Cavan Scott’s Warped Galaxies series continues to impress (and entertain) with books two and three – Claws of the Genestealer and Secrets of the Tau. With the necron Hunter taken care of (for now, at least), Zelia, Talen, Mekki and Fleapit search for a way off the snow-bound planet they find themselves stranded on, before braving the unfamiliar confines of a frontier space station. With dangers all around, from lethal aliens to the elements themselves, they need to put their differences aside and find ways to work together if they’ve any hope of finding their way to safety, and a distant rendezvous with Zelia’s mum.
After Attack of the Necron proved that you can tell Warhammer 40,000 stories for young readers without losing the essence of the setting (or, heaven forbid, ruining it for everyone else), these subsequent instalments serve to develop the characters and their relationships, and explore the factions and archetypes in 40k. Both pacy, action-packed adventure stories, to a certain extent they’re more of the same…but when it’s this much fun, what’s not to like about that? In addition, as the stories progress, especially in the transition from books 2 to 3, Scott broadens the characters’ horizons – literally and figuratively – to introduce a little more of the grand scope of 40k, and also offer hints of something bigger tying the overall narrative together. Let’s take a quick look at each of the books:
Claws of the Genestealer
Picking up shortly after the conclusion to Attack of the Necron, this is all about the situation for the gang getting worse before it can get better. Despite the threat of the necron having been dealt with, the sense of danger only increases as Talen stumbles upon cave-dwelling monsters and the children are (temporarily) forced to figure things out without the comforting presence of Fleapit the Jokaero. The rapid pace of events keeps the plot moving nicely while allowing for a satisfying development of the tense relationships between the three children, Talen proving the main source of disruption – distrusting Fleapit and Mekki and reacting poorly to what he sees as Zelia’s bossiness. It’s an effective continuation of the story, upping the stakes with additional tension between characters and the introduction of new enemies, building up to a breathless escape and a teasing cliffhanger.
Secrets of the Tau
No longer being chased by implacable, force-of-nature villains or trapped with their backs against the wall, in book 3 the gang get a little time to breathe, experience a bit more of the galaxy and properly interact with new characters and members of another species. The frontier station they find themselves on is a bit like Precipice from Blackstone Fortress, offering all sorts of interesting opportunities to explore the wild variety of 40k life, and allows Scott to touch on a key 40k theme of Imperial xenophobia. Interactions with the Tau inevitably bring up the Imperial anti-xenos philosophy, but the children have already developed strong bonds with the Jokaero Fleapit and naturally question what they see. It might be a tricky topic for youngsters to grasp (or parents, for that matter), but it’s appropriate to the setting and handled sensitively, and adds an interesting new element to the characters and the narrative. That notwithstanding, this sees the characters continuing to variously clash and bond, and nicely kicks off the next stage of their adventure.
Three books in, the series is developing a nice episodic structure with a gradual development of the key characters’ relationships as they face and overcome challenges and learn more about each other. It’s exactly what you want from a series like this aimed at young readers – action, adventure, bonds of friendship and rivalry, great illustrations, the lot. If you’re an existing 40k fan then there are a few things you’ll need to take with a pinch of salt, but approach these with their target audience in mind and there’s plenty to enjoy for older readers too – not least a few flashes of old-school 40k lore. Whatever your age, these are pacy, entertaining stories featuring strong characters, a great sense of adventure and an accessible interpretation of 40k as a setting.
Click this link to buy Claws of the Genestealer (or this one for the audiobook).
Click this link to buy Secrets of the Tau (or this one for the audiobook).