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Warhammer 40,000
Thunder from Fenris
A zombie plague blights the ice world of Skorbad, a planet that is ravaged by war. A heroic band of Space Wolves are sent in to break the deadlock, but these are not just any sons of Lehman Russ - thye are Thunderwolf Riders, an ancient brotherhood, warriors of myth and legend.
During the hunt for the corrupted propagators of the plague, one of the Space Wolves succumbs to the wulfen curse. Suddenly it isn't just zombies that these feral heroes face in the darkness. Amid the ruins of Skorbad, the Space Wolves must save their fallen brother before a much more horrifying truth is revealed.
1 pages, Audio CD
First published January 1, 2009
1 person is currently reading
80 people want to read
About the author
Nick Kyme
280 books163 followersNick Kyme (b. 1977) writes mostly for Black Library. His credits include the popular Salamanders series and several audio dramas.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
October 17, 2024
This is the third or fourth time I have listened to this, and it served as a perfect accompaniment to setting the Rout on the Orks in Sanctus Reach, especially after I finished Rogue Trader yesterday and Ulfar's similar companion quest.
(Someone has uploaded the whole Space Wolves Audio Collection to YT here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIZem...)
A rather good tale of the Vlka Fenryka, their thunderwolves* and how, no matter how hardy the Cadian Shock Troopers are, Nurgle's funk of forty thousand millennia is hardier, but the bonds between the Wolves Who Stalk the Stars, be they monstrous beast, transhuman, or hybrid, are hardier still.
Without time or scope to really get into the characters and their emotions, though the bond between pack brothers and their thunder wolves are conveyed well, this feels like the level of quality all Black Library audio dramas should be measured against; it's not the best or my favourite by any means, but Kyme's writing, Longworth's performance, and the production are all great and thoroughly entertaining.
Honestly, Dan Abnett has a lot to answer for when it comes to expectations for stories about the Space Wolves, or from Black Library full stop, after Prospero Burns, which is absolute perfection and casts a shadow more foreboding than the Aett. Otherwise, I might be even more complimentary of this saga.
We love to see an Astartes showing emotion and a Space Wolf crying over a thunderwolf is truly heartening. I still maintain that the "there are no wolves on Fenris" is true and that thunderwolves are what Wulfen become if allowed to roam free on the icecaps.
*from Lexicanum (https://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Fenr...
Thunderwolf: The monstrous, infamous Thunderwolf prowls the northernmost ice caps of Fenris, where they are considered the apex predator, and make their lairs in the fabled Mountain of the Maelstrom. Their anatomy has more in common with the Terran rhinoceroid than a normal canine. They are capable of reaching as much as eight feet in height at the shoulder. Their shaggy coat of rough fur is as tough as matted steel wire, and their jutting jaws so strong that they are able to chew through steel. Recovered Thunderwolf skulls show evidence of several rows of teeth in perpetual growth, allowing those that are lost in violent kills to be quickly replaced. They are solitary creatures, and usually attack each other on sight. Their primary food animals are the giant bear, the ice troll, and the Fenrisian mastodon, although they will devour any creatures that trespass upon their realm without hesitation. Rather than tracking their prey down over time like their smaller cousins, Thunderwolves bear down upon their victims in a terrifying charge, snatching up their prey in their maw and tearing its head off. Many Fenrisians venerate the Thunderwolf as a spiritual totem, but only the Space Wolves have the constitution to hunt these creatures down. The practice of hunting down and breaking in Thunderwolves is a sort of initiation ritual into the upper echelons of the Wolf Guard. These are used in the near-mythical Thunderwolf Cavalry, and are often augmented with adamantium jaws, bionics, and back-jointed metal limbs that end in razor-sharp blades. The havoc that these creatures are capable of wreaking is said to be startling to even a hardened veteran.
(Someone has uploaded the whole Space Wolves Audio Collection to YT here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIZem...)
A rather good tale of the Vlka Fenryka, their thunderwolves* and how, no matter how hardy the Cadian Shock Troopers are, Nurgle's funk of forty thousand millennia is hardier, but the bonds between the Wolves Who Stalk the Stars, be they monstrous beast, transhuman, or hybrid, are hardier still.
