Having held my silence for what seems like an age, I'm very pleased to say, that the first instalment of a vast new storyline, Dawn of Fire, is finally here. My recording of Guy Haley's Avenging Son, was officially released on 17th December and is now available via all the usual outlets.
Here are some details:
Dawn of Fire Book 1: Avenging Son
As the Indomitus Crusade spreads out across
the galaxy, one battlefleet must face a dread Slaughter Host of Chaos.
Their success or failure may define the very future of the crusade - and
the Imperium.
A great darkness has befallen the galaxy, and
the armies of Chaos are rampant. To survive, humanity must retaliate and
take back what they have lost. By the will of the reborn primarch,
Roboute Guilliman, is the Indomitus Crusade launched - a military
undertaking that eclipses all others in known history. From the
Throneworld of Terra does the Avenging Son hurl his fleets, their
mission the very salvation of mankind.
As vessels in their
thousands burn through the cold void, the attention of Fleetmistress
VanLeskus turns to the Machorta Sound - a region under attack by a
dreaded Slaughter Host of the Dark Gods. The success of the Indomitus
Crusade will be determined by this conflict, and the desperate mission
of Battlegroup Saint Aster, led by Space Marine Lieutenant Messinius.
Even then it is but a prelude to the forthcoming bloodshed.
The new Warhammer 40,000 saga begins here.
Written by Guy Haley, Produced by Tara Rawson & Narrated by John Banks
Length: 13 hours - 46 minutes
©2020 Games Workshop Limited (P)2020 Games Workshop Limited
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I think it's fair to say, there has been some confusion surrounding Avenging Son and perhaps I should briefly attempt to clarify the situation as far as I understand it. The original audio version of Avenging Son, became available, I think, sometime in August 2020 and it was recorded by a different narrator. My version of the story was recorded in early October and released a few days ago. As far as I am aware, all the reviews of the original have now been taken down from the audible.co.uk website, though for a short time, my name appeared alongside them.
At almost £30 per copy, I'm not sure many Black Library listeners will rush to buy an alternative recording of a story they already have, which is perfectly understandable. Perhaps BL are considering some kind of offer to replace the original with the new version; on that, I have no idea, though I think such a gesture would be welcomed.
I don't often post reviews here, but as this has been quite a unique process, around which, there is still a degree of uncertainty, here are edited versions of the only two reviews, currently posted on the audible site, which might shed a little more light:
Now it's fixed, it's amazing!
I listened to the first variation of the book and wrote a terrible review, based on the voice acting, it completely ruined it.
Flash forward to this iteration! The Black Library remade this audio book after all the complaints. The legendary John Banks voiced it this time, and it's absolutely amazing. I highly recommend it, it's a home run this time around!
- James Lloyd Plowman 20-12-20
Better than the original version
For those of you who didn’t buy it the first time around, Black Library put out another version of this months ago narrated by a different reader.
My guess is that the backlash from the first version was so bad that BL conceded and brought in John Banks for an emergency re-reading, and are probably going to have him reading the rest of the series too. I won’t say that this new version is completely worth having to buy a second time, but it is a marked improvement over the original, somehow even managing to cut the reading time down a couple hours. Definitely worth reconsideration.
My thanks to James and Thaipugg and to others, on a variety of social media sites, who have expressed their support over recent weeks; it is very much appreciated!
If, by some means, you do get hold of this new version of the story, I hope you enjoy it.
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