2000AD’s biggest contribution to the fantasy genre is Sláine, a reworking of various Celtic myths mixed with various barbarian hero tropes. This muddy take on the swords and sorcery genre started out as a pretty straight-forward homage to the likes of Conan but over the years evolved into something with a lot more depth and engagement. The Horned God is considered one of the best stories in the Sláine cannon, as it brings together many of the elements that have made this series endure for decades. This probably explains why Penguin Audio and Rebellion Publishing have given it the full cast audio treatment.

The story brings together multiple plot threads from earlier books and sees Sláine as a king. He only has seven years before he is ritually returned to the Earth and his goal is the defeat the festering corruption that threatens his lands, namely in the form of Lord Weird Slough Feg, a crazed death worshipping demi-god. Sláine must bring together powerful treasures to defeat this darkness.

Writer Pat Mill’s is quite correctly regarded as one of the industry’s legends and his work is well known for its solid approach to social and political commentary. However, in the case of Slaine, the comic strip has always hinged on amazing fantasy art. After all, you can’t have a barbarian fantasy without bulging muscles and gore, and graphic novel version of the Horned God heavily relied on Simon Bisley’s striking and exaggerated art to tell the more exciting parts of the story.

As the audio has to rely heavily on Mill’s writing, this means that much of the writer’s excesses are very obvious to the listener. The Horned God becomes a very straight-forward subversion of the usual male power fantasy this sort of story tends to be. Sláine is not only fighting Feg and his corrupt forces, but also toxic masculinity and the clichés that drag fantasy stories down.

This adaptation is very faithful to the original work, and as such, Mill’s urge to break the fourth wall and tell the reader exactly what he’s doing is all the more obvious here. It’s not enough to break down the structure of myth and deconstruct the male gaze, the listener is explicitly told this is going on. Without Bisley’s art to run interference, this is all the more apparent and a little draining in places.

Fortunately, the actual audio production more than makes up for it. Colin Morgan is brilliant as the brutal yet cunning Slaine, but it’s Gerry O'Brien who steals the show as Ukko the Dwarf. Much of the narration is told in Ukko’s croaky and knowing tones and O’Brien nails the humour of the character every time. Gemma Whelan is also a delight in her various roles, as is Ayoola Smart. The soundscape for the various battles is appropriately epic and though the music and effects don’t quite capture Bisley’s art, they have a very good try.

At its heart, this is a solid fantasy tale that is well worth a listen. We would love to see audio and visual combine to turn Sláine into a truly epic spectacle some day, but right now, this epic audio hits the spot.

An utterly magical adaptation of a seminal graphic novel. Of the two 2000AD audiobooks I have listened to, The Horned God was by far the best. While Slaine is the title character, his dwarf Ukko, played superbly by Gerry O'Brien, has the star performance.

Much of the appeal of The Horned God was in its brutally beautiful art. This adaptation uses 3D audio and fantastic sound design to recreate some of that visceral sensation of seeing a battle on the page and has a rather more immersive effect.

The characters are brought to life delightfully by a cast where every performance is captivating. I especially like the use of regional Irish accents used by the different tribal chiefs.

Slaine is a difficult character to like, and this is not exactly a redemption story. Stubborn, arrogant, ambitious, and vicious, Slaine is determined to achieve his goals no matter the cost. The themes of nature, feminism; especially how history sidelines the role of women, and how history is inherently unreliable are all explored through the lens of Celtics myths. It lingered with me long after I had finished trying to grasp what Pat Mills and Simon Bisley were trying to say.

Fantastic stuff.

Pat Mills' Slaine, the 'Celtic Conan' has been wowing readers of UK sci-fi comic, 2000AD since 1983. The saga was never more vividly realised than when in the late 80s and early 90s when Mills and young artist, Simon Bisley produced the masterful epic, Slaine: The Horned God.
Sadly, as this is an audiobook, inevitably, Bisley's wonderful visuals - the gore of the battles, the beauty of the land of Tir Nan Nog, Slaine's ageing sidekick Ukko and the sight of Slaine going into warp spasm (don't ask) are lost.
This is nevertheless an excellent adaptation which does full justice to the classic comic story.

Dirk Maggs’ audio adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman was hands down my audio highlight of 2020. So when Penguin Random House announced they were working with 2000 AD to bring some of their best known comic franchises into audio I was intrigued to hear what they would come up with.

When it comes to graphic novels my personal preferences are the titles that come from Japan and Korea as opposed to the western comic book industry. This meant I came to the 200o AD adaptations with no existing knowledge (well other than an awareness of Judge Dredd) of the characters or their worlds. Based on the descriptions alone I found myself drawn to Sláine: The Horned God. I love mythology in all forms and was keen to consume more Irish mythology, also I still have a massive Merlin originated crush on Colin Morgan.

The framing device used in the adaptation is Gerry O’Brien’s Ukko recounting Sláine’s life as a saga, with Fiona Glascott’s Nest, and the Narrator, Cassie Layton, occasionally interrupting to ensure he sticks to the facts. This provides helpful context to listeners new to Sláine whilst the back and forth between Ukko & Nest acts as a charming side story. Aurally it also works as a brilliant contrast against the main story which is less dialogue driven and more complex in its sound design. Offering the listener a brief reprise from the instenity of the main story and allowing a current of self aware humour to run throughout. O’Brien, Glascott and Layton are a superb trio. As Ukko, O’Brien deftly treads that fine line between being humorous and offensive, allowing the character to remain endearing despite his questionable views. This is paired delightfully with Glascott’s Nest, who calls Ukko to task with an undertone of warmth that reveals her fondness for him. Layton’s Narrator complements this dynamic duo with a dry wit in her removed perspective that keeps the momentum of the story going.

The narration is equally strong in the main story which focuses on key moments in Sláine’s quest to become The Horned God. Colin Morgan shines as the titular Sláine. I’m a long time fan of Morgan’s work but I was still taken aback by the ferocity he brought to the role. It can difficult to bring to life a stoic character, especially when you’re acting through voice alone, however Morgan captured a multi-faceted Sláine. One that was proud yet humble, guarded yet vulnerable with flashes of affection and humour. Both Ayoola Smart as Nimah and Gemma Whelan as Megrim/Medb played fantastically against Morgan. Niamh is essentially my dream heroine and Smart perfectly portrays her self-reliance with notes of the hurt and affection that surround her feelings for Sláine. Whelan is an audio legend and it’s a joy to listen to her in a villainous role especially one as complex as Megrim. The rest of the cast create a rich world of characters and there is not a single weak performance among them, so I was thrilled to find out that many of them also voiced characters on the other 2000AD adaptations. A highlight for me though was the unexpected appearance of Kristin Atherton as Danu. I adore Kristin both as a narrator and as a person, so to hear her voice the Earth Goddess herself was like having my own personal easter egg hidden in the audio.

I cannot finish this review without going into detail about the incredible production and sound design by Richard Hughes. Given the wealth of resources Audible had to create The Sandman I was honestly expecting Penguin’s adaptations to pale in comparison. In reality Sláine was an immersive audio experience in its own right. The images Hughes creates with sound alone are mesmerising, I can still recall vivid scenes and landscapes despite there being no narrative description of them. There are clear motifs and soundscapes for each of the characters, and tonal shifts when we step into different realms, most notably in the surreal dreamscape of the Earth Goddess. In blends effortlessly into the great performances mentioned above ensuring that Sláine is an audio world I’m keen to revisit. I hope as with The Sandman we’ll soon be getting an announcement that there are many more audio adaptations to come.

Like others, I have been unable to make this audiobook work via the App. The Judge Dredd audiobooks worked fine.

For fans of the original this will be a blast. I am somewhat new to the other realms within 2000AD. Things just started off and I felt pretty lost from the beginning. I thank Net Galley for the chance to read this.

My thanks to Penguin Random House U.K. Audio for a review copy via NetGalley of the unabridged audiobook edition of ‘Sláine the Horned God’ by Pat Mills. It is narrated by a full cast and has a running time of 2 hours, 47 minutes.

Sláine the Horned God is an extremely popular comic series that premiered in the U.K. comic magazine 2000AD in 1983. This dramatised production provides an excellent introduction to this classic barbarian fantasy series.

My late husband was a devoted fan of 2000AD and knowing my interest in Irish mythology introduced me to Sláine the Horned God. He also felt that its feminist aspects would also appeal. He was right.

