Vaults of Terra: The Hollow Mountain

Warhammer 40,000

By: Chris Wraight

Narrated by: John Banks

Length: 9 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's Summary

Vaults of Terra Book 2  

Inquisitor Erasmus Crowl and his acolyte Spinoza face new dangers as the Great Rift opens and a new, bloody age dawns. Can Crowl stay true to his course and expose the horror that lies at the heart of the Hollow Mountain?  

Listen to it because...

Discover what happens when Chaos comes to the Throneworld itself for the first time in 10 millennia and agents of the Inquisition must deal with conspiracy even as monstrous daemons are clawing at the door....

The story... 

Inquisitor Erasmus Crowl has discovered a terrible plot, its roots firmly planted in the very highest levels of Terra. Pursuing it is fraught with risk, but Crowl’s sense of duty compels him to persevere. 

He and his acolyte Spinoza run down their leads in secret, knowing that their every move invites danger, but even as they begin to reveal the truth, a greater peril is unfolding in the skies - the Great Rift is becoming manifest. During the madness that threatens to tear Terra asunder, Crowl’s Inquisitorial base of operations comes under attack and is badly ravaged. As his world begins to unravel and a new, bloody age dawns, can Crowl stay true to his course and expose the horror that lies at the heart of the Hollow Mountain?  

Written by Chris Wraight. Total running time 9 hours and 47 minutes. Narrated by John Banks.

©2019 Games Workshop Limited (P)2019 Games Workshop Limited

Interesting But Specific Lore, Great Narration

It was a little hard to follow and I often found myself rewinding a number of times just to follow where or what I missed. Really interesting insight into Terran lore but overall murky story.

I like the narrator and I noticed he's the only narrator for Games Workshop that doesn't occasionally drop his voice so low I can't understand him.

My favorite characters weren't actually in the main cast, mostly because they weren't exactly cohesive.

An overall good story for the lore and depictions of secrets and little-told depictions of things on Terra. Though you might have to rewind a few times just to understand what the last 3 minutes of explanation we're about

Neeed more Crowl

Need more Crowl and Ciaphus Cain while we're at it. Ciaphus Cain first but these where pretty great as well.

Awesome Book!

All the Vaults of Terra books are good. They all give you a deeper look into the 40k universe. Very good book I highly recommended it.

Two books that could have been one

Once again I found it difficult to pick up the bits of dialogue scattered in the mountains and mountains of descriptions. The last 3 hours got interesting but then the ending fell flat for me. This "series" so far could have been one book.

Hated it

Overly descriptive, no real story. I couldn't relate to any of the characters or get a sense of humanity out them. They were all just stereotypes or background types. The previous book was pretty good, but this was just a boring slog.

Feels like middle of trilogy

Best way to describe it is that it feels like the middle of a trilogy. Good action, moves the plot but no real denouement. Still very much worth a listen.

Great story, characters, lore

I swear to sanguinius, these people. I read the other reviews, and was put off, but then I decided to listen. What morons. The story is great, the action is great and the characters are great. There are do-not-miss moments and settings in these books. Without spoilers, there is a description of things and settings in this book that are great and central to the lore of the empire of man.

An ok sequel to the Carrion Throne.

My video review - https://youtu.be/fp3CLx1E4Ls

I really enjoyed Book #1 in the Vaults of Terra series. The Hollow Mountain, felt like a step down in quality. It kept my interest, but I felt like it was missing the suspense I found so entertaining in The Carrion Throne.

Erasmus Cowl and Luce Spinoza pick up where they left off in Book 1. Attempting to unravel the mystery of who brought the Dark Eldar Haemonculi to Terra. They know their are High Lords of Terra involved but now they must narrow down the investigation.

The first third of the book follows Spinoza, Crowl and the rest of the team as they handle different lines of the investigation. Nothing significant comes of their efforts but there’s some pretty fun combat scenes along the way and Crowl takes a trip to the Nexus Axiomatic which offers up lots of great lore details.

Eventually, after regrouping, they pick up on a new lead. This sets them on a new path which leads to the finale of the book.

The book was entertaining, but I didn’t feel as connected this time around. Crowl’s personal issues seemed forced into the plot. There were a couple times where characters died and I didn’t feel the impact. There was a reveal at the end of the book but it didn’t feel as significant as I thought it would. Overall a solid read, that hopefully bridges the gap to an epic book 3. Looking forward to finishing the trilogy.

Great second installment

Continues to build on the already excellent The Carrion Throne. The characters continue to develop and deepen as well as the plot and it's refreshing to hear a story which end you can't predict. The setting also continues to be treated expertly by Chris Wraight who shows that he really gets 40k. I'll swiftly move on to the 3rd book!

Enteraining...Events After Cadia Fall

Great story...the continuation of Book 1 is seamless. Tells events immediately after the Fall of Cadia and creation of the Great Rift.

Good sequel to a great first book

Thoroughly enjoyable story and great performance. A good sequel although slightly preferred book one in the series. John Banks is - as always - an excellent narrator, and Chris Wraight has fast become one of my favourite Black Library authors. Would highly recommend.

great insight to life on Terra in 40K universe

Great story looking at events kn Terra immediately before the 'cicatrix maledictum' and fall of Cadia - basically the biggest change in the 40K universe since the Horus Heresy. Not essential to understanding the lore but an interesting tale and cast of characters.

Usual outstanding voice performance from Black Library.

A worthy sequel

An excellent story supplemented by John Banks' continuing masterful narration.

Crowl, Spinoza, Reevus and Kazad are fleshed out further in a satisfying manner that sees them develop their interplay as agents of the inquisition without the plot suffering as a result.

Moments of genuine tension and dread abound with twists and turns that still surprise despite the Great Rift having been a major milestone in the time line for some years now.

Cannot wait for the next installation!

The best Inquisition series GW have ever made

Compared to the Vaults of Terra books Eisenhorn is trash these are some of the best books GW have put out in a long time.

bit dull and slow

storyline weak..not much happens and ending under played..not impressed..basically cadia falls and astronomica people go mad..Great..

Average follow-up that's unsure of what it is

The story is very slight, even apart from the events of the previous two (excellent) novels. A lot of hours are spent detailing a fairly dull investigation to the point that it felt almost like reading Battlefield Earth at points. When things finally occur there's enough for a short story rather than a feature-length novel. No memorable action, no character growth or substantial conclusion to the story arc. Worth buying for £2.99, save your credit for Dark Imperium or Kurze if you need a good listen.

Story a bit confusing, but great voice acting

As a direct sequel, the story begins exactly after Vault of Terran#1, but this time the events are a bit more confusing.
To be fair and without giving spoiler, this novel should be listened in context with other released on the same period to fully understand the whole story.

On the bright side, the description of Terra and the fight scenes are both great.

Also, the voice performance from all the actors was absolutely fantastic.

Now, off to Book #3

Continuing the theme of the excellent first book,

But it sadly leaves it a bit to late to move the story forward. Great ending.

no closure

The book follows up nicely on the previous one. The story is gripping but there seems to be no closure. I understand cliffhangers but nothing seems to be resolved in this book. And as if yet (September 2021) there is no sequel out to get the answers. Short: good but left me wanting.

It's alright

I enjoyed the story in parts but it felt like a lot of nothing for a long time. It took a while to get going and even when things happened there was too much mystery to the point that moments lost their punch as you didn't know what was happening.