Warmaster

Black Library Advent Calendar 2012 #7

by John French, Tim Treloar (Narrator), Ramon Tikaram (Narrator)

In the strategium of the Vengeful Spirit, Warmaster Horus sets up his assault on his father’s Imperium. But just who is Horus talking to as he lays out his plans for galactic domination?

A Horus Heresy audio by John French

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

1 pages, Audiobook

First published December 7, 2012

About the author

John French is a writer and freelance game designer from Nottingham, England. His novels include the Ahriman series from Black Library, and The Lord of Nightmares trilogy for Fantasy Flight. The rest of his work can be seen scattered through a number of other books, including the New York Times bestselling anthology Age of Darkness. When he is not thinking of ways that dark and corrupting beings could destroy reality and space, John enjoys talking about why it would be a good idea... that and drinking good wine.

Reviews

[RatGrrrl · Rating 4 out of 5]

April 2024 Re-Read using the Horus Heresy Omnibus Project Reading Order Omnibus XIV Shadows of the Warmaster II Lords of Death (https://www.heresyomnibus.com/omnibus...) as part of my Oath of Moment to complete the Horus series and extras.

I stand by my original review and cannot believe I rewrote the whole thing as a teenage diary below...

A Black Library Advent Calendar little, tiny character study and a glimpse into the mind of the Warmaster as the Horus Heresy rolls ever onwards towards Terra.

Definitely doesn't blow my mind, but it's definitely pretty great!

Through using the Horus Heresy Omnibus Project (www.heresyomnibus.com) and my own choices, I have currently read 24.41 Horus Heresy novels, 14 novellas (including 1 repeat), 81 short stories/ audio dramas (including 5 repeats), as well as the Macragge's Honour graphic novel, 13 Primarchs novels, 4 Primarchs short stories/ audio dramas, and 2 Warhammer 40K further reading novels and a short story...this run. I can't say enough good about the way the Horus Heresy Omnibus Project suggestions. I'm loving it! Especially after originally reading to the releases and being so frustrated at having to wait so long for a narrative to continue.

***

This is another classic Black Library Advent Calendar super short audio drama that is a character study on Horus reflecting on how he never had any clue what he was going and everything's going tits up even as he continues to roll on to Terra because the Galaxy is a mess and he has to rule it!

I enjoyed it more than a few years ago. It's a pretty great reflection of where Horus' (and another's) head is at. It didn't rock my world, but it did exactly what I want from these teeny tasters, add a little colour and depth to something, even if it's self-indulgent moping.

I actually felt so inspired I rewrote it as a teenage diary entry. Technically this has spoilers and goes through the whole thing, but the story really is more of a mood piece with no new information in it.

Dear Yorrick Morrick,

It's a tough old time being the Warmaster, you know? But I'm a big boy with a big ole mace. Why doesn't daddy love me? He gave me the special title, but there was no job description and he didn't even stick around to train me. It's been decades and a galactic-wide civil war, but is too late to check with HR?

I'm really falling behind in keeping up with all the everything, you know, the war I have to master? I hope you don't mind me listening to live feeds from all the Heresy everywhere at once, while I write to you. Write in you? Nope! That sounds weird! LOL.

Oof. I'm feeling really overstimulated and like there's always so much tension. I don't remember the last time I really had any time to myself.

You know who I hate? Roboute. Always such a big brained brave boy that daddy loved more. I can't believe he survived Calth. What a loser... I wish he was here.

Maybe listening to my most deceitful and duplicitous bros about how to get shit done was a baaad idea, but they just seem smart and cool and confident. I wonder what being given a big hug by Alf and Egon at the same time would be like? If only my sneaky beaky sibling were here, he'd how to be a sneaky without being such a lying prick. Welp.

None of the cool kids want to play with me, which is like ughhhhh! I'm stuck with all the suckiest brothers with big daddy issues and stuff. Not like me. I'm so cool and edgy and misunderstood. My family just don't get me!

Anyways, I can't sit around typing all day like a gossiping Admistratum clerk. Some of us have a galaxy to burn. Blep.

Keep your head up! Miss you.

Love,

Nergui

P.S Will be thinking of you when I totally go all J. Nelson on fleshweak, untempered blade boys.

[Ross Cudmore · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The fire is lit, and all that was is cast to the wind. We are committed - he and I, my brothers and our Legions. All humanity's futures bound together in this circle of blood. We are all the storm now. The Imperium will fall and rise by my hand. Or fall, and fall, and fall."

A truly fantastic soliloquy delivered by Horus to his brother's skull (very Hamlet and Yorick). A stirring look inside the Warmaster's soul in the aftermath of Isstvan V. The game has begun and cannot be stopped, each player must play their role.

"Strange is it not, that so many I wish beside me stand against me, while at my back are only the flawed and damaged. I am a master of broken monsters."

Horus laments his choice of allies. His treacherous brothers proving poor bed-mates. Uncontrollable and monstrous, they are giving into base desires and becoming twisted perversions of divinity.

"It does not matter how the galaxy burns, only that it does."

[Troy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this short story, a very very short story but a fun nugget of gold. A scene where horus talks about how he feels with the current situation of traitor primarchs against the loyal ones and we see him actually worry about the battle capabilities of his brothers who are still loyal and admitting he would much prefer some of them be fighting on his team then against him out of knowing their reputation in battle.
Collected in legacies of betrayal book

[Seb · Rating 2 out of 5]

This review is for the e-book of this audio drama
I didn't feel like this (very) short story (it is literally one scene) added much to the story. The character of Horus is not particularly relatable to. You get a little insight into what he thinks of the situation he's got himself into, which is why the story gets 2 stars instead of 1...
You can find the e-book in the compilation volume Legacies of Betrayal

[Matt Argueta · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a VERY brief sololiquy from Horus - an introspection on his role as Warmaster, what it means, and what he has to become.

