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Чужаки-тау верят, что им предначертано править звездами. Их новоявленная империя быстро расширяется на Восточной Окраине, их кредо сулит всем единство и Высшее Благо. С этими ксеносами опасно враждовать, ведь они владеют чрезвычайно развитыми технологиями, а бойцы их касты огня — прирожденные солдаты. Обладая несравненной военной мощью, тау твердо намерены занять положенное им место в Галактике и готовы дать сокрушительный отпор любому, кто встанет у них на пути...
400 pages, Hardcover
First published October 3, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
October 20, 2015
Ok - i hate tau in general, but i will give this anthology 10 out of 5 stars only because it contain an AWESOME 'Fire and Ice' SHORT-NOVELLA by Peter Fehervari! It is so good and plot amazing that i can't remember a better W40K story (grim, dark, black humored, interesting) in a long while.
That Warhammer 40000 in it's prime. Truly cryptic, terrifying story that shows a true meaning of sacrifice in Imperium, neglect and indifference and @aliency@ of Tau Empire. The appearance of old chap Calavera made it even better - after all 'We are Legion'!
Plus he had the best quotes and memories:
'Once their hearts are ignited they will burn until hope itself has turned to ash.'
And another awesome quote from the Traveller (you will guess his true name) - '‘I do not walk the vash’yatol to learn how to win...I walk to decide what I will do after I have won.’
If you still haven't read 'Fire Caste' by Peter Fehervari - then what are you still doing here. Go read it - you will get yourself quite a ride!
Special thanks to Peter for making me love Warhammer 40K again
That Warhammer 40000 in it's prime. Truly cryptic, terrifying story that shows a true meaning of sacrifice in Imperium, neglect and indifference and @aliency@ of Tau Empire. The appearance of old chap Calavera made it even better - after all 'We are Legion'!
Plus he had the best quotes and memories:
'Once their hearts are ignited they will burn until hope itself has turned to ash.'
And another awesome quote from the Traveller (you will guess his true name) - '‘I do not walk the vash’yatol to learn how to win...I walk to decide what I will do after I have won.’
If you still haven't read 'Fire Caste' by Peter Fehervari - then what are you still doing here. Go read it - you will get yourself quite a ride!
Special thanks to Peter for making me love Warhammer 40K again
November 12, 2015
My review is for Fire and Ice by Peter Fehervari, the new story in this anthology:
"Set amidst the turmoil of the Damocles Gulf Crusade, Fire and Ice focuses on a meek Inquisitorial Interrogator named Haniel Mordaine. Mordaine is a man that truly finds himself wedged between a rock and a hard place; he is being pursued by the Inquisition's Grand Conclave for his part in allowing Escher to be assassinated, and he is still trying to do his duty by attempting to uproot the Tau influence in the sector. Along this precarious path, he is ushered and guarded by a shadowy man named Kreeger, who, along with providing safety, is preparing Mordaine for a rendezvous with his "contact", a shadowy figure known as the Calavera, who will hopefully provide some insight on quelling the blueskin menace.
His efforts reach a climax on the frozen world of Oblazt, where the Tau-engineered "Unity" revolution is born. As the hive of Vyshodd falls to the newly-minted human subscribers to the Greater Good, Mordaine beats a hasty egress aboard a maglev train (superb technological concept here) on a journey to.....well, let's just say fate.
That summary really does no justice to the the story; and, mind you, the real story begins once all the players are on that fateful train. Here, while convalescing from wounds suffered during the riot, Mordaine will work with the mysterious Calavera (obviously an Adeptus Astartes, but also obviously so much more), and he will attempt to fill the void of the fallen Escher's shoes by interviewing "the prisoner"; a Tau warrior who may or may not be the legendary Commander Farsight.
If you need a straight-forward, linear Tau story, with clearly defined actions and arcs, please refer to my last review, for Phil Kelly's Farsight (no insult there, it is a really good novella). Also, if you are looking for seeing cadres of Fire Warriors lined up, with Crisis Suits soaring overhead, go with Farsight. But if you want a representation of what it would mostly be like to deal with the confluence of Tau socialism, Inquisition dogmatic totalitarianism, and Warp-infused Chaos, then read this novella. If you want a psychological power play, and the formation of grand-scale chess match (both figuratively and literally), then read Fire and Ice. Everything is offered in carefully calculated contradiction. Everything is everything and nothing at once.
