The Unseen Library

Prepare for da revolution with this collection of brilliant Warhammer 40,000 stories from three top authors, with Da Red Gobbo Collection.

Gosh this has been a great year for Warhammer 40,000 fiction, and the fun is still continuing as one of the best releases of this year just dropped with Da Red Gobbo Collection, which features five brilliant stories from awesome authors Mike Brooks, Denny Flowers and Rhuairidh James. Featuring three novellas and two short stories, Da Red Gobbo Collection focuses on the always entertaining ork faction from Warhammer 40,000 fiction, whose brutal, hooligan-inspired mindset always leads to comedic and outrageous reads.

However, rather than your typical ork novel, the stories in this anthology collection are focused on the ork sub-species known as grots, who are the 40K equivalent of the goblins from the Warhammer Fantasy universe. Small, cunning and cowardly, the grots, also known as gretchin, work as slaves, cannon fodder and scapegoats (scape-grots??) to the bigger orks, generally getting kicked around by their ork masters even if they do the right thing. However, not all grots are content to live under ork oppression, and some even have the courage to fight back thanks to the legendary figure known as Da Red Gobbo.

Da Red Gobbo is a mysterious figure in the grot mythology, who arises whenever the orks push their smaller cousins too far. Able to put aside the typical grot amnesty and selfishness, Da Red Gobbo is an icon for revolution and revolt against the orkish oppression. But who is Da Red Gobbo? Are they really a legendary figure going from ork warband to ork warband spreading the word of freedom, or can any grot put on the cape, hat and goggles and inspire his fellows? Whatever the truth may be, Da Red Gobbo is here to bring a crumping, and nobody, be they human, Chaos worshipper or even the mightiest of orks, will underestimate the grots again.

I had a blast with Da Red Gobbo Collection, especially as I was able to enjoy all five stories on audiobook for the first time. Brooks, Flowers and James have all produced exceptional stories focused on the hilarious figure of the Red Gobbo, and I like their intriguing alternative takes on this unlikely revolutionary and his origin. Thanks to the inherent humour of the ork faction, this was a particularly entertaining and comedic novel, and I frankly laughed my way through the various stories, especially as the three excellent authors created some particularly inventive reads.

The first story in Da Red Gobbo Collection was Da Gobbo’s Revenge by Mike Brooks, which was one of the longer novellas in the collection. Brooks is an outstanding author, and I have read quite a few of his Warhammer 40,000 books recently, including The Lion: Son the Forest and Lelith Hesperax: Queen of Knives. Da Gobbo’s Revenge was a particularly entertaining read, which is set parallel to Brook’s previous ork-focused novels, such as Warboss, Brutal Kunnin and Da Big Dakka, which have also featured fun narratives of grot revolution and rebellion.

Da Gobbo’s Revenge is a more compact narrative that follows the unlikely hero, Fingwit. The leader of small band of grots that follow a crazed ork mek, Fingwit and his comrades find themselves in deep trouble when their boss forces them to participate in a deadly boarding action aboard an Imperial war vessel. When the mek dies in front of them, Fingwit attempts to lead his fellow grots to complete their boss’s final mission, only to encounter human soldiers, running firefights, and dissent from amongst his fellow grots. However, it’s the actions of an ork taskmaster that finally drives Fingwit over the edge, and he decides that the only way to survive is to become something legendary.

Da Gobbo’s Revenge is a very entertaining and fast-paced novella that provides an interesting initial look into the grot mindset while throwing them into a frenetic adventure. Brooks hits this story with the clever and comedic style he has utilised for his other ork-focused books, and you can really appreciate his clear love for this faction, as well as his attention to detail around them. The only story in this book told exclusively through the eyes of a grot, Da Gobbo’s Revenge fully showcases their sneakiness, their shrewd cunning, and their desire to outdo each other, and the result is hilarious, especially as they manage to outsmart various bigger opponents who completely underestimate them. This over-the-top adventure, while very fun, takes on a more thoughtful manner towards the end once Fingwit decides to take on the mantle of the Red Gobbo to save his friends. Seeing the previously self-obsessed Fingwit become more concerned with the fate of his fellow grots helps to hammer home the significance of the Red Gobbo to these lowly creatures, especially as he inspires them to do something truly special and unselfish. This ending is surprisingly powerful and poignant, especially for an ork/grot focussed Warhammer 40,000 story, and Da Gobbo’s Revenge was a very strong story that serves as the perfect introduction to Da Red Gobbo Collection.

Following hot on the heels of this first excellent entry is the brilliant novella, Da Gobbo’s Demise by Denny Flowers. Da Gobbo’s Demise was another awesome read that I was particularly keen to check out, mainly because I am a massive fan of Flowers at the moment. One of the best rising stars of Warhammer 40,000 fiction, Flowers has deeply impressed me with his books Fire Made Flesh, Outgunned, and the outstanding 2024 release Above and Beyond. Da Gobbo’s Demise was the first of Flowers’s novellas I have had the pleasure of reading, and I was very excited to check out his take on a non-human character, the result of which was extremely entertaining and fantastically fun.

Da Gobbo’s Demise follows a small herd of grots who find themselves alone and in trouble when their taskmaster, Runtherd Killaskun, is suddenly killed, and they are left without any ork supervision. This proves particularly problematic for Killaskun’s right-hand grot, Redsnot, as he knows that his fellow grots will be looking to even the score against him for enforcing Killaskun’s orders. However, the grots soon find themselves in deeper trouble when they are surrounded by a horde of Chaos cultists determined to kill them and take the church they are hiding in. Determined to survive, Redsnot seeks to take advantage of the situation and be the leader the grots need. However, his genius plan is ruined by the surprise appearance of Da Red Gobbo, hero of all grot-kind. But Redsnot isn’t going to be upstaged by anyone, even if the Red Gobbo trying to save his life. But luckily even legends are susceptible to a knife in the back.

This was another particularly fun and awesome novella that really showcase Flowers’ ability to write a clever, funny and very cynical story that I could not get enough off. I honestly really enjoyed where Flowers took the story, especially as it ended up being a Home Alone-inspired siege, where the hilariously cruel grots hold off a bunch of incompetent cultists by any means necessary. The constant bickering and dissent on both sides of the conflict was just great, and there are some very amusing moments as the grots use their natural cunning to outsmart their opponent. The entire story moves quickly, and I found myself constantly laughing due to the outrageous antics of everyone involved.

Flowers makes Da Gobbo’s Demise’s story even more entertaining and funny through amazing use of multiple character perspectives, as in addition to showing events through Redsnot’s eyes, the author also features the viewpoint of the Chaos cultists besieging them, including a traitor commissar hoping for glory under his new gods. There are some brilliant contrasts between the bickering grots and the disorganised cultists, especially when it comes to their different leaders. While the chaos cultists are controlled by fear, and their leader becomes more and more demented the more failure he encounters, the usually contentious grots become surprisingly well organised thanks to the appearance of Da Red Gobbo, who resolves most of their petty arguments and turns them into an effective team. I especially enjoyed the way in which Da Red Gobbo manages to effectively undermine and outsmart Redsnot at every turn, especially as it leads to yet another compelling bit of character growth for the main protagonist as he learns to fight for something bigger than himself. The resulting story turns into a wonderfully bloody mess of over-the-top characters and outrageous antics, and I laughed my way through it. Another outstanding outing from Flowers that perfectly expanded on the opening momentum of Da Gobbo’s Revenge and ensured that readers are firmly enthralled by Da Red Gobbo Collection as this point in the book.

The next entry in Da Red Gobbo Collection is the short story Da Wrong Type of Green, also by Denny Flowers. A quick and exciting read, Da Wrong Type of Green is a direct prequel to Da Gobbo’s Demise that, shows the events immediately leading up to the novella’s opening scene. Featuring the exact same style and most of the same characters, Da Wrong Type of Green gives some fun additional context to Da Gobbo’s Demise that I rather enjoyed seeing, especially as I had such a brilliant time with Flower’s longer novella. I particularly enjoyed seeing the protagonist’s relationship with their former ork leader, Runtherd Killaskun, which really enhanced some of the themes of freedom and revolution that Flowers featured in novella. While the inclusion of this story does feel a tad unnecessary, especially as you don’t really need to read it to appreciate Da Gobbo’s Demise, it was an interesting story, and one that you can get through very quickly.

Following these two stories by Flowers, readers are then led to the book’s third novella, the amusing and outrageous entry, Da Gobbo Rides Again, by Rhuairidh James. James, who has previously written several interesting Warhammer 40,000 short stories, honestly produces one of the best entries in Da Red Gobbo Collection, and I was really blown away by his intriguing and original take on the focal character, especially as he examines the revolution and the relationship between orks and grots in a very different manner.

Da Gobbo Rides Again follows the ork painboy Stimma, who arrives back to camp only to discover something strange happening to his warband’s grots. Rather than being their usual sneaky selves, the grots have all become exceedingly compliant and helpful, completely throwing off the usual anarchic rhythms of the ork encampment. Ordered by his warboss to fix the problem, Stimma and his grot assistant, Goggulz, try to shake the grots out of their malaise and back to their previous sly and murderous mentality. They soon determine that the only way to inspire the grots is to give them a Red Gobbo to stir them up. However, with no Red Gobbo to hand, Stimma decides to create one, but first he needs to understand what the Red Gobbo is and how he comes into being. But the further he dives into the mysteries of the Red Gobbo, the closer he comes to the truth, and not even an ork as ruthless as Stimma is prepared for what he finds.

This was such a brilliant entry from James, and I loved the elaborate and very memorable story he comes up with. I love how he decided to tell the story through the eyes of an ork master, rather than another grot, which allows for a unique new perspective in the tale of Da Red Gobbo. The central story focusing on the dispirited grots was very clever, and James’s concept of compliant grots being more dangerous to the orks than rebellious ones was a fun take. The resulting story of Stimma’s attempt to create his own Red Gobbo is both hilarious and philosophical in nature, and you must love the ork mentality when it comes to grots and their so-called heroes. This attempt at science also leads the protagonist to various ork experts, and while this is mostly a novella about grots, the fun and in-depth dive into the oddboyz, those orks with special skills such as meks and weirdboyz, proves to be really amusing and detailed. I especially loved Jame’s take on the painboyz, the orks’ highly experimental medics, especially as it results in some hilarious discussions about ‘medicine’.

However, the thing that I loved most about Da Gobbo Rides Again is the main twist of the story. Thanks in part to having read the other novellas first, you can easily see where Stimma’s plan is going to go, even if the orks cannot due to their blind spot when it comes to their smaller cousins. As such, you get to watch in joy as James openly works to bring this twist to fruition bit by bit, and it is very satisfying when it all comes together. This fantastic buildup works extremely well amongst the general chaos of the ork camp, while the fun relationship that builds between Stimma and Goggulz makes it even more delicious. Throw in some very interesting sequences that explore the unusual past of the orks and their relationship to grot-kind, as well as a great scene that brings together Da Gobbo Rides Again with the other novellas in this collection, and this was an impressive entry that I could not get enough of. I honestly cannot emphasise enough just how amazing Da Gobbo Rides Again was, and I hope we get a full-length novel from James at some point in the future as I know I will deeply enjoy it.

The final entry within Da Red Gobbo Collection is The Instigator. Also written by James, The Instigator is a prequel to Da Gobbo Rides Again which was originally released in the White Dwarf magazine. This story tells of the first time a young Stimma encountered a Red Gobbo, when he accompanies an ork raiding party when it attempts to board a spaceship. However, nothing goes to plan, especially when the orks find an unexpected enemy hidden within the ship, led by an unlikely commander. This story does a great job of showcasing events that were hinted at within Da Gobbo Rides Again and presenting them in a very different way than Stimma remembers them, especially as events were a little more desperate than he cares to admit. James amps up the tension in this short but sweet story, which shows just how scary grots can be for orks, while also providing a fantastic opponent for the plot. The Instigator proves to be a great follow-up for Da Gobbo Rides Again, and I really enjoyed seeing the seeds for Stimma’s later idea around Da Red Gobbo be planted.

This ended up being a very awesome overall collection of Warhammer 40,000 stories, and I love the impressive and relentlessly comedic tales that these excellent authors came up with. I loved how the three main novellas perfectly complemented each other, building on the work of the preceding stories, while also standing on their own feet. Brooks, Flowers and James really had fun when it came to these stories, and I love how you get some unique takes on the orks and the grots, although the general ork humour does carry through very well for all of them. I also deeply enjoyed how each author showcased a different aspect of the Red Gobbo character, and the three separate incarnations of the Red Gobbo you witness paints a fascinating picture of this unique being in the Warhammer canon. All three authors really outdid themselves in how they brought this figure to life, and their amazing stories were a true joy to read.

Unsurprisingly, I chose to listen to Da Red Gobbo Collection on audiobook, a format which always deeply enhances Warhammer fiction, especially as the crazy characters, unlikely scenarios and dark settings really pop when read out loud. Warhammer 40,000 audiobooks that feature the orks are always particularly awesome, as the outrageous aliens are so damn entertaining especially when you get a great narrator voicing them. As such, I was very keen to listen to Da Red Gobbo Collection, especially as it provided the first audiobook adaptations of several existing short stories and novellas, which ensured a whole new way to appreciate these clever tales. I was also excited because British actor Harry Myers was attached to narrate Da Red Gobbo Collection. A very talented narrator who has brought some of my favourite Warhammer 40,000 books to life, including The Wraithbone Phoenix and Day of Ascension, Myers has a fantastically entertaining voice that really fits some of the outrageous figures in this universe. Myers particularly excels at voice ork characters (he previously narrated Warboss and Da Big Dakka by Mike Brooks), and his voice perfectly fits the rough and crude orks in so many entertaining ways. He also does a great job of capturing the smaller and cowardly grots, and you really get a great sense of their scared, weaselly and backstabbing ways through his narration. I also loved how each character comes out in this audiobook, and I was very impressed that Myers featured variety with his voice work, providing the various grots different voices, even when he moved on to a new story. This was such an epic listen, and I really cannot recommend Da Red Gobbo Collection on audiobook enough. Coming in with a runtime of just over 11 hours, this is a slightly long but very easy audiobook to power through, and there is honestly no better way to enjoy Da Red Gobbo Collection than by listening to it in this format.

