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The Horus Heresy #Audio Drama
Valerius
Though he knows such beliefs are forbidden, Vice-Caesari Marcus Valerius of the Therion Cohort is willing to lay down his life in service to the immortal God-Emperor, for the good of all mankind. Sent by Corax to the great slaughter at Beta-Garmon, every last one of the Imperial Army soldiers under his command knows that the end is nigh - but can Valerius' holy visions guide them to one final victory over the hordes of the hated Arch-traitor?
Written by Gav Thorpe. Performed by Gareth Armstrong, John Banks, Ian Brooker, Cliff Chapman, Steve Conlin, Saul Reichlin,Toby Longworth and Luis Soto.
Written by Gav Thorpe. Performed by Gareth Armstrong, John Banks, Ian Brooker, Cliff Chapman, Steve Conlin, Saul Reichlin,Toby Longworth and Luis Soto.
Audiobook
First published December 16, 2016
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65 people want to read
About the author
Gav Thorpe
377 books580 followersGav spent 14 years as a developer for Games Workshop, and started writing novels and short stories in the worlds of Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000 when the Black Library imprint was launched in 1997.
He continues to write for Black Library, and his first 'homegrown' novel series The Crown of the Blood has been released via Angry Robot.
Currently living in Nottingham, Gav shares his home with his loving and very understanding partner - Kez, and their beautiful little boy - Sammy.
He continues to write for Black Library, and his first 'homegrown' novel series The Crown of the Blood has been released via Angry Robot.
Currently living in Nottingham, Gav shares his home with his loving and very understanding partner - Kez, and their beautiful little boy - Sammy.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 16, 2024
May 2024 Re-Read using the Horus Heresy Omnibus Project Reading Order Omnibus XX Shadows of the Warmaster IV The Dead and the Dying (https://www.heresyomnibus.com/omnibus...) as part of my Oath of Moment to complete the Horus Heresy series and extras.
I still have no idea how to feel about this and I stand by the below review, but I feel like moving to three is how I feel right now.
***
We've come a long, long way together, through the hard times and the good. I have to celebrate you Marius, you have to praise Him like you should?
I am feeling a lot of strong, conflicting emotions about this one!
We'll see how I feel at the end, but right now I'm looking like I'm about to give a just passing full marks to a story I might actually hate. I'm very confused.
It's been a long road since Marius Valerius' dreams of fire and blood on Deliverance and the bravery of his Therian Cohort to force Commander Bran's hand to mobilise the remaining Raven Guard and mount a rescue of Corax and the shattered XIX from certain death on Isstvan V, through his burgeoning faith in the Lectitio Divinitas and his portentous dreams whose admission in short order after the devastating confession of Raptor Sergeant Neph on top of everything else contributed to the Raven Lord's dark spiral and the revelation of just how much of a, calculating, callous, and cold blooded bastard the so-called Saviour of Deliverance really is. Part of that cruelty was sending anyone he didn't trust away to die, and for Marius and the entire Therian Cohort that was to be eviscerated on the frontline of Beta-Gamma.
Valerius picks up back up with Marius on the eve of a colossal combat in which he is experiencing a minor crisis of faith. With wise words from his promoted manservant he makes peace with his his fate and leads a Therian last stand...
I feel so conflicted about this story!
I don't like the plot, but the writing is some of Thorpe's best.
It really is wonderfully written and I felt real emotion and even shed a few tears in the aftermath, but I really don't know how I feel about the end...
Regardless of what the specifics are, we know that the Emperor comes to be worshipped as a god and that there are bona fide miracles in Warhammer 40,000, including Living Saints and holy relics that appear to transcend the power of archaeotech and forgotten quality and power of artificer and uniquely powerful arms and armour, which are also venerated in the same way without actually being magical. We also know that miracles have happened as early as the acts and events Euphrati Keeler in the opening of this series, while the Emperor and the Imperium itself is still adamantly antitheist and the Emperor denies his ascribed divinity. Something is clearly going on with the power of faith and that makes sense with what we know of the warp and the way worship, focus, and emotion effect the Immaterium and the entities and/ or gods that reside within it. It's also roundly debated throughout the series, most pointedly with The Last Church by Graham McNeill, whether the fact of belief matters or whether faith can be valuable regardless of its basis. That story divides people on its intention, but on the whole the series seems to posit faith is something that can be good or bad, and be antitheist can be as much if not more dogmatic and damning as unadulterated faith.
