The Gate of Bones

Dawn of Fire: Warhammer 40,000, Book 2

By: Andy Clark

Narrated by: John Banks

Book two of the Dawn of Fire series

As the Indomitus Crusade spreads across the Imperium Sanctus, the cardinal world Gathalamor is caught in the grip of war - but when an ancient evil is unearthed, the entire crusade is threatened....

Listen to it because: with the crusade in full flow, get your first look at the full scale of the horrors inflicted upon the Imperium and the determination of Guilliman to defeat them and reunite the emperor's realm.

The story: as the Indomitus Crusade begins, fleets of mighty warships leave Terra on a vital quest to stabilise Imperium Sanctus in the wake of the Great Rift. The returned primarch, Roboute Guilliman, leads a huge force towards the shrine world of Gathalamor, where stable warp routes will allow the flotilla to spread across the beleaguered southern half of the Imperium.

But grave tidings reach the Imperial Regent’s ears. Warnings from an ancient race, and eerie silence from the army tasked with holding Gathalamor until his arrival, lead Guilliman to send a reconnaissance mission to the world, at its head, Shield-Captain Achallor of the Adeptus Custodes.

Achallor discovers a world on the brink: a beaten Imperial force and sinister agents of Abaddon the Despoiler who have unearthed an ancient evil - a weapon that when harnessed not only threatens the primarch, but perhaps the holy Throne of Terra itself....

Written by Andy Clark. Narrated by John Banks.

©2020 Games Workshop Limited (P)2020 Games Workshop Limited

great story

loved the story and had more than a few laughs, great single story. Would recommend to readers who like warhammer

Among the Best

This is quite an excellent book. If you like stories of realistic people struggling through otherworldly horror and strife, then you'll enjoy this one. The author does an excellent job of displaying the humanity of the characters, even the "evil" ones. In fact, the antagonists of this story are some of the more interesting and sympathetic ones. Clark does a great job of giving the villains an understandable motivation, particularly the Warpsmith of the Iron Warriors, who has his own martial honor. The themes of religious zealotry got on my nerves a bit, but it's not presented as necessarily a good thing. It serves a purpose, and it is not celebrated in the overall narrative. It gives color to the futuristic Dark Age the story is set in, but be prepared for it, it's a lot!

Overall, I think the Dawn of Fire books are among some of the better novels in the franchise. It isn't the most flashy. Most of the characters are quite ordinary. But that is its strength. You get some very real people feeling things you'll be able to relate to, which is very good in a setting this stylized and outlandish.

The Battle for Gathalamor!

Custodes, Imperial Fists, Imperial Guard, and Sisters of Battle vs Word Bearers and Iron Warriors. It’s a helluva fight!

The big boss battle at the end of the book was a bit disappointing and the backstory for a lot of the humans felt unnecessary, but overall a great read in the Dawn of Fire series.

Surprisingly touching

Really a fantastic book, you end up loving those characters, honestly had me choking up sometimes. Shows the custodes at their best for damn sure.

Amazing!

This book has a little bit of everything, Space Marines, Custodes, Sisters, Guard, and even Knights. Not only do you get awesome scene of battles but also a little drama and the paths and consequences some of the characters really hits home. The Generals scene at the end was particularly moving.