The third instalment of the Space Marine Conquests series, War of Secrets sees Phil Kelly explore the integration of Primaris Marines into the ever-secretive, antagonistic Dark Angels Chapter. In battle against the t’au on the industrial world of Saltire Vex, Lieutenant Xedro Farren and his Primaris brothers find the Dark Angels under Interrogator-Chaplain Zaeroph to be less than welcoming. It’s not long before Farren sees hints of an ulterior mission and another shadowy enemy, whom Zaeroph will do anything to catch. Meanwhile within the ranks of the t’au a separate conflict is brewing, and loyalties on both sides are questioned.
There’s real ambition here, as Kelly tackles multiple interesting concepts within the context of a smart, surprisingly complex plot. Things start off feeling quite straightforward but as we gradually learn more about both sides – including some juicy detail on the t’au Fourth Sphere Expansion – it becomes clear that there’s plenty we’re not being told about what’s really going on. It’s as pacy and action-packed as you’d expect, and there’s lots to enjoy just seeing how Farren and his Primaris Marines fight, at once both familiar and strange to anyone used to reading about Space Marines. There’s even some cool action scenes later on from a t’au perspective, albeit an unusual one, and while the overall emphasis is on the Dark Angels we spend quite a lot of time with the t’au, which adds weight to them as interesting, unusual antagonists.
The Primaris are the key, however, and they’re often as interesting away from the action, as Kelly explores how they interact with each other and their relationship with the Chapter, emphasising that these are much more than just bigger and stronger versions of Space Marines. In the dynamic between Farren and his men – complete with entertainingly human-feeling banter and an endearing sense of naivety – there’s a real feeling that the Primaris are fundamentally different to their ‘regular’ counterparts, which is hammered home as events unfurl. It will come as little surprise to learn that the Dark Angels don’t look too kindly upon what they consider Guilliman’s imposition of the Primaris upon them, but Kelly does a good job of tying their treatment of Farren and his men into the wider questions of loyalty that always hang over this particular chapter.
This is a real goldmine of fascinating details and ideas, about both the Primaris Marines and the t’au, but thankfully that doesn’t come at the expense of a good story. To get the most out of some of the concepts you probably need to be fairly well up on ‘current’ 40k lore, but even if not it should be easy enough to follow, and grasp most of the detail. There are moments where the writing feels a touch clunky, including a slightly forced last-act decision, and some of the supporting characters – on both sides – are a little under-developed, especially the true antagonist of the story who’s essential to the plot but lacks a little personality and motivation. Those are minor issues, however, and as a whole it hangs together really well as a gripping, entertaining and faction-appropriate story. Hardcore Space Marine fans might begrudge how much attention the t’au get considering the series this is part of, but look past that and it’s clear that this is a smart, well-plotted and very, very interesting story that should appeal to all 40k readers, not just Dark Angels fans.
