• Avenging Son

  • Dawn of Fire: Warhammer 40,000, Book 1
  • By: Guy Haley
  • Narrated by: John Banks
  • Length: 13 hrs and 46 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (1,012 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
Avenging Son  By  cover art

Avenging Son

By: Guy Haley
Narrated by: John Banks
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $32.71

Buy for $32.71

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

As the Indomitus Crusade spreads out across the galaxy, one battlefleet must face a dread Slaughter Host of Chaos. Their success or failure may define the very future of the crusade - and the Imperium.

Listen to it because: the brand-new Warhammer 40,000 saga begins here. Experience the Indomitus Crusade and a battle that will be a tipping point for the future in an all-action tale by Guy Haley.

The story: a great darkness has befallen the galaxy, and the armies of Chaos are rampant. To survive, humanity must retaliate and take back what they have lost. By the will of the reborn primarch, Roboute Guilliman, is the Indomitus Crusade launched - a military undertaking that eclipses all others in known history. From the Throneworld of Terra does the Avenging Son hurl his fleets, their mission the very salvation of mankind.

As vessels in their thousands burn through the cold void, the attention of Fleetmistress VanLeskus turns to the Machorta Sound - a region under attack by a dreaded Slaughter Host of the Dark Gods. The success of the Indomitus Crusade will be determined by this conflict, and the desperate mission of Battlegroup Saint Aster, led by Space Marine Lieutenant Messinius. Even then it is but a prelude to the forthcoming bloodshed.

©2020 Games Workshop Limited (P)2020 Games Workshop Limited

What listeners say about Avenging Son

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    761
  • 4 Stars
    206
  • 3 Stars
    36
  • 2 Stars
    8
  • 1 Stars
    1
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    748
  • 4 Stars
    101
  • 3 Stars
    15
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    1
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    617
  • 4 Stars
    191
  • 3 Stars
    40
  • 2 Stars
    13
  • 1 Stars
    2

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Better than the original version

For those of you who didn’t buy it the first time around, Black Library put out another version of this months ago narrated by a different reader. Though Mark Elstob is a fine narrator when he’s in his element, the man simply couldn’t do Space Marines, and his rendition of Roboute Guilliman, who is described as having a ‘beautiful’ voice, falls flat on its face. My guess is that the backlash from the first version was so bad that BL conceded and brought in John Banks for an emergency re-reading, and are probably going to have him reading the rest of the series too. I won’t say that this new version is completely worth having to buy a second time, but it is a marked improvement over the original, somehow even managing to cut the reading time down a couple hours. Definitely worth reconsideration.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

18 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Now it's fixed, it's amazing!

I listened to the first variation of the book and wrote a terrible review, based on the voice acting, it completely ruined in. I believe I quoted "has the potential to be amazing, but the voice acting killed it". Guilliman legit had the worst impression of any character I've ever heard. I imagined him wearing a top hat and monocle. Terrible.

Flash forward to this iteration! The Black Library remade this audio book after all the complaints. The legendary John Banks voiced it this time, and it's absolutely amazing. I highly recommend it, it's a home run this time around!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Best introduction to Era Indomitus

After reading the Dark Imperium and Watcher of the Throne, among others. I found that this book stands as the best introduction of Guilliman's return, the great rift, the Primarus marines, and the beginning of the Indomitus Crusade. it does a good job of setting the stage. if you're looking for a good introduction to the most current events in W40k events, this is a good place to start.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great start to the Indomitus Crusade

If you're looking for a place on where to get started with the current lore of Warhammer 40000 this book is the place to begin. For newcomers, this book is going to have everything from where primaris space marines came from, the inner workings of the imperium ands logistical nightmares and religious zealotry, introduction to the inquisition and finally how the world interacts with the Primarchs.

The narration by John Banks is superb and I found myself not wanting to stop listening.