Without time or scope to really get into the characters and their emotions, though the bond between pack brothers and their thunder wolves are conveyed well, this feels like the level of quality all Black Library audio dramas should be measured against; it's not the best or my favourite by any means, but Kyme's writing, Longworth's performance, and the production are all great and thoroughly entertaining.
Honestly, Dan Abnett has a lot to answer for when it comes to expectations for stories about the Space Wolves, or from Black Library full stop, after Prospero Burns, which is absolute perfection and casts a shadow more foreboding than the Aett. Otherwise, I might be even more complimentary of this saga.
We love to see an Astartes showing emotion and a Space Wolf crying over a thunderwolf is truly heartening. I still maintain that the "there are no wolves on Fenris" is true and that thunderwolves are what Wulfen become if allowed to roam free on the icecaps.
*from Lexicanum (https://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Fenr...
Thunderwolf: The monstrous, infamous Thunderwolf prowls the northernmost ice caps of Fenris, where they are considered the apex predator, and make their lairs in the fabled Mountain of the Maelstrom. Their anatomy has more in common with the Terran rhinoceroid than a normal canine. They are capable of reaching as much as eight feet in height at the shoulder. Their shaggy coat of rough fur is as tough as matted steel wire, and their jutting jaws so strong that they are able to chew through steel. Recovered Thunderwolf skulls show evidence of several rows of teeth in perpetual growth, allowing those that are lost in violent kills to be quickly replaced. They are solitary creatures, and usually attack each other on sight. Their primary food animals are the giant bear, the ice troll, and the Fenrisian mastodon, although they will devour any creatures that trespass upon their realm without hesitation. Rather than tracking their prey down over time like their smaller cousins, Thunderwolves bear down upon their victims in a terrifying charge, snatching up their prey in their maw and tearing its head off. Many Fenrisians venerate the Thunderwolf as a spiritual totem, but only the Space Wolves have the constitution to hunt these creatures down. The practice of hunting down and breaking in Thunderwolves is a sort of initiation ritual into the upper echelons of the Wolf Guard. These are used in the near-mythical Thunderwolf Cavalry, and are often augmented with adamantium jaws, bionics, and back-jointed metal limbs that end in razor-sharp blades. The havoc that these creatures are capable of wreaking is said to be startling to even a hardened veteran.
January 4, 2026
Collected in the lords of Fenris audio collection.
What isn't to like about this one? Any space wolves fan would be entertained A nurgle plague virus has turned zombies on a frozen planet in the space wolves section so in ride the warriors on their thunder wolves to carve through zombies. Awesome.
What isn't to like about this one? Any space wolves fan would be entertained A nurgle plague virus has turned zombies on a frozen planet in the space wolves section so in ride the warriors on their thunder wolves to carve through zombies. Awesome.
February 26, 2012
As you all know I don't like audiobooks and even less e-books. I truly dispised them. Black Library launched a new short story about dark eldars and they made it only as e-book. I really want to read because they are my army and favoured race but I won't buy it until it's released as a paper book.
But audiobooks are another story. I don't like it but I read them because as I work (sometimes) I can hear music. This particular audiobook I heard twice. It was fantastic. I truly want to read in paper version but I can cope with these.
Review:
Space Wolves vs Zombies
How can this go wrong?
And I must say it didn't go wrong for me.
I like the voice of the narrator but unfortunally he doesn't change the voice very often between characters. I also felt that the special effects behind the audiobook were poor and was a little let down. But, fortunally Nick Kyme made a good story about Space Wolves that made all worth it.
The story begins in a strange cold enviroment akin to the Space Wolves homeworld. As they battle Nurgle's minions and help the Cadia Imperial Guard, they are searching for a missing brother who may have fallen victim of Wulfen Plague amidst a Zombie Plague that ravages the land. They are space wolves but they are part of an elite of the already elite space wolves called Thunder Wolves. This thunder wolves ride or fight beside big wolves from Fenris. These Wolves are the most dangerous animal on a planet full of monstrosous beasts.