I establish this because I don't know how I feel about Valerius' faith and how it guides and rewards his actions. I'm very conflicted and, as with The Last Church, I wrestle with the whether that is a compliment to the text that is trying elicit that or a criticism to a text that is being more didactic that I am attributing more care to that the actual thought the writer put into it.
Ultimately, the circle I struggle to square is the very real, planned, and actually orchestrated evil of the Emperor, including the forced sacrifice of unfathomable numbers of people, and this is just those not given a choice and regardless of conviction, and those who sacrifice themselves and countless others who are damned by their choices and authority, only to be the sole heir to blfbe benefits of their chosen martyrdom. This kind of thing is so much simpler in 40K because it just is the way it is because it is and it works and it's all anyone is indoctrinated to believe from birth. So, at least Valerius has a choice. None of the other Therians do though...
***Spoilers for the end of this story***.
OK. So, after everything went down and a random Imperial Army regiment rolled up and saw the devastation and were completely unable to see who had been here and that the logistics were so confused that no-one would ever know whose sacrifice it was that bought enough time to save countless other lives the weight of it all and it all being a selfless act of faith and bravery that genuinely did good, but would never be accounted to anyone. It was simply an important and unknown act. That *got* me and is getting me now writing and thinking about it. I wasn't sobbing, but I had tears and I have a real lump in my throat now. But, Valerius or whoever survived with the Lectitio Divinitas, it's surely going to be Valerius or Peylon, but I would be genuinely surprised if it wasn't the person whose name is on this story. Whoever it is, miraculously surviving with the holy book, regardless of whatever form of amnesia he has really undercut the power of that ending.
Obviously, it's huge on the religious side of things, but I am struggling with the whole having a good faith in a explicitly bad person does good stuff because it's not analogous to faith in reality. Yes, all the major religions have blood on their hands, but that is all from interpretation and the actions of people. I'm getting too in the weeds on this. I am just unsure how far away this kind of storyline, cause and effect, and rationalisation is away from the end of Attack on Titan and the confirmation of the fascistic perspective espoused by the story.
The prose is superb and the story definitely did something for me and gave me questions, as well as actually making me tear up, which all would be guaranteed full marks in any other situation, but I just don't think I can give full marks to a story I am unsure of how comfortable I am with its message, if it even has a message...
Honestly, if this ended a few sentences sooner, I'd still have all these questions, but it would be full marks. I just can't do it right now. I'll have to return to this again sometime.
Through the Horus Heresy Omnibus Project and my own additions, I have currently read 44 Horus Heresy novels (inc. 1 repeat and 6 anthologies), 24 novellas (inc. 2 repeats), 135 short stories/ audio dramas (inc. 10+ repeats), as well as the Macragge's Honour graphic novel, all 17 Primarchs novels, 4 Primarchs short stories/ audio dramas, 3 Characters novels, and 2 Warhammer 40K further reading novels and 1 short story...this run, as well as writing 1 short story myself.
I couldn't be more appreciative of the phenomenal work of the Horus Heresy Omnibus Project, which has made this ridiculous endeavour all the better and has inspired me to create and collate a collection of Horus Heresy and Warhammer 40,000 documents and checklists (http://tiny.cc/im00yz). There are now too many items to list here, but there is a contents and explainer document here (http://tiny.cc/nj00yz).
***
Initial Review 4/5
From fire and blood to holy blood and sacred fire.
Valerius, saviour of Corax and the Raven Guard survivors of Isstvan V, seems to have been having more visions and has been filled with the fervour of the Ur-Imperial Creed and the so-called God Emperor. Now he and his cohort face impossible odds under the direction of the Raven Lord.
