# People's Take on Short Stories and Audios



## ckcrawford (Feb 4, 2009)

I was interested on what people thought about the audios and short stories to BL. Especially those for the Heresy. Do you guys think it ruins or helps the Heresy's image?

I was looking at how Graham McNeill and ADB both want to write whole stories on legions that have already been skimmed through or are going to be in short stories. Primarily on the Iron Warriors and World Eaters. 

My take, is that even though I like the bits of information here an there as sort of a puzzle, most of the audios and short stories aren't that well done. I believe that it kind of hurts or irritates making a novel if the legion is skimmed through.

I have to give props to ADB for _The First Heretic_. He really saved the Word Bearers legion as they already kind of had a bad book (_Battle for the Abyss_) written about them and a short story that was "decent" at most. But his ability to shed a better light on them, really saved this legion from being a disgust in the overall Heresy. But, can we really depend on ADB for all these legions that have been skimmed through? I actually think the World Eaters and Iron Warriors will be the most interesting to cover in the Heresy. I'm just worried that one of them might be ruined. What are your opinions?


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## Lord of the Night (Nov 18, 2009)

While we can't count on ADB to bring his patented everyday badass hero image to every Legion he has saved the Word Bearers and will likely change a lot of views about the World Eaters, most consider them frothing madmen but there is a deeper core, of betrayal and far more warrior's honour than most would think the berserkers of the Legios possess.

And Graham McNeill has already written the Iron Warriors in 40k, now we'll see how he does with the embittered, tired and steadily growing discontentment in the Sons of Perturabo during 30k.

Personally ive enjoyed the short stories and audio-books. They give good information and stories on subjects that aren't large enough to become their own novel. It'd be great if every event in the Heresy got its own novel but then the series would be colossal and events would have to be stretched out into a preposterous degree. Some events just cannot be novels, they are too short and too little information is available on them. However short stories and audio-books are a haven for such events, they are the perfect medium for these left behind events to become a part of the Horus Heresy series.


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## Baron Spikey (Mar 26, 2008)

In part I agree with you, some of the short stories are excellent- but is it really a coincidence that the ones considered the best are the stories that deal with small, relatively unimportant instances about factions other than the Astartes?

Personally I think _The Last Church_ and_ Blood Games_ are the best Heresy shorts to date, neither of which deals with Astartes really, and neither deals with known events but rather provide a story that throws some light on things we might not have known. 

There's no restriction in page count like there is with most of the novels as these are entirely new events being explored rather than a story that we know the beginning and ending of where all the author can do is flesh it out and add a middle.

I'm terrible at explaining things, but that's my ham fisted attempt at a theory.


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## pb100 (Sep 11, 2010)

It's to grade the Audio Dramas. Each is very short and usually deals with one big issues or event. Raven's Flight dealt explored Corax and his legion's escape on Istvaan V. Oath of Moment detailed Garro recruiting members for Malcador's(sp) order. Both where heavy in Action and didn't focus a lot on the characters. They were interesting, but (IMO) didn't shed a lot of light on the Hersey. They just seemed to bridge gaps between novels. That's not to say I didn't like them, because I do, I just feel that they don't really measure up to the other editions to the heresy series. 

I like the short stories a lot more. Most show interesting windows into the GC and the HH. However there are a few that stand above the rest. the Dark King and the Lighting Tower come to mind along with the last Church. 

In the end it comes down to your own preference. Listening to an audiobook isn't the same as reading a book.


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## Commissar Ploss (Feb 29, 2008)

I've enjoyed the direction that BL has gone with the audio dramas. It's something new. And new things aren't always accepted right away by the masses. 

I've always been a fan of short stories as well, as i write a heaping tonne of them myself. It's a different beast, these short stories. Much different than writing a novel. So to get to read/discover how various authors deal with the differences, to me, as a literary fiend/socialite/madman, is a joyful occasion. As well as a learning experience. some authors struggle to write compelling short stories, needing that extra length a novel affords to be able to win your praise. While others, can captivate an audience with 2-12,000 words and end it brilliantly, yet when tasked with writing a more devious manuscript, can't deliver. 

So, in short, i like both avenues. Not only are they new/diverse media for BL to make money with, which i applaud in today's economy and faltering publishing industry, but show that the Black Library is thinking ahead, and isn't going to lag behind in years to come.

you can take that to the bank.

CP


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## ckcrawford (Feb 4, 2009)

Its not like I dislike the idea of short stories. And yes some of the short stories have been quite good. I actually like the ones that don't have astartes in them. But then again, it depends who and how it is written. We can only hope that time has made the authors and Heresy Team find new and coherent ways to have these short stories not really mess with the rest of the Heresy. And I do like the way the Heresy Team has made kind of a puzzle like way of reading into the Heresy.

I got an Email today with McNeills take:




> Hey Charles,
> 
> Yeah, I think there’s going to be one in the Age of Darkness anthology, and from what little I know of it, I think it’ll be a good one. No, I don’t think it’ll undermine an Iron Warriors novel set in the Heresy, as I think it’s a pretty self contained story, so shouldn’t affect the grand scheme of storylines too much.


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## increaso (Jun 5, 2010)

The short stories are amazing.

Two in particular: After Desh'ea and the Lightning Tower.

I also like the novels that take the legion pre-Heresy (or even early like Descent of Angels) to post-Heresy like the First Heretic.

However, I don't want to have to go through each legion in the same way.

Personally I would like to see an Angron novel set post-After Desh'ea and a Dorn novel set during the Siege of Terra.


