If the earlier novels in the series set the tone for Warhammer Crime and the broad brushstrokes of life in Varangantua， the later stories go in for the granular。 Grim Repast is no exception- case in point， where Bloodlines etc used the dataveil as a plot element， this book opens with surgery to maintain it’s required implant。 All of these factors combine to add a plausibility and real ness to the setting。 Alecto has a long history but it’s becoming increasingly clear that it is very much like th If the earlier novels in the series set the tone for Warhammer Crime and the broad brushstrokes of life in Varangantua， the later stories go in for the granular。 Grim Repast is no exception- case in point， where Bloodlines etc used the dataveil as a plot element， this book opens with surgery to maintain it’s required implant。 All of these factors combine to add a plausibility and real ness to the setting。 Alecto has a long history but it’s becoming increasingly clear that it is very much like the Imperium itself， a contradictory mix of stagnation and momentum， doomed but carried forward by necessity。 The decline of Varangantua is a thread that runs through this novel; past glories are alluded to but the everyday reality is of a city left behind full of people striving to restore them or at least hold back the decline as best they can。In terms of structure， Grim Repast hits the traditional genre narrative beats perfectly- PoV from victim， detective visits the crime scene， scopes the neighbourhood， and autopsy are all ticked off in the first quarter， and it’s really satisfying reading these mainstays transposed to the grim darkness of the far future; it almost feels as if Collins is easing the reader into the strangeness of Varangantua， because once these conventions have been ticked off the 40k-ness gets turned up to 11。There has been some debate as to what makes the imprint ‘Warhammer’ beyond the bare bones of the setting。 As well as the aforementioned societal decline， this story is very much influenced by the looming presence of the Imperial Cult and perhaps more than anything is shot through with the ridiculous scale that 40k occupies。 A million deaths remain a statistic， but Drake treats each individual one as a tragedy against a backdrop of many such statistics。 It’s beautifully dark featuring some of the grimmest and most unpleasant details I’ve read within or outside the confines of BL。 Drask is an interesting character; already an outsider in his profession and haunted by the trauma of his debut story but every inch the hard boiled investigator。 Humourless， driven and far beyond contemporary morality， minor acts of chivalry aside， Drask is unpleasant company。 Unlike Wraight’s Zidarov or Hayley’s Noctis though， for all his flaws he doesn’t seem to have any redeeming characteristics or， to be honest， much by way of charisma- but why should he？ Wholly devoted to the Lex and shaped by his unorthodox mentor， Drask doesn’t need to wisecrack or have interests beyond work to be interesting。 More than anything， Grim Repast recalls the work of Dan Abnett- and in terms of 40k fiction， I’m not sure if there’s a higher compliment。 Collins is finding his own authorial voice， but this book has the feel of Abnett’s Inquisition novels， from the way Polaris is portrayed to to the subversion of expectations and the structure of the book。 A glorious full debut。 。。。more