There are no easy reveals here. Like all of Fehervari's other works, the reader finds themselves sorting through tangled webs in a house of smoke and mirrors. You will be asking yourself throughout, what is the ultimate point? Why is this character being chosen for these grand trials and responsibilities? And when an answer, of sorts, posits itself, revealing its truly ugly face, it is a true shock (and a nice little nod to one of my favorite movies of all time. But like I said, no spoilers from me).
Assessing the individual parts that make the whole, Fire and Ice is, like all of Fehervari's other works, very strong. If you were to strip away each outer layer, its core fundamentals are still strong. Take away the 40K universe, and it is still strong sci-fi. Take those concepts away, and it is still a strong character piece. Peel that back, and see the dark recesses of the mind. Claw through that, and fall into the blackest valleys of the soul."
You can read the full review here:
http://hachisnaxreads.blogspot.com/20...
You can also read my reviews of the shorts Out Caste and A Sanctuary of Wyrms, which appear in this anthology, here:
http://hachisnaxreads.blogspot.com/20...
http://hachisnaxreads.blogspot.com/20...
"Set amidst the turmoil of the Damocles Gulf Crusade, Fire and Ice focuses on a meek Inquisitorial Interrogator named Haniel Mordaine. Mordaine is a man that truly finds himself wedged between a rock and a hard place; he is being pursued by the Inquisition's Grand Conclave for his part in allowing Escher to be assassinated, and he is still trying to do his duty by attempting to uproot the Tau influence in the sector. Along this precarious path, he is ushered and guarded by a shadowy man named Kreeger, who, along with providing safety, is preparing Mordaine for a rendezvous with his "contact", a shadowy figure known as the Calavera, who will hopefully provide some insight on quelling the blueskin menace.
His efforts reach a climax on the frozen world of Oblazt, where the Tau-engineered "Unity" revolution is born. As the hive of Vyshodd falls to the newly-minted human subscribers to the Greater Good, Mordaine beats a hasty egress aboard a maglev train (superb technological concept here) on a journey to.....well, let's just say fate.
That summary really does no justice to the the story; and, mind you, the real story begins once all the players are on that fateful train. Here, while convalescing from wounds suffered during the riot, Mordaine will work with the mysterious Calavera (obviously an Adeptus Astartes, but also obviously so much more), and he will attempt to fill the void of the fallen Escher's shoes by interviewing "the prisoner"; a Tau warrior who may or may not be the legendary Commander Farsight.
If you need a straight-forward, linear Tau story, with clearly defined actions and arcs, please refer to my last review, for Phil Kelly's Farsight (no insult there, it is a really good novella). Also, if you are looking for seeing cadres of Fire Warriors lined up, with Crisis Suits soaring overhead, go with Farsight. But if you want a representation of what it would mostly be like to deal with the confluence of Tau socialism, Inquisition dogmatic totalitarianism, and Warp-infused Chaos, then read this novella. If you want a psychological power play, and the formation of grand-scale chess match (both figuratively and literally), then read Fire and Ice. Everything is offered in carefully calculated contradiction. Everything is everything and nothing at once.
There are no easy reveals here. Like all of Fehervari's other works, the reader finds themselves sorting through tangled webs in a house of smoke and mirrors. You will be asking yourself throughout, what is the ultimate point? Why is this character being chosen for these grand trials and responsibilities? And when an answer, of sorts, posits itself, revealing its truly ugly face, it is a true shock (and a nice little nod to one of my favorite movies of all time. But like I said, no spoilers from me).
Assessing the individual parts that make the whole, Fire and Ice is, like all of Fehervari's other works, very strong. If you were to strip away each outer layer, its core fundamentals are still strong. Take away the 40K universe, and it is still strong sci-fi. Take those concepts away, and it is still a strong character piece. Peel that back, and see the dark recesses of the mind. Claw through that, and fall into the blackest valleys of the soul."
You can read the full review here:
http://hachisnaxreads.blogspot.com/20...
You can also read my reviews of the shorts Out Caste and A Sanctuary of Wyrms, which appear in this anthology, here:
http://hachisnaxreads.blogspot.com/20...
http://hachisnaxreads.blogspot.com/20...
April 14, 2016
As I have already reviewed at least one of the stories included in Shas'o years ago, and rated others, let me focus on the main course of this anthology: Peter Fehervari's Fire and Ice, a novella first published here.
