Teaser

The t’au are a young race, eager to claim their place in the galaxy. Yet the galaxy is an ancient place, and there are beings far older and for more dangerous than the t’au can imagine . . .

Review

The most recent novel in the Warhammer 40,000 Character range continues the trend of showing me just how little I know about the lore of the setting. I’d never heard the name Shadowsun before. Indeed, the only t’au I could name was Farsight, about whom Phil Kelly has written extensively. That didn’t put me off though. I love a good learning opportunity. It turns out that this Shadowsun novel might be the most accessible Character book yet.

The thing about the t’au is that there is no other faction like them in the Warhammer universe. The various Imperial factions have a clear mirror in Chaos, and the Eldar are split into good(ish) and evil(er) too. Orks and Edlar are clearly ported from a fantasy setting’s orcs and elves, while the Tyranids are the archetypal ravaging horde of monsters. Even the necrons are ultimately undead in space. But the t’au? The t’au feel distinct. Unique. They lack the deep history of the other factions, yet this is not a weakness. Indeed, it’s their greatest strength. They offer a fresh set of eyes to look upon the grim, dark future. Everything else in the setting falls under some twisted, science-fantasy sense of gothic horror. The t’au are more akin to traditional space opera. They have artificial intelligence. They choose scientific reason over faith in unknowable forces.

I like all of this about the t’au, and Shadowsun brings that final conflict to the fore. Just how does a science-driven empire reconcile the existence of Chaos Gods and immortal warriors. As a concept, it’s brilliant, and the sort of thing that could only be done in a setting like this The conclusions of the conflict have potentially massive ramifications for t’au stories going forwards

However, in spite of my appreciation for all that this book does, I did find it a tricky read. I think there’s something about Kelly’s prose that I simply don’t gel with. It was a short read, and a quick one, but I felt as if I was forever bouncing off of it, and never as engaged as I would have liked to be. The fact that the book is so conceptually strong only made my frustrations with the prose even more severe. I can’t point to any single issue, it’s just that it didn’t work for me.

Even though I had a few issues with the book, I fully recommend it to anyone who wants a new perspective on the grim, dark future. It might even be one of the best avenues for a science fiction aficionado to get into Warhammer 40,000 as a whole, and that’s no small feat.

Deeper Dive: A Light in the Grimdark

The t’au are sometimes positioned as ‘the good guys’ of Warhammer 40,000. After all, their core goal is spreading the Greater Good, in which all species work and live in harmony. This is an oversimplification, and ignores the fact that the t’au are almost certainly being manipulated by the upper castes of their society. Nevertheless, there is an optimism about them that other factions are lacking.

One moment that stood out to me was Shadowsun, confronted with Nurge’s demonic servants, offering her enemy a chance to walk away without violence. obviously, this hope for peace is short-lived, but the offer is made. It’s one of vanishingly few examples of mercy and cooperation in the grim, dark future, and speaks much to the ideals of the t’au people. Or perhaps only their naivety. Because when everyone is out to annihilate you, only a fool would offer them a second chance.

Book Stats

• A Standalone Novel
• Focuses on the T’au
• First published in 2022, this edition 2023
• Published by Black Library
• Grimdark SF
• 253 Pages