Accept No Failure / Holder of the Keys

Echoes of War #3

by Gav Thorpe

"As the war against the vicious alien orks on the world of Piscina IV grinds on, Deathwing Captain Belial is haunted by his failure the first time the Dark Angels and greenskins clashed on that war-wracked world. As he counsels Chapter Master Azrael to enact Exterminatus and end the conflict at a stroke, he recalls the last time he had the chance to end the war - when he faced the Great Beast, Ghazghkull Thraka himself, in single combat..."

Genres: Science Fiction

Audio CD

First published October 15, 2014

About the author

Gav spent 14 years as a developer for Games Workshop, and started writing novels and short stories in the worlds of Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000 when the Black Library imprint was launched in 1997.

He continues to write for Black Library, and his first 'homegrown' novel series The Crown of the Blood has been released via Angry Robot.

Currently living in Nottingham, Gav shares his home with his loving and very understanding partner - Kez, and their beautiful little boy - Sammy.

Reviews

[Gianfranco Mancini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read in the Legacy of Caliban Omnibus

An excellent tie-in to both Master of Sanctity and The Purging of Kadillus Space Marines Battles (that I really have to re-read sooner or later) novels.
And the duel between Chapter Master Belial of the Deathwing and Ork Warlord Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka, the self-proclaimed Prophet of the Waaagh!, better known among the Imperium as The Beast, was a real blast.

[Noctvrnal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great listen, really enjoyed voice acting in this one, it brought out the character of Belial to life as an Astartes tormented by his past mistakes that one can emphasize with.

[RatGrrrl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't tell if the first two entries in the Dark Angels Audio Collection lowered my standards or I actually rather enjoyed this. This, at the very least, gives an insight to the inner workings of the Dark Angels and their leader, beyond just being the legion with some of the most interesting potential that more often than not is just squandered as grumpy edgelord sadists with an inferiority complex and family issues.

Give me an actually fun or at least interestingly tortured Dark Angel tale, please!

High key think Malediction is the last entry in this collection as it is actually interesting and kinda heartbreaking if its the story I think it is.

[J.P. Harker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad but not as good as the rest of this omnibus. The change in writing (from third person past tense in the other stories to first person present tense here), is really jarring and rather spoiled what was otherwise a decent narrative.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I'm a Dark Angels guy. I didn't expect to be, even after reading Son of the Forest. But these audio dramas are really bringing me around on them. Belial rules and this story is really well structured.

[Joanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Ulzeta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite fun.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just finished this one. This is a Dark Angels story, and a good one. Belial, a Master among his chapter has to decide between the conflict at hand on Pessina 4, including the Ork leader Ghazkull, versus the main task the Dark Angels have, which is hunting the Fallen. The Fallen are reported as being active in the Kadillus system, and the Supreme Master of the Chapter of course chooses to follow this path. Belial tries to argue that the loss of life on the planet and the possible need for Exterminatus, which will kill all life on the planet, is an option. Belial has fought Ghazkull on several occasions and both of them still live. The last battle with the Ork requires the Supreme Master to send the Deathwing, the elite Terminators of the Dark Angels to save Belial and remove him from combat.
There is a lot going on in this story. The conflict of duty, conscience and right or wrong is fairly well the basis of this story. It is just the raw choices made by these warriors minute by minute that makes this frantic and important. Too much to do, too little time to do it.
This is a well written story by Gav Thorpe, who I know well from his Dark Angel offerings. This one is as good as any he has written. Great story!

Danny

[Michael Dodd · Rating 3 out of 5]

Veteran Black Library author Gav Thorpe enters the fray on the third day of Echoes of War, the new collection of five Black Library audio dramas released over the course of this week. Accept No Failure continues his work on the Dark Angels and ties in with the Space Marine Battles novel The Purging of Kadillus, following Captain Belial as he returns to Piscina IV, a planet where once before he fought the orks of Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka. Shamed by his failure to stop Ghazghkull when they met in combat, he now petitions Chapter Master Azrael to wipe Piscina IV clean of orks (and at the same time everything else) with Exterminatus in order to free the Chapter to seek out the warlord and stop him for good. As he does so he looks back on his confrontation with Ghazghkull and considers the actions of his younger, more headstrong self.

Read the rest of the review at http://trackofwords.wordpress.com/201...

[Corby H · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was kind of lost in the bug story of what was going on. the combat was cool.

[Alexander Blakeley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whiny Dark Angels - battle scenes were a little over described, and none of the characters were particularly well established, even for a short story.