slow start to maybe another series

will have to see what they do with the setup and world building as it needs to fine it's niche against guants ghosts

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Good story but found the narration a bit hard going

It was a good story especially the final part but I found the narration a bit hard going.

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Generally Enjoyable

This would be a 5 out of 5 for me if the narrator's voicing of the rogue psyker character wasn't so utterly painful to listen to and if that character didn't get so much dialogue.

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Struggled to engage because of poor narration

This review is just going to be about the narration. I really didn't like it. Very little emphasis goes into to making the text come alive. It's just monotonous, grey, background noise. The character voices generally blended into one, apart from the times the narrator struggled to do convincing accents. The attempt to do the accents properly (scouse in particular) were so strained that that it robbed the characters of even the small amount of vocal emotion the narrator was attempting in other characters. The book goes from scene to scene without a pause and the same grey monotonous voice just continues on, making it really difficult to follow.

Even the general tone of voice was wrong. I can imagine the narrator delivering Sense and Sensibility or Far From the Maddening Crowd (albeit poorly), but not 40k. Someone like Kate Reading or Kate Handford has more grit in their voice.

I'd love to tell you whether the book was any good, but I can't, because the narration masked it so completely.

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Really poor vocal performance lets this down

Id heard a lot of good things about this book, was excited when i saw it on Audible and it was well reviewed on the .co.uk part of the site. Unfortunately the reader is dreadfully flat and monotone and her male voices all sound very similar and mumbly/choked. The delivery is very off putting and just left me drifting off to think about anything else, gave it a couple of chapters and nothing improved, i cant imagine another dozen hours of it :(

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Loyalty before the threat of death!

Warhammer 40,000: Honourbound by Rachel Harrison

‘Loyalty before the threat of death.’ – Old Antari saying

Welcome once again to my small corner of this world. I’m glad for the company as today I discuss a favourite character of mine. I’ve spoken on many occasions – as long time readers will know! – of Warhammer (be it Horus Heresy, Age Of Sigmar or 40K) and all its numerous settings. However I’ve only rarely discussed the Imperial Guard otherwise known as the Astra Millitarum (the closest thing the Imperium has to a conscript army of common humans) and the rank of Imperial Commissar.

As those who are familiar with history may be aware, Commissars aren’t exactly popular with the average soldier. NO. STEPS. BACK. And Severina Raine is no exception! But before I go into detail on Raine and her Antari I should discuss the plot: The 11th Antari Rifles are a part of the Bale Stars Crusade. An effort by the current Lord-General Militant Alar Serek, a highly respected great hero of the Imperium, to purge the Bale Stars of one of its greatest threats – The Sighted: A truly powerful Chaos cult with many Psykers and true madmen among their number – which allows Commissar Severina Raine a true leader of soldiers and the men and women under her command to serve with distinction. However in the process of fulfilling their duties and standing firm in the face of true abominations, the 11th Antari Rifles discover a great secret in the possession of The Sighted. How will they reveal this information to High Command? And just who knows how far this rot at the centre of the Bale Stars will be allowed to grow? Will Raine discover some personal truths in the process of cleansing the Bale Stars of Chaos?

The character work by the author Rachel Harrison in Honourbound is some of my favourite characterisations in all of Warhammer. Severina Raine herself is a truly loyal Commissar who will give her life for the Imperium. Uncompromising and at points genuinely terrifying when she needs to be. She certainly isn’t a joker like Commissar Ciaphas Cain was! And yet despite her intense loyalty to the structure of the Imperium Raine trusts the Antari. She will…they will find the truth. The personal journey which Raine goes on throughout the novel is a continuation of her arc from the several short stories she and the 11th have been the focus of prior to Honourbound’s release and it is a captivating listen. I have been hoping for an audio version since the initial release so I can discuss this regiment! There is a lot more to Raine…and a certain important keepsake than I can say here but she isn’t the only main character of note.

To be completely honest every high ranking member of the Rifles has their moment or moments to shine as well as – in some cases – some beautiful and yet grim writing. The Sighted and everything tied to them is shown as utterly horrific and tainted beyond belief during the regiments’ many battles.

