The Hollow Mountain

Vaults of Terra #2

by Chris Wraight, John Banks (Narrator)

Inquisitor Erasmus Crowl and his acolyte Spinoza face new dangers as the Great Rift opens and a new, bloody age dawns. Can Crowl stay true to his course and expose the horror that lies at the heart of the Hollow Mountain?

Genres: 40k, Science Fiction, Audiobook, Fiction, Fantasy, Adventure, Novels

10 pages, Audible Audio

First published July 20, 2019

About the author

Chris Wraight is a British author of fantasy and science fiction.

His first novel was published in 2008; since then, he has published books set in the Warhammer Fantasy and Stargate:Atlantis universes, and has upcoming titles in the Warhammer 40K setting.

He is based in the south-west of England.

Reviews

[Juliano Dutra · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5. What i liked: All the action on Terra, all around the imperium and the throne.
But... As a second book in a serie with Mystery/Investigation, it would be nice to have some discoveries/ findings and a intricate, but cohesive, plot. But in this book you have 3 parties of the main characters investigating one thing or another, but they got no results/clues and they were only separated so you could have action scenes without possibility to ask for help. And, as always, they have communication problems... And, in the end, they go to some location for the final act - that they found APART from everything that happened before in the book. And, of course, there is a brief separation before the end, with a childish explanation, just to make everything more dangerous.
To me, it felt like "lazy writing": just put glorious rooms/places, monsters, etc. and don`t work enough to give a tight plot.

[Michael Dodd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book two in the Vaults of Terra series featuring Inquisitor Crowl and Interrogator Spinoza, The Hollow Mountain picks up pretty much straight away after the end of The Carrion Throne. Though disaster was averted on the throneworld, Crowl believes that the powerful people behind the conspiracy to bring a xenos creature to Terra are still at large and need to be brought to justice for their crimes. Despite Spinoza’s misgivings, they continue to investigate – albeit in secret, fully aware of the dangers involved in doing so – even while Terra seethes in a worrying atmosphere of unusual friction and unease.

As with The Carrion Throne, Terra itself is a powerful presence upon this story, offering a clear metaphor for the Imperium as a whole – vast, bafflingly complex and locked into ever-degrading patterns and rhythms yet still somehow thriving. It makes for an appropriately brooding and oppressive setting as Wraight explores more of its varied locations, this time concentrating more on focused, low-key infiltrations of larger institutions than trawling the slums. There’s a gradually-increasing sense of pace as the plot develops, building up momentum as the darkness rises, and while this relies even less than last time on large-scale action scenes, when the bullets start flying there’s a real intensity to events. Overall it’s a gripping, character-led story which feels like a natural extension of the series, providing a satisfying and suitably dramatic tale in its own right while clearly setting things up for the next instalment.

Read the full review at https://www.trackofwords.com/2019/06/...

[Sud666 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the sequel to the Carrion Throne story. Inquisitor Crowl has found a terrible plot. It could have led all the way into the Halls of the Imperial Palace. With the help of the Adeptus Custodes, Crowl was able to discern that some of the Imperial Lords are under the impression the Throne may fail.

This is the start of the Dark Imperium timeline and it shows. The Cicatrix Maledictum (The Great Rift) is manifesting, Abbadon's 13th Black Crusade has started and the Cadian Gate has been breached. That's the backdrop for Crowl and his Inquisitorial team trying to figure out how, and why, there was a Dark Eldar Haemonculi hanging out in the basement of the Imperial Palace.

It seems the treachery indeed runs high. This time it involves the Merchant Fleets and their highest Lords. The strange world of the Nexus Axiomatic and the charters it holds is fascinating. They control all non-military and non-Rogue Trader shipping and supply Holy Terra with everything. The resulting conflict between this powerful Adeptus and the Inqusition, in the form of Crowls team and the headquarters for that unit, is epic.

Though not as good as the first book, this is still a great read.

[RatGrrrl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this a lot more than The Carrion Throne, but nowhere near as much as The Interrogation of Salvor Lermentov.

More of the Terran details, particularly the eponymous Hollow Mountan and nature of the Astronomicon were really interesting.

I think it's such a shame how all plot, no character this series is because I love the idea and concepts and Wraight and all the elements of it, but without an emotional hook and characters to latch on to my brain just slides off.

Only one more to go.