Da Red Gobbo Collection was an exceptional Warhammer 40,000 book that I had so much damn fun getting through. Thanks to the outstanding team of Mike Brooks, Denny Flowers and Rhuairidh James, you are gifted with some very impressive stories that prove to be exceedingly addictive. Insanely addictive and extremely hilarious, Da Red Gobbo Collection will bring a smile to any Warhammer fan, and even new readers will be able to have an amazing time with it. As such, I must give this collection a full five-star rating, as each author delivered something very special that came together perfectly.

The Chaos Agent, written by Mark Greaney and narrated by Jay Snyder

Top Ten Tuesday – My Favourite Audiobooks of 2024

On December 26, 2024 By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, List23 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that currently reside at The Artsy Reader Girl and features bloggers sharing lists on various book topics. The official topic for this list involved listing the ten top books you hope that Santa would bring you this year. While this is a fun sounding topic, I am instead going to continue my annual end of year wrap up of the best books I read in 2024. In previous weeks I have highlighted some of the best pre-2024 novels, best new-to-me-authors and best 2024 sequels I read in the last year. However, this week I am going to look at something near and dear to my hear, the best audiobooks of 2024.

Readers of this blog only need to check out my extensive audiobook category to the right to know that I have a lot of love for the audiobook format. In my opinion, the audiobook is often the best way to experience a good book and in many cases this format makes a novel far more enjoyable. As a result, I listened to quite a few audiobooks this year, and while a good chunk of them were books released before 2024 and featured in my Throwback Thursday posts, most were released this year. There were some truly outstanding and impressive audiobooks released in 2024 and I knew going in that I was going to have an extremely hard time coming up with a final version of this list.

For this list I have only included audiobooks released in 2024 that I have listened to, which left me with a long list of extremely impressive audiobooks which I wanted to include in this post. To help cut this down, I considered a range of factors, including the quality of the original novel, the skill of the narrator, production value, pacing and other features. Looking at all this I was eventually able to cut the list down to the absolute best 10 audiobooks, with my typical generous honourable mentions section. I had to make some very hard decisions here, and I ended up excluding several extremely good audiobooks from the main list. Still, I think it really represents the best audiobooks I enjoyed this year and there are some amazing productions below.

Honourable Mentions:

An excellent continuation of the Gray Man series once again read out by Jay Snyder.

Five Broken Blades, written by Mai Corland and narrated by Greg Chun, Zion Jang, Roger Yeh, Donald Chang, Jaine Ye and Sophie Oda

A fun fantasy novel that was perfectly brought to life by a brilliant team of narrators.

Goodbye Girl, written by James Grippando and narrated by Jonathan Davis

One of my favourite Star Wars narrators, Jonathan Davis, made this excellent legal thriller particularly awesome to listen to.

Warhammer 40,000: Da Red Gobbo Collection, written by Mike Brooks, Denny Flowers and Rhuairidh James, narrated by Harry Myers

Three fantastic authors present an array of outstanding Warhammer 40,000 stories around a legendary figure, Da Red Gobbo, all of which is narrated by the highly talented Harry Myers.

NecroTek/The Dragon in Winter, written by Jonathan Maberry and narrated by Ray Porter

Top Ten List:

First up on this list we have a double entry, as we were lucky enough to get two books from one of my favourite authors, Jonathan Maberry. Made up of the dark science fiction adventure, NecroTek, and the brilliant fantasy epic, The Dragon in Winter, both of which were particularly awesome. I chose to combine these two audiobooks into a single entry here, due to the fact they both shared the same narrator in the legendary Ray Porter. Porter, who is one of my favourite audiobook narrators, is synonymous with Maberry at this point, having lent his voice to most of the author’s books while always providing an exceptional performance. I love how well Porter’s narration enhances Maberry’s exceptional novels, and it makes these audiobooks extremely special. As such, I had to include them here, and both NecroTek and The Dragon in Winter come highly recommended as some of the best audiobooks of the year.

We Solve Murders, written by Richard Osman and narrated by Nicola Walker

After wowing us with the first four Thursday Murder Club books (The Thursday Murder Club, The Man Who Died Twice, The Bullet That Missed and The Last Devil to Die), Osman went on a different path this year with the clever and fast-paced thriller, We Solve Murders. A particularly fun book that combines Osman’s classic humour with a brilliant and intense story, We Solve Murders was another exceptional read that I couldn’t get enough of, especially in its audiobook format. Thanks to the impressive narration of actress Nicola Walker, We Solve Murders was an extremely awesome listen that made the elaborate narrative became even more fantastic. A truly great audiobook production that you won’t be able to stop listening to it.

Warhammer 40,000: Above and Beyond, written by Denny Flowers and narrated by Phillip Sacramento

I have a few Warhammer 40,000 audiobooks on this list, but one of the most unique and compelling was Above and Beyond by Denny Flowers. The sequel to one of my favourite Warhammer 40,000 novels, Outgunned, Above and Beyond brought together a damaged propaganda expert and a broken hero into a cynical and entertaining adventure that really dives into the dark side of the Warhammer universe. Funny, powerful and featuring an outstanding story, Above and Beyond was so damn good, and it was even better when listened to on audiobook. Phillip Sacramento perfectly captures the grim themes of Flowers’ writing with his narration, and you soon become enthralled in following the book’s damaged characters on their new adventure. An exceptional and amazing listen, you will not be dissatisfied with this Warhammer 40,000 audiobook.

The Fury of the Gods, written by John Gwynne and narrated by Colin Mace

John Gwynne brings his epic Bloodsworn Saga fantasy series to a powerful end with the brutal and impressive The Fury of the Gods. Finalising a series of great character arcs and pushing his protagonists into one particularly deadly war, The Fury of the Gods was everything I could have hoped for, and I loved how it wrapped up the storylines previously raised in The Shadow of the Gods and The Hunger of the Gods. I had a fantastic time with this novel, and I particularly enjoyed the cool audiobook version that was narrated by Colin Mace. Mace brings so much energy to this narrative, and his excellent take on the characters turns this into an outstanding listen.

Darkside, written by Michael Mammay and narrated by R. C. Bray

One of the most awesome and fun science fiction audiobooks of 2024 had to be Darkside by Michael Mammay. Mammay, who previously impressed me with his previous books, Planetside, Spaceside and Colonyside, produced an intriguing fourth entry to his Planetside series with Darkside, as his maverick protagonist investigates a new conspiracy driven by corrupt corporations. This fourth entry was such a great listen on audiobook, especially as it featured the return of the always incredible R. C. Bray as narrator. Bray, who has such a distinctive voice and style, helps to make this audiobook even more special, and I had so much fun with Darkside as result.

Warhammer 40,000: Lord of Excess, written by Rich McCormick and narrated by Richard Reed

Another particularly cool Warhammer 40,000 audiobook in 2024 was Renegades: Lord of Excess. The debut novel of Rich McCormick, Lord of Excess followed a band of hedonistic Chaos Space Marines as they conquer an isolated planet, only to have everything come crashing down around them. A fascinating and captivating addition to the Warhammer 40,000 canon, Lord of Excess was an amazing read from McCormick, and like most Warhammer 40,000 books is deeply benefited from its audiobook format. Not only does the outrageous story really come to life when read out, but narrator Richard Reed ensures all the larger-than-life characters are perfectly showcased. A truly outstanding Warhammer audiobook that I had such a great time with.

Point Nemo, written by Jeremy Robinson and narrated by R. C. Bray

Few audiobooks were as epic this year as Point Nemo by Jeremey Robinson, which was also narrated by R. C. Bray. A fast-paced and highly awesome science fiction thriller, Point Nemo had an outstanding plot behind it that followed a band of adventurers as they attempted to uncover the secrets of an island created from alien spores. The story and action of Point Nemo are very amazing on their own, but I felt that the narration of Bray added even more to it, and I was very impressed by all of Bray’s amazing performances this year. An exceptional listen that I cannot recommend enough.

A Tide of Black Steel, written by Anthony Ryan and narrated by Steven Brand

Acclaimed fantasy author Anthony Ryan followed up his Covenant of Steel series (The Pariah, The Martyr and The Traitor) in a big way with the new book, A Tide of Black Steel. Featuring an exciting and intriguing new narrative that expands Ryan’s existing setting, A Tide of Black Steel was an epic fantasy novel that I had so much fun with, especially on audiobook. It helped that the narrator of the Covenant of Steel audiobooks, Steven Brand, once again lent his voice to proceedings, and the resulting production was a powerful and amazing production that I couldn’t stop listening to.

Warhammer 40,000: Da Big Dakka, written by Mike Brooks and narrated by Harry Myers

The final Warhammer audiobook I need to feature on this list is the outstanding and hilarious Da Big Dakka by Mike Brooks. The sequel to Brooks’ previous novels, Brutal Kunnin and Warboss, Da Big Dakka follows a rowdy group of orks who raid the most dangerous city in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. A clever read that I laughed the entire way through, especially with the fantastic narration of Harry Myers, who always perfectly captures the rowdy orks and their eccentric enemies. This was a really impress audiobook and I had a wonderful time listening to it.

Crucible of Chaos, written by Sebastien de Castell and narrated by Joe Jameson

I am slightly cheating with this final entry as Crucible of Chaos came out in 2023. However, due to its late December 2023 release, as well as it’s connection to the early 2024 novel, Play of Shadows, I have decided to include it as part of this list. Crucible of Chaos was an exceptional book from talented fantasy author Sebastien de Castell, that saw an unlikely investigator and his noble steed attempt to uncover the cause of insanity and chaos in a famous monastery. A clever and funny read, Crucible of Chaos was an impressive audiobook, and I had a lot of fun with how Joe Jameson, another favourite narrator of mine, brought it too life.

Well that is the end of this latest Top Ten list, and as you can see, I have been lucky enough to listen to some awesome audiobooks this year (although I clearly focused a little too much on Warhammer fiction). All the above audiobooks are extremely good and I would highly recommend each of them in their audiobook format. Let me know what your favourite audiobooks of 2024 were in the comments below, and make sure to check back next week to see what my overall favourite novels of the year were.

The Sandman – Act III (Audiobook), written by Neil Gaiman and performed by a full cast

On August 12, 2024 By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Comics/Manga, Extended Universe, Fantasy, Five-Star Books, Horror, Superhero, Tie-in Novel4 Comments

Publisher: Audible Original (Audiobook – 28 September 2022)

Series: The Sandman – Volume 3

Script: Neil Gaiman and Dirk Maggs (script adapter)

Director: Dirk Maggs

Length: 11 hours and 31 minutes

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

After falling in the love with the epic The Sandman comics thanks to their exceptional audiobook adaptations, I finally got to the third audiobook act in this exceptional series by Neil Gaiman, which was another amazing listen.

I have had an outstanding time listening to the first and second volumes of the audiobook adaptations of The Sandman comic. Set partially in the DC universe, the original series, which started in 1989, is one of the most iconic comics of all time and features a unique adventure that only Neil Gaiman can come up with. Following Dream, the anthropomorphic personification of dreams and human imagination, The Sandman is a truly amazing comic that blends horror, fantasy and superhero elements together. Some people might be more familiar with the recent Netflix series that adapted the first couple of comics, and which has a second season on the way.

This series has proven to be extremely exceptional, with Act I perfectly introducing the characters and setting up the initial storyline, while Act II continues some of the key story points and places Dream against various foes, including Lucifer and other dangerous mythical figures. Not only do these audiobooks feature an incredible story and powerful characters but they are brought to life by a truly awesome cast of celebrity actors and audiobook narrators who really lend their all to this performance. As such, when going on a couple of fun road trips this year, Act III was a very easy choice to listen to, and I was extremely curious to see how this series would continue.

In a universe of strange and deadly creatures, many beings are considered immortal, but only seven siblings can truly claim to be endless. The Endless, each a personification of a universal concept, are powerful and mesmerizing in their own way, but the most enchanting and mysterious is Dream. Known by many names, including Morpheus, this being governs the Dreaming, a vast realm of creation’s collected dreams and stories, protecting the imagination that makes life worth living. But circumstances outside of his control have set him on a dark path that not even he can escape from.

After being freed from captivity and deciding the future of Hell, Morpheus finds himself troubled by another failed romance, his own complex past, his previous monstrous decisions, and his often contentious relationship with his family. Visited by his troubled youngest sibling Delirium, Dream embarks on an unusual quest alongside her to find their missing brother, the one member of the Endless to ever give up their role and responsibility, Destruction. But their prodigal sibling does not wish to be found, and many obstacles lie between an Endless reunification. To succeed in their quest, Morpheus will need to revisit the most painful chapter from his past. However, no-one, not even a member of the Endless, comes away from a meeting with Destruction unscathed!

Unsurprisingly, Act III proved to be an exceptional listen, and I once again got wrapped up in the elaborate and compelling web of stories and characters that The Sandman is well known for. Adapted once again by director Dirk Maggs and featuring all of Gaiman’s impressive storytelling and dark characterisations, The Sandman – Act III, was an outstanding listen, and one that I could not get away from. Adapting the Brief Lives and Worlds’ End arcs of The Sandman comic, as well as several additional short stories, Act III was an exceptional addition to this series, especially with the truly exceptional voice cast.

Act III continues the same format and style of the previous The Sandman audiobook adaptations, with the comic broken into several distinctive parts to best tell the elaborate story from the comics. The previously drawn adventures are brought to life here through a combination of excellent narration by Neil Gaiman, who covers many of the characters’ actions and movements, sound effects to represent other unseen elements, and the dialogue of the various characters, with their respective actors often describing the moments going on around them. This results in an intriguing but complex listening experience, and with a runtime of 11 hours and 31 minutes, it is one that you can get through very quickly if you have the time.

