The Wraithbone Phoenix

Warhammer Crime

By: Alec Worley

Narrated by: Harry Myers

A Baggit and Clodde Novel

A ratling and an ogryn aren't the best-matched pair, but in the crime-ridden heart of Varangantua, anything goes—at least, when there's a big score to be had.

Listen to it because

This is first full-length novel featuring the characters Baggit and Clodde from the audio drama Dredge Runners. Follow the duo as they hunt for a treasure that could answer all of their problems.

The story

Baggit is the fast-talking ratling with an eye for the big score. Clodde is the ogryn with a heart of gold and a head full of dreams. These abhuman deserters-turned-criminals operating in the city of Varangantua have crossed the wrong man for the last time—and now they’re on the run…

At least, that is, until Baggit learns of a score that could pay their debts and save their skins—the Wraithbone Phoenix, a fabled treasure rumoured to be hidden aboard a voidship recently scheduled for decommission. But Baggit and Clodde aren’t the only ones with eyes on the prize. When word gets out, every thief in the Dredge is going to be gunning for the Phoenix. Does Baggit have the cunning to find the treasure and get out alive, or will someone finally cash in the bounty on his head?

©2022 Games Workshop Limited (P)2022 Games Workshop Limited

well written and well read

loved the book. didn't see female narrators name heard in chapter 25. look forward to more

One of the Best

Alec Worley blew this out of the water! Captivating story, characters that I got attached to, all woven together in an captivating story that's a must for any Warhammer fan. The story kept me guessing at every turn. Multiple pov jumps can be a bit distorting, but a 30 second rewind cleared things up. Hope Alec has more Warhammer books in the works.

Harry Myers also performed outstandingly. He took an excellent book at took it to even better hights. He gave each character an unique voice that helped keep everyone separate. I hope Harry narrates more Warhammer books.

Great story

A great story all the way through. It is nice to get a story involving rattlings and ogryns.

Wow this was a fun book

I really enjoyed The Wraithbone Phoenix. Being a fan of Warhammer Crime, I was slightly disappointed with the last book in the series, Grim Repast. Grim Repast was a competent, well written book, but it did not really break any new ground.

The Wraithbone Phoenix on the other hand was a refreshing new story. We have two abhuman protagonists and this time we get to see Warhammer Crime and Alecto from the perspective of the criminal side, which was really refreshing and invigorated the series. Both of the main protagonists are Imperial Guard veterans and we got a look into Aletco from characters who have seen the wider 40k galaxy. Previously I enjoyed Warhammer Crime for it's isolation from the larger concerns of the Imperium. But having the wider Imperium brought into Wraithbone Phoenix did enhance this particular book. I'm not sure I want more of that in future Crime novels, but it was great here.

At it's core, Wraithbone Phoenix is a heist novel with our antiheros out to steal a priceless Xeno artifact from a decommissioned Imperial frigate that has been brought to the world. Of course numerous other interests and factions get involved. The book ends up with a rather large cast of characters, most of which are fun additions to the book. I especially enjoyed the writing style of Alec Worley. Reading this book felt more like I was reading a urban fantasy novel with Sci-Fi elements. Given that the Ratlings have always been presented as more or less 40k hobbits, it all really worked and was fun to read.

I don't want to leave the narrator out as Harry Myers did an excellent job with narration, given many of the characters great depth. His voice is perfect for the tone and fantasy feeling of the novel.

It's not a perfect novel, there were a few times when the day was saved out of no where and the entire "heist" section seemed to drag on for just a bit too long. Shifting character perspectives made that a bit less of an issue and helped moved things along. But towards the end I was ready for things to start wrapping up.

Still all in all, one of my favorite 40k books this year.

Incredible and unique Warhammer story

This was a singularly fun and atmospheric Warhammer story with engaging characters. It had heart, humor, intrigue, and action in equal measure. The audiobook production supported the narrative in thoughtful and fun ways.