[Attila · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another solid 5* book from the best BL author.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wraight once again shows why he is arguably the most exciting 40k writer of the moment with the second installment of this trilogy. This work, like all Wraight novels I have read so far, is less a story, a more an excuse to explore the world of 40k in all its foul glory. Wraight takes us around some of the most exciting locations, hitherto only described in scraps of lore and supposition. The plot, if im honest, is a tad convoluted and essentially the same as the first book, making me think they should have simply been one novel with a better overall flow. But the strength of writing, colourful characters and sheer brilliance of the imagery and setting is more than enough to compensate.

[Andrew A · Rating 4 out of 5]

a fine follow up which hits the ground running setting out consequences from the previous book. Nice clear goals and some excellent twists and turns taking us to a great climax and a tantalising hook for book three

[Zare · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always considered Inquisition as half-crazed religious organization in the oh-so-dystopian world of W40K. I enjoyed Abnett's Eisenhorn and Ravenor but still they remained bunch who is more at home backstabbing each other.

And then Vaults of Terra came out and with it the Erasmus Crowl - now this is Inquisitor who I can understand at least to the degree. He is aware of the situation in the Imperium of Man, slow degradation of the society, accumulation of wealth for few and never lasting toils and suffering for the majority. Use of religion to control the masses - W40K is dystopian but what I liked here the most was the fact that Crowl, his retinue and allies are all aware of it. They know decay is there and they know they need to fight it and they know that [unfortunately] existing administration - however twisted - is the only thing controlling untold billions.

When he talks with his fellow Inquisitors yes, there are schemes and hidden meanings but in general you can see that they are all aware of the state of the Imperium. Inquisitors themselves are shown as very interesting personas, living in fortresses with secret weapon systems, hidden chambers and collecting knowledge wherever they can find it - I mean they are like agent Pendergrast on steroids and very license-to-kill mentality, whats not to like, right?

This is a roller-coaster of a story from page one - following immediately after Carrion Throne we find Crowl and his retinue looking for conspirators who brought the horrors of the Old Night to the Palace itself. And this investigation will test them greatly so much that at the end their very future remains unclear.

I wont go into details because that would mean to spoil the story for others but will just say - mercenaries, memory wiped and indoctrinated assault troops, private armies with the strike ships, Space Marines seen acting as unstoppable military force (brings memories from Dorn's Praetorian with that civilian thrilled with joy as he asks Imperial Fists deploying from the gunship "this is great, is this why you like it?" :) )

Only downside is that you will need to read Vaults of Terra #1 to better understand the story. And then you will need to sit tight and wait for the next one in series (oh man :))

In one word - awesome book. Highly recommended to all fans of W40K universe.

[Xavier Virsu · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book in the Vaults of Terra series. It picks up right where the first book leaves off. It's not as good as the first book, but it does move the story forward. All the characters are back for more. I enjoyed this one. Totally worth a read and a good addition to the series.

[Jack Hayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Plays the beats of the first novel a bit too much. Still enjoyable.

[Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cool sequel. Not as good as the first, but a good read.

[Doug · Rating 4 out of 5]

The world of 40k is bleak, and Wraight does well to humanise the misery and despair in this novel. A fine continuation of the series - interesting to see how this will play out

[Matt TB · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another solid entry by Wraight.

Started off a little scattered, it’s been a while since I read Carrion Throne but it did sort of recap as this story progressed.

More “line of duty” than Horus heresy, when it got going it got addictive to the finish.

[Stuart Dillon · Rating 1 out of 5]

The story didn’t hold me. Kept drifting into my own thoughts and realised half way through I had no idea what was going on.

[Taylor Kenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

An ok sequel to the Carrion Throne.

My video review - https://youtu.be/fp3CLx1E4Ls

I really enjoyed Book #1 in the Vaults of Terra series. The Hollow Mountain, felt like a step down in quality. It kept my interest, but I felt like it was missing the suspense I found so entertaining in The Carrion Throne.

Erasmus Cowl and Luce Spinoza pick up where they left off in Book 1. Attempting to unravel the mystery of who brought the Dark Eldar Haemonculi to Terra. They know their are High Lords of Terra involved but now they must narrow down the investigation.

The first third of the book follows Spinoza, Crowl and the rest of the team as they handle different lines of the investigation. Nothing significant comes of their efforts but there’s some pretty fun combat scenes along the way and Crowl takes a trip to the Nexus Axiomatic which offers up lots of great lore details.

Eventually, after regrouping, they pick up on a new lead. This sets them on a new path which leads to the finale of the book.

The book was entertaining, but I didn’t feel as connected this time around. Crowl’s personal issues seemed forced into the plot. There were a couple times where characters died and I didn’t feel the impact. There was a reveal at the end of the book but it didn’t feel as significant as I thought it would. Overall a solid read, that hopefully bridges the gap to an epic book 3. Looking forward to finishing the trilogy.

