“She had a dead god to raise, and a living god to kill, and she could do neither of those things, if she was dead herself…”
It’s very difficult to understand non-human culture.
It’s even more difficult to explore alien goals and motivations. Mike Brooks is a well-known master of such things. He writes about orks and these books are very interesting to read. His novel “Lion, Son of Forest” is praised by every Warhammer 40000 fan, because it’s so good.
So, I decided to read his book about Drukhari, these sadistic, violent creatures, that torture and kill other living beings to tame their thirst. Lelith Hesperax is not an ordinary Drukhari, she is he Queen of Knives (quite obvious, it’s written in the title), the most dangerous Drukhari in the Universe.
The novel takes not a very big period of time and explores one episode in Lelith’s life. The eternal ruler of Commorragh, Drikhari city of terror, wants Lelith back. She left Commorragh to travel with Yvraine as her bodyguard, and that’s something inacceptable for Asdrubael Vect, so he sends a troupe of Harlequins to Lelith to force her to return to the Dark City. She fights the Harlequin leader, wins and returns to Commorragh, because rumors say that her clan isn’t as strong as it was before.
That’s the introduction, the rest of the book takes place in Commorragh. And if you want to know more about the plot, you need to read a book, because I won’t tell you not even a word about events.
What I liked
The combat and action scenes are just mesmerizing. Every move, every punch, kick or dash are described in cinematographic details. I liked how we were introduced into Commorragh, how unthinkable and twisted the city is. The show scene in the Crow’s Palace is a perfect representation of Drukhari “culture” and lifestyle. The attack on the craftworld was described very colorfully and vividly. The last battle scene was bloody and tense.
I liked the presence and mentioning in the book of other Warhammer 40000 races. That helped me keeping in mind that I’m reading not a separated piece of fiction, but just a glimpse of a huge universe. I was really happy to see Votann in the book.
What could be better
The intriguing and politicing in Commorragh should be more sophisticating (I think so) and I’d like to see more of this in the book. Also I’d also like to see more Harlequins, as these fraction is one of my favourites.
What I didn’t like
The constant reminders how perfect Lelith is and how dangerous and skillful and independent she is. For me that was over the top. And the overall pacing was a bit off. Some moments (craftworld) were just fantastic, some (Yvraine scenes) felt like placeholders.
Conclusion
In general, I liked Lelith. That was exactly what I was expecting from the book with a couple of “buts”. If you are a fan of the Warhammer 40000 universe in general and Drukhari and/or Mike Brooks in particular, then it’s a definite must-read. Otherwise, it’s on you to decide. If you want a numerical evaluation, then it’s about 7/10. Not bad, but has a potential to be better.
You can buy yourself a book by following the link: https://amzn.to/3UJfY3R