At the opening the tribes of Tír na nÓg are under the domination of the drunes; a dark cult of druids who have poisoned the land with their magic. The warrior Sláine seeks out Danu, the Earth Goddess, from whom he learns some shocking truths about the priesthood and his own future.

Danu offers Sláine the opportunity to become her consort, the Horned God, by defeating the Lord Weird Slough Fegg, who had refused to die when his seven-year reign as Horned God ended and has unnaturally extended his life. If Sláine achieves this it would restore the worship of the Goddess and also improve the position of women in their society.

This was simply excellent. I listened to it over the course of a morning and was totally enthralled. The performances were outstanding including Colin Morgan as Sláine and Gerry O’Brien as Ukko, the dwarf, who is Sláine’s companion and the chronicler of his adventures. Ukko is very much comic relief with great banter between him and the druidess Nest, who ‘encourages’ Ukko to write down the saga. Nest, who was portrayed by Fiona Glascott, was my favourite character.

The cast also included Ayoola Smart as Niamh, Gemma Whelan as Medb/Megrim, and Stephen Hogan as chief baddie Lord Weird Slough Fegg.

This is barbarian fantasy at its finest, drawing deeply on the mythic cycles of Ireland. I unreservedly recommend this audiobook.

Pat Mills & Simon Bisley's anarchic tale of Slaine the Horned God is brought to life by Colin Morgan,Gerry O'Brien, Gemma Whelan Ayoola Smart and a whole host of others in this latest release by Penguin Audio.

Slaine is a barbarian fantasy adventure based on Celtic Mythology and stories which made its debut in 1983.
In the original stories, Slaine was banished from his tribe, the Sessair,and as a result he spends early years exploring the land of the young (Tir Na Nog) with his companion, the dwarf Ukko and his trusty axe, Brainbiter. He is also possessed with the power to warp spasm, where he joins with the earth and transforms into a misshapen killing machine. On his travels, he rescues the maiden Medb from being sacrificed to Crom Cruach, the giant Maggot. Although, this didn't go according to plan and she actually becomes his enemy instead and ends up joining forces with decomposing Lord Weird Slough Fegg to destroy Slaine

This is one of Slaine's most memorable outings as he returns to the tribes that ousted him when he was younger. He has now become the horned God, the lover, brother and son of Danu, the earth Goddess.

As he takes up his reign as the Horned God he is determined to reunite the tribes of Ireland and bring back the ancient ways, when women were the rulers and men were the followers of a female deity.

However, as he tries to complete this plan, he has to obtain the forbidden weapons, a spear, a sword, a cauldron and the navel of the goddess, whilst trying to thwart the plans of Medb, reconcile with his former lover, Niamh and win the favour of the capricious Danu and fight a titanic battle with the god of death, the Lord Weird Slough Fegg and his band of sea devils, the Formorians. Not an easy task!

Penguin audio have done a fantastic job of capturing the spirit of this comic. The story is told through flashback by the dwarf Ukko who is tasked to write the saga of Slaine.

Gerry O'Brien does a hilariously comedic performance as Ukko, as he constantly drinks mead, extols the physical virtues of Niamh and describes with zeal the bloody gusto of Slaine's performance on the battle field. At various parts in the story whilst he his recounting Elaine's exploits, Niamh interrupts him and there is some really funny dialogue between the two.

However, this is just one aspect of the story. Colin Morgan's performance as Slaine is excellent, as is Gemma Whelan as Medb and Ayoola Smart as Niamh. Additionally, all the actors capture the sardonic wit of the comic admirably.

I read this comic years ago, and it has always been one of my favourites, so to hear this audio drama doing such a solid job of bringing Slaine to life was a delight. The action is very well paced and you get a good sense of what is happening throughout the story.

On top of that, the sound design adds to the mood of the piece. We get swords clashing and cauldrons bubbling. It all adds to the experience, giving the audio depth and realism.

I have to say, I take my hat off to Penguin and the whole team that made this for bringing Slaine back into my life!

Kiss my axe!

I am unable to email

I get a message saying 'The file is corrupted and can't be opened'. I have a similar audiobook sent at the same time and that works

I will keep checking back to see if you have uploaded a new file at a later date

I was fortunate enough to be granted a audio ARC of this book but despite repeated attempts at downloading it I could not get access to this book, as it’s Slaine I am sure it’s going to be great but sadly I will never know 🙁