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Ashes of the Imperium

The Horus Heresy: The Scouring, Book 1

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Ashes of the Imperium

By: Chris Wraight
Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble
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About this listen

Audiobook 1 in the Scouring Series

As the Siege of Terra ends, there are many loose ends – Traitors trying desperately to escape, a monumental vacuum of power to fill, and a crumbling galactic government to see to. Those who hold on to power must decide how to wield it, and a new structure must be put in place, all while desires to exact vengeance run high.

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It's the beginning of an epic series. Find out what happens after the cataclysmic events of the Horus Heresy, as an unsteady Imperium must find its footing and learn how to exist without the guidance of the Emperor.

THE STORY
Horus is dead. Terra lies in ruins. The Emperor is silent. Amid the rubble of the Palace, shell-shocked survivors emerge into the light of an uncertain dawn. New powers are present now, ones that have travelled the length of the galaxy to bring salvation to the Imperium, though they are as readily cast as usurpers as redeemers. The survivors of the Traitors’ Grand Armada, now scattered and desperate to escape vengeance, are riven with doubt and dissension, and their gods too are silent. Amid all the grief and confusion, some hopeful souls believe the war to be over and an era of renewal just ahead. But wiser heads know that this war can never end, and that the only question remaining is who shall rise to power within the perilous new age, and who shall fall.

Written by Chris Wraight. Narrated by Jonathan Keeble. Runtime 15 hours and 28 minutes approx.

©2025 Games Workshop Limited (P)2025 Games Workshop Limited
Science Fiction Space Opera War Siege
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Picking up right after the SoT. Exactly the grim darkness I had picture for the scouring.

Absolutely fantastic

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was really good aside from the adition of recent custodes lore that clearly was only added for political reasons

the story blended perfect with the heresy

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The setting of wh40k is at its strongest when it is delving into the full range of actors and institutions in the setting and not solely consumed with blood and bolsters. And Wraight is consistently the best writer of Terran intrigue and politics. There's major reveals, significant advances in the lore and long tired characters are finally hitting the true curve of their narrative arcs. How heroic can the heroes continue to be when that which defines them is gone? Wraight transforms the setting of the Horus Heresy from one of tragedy to travesty. It's one of the strongest books released to date by Black Library.

Wraight is becoming the strongest voice in the wh40k franchise

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Jonathon Keeble’s voices are fantastic. Chris Wraight’s character depth and interactions are second to none- right up there with the best in any genre👍👍👍👍👍

Political intrigue on a war ravaged Terra

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