Silent Hunters

Grimdark Fantasy

Review by: The Audiobook ReviewSilent Hunters, a Warhammer 40,000 book written by Edoardo Albert, is a dark story filled with atrocities committed by some seriously messed-up aliens, a story of redemption for a Chaplain of the Carcharodons Astra, and a story of hope for a slave and her son.

The story itself is fairly well split between the Carcharodon's hunt for an ancient relict, a slab of void glass of unknown power, and of the Drukhari and their psychotic existence, in particular Archon Ilu Limnu, leader of a Drukhari Kabal and his growing weariness with the position and Dracon Utakk who seeks to rule.

Chaplain Tangata Manu has been on a quest to find the lost relic for over a thousand years. His brothers are growing tired of his failure, and his decision not to kill the son of a slave on sight has his superiors questioning his loyalty and commitment.

The boy in question is something of a "Hodor" (Game of Thrones) type character. Obsessed with doors and only able to speak the word door, the Chaplain believes there's a reason to keep him alive.

Meanwhile, Archon Ilu Limnu of the Drukhari is in possession of the void glass, the relic which the Chaplain seeks. Hidden away on their homeworld in another dimension that nobody but the Drukhari can reach.

There's one special mention I'd make, and that's a side-character, almost comic relief to a point, Marek Krayt. He's a "stimmhead", essentially a drug addict who just wants to get high and ignore everything going on around him. To be fair, he lives in Commorragh, the capital city of the Drukhari. Surrounded by those psychos, it's no wonder he wants to tune it all out.

I could see myself reading more of this guy, a spin-off. Maybe it wouldn't exactly fit the Warhammer style of books, but I think it could be enjoyable nonetheless. The story of a normal guy in the chaos that is the grim darkness of the far future.

Overall, the story kept me hooked and invested in the characters. Not for the squeamish, but I think if you're listening to Warhammer books, you likely know that already.

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I was given this audiobook as part of a commercial agreement to provide proofing services to the publisher. I have voluntarily left this review. I have not let this arrangement affect nor influence my opinions of this audiobook and have left an honest review.