Hunger – Andy Smillie

Continuing Andy Smillie’s exploration of the Flesh Tearers Chapter of Space Marines, Hunger is an hour-long audio drama pitting Gabriel Seth and his brothers against Genestealers in the depths of a Space Hulk. As Seth leads his Honour Guard ever deeper in search of the controlling presence at the centre of the Genestealer brood, Chaplain Appollus wrestles with his own inner daemons even as he prepares to lead the Death Company into battle. Seth and the Flesh Tearers must stave off the Rage long enough to find victory, and discover just what lies at the heart of the ancient vessel.

As you might expect this is a dark and brooding story, dealing as it does with characters who are constantly on the verge of losing control, yet still throw themselves headlong into the most appalling danger. It uses the audio medium and the additional information that provides to really dig beneath the surface of these characters. There’s lots of brutal, visceral action brought to life by the impressive SFX and the sterling work of the voice actors, snarling and shouting their way through Smillie’s script, but really that’s the backdrop to what’s happening the heart of the story. Ultimately it’s an exploration of the Flesh Tearers’ psyche, and the constant battle they face to balance on the knife-edge between using their rage and falling victim to it.

Narratively it’s fairly straightforward overall but structured well, switching between Seth and his Honour Guard in the Hulk and Appollus back on the Death’s Cowl to help maintain pace and interest. It’s never less than satisfying to listen to Seth, Harahel and co. slaughter their way through hordes of Genestealers, but It might drag if that was the entirety of the story. As it is, Appollus’ sections offer a nice balance, taking place away from the main battle to offer a different glimpse of the Flesh Tearers’ internal battle and its implications. Back in the confines of the Hulk, however, the Genestealers make for interesting antagonists in a force-of-nature sense, as even the Flesh Tearers themselves recognise the similarities between them – both driven by murderous instinct, desiring to rip the flesh from their enemies’ bones.

By the end of this story there’s a sense that it’s added a little depth to the ongoing narrative of the Flesh Tearers, and there are clues to what’s happening scattered throughout, but essentially it’s a standalone tale that doesn’t try too hard to offer much in the way of wider context for the Chapter as a whole. If you’re familiar with Smillie’s other Flesh Tearers stories then you’ll see how it fits in – and it’s good to see the excellent voice casting continued from The Assassination of Gabriel Seth – but you shouldn’t need any existing knowledge to enjoy this. If you’re after an audio that balances brutal action with characterful, in-depth exploration of one of the most intriguing Space Marine Chapters – right where they’re at their most interesting – then this should absolutely be on your list to check out.

Click here to buy Hunger.