This latest audiobook adaptation starts off in an interesting place with the short story The Song of Orpheus, which originally appeared in the Fables & Reflections collection of stories. The Song of Orpheus is a fantastic retelling of the classic Greek myth of Orpheus, with the character reimagined as the son of Morphius and the muse Calliope, the latter of whom was featured in the story Calliope in the Dream Country collection (featured in the Act I adaptation). Gaiman does an excellent job of bringing together the classic Greek mythology of the Orpheus legend with his own characters and the result is a seamless and complex tale. Orpheus’ ill-fated marriage and journey to save his love is aided and hindered by the various members of the Endless, with Morpheus serving as a complex distant father figure. The resulting story may seem familiar to those with knowledge of Greek mythology, but there are some added intriguing twists, and the inclusion of Gaiman’s characters ensure that there is even greater tragedy than the original Greek myth envisioned.

When I started this audiobook, I thought that The Song of Orpheus was interesting start to this act, and in hindsight it was quite a clever decision, as it sets up some of the other arcs extremely well. The story ensures that listeners are well warned about the tragedy and elaborate storylines contained in Act III, while also drawing you in with its inventiveness and complexity. It is also a brilliant production thanks to the combination of cast and background music effects. Regé-Jean Page (of Bridgerton fame), proves to be an outstanding Orpheus, who stands as an interesting contrast to the other established voice actors of this story. There are also some epic musical accompaniment and sound effects that prove vital in showcasing the full impact of this story, and which you honestly need when telling a story about the mythical musician Orpheus. I felt that the musical elements of this chapter deeply helped to enhance the story, especially as there was some great sadness in the sound effects that mirrored the story. This was honestly a very strong start to Act III, and I loved how well it led into the first main story, Brief Lives.

Brief Lives is a particularly epic main story arc for this audiobook which serves as both the plot and emotional heart of Act III. Initially focusing on the incredibly fun character of Delirium, who we only briefly saw in Act II, Brief Lives sees Dream accompany his sister on a road trip to find their lost brother, Destruction. This results in several intriguing mini story arcs as the mismatched and chaotic siblings travel through the mortal world, encountering their family, friends, and former associates of Destruction. At the same time, sinister events begin to impact people associated with their search, and Dream must navigate the increased collateral damage his quest is incurring.

I really loved this arc, and I think that Brief Lives might be one of the stronger The Sandman storylines. The road trip storyline with Dream and Delirium worked to tell this story in a fantastic manner, and I enjoyed how the author took the opportunity to quickly and effectively introduce new intriguing characters whose worlds become impacted by their interactions with the Endless. The long-anticipated reveal about the missing Endless was great, and Gaiman loads in some intriguing examinations about family, destiny and duty. Brief Lives is loaded with a great combination of dark mystery, the author’s gothic vibe, a fantastic layer of humour, and an intense amount of tragedy, all wrapped up with the most unique familial interactions you are likely to see in fiction. The author takes the storylines in some interesting directions, and the resulting emotional richness proves very hard to ignore. The ending of Brief Lives is particularly moving, with a resolution of family drama followed by additional tragedy millennia in the making. This also proves to be quite a key story in the wider The Sandman story, with the consequences radiating out from the events of this road trip have chaotic impacts in the future.

I have to say that I was really impressed with how Brief Lives came together. Not only does the elaborate story come across clearly and interestingly with the chapter split, but you really get drawn into every single supporting character that shows up. I particularly enjoyed seeing Delirium getting a whole arc to shine in, and actress Kristen Schaal is perfect as the embodiment of personal chaos, bringing an immense childlike glee to the madcap antics of her character. Schaal perfectly plays off the more serious characters in this story arc, and you can really feel the dancing chaos beneath the surface of her mind as well as how scattered and unconnected she is. The reveal of Destruction as a character was also quite interesting, and I like the author’s take of him being a warm, thoughtful and entertaining destroyer, whose duty has deeply damaged him. David Harewood brings some real compassion and charm to the role of Destruction, and I enjoyed how he played off the sarcastic talking dog Barnabas, voiced by veteran voice actor Harry Myers. The portrayal of Brief Lives also makes excellent use of some musical accompaniment to enhance the emotional impact of the plot, including in some of the story’s heaviest scenes, and this ended up being the most compelling part of Act III to listen to.

The other major storyline in The Sandman – Act III, is the intriguing anthology storyline, Worlds’ End. Like some of the previous arcs in The Sandman, Worlds’ End is more of an indirect addition to the plot, loaded with short stories that show snippets of Dream, the Endless, and other supporting characters, interacting with new and unique figures. However, Worlds’ End is also quite distinctive, especially as Neil Gaiman surrenders his narrator duties in this arc, and instead features multiple guest narrators telling their own tales in a similar manner to The Canterbury Tales. The plot of this arc starts with character Brant Tucker (voiced by Wil Wheaton) and his colleague crashing their car in a freak storm and then finding refuge in the mysterious Worlds’ End inn. Within the inn, they discover multiple unusual travellers from across time and the realms, who have been scattered due to a reality storm and are seeking shelter. To pass the time, the various guests tell stories based on their lives, which paint a complex tapestry of their experiences and the long-reaching influence of the Endless.

I have a lot of love for the various short stories that Gaiman fills The Sandman comics with, but I felt that the collection featured with Worlds’ End were some of his strongest. There are five central stories featured within, and they each provide a complex and wildly different tale of life, loss and adventure, all set in the contexts of different worlds and experiences. Gaiman manages to tell some complex tales in the short time he has with each entry, and the reader comes away with intriguing visions of these unique worlds and characters. There are a few times where the narrative devolves into a story within a story, as narrators begin to recount tales that were told to them (and in a couple of cases you have a story within a story within another story). However, even these prove to be very captivating, and it is a testament to how good a storytelling Gaiman is that readers can moved into multiple interlocking tales and still be intrigued by what is going on. There is also a great mixture of tales here, from a Lovecraftian inspired dream tale, to a hilarious fantasy adventure told by a rambunctious Faerie, and even a classic nautical adventure tale of a handsome sailor boy, which features the return of fan favourite character Hob Gadling. However, my favourite story was The Golden Boy, an intriguing retelling of the story of Prez Rickard, the teenage president protagonist of the classic, if short-lived, Prez comics, which proves to be quite entertaining and haunting, while also showing an idealised vision of America.

I felt that these five stories came across in a very organic way with the differing narrators, and it proved to be a lot of fun to experience the talents of several new or underutilised vocal talents in a strong way here. Wil Wheaton was a great main narrator for the overarching story, and I felt he portrayed a good everyman character experiencing the unnatural for the first time. Billy Boyd and Colin McFarlane both shine as narrators and central characters for their respective stories, and I quite enjoyed the performances of KJ Apa and Jon Culshaw in The Golden Boy, while Simon Jones was an impactful addition to the funeral-focused story Cerements. These actors, and many others, helped to turn Worlds’ End into a compelling and distinctive arc, and I liked how effectively it contrasted with the other The Sandman arcs we have enjoyed. This entire storyline ends on an ominous and prophetic note, as the listener is given a glimpse of major events to come, and Worlds’ End proved to be a great way to conclude Act III.

Overall, these main stories, as well as an additional couple of short stories, proved to be very impressive to read, and I love the complex plots and themes that the author tried to impart. The continuation of a larger storyline, combined with multiple short stories that expands The Sandman universe, works to create an elaborate experience for the listener, and I deeply appreciate the immense imagination that Gaiman puts into his work. The flow from larger, cohesive storylines to a series of shorter tales also works extremely well, and I love how the obvious palate cleaner short stories take on a compelling life of their own. No matter how short, each of the stories in Act III were very well written, and the distinctive blend of dark storytelling, gothic imagination and complex characters makes for some addictive listening. I especially love the recurring trend of normal humans, as well as other more supernatural beings, encountering the various Endless by chance, only to find their lives altered by the experience, often for the worst. The often capricious nature of Dream, as well as some of his siblings, really comes through with Gaiman’s writing and the subsequent acting, and you cannot appreciate just how well-written these figures, and indeed the entire character cast of The Sandman, are, until you experience it for yourself.

Before we get to the end of this review, I must once again strongly compliment just how awesome these The Sandman audiobooks are. Gaiman, Maggs and others do such an incredible job of converting the original comics into this new format, and all the original ideas, actions and compelling figures come across perfectly in the audiobook. The combination of clever narration and on-point dialogue allows listeners to really appreciate the unfolding actions taking place, and effective sound effects add that extra layer of understanding. Throw in some outstanding musical moments, which prove to be particularly impactful in Act III, and this entire audiobook hits the reader hard and ensures that are constantly caught up in the elaborate ideas of the original author. All the storylines come across perfectly, with some slight alterations in the order they appear, and you really come away with an outstanding appreciation for The Sandman, even if you’ve never read the comics.

It goes without saying that Act III once again featured an incredible cast of actors and voice specialists, all of whom perfectly portray the characters they are assigned to. I love how all the key stars from Act I and Act II, once again returned here, and their outstanding voices, combined with some awesome new figures, ensured that every word of this audiobook delighted its audience. I have already mentioned a few key actors above, but I really want to once again highlight the outstanding recurring key cast, who do such a great job here. Series lead James McAvoy is just perfect as Morpheus, and his resonate and powerful voice consistently captures the ethereal, arrogant, and thoughtful qualities of the titular protagonist every time. It is such a pleasure to listen to McAvoy perform once again in Act III, and his excellent voice plays off every other actor in this audiobook so damn well.

Other key returning stars include Kat Dennings, who perfectly portrays Gaiman’s warmer, caring, female Death, who is frankly one of the best characters in the entire series. Andy Serkis has a lot of fun as the raven Matthew, and his scenes with Dream and Delirium are hilarious. Jeffrey Wright, Justin Vivian Bond and Miriam Margolyes each do an amazing job of bringing Destiny, Desire and Despair to life, and you can really feel their ancient power and alternating views of humanity. Justin Vivian Bond’s portrayal of the feckless and fickle Desire is particularly noteworthy, and I love how well this unique character came across. Multiple other actors and established audiobook narrators provide a range of compelling and memorable voices throughout Act III, including several of my favourite audiobook narrators like Ray Porter and Toby Longworth, and I loved every one of their voices. Finally, Neil Gaiman himself serves as an outstanding central narrator for much of the Act III. Gaiman’s distinctive voice perfectly fits the gothic and mysterious vibe of The Sandman comics, and there is no-one else who could narrate these complex ideas and experiences, better than the author who originally came up with them. You will frankly struggle to find a better cast of voice actors in any other audiobook out there, and this outstanding vocal team makes Act III, and indeed all The Sandman audiobooks, something extremely special to enjoy.

Act III of The Sandman audiobook was another exceptional listen and one that proves pretty impossible to stop listening to. The combination of captivating storylines, outrageous characters, and a huge array of vocal and acting talents make this an easy five-star listen, and I can personally guarantee that The Sandman – Act III makes for an excellent accompaniment to a long road trip. While I’m sure that recent controversies might impact this, I hope we get the fourth act in this epic series soon, and I cannot wait to see how Morpheus’s tragic and complex tale ends.

Top Ten Tuesday – My Favorite Audiobooks from the First Half of 2024

On July 16, 2024 By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, List6 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature that currently resides at The Artsy Reader Girl and features bloggers sharing lists on various book topics. The official topic for this week’s Top Ten Tuesday required participants to pick a single book and list the top ten things they love about it. While this is an interesting idea, and one I might come back to later, I’m instead going to continue my recent trend of discussing books from the first half of the year and highlight my favourite audiobooks from the first half of 2024. This is a continuation of my Top Ten list from a couple of weeks ago that featured my favourite overall novels from the first half of 2024.

I have a great deal of love for the audiobook format, and it is one of the main ways that I tend to check out books. Each year I enjoy a great number of different audiobooks and use the format to enjoy both recent releases and older novels. I have been a major fan of audiobooks for years, and it is amazing the various ways in which listening to a book can enhance your enjoyment. A great narrator can really bring you into the story, and I find that listening to a book enhances the amount of detail that you can take in. In addition, other features, such as captivating voices, music and sound effects can really make an audiobook something special, and there some great examples of that out there. This year alone I have listened to a ton of outstanding audiobooks, includes some of my favourite books from early 2024. Because I love this format so much, I thought I would take this opportunity to highlight my favourite audiobooks from the first half of the year.

To pull this list off I had a look at all the 2024 releases that I listened to on audiobook to figure out my favourites. It turns out that I have already gone through quite a few this year so there was a very large collection of potential additions to this list. I was eventually able to whittle it down to the ten audiobooks I consider to be the best. There is a bit of a crossover with my previous Favourite Books from the First Half of 2024 list, but I think there are enough new additions to make this list worthwhile. I made sure to feature only the very best audiobooks on this list, and, in addition to the quality of the baseline novel, I also looked at audiobook production and narration. In my experience an outstanding narration or use of music and sound effects can enhance the plot, and I think that all the audiobooks listed below were exceptional listens that are really worth checking out.

In addition, I also featured my typical generous Honourable Mentions section, which featured some great books from the first half of the year that I didn’t feature in my main list for various reasons, as well as a couple of pre-2024 audiobooks that really impressed me. With these honourable mentions, I am very happy with how the overall list turned out and I think that the below entries really highlight what my favourite audiobooks from the first half of the year are.

Honourable Mentions:

Warhammer 40,000: Siege of Vraks, written by Steve Lyons and narrated by Timothy Watson

My first honourable mention is the awesome Warhammer 40,000 audiobook, Siege of Vraks, which is the audiobook I am currently listening to. The successor to Lyon’s previous novels, Dead Men Walking and Krieg, Siege of Vraks is a great book that covers the epic and bloody siege of the same name. While this is an amazing audiobook, I’m leaving it as an honourable mention for the moment as I have only just started listening to it and I need to see how it unfolds fully. Still, based on what I have listened to so far, this could end up being one of my favourite audiobooks of 2024.

