Ian St. Martin

By the gods, what did I experience??

I'll ignore all the cryptic crap Korny said and focus on the characterization this mini-audiodrama wished to achieve- fear and conviction; Curze is defined by conviction in his use as a tool, the type of tool he is on the other hand, is one to punish, torment, cast fear. Everything from the VA, SFX, how/when certain information was revealed.
You first hear a squelching, pulpy sound, followed by a scream, which the narrator proceeds to describe to be "rip show more my heart out show less

CW: Extra Blood and Gore

This is a Black Library Advent Calendar short Primarchs audio drama all about how Konrad Curze and his Night Lords Legion make war/ murder.

A planet defying Compliance who once threw off the yolk of the Dark Eldar meets the unstoppable, horrifying force that is the VIII Legion. A Night Lord questions his genesire who pontificates on his perspective on the Imperium and how they are already in the end, the only war.

This definitely wasn't my favourite audio drama, but it show more did a good job of building on McNeil's The Dark King, showing in even greater detail the atrocities Nighthaunter and his Legion commit in the Emperor's name. It also makes the point that the Emperor has ultimate say over the actions and deployment of the Legions. There's no way he doesn't know how the Night Lords operate and he specifically allows them to do so, sending them to worlds that resist Compliance.

It also makes an important point about fear being the power of the Imperium, which only becomes more true with the utter extremity of life in 41st Millennium. show less

Aside from Curze Angron is most definitely most mentally unstable Primarch.
Unlike Curze, Angron did not become psycho because he decided to (because you know, why not especially because there is no point in living at all and it is so difficult to be awake because you know) like Curze but because he was broken by the Nuceria slavers while very young.

Angron is maybe only Primarch that did not manage to rule the world but lived in its gladiatorial pits and entertained the populace by fighting show more with the other gladiators. Being a man's man he found his calling in bloody battles where he fought with martial pride and honor. We will never know what he truly could become if given chance.

Being a highly intelligent (super)man, with great level of empathy especially to his fellow gladiators Angron has everything stacked against him and when finally nails come in as a punishment.... it is over for Angron the Warrior..... Deeply terrorized but mighty creature takes his place. And when Emperor makes one big mistake (again, I am wondering why) in a move that has as much sense as putting a wolverine in ones underpants for safekeeping [because nothing bad can happen, right....] Angron decides to kick his father Emperor into pulp and undo his work at first opportunity - which remained in domain of theory until finally Horus decided to provide Angron with the vent.

Novel portrays in great detail the fall of World Eaters legion, proud battle hardened warriors, under dominion of Chaos for a simple reason of trying to be accepted by their gene-father.

Very sad tale, great addition to the series. show less

An interesting look at the Mortificators and Tau doing their stealth fighting thing that strongly evokes Predator, which would be great if it wasn't using so many allusions to 'Non-Western' and historical real world elements to show the inhumanity of the Chapter and the Tau. I don't think this is purposely rather yikes, but this is why you don't have a predominantly cishet white male writers cherry picking cultural elements, especially without sensitivity reading and consultation.