The Fall of Cadia

Warhammer 40,000

By: Robert Rath

Narrated by: Mark Elstob

Length: 19 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's summary

An Astra Militarum Audiobook

Cadia. This proud world stood defiant for centuries – a bulwark against the forces of Chaos residing in the Eye of Terror. All of this would change when it was targeted for destruction by Abaddon the Despoiler as part of his Thirteenth Black Crusade.

LISTEN TO IT BECAUSE

The Fall of Cadia is a touchstone moment of the Warhammer 40,000 timeline. This incredible battle led to the opening of the Great Rift and ushered in a grim new era in which even greater threats assailed the Imperium.

THE STORY

Cadia licks its wounds in the wake of the Thirteenth Black Crusade. The heretic forces retreat on all fronts. The day is won. But Lord Castellan Creed cannot rest easy. Something tells him the assault was a mere prelude to something greater, something more final. He is right. Out of the Eye of Terror comes Abaddon the Despoiler, at the head of a warhost unmatched in scale since the dread days of the Horus Heresy.

In the face of the looming apocalypse, Creed must weld the champions of Cadia into a bulwark capable of withstanding Abaddon’s fury. And in orbit, the Despoiler himself finds his own alliance teetering on a knife edge…

This is a tale told at epic scale, from the tables of high command to the slaughter of the pylon fields, and with a huge cast of characters from self-styled demigods to the rank-and-file foot soldiers of the Imperium.

This is the story of Abaddon’s greatest conquest. This is Cadia’s last stand.

Written by Robert Rath. Narrated by Mark Elstob. Running time 19 hrs and 44 mins approx.

©2023 Games Workshop Limited (P)2023 Games Workshop Limited

Good story, not so much the narrative.

Loved the humanity of the human soldiers. Didn't care for the narrator's voices for most of the characters. Mostly the humans.

This could be my favourite narrator.

I'm on audible for 40k books, that are not available in my country. This one blown me away. Everything is top notch. Highly recommend.

Cadia Stands!

Trust me. you need to listen to this one. It has epic characters and even better fights.

Cadia Stands

I thought Cadians were basic guardsmen, and they are, but they sure can be interesting as well.

Powerful through and through, with an Incredible vocal performance

At no point did I think any of this story was filler, fluffy, or boring. The story was fantastic, and lasting. Every character had depth, and drive, and was unique. The voice acting was the best I'd heard to date. Can't suggest this enough.

This is not a foxhole.

Spectacular!

A must for any 40k fan. Everything about this story and performance was perfect. I look forward to enjoying more of the author’s work.

A 40k Parody

Lol WTF did I just listen to?

Hilariously mismatched voice acting for the ensemble of characters. Space Wolves sounding like The Wagner Group advising Putin, 900 year old decrepit women in power armor, Abbadon is narrated by Jabba the Hutt of Nurgle, constipation runs rampant when anybody is shouting and the list goes on. The writing itself is amazing, 5/5. The narrator clearly never got the memo that this is Warhammer 40k and not the Spellmonger series. 0/5 for performance purely because I kept forgetting I was listening to 40k.

I guess that in itself was pretty impressive from the narrator. Oh yea... and Darth Vader has a brief cameo.

It's a shame

Great book, awful narration. I hope for a rerecorded or something but that is probably doubtful.

What I've Been Waiting For

I've been waiting for this book since I got into 40k! Fantastic narration and gripping story. Met my expectations for what the Fall of Cadia was like in my head. The planet broke before the guard did!!

A LOT of Memorable Lines

If you are are Warhammer fan who knows most of the big plot points, like i did, going into this story... GET IT ANYWAY.

First i will give my only two warnings on this audio-book. I think that this is one of the rare exceptions on auible that could benefit from multiple narrators / voice actors. But while the narrator had to do a LOT of voices for this book, I do feel that even the weaker ones grew on me. This is my only actual complaint with this book though.
My other general warning is tied to there just being a lot of characters, names, and perspectives. It's a long story! So it may take you a minute to recall who is who in the early chapters.
That being said- This is such an immersive and well told story. It really helps you feel the weight and importance of the events that shaped the rest of the modern day 40k setting.

I will be doing my best recounting parts of this story to friends for years JUST so that others can feel the weight of these words:
-"Cadia Stands... United"
&
-"This is not a foxhole."

A side note, if you are a Battle Sisters fan. This story shows SUCH a different version of Saint Celestine than i have seen in other books. Her moments appearing in the story are genuinely unnerving. They really capture both sides of people's reactions to her. A miracle savior and an earie force that SHOULD NOT exist. They made her presence SO much more intimidating than i have seen in any other book with her in it.