Alien Clay, written by Adrian Tchaikovsky and narrated by Ben Allen

An outstanding and cool science fiction audiobook from and insanely inventive author.

Skin Game, written by Jim Butcher and narrated by James Marsters

One of my favourite pre-2024 audiobooks I listened to in the first half of the year. Skin Game was one of the better books in the iconic Dresden Files series, and I loved how well the fun fantasy heist story was told by narrator and actor James Marsters.

Warhammer 40,000: Straight Silver, written by Dan Abnett and narrated by Toby Longworth

I have had the pleasure of listening to a few pre-2024 Warhammer 40,000 audiobooks in the first half of the year, however my favourite is Straight Silver. An epic entry in the fantastic Gaunt’s Ghosts series, Straight Silver was an intense and compelling book, especially when read out by the talented Toby Longworth.

Top Ten List:

NecroTek, written by Jonathan Maberry and narrated by Ray Porter

For the first entry on this list, I had to include the latest audiobook from Jonathan Maberry, NecroTek, which proved to be an exceptional dark science fiction adventure. Maberry is one of my favourite authors at the moment, and he consistently produces gripping and dark reads that turn into exceptional audiobooks, especially when narrated by his long-time audiobook collaborator Ray Porter. Porter has an amazing voice, and I love how he takes Maberry’s elaborate stories and makes them even more special. NecroTek was an exceptional audiobook, and I cannot wait to get my hands on the second Maberry/Porter audiobook coming out in 2024, The Dragon in Winter.

Point Nemo, written by Jeremy Robinson and narrated by R. C. Bray

Few audiobooks were as impressive as Point Nemo by Jeremy Robinson this year. A fast-paced and highly awesome science fiction thriller, Point Nemo had an outstanding plot behind it that followed a fun band of adventurers as they attempted to uncover the secrets of an island created from alien spores. The story and action of Point Nemo are very amazing on their own, but I felt that the narration of R. C. Bray added even more to it. A very talented voice actor who has lent his voice to many of Robinson’s works, Bray is one of my favourite narrators, and I really love the fantastic energy and power he gave to Point Nemo’s audiobook. An exceptional listen that I cannot recommend enough.

Goodbye Girl, written by James Grippando and narrated by Jonathan Davis

I was eager to try out the intriguing legal thriller, Goodbye Girl by James Grippando, this year, and decided to grab it on audiobook because narrator Jonathan Davis had previously voiced some great Star Wars audiobooks. Goodbye Girl proved to be an amazing listen, and I deeply enjoyed how effectively the compelling and entertaining legal thriller elements came across in this medium. A wonderful and thrilling audiobook that had me hooked the entire way through.

Warhammer 40,000: Da Big Dakka, written by Mike Brooks and narrated by Harry Myers

Unsurprisingly, I have several Warhammer audiobooks featured on this list, as it is frankly the best format to enjoy this extensive franchise in. The first of these is the outstanding and hilarious Da Big Dakka by Mike Brooks. The sequel to Brooks’ previous books, Brutal Kunnin and Warboss, Da Big Dakka followed a rowdy group of orks as they raided a dark fortress filled with torture obsessed space elves. I laughed pretty much the entire way through this audiobook, especially with the fantastic narration of Harry Myers, who effectively captured the many excentric participants in this battle. An amazing and highly entertaining audiobook that you won’t be able to stop listening to.

The Chaos Agent, written by Mark Greaney and narrated by Jay Snyder

One of my favourite thriller authors, Mark Greaney, continues to impress with his latest Gray Man novel, The Chaos Agent. An exciting and impressive read, The Chaos Agent had a great story behind it that was even crazier than usual. As with most of the books in this series, I grabbed The Chaos Agent on audiobook, which proved to be an excellent experience. Veteran narrator Jay Snyder has always done a great job with the Gray Man audiobooks, and his work in The Chaos Agent was on point again. I really enjoyed this fantastic audiobook, and the format really enhances the excitement and intensity of the plot.

Star Trek: Pliable Truths, written by Dayton Ward and narrated by Robert Petkoff

I ended up having a brilliant time listening to the latest Star Trek audiobook from Dayton Ward, Pliable Truths. A compelling and entertaining book that serves as a bridge between The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine shows, Pliable Truths was a lot of fun and will really appeal to Star Trek fans. Of course, no Star Trek audiobook is complete without the impressive narration of Robert Petkoff, who has lent his great voice to so many audiobooks in the franchise. Petkoff’s ability to mimic key Star Trek characters is well known and he does another outstanding job in the Pliable Truths audiobook, enhancing this already awesome book in an outstanding way.

Warhammer: The Old World: Lords of the Lance, written by Graham McNeill and narrated by Peter Kenny

This year the Warhammer franchise brought fans back to the iconic Old World fantasy setting, including through the exceptional book Lords of the Lance. Written by one of the Black Library’s best authors, Graham McNeill, Lords of the Lance was an exciting and addictive adventure story that saw the legendary knights of Bretonnia traverse some of the most hostile terrain in the setting to face off against an army of the dead. Expertly narrated by Peter Kenny, this amazing story was loaded with action, compelling characters, and a fantastic appreciation for the setting. I really had a lot of fun listening to the Lords of the Lance audiobook, and it was the best way to experience this amazing story.

The Atlas Maneuver, written by Steve Berry and narrated by Scott Brick

I had a lot of fun listening to the new Cotton Malone book by Steve Berry, The Atlas Maneuver. Another intricate and captivating spy thriller that makes use of fun historical conspiracies, The Atlas Maneuver was a great book and I felt that the excellent audiobook version, narrated by Scott Brick, enhanced its unique elements. An outstanding listen from one of my favourite thriller series.

Crucible of Chaos, written by Sebastien de Castell and narrated by Joe Jameson

I’m slightly cheating with this next entry as Crucible of Chaos came out in 2023. However, due its late December 2023 release date, as well as it’s connection to the fantastic 2024 novel, Play of Shadows, I have decided to include it as part of this list. Crucible of Chaos was an exceptional book from talented fantasy author Sebastien de Castell, that saw an unlikely investigator and his noble steed attempt to uncover the cause of insanity and chaos in a famous monastery. A clever and funny read, Crucible of Chaos was an impressive audiobook, and I had a lot of fun with how Joe Jameson, another favourite narrator of mine, brought it too life.

Warhammer 40,000: Deathworlder, written by Victoria Hayward and narrated by Gabrielle Nellis-Pain

The final audiobook I want to highlight on this list is the amazing Warhammer 40,000 production, Deathworlder. Written by debuting author Victoria Hayward, Deathworlder was a grim and complex tale of survival in a planet full of horrors. Featuring two of the most compelling factions in the Warhammer 40,000 canon, Deathworlder was so damn good, and I deeply appreciated how effectively the audiobook version captured the turmoil and intensity of the plot. Narrator Gabrielle Nellis-Pain did an amazing job bringing the traumatised protagonists to life, and the resulting audiobook came across masterfully. A deeply impressive audiobook and one of the best Warhammer reads from the first half of 2024.

Well, that’s the end of this latest list. As you can see, there have been some very good audiobooks out in the first half of 2024. It will be interesting to see which books make the cut later in the year, especially as I currently have several major 2024 audiobooks currently sitting on my phone, waiting to be listened to. While I get to that, make sure to let me know what your favourite audiobooks of 2024 so far are in the comments below.

Warhammer 40,000: Da Big Dakka by Mike Brooks

On March 30, 2024 By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Extended Universe, Science Fiction, Tie-in Novel, Warhammer14 Comments

Da Big Dakka Cover

Publisher: Black Library (Audiobook – 24 February 2024)

Series: Warhammer 40,000: Ufthak Blackhawk – Book Two

Length: 9 hours and 25 minutes

My Rating: 4.75 out of 5 stars

I have been really punching out the Warhammer reviews this week, and the final one I want to bring up is the exceedingly fun novel Da Big Dakka by Mike Brooks.

Mike Brooks is an outstanding author, who has been killing it with his amazing novels in the Warhammer 40,000 universe with elaborate tales featuring some unique figures. I really enjoyed his dark novel, Huron Blackheart: Master of the Maelstrom, and The Lion: Son of the Forest was one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2023. However, out of all of Brooks’s books, the most entertaining, exciting and outright funny are his novels that focus on the ork faction. Orks are always a fantastic group in Warhammer fiction, but Brooks has some amazing insights into these rowdy creatures. His previous ork novels, Brutal Kunnin and Warboss, have both been awesome, but I honestly think his latest book, Da Big Dakka, is his best yet.

Ufthak Blackhawk, big boss of Da Tekwaaagh! is in trouble. Sent far away into the stars by his Warboss, Da Meklord, to find loot and a good scrap, Ufthak has found barely anything to steal or fight, and now Da Meklord wants his tribute. Determined to find one big score, Ufthak is awarded a unique opportunity when his new grot servant reveals the webway, mysterious ancient portals which can lead to all sorts of unusual places. However, he has no way of entering the webway, that is until someone opens it for him.

Dhaemira Thraex is a powerful and ambitious drukhari archon, who seeks to empower her cabal and become leader of her section of the dark city of Commorragh. To that end, Dhaemira brings Ufthak and his horde into Commorragh, hoping to use the threat they present to unite her rivals behind her. Confident of a swift victory against the unorganised orks, it quickly becomes apparent that Dhaemira has underestimated the danger she has unleashed.

After years of fighting and getting stronger, Ufthak is no longer the simple ork he once was. Instead, he is now a monstrous foe who excels at killing, and who has a plan to get everything he wants. But can even the new and improved Ufthak stand against the worst that the twisted and malevolent drukhari have to throw at him, especially when treachery sprouts within his own ranks in the most unlikely of places?

Mike Brooks presents one of his funniest and most exciting novels yet as Da Big Dakka hits all the right notes for me. Utterly hilarious, loaded with over-the-top characters, and featuring two extremely awesome factions from the Warhammer 40,000 universe, Da Big Dakka had me hooked from the moment I started listening to it and refused to let go until the very last laugh.

Da Big Dakka had a great story behind it, and I liked how Brooks set it up as a direct sequel to Brutal Kunnin (which I read recently in preparation for the release of this book), while also featuring elements from Warboss. Da Big Dakka is more of a dark comedy than a serious Warhammer 40,000 novel, which is to be expected when you have a book focused on the orks. The premise behind Da Big Dakka is simple: the orks under the command of the evolving Ufthak Blackhawk have found themselves inside the drukhari city of Commorragh and must pit their savage battle skills and crude intellect against the subtle tactics of their drukhari hosts.

The drukhari, whose scenes are primarily told from the perspective of Dhaemira Thraex, initially see the orks as a minor threat, and they are more concerned with their intrigues to take them seriously. However, underestimating the orks never works out for anyone, and soon Ufthak has launched a series of insane and unpredictable counterattacks that force the drukhari to work together. As this happens, Ufthak finds himself being secretly undermined by one of his grots, Snaggi Littletoof (who previously appeared in Warboss), who his determined to lead a grot uprising and finds himself in all manner of trouble as a result. All three of these storylines come together in a big way towards the end of the book, as all the schemes, outrageous plans and badly organised rebellions, are decided in one big brawl. The final results of Da Big Dakka are pretty damn awesome, as there are some deliciously ironic comeuppances, interesting character development, and entertaining hints about what Brooks plans to do in the future.

While there are notable similarities between Da Big Dakka and the previous novel, Brutal Kunnin, as the book follows a similar thread of orks rampaging across a new world facing off against arrogant enemies, it’s hard not to fall in love with this book. You can clearly see that Brooks has evolved his style since Brutal Kunnin, and this sequel was a much stronger novel. A lot of this was down to the inclusion of one of the best characters from Warboss, who added in an extra comedic angle to the plot that vibed wonderfully with the other storylines. Brooks also amped up the petty political intrigue and plotting with the non-ork parts of the book, with the drukhari serving as an excellent antithesis to the orks. There was also a great deal more character development when it came to the protagonist, which helped to strengthen a lot of the plot. This split between these three main point of view characters was pretty damn perfect, and their alternating views of events helped to produce a very strong story.

In addition, there was excellent added complexity to Da Big Dakka’s humour, which I had a brilliant time with. While most of the comedy is based around the over-the-top antics of the orks, there is also some darker, more subtle comedic elements spread throughout the plot which plays off the other jokes extremely well. A lot of this based around ironic events, in-universe jokes, and hilarious betrayals, which really added up as the book progressed. I found myself laughing out loud multiple times while listening to Da Big Dakka, and this was one of the funnier books of 2024. Throw in a ton of over-the-top fight scenes, most of which serves to enhance the already epic story, and you have an outstanding and captivating book with pure fun at its heart.

One of the things that I always enjoy about Warhammer 40,000 fiction is the shear range of different stories and styles that can be told. Da Big Dakka for example is a much more light-hearted book that focuses on two alien races that don’t always get a lot of focus in the extended fiction. As such, this book has a great deal of appeal for those unfamiliar with Warhammer, as Brooks is required to dive into these factions without weighing the reader down with too much heavy plot. New readers can easily enjoy this book without any real pre-knowledge or conceptions about the Warhammer 40,000 universe and still have an outstanding time with the unique story and characters. It can also be readily enjoyed by those who haven’t read the preceding two novels, Brutal Kunnin and Warboss, as Brooks makes the story very accessible. Naturally, established fans and those who have read Brooks’ prior novels will get a lot more out of Da Big Dakka, mainly because there is some interesting progression of character arcs, and because Brooks provides outstanding look at the orks and the drukhari.

