• Slaves to Darkness

  • The Horus Heresy, Book 51
  • By: John French
  • Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble
  • Length: 10 hrs and 48 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (1,114 ratings)

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Slaves to Darkness  By  cover art

Slaves to Darkness

By: John French
Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble
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Publisher's summary

After a long and gruelling conflict, the traitors at last close upon Terra. But time is dwindling for an attack.

Both Guilliman and the Lion are returning with all haste, and their armies could turn the tide. The hosts of the Warmaster must unite, for only then can they attack the Throneworld itself. While Mortarion is sent on ahead as the fleet’s vanguard, it falls to Lorgar and Perturabo to marshal Fulgrim and Angron, both now elevated to daemonhood and perhaps beyond even the will of the Warmaster to command. But Horus lies wounded, and, as the greatest battle the galaxy has ever know looms, it is up to Maloghurst to hold his fractious Legion together and to wrench Horus himself from the edge of oblivion.

©2018 Games Workshop Limited (P)2018 Games Workshop Limited

What listeners say about Slaves to Darkness

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Interesting if a little boring

kinda felt like I was listening to a documentary. Lots of nice world building but very few exciting moments. I usually don't mind it too much when stories jump around but this one did it entirely too much. I'd get to a part where something cool is happening and then WHAM, more low thrill exposition from someone across the galaxy. It was very jarring and disappointing at times. Overall I liked the book but I didn't love it.

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3 people found this helpful

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

we get the point, but the book lags a bit.

John French has a number of good Horus heresy books. Fear To Tread is a very good horse heresy book that I enjoyed a great deal. This book is not that good.

Jonathan Keeble reading of the book was excellent, is his work always is. I don't think that there has been an audio production featuring John Keeble that has not been excellent. the range of acted voices which he can provide is impressive.

the challenge that John French faced with this book is to take a lot of characters which are not very likeable and make a story with them that makes a person want to actually follow it.

by the end of the story, the tempo and events certainly roll to an impressive climax, but in the meantime there are serious legs and massive interest displacement when the different threads of the story are picked up and put down.

each story thread in and of itself is pretty compelling and interesting, despite characters that are generally unlikable normally.

my chief criticism is the complete disconnect between different story threads.

It is very difficult to make characters such as Angron or Perturabo interesting or likable, but French succeeds.

French succeeds in making the most unagreeable Primark in do a hero that you pull for throughout the story. for veterans of Warhammer 40K, that is a massive achievement.

the real main success of the book is the Gathering of the traitor Legions on Ullanor.

how did it happen? by what means were these disparate forces brought together and galvanized?

this really is what the book achieves.

I felt that the tempo could have used help.

the ranking of four out of five stars is because of the challenge of the task.

French made all of the disparate threads a single novel and all of the unlovable, irritating villains interesting and compelling characters.

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3 people found this helpful

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

All over the place

While the performance is amazing, nothing of substance is really contained within. I have been reading through many of the Horus heresy books and this has been completely forgettable.

There were a few moments that captured my attention with Lorgar and Fulgrim but ultimately not needed lore wise for fans of either in the grand scheme of things.

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2 people found this helpful

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

Well Written, Well Read

No complaints. This was a darn good Horus Heresy entry from beginning to end. Its importance might be tantamount to the first 4 novels.

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1 person found this helpful

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

Best yet

Really moves the Arc forward a lot of nonsense before this that dragged on but now it begins !!

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

Easily in my top 5 HH books

this book was amazing and really took the horus heresy and put it on its head. I felt there for a while I didn't know if I was going to be able to finish the series because it just become essentially bolter porn but this book brought back the intrigue and dialogue that keeps me coming back for these books.

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1 person found this helpful

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

Decent

Pretty decent story, voice acting by Keeble is excellent as always. This definitely strikes me as a more filler book than anything. Yes the plot advances, yes the gang gets back together(mostly) in the end, but maybe this book should have been combined with The Vengeful Spirit. I feel that this would bring 2 middling books into a proper story with robust plot movement throughout.

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

Amazing Novel

This book definitely was what it was supposednto be. the culmination of the Horus Heresy and the gravity it brought to the mustering of the traitor legions right before there assualt on Holy Terra. The interactions between all the Primarchs alone was worth it.

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

Read other HH books before coming to this one but it’s worth the wait

This is one of my absolute favorite Horus heresy novels. The writing and narration come together for a listen that flies by. Also some primarch vs primarch action (“Gg Ez” -Perturabo)

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

One of the Heresy's best.

One of The Heresy's best.

Filling in the word count to thr fifteen word minimum.

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