John Banks: 03/01/2022

Dear, patient reader - welcome back! The Ides of March are almost upon us and this is the first update of the year - how can that be!?!

As mentioned in my 'wrap up' posting in December, the new year was scheduled to start 'at pace', which indeed, it did; the pace is ongoing and looks set to ramp up pretty soon. I have two books to complete this coming week, followed by prep for the recording of four books in April; I know, I know - crazy!

So before I forget and it's suddenly June or November and I have no idea what I've been doing, here are details of various releases from the last few weeks - in no particular order!

The Successors: A Space Marine anthology.

Narrated by:

Andrew Wincott, John Banks, Richard Reed, and Kelly Hotten

The successor Chapters of the Space Marines number in the hundreds, founded to fight for the survival of the Imperium. Across 13 short stories by 10 different authors, discover the history, customs and stories of 12 different successor Chapters, from famed warriors to unsung heroes.

The Space Marine Legions of old are dead, torn asunder in the wake of the Horus Heresy. In their place have risen a thousand Chapters, each unique, each carrying the legacy of their founders across the countless battlefields of the Imperium.

The Flesh Tearers spill blood in a war of brutal attrition.

The Emperor's Spears keep a tireless watch where their brothers have fallen.

The Consecrators search the dark places for relics, artefacts of power from the noble past.

The Crimson Fists vow, with bloodied hands, to become Dorn's glorious vanguard once more.

These are the Imperium's bulwark against terror, the Emperor's Angels of Death. Forged from the genetic material of the demigod Primarchs, it is by the might of these Adeptus Astartes that the growing darkness of the galaxy is held at bay - for the Space Marines know no fear.

Exorcists: The Empty Place by Graham McNeill
Soul Drinkers: The Phalangite Ascendancy by Ben Counter
Flesh Tearers: Disgraced by Chris Forrester
Emperor's Spears: The First Primaris by Aaron Dembski-Bowden
Carcharodons: The Last Planet by Edoardo Albert
Mortifactors: Legacy of Posul by Chris Forrester
Wolfspear: The Wolves of Raukos by Guy Haley
Angels Penitent: The Sins of My Brothers by Peter Fehervari
Crimson Fists: Patience Kills by Gary Kloster
Black Dragons: Bless the Curse by Callum Davis
Consecrators: Living Relics by David Guymer
Iron Lords: Iron Watch by Callum Davis
Emperor's Spears: Son of the Storm World by Aaron Dembski-Bowden

Running time: 10 hours - 43 minutes

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Servants of the Inquisition: A Warhammer 40,000 Audio Drama Collection

The sinister and aloof Inquisitors and their servants exercise nearly limitless power – it’s essential to root out the many and varied enemies who would bring ruin to mankind.

Other powerful agents, like the independent privateer Rogue Traders, are given free reign to treat on behalf of mankind’s interests.

Agent of the Throne: Blood and Lies by John French
Agent of the Throne: Truth and Dreams by John French
Agent of the Throne: Ashes and Oaths by John French
Thorn Wishes Talon by Dan Abnett
Regia Occulta by Dan Abnett
Master Imus's Transgression by Dan Abnett
*The Interrogation of Salvor Lermentov by Chris Wraight
Eye of Night by Gav Thorpe
Assassinorum: The Emperor's Judgement by Joe Parrino
*Kill Shot by Ben Counter
Corsair: The Face of the Void by James Swallow
Blackstone Fortress: The Beast Inside by Darius Hinks
Augur of Despair by Chris Dows

*Dramas I'm performing in.

Approx run time 11 hours and 55 mins

These stories explore both organisations, and their agents, with full-cast audio dramas.

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Errant Knights: A Horus Heresy Audio Drama collection.

Performed by:

Gareth Armstrong, John Banks, Toby Longworth and Ramon Tikaram

These stories explore a different view of the Horus Heresy - each one focuses on Space Marines who have cast their legions aside to pursue new missions and goals. Though their deeds are often done in secret, they’ll have profound effects on the course of history.

