The second audio drama in John French’s Agent of the Throne series, part of the wider Horusian Wars arc, Truth and Dreams once again finds Ianthe in reflective mood as she relates the tale of another mission. This time she’s on the trail of Silas Norn, a rogue psyker capable of horrifying manipulation if he can get close enough to touch. When her hunt results in both Ianthe and Norn being imprisoned in the same high-security facility it becomes a contest of wills as much as anything, between the powerful Norn and the ferociously driven, determined Ianthe.
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Blood and Lies’ structure worked perfectly, and is continued here with Colleen Prendergast on fine form as both incarnations of Ianthe – active and aggressive during her mission; pensive, older and more cynical in the cut-scenes. As the title suggests, however, this time the story goes in a slightly more cerebral direction, exploring Ianthe’s unusual relationship with her own history as she’s confronted by questions of identity and purpose in a plot that’s a little less straightforward, and in typical French fashion takes in the surreal surroundings of mindscapes and dreams as well as more mundane locations.
Steve Conlin and Cliff Chapman return as Cull and Artabanus, both delivering excellent performances even if, by virtue of their characters having been introduced already, there’s a little less for them to do this time around. Instead, there’s a clearer focus on a single, known antagonist – Andrew Wincott’s creepy, dangerous Norn, who as the story progresses gradually comes into focus and interacts more directly with Ianthe. He’s suitably (but thankfully not ridiculously) powerful, making an excellent foe for Ianthe to face, although there’s more to him than just being bad for the sake of it. In Norn, and another new character played briefly but capably by Beth Chalmers, French is beginning to give us hints of a bigger picture which suggest that the Agent of the Throne series might prove a little more interconnected than it appears at first glance.
On the face of it this is, essentially, more of the same after Blood and Lies. It’s absolutely possible to listen to this as another standalone story and enjoy it simply for its well-paced action and adventure, and the (by now almost taken for granted) incredible standard of audio production. Look beyond that, however, and it’s an intriguing exploration of Ianthe, in terms of how her role as Covenant’s agent has affected her as a human being. It’s a development of Ianthe’s story that builds upon Blood and Lies and the short story The Purity of Ignorance and continues to add texture to what French is creating with the wider Horusian Wars series. Come for a kickass narrative, but stay for the compelling characters and another piece in the puzzle.
