Cypher: Lord of the Fallen

Warhammer 40,000

By: John French

Narrated by: Jon Rand

Length: 5 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's summary

A Warhammer 40,000 Novel

Cypher has slipped his bonds on Holy Terra itself. Hunted by some of the most powerful forces the Imperium can muster, can he complete his mission before he’s apprehended?

LISTEN TO IT BECAUSE

Cypher is one of the most mysterious figures in the galaxy, and this novel sheds light on his motivations and thoughts. Although, told from Cypher’s own point of view, his words are suspect by default...

THE STORY

As the Great Rift unfolds in the night sky above Terra and daemons walk upon the birth world of mankind, the Primarch Roboute Guilliman returns, heralding a dark new age.

During the breaking storm, Cypher and his band of Fallen escape from the most secure prison in the Imperium. Now loose in the Imperial Palace, they are hunted by warriors of the Dark Angels, forces of the Adeptus Custodes, and Imperial Assassins. But what are Cypher’s intentions? Can anything or anyone be trusted?

Told from Cypher’s own, unreliable point of view, this tale of truth, lies and secrets sees one of the Imperium’s most mysterious figures make war at its very heart. But what are the true motivations of the Lord of the Fallen?

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

A bit grimderpy

Enjoyed it overall but it played up the grimdark a bit too much to the point it's more grimderp than grimdark. Cypher's plots and dialogue seemed to try a little too hard at being convoluted and mysterious to the point that it took away from the story somewhat. But overall I enjoyed the book and the performance.

Answers everything and nothing

Amazing story. The mystery of Cypher holds my interest more than the missing legions. This story leaves you on the edge of your seat and pushes you to consider what secrets you want to know.

Still no idea what's going on

The "secrets within secrets" storyline is mind-numbing and answers no questions whatsoever - probably that was the whole idea.

The narration and voice acting are perfect. Thumbs up!

...it may be the case that a shard of the Emperor's entity seeks death and had instructed Cypher with this task long ago; or not the Emperor, or it is not the shard or not the same Cypher this time, or the sword is something else but not a sword, the list goes on😳 *scary whispering*

Great story. Great narration

Good look into one of the most shrouded characters in the universe. The narrator knocked it out of the park. Well done

For a short story it punches hard

Incredible use of a confined concept and cypher as the incredibly reliable narrator is the cherry on the slice.

More Questions or More Answers?

imo very good performance. Gave me a Neil Gaiman vibe. Writing/Story pretty good. Cypher is definitely a good character. Aswell as the Dark Angels. I think I big reveal was in this story but I can say no more.

Want to hear a secret?

Cypher may be one of my favorite characters simply based on his design. A cloaked space marine who dual wields a plasma pistol and a bolt pistol. He has a broken sword on his back and he’s neither good nor evil. He simply is. This book gets us into his head and shows us how he thinks and how he views things. I won’t spoil the story too much except that it is a jailbreak story from the most secure place in the galaxy. The supporting characters are great too and none feel boring or superfluous. Recommended.

Masterful work by John French

Cypher is all about secrets, not truth. Author John French does an amazing job of teasing you with secrets and truths. Just as Cypher toys with his enemies/allies on the expansive grounds of the Imperial Palace on Terra, so does John French tease readers about the reliability of the narrator. Aside from being a gripping story in itself, it's full of deep cuts into the WH40k lore and future, sometimes in the briefest of off-hand comments.

Cypher and Incredible Narration

Any story with the mysterious Cypher will get my attention, and this was written capture the character of the Lord of the Fallen perfectly. Also, the performance of this was stellar.

A stellar story told by a stellar narrator

I’m a newcomer to 40K but I did not feel lost in the story at all. It’s full of action and intrigue as well as appearances from numerous imperial factions. Not to mention, the titular Cypher whose true allegiance remains unclear BUT better understood after hearing this audiobook.

The narration is spectacular and kept me engaged the whole way. I highly recommend to 40K fans old and new alike.