This collection of stories follows some few Astartes who turned on their Legion rather than their emperor or else became blackshields - renegades in that grey space somewhere between loyalty and betrayal.

Garro: Oath of Moment by James Swallow
Garro: Legion of One by James Swallow
Garro: Burden of Duty by James Swallow
Garro: Sword of Truth by James Swallow
Garro: Shield of Lies by James Swallow
Garro: Ashes of Fealty by James Swallow
Grey Angel by John French
Blackshields: The False War by Josh Reynolds
Blackshields: The Red Fief by Josh Reynolds
Blackshields: The Broken Chain by Josh Reynolds

Running length: 11 hours-53 minutes

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Endless War: A Horus Heresy Audio Drama collection.

Performed by:

Danny Webb, Jonathan Keeble, Sean Barrett,
Saul Reichlin, Gareth Armstrong, Toby Longworth, John Banks,
Sean Connolly, Martyn Ellis, Tim Treloar & David Timson

These stories will transport you to the heart-breaking internecine conflict known as the Horus Heresy. Each one of these audio dramas is a stirring tale of a long, vicious war that rages on into the 41st Millennium.

Some of Black Library's best-known names have crafted thrilling, revealing and sometimes surprising audio dramas that shed more light on the galaxy spanning conflicts of the Horus Heresy.

'The Lightning Tower' by Dan Abnett
'The Dark King' by Graham McNeill
'A Lesson in Darkness' by Ian St Martin
'Iron Corpses' by David Annandale
'The Eagle's Talon' by John French
'Templar' by John French
'Stone and Iron' by Robbie MacNiven
'The Long Night' by Aaron Dembski-Bowden
'Master of the First' by Gav Thorpe
'Cypher: Guardian of Order' by Gav Thorpe
'The Watcher' by C Z Dunn
'Virtues of the Sons' by Andy Smillie
'Sins of the Father' by Andy Smillie
'The Herald of Sanguinius' by Andy Smillie
'Morningstar' by Graham McNeill
'Thief of Revelations' by Graham McNeill
'Hunter's Moon' by Guy Haley
'The Thirteenth Wolf' by Gav Thorpe
'Wolf's Claw' by Chris Wraight
'Valerius' by Gav Thorpe
'The Soul, Severed' by Chris Wraight
'Lucius: The Eternal Blade' by Graham McNeill
'Dark Compliance' by John French
'The Binary Succession' by David Annandale
'Warmaster' by John French
'The Sigillite' by Chris Wraight
'Malcador: First Lord of the Imperium' by L J Goulding
'Wolf Hunt' by Graham McNeill

Running length: 16h-37m

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Four new adventures featuring the Eighth Doctor and his Edwardian companion Charlotte Pollard.

Directed by Ken Bentley & Performed by:

Paul McGann (The Doctor)
India Fisher (Charlotte Pollard)
Rakie Ayola (Dakota Bly)
John Banks (Cagliostro / Onaldus)
Shiloh Coke (Constella)
Mark Elstob (Le Roi / Baron / Kelyan)
Chris Jarman (Pattos)
Lara Lemon (Selka / Klinkator / Dilly)
Michelle Livingstone (Deeva Jansen)
Yasmin Mwanza (Laorie / Assassin)
Cyril Nri (Khaset)
Rhoda Ofori-Attah (Tarper / Alicantis)
Theo Solomon (Keelda)
Andrew James Spooner (Kedge Ampston)

1. The Mummy Speaks! by Alan Barnes
The Carnaval de Paris, 1841. Amid the sideshow tents, the Doctor and Charley discover something truly novel: an Ancient Egyptian mummy that speaks - despite being dead for more than 4,000 years!
But what the mummy has to say translates into terror for the TARDIS twosome... and proclaims doom for the entire world.

2. Eclipse by Lisa McMullin
The collective noun for a swarm of moths is an eclipse. And when the chittering, nightmarish Hellstrung descend from the forest canopy of planet Pteron, they threaten to snuff out the lives of the human settlers below.
Wanting to know what’s stirred up the Hellstrung, the Doctor and Charley venture deep into the woods as darkness falls.