Other important figures I feel I must discuss include Andren Fel, the commander of the ‘Duskhounds’ (The Antari equivalents of the ‘Black Dog’) squad. He is a man close to Raine. One who knows all the ancient stories of the home planet of Antar and just why the Antari are quite as feral and traditional as they are. Something about them definitely makes me think of certain old Celtic traditions. Fel is also a man who despite his great skill in battle, feels he stands for the Duskhounds and must make certain choices when the time comes. But will he like them?

One final character I will discuss at length is Primaris Psyker Lydia Zane. Psykers are – as the name implies – individuals with great psychic ability ranging from the reading of mental states if not minds to the breaking of arms to turning people into soup from the inside out among other things! They are understandably kept on a leash by the Imperium. These powers make Zane something of an outsider among the Antari. However despite this we spend a lot of time in Honourbound finding out just what makes her tick. How does she feel about her treatment by others? About Raine? Why does she serve the Imperium and not attempt to flee? The answers make her and the other Antari fascinating.

The character writing in Honourbound is not Harrison’s only strong point. The battles are wonderfully dark with many moments worthy of a crusade. The sieges and attempts to counter the Sighted are also especially noteworthy with Harrison managing to pull you fully into the battle be it in the eyes of Fel, Raine or a low ranking soldier. The deaths feel worthy of a war as do those who make last stands. Personally? I could hardly put the book down and I cannot praise the book enough! I certainly would be happy to hear more news regarding the Bale Stars Crusade.

However I still have to discuss the audiobook. The audio edition of Honourbound is narrated by Nicolette Chin who in my opinion performs excellently. She IS Raine. Be it in battles, quiet moments of rest or command meetings she exudes this presence worthy of a leader who trusts her soldiers and yet despite that will do the duty of a Commissar as needed. Be it among her own men or others. Chin is also rather good at giving each character a distinct voice and making The Sighted just as unnerving, unnatural and disturbing as they should be. Other favourite performances of mine include the voice used for the Lord-General Militant which definitely suits a figure of such authority who has a well-deserved reputation and the somewhat unsavoury and very cutting and rough voice she gives to Wyck – the leader of the Wyldfolk – who is definitely the most aggressively feral of all the 11th Antari Rifles. I definitely look forward to hearing Chin again!

In conclusion not only is Honourbound one of the best novels I’ve read in recent memory but the audio version is gripping entirely on its own merit. Engaging as a war story and the kind of tale that burrows its way into your mind. There’s a reason Severina and the 11th Antari Rifles are the group I’d replicate if I ever joined a 40K tabletop battle and Raine is one of a very select group of characters from the Black Library history to be immortalised as a special edition unit in the game itself! I certainly hope that I can persuade some of my readers to join me alongside the Duskhounds and their fellows as we defend the Bale Stars from the bane of corruption.

P.S For the curious the chronology of the stories staring the Antari and Raine goes as follows:

Execution
A Company Of Shadows
Fire And Thunder
Trials
Honourbound
The Darkling Hours


FIRE AND THUNDER!

Nephrite

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7 people found this helpful

Difficult to get through.

Personally I just found it very slow and tedious so I just marked it as finished with 9 hours left, it's not comparable with works such as gaunts ghosts or the ciphus cain books (except maby the Jenit sulla extracts where my opinion is the same as inquisitor Vails).

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Overall OK but could have been better

3 Stars. The performance is good and the story has some interesting plot developments and twists. However, despite being a fan of female guard characters and models (including the Raine model, which takes pride of place in my army), IMO this book suffers the same fate as so many modern female fan fiction stories with the women almost always being smarter, better in fights, landing the last punch, being right, braver, etc. etc... over the men. If there is a 'bad' female character, she is usually found to have been misunderstood and right all along. Please make characters more nuanced regardless of gender (Gaunts Ghosts does this well)

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Poor concept poor narration

Not for those who want to be entertained for long. Expected better,did not feel as a w40k novel yet author has written better short stories with the same characters b4 narration was poor. Still struggling to listen due in large to narrator but story is just not 40k

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if you like Gaunts Ghosts or Ciaphas Cain get this

Much like the above two series Honourbound chooses to present us with a Commissar that is very human and has flaws, emotions and a sense of empathy, despite her role.

The supporting cast, in the guise of a psyker and a stormtrooper, also give voice and character to figures that are normally 1 dimensional in Warhammer 40k, which makes for a very welcome change.

The voice acting is very well done, and the overall sound quality and design is to the usual high standard of recent black library productions.

I would recommend this audiobook to anyone that loves the Imperial Guard.

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