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## Khorne's Fist (Jul 18, 2008)

Having just listened to _Garro: Oath of Moment,_ it has yet again made me think that BL is just releasing the audio dramas as a money spinner. The voice acting is shockingly bad and had me cringing at the melodrama in parts. Malcador sounds like Emperor Palpatine, and the sound effects are just plain cheap. The fact they are charging considerably more for an hour long badly voiced cd than they are for a 400 page novel really wrankles with me. 

I think they should just put all these stories together into another anthology, and until they are willing to put a bit more effort into the audio plays, leave their products in print form. I'm a big fan of short stories in general, they provide a break from whatever else you're reading. I rarely sit and read an anthology straight through for this reason.


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## Child-of-the-Emperor (Feb 22, 2009)

Khorne's Fist said:


> Having just listened to _Garro: Oath of Moment,_ it has yet again made me think that BL is just releasing the audio dramas as a money spinner. The voice acting is shockingly bad and had me cringing at the melodrama in parts. Malcador sounds like Emperor Palpatine, and the sound effects are just plain cheap. The fact they are charging considerably more for an hour long badly voiced cd than they are for a 400 page novel really wrankles with me.
> 
> I think they should just put all these stories together into another anthology, and until they are willing to put a bit more effort into the audio plays, leave their products in print form.


Whilst I agree in regards to _Garro: Oath of Moment_ in particular, some of the other Heresy (and BL in general) audios have been decent. _Raven's Flight_ and _Throne of Lies_ both spring to mind. There is a lot of potential though in having three different formats (novel, short story compilation, and audio book) for the Heresy series, and if used correctly can really bring a lot of integrity to the series.

_Garro: Oath_ just seemed to be riding on the success of the character of Garro as fleshed out in _Flight of the Eisenstein_ without adding to the Heresy storyline whatsoever, nor the character of Garro. That coupled with James Swallow's seeming lack of effort in regards to the terminology that has appeared in both _Nemesis_ and _Oath_ now just made it a wasted potential really.


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## Flayed 0ne (Aug 29, 2010)

...i think the audios are great (even though -some- of the voice acting is hokey)...especialy for those who dont really have time to do nothing else but sit down and read...i drive a truck around the city all day and am very greatful i can take my 40k to work with me...alternatively, the audios are great for painting sessions, keeping in the mood and all...the audios just serve a diffrent purpose...allowing you to go about your daily routine and still be entertained...

...till you finaly -get- the time to go sit and give a book a proper read.


...short stories...i honestly havent read any yet...ive recently finished my first actual BL book, Soul Hunter, and have just cracked open The First Heretic (ADB is just awesome)...the audio short stories were definately good enough to awaken my hunger for Fluff though...i will eventualy read and/or listen to -everything-!

:victory:


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## raider1987 (Dec 3, 2010)

Some short stories and audio books are very good and expand on already known knowledge, where as some don't work as well.

I mean I have listened to ravens flight, the dark king and The lightning tower and I have currently read 3 of the short stories in tales of heresy. Some have been excelent, some have been good and some not so good. 

I mean ravens flight was mostly brilliant, yes a little weak on the character development, but corax really didn't have a part large enough in Fulgrim during the Issvan V battle, although I understand that this has now been expanded upon in first heretic. Thanks to the audio book which is basically a short story, I know have at least some understanding of the character and know just how badass he is. 

The dark king gave me some information on Rogal Dorn and a load on Konrad Curze. Curze I found fascinating while Dorn was just stoic and boring, with flashes of anger like he has shown during Flight of the eisenstein. Curze I found badass and his voice was awesome, his power was also frightening. 

The lightening tower was a audio book that I really didn't like, it was just Dorn Monologuing what we mostly already knew if you read machanicum. It was just an expansion of a scene that had been done better before in an excellent book. 

Blood games by Dan Abnett was excellent, it gives you some truly brilliant moments, and gives you a look into the lives of the custodies. It also gave me a much better look at Rogal Dorn. 

The Wolf at the door by Mike Lee, who wrote the BRILLIANT Fallen angels is also outstanding. At over 100 pages it was a long short story, but the best I have read. Some excellent battles are shown and it gives us the first proper look at the space wolves in the series, and the author pulls it off much better than Ben Counter did with the battle for the abyss, this story serves as a great prequel to A Thousand Sons, which I will be on to soon and I can't wait to get there. 

I have also bizzarly read After Desh'ea. I just had a free hour so read the shortest story in the book. Angron has always been a fascinating primarch and I have always wanted to know more about him and this story really gave me a chance to find out many questions I had. But it was far too short, I wanted to know more, what drove him to treason, what the hell happened to Kharn that turned him insane as in this book, as he was in the beginning of Galaxy in flames, a perfectly rational warrior. 

I do really like the short stories, they (usually) get to the point and expand the universe and our understanding of certain situation if done well and leave us hungering for more (like the wolf at the door). But if done well can fail due to under characterisation and lack of direction (such as the lightning tower).


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## Khorne's Fist (Jul 18, 2008)

Child-of-the-Emperor said:


> There is a lot of potential though in having three different formats (novel, short story compilation, and audio book) for the Heresy series, and if used correctly can really bring a lot of integrity to the series.


Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of audio novels in general, I listen to them in the gym all the time. I'm very happy with BLs foray into bringing out audio books now that they are doing it with full novels. As you say, if used correctly they could be great. I just think the short stories published in that format to date (barring _The Lightning Tower,_ but that's been around a long time in print format) have been very poor. 

I listened to _Thunder from Fenris_ today as well, and it was very nearly as bad as the Garro one. It also was barely an hour long, and too similar to _At Gaius Point_ for my liking.


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