As with his previous two novels, I was deeply impressed with how Brooks portrayed the orks in Da Big Dakka. The orks are always a very entertaining bunch, and their hooligan-esque actions, desire to fight, and unique outlook on life makes for some fun reading. Pretty much every book that features an ork character is bound to be more on the comedic side, and Brooks delivers this in spades, loading up the story with a ton of funny observations, in-jokes and outrageous behaviours that proved to be exceedingly entertaining. Brooks really amps up the unpredictable nature of the orks in Da Big Dakka, and there was a good recurring theme about being underestimated. While Brooks went a little light on describing ork technology and the different clans, mainly because he’s covered that before, there was an interesting look at ork psychology and biology which showcased why they fight and how it benefits them. The author also featured a great look at the ork sub-race known as the grots, who have an expanded role in this book. Smaller, weaker and extremely bullied members of the ork race, the grots serve as a snivelling slave caste, and offer some fun comedic relief. A good part of the plot revolves around the grots and their cowardly nature, and it was really entertaining to see Brooks’s take on their mindset and place in ork society, especially when one of their number tries something different. Honestly every scene featuring a major ork character was entertaining or interesting in some way or another, and I really love how well Brooks portrays this awesome faction.

While Da Big Dakka is mostly dedicated to the orks, Brooks also spends a ton of time focusing on one of the more intriguing factions in the canon, the drukhari. Previously known as the dark eldar, the drukhari are one of the more underutilised groups in Warhammer 40,000 fiction, and it was great to see them here. Essentially evil space elves, the drukhari live in an extra-dimensional city and require the pain of others to survive (think the Cenobites from Hellraiser). As Da Big Dakka is primarily set in a section of their city and features a drukhari as a main character, Brooks showcases a lot of the drukhari lore in this book, which was really cool. This book features an in-depth look at the drukhari, with their unique units, weaponry and vehicles strongly featured. However, Brooks goes even deeper than that, focusing on the politics of the drukhari characters, the various alliances that bind them, and entire basis of their existence. I loved the fascinating examination of why they require pain to survive, as well as their thoughts on mortality, and this became a key part of the book’s plot. You get a real clash of styles between the two factions, and the orks are constantly frustrated by the hit-and-run tactics of the drukhari (or the spikiez, as the orks know them). I also loved how cool the city of Commorragh proved as a background to the plot, and Brooks features several unique drukhari structures and locations that made for some great battlefields. The entire final sequence takes place in one of their arenas, and it was very fun to see the protagonist face off against some of the drukhari captives. I honestly really loved that Brooks featured the drukhari here, and I hope we see more Warhammer authors use them in the future as they are so underutilised.

I also must highlight the excellent character work featured within Da Big Dakka, as Brooks featured some amazing figures whose unique insights added so much to the impact of this book. The primary character is the ork big boss, Ufthak Blackhawk, who previously served as the protagonist of Brutal Kunnin. Since we last saw him, Ufthak has literally grown into his role as a boss, as his victories have transformed Ufthak into a massive monster. This physical growth has also resulted in him becoming smarter, and a lot of his storyline revolves around him utilising this new intellect for the first time. It also makes him more ambitious and insightful, and it was fascinating to see him interact with the other characters in the book, especially the main drukhari figure. Indeed, the one scene where they have a frank conversation was probably one of my favourites in the entire book, with Ufthak proving to be her intellectual match. Despite this newfound and somewhat unwanted ability to think, Ufthak is still an ork at heart and he acts accordingly, with lots of destruction and carnage coming from him alone. Ufthak is also a major source of comedy as his cynical, hilarious, and often surprisingly accurate insights into the drukhari, his fellow orks, and the other races of the galaxy, are so funny. It will be interesting to see what adventures Brooks has planned for Ufthak in the future, as he is clearly positioning him to be a major recurring figure in his books.

Aside from Ufthak, the other two major characters of the book are the drukhari archon, Dhaemira Thraex and the grot Snaggi Littletoof, both of whom add some great alternate elements to the story. Dhaemira is a ruthless drukhari strategist, who revels in schemes, plots and ambitious powerplays. The person ultimately responsible for much of the carnage in Da Big Dakka, Dhaemira proves to be a fantastic figure to follow, especially as the reader gets most of their view of the drukhari from her. Dhaemira proves to be an excellent alternative protagonist to Ufthak, mainly because the two are so different, and it was fascinating to see their clash of styles and personality, even though they have more common ground then you would expect. I really loved Dhaemira’s narrative, which goes in some interesting directions, including an unlikely romance, and it really played off the ork perspective chapters so well.

The final key ingredient to this mix was Snaggi Littletoof, the self-proclaimed Grotboss and prophet of Gork and Mork. Snaggi, who previously appeared in Warboss, is determined to lead a grot rebellion to overthrow the orks and place him in charge. Unfortunately, Snaggi is held back due to the stupidity of his minions, as well as his own inaccurate sense of self-importance. His entire storyline of attempted rebellion was a welcome addition to the plot as it served an interesting middle ground between Ufthak’s direct actions and Dhaemira’s more subtle plots. It also added some excellent additional humour, as Snaggi’s various schemes to take over the ork band, go in some interesting directions that often balance unlikely success with massive failure. This fantastic combination of characters was so much fun, and I really loved how well Brooks introduced them and balanced them out throughout Da Big Dakka.

I checked out this Warhammer novel in its audiobook format, which is the best way to enjoy the over-the-top action and big personalities of this franchise. Da Big Dakka is a great example of this, and I love how all the amazing scenes and fun fights really come to life when they are read out to you. In Da Big Dakka’s case, a lot of this is due to narrator Harry Myers, who is quickly becoming one of my favourite Warhammer audiobook voice actors. Not only has he really impressed me in Brooks’s previous ork audiobook, Warboss, but Myers was also brilliant narrating two of my all-time favourite Warhammer 40,000 novels, Day of Ascension by Adrian Tchaikovsky and The Wraithbone Phoenix by Alec Worley. Myers has such an amazing and booming voice and a great British accent that really fits the hooligan-aesthetics of the orks. He effectively works through a series of voices in Da Big Dakka, that includes the commanding voice of main character Ufthak Blackhawk, and the high-pitched whiny voices of the various grots. While his voice wasn’t always the most effective for conveying the subtle mannerisms of the ethereal drukhari, Myer still did an excellent job portraying them throughout this book, and I loved how efficiently and entertainingly he moved the plot along. I honestly don’t think I would have had as much fun with Da Big Dakka without Myers’s narration, and with a run time just short of nine and a half hours, this is a very easy audiobook to get through and enjoy.

Mike Brooks continues to impress me with his outstanding and epic contributions to the Warhammer 40,000 franchise, especially as he so clearly grows as an author with each book he writes. His latest novel, Da Big Dakka, is a captivating and deeply hilarious piece of Warhammer fiction that tells an awesome story, while also expertly using the franchise’s most unique factions. Wildly entertaining, incredibly funny, and subtly clever, Da Big Dakka was particularly fun to read and comes highly recommended. I cannot wait to see what wonderous piece of Warhammer fiction Mike Brooks will write next, as I know I am going to love it.

Top Ten Tuesday – My Favourite Audiobooks from the First Half of 2023

On July 11, 2023 By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, List20 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that currently resides at The Artsy Reader Girl and features bloggers sharing lists on various book topics. Top Ten Tuesday participants get a freebie this week so I chose to have a look at my favourite audiobooks from the first half of 2023. This is a continuation of my Top Ten list from a few weeks ago that featured my favourite overall novels from the first half of 2023.

I have a great deal of love for the audiobook format, and it is one of the main ways that I tend to check out books. Each year I enjoy a great number of different audiobooks and use the format to check out recent releases and older novels. I have been enjoying audiobooks for years, and it is amazing the various ways in which listening to a book can enhance your enjoyment. A great narrator can really bring you into the story, and I find that listening to a book enhances the amount of detail that you can take in. In addition, other features, such as captivating voices, music and sound effects can really make an audiobook something special, and there some great examples of that out there. This year alone I have listened to several outstanding audiobooks, includes some of my favourite books from early 2023. Because I love this format so much, I thought I would take this opportunity to highlight my favourite audiobooks from the first half of the year.

To pull this list off I had a look at all the 2023 releases that I listened to on audiobook to figure out my favourites. It turns out that I have already gone through quite a few this year so there was a very large collection of potential additions to this list. I was eventually able to whittle it down to the ten audiobooks I consider to be the best. There is a bit of a crossover with my previous Favourite Books from the First Half of 2023 list, but I think there are enough new additions to make this list worthwhile. I made sure to feature only the very best audiobooks on this list, and, in addition to the quality of the baseline novel, I also looked at audiobook production and narration. In my experience an outstanding narration or use of music and sound effects can enhance the plot, and I think that all the audiobooks listed below were exceptional listens that are really worth checking out.

In addition, as I had also listened to a few pre-2023 audiobooks in the first half of the year, I decided to also included a few of the best in a honourable mentions section. I had an epic time diving back into some classic reads, especially those of the Warhammer variety, and I really wanted to highlight which ones made for the best audiobooks. With these honourable mentions, I am very happy with how the overall list turned out and I think that the below entries really highlight what my favourite audiobooks from the first half of the year are.

Honourable Mentions (Pre-2023 audiobooks):

Eisenhorn Trilogy, written by Dan Abnett and narrated by Toby Longworth

Warhammer 40,000 - Xenos Cover

Some of the very best Warhammer audiobooks I listened to this year are the epic Eisenhorn novels by Dan Abnett. Thanks to Toby Longworth’s exceptional narration, all three Eisenhorn novels, Xenos, Malleus and Hereticus were a joy to listen to from start to finish.

Dead Beat, Proven Guilty and White Night, written by Jim Butcher and narrated by James Marsters

White Night Cover

Few audiobooks are better than Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files novels narrated by actor James Marsters. I’ve gotten through three of these audiobooks in 2023 with Dead Beat, Proven Guilty and White Night, and all of them were outstanding five-star reads that I had such a great time listening to.

The Infinite and the Divine, written by Robert Rath and narrated by Richard Reed

The Infinite and the Divine Cover

A highly clever, utterly hilarious and very impressive Warhammer 40,000 audiobook that focused on two rival Necron lords, battling it out over the centuries in a petty feud. I laughed myself silly with this audiobook and Richard Reed’s awesome narration made it even better.

For the Emperor by Sandy Mitchell and narrated by Stephen Perring, Penelope Rawlins and Emma Gregory

Warhammer 40,000 - For the Emperor Cover

Another particularly funny Warhammer 40,000 audiobook I enjoyed this year is the first Ciaphas Cain novel by Sandy Mitchell, For the Emperor. This entertaining audiobook about a cowardly war hero truly comes alive with the outstanding narration team of Stephen Perring, Penelope Rawlins and Emma Gregory, who compliment themselves marvellously throughout the entire production.

Son of the Poison Rose, written by Jonathan Maberry and narrated by Ray Porter

Top Ten List:

Son of the Poison Rose Cover

I had to start this list off with the new Jonathan Maberry novel, Son of the Poison Rose. The sequel to Kagen the Damned (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2022), Son of the Poison Rose was another epic and bloody novel that proves hard to put down. The always exceptional narration of Ray Porter turns it into an utterly addictive and impossibly good listen, which I cannot recommend enough.

Warhammer 40,000: Warboss, written by Mike Brooks and narrated by Harry Myers

Warhammer 40,000 - Warboss Cover

Rising Warhammer 40,000 author Mike Brooks is having a stellar 2023, and one of the first audiobooks of his I listened to was the very funny Warboss. Focusing on feuding warband of Orks attempting to determine a new leader through conquest, Warboss was a riot the entire way through, especially with Harry Myer’s fantastic narration perfectly capturing the chaotic yet complex nature of the Ork characters.

The Last Kingdom, written by Steve Berry and narrated by Scott Brick

The Last Kingdom (Steve Berry) Cover

History and conspiracy really come to life in the hands of Steve Berry, especially when narrated by Scott Brick. This latest Cotton Malone audiobook, The Last Kingdom, was pretty damn good, and I have so much love for the amazing combination of a modern-day thriller and intriguing historical mysteries.

The Lake House, written by Sarah Beth Durst and narrated by Karissa Vacker

The Lake House Cover Better

A fantastic and haunting young adult thriller that saw three teenagers thrust into a deadly situation on a remote summer camp. Sarah Beth Durst produced a pretty amazing book here and Karissa Vacker does a great job of portraying the three teenage protagonists with her excellent narration. I had an amazing time with The Lake House and I am hoping to get a review up for it soon.

Warhammer 40,000: The Lion: Son of the Forest by Mike Brooks and narrated by Timothy Watson

The Lion - Son of the Forest Cover

The second Mike Brooks audiobook on this list is The Lion: Son of the Forest, which was probably one of the best Warhammer 40,000 novels of 2023 so far. Following the return of a mythical hero, this fantastic book had a compelling and powerful plot that had me hooked very early. Narrator Timothy Watson ensures that the audiobook version is particularly epic as he brings some outstanding gravitas to an already legendary main character.

Burner, written by Mark Greaney, narrated by Jay Snyder

Burner Cover

Few thriller series impress me as much as the Gray Man books by Mark Greaney, and I have been having an amazing time listening to their audiobooks, especially with the very talented Jay Snyder narrating them. The latest Gray Man audiobook, Burner, was particularly special, and I could barely stop listening to it as Greaney wove together a captivating and highly relevant spy story. A must listen, especially with Snyder’s great take on the characters.

The Will of the Many, written by James Islington and narrated by Euan Morton

The Will of the Many Cover

One of the audiobooks I am most glad I listened to in the first half of 2023 was the brilliant fantasy novel, The Will of the Many by James Islington. A highly elaborate, entertaining and moving novel, The Will of the Many is one of the best fantasy books of the year so far and represents the start of an outstanding new series. I particularly enjoyed the amazing audiobook version, which thanks to the narration of Euan Morton, really popped, and helped to cram every detail of Islington’s new world into my head. Highly recommended!

Warhammer 40,000: Shadowsun: The Patient Hunter, written by Phil Kelly and narrated by Helen McAlpine

Warhammer 40,000 - Shadowsun Cover

A slick, action-packed, and occasionally gruesome Warhammer 40,000 audiobook that I had a lot of fun with was Shadowsun: The Patient Hunter. Combining Phil Kelly’s love of the T’au faction with Helen McAlpine’s great narration is a winning combination, and I powered through this cool audiobook in no time at all.

