Red & Black

Sisters of Battle

by James Swallow, Beth Chalmers (Reader), Lisa Bowerman (Reader)

The Ecclesiarchy is the great church of the Imperium. Founded on the worship of the God-Emperor of Mankind, it guards the sanctity of the Imperial Creed and protects the celestial truth of the Emperor’s divinity. Its ideals are enforced by the bolters and flamers of the Orders Militant of the Adepta Sororitas – the Sisters of Battle. After two millennia, the warp storms raging around the Hollos star system have abated, allowing the isolated planet of Hollos to reconnect with the Imperium. When a mysterious messenger contacts the Orders Militant, Celestian Miriya must travel to Hollos and pass judgement on the world. Will she find a world embracing the Emperor’s truth or one in need of cleansing? Her decision will liberate or condemn an entire planet.

Genres: 40k, Science Fiction, Audiobook, Fiction, Short Stories, Fantasy

Audio CD

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

James Swallow is a New York Times, Sunday Times and Amazon #1 bestselling author and scriptwriter, a BAFTA nominee, a former journalist and the award-winning writer of over sixty-five books, along with scripts for video games, comics, radio and television.

DARK HORIZON, his latest stand-alone thriller, is out now from Mountain Leopard Press, and OUTLAW, the 6th action-packed Marc Dane novel, is published by Bonnier.

Along with the Marc Dane thrillers, his writing includes, the Sundowners steampunk Westerns and fiction from the worlds of Star Trek, Tom Clancy, 24, Warhammer 40000, Doctor Who, Deus Ex, Stargate, 2000AD and many more.

For information on new releases & more, sign up to the Readers’ Club here: www.bit.ly/JamesSwallow

Visit James's website at http://www.jswallow.com/ for more, including ROUGH AIR, a free eBook novella in the Marc Dane series.

You can also follow James on Bluesky at @jmswallow.bsky.social, Twitter at @jmswallow, Mastodon at @jmswallow@mstdn.social and jmswallow.tumblr.com at Tumblr.

Reviews

[David Guymer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this story.

It does everything that 40K stories should aspire to do more of, finding some fascinating aspect of the dark millennium and spinning a fascinating story out of its exploration. Bolters here are almost entirely on standby. As I listened I was actually a little worried that the ending couldn't justify the buildup, particularly if it descended into a shoot-out, but I wasn't disappointed.

[Paulo "paper books only" · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just what I thought adepta sororitas should be. They are not just female space marines.. the story was cool. We've got this world that has been separated for 200. There they evolved and created clones, not to servants but firstly fighters and then politicians. But clones are everything the imperium hates and so a contingent or sororitas is going to find what should they do the planet. This could easily be a novella but it works okay as audio drama..

really enjoy the twist in the end and the innevitability of belonging to the imperium.. there is only war in the grimdark of the far future.. fitting as a glove..80/100

[AJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This just over 70 minute audio drama is a great intro for anyone looking to learn more about the Sisters of Battle a.k.a. "Adepta Sororitas" brought to life by the great voices of Beth Chalmers and Lisa Bowerman. Dripping with parody of Church history in the absolute extreme such are the Adepta Sororitas of the Orders Militant in the Warhammer 40000 universe.

With themes of colonialism, genocide, blind faith, genetic manipulation, defining the soul, sentiments surrounding sentience and AI (in this case Clones), and human rights, the story still manages to be tame enough that I could see this run as an edgy Saturday morning cartoon in the early '80s.

Celestian Battle Sister Miriya is tasked with a mission to bring the Terran (earth) daughter world of Hallos back into the folds of the Imperium after being cut off from contact for two millennia due to galactic cataclysm. It plays out fairly typical and plot-wise convenient at first, but does contain a nice plot twist that will reveal the darker elements which underpin and permeate the 40k theme.

Saying any more than this will spoil it, and I'd rather recommend you just give it a listen; particularly if you play Sisters on the tabletop or are just wanting to learn their lore.

[Michael Knolla · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good example of both the strengths and weaknesses of WH40k in that it provides the context to raise a very interesting situation but the franchise’s grim dark ethos ultimately limits the ability to truly explore it by over determining certain outcomes.

[Stephen Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short but great introduction to the Adepta Sororitias, as the reader follows a squad of Sisters that are dispatched to investigate a remote planet for compliance to the Imperium.
This story can be found in the Sisters of Battle Omnibus, or the audiobook that is about an hour long. There is a bit of lore presented for the “nuns with guns” as well as themes of pacifism, defense, and conscription for the reader to consider.
My favorite line, and what shows that these books are not philosophically shallow,
“We have taken vital, intelligent beings, and reduced them to little more than walking weapons. Is that right?”

⚠️ Parental Warning ⚠️
One use of “D*mn this”
And with any Warhammer 40K content there is a fair amount of war violence to be expected.

