Garro: Oath of Moment by James Swallow. Read by Toby Longworth

Garro: Oath of Moment : James Swallow / Toby Longworth

“My name is Nathaniel Garro, and I am a Legion of One.”

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 dispatched 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 purported to be battling a greenskin invasion. Once again Garro must fight for survival, but now he also fights to achieve a higher purpose...

~http://www.blacklibrary.com/Horus-Heresy/Garro-Oath-of-Moment.html

Now then, where to start? I guess; as this is an audiobook, I will be doing a few things differently to a novel review, just to let you know. This is the second audiobook that I’ve ever brought, the first being Throne of Lies and I can say that I found it interesting, very interesting, particularly since it focuses on Nathaniel Garro, whom many of you will remember from Swallow’s non-audiobook, also a Horus Heresy novel, called The Flight of the Eisenstein.

Although Oath of Moment seemed short compared to standard Black Library novels, being 70 minutes in length, it was a nice listen.

Oath of Moment is a fast-paced, action packed listen, and although it had a weak plot (come on, it’s basically Garro searching for somebody to help Malcador), it does feature the Battle of Calth, which was touched on in The First Heretic, and is of course the Battle between the Word Bearers and the Ultramarine loyalists.

However, there are a few bad things about this audiobook; an error that I noticed is the first one. It’s an error that not many new 40k fans will notice really, but it’s something the die-hard fluff followers will be annoyed about. Swallow mentioned Adeptus Astartes instead of Legio Astartes, which was what they were called during the Heresy. However, maybe I’m just nitpicking – after all, it’s something that I missed out on during the bit on the Black Library Website.

Another disappointing thing in this audiobook is that the scene changes & flashbacks are hard to spot, as one second I was with Garro and the Ultramarines, and the next I found myself with Garro and Malcador the Sigillite. 

Oh, and saying Malcador’s name reminds me of a key thing that happens in this audiobook that sheds some light on one the Imperium’s past (past from present 40k, not past from Horus Heresy).

Now, you’ll probably be wondering by now what the sound effects are and whether the voice acting is any good or not – well, let me tell you, it’s a lot better than the extract from Horus Rising: Abridged Audio, and the A Thousand Sons: Abridged Audio extract. Garro, and Olan, the lieutenant of the Ultramarines PDF at the start has been done very well. Toby Longworth, who is the reader, manages to make each person’s voice fit their description.

Also, if you haven’t read The Flight of the Eisenstein, Swallow explains a rough outline of what happens in this audiobook, but I would still recommend you get the novel first.

Oh yes, a disappointing part is that we don’t find out what happens to the Rembrancers (not sure if this is spelt right or not, could someone please check for me?) and the other Marines, including Iacton Qruze, who joined Garro on the Eisenstein, and I found this annoying as I wanted to know what happened to the people who accompanied him.   

And on that bombshell, I will leave you with two final bits, ones that you'll all be familiar with if you've read my reviews in the past.

Rating: 7/10

Should you buy this book? Well, if you’re a fan of Garro or the audio Horus Heresy books , or simply want to hear Ultramarines getting cut down by Word Bearers, or see Word Bearers in action – then this is for you.

The First Heretic: Aaron Dembski-Bowden [Spoilers]

The First Heretic: Aaron Dembski-Bowden

Amidst the galaxy-wide war of the Great Crusade, the Emperor castigates the Word Bearers for their worship. Distraught at this judgment, Lorgar and his Legion seek another path while devastating world after world, venting their fury and fervor on the battlefield. Their search for a new purpose leads them to the edge of the material universe, where they meet ancient forces far more powerful than they could have imagined. Having set out to illuminate the Imperium, the corruption of Chaos takes hold and their path to damnation begins. Unbeknownst to the Word Bearers, their quest for truth contains the very roots of heresy…

~http://www.blacklibrary.com/Horus-Heresy/First-Heretic-The.html

Having finished The First Heretic around lunchtime, I enjoyed it greatly, and now holds the prize of being my favourite Horus Heresy Novel, outclassing even A Thousand Sons by Graham McNeill.

And believe it or not, this is Dembski-Bowden’s first step down the Horus Heresy series and he’s pulled it off brilliantly. In this novel, as many have guessed, the focus is mainly on the XVII Legion, the scions of Lorgar, the Bearers of the Word. Yes, the Word Bearers are back.

Even though I haven’t read Anthony Reynolds’s Word Bearer Trilogy, I was wondering if ADB could still pull it off, and judging by the other reviews that I’ve read – he has.

There are several great moments in this book, and I especially like the fact that we see the discovery of a planet near the Eye of Terror that will prove such an important role in the 41^st Millennium, but is literally nothing in the 31^st. If you’re a fan of 40k then you’ve probably guessed what planet it is already. (Note for Heresy Online Readers: I cross-post this on other websites where people who read it might not always be 40k fans).

Another revelation in this novel is the identity of the first person to utter the words, “Death to the False Emperor.”

The First Heretic was well written, well paced and contained great action towards the end, although seemed to be more political in the beginning. Also, this novel was the first book that felt similar to the earlier novels that focused around the Sons of Horus, so I enjoyed it even more for that.

