New Book Review - Lorgar: Bearer of the Word - Gav Thorpe

Book - Lorgar: Bearer of the Word

Writer - Gav Thorpe 

Series - Horus Heresy: Primarchs #5

Narrator - Jonathan Keeble

Publisher - Games Workshop / Black Library 

There are times when you know beforehand that the book you are picking up is bound to be a bleak and gut-wrenching experience, but you still do read it because you want to observe the execution and the lore. If you are into Horus Heresy you know about the tragic story of Lorgars upbringing from various internet resources, but it will surely be quite difficult to give up experiencing it as a Black Library novel.

Most of the story of 'Bearer of the Word' takes place during Lorgar's younger years, told from the viewpoints of Kor Phaeron and one of his slaves Nairo, as they view the superhuman charisma of Lorgar while trying to manipulate him for their own purposes.

The harsh upbringing of Lorgar is explained through glimpses of his foundation into the religious doctrines of the dry world of Colchis. The geography and broader religion of this world are also explored somewhat during the telling of his story and action takes a backseat as the author focuses more on telling us why and how Lorgar became one of the most important precursors in the design of chaos to bring about the heresy.

None of the characters presented here are likeable, having little redeemable qualities and all vigorously attempting to use Lorgar to promote their own agenda. Kor Phaeron is a despicable father figure and always scheming behind his adoptive sons back for his own vested interests. Even faced with the inevitable coming of the Emperor, he keeps thinking of ways to reestablish his old religion rather than progress into the ways of the empire.

Lorgar himself is a character having multiple layers despite seeming too gullible and innocent at first. I would have really liked it if the author had explored further upon his psyche. I would have loved a chapter detailing the Emperor's arrival and how Kor Phaeron and Lorgar perceived it. And despite everything due to the subject, the audiobook seemed like a hard listen due to mental and physical tortures and other unwholesome aspects of the story.

The narration by Jonathan Keeble was simply sublime and added much to the atmosphere and psyche of the characters and made some of the slog through the harder bits of the prose bearable.

This gets 3.5 out of 5 stars from me, and I would definitely like a sequel of sorts detailing further exploration into the early days of the Word Bearers, as I am a fan of them as a Legion (sure as hell I am a minority here).

Short Story Review - Blood Harvest by Richard Swan

Name -  Blood Harvest 

Writer - Richard Swan 

Series - Warhammer 40k

Published By - Games Workshop/ Black Library 

This was my second read from Richard Swan. My first one was another Black Library short, which I found average and only started this one because this story was related to ' Tears of Raphaela'. This one was certainly much better and I kind of ended up wanting to read more about these characters and this conflict.

This is the story of a planet dealing with the onslaught of a Tyranid wave. We are introduced with some lowly conscripts who seem quite unlikeable at the beginning, then we get introduced with a fearsome warrior who seems to have some hidden agenda about helping the normal humans at first. Then the struggle for survival starts.

The action sequences are quite engrossing, and Tyranids are as fearsome villains as always. Despite the short scope the characters get interesting development, the dialogues are very enjoyable and the ending is quite different from typical 40k short.

All in all, this is one of the best black library short stories of last year in my opinion. 4.5 out of 5 stars from me.

Short Story Review - Death of a Silversmith by Graham McNeill

Short Story - Death of a Silversmith 

Writer - Graham McNeill

Series - Horus Heresy

Published By - Games Warkshop / Black Library

This is a very simplistic short story set in the early days of the Horus Heresy, the events set even before the fall of the Warmaster even truly began. The style was quite unique by the virtue of being narrated by a regular human, but it does shine light on a very important object/artifact from the age of the great crusade. 

The story happens aboard of the 'Vengeful Spirit' and includes a brief yet interesting cameo by Sejanus which is always something to enjoy. Most of the story deals with the silversmith remembering his past life and wondering about the true reasons behind his current predicament. The hints about the things to come regarding the grand scheme of things were the actual enjoyable aspect of the story. 

As with any Horus Heresy story, this will cater to the taste of the fans of the series who understand the context of the event and characters. I as a fan of the series liked the little tidbits of information that were on offer here. 

3.5 out of 5 stars from me. 

Audiobook Review - The Interrogation of Salvor Lermentov

Name: The Interrogation of Salvor Lermentov

Series: Vaults of Terra

Published by: Black Library / Games Workshop

Writer: Chris Wraight

Performed by: John Banks & David Seddon

As an audio drama set in the 'Vaults of Terra' series, this is situated just after the first book. While this doesn't add much to the story, it does deal with the fate of one of the side characters. It also is a short statement regarding the current state of the Imperium of man, presented through a charged conversation between two men with very different opinions. 

Salvor Lermentov was one of the interesting side characters of ' The Carrion Throne' and Inquisitor Cowl was my favourite character in the book. So, despite the predictable direction of their meeting and the equalling predictable outcome, it was fun to hear them talk. Some more insights into the backstory of Lermentov were presented here, as well as the origins of his motivation. 

The performance by John Backs and David Seddon were great. I liked the emotionally charged arguments and the background music also added to the overall enjoyment. Their pronunciations were quite clear and understandable. 

This was a fun experience that should reinvigorate readers' interest in the future books of the series. Despite its short length and this not being essential for understanding the series it was a fun experience nonetheless. 

3.5 out of 5 stars from me.