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Content snapshot
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Violence
Some
Crime investigation; some violence in the context of the leviathan war; murders
Language
Some
Adult language in keeping with the detective register
Sexual Content
Barely any
No significant sexual content
Substance Use
None
No substance use
Emotional Intensity
Some
The psychological weight of serving an empire whose survival depends on augmented humans
What this book is about
Dinios Kol, aide to the remarkable investigator Ana Dolabra, arrives on the Wetlands coast of the Empire of Khanum to find a senior officer has been killed by a tree that grew through him overnight. Augmented humans and strange fungi are the usual tools of the empire's war against the massive leviathans that assault the shores—but this death is something else. Bennett's detective fantasy is a masterclass in worldbuilding delivered through action: the world reveals itself as Kol solves the mystery, and the mystery has implications for the war itself.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
Crime investigation with some gory details
Large-scale monster threat in the background
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