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  • Xenos

  • Eisenhorn: Warhammer 40,000, Book 1
  • Written by: Dan Abnett
  • Narrated by: Toby Longworth
  • Length: 9 hrs and 55 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (548 ratings)

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Xenos

Written by: Dan Abnett
Narrated by: Toby Longworth
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Publisher's Summary

Book 1 in the Eisenhorn series

Inquisitor Eisenhorn faces a vast interstellar cabal and the dark power of daemons, all racing to recover an arcane text of abominable power - an ancient tome known as the Necroteuch.

Listen to It Because:

The classic novel returns in a brand new edition. Inquisitor Eisenhorn gathers allies to unravel a conspiracy and hunt an alien threat. Relive the adventures of some of Warhammer 40,000's most beloved characters, or experience the beginning of Eisenhorn's remarkable adventures for the first time.

The Story:

The Inquisition moves amongst mankind like an avenging shadow, striking down the enemies of humanity with uncompromising ruthlessness. When he finally corners an old foe, Inquisitor Gregor Eisenhorn is drawn into a sinister conspiracy. As events unfold and he gathers allies - and enemies - Eisenhorn faces a vast interstellar cabal and the dark power of daemons, all racing to recover an arcane text of abominable power: an ancient tome known as the Necroteuch.

©2001 Games Workshop Ltd. (P)2016 Games Workshop Limited

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What listeners say about Xenos

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Start here if you want to dive into WH40K lore.

Doesn’t overwhelm but covers many aspects of the WH40K Universe. Excellent starting point with an amazing story. Once you fall in love with Xenos (not in the heretical way!) you’ll be greeted to 3 more amazing books in Malleus, Hereticus, and The Magos.

5 people found this helpful

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Great starting point

my first step into the warhammer 40k universe. could not wait until i could listen more. very engaging story and fantastic performance.

4 people found this helpful

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Started my WH Addiction

Xeno’s is a great introduction into the 40k universe. It reminds me of a detective novel where a simple case leads to a greater conspiracy.

Not only is this the only audiobook that I’ve listened to twice, but a year after purchasing I’ve listened to 29 Horus Heresy novels along with the complete Eisenhorn/ Ravenor series. This audiobook should come with a warning about addiction.

3 people found this helpful

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Strong story, good characters

This book would make an excellent movie to introduce people to the universe of Warhammer. Action, adventure, intrigue.

2 people found this helpful

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fantastic!

great book, great story. fantastic insight into the 40k universe that doesn't deal with just space marines.

2 people found this helpful

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Great story, amazingly read.

Loved the story, I drive for work and it was great to listen to it as I drove.

2 people found this helpful

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Awesome

Amazing story and excellently narrated with different voices for different characters. Recommend this story.

1 person found this helpful

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probably been pointed out already but...

There is a little bonus bit after the epilogue so don't stop listening as soon as you hear the music that accompanies start/end of an audio book.

1 person found this helpful

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One of the best

The entire series are among the best 40k books ever written. This audio follows suit. If you haven’t read/listened, you need to change that. I can’t recommend this book enough! Fantastic narration and story.

1 person found this helpful

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Inspired SciFi Adventure

I went into this book unfamiliar with the Warhammer 40,000 universe. I have never played the game and know few people who have. I am, however, a bit of a geek (enjoying Marvel/Star Wars/StarTrek), an RPG gamer, and a rabid consumer of Fantasy and SciFi books and movies. A friend recommended this Tetralogy from Dan Abnett as an excellent introduction to the universe ruled by the God-Emperor, powered by military tech, and populated with warring factions and species (organic and otherwise). It was good advice.
'Xenos' does not "assume" readers are newcomers to the Warhammer structure nor does it talk down to readers, but it lays out most of the basic framework very effectively. I think I get it. This novel introduces factions within the Imperium, the forces of Chaos/Daemons, and Xenos. It inspired me to go on YouTube to educate myself more.
Abnett's tale has definite weaknesses and strengths: the plot is a little too heavy on the action end, for example (the pacing is slightly off).. but there is a significant dose of intrigue here as well. Characterization is quite good (Abnett populates the Inquisitor's entourage with psychers, cyborgs, and warriors).. but dialogue is cookie-cutter predictable at times. The Producers (Black Library) compare Eisenhorn to a 'James Bond'-type character and that's pretty accurate.. there is definitely an occasionally clichéd Superspy feel to the narrative.

The reading from Toby Longworth is impressive. He has an excellent sense of the tone/timbre/cadence/pacing needed to carry this story through. Furthermore, Longworth exhibits great emotiveness and his voice-acting is exemplary: every character is instantly recognizable and the various voices employed feel spot-on. I have listened to hundreds of audiobooks and this performance is in my Top 10.

This genuinely entertaining SciFi chronicle is action-packed, well-written, edifying, and performed marvellously. It easily rates 9/10.

[I personally won't be continuing with the series - my reading list is simply too long and the subject matter is just a little too sophomoric for my tastes - but I will likely revisit it someday. You are certainly justified in moving forward with the 'Eisenhorn' series. Don't hesitate to spend the Credit]

1 person found this helpful

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  • Charlie M.
  • 2017-11-13

No one expects the Imperial Inquisition!

