...an 'august' update - hopefully!

Only the second update this month and very little in the way of excuses as to why I've been away from the blogosphere. Wait a minute; did you say 'Olympic Games'? Ah, yes; I have been glued to the Olympics and huge congratulations to all, medal winners or not and indeed to Rio for hosting the whole thing under difficult circumstances. Roll on Tokyo!

I wonder what events the Space Marines would be good at? Weight lifting? Shooting, TaeKwon-Do? At least those and several others I should imagine; but I digress.

Once again those good folks at Games Workshop have managed to spring a surprise or two over the last couple of weeks and I should give proper details of them here. A while ago, I mentioned that the second quartet of stories in the Realmgate Wars series had been released under the collective title Knights of Vengeance. Subsequently, the entire eight story saga was also released under the title The Realmgate Wars: The Audio Collection. What I have only recently noticed however, is that the first four stories have also been released under a collective title, The Hunt For Nagash. And so, perhaps somewhat out of sequence, here are the details:

In the long-ago Age of Myth, Sigmar's pantheon of gods conquered the Mortal Realms and ruled them in peace – until the coming of Chaos. Among the greatest of Sigmar's allies was Nagash, the god of Death and ruler of the underworlds of Shyish.

At the height of the Allpoints war, Nagash betrayed his oaths of loyalty and doomed Sigmar's plans to failure. Now, as the God-King's Stormcast Eternals battle to liberate the Mortal Realms, a force from the Hallowed Knghts Stormhost has been sent to find Nagash and bring him back into the fold. But as they search the Realm of Death, they find only the servants of Chaos – until a chance encounter provides hope. If they can trust a vampire, that is.

The Hunt for Nagash Audio Drama Collection consists of four audio dramas by Josh Reynolds, in a zip file:

Performed by:

 Gareth Armstrong, John Banks, Ian Brooker, Steve Conlin, Jonathan Keeble, Stephen Perring,

 Saul Reichlin and Luis Soto

Written by Josh Reynolds & Produced by Matthew Renshaw

* * * * *

And secondly for this month and coming as a complete surprise, a release from the Warhammer 40,000 range of stories, which are set some 10,000 years after the original Space Marine adventures.

  

Deathwatch: The Last Guardian

Dark Angels Brother Balthasar and a Deathwatch kill-team investigate a long-dead eldar craftworld infested with daemons…

As part of an elite Deathwatch kill team, Brother Balthasar of the Dark Angels joins a special Inquisitorial mission to the eldar craftworld of Kher-Ys. Long ago ravaged by the daemonic forces of Slaanesh, the craftworld may still harbour the unlikeliest of allies for the Space Marines, and the key to a greater victory for the Chapter.

Performed by:

Gareth Armstrong, John Banks, Tim Bentinck, Steve Conlin, Jonathan Keeble, 

Penelope Rawlins and Tania Rodrigues 

Written by C Z Dunn & Produced by Matthew Renshaw

* * * * *

And that's just about it for this posting; I'm currently preparing an audio book to record in October and awaiting some audio drama scripts for early September. I think there might also be another audio book or two to fit in around that schedule, although, as the sun is shining and the great outdoors beckons, I reckon I can safely defer any proper activity at least for the rest of the afternoon - a bit of executive time management - The Doctor would surely approve!

...all for now, more as soon as it happens!

Novels of The Malazan Empire: Stonewielder

Released by Random House Audiobooks on 4th August, Stonewielder, by Ian C. Esslemont.

Greymane believed he'd outrun his past. With his school for swordsmanship in Falar, he was looking forward to a quiet life, although his colleague, Kyle, wasn't as enamoured with life outside the mercenary company, the Crimson Guard. However, it seems it is not so easy for an ex-Fist of the Malazan Empire to disappear, especially one under sentence of death from that same Empire.

For there is a new Emperor on the throne of Malaz, and he is dwelling on the ignominy that is the Empire's failed invasion of the Korel subcontinent. In the vaults beneath Unta, the Imperial capital, lie the answers to that disaster. And out of this buried history surfaces the name Stonewielder.

In Korel, Lord Protector Hiam, commander of the Stormguard, faces the potential annihilation of all that he holds dear. With few remaining men and a crumbling stone wall that has seen better days, he confronts an ancient enemy: the seaborne Stormriders have returned.

Religious war also threatens these lands. The cult of the Blessed Lady, which had stood firm against the Riders for millennia, now seeks to eradicate its rivals. And as chaos looms, a local magistrate investigating a series of murders suddenly finds himself at the heart of a far more ancient and terrifying crime - one that has tainted an entire land....

Stonewielder is an enthralling new chapter in the epic story of a thrillingly imagined world.

Produced by Neil Gardner and narrated by me. Running time is 26 hours and 42 minutes.

...all for now, more just as soon as it happens!