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 ⭐️ A strange human has been discovered alone on a ship coming from a world that has only recently been reunited with the Imperium after two millennia of isolation. Sister Miriya, Celestian Eloheim of the Order of our Martyred Lady has been entrusted with the mission of learning more about the new visitor and judging whether the previously isolated world has been tainted by chaos. //

This was good, but it could have been better/longer had most of the main combat not been cut out. Of course, being a 40k novel, it's fairly obvious by halfway through what will end up happening in the end. I liked the little morality convo at the end between Miriya and the Adeptus Mechanicus questor Genus Nolan.

[Sammy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read the print version of this short story because my new special interest is apparently W40K. I apologise in advance to everyone.
This short story illustrates the "and then it got worse" narrative, because at every turn everything gets worse. The theme fits the setting and it accomplished what it set out to do. Dark action with bad resolutions in space. Or, W40K in a nutshell. It would be a tragedy if any of the characters were aware of their sad existence beyond "aw, dang, but what can you do? emperor wills it".

[Jack Creagh-Flynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I actively enjoyed the characters in this feature. Rho, the near-human, appeared as a devout Imperial servant. Nolan, the tech priest, provided good insight. We had a glimpse of Leithi, and I could help note the contrast between herself and her less ruthless (familial) sister, Verity, in the other books.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes you gotta destroy a village to save it.

[J.L. Perish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well acted, as usual. Cool story, just wish these didn't end so abruptly.

[Corby H · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good.

[Friar Zero · Rating 4 out of 5]

A surprising gem from among 40k audio dramas. There's subtlety here and characterization that leave the reader looking forward to what the author can do in a more expanisve format.

[Deryk Allan · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent short story.

[Tem Saysword · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cool premises but a bit slow going

[Ulzeta · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read.

[Nikolai · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sisters of No Mercy

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sisters of battle. Grimdarkness. An interesting and novel idea at the center of it all. Not much more you could ask for from a 40k story.

[Me · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am greatly enjoying these short stories. Right length, right number of characters. Fun

[Rachel Marr]

Really good short story for my nuns with guns!

[Donavon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Someone told me W40K universe is all bad guys with justifiable motives. Seems about right. 😉

[Luke Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

A satisfactory Warhammer 40,000 story showing the Adepta Sororitas doing what they do best...

[Rob · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a cracking Soritas short story. Twists, action, intrigue. Great writing from James Swallow.

[Milo · Rating 3 out of 5]

The last audiobook that I listened to was Fireborn, by Nick Kyme, which I enjoyed, despite having a mixed opinion on audiobooks. There are some, like the aforementioned Fireborn, which I loved, and there are some, which I thought, could have been better, like Garro: Oath of Moment. As it happens, Oath of Moment was by the same author who wrote this one, and as far as I’m aware, James Swallow writes most of Black Library’s audiobooks, and so I was wondering where he was going to take the reader (or in this case, listener), with this audio drama, focusing on the Sisters of Battle, a rather overlooked faction in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. The fact that this is a prequel to Faith and Fire also is important to note, as the contents of this may well decide whether I will read more of the Sisters of Battle.

This particular audiobook follows the adventures of a Celestian, an elite of the Sisters of Battle, sister Miriya, who will already be familiar to those who have read Faith and Fire back when it first came out, before I knew about the Warhammer 40,000 universe. When the world of Hollos is reunited with the Imperium of man, Miriya finds the fate of the planet’s unusual populace resting in her hands. Does Miriya believe that the inhabitants are as loyal to the God-Emperor as they first seem, or is there something more suspicious occurring on the planet?

No matter its faults, Red and Black certainly does has an interesting premise, although it is really dragged down by victim of its format and the inability to expand beyond the running time that has been allowed by Black Library. This audiobook also proves that Toby Longworth is not the only good producer of Black Library’s audio dramas, as both Beth Chalmers and Lisa Bowerman provide strong female narrative that helps the listener really understand the female characters created by Swallow, and that only increases the enjoyable-ness of the audiobook itself.

If you’re a fan of hard-core, ‘bolter-porn’ battles across war-torn planets though, you may not enjoy Red and Black, as there isn’t as much fighting typically found in a full-blown novel. But then again, Red and Black isn’t a full-blown novel, and that’s where it really suffers. Constrained by its length, Swallow is unable to weave a longer tale that would no doubt include all the things that the audiobook missed out on – more action, more time to develop the characters etc.