[Ben Amos · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent follow up to the first Vaults of Terra book, The Hollow Mountain expands and improves on many key aspects of first novel as well as some new ones to further enhance the experience. Here, we see the follow-up on main mystery thread from the first book, as well as the toll such events had on the characters evolved, seen especially well in the rapidly unraveling Cowl. Here, without spoiling it, we see both the enemy strike back and the world devolve into metaphorical chaos as the Great Rift begins to sunder the sky, which to see unfold on the Throne world of all places is a most welcome treat, Wraight capturing the madness of such a cataclysmic event perfectly. This in addition to the epic third act (again, won't spoil what it is), with its near horror elements, significance the the seting as a whole, all while the retinue delve deeper into the depths of darkness and madness, make for an epic ending and a worthy sequel to the first.

If you were a fan of the first, or want to see the true scale of the Great Rift's affect on the most important planet in the Warhammer 40k setting, the Hollow Mountain is an easy recommend.
4.5/5 Stars

[Jackson Steele · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Hollow Mountain is a follow up to the Carrion Throne, and feels very similar. The big difference is, the events are juxtaposed against the Great Rift opening up. My big complaint is that the Great Rift opening seemingly doesn't really impact the setting that much. Maybe that's the point, that life on Terra and the dysfunction of the Imperium is so miserable that law and order breaking down doesn't much impact inquisitors who normally must operate by themselves against enemies regardless. But I would have liked for it to have been felt more, for a more desperate tone to be adopted, for every step taken to feel more like a struggle. This book picks up from the Carrion Throne by upping the stakes, and does that in a masterful and natural way. You feel the stakes slowly ramp up in a way that feels natural, like you're grabbing a thread and slowly unravelling it all. Spinoza continues to grow, but the relationship between her and Crowl isn't explored as much as I would have liked, and her growth, much like in the last book, could be felt better. It was still a deeply engaging read, and left me excited for the next entry in the series!

[Ronan Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vaults of Terra is great. The series, especially the first book, brings out the grim grimy urban pulp, like the really good 2016 Dredd movie, that is only recently being drawn out in 40k fiction. It's not really a mystery series, though, which is a shame, because I like mystery books, and it's billed as one. It especially feels like the Guy Ritchie Sherlock Holmes movie, where unlike e.g. Poirot you as the reader aren't invited along with the investigation, spotting the clues and having it all come together just too late and it seem all too obvious, but rather, you're witnessing other characters solve the mystery themselves, separated from their thoughts and observations (the only Sherlock Holmes adaptation that's done this well fairly recently is Elementary, and not BBC Sherlock, which is shit) and enjoying the spectacle. There's a lot of spectacle, too, for meatheads like me, bang bang pew Space Marines. Anyways, Vaults of Terra is more a crime story than a detective story, I suppose, which is still refreshingly different for 40k. Yay!

[Hallien · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a truly excellent read, and I think it would be even better for seasoned fans of Warhammer 40k. I am much more of a HH reader myself and rarely read 40k, but I think I like Crowl just as much as Eisenhorn, if not more.
I read the first book a year or so back, and therefore don't remember all the details, but I found the second installment to be very satisfying - action packed and descriptive at the same time, painting a bleak prospect of the far distant future of the Imperium and putting Terra itself at the centre of events. I love reading about the Throneworld and I think Chris Wraight did justice to both Terra itself as the central hub of the Imperium and to the reverence that most citizens in 40k have for the Emperor. The grand finale was a little less to my liking this time than in the first book, but I love the inclusion of Space Marines and the fact that we can see them through the eyes of regular human soldiers, as opposed to most of the Heresy books.

[James Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

Erasmus Cowl is an Inquisitor of the Ordo Hereticus, operating on the throneworld of Tera. He recently discovered a plot to bring a foul xenos, a dark eldar on to the planet in order to use it's expertise to help repair the failing golden throne. But once on Tera the alien had plans of it's own. Cowl and his Interrogator Spinoze stopped it but they didn't find out which of the High Lords of Tera had broken Imperial Law and betrayed their office.

Their investigations are going apace when all hell breaks out on the throneworld. In some cases pretty literally.

Another solid and very fun entry into the 40K canon. Cowl and Spinoze are an enjoyable pair very well matched. It was also really fun to have a story set as Cadia falls without knowing that happened, to see its impact without knowing that's the cause.

[Victoria Hayward · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous! Had everything that I wanted in an Inquisition novel and more. Chris deftly weaves the large scale and the personal together in a narrative that tells us a lot both about the Imperium, and what it's like to live in it.