City of Last Chances, written by Adrian Tchaikovsky and narrated by David Thorpe

City of Last Chances Cover

Another particularly impressive and captivating fantasy novel from the start of the year was City of Last Chances by the very talented Adrian Tchaikovsky. Following multiple unique protagonists around a troubled fantasy city, City of Last Chances is a must read for all fantasy fans, and you will find your experience of it greatly improved with the outstanding audiobook version. Narrator David Thorpe perfectly captures all of the many complex characters and ensures that Tchaikovsky’s brilliant story elaborate setting is expertly conveyed to the listener. I cannot recommend this audiobook enough and I cannot wait to see how Tchaikovsky follows it up.

Warhammer 40,000: Leviathan, written by Darius Hinks and narrated by Theo Solomon

Warhammer 40,000 - Leviathan Cover

The final audiobook on this list is the one I’m listening to now, Leviathan by Darius Hinks. An intense and fast-paced book that follows a deadly alien invasion, this is a great Warhammer 40,000 read that really grew on me. Leviathan has a very good audiobook format, thanks to the narration of Theo Solomon, and I am having an outstanding time seeing this dark tale of insanity, invasion and hope, come to fruition. I should knock this off in the next day or so, and I will try to get a review up for it soon.

Well, that’s the end of this latest list. As you can see, there have been some very good audiobooks out in the first half of 2023, even my list is a little Warhammer 40,000 heavy. It will be interesting to see which books make the cut later in the year, especially as I currently have several major 2023 audiobooks currently sitting on my phone, waiting to be listened to. While I get to that, make sure to let me know what your favourite audiobooks of 2023 so far are in the comments below.

Warhammer 40,000: Warboss by Mike Brooks

On May 3, 2023 By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Extended Universe, Science Fiction, Tie-in Novel, Warhammer27 Comments

Warhammer 40,000 - Warboss Cover

Publisher: Black Library (Audiobook – 25 March 2023)

Series: Warhammer 40,000

Length: 8 hours and 48 minutes

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Prepare for the ultimate battle for control as several feuding ork bosses fight to become the new leader of the Waaagh! in this amazing and highly entertaining Warhammer 40,000 novel, Warboss by Mike Brooks.

2023 has been a big Warhammer 40,000 fiction year for me as I have been having an absolute blast reading all manner of cool novels from across the franchise (make sure to check out my recently released list about my favourite Warhammer 40,000 novels). However, while I have read a ton of Warhammer books this year, I have not had the opportunity to read any 2023 Warhammer releases. Well, I am on my way to rectify that by looking at the recently released Warboss by awesome author Mike Brooks, who also wrote the 2022 novel Huron Blackheart: Master of the Maelstrom. Brooks did an outstanding job with this fantastic new book, and I had so much damn fun with Warboss and its highly entertaining and hilarious story.

In the far future of the 41^st millennium, there are few things are more destructive or unstoppable than an ork warband on a rampage. One of the most effective bands currently killing its way through the galaxy is that of Warboss Gazrot Goresnappa whose Waaagh! has conquered the once mighty human fortress world of Aranua. After several decisive and bloody victories, the Waaagh! celebrates in front of the planet’s remaining bastion, the massive Davidia Hive. All it will take is one final assault to totally defeat the humans on Aranua so Warboss Goresnappa can strip their resources and lead his boyz to bigger and better fights out in the stars.

However, before Goresnappa can achieve his great victory, an unfortunate accident sees him very, very dead under the giant decapitated head of a Gargant war machine. With their leader squashed, the Waaagh! now has an opening for Warboss, and several ambitious orks from across the no-longer united clans step forward to fight for the job. However, before the usual brawl for leadership can begin, a prophecy from the clan’s resident weirdboy, Old Morgrub, reveals that the ork gods have something very special in store for the Waaagh! and its next leader. A mysterious gate lies underneath the human city that could transport the Waaagh! to fights anywhere in the galaxy, and whichever boss finds it first will be the new Warboss.

Forced to obey the words of the gods, the bosses engage in their own elaborate plans to breach the Hive City and claim the gate. But which boss can triumph over the others? Will it be the brutal Goff Big Boss Mag Dedfist, the suicidally fast Speedboss of the Evil Sunz, Zagnob Thundaskuzz, the sneaky and cunning leader of the Blood Axes, Da Genrul, or could it even be the leader of the grot uprising, the self-proclaimed prophet of Gork and Mork, Snaggi Littetoof? All four believe that they are the only ones capable of leading the Waaagh! and they will fight tooth and nail to become Warboss. But to succeed they’ll need to not only overcome all their rivals but the human defenders of the Hive City and an Aeldari army waiting in the depths to defend their gate. May the best ork win!

Oh dear, oh dear, what a damn funny book. Honestly, any Warhammer 40,000 novel that focuses on the orks is bound to be comedy gold, but Warboss is one of the better ones I have had the pleasure of reading. Author Mike Brooks does a wonderful job of telling a tight and amazingly fun story that perfectly showcases the orks in all their green skinned glory. I had so much fun with this book and I managed to power through Warboss in very short order.

This proved to be a pretty fast-paced and impressive story, and it’s one that I was able to have a blast listening to as it unfolded. Primarily focusing on the various ork characters that are part of Waaagh! Goresnappa, Warboss starts off with a sudden game changer for the protagonists as the infamous Warboss Goresnappa is killed off in hilarious fashion thanks to a group of argumentative grots and the falling head of a massive war machine. This leads several of the remaining ork bosses throwing their hats into the ring to become the Warboss, and all hell follows as a result. Tasked with finding a hidden Aeldari gate under the human city, each of the ork bosses implements their own plans to get into the city first, whether that be through blowing down the walls, infiltrating from below, or driving around the city at high speeds, hoping for the best. Brooks breaks the story up around the main three contenders nicely, and you soon get a good idea of their different, but very orkish strategies. However, the story is made even more enjoyable thanks to some of the alternate perspectives that emerge. This includes the ambitious grot Snaggi Littletoof who, after accidently killing Warboss Goresnappa, attempts his own grot uprising and tries to find the gate to gain his cause legitimacy. Several human characters are also shown, often to add some interesting contrast to the orks, and it is fun to see their attempted counterattacks, which often leads to disaster. This makes for an excellent first two-thirds of the book and Brooks does a great job of showcasing both the protagonists and the ork nation as a whole while also setting up a very entertaining story.

Unsurprisingly, the orks make it into the city and everyone starts arriving at the gate at the same time, often in comedic or unexpected ways. This leads to a very fast-paced final third as everyone starts fighting everyone else to become Warboss, facing off against humans, Aeldari, and every rival faction of the Waaagh!. Brooks showcases this final big battle in some excellent ways, and you get really drawn into the crazy carnage that follows thanks to the well-written and exciting action scenes. The use of multiple perspectives was pretty useful here, and I liked how the author showed the same massive battle again and again, each time from the point of view of another character. This added more detail to the brawl each time, as well as some amusing alternate opinions of events from some very different characters. Brooks throws in some excellent twists and turns here and you are never quite certain who is going to come out on top in the battle for supremacy. The eventual fate of every major character is pretty fantastic and really fits the storylines that have been building up throughout the book. I personally came away from Warboss extremely satisfied and I loved all the cool developments and totally insane moments that occurred. Overall, this was a very impressive standalone Warhammer 40,000 narrative and it is very hard not come away loving this story thanks to the awesome humour and all the fantastic, over-the-top interactions that occurred.

All fans of Warhammer fiction know that ork focused novels are some of the funniest novels out there, due to the way that they focus on the over-the-top antics of this beloved faction. Some good examples of previous Warhammer books that strongly featured orks include Ghazghkull Thraka: Prophet of the Waaagh! by Nate Crowley (one of my favourite books of 2022) and Catachan Devil by Justin Woolley, and I think that Warboss is up there with these fantastic reads. This outstanding book really dove into the humour as you watched the crude and eternally underestimated orks battle it out amongst each other and the other factions, often coming up with insane and funny solutions to all the deadly problems they encounter. There honestly wasn’t a single chapter where I wasn’t laughing at some of the crazy stuff that just occurred, and Brooks had a real talent for writing from the ork perspective. There was some great consistency in the way that the ork characters acted and thought throughout Warboss and every chapter focussed on them saw the characters using similar lingo, slang and descriptions of the other races in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. As such, you get a great appreciation for the ork mindset and it was great to see the ork perspective on all the book’s over-the-top moments.

One of the things that I felt set Warboss aside from some other Warhammer 40,000 novels featuring orks is that Brooks didn’t fall into the trap of portraying them simply as funny simpletons. Instead, Brooks shows that the orks are quite smart and complex in their way, it just that their culture, in comparison to humans or Aeldari, has more of a focus on violence and straightforwardness than the other races in the galaxy. This is backed up by scene after scene of the orks utilising their skills, technology and cunning to win various encounters against seemingly smarter or more organised opponents, and it is always quite fun to see the orks looking down on their opponents for making mistakes that they wouldn’t do. While this love of extreme violence is mostly played for fun, Brook’s also tries to show the darker side of it, as the orks are pretty damn brutal in how they deal with the humans and Aeldari they encountered. I loved the great contrast between the ork and human characters that Brooks added into Warboss, as the humans were always so arrogant and condescending towards the orks’ intelligence, even when they were beating them. This complete lack of understanding by most of the human characters really enhanced the various ork chapters, especially those that showed the orks managing to understand and outthink their human opponents, and I really appreciated this fantastic deeper dive into ork mindset and society. I did think that Brooks might have made the orks slightly too overpowered in Warboss, as they manage to take on quite a few major enemies with relative ease, but this always added some fun to the story and it was interesting to see the full potential of the orks.

This deep dive into the orks is further cemented thanks to the several outstanding character arcs that Brooks set up throughout Warboss, particularly around the four main characters fighting for control of the Waaagh! in their own way. The three ork characters Mag Dedfist, Zagnob Thundaskuzz and Genrul Uzbrag (Da Genrul), are in some ways quite similar, in that they have several similar racial tendencies towards violence or leadership. However, each of them represents a different clan, and so they have different battle tendencies which really helps to highlight the different factions within ork society. Mag Dedfist is a Goff, and so he relies more on classic violence and explosions to achieve his goals in the most direct ways possible. Zagnob is an Evil Sun boss who has dedicated himself to the Kult of Speed and believes in riding the fastest vehicle he can find right towards the enemy. The most entertaining of these is probably Da Genrul, a member of the Blood Axe clan who admire human martial ability and utilise their own take on tactics, discipline and stealth to achieve their goals, often outsmarting the humans they are aping.

I was also a big fan of the character of Snaggi Littletoof, a grot with ideas of grandeur who attempts to start a grot uprising against their cruel ork masters. The grots (also known as gretchins, essentially goblins from classic fantasy), smaller cousins of the orks who are used as slave labour and cannon fodder, aren’t particularly well featured in most Warhammer 40,000 fiction, so I had fun with a whole character arc around them in Warboss. Snaggi and his band of rebellious grots (Da GrotWaaagh!), are a very entertaining inclusion, and I liked the revolutionary storyline that Brooks set around them that provided both humour and an interesting look at typical grot life. It was so much fun to see Snaggi inspiring his followers to go against their nature and rebel, especially as the orks had no idea what they heck they were doing. Thanks to Brook’s use of Mag, Zagnob, Da Genrul and Snaggi, you get a great understanding of each of their specific faction and the author did a particularly good job of featuring each of them equally. Indeed, thanks to the appearance of several different ork characters in a supporting role, you get a pretty good idea of nearly every major ork clan, faction and designation, and even those readers completely unfamiliar with orks can come away from this book knowing most of the key things you need to know about them.

These ork and grot protagonists are well backed up by several entertainingly arrogant human characters who honestly make the orks seem reasonable and likeable in comparison. The best is easily Captain Armenisu Varrow, who is held prisoner by Da Genrul as his pet and tactical advisor. Varrow goes through so much hell in this book, but is so deliciously haughty while he does so that you really can’t feel sorry for him. Despite his ironclad belief in his own intelligence, Varrow is outsmarted time and time again, and it is just great to see him cower his way through events while still thinking he is the smart one. His story arc is very entertaining and I loved how very dark it gets, especially at the end. The rest of the humans are also great in their own ways, even if they are only featured for a short amount of time, and their ongoing false remarks about the abilities of the orks in the face of the carnage they are laying down always made me chuckle. An overall great group of characters who help to turn this amazing story into something truly special.

I checked out Warboss on audiobook, which honestly is becoming my go-to format for all things Warhammer. This proved to be another excellent decision as the Warboss audiobook was a ball of absolute fun that I had a brilliant time listening to. Coming in with a runtime of under nine hours, this is a pretty easy audiobook to power through quickly and I managed it in a few, hilarious sessions. The outstanding, comedy laden story really works well in the audiobook format and so many of the great jokes come across that much better when you listen to them. It definitely helped that they brought in established Warhammer narrator Harry Myers to voice this book as he did a spectacular job here. I have deeply enjoyed Myers in several recent Warhammer audiobooks, including The Wraithbone Phoenix by Alec Worley (one of my favourite audiobooks of 2022) and Day of Ascension by Adrian Tchaikovsky, and he has another amazing performance in Warboss. His voice is just perfect for all the alien characters featured within this novel, and the various gruff tones of the orks and high-pitched squeals of the grots are very spot on. In addition, several of the human characters are shown in all their arrogant finery throughout the audiobook and you really appreciate just how stupid they are through this medium. Each character is expertly showcased to the reader through Myers’ voice, and I loved every line he read out as a result. I also deeply enjoyed how well his narration worked to convey all the fantastic jokes loaded throughout the production, including that hilarious bit involving the ork characters failing to know the chapter numbers. This was a such a great audiobook to listen to and I cannot recommend this format enough for Warboss as you are guaranteed to have an exceptional time listening to it.

