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Valdor: Birth of the Imperium cover art

Valdor: Birth of the Imperium

By: Chris Wraight
Narrated by: Steven Pacey, Jonathan Keeble, Katy Maw, Toby Longworth
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Publisher's Summary

A Horus Heresy character novel.

Constantin Valdor is the chief of the Emperor's Custodian Guard and is among the closest of His companions. As the wars of Unity come to their end, Constantin faces his greatest challenge, as dark deeds are required to pave Mankind's road to the stars.

Listen to It Because:

Delve into the era of the Unification Wars and discover Constantin Valdor's role in bringing about the Imperium of Mankind in an unmissable novel by Chris Wraight!

The Story:

Constantin Valdor. It is a name that brings forth images of heroism, honour and peerless duty. For it is he who commands the will of the Legio Custodes that most esteemed and dedicated cadre of elite warriors. He is the Emperor’s sword, His shield, His banner and he knows no equal. Clad in shining auramite, his fist clenched around the haft of his Guardian Spear, he is the bulwark against all enemies of the throne, within or without. Nearing the end of the wars of Unity, Valdor’s courage and purpose is put to the test as never before. The petty warlords and tyrants of Old Earth have been all but vanquished, and the Emperor’s armies are triumphant. What now for the nascent Imperium and what fate for its forgotten soldiers, its Thunder Warriors and armies of Unity? A new force is rising, one which shall eclipse all others and open the way to the stars. But change on Terra is seldom bloodless, and for progress to be ensured darker deeds are necessary. 

Written by Chris Wraight. Narrated by Steven Pacey, Jonathon Keeble, Katy Maw and Toby Longworth.

©2019 Games Workshop Limited (P)2019 Games Workshop Limited

What listeners say about Valdor: Birth of the Imperium

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Still good after 4 listens

it is a great insight into the end of the unification wars and that of Valdor. the emersion in the reading is great and the story flows well on the 2 main story lines.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
  • K
  • 27-02-2021

Pleasantly surprised

Was great to hear about the thunder warriors more and thay time period while the Emperor was gaining power. Some of the side characters were bland but Valdor was slick. It was waaay too short, 6hrs?! Surely there's enough lore to fatten that up a bit. Still worth a listen if you have spare credits. 6.7/10

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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WOW - This is a Gem of Pre-Imperium lore!

Fantastic book that tells you a lot about the first Astartes and even Astarte herself!

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  • JR
  • 25-05-2020

Amazing

Great exploration of Unifcation era, really grips you and great characters, great insight into what the imperium is/was meant to be.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Enjoyable for lore buffs

The audio drama sections are a fantastic touch, and the intrigue and reveals are great

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Great insight prior to the Hersey

Enjoyed the story could have been longer but well worth a listen if your a Horus Hersey fan or WH40K fan.

The performance of Jonathan Keeble etc. was excellent as always.

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  • IH
  • 09-05-2022

Short but sweet

Enjoyed learning some of the history of astartes and how they came about. Also valdor was very interesting to learn about.

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interesting 40k novel...

must read for any lore enthusiast, there are many implications. may be worth multiple listens, seems to reward re-reading.

performance is great story could have been a bit less intentionally vague but it did hit the major points well.

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man so many bombshells!

so many bombshells guys! no spoilers though!! I really like the amount of further information on the thunder warriors and life before the crusades

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For the 40K lore buffs

For a fan of 40K lore, this story delivers in spades. Unless you are a fan of that universe with a good knowledge of the background, I'm not sure that I could recommend this one, though. If you are: it's an absolute treat.

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