'Brave champions and the forces of the Imperium battle alien beasts and mechanical tyrants across the gulf of space.
'Journeying to the bustling spaceport of Hinterland after being saved from certain death by a dubious Rogue Trader, Zelia, Talen and Mekki continue their quest to reach the Emperor’s Seat. But much here is not what it seems. Alone in a strange place and surrounded by aliens, who can they really trust and what are the secrets of the Tau? '
The Warhammer 40,000 universe is one where there aren't really any good guys. I've seen people come to the hobby and assume that the Imperium must be the heroes of the universe because they're the humans out in a galaxy filled with scary aliens and literal daemons. A rookie mistake, as it doesn't take much scratching of the surface to discover that the humanity of the future is an absolute nightmare state, one that none of us would really want to live in if we gave it any real thought.
These kind of stories, where people have to try and fund the less of the evils, or the horrible regimes that they're able to live with, can be difficult for adults to connect with, and I don't think that I've ever really seen it done in media for children. As such, setting a kids series in the Warhammer 40,000 universe feels like a bold move, and one that has worked out pretty well so far in the Warped Galaxies series. This, I think, is mainly because there have been pretty clear villains up to now. The Necron in the first book destroy an entire world, and are merciless killing machines. The Genestealers in the second book a monsters, ones who want to rip the kids apart, or worse.
The ambiguity of this setting hasn't really been called into question, until now. The third book in the series, The Secrets of the Tau, takes our teen heroes to a colony on the edges of human space and presents a much more realistic view of this universe, one where everyone is out for themselves, and there are no good guys.
Upon arriving at this space station, after being saved from the Genestealers by the Rogue Trader Harleen Amity, the kids see a dirty, run down, and depressing place, filled with humans, aliens, and abhumans. This is the first time that the reader really sees the level of hatred and xenophobia that exists in this setting, especially as Talen reacts badly to Beastmen and Tau, treating them like disgusting creatures rather than thinking and feeling beings.
This is something that disgusts Zelia, and drives something of a wedge within the group. It shows that Talen is largely a product of his upbringing, especially as his father was in the Imperial Guard. He's been raised to see anything that's not human as an enemy, something to be distrusted, and destroyed. This does seem to come a little out of nowhere, especially as it's pointed out that he's been around Flea-Pit for a long time, and shows the struggle that Talen is going through. He's been through a lot with his Jokaero companion, and has come to see him as a friend despite him being an alien; but being surrounded by so many different peoples seems to have brought those prejudices back out it him.
Because of this, and because of the less sanitised version of the Warhammer 40,000 setting this particular volume is giving us, I think it might be the best one in the series. It doesn't try to hide the way this future is from its audience, and shows that even characters they've come to care for, like Talen, are capable of prejudice. I think it has an important message for children, that even if you've been taught something since you were young, told something over and over by a figure of authority, it doesn't make that thing true. Prejudice's and hates are learnt, they're drilled into people, and it's only by realising how wrong those arguments are, by seeing that being different doesn't make you a monster, that kids can realise that they have the power to stand up against that kind of hate, and can be better kinds of people.
As well as dealing with some pretty heavy themes, the book furthers the children's adventure, giving them information that can help to track down Zelia's mother; though they're given a number of possibilities as to where the Emperors Seat is, so the journey isn't exactly guaranteed to be smooth sailing for them.
They also get a new ally in the form of Harleen, who despite being an adult doesn't begin to try and take over the kids journey. Over the course of the narrative she learns that these kids are very capable, and have the ability to not just survive, but to do incredibly well in a very dangerous universe. It sets up for a potentially interesting dynamic going forward, where I can see her listening to her young friends, valuing their input, and treating them more like adults than children.
This volume also sheds some light onto the mysterious figure that has been trailing the group, and we learn that he is Inquisitor Jeremias, a member of the Ordo Xenos. This makes him potentially a very dangerous person, depending on what he wants from the children, at it seems like he's going to be one step behind the kids as they continue on their journey to find Zelia's mother.
Secrets of the Tau is definitely my favourite book in the series (and not just because I'm a Tau player either!) mainly because it begins to show the moral greys within the setting, it puts the characters in conflict with each other for real, moral reasons, and sets up for some exciting new things to come. I'm certainly looking forward to seeing how the series goes on from here.
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