3. The Slaying of the Writhing Mass by Eddie Robson
The Doctor and Charley become trapped in a temporal traffic jam, caused by time tourists come to witness the pivotal event in the history of the planet Ileiko: the Slaying of the Writhing Mass, the alien entity that enslaved the Ileikans in their infancy.
The legendary hero Salan killed the Mass with a single stone, setting the Ileikans free. But what was the Mass, exactly? And what if the legend was wrong?

4. Heart of Orion by Nicholas Briggs
The TARDIS intercepts a strange signal, returning the Doctor and Charley to the Garazone System - where once they had a terrifying encounter with the Cybermen, and foiled a bid to change the course of a terrible android-human war.
Now, people are going missing from all over Garazone Central. The Orion War is far from over, and the Doctor and Charley have landed at the heart of it, again!

Audio Drama: 295 minutes

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A conspiracy is in the making. Will the Snow Panthers be able to stop it and find the perpetrators?

Produced by Emily Derr and Performed by John Banks.

Ingrid, Viggo, and Lasgol are off to a rescue mission. What is supposed to be a straightforward task soon gets derailed and the friends find themselves in more trouble than they ever wanted.
Nilsa and Gerd travel to the Rangers Camp to help Egil. They will have to embark in a new adventure to try to find the truth behind the dark events surrounding them.

The Panthers will discover a power conspiracy and will have to confront it. Will they rescue Astrid from the Turquoise Queen? Will the Panthers find out who is behind the conspiracy? Will they save the kingdom?

Audiobook: 15h-1m

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The War Doctor Begins: Warbringer

Directed by Louise Jameson

Performed by:

Jonathon Carley (The War Doctor)
Adèle Anderson (Commander Tamasan)
Ajjaz Awad (Case)
John Banks (Belus, Germinal Princeps / Deadweights)
Nicholas Briggs (The Daleks)
Angela Bruce (Oya / Andarta, Incipient Mother)
Beth Chalmers (Commander Veklin)
Nigel Fairs (Faren)
Stephen Frost (Rondig)
Timothy Hofmeier (Lance Corporal Albert Brown)
Janet Prince (Mo)
Jessica Temple (Iansa)

The Doctor is no more.

In his place, a warrior, finally joining the Time War between the Daleks and Gallifrey.

But how far will he go to end the conflict? What lines will he cross? How much of himself will he sacrifice?

The War Doctor is beginning to find out who he is...

2.1 Consequences by Timothy X Atack
The War Doctor and Veklin crash on a ravaged planet. On the fringes of the Time War, this world has its own battles raging. Elsewhere, a survivor works out how she came to be here.
But these newcomers are harbingers of something terrible, following in their wake...

2.2 Destroyer by Andrew Smith
Trapped on a world that worships war, the War Doctor finds himself fulfilling an ancient prophecy - could he be the Warbringer of legend? His new ally Case is testing her abilities, too. And both will be called on to fight when the Daleks come...

2.3 Saviour by Jonathan Morris
The truth of how events on Tharius were set in motion is revealed. On a mission to destroy a Dalek Harvester vessel, the War Doctor discovers a new breed of Dalek.

Whatever action he takes next, we have seen the consequences – and they are devastating for everyone.

Audio drama: 227 minutes

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And so, we're up to date!

On a technical note: somewhat annoyingly, the section of this blog that lists month by month releases, became too unwieldy to mantain and so I've finally decided not to pursue it. Since I started posting here, I was always able to enter details of what new releases were available, simply by using HTML code. For reasons unknown, that simple process became absurdly complicated several months ago and therefore, is no longer a practicable option, which is a bit of a shame.

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My thoughts are very much with the people of Ukraine at the moment, who are courageously resisting an apalling onslaught of violence from the Putin regime. May the war soon be over.

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...that's all for now; more just as soon as it hapens!

John Banks

Sunday, 13 March 2022

At last - it's the 2022 show!