I've always been a fan of 40k books and Dan Abnett's "Gaunt's Ghosts" are some of the best out there. Naturally, I was very excited to try out anything else he's written. The Eisenhorn series is a fascinating step back from the never ending war of the 41st Millennium and into the guts of the Imperium. The book reads more as an investigation than a war story and really lets you appreciate the parts of the universe that aren't actively on fire all the time. It works incredibly well as an audiobook because it reads like Inquisitor Eisenhorn's personal account of what happened.
AUDIBLE 20 REVIEW SWEEPSTAKES ENTRY

32 people found this helpful

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  • Brian
  • 2017-10-03

Thank the Emperor!!!!

Black Library books have finally come to Audible, and this is one of the greatest. I see many, many credits being spent for the foreseeable future.

And the Eisenhorn Trilogy is a fantastic introduction for audible users with no experience in the Warhammer universe.

20 people found this helpful

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  • Kaneda
  • 2019-01-05

A great listen even for a warhammer 40K novice.

I've never read any Warhammer 40K books and have little knowledge of the universe but I ended up loving this book.

I was hesitant at the beginning thinking I wouldn't understand what was going on but the book delivers the listener just enough information to understand the universe without it being overwhelming, the story itself was far more interesting and rich than I initially thought and I got really involved with it by the end.

Great voice acting from the cast.

I would recommend this book to any who likes scf-fi.

13 people found this helpful

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  • Per
  • 2018-07-19

Reads like a regular action movie

Really cannot agree with the overwhelmingly positive reviews for this title. While I have great respect for Abnett, and credit him with more or less single-handedly keeping the Horus Heresy series afloat for the first twenty volumes or so, I also recognize that he has several turkeys - and this is one of them.

This reads like a regular Black Library publication, that is, shallow plot and loads of action (the so-called bolter porn). The story follows a tedious and recognizeable pattern of short dialogue and exposition parts separated by long segments of action. Add to that a dreary black-and-white plot and cast, with villains having no other motivation for being bad than being evil, and a world view of guns being the only way to get ahead and settle things, and you have a reicpe for a totally bland, forgettable and boring story that does not hold a candle to any properly written science fiction story. Really, it is even too boring and repetitive to be used as a pallet cleaner between more substantial books.

Even giving it an extra hour to get somewhere due to my previous experiece with Abnett and a very good performance by the reader could not make this work. That being said, friends have encouraged me to try the later books in this series and I might well do so - though for now I need a break.

Good if one loves bolter porn, I suppose. Otherwise, my advice is to stay well clear.

12 people found this helpful

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  • Scott Sparkuhl
  • 2018-11-02

Not for the uninitiated.

This book was my first exposure to 40K. An enjoyable read, though I'm sure 40K enthusiasts will appreciate it more than I did. The book avoids descriptions of common vehicles, equipment, and world building which assumes a level of familiarity I did not posses. At best it made the story difficult to visualize, at worst there were segments of the story that devolved into word salad.

I would not recommend this book to 40K noobs like me.

10 people found this helpful

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  • Robert
  • 2019-01-02

First foray into Warhammer 40k universe...Awesome

After knowing of the WH40K universe for quite some time but never exploring it, I decided to take in a few youtube videos about the overall storyline.

After that, i decided to try one of the many books on Audible and decided based on reviews and ratings this was a good place to start.

It is. The book is an interesting and exciting listen. The narrator does an amazing job and his voice suits the characters and universe perfectly. Especially when he goes extra deep for the terrifying and commanding voices of a chaos marine, or to deliver an especially powerful psychic command.

Ill be continuing immediately onto books 2 and 3 and look forward to hear and learn more about this dark, gritty and morbidly terrifying universe.

8 people found this helpful

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  • Anonymous User
  • 2017-10-04

Fantastic Novel and Narrator

Well written and wonderfully performed! I enjoyed it throughout, and will be reading the rest of the series. The emperor protects!

6 people found this helpful

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  • Gathgamon
  • 2017-09-30

Annette at his harrowing best!

Dan Abnett starts his Eisenhorn trilogy off with a blistering fireball! The performance was absolutely superb, with the variety of voices and dialects clear and entertaining.

4 people found this helpful

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  • mild otaku
  • 2018-10-04

Great Warhammer Starter

This is a great story to listen to if you’re a fan of science fiction or the Warhammer universe. I just started Warhammer 40k and this book really gave me a good intro into the lore.

The imperium, space marines, chaos cabals, chaos marines, and a sliver of xenos (it’s in the name of the book so you think there would be more, but the xenos race only comes into play in the last few chapters of the book). The story is great, Eisenhorn following bread crumbs it seems like and investigating where/how he can (often getting himself into a bind) to uncover a greater threat.

Great read, worth your time. Finished in a week and a half (to and from my work commutes).

2 people found this helpful

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  • Link-13
  • 2018-03-06

An epic battle across the stars

Warhammer 40K novel with a fantastic performance. I own these books but it was great to hear it read out loud.

2 people found this helpful

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  • Jolita S.
  • 2020-03-17

Superb narration

Narrator excels at voices/accents even for female characters. Tranistions between characters are so seemless and natural since he does not overdo it that I came to appreciate it only midway through the book. Unnoticable, not annoying yet so spot on for every character in the book.

1 person found this helpful

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  • Yannick Salziger-Chatain
  • 2018-11-20

Magnificent Voice beautifully narrated

I was impressed by the different characters one can incorporate. The sci fi fantasy story is complex, structured and creative.

1 person found this helpful

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  • Anonymous User
  • 2023-05-15

Excellent

As someone that really likes Space Marines from the HH or Ciaphas Cain, I was sceptical that I'd enjoy Xeno. But oh boy was I wrong. You NEED to try it, it is so good.