Mike Brooks continues to impress me as an outstanding author of Warhammer fiction with his amazing novel Warboss. A comedy heavy novel that perfectly showcases the always fun orks, Warboss is pure entertainment from start to finish that both established fans of the franchise and new readers can easily enjoy. Brooks has a clear appreciation for this faction which really shines through in his storytelling, and I loved his great take on everything orkish. One of the funniest and enjoyable releases of 2023 so far, this is essential reading for all interest in hilarious Warhammer fiction, and I am very glad I checked it out.

Sylvanas, written by Christie Golden and narrated by Patty Mattson

Top Ten Tuesday – My Favourite Audiobooks of 2022

On December 20, 2022December 25, 2023 By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, List63 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that currently resides at The Artsy Reader Girl and features bloggers sharing lists on various book topics. The official topic for this list was Books I Hope Santa Brings, and, while this did sound like a fun topic, I instead decided to continue my annual end of year wrap up of some of the best books of 2022. In previous weeks I have highlighted some of the best debuts of 2022, as well as the best pre-2022 novels I read in the last year, but this week I am going to look at something near and dear to my heart, the best audiobooks of 2022.

Readers of my blog only need to check out my extensive audiobook category to know that I have a lot of love for the audiobook format. In my opinion, the audiobook is often the best way to experience a good book, and in many cases, this format makes a book a lot more enjoyable for me. As a result, I listened to quite a few audiobooks this year, and while several of them are books that had been released before 2022 and featured in my Throwback Thursday posts, a large majority of them were released this year. There were some truly outstanding and impressive audiobooks released this year, and I already know that I am going to have an extremely hard time coming up with the final version of this list.

For this list I have only included audiobooks released in 2022 that I have listened to and completed, so I am excluding a few audiobooks that were probably pretty awesome, but which I didn’t have a chance to listen to. Despite this, I still ended up with a long list of extremely good audiobooks, all of which were extremely worthy of appearing on this post. To help cut this down, I too into account a range of consideration, including quality of the original novel, skill of the narrator, production value, pacing and other factors, including any featured music or sound effects. Looking at all this I was eventually able to cut the list down to the absolute best 10 audiobooks (as well as an extended honourable mentions section). I had to make some very hard decisions here, and I ended up losing several extremely good audiobooks from this list. Still, I think it really represents the best audiobooks I enjoyed this year, and there are some amazing productions down below. So let us see what made the cut.

Honourable Mentions:

An outstanding tie-in audiobook to the Warcraft video game franchise, Sylvanas provides a fresh retelling of the origins of one of the game’s most complex characters, Sylvanas Windrunner, all narrated by the voice of Sylvanas herself, Patty Mattson, in an awesome performance.

Steel Tread, written by Andy Clark and narrated by Remmie Milner

The first of many Warhammer 40,000 novels that are going to appear on this list, Steel Tread is a dark and gritty war story that follows a ragged tank crew into the hell of war, all of which is deeply enhanced by a fantastic audiobook format.

Star Wars: The High Republic: The Fallen Star, written by Claudia Gray and narrated by Marc Thompson

Star Wars audiobooks are always pretty damn awesome, but the one for The Fallen Star, which details a disastrous day in the High Republic, was exceptionally good, especially as the music, sound effects and excellent narration, helped to bring the listener right into the heart of the chaos.

Amazon Book Depository

Outgunned, written by Denny Flowers and narrated by Phillip Sacramento

Denny Flowers continues to grow as an author with his second Warhammer 40,000 novel, Outgunned, this time following a propaganda expert as he follows a chaotic pilot into a strange new warzone. This entire compelling scenario, as well as the distinctive main characters, are perfectly showcased in this audiobook, which is really worth a listen.

The Hunger of the Gods, written by John Gwynne and narrated by Colin Mace

Top Ten List:

After really wowing me with the first book in The Bloodsworn Saga series, The Shadow of the Gods (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2021), John Gwynne returns with the epic sequel, The Hunger of the Gods. Perfectly continuing the incredible narrative from the first book, The Hunger of the Gods was an exceptional book, which really comes to life in the audiobook format. Featuring amazing narration by Colin Mace, The Hunger of the Gods was a remarkable listen that I cannot recommend enough.

Ghazghkull Thraka: Prophet of the Waaagh!, written by Nate Crowley and narrated by Kelly Hotten, Paul Putner and Jon Rand

I had a lot of success listening to Warhammer 40,000 novels in 2022, so it is no surprise that a few are going to show up on this list. Easily one of my favourites would have to be the new novel by Nate Crowley, who previously did such a great job with The Twice Dead King books, Ruin and Reign. His latest release was Ghazghkull Thraka: Prophet of the Waaagh!, which retold the tale of the legendary ork warlord from a crazy new perspective. While the story itself is pretty damn clever and highly entertaining, the real joy came from the amazing audiobook production which featured three talented narrators. I loved how the narrators switched around multiple times throughout the production to correspond with which character was telling the story and it made for a distinctive and highly exciting listen that was a great deal of fun.

Sierra Six, written by Mark Greaney and narrated by Jay Snyder

Mark Greaney had a very good year in 2022 as, in addition to his Gray Man movie and action-packed novel, Armored, he also produced another impressive Gray Man thriller with Sierra Six. I have had an amazing time with Greaney’s previous Gray Man novels, including The Gray Man, Mission Critical, One Minute Out and Relentless, and Sierra Six was another excellent addition to the series. Featuring an intense and highly addictive narrative that set protagonist Court Gentry against a dangerous threat in India while also diving into his deadly, tragic past, Sierra Six was an exciting and powerful read that I had a wonderful time listening to. The audiobook format of this book was extremely good, primarily thanks to the excellent narration of Jay Snyder, and I was dragged right into the middle of the action when I listened to Sierra Six on audiobook.

Assassinorum: Kingmaker, written by Robert Rath and narrated by Gareth Armstrong

Another exceptional Warhammer 40,000 audiobook I enjoyed in 2022 was the brilliant and high-octane Assassinorum: Kingmaker by Robert Rath, which saw three elite assassins travel to a feudal Knight World and attempt to reign in the mecha-suit wearing elite by killing a deranged king permanently bonded to a massive war machine. This book was as awesome as it sounds and Rath wove together an exceptional and complex story of politics, conspiracies and assassins, focused around several impressive characters. I deeply enjoyed the elaborate and powerful plot of this great book, which was further enhanced by the exceptional audiobook format. Not only did narrator Gareth Armstrong perfectly encapsulate the fantastic characters, but his amazing tones allowed you to envision all the epic carnage in amazing detail. I had so much damn fun listening to this audiobook and it is a must read for all Warhammer fans, as well as anyone who is interested in seeing assassins go up against mechas.

Kagen the Damned, written by Jonathan Maberry and narrated by Ray Porter

One of my absolute favourite authors, Jonathan Maberry, made an interesting leap this year from science fiction thrillers to dark epic fantasy with Kagen the Damned. Combining his typical writing style with a compelling new fantasy world, Maberry wove together the captivating tale of Kagen Vale, a once noble warrior and hero who is broken and damned after the royal children he was sworn to protect are ruthlessly murdered during a sudden and destructive military invasion. An exceedingly intense and brutal fantasy read, I got extremely hooked on this impressive novel, especially as I made sure to grab the audiobook version. I have always had an exceptional time with Maberry’s audiobooks and I was very excited to see that one of my favourite audiobook narrators, Ray Porter, was returning for this book. Porter always captures the dark tone of Maberry’s writing perfectly, and Kagen the Damned was no exception as he imparts every gruesome detail of this story in his powerful tones. At the same time, Porter effortless inhabits the multiple complex characters in this book, and really brings them to life in some amazing ways. I absolutely loved this amazing audiobook and I cannot wait to grab the sequel, Son of the Poison Rose, in a few weeks time.

Amazon Book Depository

The Bullet That Missed, written by Richard Osman and narrated by Fiona Shaw

There was no way that the new Thursday Murder Club audiobook by Richard Osman, The Bullet That Missed, was going to be excluded from this list. Following on from his awesome first two novels, The Thursday Murder Club (one of my favourite books, audiobooks and debuts of 2020), and The Man Who Died Twice, The Bullet That Missed sees your favourite group of crime solving pensioners return for another complex mystery. Osman came up with another exceptional mystery storyline in this third book and I loved seeing his delightful and utterly hilarious protagonists once again use their unique insights and skills to solve it. The audiobook version was once again exceptional, and I deeply enjoyed new narrator, Fiona Shaw, who I have been a fan of for years. Shaw does a remarkable job narrating this third Thursday Murder Club book, and I loved how she provided a great range of fitting accents and tones for the distinctive characters, while also moving the plot along quickly with her fantastic voice. An incredible audiobook that is near impossible to turn off.

The Martyr, written by Anthony Ryan and narrated by Steven Brand

Next up we have the outstanding second book in Anthony Ryan’s Covenant of Steel fantasy series, The Martyr. The sequel to Ryan’s excellent 2021 novel, The Pariah, The Martyr continues to tell the unique story of Alywn Scribe, a former bandit turned scribe, who finds himself in the middle of tumultuous events that will change the world forever. This time he must accompany his religious fanatic master on a deadly military mission to a foreign land, which will see him get involved in politics, espionage, assassinations and two epic sieges. I actually held off reading this book until I got the audiobook copy, mainly because of how much I enjoyed the audiobook version of The Pariah last year. Steven Brand provides some amazing narration for this compelling read and I really found myself absorbing more of the complex details of this fantasy word when listening to it. Easily the best way to enjoy this exceptional read, I cannot wait to get my hands on the third Covenant of Steel audiobook.

The Wraithbone Phoenix, written by Alec Worley and narrated by Harry Myers

The final Warhammer 40,000 audiobook on this list is the gripping Warhammer Crime book, The Wraithbone Phoenix by Alec Worley. Set in a massive and crime-ridden city, The Wraithbone Phoenix follows an unlikely duo of abhuman criminals as they attempt to pay off their debts by recovering an ancient artefact from decommissioned space ship. However, when the entire city becomes aware of their scheme, they are soon forced to go up against a range of over-the-top killers, thieves and bounty hunters, all determined to kill them and take the prize for themselves. This was an extremely fun and captivating read, which was even more enjoyable as an audiobook as narrator Harry Myers had to voice a ton of unusual characters. I had an outstanding time listening to The Wraithbone Phoenix and I look forward to more fun and fantastic Warhammer Crime audiobooks in the future.

In the Shadow of Lightning, written by Brian McClellan and narrated by Damian Lynch

One of the best fantasy books of 2022 had to be the epic and captivating In the Shadow of Lightning by Brian McClellan. McClellan, who already created magic with his Powder Mage novels (such as Promise of Blood), did a remarkable job of creating a new elaborate fantasy universe where all magic is tied into glass. Following several complex and damaged protagonists as they attempted to navigate war, politics and a dark conspiracy, In the Shadow of Lightning was a remarkable book that perfectly set up McClellan’s planned Glass Immortals series. I had a wonderful and incredible time with In the Shadow of Lightning, and I absolutely loved how well it came out in its audiobook format. Featuring the amazing voice of Damian Lynch, who dove right into the complex roles before him, this audiobook is extremely addictive and I powered through it extremely quickly. A highly recommended audiobook, I am so damn excited for the sequel.

Amazon Book Depository

Star Wars: The High Republic: Convergence, written by Zoraida Córdova and narrated by Marc Thompson

Finally, I had to feature at least one Star Wars book on a list about great audiobooks (it is an Unseen Library rule), and boy was I spoiled for choice this year. While books like Path of Deceit, Midnight Horizon and Brotherhood all had excellent audiobooks, I ended up going with the Star Wars book I am currently listening to, Convergence by Zoraida Córdova. Despite the fact that I still have a little more to listen to (I’m probably going to finish it tonight), I have been deeply impressed with Convergence and I think it has the best combination of narrative, characters and audiobook features of all the Star Wars novels I listened to in 2022. The first adult book in the second phase of The High Republic, Convergence has a great story that explores a deadly war between two planets, while simultaneously introducing elements from an earlier period of Star Wars history. This excellent story is greatly enhanced by the usual outstanding Star Wars production values of cool sound effects, emotionally charged music, and the fantastic voice work of Marc Thompson, who is one of the best audiobook narrators in the world today. This was a remarkable read and I look forward to seeing how this new phase of The High Republic continues in 2023.

Well that is the end of this latest Top Ten list, and as you can see, I have been lucky enough to listen to some awesome audiobooks this year (although I clearly focussed a little too much on Warhammer fiction). All the above audiobooks are extremely good and I would highly recommend each of them in their audiobook format. There is still a little time for me to listen to a few more great audiobooks this year, and I cannot wait to see how they all turn out. Let me know what your favourite audiobooks of 2022 were in the comments below, and I will have to try and check them out as well.

Warhammer 40,000: The Wraithbone Phoenix by Alec Worley

On November 6, 2022March 1, 2023 By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Extended Universe, Science Fiction, Thriller, Tie-in Novel, Warhammer14 Comments

The Wraithbone Phoenix Cover

Publisher: Black Library (Audiobook – 30 August 2022)

Series: Warhammer Crime

Length: 11 hours and 6 minutes

My Rating: 4.75 out of 5 stars

The entertaining team of Baggit and Clodde return for another Warhammer Crime adventure in the rip-roaring and deeply exciting science fiction thriller romp, The Wraithbone Phoenix by the impressive Alec Worley.

Last week I presented a review that talked about the intriguing Warhammer Crime series that combined crime fiction narratives with elements of the iconic Warhammer universe to create some amazing reads. While some Warhammer novels already feature some intriguing crime fiction elements, such as in Necromunda novels like Kal Jericho: Sinner’s Bounty by Joshua Reynolds, the Warhammer Crime books are a much more complete melding, with cool thriller plots and complex mysteries. I was rather intrigued by this concept, especially as I love it when authors combine wildly different genres together, and I mentioned how I planned to try out one of those books next. Well, that book was The Wraithbone Phoenix by Alec Worley, an awesome and captivating read set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. A follow-up to Worley’s 2020 full-cast audiobook, Dredge Runners, The Wraithbone Phoenix is a full-length novel that brings back the protagonists of the original audiobook and puts them in another unique and deadly situation.