A brief, well-written story with lots of discussion of the possible divinity of Emperor and the limits of faith, and the Imperial Army getting a rare moment in the spotlight...where they're expected to die.
This was a good listen and I am fascinated by the how concept and nature of faith and divinity in the galaxy. I do have mixed feelings about how oorah and Emperor good it all is though.
I still have no idea how to feel about this and I stand by the below review, but I feel like moving to three is how I feel right now.
***
We've come a long, long way together, through the hard times and the good. I have to celebrate you Marius, you have to praise Him like you should?
I am feeling a lot of strong, conflicting emotions about this one!
We'll see how I feel at the end, but right now I'm looking like I'm about to give a just passing full marks to a story I might actually hate. I'm very confused.
It's been a long road since Marius Valerius' dreams of fire and blood on Deliverance and the bravery of his Therian Cohort to force Commander Bran's hand to mobilise the remaining Raven Guard and mount a rescue of Corax and the shattered XIX from certain death on Isstvan V, through his burgeoning faith in the Lectitio Divinitas and his portentous dreams whose admission in short order after the devastating confession of Raptor Sergeant Neph on top of everything else contributed to the Raven Lord's dark spiral and the revelation of just how much of a, calculating, callous, and cold blooded bastard the so-called Saviour of Deliverance really is. Part of that cruelty was sending anyone he didn't trust away to die, and for Marius and the entire Therian Cohort that was to be eviscerated on the frontline of Beta-Gamma.
Valerius picks up back up with Marius on the eve of a colossal combat in which he is experiencing a minor crisis of faith. With wise words from his promoted manservant he makes peace with his his fate and leads a Therian last stand...
I feel so conflicted about this story!
I don't like the plot, but the writing is some of Thorpe's best.
It really is wonderfully written and I felt real emotion and even shed a few tears in the aftermath, but I really don't know how I feel about the end...
Regardless of what the specifics are, we know that the Emperor comes to be worshipped as a god and that there are bona fide miracles in Warhammer 40,000, including Living Saints and holy relics that appear to transcend the power of archaeotech and forgotten quality and power of artificer and uniquely powerful arms and armour, which are also venerated in the same way without actually being magical. We also know that miracles have happened as early as the acts and events Euphrati Keeler in the opening of this series, while the Emperor and the Imperium itself is still adamantly antitheist and the Emperor denies his ascribed divinity. Something is clearly going on with the power of faith and that makes sense with what we know of the warp and the way worship, focus, and emotion effect the Immaterium and the entities and/ or gods that reside within it. It's also roundly debated throughout the series, most pointedly with The Last Church by Graham McNeill, whether the fact of belief matters or whether faith can be valuable regardless of its basis. That story divides people on its intention, but on the whole the series seems to posit faith is something that can be good or bad, and be antitheist can be as much if not more dogmatic and damning as unadulterated faith.
I establish this because I don't know how I feel about Valerius' faith and how it guides and rewards his actions. I'm very conflicted and, as with The Last Church, I wrestle with the whether that is a compliment to the text that is trying elicit that or a criticism to a text that is being more didactic that I am attributing more care to that the actual thought the writer put into it.
Ultimately, the circle I struggle to square is the very real, planned, and actually orchestrated evil of the Emperor, including the forced sacrifice of unfathomable numbers of people, and this is just those not given a choice and regardless of conviction, and those who sacrifice themselves and countless others who are damned by their choices and authority, only to be the sole heir to blfbe benefits of their chosen martyrdom. This kind of thing is so much simpler in 40K because it just is the way it is because it is and it works and it's all anyone is indoctrinated to believe from birth. So, at least Valerius has a choice. None of the other Therians do though...
