like a deathtrap. The Horus Heresy culminated in the assault on Terra, but for me the Dropsite Massacre stands out as the greater, more bitter betrayal- the first open conflict between the Space Marine chapters. With meticulous planning, the Warmaster Horus and the Legions he had swayed to his cause launched a lethal assault on those who remained loyal to the Emperor. It’s a devastating action, both in terms of the lives lost and that it marked the end of the Great Crusade and everything it stood for.

I was pleased to see that it was being read by Toby Longworth- I’d really enjoyed his reading of James Swallow’s Heart of Rage earlier this year, and I wasn’t disappointed this time either. The characters are distinct and his enunciation is bang on target throughout.

The background effects add to the atmosphere but are never allowed to become intrusive, which lends them more weight when they are employed.

The pace soon picks up as the action switches to the Raven Guard on Isstvan- the action comes thick and fast, with much of the carnage seen from Corax’s perspective and it’s quite a ride when battle is joined. The action, while gripping and bloody, is balanced out by the poignancy of the situation as the fallout of the massacre becomes apparent.

There’s a lot crammed into the 75 minute running time but this flies by, testament to both Toby’s delivery and Gav’s writing. It’s fun and entertaining in its own right, but works best as a supplement the Horus Heresy series.