While every author has their distinct thumbprints on their work, Josh Reynolds' stories are always the ones which emphasise character. They're willing to delve into the histories of figures, even retell major events, but his stories often serve as a vehicle for character-defining moments and studies of those involved. This isn't to say that they're badly written, but he's less ready to jump at the chance to introduce a massive battle than the likes of Ben Counter or Graham McNeill. That's mostly what we get here, and it proves to be the story's greatest strength and weakness in one.
The Synopsis
Following the events on Xana, Endryd Haar's depleted forces are searching for a location to rebuild their strength. With their numbers thinned and ammunition running low, the group opts to raid an armory world held by Haar's former legion. A distress beacon has been originating from it for some time and an old comrade of his governs the world. Even as it is besieged by remnants of the Iron Hands legion, Haar attempts to both pillage anything of worth from the world, and convince his former friend to part from his colours.
The Good
As mentioned in the introduction, this is very much a character piece first and foremost. The emphasis is placed on Haar himself above all others, as the additional figures largely serve to forward his own story in one way or another. However, while this certainly repeats the same focus and style as the first story, it doesn't simply rehash the same elements. It slots in neatly as a second part to an ongoing tale, and to further develop Haar's disposition toward his troops and the war. One major appeal within The False War was the hints about Haar's unique history and serving a possible bridge between the Thunder Warriors and Astartes. It worked for a single tale, but emphasising that once again would have been tedious so, outside of a few general mentions, it's less "Is he or isn't he?" and instead "How has his past shaped him?"
The emphasis on using an unmentioned history and uncertain loyalty is core to Haar's depiction here. As he is now both following Malcador's orders and keeping their true nature hidden from his troops, he has more official oversight than he has since the outbreak of the war. Haar is someone who chafes under such control, despite its freedom, and yet it has offered him infinitely more direction than he has benefitted from in years. This allows him to contrast with the work's villain, someone who desires such purpose again but Is willing to go to almost any length to accomplish such a thing. Both are aged warriors, the last of their kind within the Legio XII it seems, but their nature differs in how they have come to define their lives. Each needed a purpose, a direction and reason to continue. Yet, while Haar has devoted his existence to personal revenge against Horus, his counterpart has slid into darkness and insanity, simply in order to follow Angron once more. Also, if you're wondering why i'm not naming the character, that might give the game away. Just a fair warning.
Almost the entire audio drama focuses on such conversation pieces, with the battle outside serving primarily as a backdrop. While the Blackshields conduct their operation and the war plays out in orbit, it is given little attention. This isn't so much of a hindrance as you might imagine, as it offers far more time to examine and contrast the main figures involved. The story places a great emphasis on dialogue and atmosphere, so attempting to insert this around multiple explosions would have hindered the work. As such, the battles are only seen fleetingly through the eyes of others. We are told of how the Blackshields initiate their operations through Haar's HUD, while the battle in orbit is detailed and conveyed through reports. As a result, these serve as more of a ticking clock than an excuse to produce bolter porn.
Interestingly, the story does make a few general efforts to flesh out more of the Blackshields themselves. While initially, it seemed as if this group consisted of Death Guard with a single World Eater at its head, but we now see contingents of Iron Warriors and Raven Guard among them as well. These figures are only briefly seen, but they do offer a few moments of insight into how the group operates and their disposition. The Blackshields are reavers and pirates, and as such there is a lack of discipline among them. They are skilled, and much more willing to remove unworthy leaders despite their positions over failure, but there is an odd sense of comradery despite this. It's akin to what was seen with some of the Night Lords and Space Wolves, and Haar's decisions to place certain figures in command or positions of power is not far from what we would see Ibram Gaunt do in his series. These are minor qualities on the whole, but it's less the Codex Astartes than it is Imperial Guard behaviour, and as such it helps to remind the reader that the astartes of this age were much more human. It's a reminder of just how great a failure that was, and just why such stringent measures were taken in the wake of the Heresy to enforce discipline.
The Bad
Of course, with the narrow emphasis on character comes another problem. You see, the character moments are genuinely great. It's what the audio drama focused on first and foremost, and even using other elements merely as a vehicle in order to get there isn't entirely bad. Yet, with that being said, it shares The False War's problem of lacking any notable figures behind Haar himself. The Garro series had the likes of Varren and Rubio to use in order to have returning figures, but once you get beyond Haar there isn't much of a supporting cast. You have Erud Vahn, but he's pushed into the background of the story, and beyond one brief moment he has little in the way of impact on events. As a single short piece this works well, but as the second installment in what should be an ongoing series, it seems to be turning into a single-character piece. It's a shame as the story has the potential to be much more than that.
Equally, the fact the heist itself quickly fades into the background is a point of frustration. The False War played with infiltration and heist elements rather than outright embracing them, but that assisted with the surprising twist and change in direction of the narrative. With The Red Fief, it's not quite so much the case. We know what they will do, when they will do it and how, and for the most part it goes off without a hitch. Even the typical spanner in the works is largely left out of focus, and as a result the actual events beyond Haar's character arc is unsatisfying. It's not an intentional bait and switch, but it seems at first as if it is going to deliver an honest take on what the first story played with, only to ignore it entirely. As such, it's a definite point of frustration.
Another definite issue within the audio drama is how it, unfortunately, plays a bit too close to territory we have seen before. Now, repeating a theme is never a bad thing in concept. Having a marine suffer from daemonic possession or corruption, a human confronting Chaos for the first time, or the eldar manipulating everyone and anyone. Those all work fine, and there is nothing wrong when there's a new take on an old idea to be had. However, in this case, the surprising twist cuts a little too close to something the series has dealt with a good three times thus far. The actual concept itself is fine and there is some unspoken horror to it, but there's not enough time spent on the element itself to help it stand out. Like so much here it's a tool to excuse character moments, but the fact it's tied so closely into the finale and serves as a surprising twist means that this isn't quite so excusable.
