Hand of Darkness

Warhammer 40,000

by Gav Thorpe

Tasked with a vital mission for Eldrad Ulthran and Primarch Guilliman, Yvraine and her Ynnari head to a place of great power: the Black Library itself.

Fell is the Hand of Darkness, a relic of great evil. Seeking to rob the powers of Chaos of this relic and bend fate to the favour of order, Yvraine of the Ynnari and the mysterious yet deadly Visarch lead a host of aeldari on a quest to steal it. To reach it, however, they must first beseech the aid of the Black Library. Only then will Yvraine and her warriors have even the slightest chance to slip through the Garden of Nurgle and from there to the Plague Planet and the Whispering Tower of Mortarion, where the Hand of Darkness surely resides.

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

MP3 CD

Published April 17, 2017

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

[Leonardo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad for being Ynnari propaganda. The voice cast was incredible, and the story does a good job showcasing the different Eldar cultures in a short span. My biggest complaint is that the story just ends with our protagonists on Mortarion’s plague planet with no explanation for how they leave.

[Lenny · Rating 2 out of 5]

As far as audio drama go it was okay but I've never been a real fan of them. Too much of the sound effect divert from the story rather than add to it in my opinion. Especially battle sequences are not made for this format, conversations and descriptions however can blossom with music and sound effect. So the opening chapter with Guilliman and Eldrad are quite interesting and atmospheric.
Some audio dramas I did enjoy include because they where more conversation or quest focused are:

- Malcador: First Lord of the Imperium
- Asurmen: The Darker Road
- Illyrium


All by all it's an interesting companion piece to Rise of the Ynnari: Ghost Warrior and like always Gav Thorpe is excellent at creating the right atmosphere for Eldar stories. My some mystical mean he creates descriptions of the most ethereal places that gets them to come alive. However if you're reading this for the story you're in for a bummer since it doesn't take enough time for any confrontations to feel meaningful, and hops form location to location like you're in a sightseeing tour. The 10 minute description of the garden of Nurgle I found especially disappointing. Since the beginning passage of Rise of the Ynnari: Ghost Warrior was what got me to download this book.

[Michael Da Silva · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gav Thorpe is a decent writer and he's very experienced with the world of Warhammer 40,000 (having had no small role in shaping it), so there's a lot of good to be had here. There is some flowery prose, there are some good scene and character descriptions, and lots of neat 40k atmosphere that shines through.

That being said, it's almost like the brief for his latest works has been to write an advertisement, rather than a story. There is a plot here in the sense that characters have to go places and do things, but there is no conflict that isn't overcome instantly and without much effort. All of the Ynnari models make their contractually obligated appearances, and they basically brute force their way through a story no more compelling than going from Point A to Point B.

This feels like the kind of little flavour piece that should be in a Codex, not a novella. Quite disappointing, honestly.

[Derek Rivard · Rating 5 out of 5]

An engaging and well acted piece of Science Fiction. For the standards of Warhammer 40k I’d say it was excellent, much better than the juvenile style of “bolter porn” novels obsessed without blasting barrels and exploding shells, and the endless spewing of ichor.

[Jack Creagh-Flynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable mixture of action and desperation. This audio drama provides a brief insight into the doings of the Ynnari and how they conduct themselves. It's interesting to see the eldar deal with an issue more related to the Plague Father rather than some further threat by She Who Thirsts.

[Terry · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice start but it feels like it is only a start (which it is I think)

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audiodrama

[Станислав · Rating 1 out of 5]

Все это максимально беспомощно написано.

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one wasn't as bad as some of the other Eldar stuff I've heard. Maybe Ynnari are indeed the better Eldar? Still fairly boring, so I can't go higher than 2 stars.

[Gamer Gamersson · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first part was really good, and everything afterwards was kind of forgettable. Really nothing to write home about.