***Spoilers for the end of this story***.
OK. So, after everything went down and a random Imperial Army regiment rolled up and saw the devastation and were completely unable to see who had been here and that the logistics were so confused that no-one would ever know whose sacrifice it was that bought enough time to save countless other lives the weight of it all and it all being a selfless act of faith and bravery that genuinely did good, but would never be accounted to anyone. It was simply an important and unknown act. That *got* me and is getting me now writing and thinking about it. I wasn't sobbing, but I had tears and I have a real lump in my throat now. But, Valerius or whoever survived with the Lectitio Divinitas, it's surely going to be Valerius or Peylon, but I would be genuinely surprised if it wasn't the person whose name is on this story. Whoever it is, miraculously surviving with the holy book, regardless of whatever form of amnesia he has really undercut the power of that ending.
Obviously, it's huge on the religious side of things, but I am struggling with the whole having a good faith in a explicitly bad person does good stuff because it's not analogous to faith in reality. Yes, all the major religions have blood on their hands, but that is all from interpretation and the actions of people. I'm getting too in the weeds on this. I am just unsure how far away this kind of storyline, cause and effect, and rationalisation is away from the end of Attack on Titan and the confirmation of the fascistic perspective espoused by the story.
The prose is superb and the story definitely did something for me and gave me questions, as well as actually making me tear up, which all would be guaranteed full marks in any other situation, but I just don't think I can give full marks to a story I am unsure of how comfortable I am with its message, if it even has a message...
Honestly, if this ended a few sentences sooner, I'd still have all these questions, but it would be full marks. I just can't do it right now. I'll have to return to this again sometime.
Through the Horus Heresy Omnibus Project and my own additions, I have currently read 44 Horus Heresy novels (inc. 1 repeat and 6 anthologies), 24 novellas (inc. 2 repeats), 135 short stories/ audio dramas (inc. 10+ repeats), as well as the Macragge's Honour graphic novel, all 17 Primarchs novels, 4 Primarchs short stories/ audio dramas, 3 Characters novels, and 2 Warhammer 40K further reading novels and 1 short story...this run, as well as writing 1 short story myself.
I couldn't be more appreciative of the phenomenal work of the Horus Heresy Omnibus Project, which has made this ridiculous endeavour all the better and has inspired me to create and collate a collection of Horus Heresy and Warhammer 40,000 documents and checklists (http://tiny.cc/im00yz). There are now too many items to list here, but there is a contents and explainer document here (http://tiny.cc/nj00yz).
***
Initial Review 4/5
From fire and blood to holy blood and sacred fire.
Valerius, saviour of Corax and the Raven Guard survivors of Isstvan V, seems to have been having more visions and has been filled with the fervour of the Ur-Imperial Creed and the so-called God Emperor. Now he and his cohort face impossible odds under the direction of the Raven Lord.
A brief, well-written story with lots of discussion of the possible divinity of Emperor and the limits of faith, and the Imperial Army getting a rare moment in the spotlight...where they're expected to die.
This was a good listen and I am fascinated by the how concept and nature of faith and divinity in the galaxy. I do have mixed feelings about how oorah and Emperor good it all is though.
May 17, 2019
Read text version in the Heralds of the Siege anthology
A good short sequel to the Weregeld novella included in the Corax anthology and a nice peek into the long-awaited and much-teased battle of Beta-Garmon finally upcoming in the Titandeath Horus Heresy novel.
With Marcus Valerius, Vice-Caesari of the Therion Cohort, and his forces following visions and dictates of the Lectitio Divinitatus for guidance, while defending a strategic pass from a massive Sons of Horus' spear-tip assault, the Heresy setting is at last blended for good with the gothic and grimdark, classic W40K one, and the newborn worshippers of the God-Emperor are almost fanatical and creepy as Word Bearers heretics in a certain point of view.
Too short and it left me craving for much more, probably listening the audiobook is going to be a ☆☆☆☆ experience.
A good short sequel to the Weregeld novella included in the Corax anthology and a nice peek into the long-awaited and much-teased battle of Beta-Garmon finally upcoming in the Titandeath Horus Heresy novel.
With Marcus Valerius, Vice-Caesari of the Therion Cohort, and his forces following visions and dictates of the Lectitio Divinitatus for guidance, while defending a strategic pass from a massive Sons of Horus' spear-tip assault, the Heresy setting is at last blended for good with the gothic and grimdark, classic W40K one, and the newborn worshippers of the God-Emperor are almost fanatical and creepy as Word Bearers heretics in a certain point of view.
