Mechanicum

By: Graham McNeill

Narrated by: Toby Longworth

Length: 11 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's Summary

As the flames of treachery spread throughout the Imperium, Horus plots to subvert or destroy all those who would stand against him.

On Mars, home world of the Mechanicum priesthood, the great manufactory-cities have long produced much of the weaponry required for the expeditionary fleets across the galaxy - making the world invaluable to whoever controls it in the coming war.

Now, the Warmaster's agents begin to stoke the fires of rebellion, turning the loyalist forges and the mighty Titan Legions against one another. And, with whispers spreading of an ancient terror lurking beneath the Red Planet's surface, the Dark Mechanicum rises....

©2008 Games Workshop Limited (P)2015 Games Workshop Limited

great book, essential as well

This book is a pleasure to listen too, and its essential for understanding the nature of the Mechanicus, and its role in The Horus Heresy

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Not bad!

It not best HH book (it is no Betrayer, Know No Fear, Master of Mankind or The First Heretic) but it is also not the worst either (which IMHO is Vulkan Lives...a truely dreadful book). But still...worth a listen! Toby Longworth is a great narrator as always.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Great book! Mechanicum and Knight battles!

Great book from start to finish. This book does a great job detailing life on mars and how this race of humans separates themselves from Terra. Also if you love knight battles it is a must read!

good book

one major story flaw. the author doesnt explain one important peice of the story very well. otherwise great story and written well.

War comes to Mars

This is a great story on what happened on mars at the beginning of the heresy. It adds another piece of depth to the series.

Great Book

Another great book in the Horus Heresy series. great voice acting and writing. it will keep you on the edge of your seat.

A medieval fantasy tale on steroids.

Intriguing and epic from start to finish. Knights and Titans battle at the end of world.

Better on audio than normal reading

its hard to get in to by reading normal, thank God for Toby Longworth .

Best book so far.

Imp knights Titans along with a shard, what more could you ask for. Enjoyed every minute of this book.

Starts off slowly, ends with a bang!

There really wasn't a single characters POV that I was not invested in. There is a short lull right before the ending that is a little tedius, but man does it set up the best ending in the HH so far. "Ends with a bang" is an understatement.

The narrator; Toby Longworth, initially seemed out of place as his style is so very different to the previous narrators in this series, but he quickly became my favourite so far.

Favourite heresy book so far

Probably due to my love of Titans, this was my favourite book thus far in the series

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

A must for any fan of the mechanicum

loved every moment. makes me want to buy a not so small mortgage worth of models

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Fantastic

Epic listen, fantastic audiobook my favorite sofar and the first time ive been genuinely upset when it finished

The best self-contained novel in the HH series.

It takes an especially talented writer to take a 30K/40K novel away from the genre's pulp roots, but McNeill is such a writer. The plot is water-tight, the pacing akin to a screenplay, the description appropriately verbose, and the characters humane and relatable. Don't expect a grand exploration of themes, instead adjust your expectation for a story that is perfect in its concision, simplicity, and humanity. This audiobook wouldn't nearly be so strong if not for the multiple voices of Toby Longworth. It is astounding how he can make every character unique, how he can immerse and excite you with a wide range of tempo and volume. The perfect narrator, in my opinion.

If you like Titan's then you'll love this

The good points:
Titan battles are pretty good
Mars is really cool

Bits that could be better:
Character development
The main girls quest
actually caring for the Titan pilots

The Red Planet Burns

One of my all time favourite books based in the 40k universe. Okay it's 30k but I mean it's not just a Heresy fave.
Excellent story with some very interesting reviles. Also features House Teranis which is my inspiration for a new army for the tabletop.
Like the mechanicum? You'll love this book.

Not too bad.

quite a good listen, performed very well. of you like mechanicum and titans you will love it. if you want Bolter porn, this isn't for you.

A story that lacks a focal point

After picking up the paper back and trying to read. I found the story did not grab me. It should have, with big reveals, an epic plot line and look into the fall of the mechanicum.

So I decided to listen to the story. And again I found it a hard listen. What was lacking was a focal point of the story. It felt like Graham Mc Neill was trying to fit to much story and setting up future plot lines.

However for a look at the secrets of the Mechanicum this is a must read and the voice narration was good. If not sometimes repetitive.

Fantastic book, best one yet.

Fantastic book, the best from the first 9 so far.
Great story and gripping from the start.
The Horus Heresy has been a little hit and miss, with the performance letting down a couple of books. The stories are still the strong point.
This story narreted by Toby Longworth adds an extra layer to the set so far.

The Omnissiah approves this book!

This is one of my favourite Horus Heresy novels and tells a tale of the fate of the Mechanicum of Mars at the start of the heresy.

This isn't a space marine story but instead focuses on a variety of characters on Mars. These characters make the book and there are some who I really warmed to and the story is well paced and blends action and intrigue really well. For the fans of the titan legions these feature prominently in this story as well. Like Legion, this book demonstrates how rich the fictional setting of the Horus Heresy is by crafting a tale outside the Astartes.

The audiobook performance by Toby Longworth is delivered with style much like in the Horus Rising trilogy.