Warhammer Crime: The King of the Spoil

Go on. Immerse yourself in the grim dark future of the Warhammer universe, but this time explore life as it is lived by those (often) far from the never ending war. You know you want to… 

The King of the Spoil is set in the sprawling squalor of a gang-ridden sub-district of the vast hive city of Varangantua on the planet Alecto. Forsaken by Alecto’s Enforcers, a network of gangs headed by the so-called King of the Spoil maintain control over the inhabitants, who either scrape a living working in the toxic manufactorums or fight for a place in the gang hierarchy.

Melita Voronova has carved out a life as an information broker but has fallen under the control of the powerful Valtteri cartel. When a death causes a cascade of violent events that threaten to engulf The Spoil in chaos, it is Melita who is tasked with finding the assassin. However, as she navigates her way among the rich and powerful, she begins to suspect a conspiracy.

But it is through Haska, a street gang wannabe and leader of a small crew trying to find their way in the underbelly of The Spoil, that we experience life as it is lived by the poor, exploited masses of The Spoil. Haska becomes caught up in events that send shockwaves through the districts of Varagantua, exposing the depths of the exploitation of the Haves on the Have Nots, leaving her to find an unexpected strength and purpose. 

What an adventure this was! I love a good crime novel, and this had all the necessary parts of a murder, an investigation and a (sort of) resolution. But what I really loved was how the world came to life, right from the tiniest hab to the great expanses of wasteland spreading out to the borders with the tri-districts. I wanted Haska to escape from it all, I wanted Melita to find the murderer, I wanted everything to end well. But this is the grim dark future of the Warhammer universe…