Fire and Ice is an excellent story, and joins Fehervari's Fire Caste in what I believe to be some of the very best in the franchise. The two are even loosely connected (in fact, Phaedra, Fire Caste's setting, is referenced here), and together with Peter's other stories in this collection (Out Caste and A Sanctuary of Wyrms) as well as his other short stories, they form Fehervari's "Dark Coil" of 40k fiction. Every little piece works on its own, but contribute to a far grander, and indeed darker and more insidious whole.
Indeed, Fire and Ice is dark and insidious down to its very core. It is deceptive, secretive, and oh so very rewarding. Having read every single story in Fehervari's arsenal prior to this one, I found myself able to draw connections between them and this novella, some of which shine an even grimmer light on events detailed elsewhere. I love it!
Over the course of his stories, Fehervari has become probably the one author writing for Black Library whose works I am anticipating the most, not least of all because they are few in far between. Which is a goddamn shame, if I may say, since his stories are cerebral, surprising, dark and respect the reader's intelligence just as much as the setting he is writing for. I find his vision of Warhammer 40,000 to mesh very well with my own, and unlike many other stories released under the IP, his are subtle and make you think.
Fire and Ice is a perfect example of that. From start to finish, it tries to wrong-foot you, to deceive you, to give you ideas just to crush them again. It keeps you engaged both in theme as in action, which I found particularly strong here. Every piece of it, every sequence of violence, it all fills a purpose in regards to the overall plot. It erodes the characters both mentally as in strength, and puts them on edge just in time for the creepier aspects to kick in.
The whole novella forms a downward spiral for the characters. The closer you get to the bottom of it all, the more questions open up, but I always felt rewarded with answers at the same time, and can make educated guesses as to various implications and even characters' identities.
That's what I mean when I say it respects the reader's intelligence. There's so much to think about and consider, and it can be confusing at times, but it will click eventually. It is not a story to read in passing, or breeze through. Active, mental engagement is key to getting the most out of it.
It helps that the characters are cleverly written, including a very prominent figure from the background. I know from correspondence with Fehervari that this novella was written a relatively long time ago, and since then, said character's background has received a rather significant update by Games Workshop and Black Library. Fehervari's depiction of him might not go completely hand-in-hand with later works, but I'm rather confident in saying that his rendition beats those of the various other authors who tackled the character in the meantime. He oozes depth and strength both of body and mind, while still keeping things mysterious and making you wonder if it really, truly is that character and not just another ploy by the enemy.
Honestly, I could gush about Fire and Ice for hours. Trying not to spoil the fun for you is tough, and I am reluctant to give things away by praising them directly. But then I don't have to. The whole novella is solid, and even if you are completely new to the author's works, it will be a great experience (though maybe not 'enjoyable' per se).
I'd grab Shas'o for the novella alone, and seeing that A Sanctuary of Wyrms and Out Caste are both included as well, it is a no-brainer purchase - the other inclusions seem like a neat bonus to a very strong core.
Fire and Ice is an excellent story, and joins Fehervari's Fire Caste in what I believe to be some of the very best in the franchise. The two are even loosely connected (in fact, Phaedra, Fire Caste's setting, is referenced here), and together with Peter's other stories in this collection (Out Caste and A Sanctuary of Wyrms) as well as his other short stories, they form Fehervari's "Dark Coil" of 40k fiction. Every little piece works on its own, but contribute to a far grander, and indeed darker and more insidious whole.
Indeed, Fire and Ice is dark and insidious down to its very core. It is deceptive, secretive, and oh so very rewarding. Having read every single story in Fehervari's arsenal prior to this one, I found myself able to draw connections between them and this novella, some of which shine an even grimmer light on events detailed elsewhere. I love it!
Over the course of his stories, Fehervari has become probably the one author writing for Black Library whose works I am anticipating the most, not least of all because they are few in far between. Which is a goddamn shame, if I may say, since his stories are cerebral, surprising, dark and respect the reader's intelligence just as much as the setting he is writing for. I find his vision of Warhammer 40,000 to mesh very well with my own, and unlike many other stories released under the IP, his are subtle and make you think.
Fire and Ice is a perfect example of that. From start to finish, it tries to wrong-foot you, to deceive you, to give you ideas just to crush them again. It keeps you engaged both in theme as in action, which I found particularly strong here. Every piece of it, every sequence of violence, it all fills a purpose in regards to the overall plot. It erodes the characters both mentally as in strength, and puts them on edge just in time for the creepier aspects to kick in.
The whole novella forms a downward spiral for the characters. The closer you get to the bottom of it all, the more questions open up, but I always felt rewarded with answers at the same time, and can make educated guesses as to various implications and even characters' identities.
