Shadow of the Eighth

Warhammer 40,000

By: Justin D. Hill

Narrated by: Colleen Prendergast

Length: 9 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's summary

A Minka Lesk Novel

As Cadia burned, one young recruit rose to prominence. Now a respected captain, Minka Lesk and her Cadian 101st are on a mission to track down the missing 8th Regiment on a nightmarish war-wracked planet.

LISTEN TO IT BECAUSE

The next chapter in Minka Lesk's saga after her battles in Traitor Rock shows us both the horror and glory of the Cadian legacy in a violent galaxy.

THE STORY

The forces of Cadia struggle ever onward, desperate to avenge the destruction of their home world and prove that even in the wake of profound loss, they remain the exemplars of the Astra Militarum.

When Minka Lesk and the Cadian 101st discover a relic of the missing Cadian 8th – thought lost in the planet’s defence – they see an opportunity to right a past wrong, and follow the trail to Telken’s Rest, a world at the core of the Chaos warlord Drakul-zar’s collapsing regime.

But the Imperium are not the only force to pounce upon the carcass of Telken’s Rest, and Minka soon discovers that there are dark secrets hidden amidst the icy sprawl of hab blocks and manufactoria. As the past comes back to haunt them, the Cadian 101st face a choice – will they stand firm and do what needs to be done, or will the spectre of what they have lost lead them astray?

Written by Justin D Hill. Narrated by Colleen Prendergast. Running time is 9 hours and 31 minutes (approx).

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

Great addition to the series

Was so happy to see another installment, great read and wonderful performance. Looking forward for more!

Minka Lesk!!!

Overall a nice continuation for Minka and the 101st. Narration was on point, the emotions and situations were believable, though I did struggle a bit with character descriptions, especially of characters introduced in past books.

still, worth a listen. Minka continues to be awesome :)

Latest Lesk

I love all the Minka Lesk books, interesting characters, tons of action, well thought out stories, Cadian Shocktroops kicking butt and taking names. With that said, this was kind of a disappointment, the story overall was just okay, it felt rushed and all over the place at times. I don’t like the character development of a few named characters (no spoilers don’t worry). Overall it was, like I said, just okay which is disappointing because I’ve been waiting for a new Lesk story for so long. If you’ve read Cadia Stands and the rest give this a read but as we all know every series has it’s less entertaining book, and this one fills that place. CADIA STANDS!

A very good read (listen actually)

I have enjoyed all of the Lesk books, seeing her rise through the ranks and grow as a character. The narration was yet again excellent. The only thing that really bothered me was certain characters ranks changing from one chapter to another; mainly Sparker as a Col.( makes no sense as he is a Company Commander) to Capt. (that would make sense). But other then that it's another great look into the Cadians and their fight after the destruction of their home.

Good start, but that’s about it

To preface this, I loved the Cadia Stands and Traitor rock books, and read cadian honour as well. This book starts out really strong and sets up a good story, but then in the middle it starts to fade out and get boring, but even later on when things start to pick back up, I just found myself getting confused by the amount of small perspective it switched to that didn’t add anything to the story with characters that they make it seem like we should care about, but we don’t really have a reason too. Minka’s character is strong, but towards the middle and end it seems like just about everyone is making stupid decisions that make them seem like they’re incapable, rather than the veteran and experienced soldiers/commanders that they are. Colleen prendergast does a good job, but overall the story was kind of a let down.

Amazing build up for a fizzling finale

First off, the first half of the book was stellar. Delving into more than just the battes, but the daily lives of the Imperial Guard has been a welcome treat for me. When you’re met with the hook of the story, it seems natural, and I was very much excited to go! The middle of the book spends a lot of time with little action, but that was okay, as it seemed to be building toward something great. The last third, however, was very disappointing. From the six+ pov’s, jumping randomly, to the plot points seemingly thrown together for no reason. There is a big reveal in the last 1/3 that seems shoehorned, and quite honestly, made no sense. This was the first book of the series that I had to force myself through, which is a shame, however, I’m hoping this was a fluke and not the start of a trend.

The narrator has been sufficient. I believe thats the most appropriate word, as she is clear with her speech, and I never had to ponder what was said, however, her delivery of certain impactful events have left me wanting. Overall, she is a decent, concise narrator and a good professional.