Audio Review // Wolf Mother by Graham McNeill

Wolf Mother (The Horus Heresy – Short Story)

Author: Graham McNeill

This marks the final audio drama in my run through War Without End, and Wolf Mother absolutely promises to go out swinging.

Fluff: Aboard the Molech’s Enlightenment, amid the countless civilian refugees fleeing the Warmaster’s invasion, a serpent makes its nest. The Chaos cult responsible for the fall of House Devine still lives, feeding on fear and desperation. It falls to the immortal Alivia Sureka to hunt the evil hiding in plain sight. Thankfully, she is not alone. By her side stands the lone wolf Knight-Errant Severian — a warrior all too familiar with rooting out corruption.

First Thoughts

This is a tense rescue mission from start to finish. Alivia Sureka and Severian make for a perfect pairing, blending relentless hunting instincts with brutal, efficient violence. At the heart of it all is Sureka’s drive to save her adopted daughter, hammering home the story’s core truth: never step between a wolf and her cub.

Review

This story works beautifully as a follow-up to Vengeful Spirit, especially for characters who didn’t quite get closure there. Finally, Alivia Sureka and Severian’s arcs feel properly finished. We follow Sureka as she attempts to rescue her daughter from the grip of Molech’s Serpent Cult. With no other options, she allies herself with Severian, and together they carve their way through cultists, only to uncover a far greater threat. The cult isn’t merely hiding; they are attempting to summon a daemon that would devastate the already-battered refugee ship.

The action is sharp, the pacing excellent, and the storytelling makes this a deeply satisfying conclusion to this run of short audio dramas.

Next up for me is yet another round of short stories. But it feels like I’m finally over the hill now, racing toward the end, even if there are still 20+ books to go before I reach the Siege of Terra.

What a ride it’s been so far.