Audio Review // The Watcher by Christian Z. Dunn

Space Wolves, Knight Errants and One Very Bad Assignment

The cover of this audiobook gives away absolutely nothing. All I know going in is that it involves a Space Wolf and the Knight Errants. So...Are we getting a mystery? I'm definitely intrigued. Let's find out.

The Details

Title: The Watcher
Author: Christian Z. Dunn
Performers: Gareth Armstrong, Jonathan Keeble, Toby Longworth, Kris Milnes & Saul Reichlin
Running Time: 20 minutes
Publisher: Black Library

Amazon affiliate link if interested

The Blurb

A shuttle returns to the Solar System carrying the sole survivor of a traitor attack. Badly injured, delirious and close to death, the warrior is unable to tell his rescuers what happened.

Ison of the Knight-Errants, formerly a Librarian of his Legion, delves into the warrior's mind in an attempt to uncover the truth. And what he discovers will chill him to the core.

The Space Wolves once fancied themselves guardians over all the Legions. But what happened to those sent to watch over the Night Haunter?

Let's just say Konrad Curze isn't particularly fond of guard dogs.

Review

This is a strange little tale. But I mean that in a good way. The story immediately taps into one of those little pieces of Horus Heresy lore that I really enjoy, the Watch Packs.

As we've learned from other stories, the Sigillite ordered Leman Russ to create groups of Space Wolves whose purpose was to watch the other Primarchs. Their job was essentially to keep an eye on the Emperor's sons, report back on what they discovered and, in theory, step in if a Primarch went too far. Because apparently keeping tabs on a Primarch is a completely reasonable job description.

In this story, we discover what happened to one particularly unlucky Watch Pack. They were sent to watch Konrad Curze and the Night Lords (already a nightmarish legion before the Horus Heresy). So what could go wrong?

The story begins with a drifting shuttle being discovered and boarded. Inside is what I can only loosely describe as a Space Wolf. He's alive...technically. He's badly injured, suffering from torture and barely clinging to life. I feel any other legion marine would have succumbed to the damage, but not our Space Wolves bros!

Amongst the boarding party is Ison of the Knight-Errants, a former Librarian who can delve into the dying warrior's memories, and that's how we uncover what happened. I won't spoil the details because, honestly, the mystery is part of the fun.

But if you've read much about Curze and the Night Lords, you probably won't be surprised by the outcome. Ultimately, the Watch Pack didn't have a great day. Actually...they had a terrible day. With the Night Lords doing Night Lord things that would chill you to the core.

This is one of those stories where the destination isn't necessarily the surprise. It's the journey. We already know what the Night Lords are capable of. We know what Curze is like. We know that sending a small group of Space Wolves to spy on him isn't exactly going to end with everyone shaking hands and sharing a nice cup of tea. But there's something genuinely brutal about hearing the story unfold.

The action is nasty, the atmosphere is dark, and the gradual discovery of what happened to these Sons of Russ works really well. I also really enjoyed the use of the Knight-Errants and the psychic investigation. It gives the story an almost forensic quality as we piece together the events alongside Ison.

It's a short story, but it makes good use of those twenty minutes.

The Audio

The performances are excellent. The acting and sound design really sell the atmosphere, particularly during the more brutal sections. There's something about hearing the story rather than simply reading it that makes the discovery of what happened to the Watch Pack feel even more uncomfortable.

At only twenty minutes, it's an easy one to squeeze into a walk, a coffee break or, in my case, another excuse to stick some headphones on and disappear into the Horus Heresy.

Final Thoughts

I really enjoyed this one. It's not going to rewrite the Horus Heresy or introduce some massive revelation that changes everything. But it doesn't need to. It's a tight, brutal little story that explores an interesting piece of Legion history while giving us another glimpse into the wonderfully horrific world of the Night Lords, and let's be honest...I love a Space Wolf story, but I love a Night Lords story more. Watching them bloody the noses of Russ's supposedly mighty guard dogs? That's a five-star listen in my book.

The story itself is perhaps a little predictable if you're already familiar with Konrad Curze and the Night Lords, but the execution is excellent. The acting is on point, the sound design works, and the action is brutal. Also, the whole thing is wrapped up neatly in about twenty minutes.

Definitely recommended.

Just don't expect to learn anything that will completely change your understanding of the Horus Heresy. Sometimes you just need twenty minutes of Space Marines doing terrible things to each other.

And honestly?

That's why we're here.

Until next time...