Title - The Ascension of Balthasar
Author - Christian Dunn
Year - 2012
Stand Alone or Series - Part of Series (Dark Angels)
Pages - Audiobook (80m)
Reading Time - October 2012
Review
As every book I read spoilers ahead... you've been warned.
What an interesting tale about the Dark Angels.
This is an audiobook by Christian Z Dunn about the hunt of a fallen dark angel.
I really was impressed by the quality of the narration and audio effects throughout the tale. Fortunally in the second disc there was a PDF with the script which I read while listening. This in my humble opinion should be the procedure in every audiobook. I enjoy it more than the other audiobooks I read.
The story is simple... A message arrives at the Pride of Caliban and tells the Dark Angels where a fallen is. Of course they know it's a trap but being of Deathwing they know that nothing is more important that to capture all fallen angels. As Zadakiel stats "the capture of any Fallen took precedence over everything..."
Five terminators plus the the Master of the Fifth Company and Guardian of the Inner Sanctum go on a hunt throughout a planety of Stern's Remembrance.
There they find the all place intact but devoid of people. Within a cathedra they find the fallen dark angel Attias the Untamed that warn them that it's a trap set by Krannon of the Crimson Slaugter.
As they escape the now attacked city Zadakiel and Balthasar, with the unwanted help of Attias, face cultists and a Hellbrute called Mortis Metallikus.
The "three" dark angels are unable to kill the hellbrute and Zadakiel sacrifices himself so the fallen angel can be brought to The Rock to repent.
In the end Balthasar receives a message telling him that they know their secret and now they must hunt and destroy the Crimson Slaughter warband.
Characters
ZADAKIEL- Master of the Fifth Company - Guardian of the Inner Sanctum,
BALTHASAR - Sergeant (Deathwing)
DARDARIEL - Terminator (Deathwing)
MENDRION - Terminator (Deathwing)
BARACHIEL - Terminator (Deathwing)
NARCARIEL - Terminator (Deathwing)
JOLINA: Astropath
SELENAZ: Captain of Pride of Caliban
ATTIAS, the Untamed = Fallen Dark Angel
KRANNON the Relentless - Leader of Crimson Slaughter
MORTIS METALIKUS- Hellbrute
Cons
- Too Short for the price
- It felt like a prologue to a bigger picture (One that is going to be told in Dark Vengeance
- Again the Price
Audiobook The Ascension of Balthasar €20.00
Dark Vengeance Novella €17.50
Both won't make 200 pages if published in a novel. Shame on you Black Library and Games Workshop.
Pros
- The Narration.
- The Diversity of the voices.
- The Sound Effects
- The simple plot but with lot of information about the Dark Angels Chapter and the Imperium so anyone can start reading about 40K here.
- The Extras in the second disc, even if few. 6/10