That's what I mean when I say it respects the reader's intelligence. There's so much to think about and consider, and it can be confusing at times, but it will click eventually. It is not a story to read in passing, or breeze through. Active, mental engagement is key to getting the most out of it.
It helps that the characters are cleverly written, including a very prominent figure from the background. I know from correspondence with Fehervari that this novella was written a relatively long time ago, and since then, said character's background has received a rather significant update by Games Workshop and Black Library. Fehervari's depiction of him might not go completely hand-in-hand with later works, but I'm rather confident in saying that his rendition beats those of the various other authors who tackled the character in the meantime. He oozes depth and strength both of body and mind, while still keeping things mysterious and making you wonder if it really, truly is that character and not just another ploy by the enemy.
Honestly, I could gush about Fire and Ice for hours. Trying not to spoil the fun for you is tough, and I am reluctant to give things away by praising them directly. But then I don't have to. The whole novella is solid, and even if you are completely new to the author's works, it will be a great experience (though maybe not 'enjoyable' per se).
I'd grab Shas'o for the novella alone, and seeing that A Sanctuary of Wyrms and Out Caste are both included as well, it is a no-brainer purchase - the other inclusions seem like a neat bonus to a very strong core.
April 17, 2023
Наверное, это несколько странно, но тау - это первая раса. которая привлекла меня в компьютерном Вархаммере. Обычно все играют за космодесантников, ведь они являются лицом франшизы, а я вот почему-то в Dawn of War - Dark Crusade выбрал сразу именно тау и прошел за них кампанию. Причем я думал тогда, что это роботы, а не синие гуманоиды. Потом, когда я добрался до настолки и кодексов, меня ждало легкое разочарование=)
Что в настольном, что в книжном мире тау - не самые популярные армии. В этом плане мне немного грустно, потому что вторые по интересности мне дарк эльдары по популярности находятся в той же категории с тау. И каждая книга, которая посвящена тау, для меня особенно желанна. "Шас'о" - это сборник рассказов, посвященных описаниям приключений синих гуманоидов в желтой броне.
Спец по тау - это Петер Фехервари, чьих рассказов в книге аж 3 штуки. Но, к сожалению, Фехервари для меня странный и сложный автор (вопреки многочисленной армии фанбоев Фехервари). Поэтому лучшими рассказами для меня стали следующие три:
"Война за Аркунашу" - стартовое произведение про стычку тау и орков. В принципе, откровений никаких, но все же написано неплохо.
"Аун'ши" - удивительно, но в этом рассказе переплетаются дарк эльдары и тау. Несколько тау были похищены эльдарами и отправлены на Коммораг для использования в гладиаторских боях. Хочешь выжить - дерись.
"Командующий тень" - забавный рассказ про партизанское восстание и круутов.
В "Огонь и лед" Фехервари сделал мостик между "Кастой огня" и "Культами генокрадов". но больше мне понравился его рассказ "Заповедник змиев" про заброшенную имперскую базу с сюрпризом.
Остальные же рассказы ничем особенным не запомнились. В целом же сборник довольно проходной, если искать в нем захватывающий сюжет. Авторы, чьи рассказы попали в сборник, просто рассказывают о буднях тау, раскрывают некоторые подробности о иерархии, кастах, взаимоотношениях тау между собой. Основное, чем выделяется книга, это именно сама раса тау, о которой обычно в книжном мире предпочитают молчать.
Тауманам - читать. Остальным тоже можно читать, но не факт, что будет интересно.
Что в настольном, что в книжном мире тау - не самые популярные армии. В этом плане мне немного грустно, потому что вторые по интересности мне дарк эльдары по популярности находятся в той же категории с тау. И каждая книга, которая посвящена тау, для меня особенно желанна. "Шас'о" - это сборник рассказов, посвященных описаниям приключений синих гуманоидов в желтой броне.
Спец по тау - это Петер Фехервари, чьих рассказов в книге аж 3 штуки. Но, к сожалению, Фехервари для меня странный и сложный автор (вопреки многочисленной армии фанбоев Фехервари). Поэтому лучшими рассказами для меня стали следующие три:
"Война за Аркунашу" - стартовое произведение про стычку тау и орков. В принципе, откровений никаких, но все же написано неплохо.
"Аун'ши" - удивительно, но в этом рассказе переплетаются дарк эльдары и тау. Несколько тау были похищены эльдарами и отправлены на Коммораг для использования в гладиаторских боях. Хочешь выжить - дерись.