Miriya is a particularly interesting character for a Sister of Battle. After all, when I played them on the campaign in Dawn of War: Soulstorm, a few years ago, I got the impression that they were all mindless zealots ready to do anything in the name of the Emperor of Man. Miriya though, is slightly different from the way that Relic’s computer game makes out the nuns with guns to be – she has a mind open enough to question things – and in a way, that is the reason why she’s chosen for this mission. Alongside Miriya and her fellow squad Magos Biologis Questo Nolan, is a character sent along to investigate the unusual people of Hollos, provides a different outlook on things from Miriya and her sister’s perspectives of things, but as a whole, isn’t really as developed as he could have been. However, I rather enjoyed Nolan’s voice – which makes a change from the female Sisters of Battle, and the background sound created by the producers helps you feel more immersed in the story that Swallow has created.

Great stuff, and in conclusion, I can safely say that I will be sticking around to read more of the Sisters of Battle. As of this post I am halfway through Faith and Fury, the first novel of the Sisters of Battle series, and I so far like what I see.

The pacing of this audiobook sometimes feels uneven in places, but if you can get around that, you will find Red and Black enjoyable.

Rating: 3/5

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The great work of the Battle Sisters never ended for there were always more wars of faith to be won...always more heretics for the pyre.”

[Tarl · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Red & Black' was an interesting listen.

The entire plot set up was interesting, and given the 40k universe, the subtle horror of Roe was played up nicely. Swallow did a nice job building a level of intrigue and subtle twists within this audio drama that came across really well during listening. The voice acting was well done, the archaic nature of the English used making me sad for the language's future. There were times though, that I couldn't hear what the Adeptus Mechanicus was saying as he seemed quieter than the other voices on in the drama and I often had to rewind it to catch what he was saying.

Overall, 'Red & Black' had some nice twists, a plot that was sinister without needing an over amount of action to keep interesting, and an ending that leaves on wondering if they really did something good or not. (the dialogue between the Sister and Magos aside as it came across as a bit cheesy and really not needed in the grand scheme of the story)

In the end, the overall story was well done, the plot and characters interesting, and the action leveled nicely with the rest of the story. I would recommend this audio drama to any Warhammer player and more so to anyone who loves the Sisters of Battle.

[Lex · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a space adventure featuring the Adepta Sororitas – the Sisters of Battle, and is quite a refreshing take among the many male-dominated audio dramas from Black Library. The ladies' voice-acting is top-notch, giving quite a convincing portrayal to each of the female characters (which comprise 99% of the story's characters). Though you could plug-in a male Space Marine chapter to the characters here, this book is meant to highlight the Sisters, and this is actually a prelude to one series for the Adepta Sororitas.

The plot if well-made, with a very interesting take on genetic manipulation in a society, and the far-reaching consequences for those manipulated and those aren't. I'd recommend listening to this if you're curious about the Sisters and about a story delving on what I just mentioned.

It won't really pull you in - I know I wasn't, as I had some reservations about how quickly things unfolded, but keeping your expectations a bit lowered can actually reward you with a good read / good listen.

[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

When a planet re-emerges from the warp after being lost for two millenia, the Adeptus Sororitas is sent to investigate the matter. And, as always, it's hard to discern friend from foe.

For me it was a nice first encounter with the battle sisters of the Adeptus Sororitas, although it was not really necessary for them to be involved in this adventure... it could have been normal Adeptus Astartes, but anyhow.

As with most warhammer 40k audio drama's I've "read", the short story does its job: straightforward plot, with here and there a few twists to make it interesting. This one does a great job not only in the standard "what is good, and what is evil" problematic, but also in the ethics matter of servitors and half-intelligent robots.

The only point where the story became weird, was when a member of the Mechanicum starts giving out morale lessons. But no complaints beside that.

Recommended for a-little-further-than-beginner wh40k readers.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This audio drama ties into the Battle Sisters chronicles beautifully. As far as I can tell, it's basically a prologue, as it includes characters that are only briefly seen in the first print novel, 'Faith and Fire'. I would have liked it a bit more if it had run longer than 45 minutes in play time, as an audio book would have. I did enjoy the fact that it's recorded like an old-school radio show, complete with sound effects, but this also makes one of the voices very hard to hear. All in all, it is very true to the genre and James Swallow writes about the Sisters Sororitas in a way that only an ethnographer could.

[Cloak88 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wellmade, but somehow average 40K audiodrama.

A quick 40K short story with the Adeptus Sororitas also known as the Sisters of Battle in the lead. The abundance of female characters in a 40K setting is a novelty, but the story itself is rather bland. As it turns out a world previously cut-off of the rest of the imperium by warpstorms has reemerged and the sisters are send to investigate.

Overall wellmade with superb voice acting, but with too many story elements for just a short story.
[This story is a prequel to a series by the same author.]

[Atyaman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I rather enjoyed this BL audiobook. Overall the voice performance is top notch. The premise and the dilemma of the story isn't really original, but it's presented in a really engaging way, so it holds your attention throughout the whole playtime. However it lacks the depth due to the short format. Could've been twice as better, if it were twice as long.