The brothers then follow the carnifice wrought by the zombie plague and their missing brother. The Imperial Guard troops as they are infected they turn into a mindless zombie but the augmetic space marines are almost imnune to it. After some encounters with a friendly general and other chaos cultists (including Death Guard space marines) they encounter a daemon, probably the causer of all this plague. Here they do a titanic battle and are helped by their missing brother. After deating the daemon the brother yet again escape. They leave the place of the daemon and follow their brother but they encounter a fierce resistance and only one man stands and he wants to help his Wulfen brother. The audiobook ends with a clinfhanger never knowing what happens to either one.
The characterization is one of the good parts of the novel and we can see that as two battle brothers argue what's the best course of action after they encounter their fallen brother.
Conclusion
To whom I advice this book? To anyone. You don't need to know almost nothing to fully enjoy this book. The only advice I give you is to search for "Wulfen" state that befells some Space Wolves because the book doesn't fully explain what it is. And yes, there are zombies in the warhammer 40k and warhammer fantasy albeit a little different from the zombies from our "world".
But audiobooks are another story. I don't like it but I read them because as I work (sometimes) I can hear music. This particular audiobook I heard twice. It was fantastic. I truly want to read in paper version but I can cope with these.
Review:
Space Wolves vs Zombies
How can this go wrong?
And I must say it didn't go wrong for me.
I like the voice of the narrator but unfortunally he doesn't change the voice very often between characters. I also felt that the special effects behind the audiobook were poor and was a little let down. But, fortunally Nick Kyme made a good story about Space Wolves that made all worth it.
The story begins in a strange cold enviroment akin to the Space Wolves homeworld. As they battle Nurgle's minions and help the Cadia Imperial Guard, they are searching for a missing brother who may have fallen victim of Wulfen Plague amidst a Zombie Plague that ravages the land. They are space wolves but they are part of an elite of the already elite space wolves called Thunder Wolves. This thunder wolves ride or fight beside big wolves from Fenris. These Wolves are the most dangerous animal on a planet full of monstrosous beasts.
The brothers then follow the carnifice wrought by the zombie plague and their missing brother. The Imperial Guard troops as they are infected they turn into a mindless zombie but the augmetic space marines are almost imnune to it. After some encounters with a friendly general and other chaos cultists (including Death Guard space marines) they encounter a daemon, probably the causer of all this plague. Here they do a titanic battle and are helped by their missing brother. After deating the daemon the brother yet again escape. They leave the place of the daemon and follow their brother but they encounter a fierce resistance and only one man stands and he wants to help his Wulfen brother. The audiobook ends with a clinfhanger never knowing what happens to either one.
The characterization is one of the good parts of the novel and we can see that as two battle brothers argue what's the best course of action after they encounter their fallen brother.
Conclusion
To whom I advice this book? To anyone. You don't need to know almost nothing to fully enjoy this book. The only advice I give you is to search for "Wulfen" state that befells some Space Wolves because the book doesn't fully explain what it is. And yes, there are zombies in the warhammer 40k and warhammer fantasy albeit a little different from the zombies from our "world".
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 26, 2011
So the Black Library has been doing audio books for a little while now. One of the first ones they did was a Space Wolf book by Nick Kyme called Thunder From Fenris. I have been wanted to get it for some time now but I haven't been able to find it at Barnes and Noble or Borders. I finally got it off of eBay for a bit under "cover price".
I have never listened to a book on "tape" before, so I really didn't know what to expect. The guy the got to read it, Toby Longworth, did a pretty good job. There are three main characters and Toby did a pretty good job of making them all sound different (even though one of them sounded remarkably like a republican governor from California). I also enjoyed the sound effects. There were bolters and lasguns and howling wolves and the sound of a power axe going into a zombie brain; all were very interesting to listen to.
The story itself was pretty good. It is the tail of 5 Thunderwolf Cavalry. They come upon the remains of one of the own, torn apart as if by beasts claws. Worse yet, another of their brothers is missing, and what the fear for him is worse then death. So begins a chase across a world ravaged by Nurgle, where the dead don't stay dead for long.
The story took 75 minutes to tell which I think puts it at a bit longer than the short stories that the BL puts out, but no where near the length of one of their novels. And while the sound effects were kinda nifty, I'd rather have have a book in my hands. Plus the fact that these audio books cost about $20 for 75 minutes. To me thats just too much.
For the story, I give this a 3 out of 5, for the fact that it was a $20, 75 minute audio book, I give it a 1 out of 5. I don't think I'll be paying the money to get another one of these.
I have never listened to a book on "tape" before, so I really didn't know what to expect. The guy the got to read it, Toby Longworth, did a pretty good job. There are three main characters and Toby did a pretty good job of making them all sound different (even though one of them sounded remarkably like a republican governor from California). I also enjoyed the sound effects. There were bolters and lasguns and howling wolves and the sound of a power axe going into a zombie brain; all were very interesting to listen to.
The story itself was pretty good. It is the tail of 5 Thunderwolf Cavalry. They come upon the remains of one of the own, torn apart as if by beasts claws. Worse yet, another of their brothers is missing, and what the fear for him is worse then death. So begins a chase across a world ravaged by Nurgle, where the dead don't stay dead for long.
The story took 75 minutes to tell which I think puts it at a bit longer than the short stories that the BL puts out, but no where near the length of one of their novels. And while the sound effects were kinda nifty, I'd rather have have a book in my hands. Plus the fact that these audio books cost about $20 for 75 minutes. To me thats just too much.
For the story, I give this a 3 out of 5, for the fact that it was a $20, 75 minute audio book, I give it a 1 out of 5. I don't think I'll be paying the money to get another one of these.
February 7, 2017
Feral-space-vikings riding giant-cybernetic-enhanced-wolfes and hunting one of them turned cannibal werew... Wulfen on an icy plague-zombies infested planet!
It could sound like the storyline from an awful Asylum z-movie, instead this was an hell of a read and I'm not a great fan of Space Wolves.
Maybe characters were not much fleshed and developed, but that's ok.
If you are a fan of all the things above, this is a real action-packed-must-read for you.
And the ending was just epic!
June 1, 2023
For not being a big reader, using audio books is a great way for me to be able to read. My attention span isn't the greatest for reading so this is great. The story line was amazing, the book as a whole was very well done and I am looking forward to listening to others
April 13, 2020
“Space zombies? Obviously the author has played Call of Duty zombies.”
Thunder From Fenris is from a familiar author, Nick Kyme introduces us to the war-ravaged ice planet of Skorbad where a veteran band of space marines called the Thunder Wolves are called in to rid the planet of a Wulfen plague (it is as it sounds, basically turns men into zombies and Space Wolves into mindless killers whom resemble wolves – well according to this audio drama anyway). We’re introduced to the Thunder Wolves; Afger, Skein and Thorgard. Unfortunately for them, Skorbad isn’t just home to a Wulfen but also a Nurgle plague that is turning humans into zombies – yes that’s right, Space Zombies are now lore. I did catch the word ‘mythical’ being used to describe the Thunder Wolves – from what I understand they are an elite squad of an already elite band of warriors. If so, why waste them on such a nothing story – and a zombie story at that, hmm.
This audio drama reminds me of that car chase from The Bourne Identity but instead of cars, the Space Wolves ride giant wolves… because why not. The story is slow starting, but the descriptive narrative and the excellent characterization of the Thunder Wolves more than make up for this. You’ve got a mash of gory battle scenes and the slower paced character and scene building narrative are perfectly paced – I personally enjoyed those slower moments that focused upon just what a ‘disease’ Wulfen is to the Space Wolves and how utterly abhorrent it is to them. I will say however, this seems to be a newer ‘spin’ on the Wulfen, as in established Space Wolf lore, it was looked at as a blight, but wasn’t a disease. This is something new – unless I’ve missed that.
I absolutely loved Toby Longsworth narration; he just seems to get Skein right – the accent reminded me off the actor who played Beowulf in The 13th Warrior… deep Nordic with a splash of German. I’ve read some previous reviews that state many of the audio dramas/books from Black Library use sounds from games such as Dawn of War and the numerous other Games Workshop properties out there. I find this perplexing, as those type of assets would be owned by the individual developers and publishers. I did some digging and it seems there are several production companies out there who put these audio dramas/books together for Black Library - so I’m guessing everything is done in house. A minor thing, but thought I’d look into that. I was going to say the production is very good – my only negative was the static sound coming across from inter-vow communication. When you’ve got headphones on it’s really annoying and is close to a pink noise.
I would really be excited to hear there is more from Skein and the gang – hopefully there’s a few more stories about these Space Wolves. If you’ve got a spare hour or so and want something a little slower paced… then give Thunder From Fenris ago – I’d be curious to hear what you think of the Wulfen as the concept has evolved and changed somewhat over the past 4-5 years or so.
The ending is EPIC, just so you know.
Thunder From Fenris is from a familiar author, Nick Kyme introduces us to the war-ravaged ice planet of Skorbad where a veteran band of space marines called the Thunder Wolves are called in to rid the planet of a Wulfen plague (it is as it sounds, basically turns men into zombies and Space Wolves into mindless killers whom resemble wolves – well according to this audio drama anyway). We’re introduced to the Thunder Wolves; Afger, Skein and Thorgard. Unfortunately for them, Skorbad isn’t just home to a Wulfen but also a Nurgle plague that is turning humans into zombies – yes that’s right, Space Zombies are now lore. I did catch the word ‘mythical’ being used to describe the Thunder Wolves – from what I understand they are an elite squad of an already elite band of warriors. If so, why waste them on such a nothing story – and a zombie story at that, hmm.
This audio drama reminds me of that car chase from The Bourne Identity but instead of cars, the Space Wolves ride giant wolves… because why not. The story is slow starting, but the descriptive narrative and the excellent characterization of the Thunder Wolves more than make up for this. You’ve got a mash of gory battle scenes and the slower paced character and scene building narrative are perfectly paced – I personally enjoyed those slower moments that focused upon just what a ‘disease’ Wulfen is to the Space Wolves and how utterly abhorrent it is to them. I will say however, this seems to be a newer ‘spin’ on the Wulfen, as in established Space Wolf lore, it was looked at as a blight, but wasn’t a disease. This is something new – unless I’ve missed that.
I absolutely loved Toby Longsworth narration; he just seems to get Skein right – the accent reminded me off the actor who played Beowulf in The 13th Warrior… deep Nordic with a splash of German. I’ve read some previous reviews that state many of the audio dramas/books from Black Library use sounds from games such as Dawn of War and the numerous other Games Workshop properties out there. I find this perplexing, as those type of assets would be owned by the individual developers and publishers. I did some digging and it seems there are several production companies out there who put these audio dramas/books together for Black Library - so I’m guessing everything is done in house. A minor thing, but thought I’d look into that. I was going to say the production is very good – my only negative was the static sound coming across from inter-vow communication. When you’ve got headphones on it’s really annoying and is close to a pink noise.
I would really be excited to hear there is more from Skein and the gang – hopefully there’s a few more stories about these Space Wolves. If you’ve got a spare hour or so and want something a little slower paced… then give Thunder From Fenris ago – I’d be curious to hear what you think of the Wulfen as the concept has evolved and changed somewhat over the past 4-5 years or so.
The ending is EPIC, just so you know.
February 27, 2017
I'm really only rating it so high because it has Thunderwolf Cav, none of the other Space Wolf stories I've read have them. The ending was interesting for me lore-wise too, though the cliffhanger was kind of annoying because this isn't the first SW novel I've read recently that ended so abruptly.
February 14, 2011
Legendary wolf-riders, Thuderwolves of Fenris are sent to exterminate zombie sinfesting planet of Skorbad. Unfortunately one of their own will succumb to the gene mutation and become a ferocious beast called Wulfen.
Great portrayal of Space Wolves, great narration and ambient sounds (although I had to chuckle hearing Space Wolves puff and huff while fighting off zombie hordes :)).
Recommended for all W40K and especially Space Wolves fans
Great portrayal of Space Wolves, great narration and ambient sounds (although I had to chuckle hearing Space Wolves puff and huff while fighting off zombie hordes :)).
Recommended for all W40K and especially Space Wolves fans
September 10, 2012
The Space Wolves are back, and this time they're against zombies and a big, legendary feral enemy. It's a sweet and short book that manages to pack a wallop with the action. Fun, and intense - it's a great read ;)
June 24, 2016
Pretty good Warhammer 40k romp. Bit too short in order to properly characterise the main characters.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews