Cypher: Lord of the Fallen

Warhammer 40,000

By: John French

Narrated by: Jon Rand

Length: 5 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's summary

A Warhammer 40,000 Novel

Cypher has slipped his bonds on Holy Terra itself. Hunted by some of the most powerful forces the Imperium can muster, can he complete his mission before he’s apprehended?

LISTEN TO IT BECAUSE

Cypher is one of the most mysterious figures in the galaxy, and this novel sheds light on his motivations and thoughts. Although, told from Cypher’s own point of view, his words are suspect by default...

THE STORY

As the Great Rift unfolds in the night sky above Terra and daemons walk upon the birth world of mankind, the Primarch Roboute Guilliman returns, heralding a dark new age.

During the breaking storm, Cypher and his band of Fallen escape from the most secure prison in the Imperium. Now loose in the Imperial Palace, they are hunted by warriors of the Dark Angels, forces of the Adeptus Custodes, and Imperial Assassins. But what are Cypher’s intentions? Can anything or anyone be trusted?

Told from Cypher’s own, unreliable point of view, this tale of truth, lies and secrets sees one of the Imperium’s most mysterious figures make war at its very heart. But what are the true motivations of the Lord of the Fallen?

©2023 Games Workshop Limited (P)2023 Games Workshop Limited

A bit grimderpy

Enjoyed it overall but it played up the grimdark a bit too much to the point it's more grimderp than grimdark. Cypher's plots and dialogue seemed to try a little too hard at being convoluted and mysterious to the point that it took away from the story somewhat. But overall I enjoyed the book and the performance.

Still no idea what's going on

The "secrets within secrets" storyline is mind-numbing and answers no questions whatsoever - probably that was the whole idea.

The narration and voice acting are perfect. Thumbs up!

...it may be the case that a shard of the Emperor's entity seeks death and had instructed Cypher with this task long ago; or not the Emperor, or it is not the shard or not the same Cypher this time, or the sword is something else but not a sword, the list goes on😳 *scary whispering*

Answers everything and nothing

Amazing story. The mystery of Cypher holds my interest more than the missing legions. This story leaves you on the edge of your seat and pushes you to consider what secrets you want to know.

Probably the best novel I've listened to

An incredible experience. The story was magnificent, but the performance made it extraordinary.
It's truly a gem of gems.
I highly recommend it.

More Questions Than Answers

[NO SPOILERS]
Before picking up the novel, Though not needed, I recommend reading a summary of the events occurring in "Gathering Storm: Rise of the Primarch" as this novel does take place shortly after those events and gives some context to the beginnings of the novel.

If you are expecting to find out who's under the cowl of Cypher, then you are sadly mistaken. This book creates more questions than it does answers. With an untrustworthy but compelling narrator and the slow unraveling of the story, at no point does the book feel uninteresting or boring. Every step of the way, you will question and attempt to piece together what is or will happen throughout the story.

The biggest question being Cypher himself and what exactly his goal is, with the novel giving a major hint to what that may be. There will be parts in the story which may leave you wondering why it was written in the first place, however, as the story unfolds, you will understand why.

Overall, I highly recommend giving this novel a listen as it gives a hint into Cypher's plans and actions as well as an extremely interesting story which leaves you actively listening. Jon Rand is a spectacular narrator and does his job well and I can't wait to see what he narrates next. Pick this one up if you get the chance.

The most mysterious member of the dark angels

It was a really good book. And it was narration was quite nice. This is a new narrator for me kind of so it took some getting used to. But all in all quite good. 4.7 stars

Great story. Great narration

Good look into one of the most shrouded characters in the universe. The narrator knocked it out of the park. Well done

Want to hear a secret?

Cypher may be one of my favorite characters simply based on his design. A cloaked space marine who dual wields a plasma pistol and a bolt pistol. He has a broken sword on his back and he’s neither good nor evil. He simply is. This book gets us into his head and shows us how he thinks and how he views things. I won’t spoil the story too much except that it is a jailbreak story from the most secure place in the galaxy. The supporting characters are great too and none feel boring or superfluous. Recommended.

For a short story it punches hard

Incredible use of a confined concept and cypher as the incredibly reliable narrator is the cherry on the slice.

More Questions or More Answers?

imo very good performance. Gave me a Neil Gaiman vibe. Writing/Story pretty good. Cypher is definitely a good character. Aswell as the Dark Angels. I think I big reveal was in this story but I can say no more.