Dark Imperium

Dark Imperium: Warhammer 40,000, Book 1

By: Guy Haley

Narrated by: John Banks

Length: 11 hrs and 53 mins

Publisher's summary

Audiobook 1 of the Dark Imperium trilogy.

The first phase of the Indomitus Crusade is over, and the conquering primarch, Roboute Guilliman, sets his sights on home. The hordes of his traitorous brother, Mortarion, march on Ultramar, and only Guilliman can hope to thwart their schemes with his Primaris Space Marine armies.

Listen to It Because

Experience the beginning of the Plague Wars, as the Imperium's lord regent fights to reclaim his home from the Death Guard and their daemonic allies.

The Story

Fell times have come to the galaxy. Cadia has fallen, destroyed by the onslaught of Chaos. A Great Rift in the warp has opened, and from its depths spew daemons and the horrors of Old Night.

But all hope is not lost… A hero, long absent, has returned, and with him comes the wrath of the Ultramarines reborn. Roboute Guilliman has arisen to lead the Imperium out of darkness on a crusade the likes of which has not been seen since the fabled days of the Emperor.

But never before have the forces of Ruin amassed in such numbers, and nowhere is safe from despoliation. From the dreaded Scourge Stars come the hordes of the Plaguefather, Lord Nurgle, and their pustulent eye is fixed on Macragge. As the Indomitus Crusade rages on, Guilliman races to Ultramar and a confrontation with the Death Guard.

Written by Guy Haley. Narrated by John Banks.

©2021 Games Workshop Limited (P)2021 Games Workshop Limited

Guilliman brought back Tetrarchs?

This story was fantastic, and the ability of Guilliman to he so introspective despite his position in the Imperium of Man, and the fact that he was in stasis for so long is impeccable. He is why I've chosen the Ultramarines as my legion for table top, and his ability to show humility despite him being the absolute Regeant to the Emperor and essentially the new "Emperor of Mankind," just goes to show not only his aptitude as a leader, but his ability to lead the Imperium of Mankind into a future that is absent the threat of Chaos. This book is an amazing start to an amazing trilogy.

Excellent

There was some action and it was good, but, this is all about how Primarch Guilliman is changing the Imperium, distributing the Primaris Marines, and delegating his authority. A great read/listen for a better understanding of how it's being ran now that he is Lord Regent of The Imperium.

Okay, fine. Ultramarines are awesome

If you need a book to convince you that Primaris marines are cool, this is it.
If you want a progression of current events in the 40k universe, this is it.
If you want professional reading and Grade A voice acting that is on par with Black Library, this is it.

Guy Haley is a darn good writer

I'm impressed. I have been reading war hammer novels for year's. I was worried that this book would destroy my preconceived ideas of Guilliman. I was not disappointed. Guy does this hero of the Imperium justice.

ALL! IS! ASH!

I really enjoyed how it went into the thoughts and values of Roboute Guilliman’s belief systems towards the Imperium throughout the book. The prologue did a great job setting up the book, this is a must read for 40k fans

good book damn mortarion.

loved it but struggled through piecing together elements heard at different times. great book and plan on listening to more audiobooks in the future.

Good

The recording is epic and super epic and epic and acutlaly im not gonna wrote 15 words

Be patient with this one.

Dark Imperium is an interesting book. However, its appeal is definitely in the realm of character psychology. For a 40k book, it isn't exactly action-packed. There are battle scenes, but I'd say it's main focus is the in the duty Roboute Guilliman has to the Imperium. It talks a lot about how he feels as a fish out of water in the 41st Millennium. You get some great details about the Primarchs and The Emperor.

The thing that I got hung up on is this: 40k can be a bit schizophrenic when it comes to its tone, and nothing is more varying than the way the various writers treat the forces of Chaos. Mortarion features fairly heavily in this book. We got some great lore about The Death Lord in The Buried Dagger and The Lords of Silence. In these books, the fantasy was treated as gritty realism, almost like Game of Thrones or some other gray-morality fantasy tale. But other writers tend to depict the setting almost like an episode of Thundercats. The forces of Nurgle feel very cartoonish in this book, especially with the way the narrator delivers the lines. They feel more like a scene with Skeletor and his henchmen inside Snake Mountain, with their stilted dialog and absurd behavior. This is a real letdown after how well Mortarion was depicted in The Buried Dagger. This writer sees him more as a comic book character, more like the older 40k than the way the characters have matured the past few years. I wish Abnet had continued this depiction of Mortarion and not the cartoon version.

And it doesn't matter that I've read two dozen 40k books at this point. The religious zealotry these fools show the Emperor continues to be nauseating. It's not poignant, it's not profound, it's just flat out obnoxious. All this bowing and scraping and praying is ludicrous. It's a chore getting through this crap in these books! I know that's a bit of the point, but it doesn't make it any easier to listen to.

GD lol

Roboute Guilliman. If you've read anything else with him in it... this just makes him even more of a specimen. Also shows the moment of getting his throat cut from his perspective

excellent book

I found this book quite enjoyable. Engaging story, deep world building, and great narration. Some people have complained that one can become bogged down in the details of the authors descriptions within the story, but as a 40k enthusiast I enjoyed every bit of it. I look forward to continuing the story in book 2