Too short and it left me craving for much more, probably listening the audiobook is going to be a ☆☆☆☆ experience.
December 17, 2016
Day sixteen of the 2016 Black Library Advent Calendar gives us Valerius by Gav Thorpe, a Horus Heresy audio drama that continues a specific arc on from the novella Weregeld. As the title suggests it follows Marcus Valerius, Vice-Caesari of the Therion Cohort, as he leads his forces into battle at Beta-Garmon. Looking to the words of the Lectitio Divinitatus for guidance and holding tight to his faith in the Emperor, he continues to believe – despite the odds stacked against them – that he and his Therions are serving a higher purpose…
Read the rest of the review at https://trackofwords.wordpress.com/20...
Read the rest of the review at https://trackofwords.wordpress.com/20...
August 29, 2025
Marcus Valerius of the Imperial Army has been a part of the Raven Guard's story from the very beginning.
First introduced in "Raven's Flight" with visions of Corax's flight across Isstvan V, he appeared in "Face of Treachery" to save Corax from betrayal. In "Deliverance Lost" he lead the Imperial Army in a battle against the Emperor's Children. He hidden the knowledge of his visions from Corax, in fear of chastisement or punishment for his unnatural abilities. He appeared again in "The Divine Word" where he encounters the Imperial Faith, and the worship of the God-Emperor. In "Weregeld" he told Corax of his visions and belief in the Emperor's divinity.
As punishment for his faith, Valerius was banished from Corax's side and sent to Beta-Garmon, where he was tasked with repelling the Traitor Titans. The battle for Beta-Garmon was fully explored in the novel "Titandeath" this short audio drama giving just a taste of the conflict.
Overall I do think this is technically well-written and very well voice-acted, but I'm not sure how to feel about it as a story. The Imperial Faith is ultimately a lie, and the actions of Corax were monstrous in the way he sent Valerius to his death, but it feels like the story doesn't acknowledge either of those facts. if anything the story seems to be a vindication in the faith of the Emperor’s divinity, which feels like a weird way to deal with that topic.
First introduced in "Raven's Flight" with visions of Corax's flight across Isstvan V, he appeared in "Face of Treachery" to save Corax from betrayal. In "Deliverance Lost" he lead the Imperial Army in a battle against the Emperor's Children. He hidden the knowledge of his visions from Corax, in fear of chastisement or punishment for his unnatural abilities. He appeared again in "The Divine Word" where he encounters the Imperial Faith, and the worship of the God-Emperor. In "Weregeld" he told Corax of his visions and belief in the Emperor's divinity.
As punishment for his faith, Valerius was banished from Corax's side and sent to Beta-Garmon, where he was tasked with repelling the Traitor Titans. The battle for Beta-Garmon was fully explored in the novel "Titandeath" this short audio drama giving just a taste of the conflict.
Overall I do think this is technically well-written and very well voice-acted, but I'm not sure how to feel about it as a story. The Imperial Faith is ultimately a lie, and the actions of Corax were monstrous in the way he sent Valerius to his death, but it feels like the story doesn't acknowledge either of those facts. if anything the story seems to be a vindication in the faith of the Emperor’s divinity, which feels like a weird way to deal with that topic.
December 19, 2016
An interesting and action packed audio drama, the first we have seen of Beta-Garmon itself, this one deals with the Tharion Cohort from many of the Raven Guard's entries into the Horus Heresy. Defending a pass from a massive Sons of Horus speartip assault, the men of the Emperor have to hold the line and trust to their faith in the God-Emperor to see them through.
It was an exciting tale, with some fantastic voice acting and sound design. Definitely worth a listen if you're keen on the next(and possibly last) major battlefield of the Heresy before the Siege.
It was an exciting tale, with some fantastic voice acting and sound design. Definitely worth a listen if you're keen on the next(and possibly last) major battlefield of the Heresy before the Siege.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews