Shadowsun: The Last of Kiru's Line (Book Review)

As with the last book review this is posted in full on http://thefoundingfields.com 

Shadowsun: The Last of Kiru’s Line is a novella which could have easily worked but failed due to the direction it took. As an isolated short story it is adequate. Nothing exceptionally outstanding but fine for a few read throughs. As a character piece on the other hand, as the first book to have both a tau protagonist and show things from their perspective since Fire Warrior, it falls short of the mark. You can see the talent there, you can see the reasoning behind Braden Campbell’s decisions, you can see why the story was written in this way, but for all that there are big flaws in what he’s writing.

The story this time follows the commander’s attempts expanding the Empire further into the Imperium during the Third Sphere Expansion. Despite previous successes against the backwater human worlds, the tau fleet is hit by a surprise attack which cripples Shadowsun’s flagship and leaves her stranded on the planet below. With limited supplies, few troops and an encroaching Imperial Guard force hounding her every step, she must take an unlikely route to victory. Yet a greater decision hangs over her. With the death of her siblings in recent conflicts and the last of her line, she must decide between leaving to continue her bloodline or continue her service furthering the Greater Good.

The problems mentioned above are exemplified in its characters. Like Fire Warrior the novella makes the point of distinguishing between the human and aliens involved with multiple differences and distinguishing traits to differ them from one another. At the same time they’re written to be their own characters as much as possible within the short story. While not featuring the most diverse ensemble of figures despite the setting, with perhaps five in total present, there is a feeling of the book trying to use them to create a layered story within the space allowed.