As well as being focused on the Word Bearers themselves, you also get a hint as to why the Ultramarine Legion might be so huge and a bit of information of the twenty Primarchs creation.

There is also a lot of character development, as the Word Bearers go from over-zealous followers, devout worshippers of the God-Emperor to renegade upholders of the Chaos Gods.

High Point: Returning to the Isstvan system again and learning about the backstory to the Word Bearers, learning about the Primarchs as well.

Low Point: What low point? There is no low point in this novel, a great book and I enjoyed every moment of it.

Rating out of 10: 10/10, Great stuff.



The Blood Angels Omnibus: James Swallow (Part Two: Deus Sanguinus)

Okay, here's the second part in the Blood Angels Omnibus. Having spent the whole afternoon reading Deus Sanguinius, I reckon I should review it before I forget anything. But, I don't think I'm forgetting anything from this book, though.

Blood Angels Omnibus: James Swallow

Part Two: Deus Sanguinius

In this two-book sequence, author James Swallow brings the Blood Angels chapter to life. In an epic story of heroisim, corruption and betrayal, battle-brothers Rafen and Arkio find themselves pitted against each other in a battle for the very soul of the Chapter.

When Brother Arkio claims to be a reincarnation of Sanguinius, the Blood Angel's spiritual father, the message is clear: Follow me or die. Rafen kneels before Arkio and swears an oath of devotion - but the words are ashes in his mouth, and in his heart, he knows that he and his brother will have a reckoning that only one of them will surrive...

Okay, as mentioned above, this is the second part in the Blood Angels Omnibus, which follows the exploits of Brothers (not just because they are Space Marines, mind you) Arkio, who now claims to be the reincarnation of Sanguinius, and Rafen, who's seemingly alone against his former brother, who he has believed has beent tainted by chaos.

As a sequel to an already fantastic book, I had high expectations for this one, and I wasn't dissapointed. Although I worked out what would happen midway through Deus Encarmine, reading the book was still an enjoyment, as it continues the fast pace from the first book, and features an epic showdown at the end and plenty of sweet Dante and Mephiston action.

We also see a Lord of Change, who appears at the hieght of the grand finale to what could mean doom to the Blood Angels force, and plenty of cunning means used to turn the Blood Angels against each other.

High Point: The final showdown between Arkio and Rafen, in a fantastic brother vs brother duel.

Low Point: It was a shame that there was no major twist at the end, as mentioned above it seemed a tad bit predictable.

Rating: 9 / 10

Should you buy this book: Well, If you haven't already got the Omnibus and are buying the books individualy, then defiantly buy this book.

The Blood Angels Omnibus: James Swallow (Part One: Deus Encarmine)

Blood Angels Omnibus: James Swallow

Part One: Deus Encarmine

In this two-book sequence, author James Swallow brings the Blood Angels chapter to life. In an epic story of heroisim, corruption and betrayal, battle-brothers Rafen and Arkio find themselves pitted against each other in a battle for the very soul of the Chapter.

When Brother Arkio claims to be a reincarnation of Sanguinius, the Blood Angel's spiritual father, the message is clear: Follow me or die. Rafen kneels before Arkio and swears an oath of devotion - but the words are ashes in his mouth, and in his heart, he knows that he and his brother will have a reckoning that only one of them will surrive...

Okay, here's my first review of an Omnibus and I'm going to do it in two parts. Having spent the last day reading Deus Encarmine, the first part in the Blood Angels omnibus, I decided to review it. Now, back to the story. Being the first Blood Angels novel, and I being such a fan of the Blood Angels, I had to read it.

It's a tale of two brothers, Rafen and Arkio, Rafen being the older brother, and the more experienced, but after a battle on Cybele and the invasion by the Word Bearers, Arkio leads a stirring counter attack to drive the Chaos Marines from their homeworld.

Shortly after there are whispers. Whispers that Arkio may be a incarnation of the Primarch, Sanguinius. But I'm not going to give you away everything, you'll going to have to read and find out yourself. When I read This omnibus, It was easy to spot the differences that the Blood Angels had from another chapter, rather than in some other books, as they've got a lust for battle and it shows a great example of the Black Rage.

This book also introduces the bad-ass Inquisitor Stele, ally of the Blood Angels, and a whole host of memorable charachters. Unlike when I reviewed Battle for the Aybss, I couldn't remember the charachters names after the novel. However, in this, I can. I can even name a Sergeant who's a secondary charachter: Sergeant Koris, who plays the role of Rafen's mentor.

High Point: Seeing Blood Angels in fiction, the charachters being memorable and Rafen's choice: Loyalty to the Blood Angels or his brother. If you were in that position, what would you choose?

Low Point: Too action packed, If I might say. Even though it was a fantastic book, there seemed to be lots of fighting in the first half of Deus Encarmine, but I'm only nitpicking, as I like action.

Rating: 9/10 Great book, and enjoyed it a lot.

Should you buy this book: Yes, If you want to see some Blood Angel action!