Re-Listen February 2024 as part of a Heresy Omnibus+ complete readthrough of the Horus Heresy series, as additional to the Shadow Crusade II The Underworld War (https://www.heresyomnibus.com/omnibus/vi-shadow-crusade-ii-underworld-war):

It says more about my memory and the amount I've been reading and listening to that I know I did listen and review this just over a month ago when I was just randomly listening through the Horus Heresy Audio Collections, before I actually felt inspired to complete the series.

It also says a lot about the quality of this audio drama and the the impact of the Razing of Monarchia and the Battle of Calth as events, and the Word Bearers and Ultramarines stories, including The First Heretic, Know No Fear, and Mark of Calth, especially, Calth That Was that listening to this within this context I stand by the rating and review I gave it when I was still marking the Horus Heresy on a curve. Admittedly, I'm also ridiculously invested and fangirling out now, so there is potential bias. Nevertheless, as an audio drama it is worthy of the score. Perhaps if I were purely reviewing the story itself I might go a touch lower, but it is a good one with impactful lines and events, as well as some really nicely, and surprisingly brutal and graphic battle scenes.

This is one of those stories that adds some depth and flavour, absolutely not being necessary for those just wanting the essentials, but one unique thing it does have going for it is a Ultramarine below the high command of the Primarch and Chapter Masters giving their opinion and rationale for the Emperor and the Ultramarines actions at Monarchia:

"You should take it as a compliment the Emperor has gone to this much trouble to set your Legion back on the right path. A Lesser leader would not have shown such restraint"

Which is going to be a big yikes and continuing to absolutely hate the Ultramarines as a whole, while enjoying some of their stories and absolutely appreciating and even being a fan of individuals within the Legion/ Chapter. But as a whole the Lord of Ultramar and his Sons are, frankly, vile, good times fascists.

"A compliment? Restraint? When you scar a man Ultramarine, when you leave him with a such a remembrance of his misdeed, you leave him to think on two things. His transgression and your transgression against him."

I enjoy the above quite as a reflection of oft the repeated aphorism about the Ultramarines, "If you must fight an Ultramarine, pray you kill him. If he is still alive, then you are dead."

I'll never understand how the Ultramarines manged to justify their actions to themselves, beyond 'just following orders', and how they didn't think it would cause a resentment that would fester until it came to a head.

Good audio drama is good the below review also stands.

***

A great audio drama of the vaunted restrained and tightly directed variety that shows the Emperor's attempts to be the worst dad in the galaxy bear more fruit.

This is a classic example of the standard Horus Heresy device of a dual narrative of the present and a moment from the past that significantly impacts the current situation. In this story, we have the Ultramarines backing up the Word Bearers against a colossal Ork Waaaaaghband and their huge Boss in the present and the eponymous hubris at Monarchia, which saw the Ultramarines brutally shame the Word Bearers, at the behest of their Emperor, for actions deemed heretical, long before that word was being thrown around.

This is a quick, easy listen that is well written and performed, largely focusing on the Ultramarines taking on Orks with some decent action and, as much as I enjoy the very silly Cockney Orks, a much more apropos monstrous and scary portrayal of Orks for the Horus Heresy. The story of Monarchia and its reverberations down the years is a fascinating one I don't wish to spoil, as I don't wish to speak about the specifics of the end, beyond how effective this story is at building up to the crescendo and how it relates to other things happening during the Great Crusade at this time.

I first read this as a short story in one of the anthologies in the main Horus Heresy novel series, I believe quite some time before Know No Fear, Mark of Calth, etc. really ramped up the Ultramar Kerfuffle, so I remember this really hitting different. It might have even been in the same collection as After Desh'ea by Matthew Farrer, my favourite Warhammer short story by a long way, acting as a one two punch of why the Emperor is his own and his children's worst enemy.

I have read and reviewed so many Warhammer stories now that I have locked myself into a bit of a grading on a curve situation that I don't really apply to other things, and I know I am influenced by the great production and fundamental and extremely significant lore moments in this story, so your mileage may vary. ( )