40K Review: Audiobook: Galaxy in Flames by Ben Counter

Frost here for a brief rundown of the Black Library audio book Galaxy in Flames by Ben Counter.

For those who have not read the novel, Galaxy in Flames details the events surrounding the revelation of Horus’s betrayal of the Emperor, as he prepares to purge his own ranks of those who might remain loyal to the Imperium. Will the loyalists survive the onslaught of their erstwhile brothers? Will they be able to warn the Imperium of Horus’s treachery and preempt a galactic apocalypse? Even if you already know the answer, this book will keep you on your heels with anticipation.

This pivotal moment in 40K lore is read by Martyn Ellis, a veteran audiobook reader who is adept at keeping the voices of no less than a dozen characters distinct and memorable. The audiobook is abridged, but it never felt to me that they forcibly shortened the story in any way. Even in its abridged form it is still quite long; about 6 hours of grim darkness in all will keep you plenty entertained whether you are plugging away at painting some minis, on the road to visit or flee from relatives, doing some tedious material gathering in an MMO instead of botting like everyone else, or even while pretending to listen to your boss remind you about the dress code policy regarding neckbeards.

The audiobook is not a bad value, either. It costs notably less than a typical new release audiobook you would find at a bookstore, and has considerable replay value for those of you who, like me, prefer to have something playing in the background while painting minis.

In all, if you are a fan of 40K lore and have long spans of annoying silence permeating your life, this audiobook is for you.

That’s it, folks! Feel free to comment and tell us what you think about the Horus Heresy series and its interpretation into audiobook thus far.