"Командующий тень" - забавный рассказ про партизанское восстание и круутов.
В "Огонь и лед" Фехервари сделал мостик между "Кастой огня" и "Культами генокрадов". но больше мне понравился его рассказ "Заповедник змиев" про заброшенную имперскую базу с сюрпризом.
Остальные же рассказы ничем особенным не запомнились. В целом же сборник довольно проходной, если искать в нем захватывающий сюжет. Авторы, чьи рассказы попали в сборник, просто рассказывают о буднях тау, раскрывают некоторые подробности о иерархии, кастах, взаимоотношениях тау между собой. Основное, чем выделяется книга, это именно сама раса тау, о которой обычно в книжном мире предпочитают молчать.
Тауманам - читать. Остальным тоже можно читать, но не факт, что будет интересно.
January 9, 2024
Great read. The book is rather a mix of longer and shorter stories by different authors. My Favorite one was for sure "Shadowsun" by Braden Campbell.
December 6, 2023
Most of these stories were just fine (this is an anthology), but the novella Fire and Ice was a level above; if I could, I would give it 5 stars and the remaining stories 3.
Anyone who wants to know the T'au from Warhammer 40,000 (there must be some more of us out there, surely) should read Fire and Ice.
Woo Warhammer xoxo
Anyone who wants to know the T'au from Warhammer 40,000 (there must be some more of us out there, surely) should read Fire and Ice.
Woo Warhammer xoxo
July 25, 2020
Some of the short stories were really good, some were just "and they fired their weapons some more". It was a nice introducation to the Tau 40k race, and I learned a lot about them. Can recommend to anyone who wants to read more Xenos POVs.
December 23, 2017
The usual, average 40k short stories and novellas.
March 28, 2019
Interesting and somewhat humanizing look at the Tau.
September 11, 2017
The Arkunasha War - 60/100, my first taste of Tau fiction outside the codices. Good while reading but doesn't hold up compared to the rest of the anthology.
Fire and Ice - 100/100, delightfully sent my brain whirring try to figure out the turns and what would happen next from 2 or 3 shifting perspectives, set me on the reading trail of Peter Fehervari who I 10/10 recommend
Aun'Shi - 85/100, Aun'Shi's style of fighting was nice
A Sanctuary of Wyrms - 92/100, Water caste member dealing with a grim and bleak world
Commander Shadow - 96/100, effective story with water verbs for the water caste and
Out Caste - 88/100, reflective fire caste member, ties in with Sanctuary of Wyrms and a few other of Peter Fehervari's works
Shadowsun: The Last of Kiru's Line - 89/100, shows the chain of command, the concern Shadowsun has that pops up didn't mean much to me because of canon
The Patient Hunter - 97/100, on the level of Fire and Ice to me, spends a lot of time in non-Tau perspective, a Kaiyon manoeuvre with compelling bait
The Kaiyon - 95/100, sniper story, I thought some actions were out of character but so I guess I was wrong, checked out some more of Andy Smillie's works after this
The Tau'va - 76/100, continuation of The Kaiyon, it just rubbed me the wrong way
Tau are my favourite WH40k faction so I might be biased
Fire and Ice - 100/100, delightfully sent my brain whirring try to figure out the turns and what would happen next from 2 or 3 shifting perspectives, set me on the reading trail of Peter Fehervari who I 10/10 recommend
Aun'Shi - 85/100, Aun'Shi's style of fighting was nice
A Sanctuary of Wyrms - 92/100, Water caste member dealing with a grim and bleak world
Commander Shadow - 96/100, effective story with water verbs for the water caste and
Out Caste - 88/100, reflective fire caste member, ties in with Sanctuary of Wyrms and a few other of Peter Fehervari's works
Shadowsun: The Last of Kiru's Line - 89/100, shows the chain of command, the concern Shadowsun has that pops up didn't mean much to me because of canon
The Patient Hunter - 97/100, on the level of Fire and Ice to me, spends a lot of time in non-Tau perspective, a Kaiyon manoeuvre with compelling bait
The Kaiyon - 95/100, sniper story, I thought some actions were out of character but so I guess I was wrong, checked out some more of Andy Smillie's works after this
The Tau'va - 76/100, continuation of The Kaiyon, it just rubbed me the wrong way
Tau are my favourite WH40k faction so I might be biased
September 14, 2017
1 of the best series of short stories I've read for a while. There is the odd 1 or 2 which let the side down and seem a bit random or parts of them not thought out to their full extent, but overall a good read.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews