Laurie Goulding

CW: This is really, really sad.

A few things I want to point out before I say anything else:
- This was originally a Black Library Advent Calendar audio drama
- It's only 25 minutes long
- It's only £3.99 for the MP3 on the Black Library website right now

Warhammer 40K [and the preceeding millennia] is a grimdark setting where everything on a macro scale is awful and it is only on a micro scale and within the context of being trapped in this galaxy and the nightmare situations and systems show more everyone is stuck in. The Imperium are not the goodies. They are a satire of authoritarianism and empire, specifically the British Empire and the extreme conservatism and ruthlessness of the Tories, particularly embodied by Margaret Thatcher. Much of the sci-fi and comics of the time shared in this, as with 2000AD.

I make a point of this because it's something everyone, including Games Workshop and Black Library at times, need to be reminded of and I've had a total reevaluation and new reading of Malcador and the Emperor recently with some of the Horus Heresy stories providing insight and context. None of this changes the fact that they are cause harm and disregard human lives, even as they labour to save them. They are two people that if they existed in the real world I would oppose them with every fibre of my being. But they don't exist in the real world and they are still both unbelievably awful, inexcusable, undefendable monsters in the views they hold and actions they take. In fiction we can explore the motivations and reasons that explain why a character is they way they are and feel empathy... What I'm trying to say is bad man bad, but make me feel sad.

This. Audio. Drama. Broke. Me.

I've been using silly names for the Sigillite in previous reviews, Bad Gandalf, Evil Elminster, Malcolm Dumbledore, etc. because until I listened to The Sigillite by Chris Wraight, he was just an annoying, scheming, psyker prick. He's utterly insufferable in all the Knights Errant stories. Wraight humanised him and gave his life and values and work weight and meaning without excusing tie atrocities he is party to. In Malcador: First Lord of the Imperium, L J Goulding takes the lay up from Wraight and leaps from Isstvan III, slamdunking it into the basket on Terra directly into my face and heart.

Malcador's personal Astropath, an old friend and someone who has kept more of his secrets than anyone, is on her deathbed. The Sigillite visits with his confidante and is with her in her last moments opening up and speaking freely with her.

I don't know if it's where I'm at in my hormonal cycle, having therapy earlier, being exhausted or what, but this audio drama got its hooks in me from almost the first moment. From then on I was openly weeping or sobbing throughout and after listening to this. Goulding's writing is magnificent and the performances of John Banks, Beth Chalmers, Jenny Funnell, Jonathan Keeble and Toby Longworth are next fucking level, especially Chambers' portrayal of Sybil. The emotion and realness in this little story for a novelty advent calendar promotion to sell these little stories set in the world of a nerdy tabletop wargame is utterly phenomenal.

There is something about seeing Malcador in such an unguarded, familiar, and tragically relatable situation that truly got to me. The centuries of working together and friendship are so very clear. The affection and grief on display is truly touching.

The things Malcador shares are mind-blowing, as is the ultimate qualification that is given. I don't want to spoil anything, but I gasped and exclaimed while listening.

I wish I had more to say, but this absolutely melted my brain and destroyed my heart. Don't forget, all of this is done expertly within 25 minutes!

I truly cannot say enough about the quality of the writing, which I was genuinely worried about due to not being familiar with Goulding and just how terrible the cover is (No shade to the artist, it's a sick picture but isolated as the cover it's very weird and does not say anything like what is going on in here). This is absolutely some of the best writing in the Black Library and beyond. This is one of the most moving and heartfelt things I've ever heard. I'm absolutely gobsmacked. This is almost certainly my favourite Black Library and/ or Warhammer story from any millenia, system, world, or realm.

I cannot recommend this enough. BUT, this is one where some knowledge of 40K, the Horus Heresy, Malcador, while not essential, will significantly affect the impact this has. At the very least, I would recommend listening to The Sigillite by Chris Wraight, preferably within the 24 leading up to listen if to this.

I'm so unbelievably excited, moved, energised, and utterly drained and exhausted from listening, weeping, thinking, sobbing and writing about glorious audio drama! show less

In this short audio-drama Malcador the Sigillite sits vigil with dying friend, Sibel Niasta, his personal astropath. While she expresses her worries about the coming days and expected destruction Malcador decides to tell her about himself and most importantly he reveals the Emperor's ultimate plan.

And this finally made sense of all the Emperor's actions. I wont go into it (you might even guess it but I will not spoil it here) but what Malcador said will surely set the stage for many things show more to come.

I am still a little bit under shock but man it surely raises many other questions - were the traitors actually warned of Emperor's true intentions and this led them towards the finale as we know it? It is very unsettling to come to conclusion that even mighty creatures as Primarchs are actually puppets that can easily be controlled and manipulated.

Even if we allow that not all said by Malcador is truth it still leaves a wow-effect considering the goals of the Emperor (I still don't see him as an altruist but we are still to learn - I truly hope these stories will be told - what he encountered and what he tried at first).

Excellent acting and very interesting drama that has no action scenes but quiet discussion between two old friends, both insiders when it comes to Terra's politics, about the current situation in the galaxy.

Highly recommended. show less

Generally a decent collection of action and deep-space manly bellowing and face-punching. The Thirteenth Wolf sees some Space Wolves lost in a magical maze; Into Exile is a forgettable vignette; Cybernetica is a fine tale of guerrilla warfare on Mars; Ordo Sinister is about the f*ckest-uppest Titan of them all; The Heart of the Pharos is pretty forgettable too; Wolf King has some good moments and is basically about Leman Russ being emo about being stuck with a load of hairy feral teenage show more boys and features the Alpha Legion as whipping boys which is not acceptable :D; The Binary Succession is a curious thing because I quite enjoyed it and it was by David Annandale whose writing I generally hate because its turgid - perhaps his talent is in political stories. Finally Perpetual is a brief where-are-we-now check in with Oll Persson, who is in the 23rd millenium and this features some amazing ideas that would be great to see if anyone ever decides to do WH23K... show less

I am unsure of words. The voice acting, SFX, etc. were great but this wasn't an action story. It was a man sitting by his friend's deathbed. Looking back on the past; how difficult it was to get where he was today, how much it took, how many were sacrificed and then seeing how quickly it broke leaving him uncertain of the future.
After all that- he still chose to get up and do his duty. Beautiful.