For me this novel had just the right balance of description too - 40k has a particular aesthetic and feeling that is extravagant and over the top (and actually hard to write well!) - Chris gives a fantastic sense of the detail in the world, but without it being intrusive or slowing down the pace.

The action was great, and balanced with genuine relationships and characters with some excellent payoffs for the long-term enthusiast, whilst remaining accessible to newcomers.

All this, plus of course the most fabulous servoskull in the history of Games Workshop.

Can't wait for the next instalment!

[Niall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good development on the first book, further exploring the background of Terra. What I like about this compared to other 40k lore is it avoids the temptation to make the main characters more palatable to the reader by making them radical in some way opposed to the standard Imperial doctrine and ways of working. Here all of the characters are clearly - and willingly - part of the imperial doctrine and approach, regardless of the cost to themselves and when they encounter situations that put them in conflict with the doctrine - whether being in presence of alien artifacts or inquisitor/interrogator disagreeing - they clearly find it unsettling, that it is they who are at fault not the doctrine. Even Crowl's world weariness is not a route to radicalism, just the cost of business and protecting himself.

[Lane Callahan · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was fun but by no means a masterpiece. i really enjoyed the setting, terra is not often explored in warhammer books, and it was explored really well - it felt very gritty, alive, dangerous, and titanic.

i also liked the retinue of characters - most of them felt discernable especially the main 3 or 4 (i really like spinoza and crowl). there was lots of cool dialogue too but some of it felt quite "badass" in a bad way - cringey and unrealistic

i think overall i would compare this to a marvel movie - very "cool" with lots of combat and explosions and stuff, but the actual plot/mystery side was quite weak. the separate characters following different leads (all unrelated) somehow leading to the exact same conclusion at the SAME TIME was just a bit lazy

fun but not great

[Urgewyrm · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Carrion Throne showed us the sheer level of decay in the Imperium, especially on Terra, and the tenuous grasp the Imperium has over it's citizens.

The Hollow Mountain shows us what happens when that grasp slips just a bit. Absolutely amazing amounts of atmosphere and lore buried in a story continued directly from the end of The Carrion Throne. However, this time, it's set against the triumph of Abby's 13th Black Crusade and everything that follows.

Chris Wraight has solidified his hold in the top three best Black Library authors in my opinion.

[quayshawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Follow up

Era: Opening of the Great Rift
Perspective: The Inquisitor leading the investigation on terra/front row of the failure of the golden throne
Books needed to be read before: Watchers of the throne book 1/Vaults of terra Book 1, they go hand and hand
Reason to read: Train wreck lol. You get a front row of the idiocy, bureaucracy, in fighting, stagnation and arrogance of those in power of the Imperium. But at the same time the necessary evil of it all. That moral middle ground I love in 40k. The wars fought that will never make the fought page.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

This features my favourite elements of a sequel with excellent character continuity. Outstanding character work throughout this trilogy, with Hollow Mountain having my favourite bits.

Actions have consequences and what make Warhammer books more impactful then other sci-fi of its ilk is a lack of 'minimizing' those consequences. If a character makes a decision that will result in the deaths of others you understand that decision.

Fantastic series and a fantastic entry.

[Jack Volante · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great sequel to The Carrion Throne. Inquisitor Cowl and Interrogator Spinoza are back and find themselves up sh1t creek without a paddle.
It was great to see the Cicatrix Maledictum appear in the novel and how it BADLY screws up so many things/operations on Terra.
Well worth a read and can't wait to read whatever comes next.

[Jeremy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great second installment for the Vaults of Terra series. The characters are unique and intriguing, just as any Eisenhorn novel, and the setting is a jewel of dark millennium scenery on good ol' Terra. This time the Inquisitors will have to defend their own fortress as they unmask secrets in some of the darkest regions of Terra. It's an action packed-thrill ride, full of bloody resolve.

[Derek Swanson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not great but solid.

On a scale of 1 to Eisenhorn this is a Ravenor minus.

A bit on the dull and uninspired side at times and Spinoza is not a compelling character. Crowl is good however. Wish there was more about him really. Writing is trying so hard to be interesting it can’t quite get there and sustain.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Continuation of the previous novel, this one starts with some investigations the team has, leading up to the culmination of the Cicatrix Maledictum as it transpired on Terra (it was awful for everybody). The author does a good job of imposing a layer of palpable tension and inevitable dread. If you enjoyed The Carrion Throne, there's no reason to not pick this up.