Garro: Legion of One and Oath review and Black Library Audio Books

For those of us who enjoy reading the Horus Heresy novels, Flight of the Eisenstein is no doubt a stand-out novel. The book introduces Nathaniel Garro and the rest is history ... or is it? The end of Eisenstein begs for more on what happens to Garro, but the Black Library has decided to only release the continuation in Audio format. This is a smart move for them (taking a story we are all interested in and making it avaiable in a way most of us wouldn't normally use), but has caused some friction. After holding out for a very long time, Inquisitor Lord Vogrin and I bought a copy of Legion of One and Oath of Moment at Adepticon and I just wanted to share my thoughts on the books and the audio format in general.
Alright, Oath of Moment see Garro fall into the service of the Regent of Terra, who removes the heraldry from Garro's armor and brands it with the mark of the Sigilite (or the inquisitorial =][=), making Garro, if I am correct, the first Inquisitor! He is then sent on a quest to find and bring to Terra Marines from around the galaxy, the first of which is an Ultramarine with an interesting past, fighting on Calth against the Word Bearers. I will stop there to avoid spoiling the "book".

Legion of One sees Garro in the company of two more Marines who have sworn to serve the Sigilite, a former World Eater whom we all know from the books and the former Ultramarine Librarian Rubio. They set foot on the dread planet Istvaan III, the site of the first battle of the Heresy, the grounds where the Traitor Legions purged the loyalists from their own ranks. There are survivors, zombies and at least one crazed Astartes roaming this world ... and the discoveries of this book make listening to your prose on audio worth the while ...

Honestly, I was pretty dissapointed at first with the idea of Heresy books on audio only. I prefer to read my books and I also prefer not to pay twice as much for much less entertainment. Afterall, the CDs are $17 and the MP3's are $14, which is a little steep when you consider the short legnth of these "books" (a little more than an hour). Now, for that price you DO get a really good reading from an actor with a great range of voices for the characters. You also get sound effects, which combined with the voice acting and music, creates a good atmosphere without being too campy (James Swallow isn't a campy writer, I would hate to think of a Nick Kyme audiobook).

What this really boils down to for me then is this: The price is prohibitive for the level of enjoyment. If I were to buy more of these books in the future, I would buy one copy with a friend or two to reduce the price and I would save the book for a long drive (I drive a lot for work). This would give you a better deal and a great way to keep up on the Heresy series while doing something that would normally be a waste of time.

I recommend giving it a try and while Audio books aren't really my thing, I will purchase ones that seem really good from the Heresy series. Now I turn it over to you ... What are your thoughts on Audio Books from the Black Library? Have you listened to these "books"? Have a review of your own you'd like to share? Leave us a comment.