I started reading Warhammer 40k books with the Horus Heresy, so this was a much different experience. More of a gothic sci-fi story than the military campaign and intrigue I was used to and expecting. Abnett’s description of the hopeless lives of the vast majority of humanity on the planets featured in this book is amazingly depressing. In a way though, that’s a success. You can almost feel the grit and taste the foul air through his words. I won’t lie, I wasn’t expecting this book to be this good.