I liked this excerpt, though it seems like something that would be strong placed as a vignette in a novel somewhere. Seeing that this was from an "advent calendar" gives context on the length and liked the wrap up at the end of him speaking his thoughts to the skull of Ferrus Manus.

[J.L. Perish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun listen for what it is.

[Travis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bah, not my thing. Didn't like it.
Just finished it, and don't know a thing about what it was trying to accomplish.

[Danny Saines · Rating 4 out of 5]

For such a short audio drama of 9 mins, I quite enjoyed it, giving us a few interesting thoughts of Horus and who he’s directing them to.

[Rodney Sloan]

Where in the continuum of the Horus Heresy would you fit this?

Horus contemplates the meaning of his title of Warmaster, and in so doing reveals just how dangerous he is.

[Thomas Langley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Incredibly short and didnt really add much. But I miss Horus so 3 stars.

[Lucas · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting scene, lovely visual. But these super short stories are just too small and directionless.

[Abhinav · Rating 5 out of 5]

You can find the review on my blog:
http://sonsofcorax.wordpress.com/2012...

Sorry for the late Advent Review today. I’ve been out of home and away from my laptop for pretty much the entire day and I was at a concert last night, which I got back from rather late. Anyway, my 14th Advent Review (Batgirl Volume 1 by Gail Simone) was posted yesterday on the SF Signal site, thanks to the awesome John DeNardo, who was gracious to allow me a guest spot. Hugo Award Winner 2012 – Best Fanzine, yo! To take things away from the comics for today, I bring to you a review of John French’s latest Horus Heresy contribution, the Advent audio drama Warmaster.

advent-warmasterWarmaster is all about Horus Lupercal, Primarch of the 16th Legiones Astartes, the Luna Wolves, and formerly the Emperor’s most favoured of all the Primarchs. It has been a long time since we got anything in the Heresy series that was directly from Horus’ own viewpoint. I struggle to recall anything after Ben Counter’s excellent Galaxy in Flames, the third novel in the series. As such, Warmaster is amazing because of that sheer unique quality, not that John’s writing is anything to scoff at.

This is a short audio drama, just nine minutes long (or thereabouts), and is performed by Ramon Tikaram as Horus, Toby Longworth as various voices, and Tim Tralor as the narrator. Ramon continues to impress with his voice-acting (various voices and narration in Grey Angel, also by John; a Custodian in Sword of Truth; Rogal Dorn in Burden of Duty), although I wish that he had a bit of a unique voice here for Horus, who is like the most important character in the entire series! Ramon’s voice is a little too similar to the others he has done so far, and that bit of variation would be really nice. Toby’s various voices are part of the holo-reports that Horus listens to and watches over the course of the audio drama, so he doesn’t have much of a job here. Another thing is that his bits are not very clear, at least not in the copy I have. Tim Tralor has done Deathwatch: Mission Purge by Gav Thorpe before, where he performed one of the Space Marines. It was interesting to hear the variation in his voice this time: less aggressive, and more… grand. Nice touch.

Horus’ ruminations on how the Heresy is progressing were really interesting. An almost different side to Horus is emerging, one that is becoming cynical of what he has brought about, and perhaps even despises now, although he is completely committed to the course that is set. To listen to Horus’ thoughts (voiced out of course to a most entertaining audience that will surprise the hell out of you!) was like hitting pay-dirt. I really want more! All of John’s work for the Heresy has been near-stellar, and this is just another example of that! Recommended listening!

Rating: 9/10

[Garry · Rating 2 out of 5]

A short audio that stands alone unconnected to any other story in the Horus Heresy series.

Set at an undettermined time after the Isstvan V dropsite massacre and while the war for Calth is raging, we see Warmaster Horus onboard the Vengeful Spirit listening to the latest reports of the spreading civil war and contemplating his decisions and where the war will lead.

My problem with this short audio drama stems from the fact that there is no actual plot, no presentation of new information that will eventually tie-in with other stories. What we have here is basically a 9 minute monologue that shows the Warmaster as a characture of the "Evil Villan" rather than the stately general forced into an action he regrets because of events that are beyond his control. (Well, that's how I thought the author John French intended to show Horus).

There is nothing actually wrong with the audio story, just a feeling that it could - indeed should - have been told better, though I suspect time constraints didn't allow for this.

[Dylan Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting short, though I think it had its' flaws.
It was interesting to see Horus again, as this is his war, and he has been rather absent of late. Getting to see his thoughts, his misgivings, his doubts, all of that was awesome.
Though some of it I really didn't understand, and I think must be foreshadowing for later works in the HH.
The sound effects were really well done, as well as the audio being played to Horus. Those were interesting! I wonder if we will ever get to see some of those battles!

[Zare · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one provides look from the other side - bitterness and jealousy of Horus, the Warmaster from the audio-book title.
You can just feel how great his fall is and how aggravated he is by the very Primarch allies and their legions - he is aware that he has unleashed something that cannot be stopped any more but must be left to run its course.

You almost feel sorry for him until you find out who is he talking to.

[Stephan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ah, one of the first audiodramas I ever tried. And certainly one of the best!
In short we get to hear a very Shakespearean monologue, performed by Horus Lupercal, the warmaster of the great crusade.
He talks about how the rebelion against the emperor goes, what he thinks of his allies, the future and of the meaning of being a warmaster.

It's wonderful, majestic and engaging!

[nooker · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I did like this a lot and it gave some real insight into Horus, it also made him sound like a petulant & whiny teenager rebelling against dad.