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valravann's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
staubina's review against another edition
2.0
I really wanted to like this book, but it was just all over the place. There was potential in some small scenes, but they were split by long poorly written sections.
oki93's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
nefilibata's review against another edition
3.0
Farsight is a good book that is changing my perspective on the hot headed Viorlan.
Many moments in this book deserve to be expanded on, it is a pity that they aren't as it hinders the overall comprehension of the novel.
Many moments in this book deserve to be expanded on, it is a pity that they aren't as it hinders the overall comprehension of the novel.
davieid's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
funeraryarts's review against another edition
3.0
An exciting book detailing Commander Farsight's adventures during the Second Sphere Expansion as he confronts the Imperium of Man in his mission to expand Tau territory. First of all there's great Tau worldbuiling here which is well worth the time of anyone curious about this seemingly benign force in the chaotic universe of WH40k.
There's a lot of caste interactions as well as descriptions of their roles in society and the creative ways the Tau and their allies have worked together to further their empire which I feel is a theme reflected through out the whole book meaningfully yet not overly emphasized. This serves to create a sense of wonder at the Tau's coordination, discipline and potential as a galactic force which I feel is essential for developing in the reader some sense of attachment toward the Tau and their heroes as well as curiosity for their future.
Wisely the author also avoids painting a completely utopic alternative for the Imperium in the Tau Empire. While mainly showcasing the very best of the blue aliens he nevertheless takes his time to sow the seeds of disquiet in the reader as he hints at darker forces at work within Tau society like the deceptive nature of the Ethereals, the influence of chaos on the Tau or the unchecked relationship they seem to be developing with advanced AI and digital technologies (which in itself could bring a hell of their own making to Tau society).
Another aspect I really enjoyed was the pacing of the book, it rarely felt as though the shift in POV narrators were jarring but instead worked to build up anticipation which nearly always paid in full with well realized and creative battle scenes. The descriptions were evocative and not confusing for the reader to imagine, with heart pumping battle scenes between the Tau Empire and the Imperium where we got to enjoy the awesomeness that are the Tau battle suits in their different variations as well as the advanced arsenal the aliens use in their tactics of war.
That's not to say there aren't any negatives and I can easily point at two of them. For a novel dedicated to the Tau Empire and one of its greatest heroes we sure get a lot of scenes with the Tau getting their asses kicked over and over, enough for it to be noticeable and feel silly. We have already many books with the Imperium crushing xenos completely and it seems like even in their own book the author wasn't willing to give the Tau a stronger image. This book is about the Tau and Commander Farsight, we don't need a 7th scene where another great Adeptus Astertes beats a xenos with righteous fury. There's like 100 other 40k books of nothing but that.
Second unforgivable sin was the part where
In the end reading this book was a very enjoyable time between the interesting details of Tau society and the exciting battle suit fights with its flaws being minor enough to make it a really good book just not a great one.
There's a lot of caste interactions as well as descriptions of their roles in society and the creative ways the Tau and their allies have worked together to further their empire which I feel is a theme reflected through out the whole book meaningfully yet not overly emphasized. This serves to create a sense of wonder at the Tau's coordination, discipline and potential as a galactic force which I feel is essential for developing in the reader some sense of attachment toward the Tau and their heroes as well as curiosity for their future.
Wisely the author also avoids painting a completely utopic alternative for the Imperium in the Tau Empire. While mainly showcasing the very best of the blue aliens he nevertheless takes his time to sow the seeds of disquiet in the reader as he hints at darker forces at work within Tau society like the deceptive nature of the Ethereals, the influence of chaos on the Tau or the unchecked relationship they seem to be developing with advanced AI and digital technologies (which in itself could bring a hell of their own making to Tau society).
Another aspect I really enjoyed was the pacing of the book, it rarely felt as though the shift in POV narrators were jarring but instead worked to build up anticipation which nearly always paid in full with well realized and creative battle scenes. The descriptions were evocative and not confusing for the reader to imagine, with heart pumping battle scenes between the Tau Empire and the Imperium where we got to enjoy the awesomeness that are the Tau battle suits in their different variations as well as the advanced arsenal the aliens use in their tactics of war.
That's not to say there aren't any negatives and I can easily point at two of them. For a novel dedicated to the Tau Empire and one of its greatest heroes we sure get a lot of scenes with the Tau getting their asses kicked over and over, enough for it to be noticeable and feel silly. We have already many books with the Imperium crushing xenos completely and it seems like even in their own book the author wasn't willing to give the Tau a stronger image. This book is about the Tau and Commander Farsight, we don't need a 7th scene where another great Adeptus Astertes beats a xenos with righteous fury. There's like 100 other 40k books of nothing but that.
Second unforgivable sin was the part where
Spoiler
the Chapter Master of the space marines mistakes a disfigured and burned Tau battlesuit fighter for dead and convinces his squad to leave his "corpse" behind, this after one single look at the body. Not going to say anything else other than it's supposed to be the 40th millennium and there should be better ways of confirming the living status of a body than an old fashioned look over (heat signature reading at least?)In the end reading this book was a very enjoyable time between the interesting details of Tau society and the exciting battle suit fights with its flaws being minor enough to make it a really good book just not a great one.
bosermoki's review
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
spectreops's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore
beorn_101's review against another edition
3.0
This is largely what readers of Black Library have come to expect from novels that aren't particularly stand out, but not necessarily bad either. Some action, 1-3 cool characters, maybe a little character development.
What I really enjoyed about this story is it does not revolve around the Imperium, but rather gives us the perspective of the Tau, particularly focusing on Commander Farsight. Kelly does an excellent job making these aliens feel alien, while still relatable.
We get some nice overview of Tau culture and philosophy, as well as their perspectives on the Imperium, which was great!
The Tau method of war was intriguing, and battle suits are just plain cool.
But this book does have several stumbling blocks. A random chaos demon is thrown in, seemingly for no reason. Not every warhammer book needs Chaos...
The Space Marines are pretty stupid in this book, perhaps to highlight the problem solving of the Tau, but it still felt like they were dealing with the "trainee" branch of marines.
And the characters themselves are not heavily explored, except Farsight. Part of this is because a lot of the out of fighting scenes revolve around the chaos person, which again was unnecessary.
Overall enjoyable, but nothing to rave about.
What I really enjoyed about this story is it does not revolve around the Imperium, but rather gives us the perspective of the Tau, particularly focusing on Commander Farsight. Kelly does an excellent job making these aliens feel alien, while still relatable.
We get some nice overview of Tau culture and philosophy, as well as their perspectives on the Imperium, which was great!
The Tau method of war was intriguing, and battle suits are just plain cool.
But this book does have several stumbling blocks. A random chaos demon is thrown in, seemingly for no reason. Not every warhammer book needs Chaos...
The Space Marines are pretty stupid in this book, perhaps to highlight the problem solving of the Tau, but it still felt like they were dealing with the "trainee" branch of marines.
And the characters themselves are not heavily explored, except Farsight. Part of this is because a lot of the out of fighting scenes revolve around the chaos person, which again was unnecessary.
Overall enjoyable, but nothing to rave about.
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