And what about the Hivers, the strange six-limbed creatures who dominate dozens of other races within their Hive Federation? Why do they treat their offspring so strangely? Does their incredible intelligence translate to wisdom? Or does their lust to manipulate others represent a threat to the Imperium?

Also described are three minor races: the Hiver's laughing mercenaries, the Ithklur; the tiny nocturnal Lithkind; and the fluorine-breathing Inheritors, who inhabit a Dyson sphere created by the Ancients.