Audio Review // Army of One by Rob Sanders

Tucked away in the pages of Silent War is this micro-sized short story, simply titled Army of One.

Now, that title doesn't give much away, and the cover offers absolutely no clues either. My first thought was that we might be following a Navigator, but even that didn't really fit. So, going in, I had absolutely no idea what to expect. What I didn’t expect was that it would be a crazy short audio.

The Details

Title: Army of One
Author: Rob Sanders
Format: Audio short story
Collection: Silent War

No affiliate link for this one. It's far too short to justify buying separately, so if you're interested, go and find it in Silent War.

The Blurb

As civil war blazes across the galaxy, the hive world of Proxima Apocryphis turns traitor, and Malcador the Sigillite despatches punishment in the form of a living weapon…

The Review

Did I mention how short this story is? Seriously, this thing is tiny. Judging by how quickly we blasted through it, I reckon it couldn't be much more than a thousand words double-spaced. Blink, and you might miss it, and that's a shame, because the idea at the heart of Army of One is pretty bloody epic.

With the Horus Heresy tearing the Imperium apart, Malcador the Sigillite sends an Imperial Assassin to deal with the traitorous Planetary Governor of Proxima Apocryphis. The story follows an Eversor Assassin as he tears through everything standing between him and his target. Now, an Eversor let loose is a terrifying prospect. These aren't your subtle, whisper-in-the-dark assassins. They're living weapons, unleashed to bring death and destruction on a truly horrifying scale. There's plenty of potential here for a cracking little tale. To be fair, Rob Sanders does give us a glimpse of the character behind the killing machine. There's just enough there to make the assassin interesting, but nowhere near enough to make us care about him or anyone else involved.

The whole thing feels like it's racing towards the finish line (which is fitting for this style of Assassin). There's no real time to explore the setting, dig into the characters, or build up any tension. It simply moves from one moment to the next until… well, that's it. No big reveal. No shocking twist. No particularly memorable moment that makes you sit back and think about what you've just heard.

It just ends, and you're left thinking, "Oh. Is that it?"

A Story That Needed Room to Breathe

I know Rob Sanders is a great author, which makes this all the more frustrating. The basic premise is solid, and the Eversor Assassin is a fantastic subject for a short story. I'd have loved to spend more time with this character and see the world of Proxima Apocryphis brought to life. Instead, it feels like we've been handed the bare bones of a much bigger story. There's a setting, a mission, an assassin, and there's a target. But the meat in between? That's where things are missing.

Give Sanders a few more pages to play with. Let him build the atmosphere, explore the characters, and show us the full horror of an Eversor being unleashed. I reckon there was a much more satisfying story in here somewhere. As it stands, Army of One feels less like a complete short story and more like the outline for one.

Final Thoughts

I'm not going to pretend I hated Army of One. There's a great concept here, and I always enjoy seeing the more unusual corners of the Imperium explored. But this is simply too short to make much of an impression. It lacks depth, it lacks substance, and by the time it finishes, there's very little to take away from it.

That brings me to my biggest gripe: the price. If you're selling a story this short, don't charge people five dollars for it! Include it as a free extra, bundle it into something else, or give Rob Sanders enough room to turn the idea into something worth paying for.

Do better, Black Library.

For me, Army of One is a missed opportunity. There's a cracking idea buried in here, but it needed more time, more space, and a whole lot more story.

DROKK, I spent longer writing this review than listening to the bloody thing!