If you're looking for a place to get started in the Warhammer 40000 universe but the Horus Heresy seems too daunting, this is where you should start.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

30 minutes left, couldn't bring myself to finish

This is the first time a book by Guy Haley has made me bored. He's one of my favorite authors, yet this was a slog to the point that I gave up when the finish line was in sight. Do yourself a favor and read the Plague War trilogy instead.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Not really interesting - "A Warhammer Novice"

I'm new to Warhammer, and this was the first book I was recommended. I have to say, I'm kind of disappointed. I don't know what it was about this book, but there were a lot of things that I felt did not have a proper conclusion, and based on what I am seeing for reviews of the 2nd book, they don't get picked back up again either.

There were only a total of about 3 moments that actually held my attention or seemed interesting to be engaged with;
1 - The first portion of the book (and the sample clip you can listen to) with Messinius.
2 - The introduction of the Primaris Space Marines.
3 - The final battle with Arrios (the dark-skinned Marine on the cover), Messinius and the Inquisitor.

Outside of that, there was little to no cohesion between everything, and only 1 thing in the entire book actually had a reasonable "conclusion". Basically saying "Ok, this is as far as the book will take you with this character".

There is a plot line that they have building with one of the characters that literally ended in tears (I think I cried tears of boredom rather than emotional tears) and yet they built it up so much over the course of the entire book to literally no end result. I don't know if it was supposed to have been a "yeah, the future sucks and not everything has a proper ending" kind of message, but I just felt so frustrated the entire time I was with the character, going through all the crap they went through, only for it to drop to nothing near the end of the book. There was a guideline I recall about writing that went "every scene you draw attention to or mention in the book needs to have some kind of impact" and this book fails it 3 out of 5 times.

The performance of John Banks was, in my opinion, mostly good. He wasn't really good with many of the female voices, but there were a few (Athagay I think) that I felt he did a solid job on. Narrating and pronunciation was never a problem, and his tone and the way of speaking was quite impressive. I'd have given him a full 5 stars if there weren't those few that were just....bad.

Is it a good introduction to the "current events of Warhammer"? I'm not sure about that. There is only 1 point where it actually explains the Indomitus Crusade, more than halfway through the book, and you already need to have at least skimmed knowledge of what the Horus Heresy is. However, I DO believe that this is an excellent starting point for newer people who want to understand the lifestyle many people have in the world, as well as what it's like to be one of the new Primaris Space Marines who have just woken up after being "remade". As I mentioned above, I feel like the introductions to the Primaris Space Marines and the few battles with them really were the highlights of the book. I'm not sure I'll move on to the second one however.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The Era Indomitus begins with a bang

After the less than stellar story of Gathering Storm I feared that Avenging Som would be a let down. Fortunately I was very wrong. In this story we follow multiple characters who’s stories mostly connect by tales end with one notable exception. Guy Haley once again impressed me with spectacular writing, world building and a fantastic understanding of the grim dark future. My only complaint would be the story at times seemed a tad to hopeful for Warhammer. It still has some great grim dark moments and the situation is as dire as ever but also with the introduction of the Primaris marines, The Primarch himself making grand plans and the crusades beginning it felt closer to the great crusade in tone than 40k. That said it still makes sense considering the context and really does nothing to take away from the book. The characters are well written, the story scale is perfect and John Banks performance is masterclass. Overall I recommend this to any 40k fan who is looking to understand the developments to the story that have taken place in the last few years.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great intro to Indomitus

Book shows the beginning of the Indomitus Crusade. Follows after Carrion Throne, and Emperors Legion. This book is just before Regents Shadow.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

There's an alien on the loose!

I don't know why, but Chilche as a character was just...strange? I don't get it, but oh well. Grimderp

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Some good Universe Building, Good enough Story

Mostly worth it for the 40k universe-building. Guilliman, Primaris, Admiral Van Leskus & some well detailed bits & pieces.

The story is nothing special. Not bad, just standard 40k fair. A lil back-ended, not much action at the start, in the middle. Could have done without 90% of the Scribum's story but otherwise an entertaining listen.

As the intro to 9th edition's time/storyline, going back to the start of the Indomitus Crusade, it sets the table well.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful