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A review by warragh
Damocles by Ben Counter, Joshua Reynolds, Guy Haley, Phil Kelly
4.0
This is actually a 3.5 but since I am a Tau player and have been dying for some book about them I rounded up.
Damocles is not actually a novel but an anthology of 4 short stories concentrating on the Tau (and some of their encounters with Space Marines of various chapters).
1.Blood Oath
The first and arguably weakest of the stories. It focuses on the Tau fire cast and Commander Shadowsun on one side with the White Scars (featuring Raven Guard and some Imperial troops).
The characters are really odd. The White Scars are portrayed as simpletons who are content to blindly strike at their foes and hope for the best. Aun'va is shown as a cliched asshole politician (despite the Tau Ethereals always being characterized as wise, caring, overall nice and intelligent aliens) who seems to despise and disconsider Shadowsun while also stressing her importance.
Shadowsun herself is nicely built but with some inconsistencies which I will not detail to avoid spoilers. What I can say I found dissapointing was her obsesion with "The Traitor" which goes unexplored and unsolved.
Overall not a very good begining saved by a fascinating exploration into the Tau way of war.
2. Broken Sword
A radical departure from the first story. Interesting protagonists (a Raven Guard in an unique situation and a human soldier converted by the Tau) with a story centered on the Tau way of diplomacy and subterfuge. It features few battle scenes, and even those only skirmishes, but provides a fascinating view of the water caste and the tools with which the Tau conquer without fight. Probably my favourite of the 4, it is out of the ordinary in every way.
3.Black Leviathan
Another story focusing on a member of the water caste this time facing off against Ultramarines and Jade Dragons.
The Ultramarines are rather dull and straightforward though their leader does get a very nice moment towards the end. The Jade Dragons appear only a few times and though they seem quite unique among the miriad of Space Marines Chapters, personally I did not like them very much. They have some interesting aspects and intriguing misteries but also a degree of arrogance and blind confidence in mystic forces which is very off-putting for me. Thid being said, they did provide a welcome contrast to the Ultramarines and added an extra flavour to the mix.
The Tau diplomat on the other hand is taken straight from Westeros and thrust into the 41st Millenium. He is blue, noseless Littlefinger. And he provides the best ending sentence of the book which by itself adds a whole new layer to the Tau race.
4.Hunter's Snare
Also called "Oh, so this is what the White Scars are supposed to be". But before talking about them....when the hell is the action here supposed to happen? It is clearly contained within Blood Oath but there does not seem to be any free space in which these events would fit. It confused me greatly throughout the read and made me flip back pages several times to ensure I did not miss something.
But back to the White Scars now. They are awesome. Seriously, when compared to the first short story the differences are huge. They seem like fearless, bold, cunning warriors who, though flawed, can regroup and repair their mistakes with deadly force. They do suffer from the "American Protagonist" cliche though. Let me expand. A protagonist in most American movies will start with a hardship, either born from bad luck or from a mistake, will continue to suffer as all the cards seem aligned against him until suddenly he finds within him some sort of extra power and motivation with which he vanquishes his foes and wins the day. This is basically the plot of the story. White Scars make mistake, they make it worse, the power of being main characters protects their leaders then the invincibility button is pressed and the proceed to kick ass while the Tau who outsmarted them at every point are now useless cannon fodder. Even more, this being contained within Blood Oath means that there is virtually nothing at stake since the reader will know, largely, how things ends.
Good writing and good fights save a cliched, confusing and in many aspects irelevant plot.
Overall I would consider this a good anthology. It is certainly hit and miss and recommendable only for 40k fans but it was a fun read if only to see Space Marines outwitted and many times outright beaten (though I swear, the effects of Tau weapons on Space Marine power armor varies from page to page).
Damocles is not actually a novel but an anthology of 4 short stories concentrating on the Tau (and some of their encounters with Space Marines of various chapters).
1.Blood Oath
The first and arguably weakest of the stories. It focuses on the Tau fire cast and Commander Shadowsun on one side with the White Scars (featuring Raven Guard and some Imperial troops).
The characters are really odd. The White Scars are portrayed as simpletons who are content to blindly strike at their foes and hope for the best. Aun'va is shown as a cliched asshole politician (despite the Tau Ethereals always being characterized as wise, caring, overall nice and intelligent aliens) who seems to despise and disconsider Shadowsun while also stressing her importance.
Shadowsun herself is nicely built but with some inconsistencies which I will not detail to avoid spoilers. What I can say I found dissapointing was her obsesion with "The Traitor" which goes unexplored and unsolved.
Overall not a very good begining saved by a fascinating exploration into the Tau way of war.
2. Broken Sword
A radical departure from the first story. Interesting protagonists (a Raven Guard in an unique situation and a human soldier converted by the Tau) with a story centered on the Tau way of diplomacy and subterfuge. It features few battle scenes, and even those only skirmishes, but provides a fascinating view of the water caste and the tools with which the Tau conquer without fight. Probably my favourite of the 4, it is out of the ordinary in every way.
3.Black Leviathan
Another story focusing on a member of the water caste this time facing off against Ultramarines and Jade Dragons.
The Ultramarines are rather dull and straightforward though their leader does get a very nice moment towards the end. The Jade Dragons appear only a few times and though they seem quite unique among the miriad of Space Marines Chapters, personally I did not like them very much. They have some interesting aspects and intriguing misteries but also a degree of arrogance and blind confidence in mystic forces which is very off-putting for me. Thid being said, they did provide a welcome contrast to the Ultramarines and added an extra flavour to the mix.
The Tau diplomat on the other hand is taken straight from Westeros and thrust into the 41st Millenium. He is blue, noseless Littlefinger. And he provides the best ending sentence of the book which by itself adds a whole new layer to the Tau race.
4.Hunter's Snare
Also called "Oh, so this is what the White Scars are supposed to be". But before talking about them....when the hell is the action here supposed to happen? It is clearly contained within Blood Oath but there does not seem to be any free space in which these events would fit. It confused me greatly throughout the read and made me flip back pages several times to ensure I did not miss something.
But back to the White Scars now. They are awesome. Seriously, when compared to the first short story the differences are huge. They seem like fearless, bold, cunning warriors who, though flawed, can regroup and repair their mistakes with deadly force. They do suffer from the "American Protagonist" cliche though. Let me expand. A protagonist in most American movies will start with a hardship, either born from bad luck or from a mistake, will continue to suffer as all the cards seem aligned against him until suddenly he finds within him some sort of extra power and motivation with which he vanquishes his foes and wins the day. This is basically the plot of the story. White Scars make mistake, they make it worse, the power of being main characters protects their leaders then the invincibility button is pressed and the proceed to kick ass while the Tau who outsmarted them at every point are now useless cannon fodder. Even more, this being contained within Blood Oath means that there is virtually nothing at stake since the reader will know, largely, how things ends.
Good writing and good fights save a cliched, confusing and in many aspects irelevant plot.
Overall I would consider this a good anthology. It is certainly hit and miss and recommendable only for 40k fans but it was a fun read if only to see Space Marines outwitted and many times outright beaten (though I swear, the effects of Tau weapons on Space Marine power armor varies from page to page).