Mechanicum

The Horus Heresy, Book 9

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

New Light

I'm fairly new to the Warhammer universe. I've read about 18 books and listened to 2, this being the second. I wasn't really a fan of the Mechanicum before. In other books their depiction came off as more annoying than anything. There were a few individual members that I liked here and there, but as a whole I didn't care for them. This book changed that. Seeing how Mars functions with its Forges and better yet how their War Machines work is amazing. I also like that the story is tied directly to the first three Horus Heresy novels, unlike some others that jump in the timeline.

The narrator is a great fit for the job too. He has the perfect vocal range for the Mechanicum, and does a good job with different voice to help separate the characters out. None of them are annoying, and are distinct.

Definitely a top 10 of 40k books I've picked up so far.

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

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.

Must read for 40k

If you like 40k lore this is a must read. it's a fantastic history of Mars

Good start, fumbles a bit toward the end.

Pretty good overall, but Dalia's storyline suffers at the end.

It's rather pretentious to make fun of the damsel trope in old literature when your character is suffering from Mary Sue syndrome with some chosen one trope thrown in.

A tale of Martian Civil War

This chapter of the Horus Heresy was a little harder to follow than previous books, lots of characters, lots of names. Still an excellent story and the narrator is probably my favorite of all the books in the series.

Really fun view of Mars!

Toby Longworth did an excellent job giving voice to the battles and the characters in this book. That said, I admit, this book was a bit slow to start, and the Mechanicum can be a bit robotic so it can be hard to get into their story at first. This novel is a lot like Legion, when it picks up it really does pick up. This has everything, Titan Battles, a fun group of unlikely adventurers, an awesome Imperial Knight storyline, and a cool story of Mars' political situation during the opening days of the Horus Heresy.

The Legio Mortis and Legio Tempestus rivalry and Engine War was such a joy to to listen too, As well as all the fights taking place between the Adepts of the Mechanicum, it really painted the grisly picture of what was happening on Mars and how hard fought the campaign to claim the Mechanicum for Horus was. It certainly wasn't an easy fight

As for our adventurers, I won't give spoilers here, but I quite enjoyed Dalia's character, I thought her character arch was a good one and by the end of the book, I felt like she and her friends had come a long way, I hope to see more of them the future and hopefully more of Dalia in the Horus Heresy or the books that take place further down the timeline.

There was also a story of the House Taranis Knights on Mars that I really liked, It gave really interesting insight into how Knight and Titan Pilots view their machines and the bonds they make with them over their long years of working together, it was fun to have the Knights and Titan as their own characters, even if silent ones. The story of our Imperial Knights also intersects with Dalia and her crew of adventurers, I won't give spoilers, but I personally liked it a lot and I hope to see more of our Knight friends moving forward as well.

I consider this a must read in the Horus Heresy, mainly because it is the first book in the series I have come across that deals directly with the Mechanicum as the central entity and not the Space Marines, Imperium, or Expedition Fleets.

Enjoyed it

Best narrator so far. Toby Longworth has far more range in character than some of the other David Attenbourgh sounding men narrating some of the previous books.

great read

definitely one of the slower books in the horus heresy but still solid. the monotone voices you would expect from an adapt can get tiring to listen too lol

It's Okay

Performance was great, but I had a really hard time getting into the story. The mechanicus are just very... well robotic.

Favourite heresy book so far

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

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.

Amazing from start to finish

What can i say about this book that would explain how good this book Is love warhammer 40k? Get this book love the lore then get the book want a truly incredible story then get THIS BOOK now

what a book riveting

engaging till the end excellent read. keeps you listerning till the end. another great book from the horus heresy series.

the rise of the dark mechanicum

the story seemed to be very well spaced so the book was finished right as you feel the need to know more about the red planet . it's a shame black library didnt play with the michanicums history. very impressive read

Epic

Superbly written, and a great performance 10/10 a powerhouse of a sci-fi book. Possibly my favourite of the Horus Heresy collection.

A must for any fan of the mechanicum

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

Great story but could have been read louder.

All told a good story and a great continuation to the story but it seemed to be quietly read at times which lessened my enjoyment just a tad.

Not my favourite so far

The story is decent but the Narrator is a bit annoying. He has a habit of starting sentences speaking extremely quietly and by the end of the sentence he is basically roaring. Not due to what is happening in the story -i think it's just a style thing. I didn't connect with the mechanicum "heroes" as much as I did with the protagonists in the previous Horus Heresy novels.

The finale is worth it

A bit long and drags out in places however the finale makes it all worth it