Despite its bland, misleading title, Peter Fehervari’s debut Black Library novel Fire Caste is a captivating tale of damaged, haunted characters spiralling into hell. The Imperium and the T’au Empire are locked in an endless stalemate over the planet Phaedra, into which stumble the 19th Arkan Confederates, still haunted by the trauma of their world’s recent rebellion. Commissar Holt Iverson – twisted and troubled from years spent on Phaedra, sees in the Confederates the possibility of redemption. The Confederates, however, are soon suffering under the troubling influence of Phaedra and find themselves drawn ever deeper into the tangled conflict taking place.
From the very beginning, as Iverson’s tortured journal entries weave in and out of a complex but fascinating narrative, it’s clear that this is a dark and twisted story whose characters are haunted by ghosts of the past, and where Phaedra herself has a palpable presence. There’s a vivid sense of endless conflict, achingly appropriate to 40k but condensed into a single horrifying setting, and a large but beautifully handled cast of damaged but very human characters, all running from or to something. Fehervari’s characters draw from familiar sources, not least in the American Civil War stylings of the Confederates, but that familiarity is juxtaposed with a deep-rooted sense of darkness. This is 40k, but only just – they’re a long way from the usual depictions of Guardsmen, from the almost symbiotic relationship between Colonel Ensor Cutler and the witch (just about a sanctioned psyker) Skjoldis to the twisted take on the Imperial Creed espoused by another regiment, the Lethean Penitents.
It’s a story that needs to be given a little time – soak up the atmosphere and the details of these characters and wait for the multiple strands to converge, after which it all comes together into a horrifying, fascinating story of incredible scope. Horrifying is often the word, with some genuinely disturbing imagery – largely relating to Phaedra’s natural (well…) threats – although while it lends the book rather more of a horror vibe than most Black Library titles, it never dominates. It’s clear that a huge amount of thought has gone into every element here, not just with the vivid tone of the story or the variety and depth of the characters’ cultures and backstories, but also with the twisting, slowly-unravelling plot. Many of those elements cleverly subvert 40k norms (a standout being the Lethean Penitents’ credo ‘The Emperor Condemns’), contributing to an overall feeling that this is 40k as you’ve never quite seen before.
What’s important to be aware of that this IS NOT a T’au story, despite the title – they’re a crucial component to the narrative, but there are very few T’au characters and it’s more about the spiritual, philosophical contrast between the Imperium and the T’au Empire. That contrast is carefully woven into the story rather than being hammered home, as Fehervari explores the fringes of what’s normally seen in 40k fiction. It’s really not going to be for everyone – if you’re after a simple, straightforward action story then this is not the book for you. If, however, you’re looking for a complex, slow-burning tale with conflicted characters, a gripping sense of darkness and an intriguing connection to Fehervari’s other work, then this should be top of your list. Fehervari deserves to be much better known than he is, as this is right up there with the best that Black Library has to offer.
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