Audio Review // Deathfire by Nick Kyme (The Horus Heresy #32)
After the success of the last audio heresy book, I decided to continue. Diving into title 32 in the series: Deathfire. Written by Nick Kyme, it continues the Salamander Story arc, and damn, is this a long story at over 15 hours. Let us see how their role in the war evolves and get into the details:
Title: Deathfire (The Horus Heresy #32)
Author: Nick Kyme
Narrator: Saul Reichlin
Publisher: Black Library
Fluff: Vulkan lies in state beneath the Fortress of Hera, yet many of his sons still refuse to believe that he is truly dead.
After a seemingly miraculous rescue by the Ultramarines, Artellus Numeon, once captain of the Pyre Guard, urges the other Salamanders on Macragge to leave Imperium Secundus and return their primarch's body to the homeworld of Nocturne - there to be reborn in the flames of Mount Deathfire. But Numeon grapples endlessly with his doubts and fears for the future of the Legion while their foes seek to carve out new destinies of their own...
Review
Well, that was long, and worst yet, it felt twice as long again. What is going on with the Salamander arc? I don't think I have truly enjoyed any of them yet. I was initially excited when we had Ruinstorm travel, daemons and a fantastic chase, but then it started to fizzle out. We had a lot of "how many unexplained characters" can show up, "Why are some of the characters acting weird or out of character?" or Why has this character gone from interesting to dull?
There are parts to enjoy in this book. Unfortunately, these points are buried under the noise, which is most of the title. As I said, the Ruinstorm chase, daemons, aka Sirens, and some of the Word Bearer action stand out for me, while being planetside on Nocturne was also intriguing and new to me as I've not read much on this Legion. Ultimately, even that enjoyment was marred with downsides; the build-up of travelling through the Ruinstorm made it seem like we would have the horror of a ride. Instead, they managed to jump in and out with hardly much issue, almost to the point of it being like Sliders again. A lot of the characters were forgettable and played pointless roles. Then, out of the left field, the Deathguard appeared, who, for some scenes, were a super deadly, unbreakable wall of death, killing all in their path; then they landed on Nocturne and became utterly useless. Almost in a single paragraph, they are wiped out, and one of the main villains is instantly killed mid-sentence by a cheap shot. What the hell, Kyme?
Overall, I think the flaws outweighed the pros. I need this title as a completionist, but did it add to the entire arc or war? NOPE. Give this one a miss.