In the far future of the universe, there are few places more corrupt and chaotic than the crime-ridden city of Varangantua. Life is cheap on the mean streets of Varangantua, and death waits around every corner, especially if you have a massive bounty on your head. Unfortunately, the most wanted in the city currently are the abhuman deserters turned criminals, Baggit and Clodde. Baggit, a tricky ratling always looking for the next score, and Clodde, his ogryn friend with a rare facility for thought, have made an enemy of one of the most dangerous men in the city, and now everyone is after their heads. Hiding out within one of the city’s industrial salvatoriums, Baggit and Clodde have taken on new identities until the heat dies down. However, the twos natural inclination for getting into trouble soon breaks their cover, and they are soon forced out into the open.

Desperate to find a way to pay off their debts, Baggit hears an interesting bit of news that could change all their fortunes. One of the nearby salvatoriums is dismantling the decommissioned Imperial Navy ship, Sunstriker, the reputed home of a long-lost treasure, a xenos artifact known as the Wraithbone Phoenix. Guided by the rumours he heard when previously served about the Sunstriker, Baggit believes that the Wraithbone Phoenix is still hidden aboard, and its value is more than enough to get rid of their bounty.

But no secrets every remain safe in Varangantua, and as Baggit and Clodde make their preparations to sneak into the Sunstriker, news of their location and their potential treasure leaks out. Soon every criminal, bounty hunter, treasure hunter and mercenary is on their way towards the Sunstriker, desperate to claim either the bounty on Baggit and Clodde’s head, or the Wraithbone Phoenix. Forced to face off against the very worst killers that Varangantua and its main criminal cesspool, the Dredge, has to offer, Baggit and Clodde attempt to do the impossible, recover the artefact from the ship and get out with their heads intact. But can even the clever Baggit and the indomitable Clodde escape the deadly wave about to crash down upon them?

Wow, now this was one of the most entertaining and thrilling Warhammer 40,000 novels I have read all year. Worley has produced an amazing novel in The Wraithbone Phoenix that did a wonderful job blending Warhammer elements with an impressive crime fiction narrative. Filled with a ton of action, some amazing humour, and so many outrageous characters, The Wraithbone Phoenix is an outstanding read that proves to be extremely addictive.

I had such a brilliant time with The Wraithbone Phoenix, especially as Worley pulled together an extremely impressive and intense narrative that is very hard to put down. Set in a particularly crime-ridden and corrupt city, the novel sees the chaotic duo of the ratling (halfling/hobbit) Baggit and the ogryn (ogre) Clodde, get into all manner of trouble. Featuring a range of character perspectives, the first third of the book is pretty firmly focussed on the main duo, with some fun scenes from the contemptable villain Lemuel Scratchwick. Forced into hiding due to past mistakes, Baggit comes up with an ambitious plan to recover the Wraithbone Phoenix, a legendary xenos treasure that is rumoured to be hidden in a nearby ship being scrapped (the theft and hiding having been cleverly set up in some early interludes). However, after Lemuel overhears and spills the beans in a very public way, the entire city knowns what the two are planning, and a horde of killers and thieves head towards the ship. The book starts spreading its focus to several other outrageous figures, all of whom are interested in either the Wraithbone Phoenix or killing Baggit and Clodde. The author does a wonderful job introducing each of the characters, and you soon become invested in their hunt, as all of them are pretty amusing in their own way. The action ends up in the decommissioned ship, were everyone starts their search for the missing treasure, and it doesn’t take long for everyone to start fighting each other in a series of bloody battles. You honestly have no idea who is going to survive the various encounters, and it is very fun to see the distinctive characters dying in surprisingly and compelling ways. At the same time, the characters also attempt to solve the mystery of the hidden Wraithbone Phoenix, and the various hints about its initial disappearance are cleverly woven into the modern tale, requiring the protagonists to solve it. Eventually, only a few characters are left, and there is a great series of twists and turns that sees everyone get what they truly deserve. While I did think that Worley perhaps went one twist too far (the final one was a bit too metaphysical for my taste), the reader comes away extremely satisfied, and highly entertained.

I had a wonderful time with this awesome book, and I think that Worley did a great job setting the entire narrative out. The combination of crime fiction elements and the great and grim Warhammer 40,000 setting worked extremely well, and you ended up with a high-octane thriller that saw futuristic and half-crazed killers go against each other in a deadly contest for money and treasure. The use of various perspectives allows you to get to know the various outrageous killers and participants in a very short amount of time, and you are soon invested in them and their various personal struggles as they duke it out. I was getting a very cool and cinematic vibe from this story that put me in mind of films and books like Smoking Aces, Snatch or Bullet Train, with big casts all working against each other for the same goal. While you are generally rooting for the main two characters, it is also very fun to see the other players in action, and the multiple unique interactions all these crazy figures have results in an impressive and frenetic read. Worley backs this up with a ton of brilliantly written and highly detailed action sequences, and you really won’t believe the range of destruction and deliciously devious deaths that occurs. There are so many impressive and cleverly set up moments throughout this narrative, and the deaths of several characters are usually the result of some well-placed bit of trickery that occurred chapters ago. All this action, intrigue and character development is perfectly bound together by the book’s overarching humour, which helps to balance out the more intense elements of the novel, while also keeping everything darkly funny. There are so many good jokes or hilariously over-the-top moments scattered throughout the novel, and I had a lot of great laughs as I powered through it. Heck, even the title, The Wraithbone Phoenix, is a play on the classic noir book/film, The Maltese Falcon. Everything comes together so perfectly throughout the book, especially as Worley also includes several outstanding interludes, some brilliant flashbacks, and even some hilarious in-universe text excerpts and announcements, all of which add perfectly the funny, but grim, tone of the book. This was an incredibly well written and captivating read, and it proves quite impossible to put down at times.

While The Wraithbone Phoenix does have an outstanding crime fiction narrative, this book wouldn’t be anywhere near as good if it weren’t set in the grim future of Warhammer 40,000. Worley did a remarkable job setting the book in this futuristic world, and it was great to see the various technologies and factions from the game being utilised in a crime story. The author really works to explain many different elements from the Warhammer 40,000 lore here, and readers new to the franchise can easily dive into this book and start appreciating its clever story and settings. I particularly loved the primary location of the corrupt city of Varangantua. The author expands on this city a lot in this new book, giving more depth than it had in Dredge Runners, and you see more of the massive industries the planet supports, and the terrible conditions the people forced to work there endure. Worley continues to hammer home just how much of a dark, dystopian society Varangantua, and the larger Imperium, really is for ordinary human citizens, and that their supposedly enlightened rulers are in many ways just as bad, if not worse, than the various monsters and the forces of Chaos they fight against (at least Chaos worshippers are honest about their intentions). You can really sense the woe and control that Varangantua’s rulers have over the populace, and this is only enhanced by the various propaganda announcements that are played at various intervals throughout the book. The propaganda posts are very obviously biased in their attempted manipulations and exhalations for service and order, that they are all extremely funny, even as they show just how bad things are by denying them. However, Worley takes this even further by showing the darker, criminal side that surrounds the city, and it was really cool to see just how much worse things could get.

One of the most intriguing Warhammer 40,000 elements that Worley explores in The Wraithbone Phoenix is how the Imperial abhumans are treated. Abhumans are genetically diverse humans who come in many shapes and sizes, like the small and sneaky ratlings and the gigantic, but dumb, ogryn. Tolerated by the Imperium for their usefulness, these abhumans are treated as second-class citizens, looked down on by everyone just for the way they were born. While this has been explored in other books, Worley really hammers it home in The Wraithbone Phoenix, especially as the two main characters are both abhumans. You get a brilliant examination of how abhumans are regarded throughout the Imperium, both in the Astra Militarum and in general society, and the results are pretty damn grim. Not only do all the humans treat them terribly and generally tell them they are worthless (there is an entire litany they need to learn about them being abhorred, unclean, but forgiven), but there are multiple examples of abhumans being killed or maimed, just for what they are. Not only is this fascinating, while also enhancing the dark nature of the Imperium and the supposedly righteous humans, but it also becomes quite a key plot point throughout the book. There are multiple scenes that focus on the protagonists struggling to deal with the prejudice they have suffered throughout their life, which defines them and drives them. In addition, the plot around the hidden Wraithbone Phoenix is down to a mistreated ratling trying to get his revenge after being unfairly targeted and left filled with hate. This proves to be quite a fascinating and well-written aspect of The Wraithbone Phoenix, and I loved being able to see everything from the abhumans perspective.

I also have a lot of love for the excellent characters that Worley set his story around. There is such a great range of distinctive and captivating characters throughout The Wraithbone Phoenix, and you really get drawn into their individual tales and battles for survival and redemption. Most of the focus ends up going around the main characters of the book, Baggit and Clodde, abhuman Astra Militarum deserters turned criminal entrepreneurs who were introduced in Dredge Runners. Worley ensures that new readers can quickly pick up who Baggit and Clodde are, and it was so much fun to follow this ratling/ogryn combination, especially as they continued their chaotic lives of crime. Both protagonists have their own brilliant characteristics, including Baggit’s (I assume the name is a fun homage to Bilbo/Frodo Baggins) enjoyment of plans and schemes that never work out, and the surprisingly smart and philosophical nature of Clodde (that’s what happens when you get shot in the head). The two characters play off each other perfectly, with Baggit taking on the role of leader and carer for his big comrade, and Clodde letting him, while also not allowing him to get away with anything, thanks to the increased understanding he has. We get a bit more history surround these two characters, including their time in the army, and while it is not fully explored yet, you get to see the fantastic bond they have. Baggit ends up getting a bit more of a focus in this book than Clodde, mainly because the central plot point is so tightly tied to the fate of a mistreated ratling. Baggit, who suffered his own abuse from humans while serving, becomes obsessed with the fate of this long dead ratling, and he is determined to find out what happened to him and whether he got his revenge. Baggit really emphasises with him as the story continues, and his obsession for answers lead him to make some big mistakes, especially once he learns all the ancient ratling’s secrets. Both Baggit and Clodde are extremely likeable, and you can’t help but fall in love with the scheming ratling and the sweet, if brilliantly weird, ogryn.

Aside from Baggit and Clodde, Worley also fills The Wraithbone Phoenix with an eclectic mix of characters, with some very diverse storylines and characteristics to them. The most iconic and heavily featured are the various assassins, bounty hunters and other individuals who are flocking to the Sunstriker for various reasons, be it money, treasure, or a chance of redemption (sometimes all three at once). This list of crazy characters includes a genetically enhanced killing machine, a cult of phoenix-worshiping wackjobs, a team of elite mercenaries, an ageing bounty hunter trying to regain his reputation, a sadistic archaeologist with a love of whips, another ratling with a past connection to Baggit and Clodde, a disgraced and drunk Imperial Navy officer with a dream of finally impressing his dead mother, and the mysterious hooded assassin known only as Death. Worley did a really good job of introducing each of these unique figures, and you swiftly get drawn into their compelling personal stories and outrageous personalities, especially after witnessing several scenes from their perspective. While I could go on for ages about all of these dangerous people, I’m mainly just going to give a shoutout to the character of Lemuel Scratchwick, a steward at the plant Baggit and Clodde were working at, who really grows to hate the pair. Dragged down from his high perch by them, Lemuel spends the rest of the book trying to get even and comes across as the most arrogant and detestable villain. It is so amusing to see Lemuel in action, especially as his pride often gets the better of him and nothing goes his way, much to my delight. He forms quite an unhealthy rivalry with Baggit which draws them both into taking stupid risks. All these over-the-top, but deeply likeable characters, really enhanced my enjoyment of this book and I can’t wait to see what impressively outrageous figures appear in Worley’s next novel.

Unsurprisingly, I chose to listen to The Wraithbone Phoenix on audiobook, which is really one of the best ways to enjoy a great Warhammer book. This was a moderately long audiobook, coming in at just over 11 hours, and I found myself getting through it in a relatively short amount of time, including powering through the last several hours in a day trying to get to the conclusion. This was a very fun and entertaining audiobook, and I had a great time listening to the awesome humour and intense violence unfold, especially as the narration by Harry Myers painted quite an impressive picture. Myers, whose work I previously enjoyed in another recent Warhammer 40,000 novel, Day of Ascension by Adrian Tchaikovsky, does a pretty epic job in The Wraithbone Phoenix, and I loved his narrative take on the captivating story. Every character in this audiobook is given their own distinctive and fitting voice, which I deeply enjoyed, especially as it helps the listener to connect more to them and the story. Myers clearly had a lot of fun when it came to voicing all the outrageous figures and some of the voices he came up with were very amusing. I really appreciated the squeakier voice he used for the rattling characters, as wells as the deeper boom of Clodde, and the rest of the voices he came up with were not only distinctive and fun, but they also helped to enhance the inherent traits of the character it was associated with. For example, he really conveyed the deep arrogance and distain contained within the character of Lemuel Scrathwick, as well as he dramatic decline in sanity as the book unfolded, and I really appreciated the narrator’s attention to detail with that. Myers really impressed me as a narrator in The Wraithbone Phoenix, and I liked how some of his scenes, namely those depicting the in-universe propaganda, were enhanced with some serious and inspiration music and sound effects, which made the absurd declarations even more hilarious. This was such a good audiobook, and I cannot recommend it enough as a way to enjoy this epic Warhammer novel.

Overall, this was an outstanding first Warhammer Crime novel from me, and I had such an incredible time getting through this book. The Wraithbone Phoenix is an impressive and highly addictive Warhammer 40,000 read, and I loved the elaborate story that Alec Worley came up with for it. Containing some brilliant characters, a highly entertaining story, and a great combination of crime fiction and Warhammer elements, The Wraithbone Phoenix comes highly recommended, and you are guaranteed to have an exceptional time reading this witty and intense read.