Finally, for all that has happened here, the ending proves to be a bit too clean. This isn't to say it's poorly done, or that the events did not have any impact on Haar, but for the events that played out it seemed to have too narrow a focus. It left a bit too much in question and for a great deal of payoff to be reserved for a future story. It was an ending, of sorts, but it's the kind of ending you would have in a mid-season television series episode or major revelation. It requires a further follow-up to truly work, and doesn't offer so much closure as one could hope. If we get another story this could lead to something great, but on its own you will probably be left wanting more.
The Verdict
The Red Fief is definitely a success and it does build on where The False War followed off. It helps to work with a good protagonist and it contrasts well with the majority of Heresy era stories. Yet, as obvious as its strengths are, it's also easy to pick out its weaknesses and it will definitely disappoint those who are after non-stop action or an emphasis on events over conversation. With that being said, I would personally still recommend it for its engaging ideas, dialogue and atmosphere. Though, you should definitely get The False War first, for obvious reasons.
Almost the entire audio drama focuses on such conversation pieces, with the battle outside serving primarily as a backdrop. While the Blackshields conduct their operation and the war plays out in orbit, it is given little attention. This isn't so much of a hindrance as you might imagine, as it offers far more time to examine and contrast the main figures involved. The story places a great emphasis on dialogue and atmosphere, so attempting to insert this around multiple explosions would have hindered the work. As such, the battles are only seen fleetingly through the eyes of others. We are told of how the Blackshields initiate their operations through Haar's HUD, while the battle in orbit is detailed and conveyed through reports. As a result, these serve as more of a ticking clock than an excuse to produce bolter porn.
Interestingly, the story does make a few general efforts to flesh out more of the Blackshields themselves. While initially, it seemed as if this group consisted of Death Guard with a single World Eater at its head, but we now see contingents of Iron Warriors and Raven Guard among them as well. These figures are only briefly seen, but they do offer a few moments of insight into how the group operates and their disposition. The Blackshields are reavers and pirates, and as such there is a lack of discipline among them. They are skilled, and much more willing to remove unworthy leaders despite their positions over failure, but there is an odd sense of comradery despite this. It's akin to what was seen with some of the Night Lords and Space Wolves, and Haar's decisions to place certain figures in command or positions of power is not far from what we would see Ibram Gaunt do in his series. These are minor qualities on the whole, but it's less the Codex Astartes than it is Imperial Guard behaviour, and as such it helps to remind the reader that the astartes of this age were much more human. It's a reminder of just how great a failure that was, and just why such stringent measures were taken in the wake of the Heresy to enforce discipline.
The Bad
Of course, with the narrow emphasis on character comes another problem. You see, the character moments are genuinely great. It's what the audio drama focused on first and foremost, and even using other elements merely as a vehicle in order to get there isn't entirely bad. Yet, with that being said, it shares The False War's problem of lacking any notable figures behind Haar himself. The Garro series had the likes of Varren and Rubio to use in order to have returning figures, but once you get beyond Haar there isn't much of a supporting cast. You have Erud Vahn, but he's pushed into the background of the story, and beyond one brief moment he has little in the way of impact on events. As a single short piece this works well, but as the second installment in what should be an ongoing series, it seems to be turning into a single-character piece. It's a shame as the story has the potential to be much more than that.
Equally, the fact the heist itself quickly fades into the background is a point of frustration. The False War played with infiltration and heist elements rather than outright embracing them, but that assisted with the surprising twist and change in direction of the narrative. With The Red Fief, it's not quite so much the case. We know what they will do, when they will do it and how, and for the most part it goes off without a hitch. Even the typical spanner in the works is largely left out of focus, and as a result the actual events beyond Haar's character arc is unsatisfying. It's not an intentional bait and switch, but it seems at first as if it is going to deliver an honest take on what the first story played with, only to ignore it entirely. As such, it's a definite point of frustration.
Another definite issue within the audio drama is how it, unfortunately, plays a bit too close to territory we have seen before. Now, repeating a theme is never a bad thing in concept. Having a marine suffer from daemonic possession or corruption, a human confronting Chaos for the first time, or the eldar manipulating everyone and anyone. Those all work fine, and there is nothing wrong when there's a new take on an old idea to be had. However, in this case, the surprising twist cuts a little too close to something the series has dealt with a good three times thus far. The actual concept itself is fine and there is some unspoken horror to it, but there's not enough time spent on the element itself to help it stand out. Like so much here it's a tool to excuse character moments, but the fact it's tied so closely into the finale and serves as a surprising twist means that this isn't quite so excusable.
Finally, for all that has happened here, the ending proves to be a bit too clean. This isn't to say it's poorly done, or that the events did not have any impact on Haar, but for the events that played out it seemed to have too narrow a focus. It left a bit too much in question and for a great deal of payoff to be reserved for a future story. It was an ending, of sorts, but it's the kind of ending you would have in a mid-season television series episode or major revelation. It requires a further follow-up to truly work, and doesn't offer so much closure as one could hope. If we get another story this could lead to something great, but on its own you will probably be left wanting more.
The Verdict
The Red Fief is definitely a success and it does build on where The False War followed off. It helps to work with a good protagonist and it contrasts well with the majority of Heresy era stories. Yet, as obvious as its strengths are, it's also easy to pick out its weaknesses and it will definitely disappoint those who are after non-stop action or an emphasis on events over conversation. With that being said, I would personally still recommend it for its engaging ideas, dialogue and atmosphere. Though, you should definitely get The False War first, for obvious reasons.
Verdict: 6.8 out of 10
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