Dark Compliance

John French
Spoiler Free

As Horus and his traitor legions slowly make their way towards Terra, they demand fealty from every world they pass. When the Mechanicum world of Accazzar-Beta refuses to join Horus, the Warmaster must turn to newer, darker tactics, in order to destroy the defiant planet.

So obviously we know that both Horus and Abaddon stop on pretty much every world they pass on their way to Terra and demand fealty. But, actually getting to see it is something of a rare treat. It’s cool getting to see how falling to Chaos has affected Horus. He’s undoubtedly been changed but echoes of the old Horus are still there.

The whole audio drama is essentially a planetary assault, seen from both sides, on a world that is determined not to go down without a fight. It’s cool to see the fighting spirit of the loyalists and interesting to watch the strategic genius of Horus working to adapt to the challenge.

This is a good audio drama; I honestly can’t fault it. The writing, sound effects and voice actors are all good. But it’s just good. It’s not brilliant, or excellent. It’s not stand-out. I sometimes feel that the bar for the Black Library audio dramas has been set so high that good audio dramas like this one can get neglected.

It’s a cool story. If you like seeing Horus’ ruthless and strategic side, I’m sure you’ll enjoy ‘Dark Compliance’, if you’re into the Mechanicum you’ll probably enjoy it too. I’m not particularly devoted to either of those things but I still enjoyed it.

In summary, I won’t say “Don’t get this audio drama, it’s bad.” It’s not bad. But I also can’t stand on the rooftops and shout “Get this audio drama! It’s amazing.” It’s a good story, but others are better.

The Emperor Protects