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  • Luther: First of the Fallen

  • The Horus Heresy
  • By: Gav Thorpe
  • Narrated by: Andrew James Spooner
  • Length: 7 hrs and 32 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (636 ratings)

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Luther: First of the Fallen

By: Gav Thorpe
Narrated by: Andrew James Spooner
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Summary

A Horus Heresy novel

Hero. Villain. Protector. Destroyer. Loyal. Fallen. Luther embodies the duality at the heart of the Dark Angels – but what is his story? Prepare to find out....

Listen to It Because

Get new insights into one of the key figures of the Horus Heresy, who shaped the destiny of the Dark Angels for 10 millennia, in a new novel by the master of First Legion fiction, Gav Thorpe.

The Story

Knight of the Angelicasta. Saviour of the Lion. Grand Master of the Order. Lord of the Dark Angels. Protector of Caliban. Chaos Heretic. Destroyer of Caliban. Sorcerer of the Abyss. Arch-traitor. Dark Oracle. First of the Fallen.

Can one man be all of these things?

Kept alive and imprisoned for 10,000 years, Luther is the curse and the salvation of the Dark Angels made manifest. None are so close to the heart and history of the Chapter as the man that embodies all that was great about the First Legion and all that is shameful about the Dark Angels. In his story is writ the tale of the Horus Heresy and the fall from Enlightenment in a single long life. Glory, honour, pride, shame and betrayal weave a tapestry of truth and lies that the Supreme Grand Masters of the Dark Angels have sought to understand and unbind across 10 bloody millennia. Luther claims repentance for his past deeds, but was it his sins that condemned the Chapter to its secretive fate, or should warnings from history have been more closely heeded?

Written by Gav Thorpe. Narrated by Andrew James Spooner.

©2021 Games Workshop Limited (P)2021 Games Workshop Limited
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What listeners say about Luther: First of the Fallen

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Very good. Gav at his best!

This story gives fresh perspective on this part of the heresy and the Dark Angels. Well worth your time.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Serendipitous Character

I have never thought that a sassy horse would be my most favourite character! Also what an insane insight into this guy!

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

the perspective telling

beautiful story telling and interesting tales told though a incredible narrator. great contrast to cypher for fallen reading

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

The best Warhammer book I have ever listened to

Although the lore for the Games Workshop settings is wonderfully elaborate for a miniatures game, and the fiction created for 40K, the Horus Heresy, and the fantasy world of Warhammer is pretty good for what it is, listening to a Black Library story is usually a bit of a guilty pleasure, an enjoyable hobby which feels a bit immature and silly

That wasn't so for "Luther". The story is well done, and the performance is excellent. I can't praise this book enough. You wouldn't have to be a fan of the setting to enjoy this, and yet, as a fan, you'll love the way it illuminates the darkness and poses additional questions.

This book is a bit of a "rescue" for the Dark Angels Horus Heresy series, after some of the earlier books were quite underwhelming. Without obvious deviation, "Luther" complements and enriches the plot and setting already developed in those earlier stories, so that the whole package seems like a more rewarding and enjoyable whole.

The contents of this book are really three-fold. We have Luther, the captive, reflecting in the present on the nature of life and the universe and verbally sparring with his Dark Angel interrogators. Then we have Luther, as the narrator, telling us about his personal story, which shows us two worlds - the story of Caliban-before-the-Imperium, and the story of betrayal-within-the-Dark-Angels. The adventures on Caliban - the strongest part of the book - read as an Arthurian legend, with a slight sense of gritty reality. The knights ride out to hunt down the monsters, the "beasts" - while the greatest pleasure of the beasts is to hunt down the knights. The story of the later betrayal is something of a political thriller, with a "will-they. won't they" tension that is a complete change of pace from the stories of knights and monsters.

The unifying, if subtle, theme of the whole book is the exploration of Luther's character: we have Luther telling us about his skills, behaviours and motivations, we have Luther demonstrating this by his actions in the stories he tells, and we have Luther demonstrating this by his choices in which stories to tell and how to tell them. It's so well done, that the reader could easily write an essay on the methods used to portray Luther's personality.

As befits an charismatic leader, Luther as the narrator is an articulate and interesting story teller, likely to coin a proverb or make an observation at the drop of a hat. As befits a thoughtful man, his stories are thoughtful and reflective - in the stories about Caliban, we see the young Luther learning about the nature of his world, and the present Luther reflecting on that world (how it worked and why), while in the stories about betraying the Imperium, we see Luther reflecting on his own character and making observations about human nature.

As befits a story told by a traitor, everything we are told has an edge of unreliability. Luther himself says that he is careful to keep his lies as close to the truth as possible, and remarks that he is an "unreliable narrator". It makes perfect sense that at one point he turns to a creature of Tzeentch for advice. As is traditional for a daemon, it was, of course, completely unreliable, as it told truths in manipulatively misleading delphic utterances. And - this is the clever bit - the same is true of Luther himself. Like the daemon, he is not necessarily lying, but how are his utterances useful for his audience (in story, the audience is the Dark Angel interrogators, in the real world, it is us)? Luther never seems to utter any useful advice, while one Chapter Master who interprets a meaning in Luther's tale comes to a sticky end as a result. Luther denies responsibility for the mishap - is this itself a lie, or is he cursed, like Cassandra, to be heard but never really listened to? Meanwhile, Luther is always stating that there are meanings or lessons to be learned from his stories, but (as with the utterances of the daemon) it is never clear what these meanings could be (or perhaps I'm too thick to get it).

Altogether, this is the best Warhammer book I've ever read.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Great story,....but

(possible spoilers)enjoy the book, but I think it could have had a better conclusion. Very open ending, could go anywhere and no where. Another spin on justifying being a traitor, different journey but same conclusions

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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great to listen to

Great getting an insight into the mind of Luther, and how the Dark Angels go from reasonable to pure zealots

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Good listen

Really enjoyed this expansion of the lore behind Luther. Now the lion has returned this actually has some great little story beats that would be great to see expanded upon in future.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Pre-Imperium Caliban is an exceptional setting

Performance was fantastic, Caliban prior to the arrival of the Emperor provides a great setting that could easily tell a hundred tales in alone, I do hope it's explored more in the future.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Very good

Terrific story and wonderful narration. Each chapter a gripping tale. I much prefer these types of Warhammer books, I can't abide all the boring space marine battles that feel so insignificant. This book tells you of Luther and his adventures. Worth it!

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Dark Angels doing what they do best!

Such a good story. Listened to it in one. Great to hear how they have changed over the Millenia.

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