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Shadowsun: Requiring a Patient Reader - Phil Kelly Well, this is definitely a Phil Kelly book. Ironically, considering the subject matter, I think my issue with this and all of his works is they feel too sterile. The character development is always extremely thin; we don't really get introspection, and Kelly's not skilled enough to make characters compelling through their dialogue and actions alone (though I do appreciate the attempt.) Conversely, the action is easy to follow and Kelly moves the story quickly and strikes a tolerable balance of action and everything else. Being honest, to anyone with a modicum of love for Star Wars: Kelly's Tau are just a (much) worse version of Zhan's Thrawn Ascendancy books. I implore you to go read those instead. I went into this hoping it would be a step up from Farsight, and I guess it was in that nothing outright sucked, but I also feel like Farsight was more interesting. That book had the fun Tau propaganda at the start, the impetus of the story being an expedition is less cliched than a "hold this world" plot, and I liked the Scar Lords as the enemy loyalist astartes (contrast these Death Guard, who are as stock Death Guard as I've ever read.) The only thing that really stands out in this book is the Kroot because its more alien worldview forces Shadowsun to have conversations that aren't the same Tau-to-Tau conversation Kelly populates all of his books with. If I HAD to commission a Kelly Tau book, I'd ensure it was about a ragtag squad of Tau, Humans, and Kroot constantly butting heads while fighting a unified enemy - I think that would FORCE Kelly to write something more interesting (and that KIND OF happens towards the end, here.) And all this blandness is indicative the biggest issue with the book: Shadowsun herself. Despite my issues with Helbrecht and Huron, and their portrayals within, I at least got a good picture of who they were as individuals. Shadowsun reads like Farsight reads like all of Kelly's Fire Caste Tau. I want to like Shadowsun, she's my favourite Tau going by model and codex entries, but there's really not much to her here. The best we get is a 3-ish page flashback where she's in Puretide's Training From Hell, and that's still limited to Shadowsun reacting to things happening to her. Does she have a private life? What are her interests, her hobbies, her hopes, dreams, and fears? Dunno, she's got Death Guard to shoot. Why would she take the idea of the Tau'Va as a diety even remotely seriously? Dunno, she's got Death Guard to shoot. Sundry Cons: Kelly's Ethereals still suck, though this book's character is not as bad as his Aun'Va. I don't need them to be saints; mind control is probably the most evil ability ever - but you'd think if they forced the species into such an advanced state they'd make a well-informed decision every once in a while. Kelly's version of Tau having difficulty with Chaos still boils down to "That gun should have killed them! Big monster!" Yawn. Sundry Pros: The maggots and flies dotting the Death Guard pages were a fun touch. If things like this and the blood splatter in the Angron book are cheap to produce, I'd love to see more! The possibility that the warp may have affected the 4th expansionary fleet Tau's psyche is barely tapped BUT is a much better reason for Tau panic than the aforementioned "hey these guys are impossibly tough." I like it and want to see more. 4.5/10, I cannot in good conscience give this book a pass when it fails to define Shadowsun in any meaningful way. Dark Chaplain stay away. I beg for literally anyone else to write about her.

Now that this is in paperback, anyone had a chance to read it? I just finished up the first novella, by Worley. I’m pretty conflicted on this one, the prose is beautiful and it’s speckled with great moments for the characters and faction. But Worley really effectively provides setup for a mystery story before transitioning into full action after just 2 chapters, to the point it almost feels like a bait-and-switch. Those seemingly effective first 2 chapters don’t do the necessary legwork for an action story, and I was annoyed when the fighting just kept going. All the character moments are really on point but none of them go anywhere; setup and payoff is almost completely missing throughout. I give it a meh so far but I’ll reserve full judgment til I read the rest.