An oblique sequel to the phenomenal Fire Caste, Peter Fehervari’s A Sanctuary of Wyrms is an unsettling, insightful short story exploring the sinister side of the T’au Empire and the corrupting nature of the world Fi’draah. On a mission to explore a region known to the gue’la as the Coil, Water Caste emissary Por’ui Asharil finds her opinions of her Earth and Fire caste companions challenged, and her belief in the Greater Good shaken. When they reach a seemingly abandoned Imperial outpost, their path takes them into a darkness hiding a horrifying truth, and Asharil’s change is completed.
Told in the first person as Asharil relates her story in hindsight, it’s a deceptively simple narrative which hides a complex and fascinating study of the dynamics at play beneath the surface of the T’au Empire and their perspective on the Imperium, as well as the unique meta-narrative of the Dark Coil. Packed full of subtle links to other Fehervari stories (as well as the overt connections to Fire Caste with the location and Asharil’s companion Jhi’kaara) and compelling reflections on the nature of 40k, it positively begs for multiple re-reads, while still working as a standalone story…albeit an unusual one. It’s the sort of sinister, thought-provoking story that only Fehervari seems to write, defying classification but proving deeply satisfying.
I have not seen the tau in the 40k setting often used. Its a shame. Or i might have missed their books completely
There have been a few books, but not that many. Ultimately I think the vast majority of 40k stories will always be from human perspectives, but a few xenos stories will pop up here and there.
Hi, Michael!
I’d like to рoint out that ASoW is a рrequel to the Fire Caste, not a sequel. O’Seishin is still alive there, for examрle.