Audio Review // Howl of the Hearthworld by Aaron Dembski-Bowden

I am continuing my dive into the Horus Heresy title, War Without End. The second tale should be a good one, as Aaron Dembski-Bowden is the author. However, I don’t think I’ve ever read a Space Wolf tale by him, so this will be interesting. Let's see if it meets expectations.

Title: Howl of the Hearthworld

Author: Aaron Dembski-Bowden

Fluff: A Space Wolves pack rails at being sent back to Terra to watch over Rogal Dorn.

The Wolves think themselves the guardians over the loyalty of the Legions – even the castellans of Terra, the Imperial fists. Find out how the wolf pack assigned to guard over the most redoubtable of all the Emperor's sons, Rogal Dorn, feel about their mission.

Review

It's an interesting title but not as exciting as I had hoped. Following the rulings of Malcador (who I still think is a villain), we witness Russ ordering his sons to watch over his fellow Primarch Brothers. The story focuses' on Thirteen Falling Stars' pack and how they vocalize their disapproval of the assignment. Forced to watch over Dorn on Terra feels like punishment to the pack, and they are the only ones to raise concerns out of all chosen. Unfortunately for them, Primarch Russ' words are law, and they begrudgingly head for Terra.

It was interesting to see the Watch Packs finally explained as they have appeared in other titles; it was also interesting to see how the Wolves handle disagreements. But ultimately, this fell a little flat for me. It's Space Wolves! I want songs, adventure and brotherhood. I definitely got brotherhood, but I lacked the adventures and songs I hoped for. As for characters, I felt Thirteen Falling Stars was tremendous, and I hope we get to see more of him in future Terra-based novels.

As always, I appreciate you stopping by to read. Have you listened to or read this title? Does Thirteen Falling Stars come back? Let me know.