REVIEW: A Dirge for Cascius: Part 1 by Calum Lott
Calum Lott pushes boundaries and shatters expectations in A Dirge for Cascius: Part 1, a dark, mind-bending and emotionally challenging epic sci-fantasy murder mystery that is somehow both wildly alien and relatably human.
Stricken with grief and completely in the grips of his crippling addiction to reliving his trauma and sorrow, 200-year-old Cascius Carcyde is not the fearsome scrutineer he once was. But when a new string of murders starts threatening the entire Valsollas Galaxy, he is forced to pull himself back from the ever-tempting brink of death one last time. Together with his reluctantly assigned new partner, Cascius is thrown headfirst into a harrowing journey full of ancient schemes, deadly action, and devastating revelations, yet ultimately his own inner demons might just be the most dangerous threat in the universe.
Now, I have no shame in admitting that A Dirge for Cascius challenged me in ways that I could never have anticipated. Lott takes a very bold sink-or-swim approach to his storytelling that shouldn’t feel unfamiliar to fans of Malazan: Book of the Fallen or the Dark Souls video games. And honestly, with the help of the extensive glossary and some skillful context clues, I somehow (if a bit ungracefully) doggy paddled my way to the end without drowning, and the pay-off was more than worth it.
On top of that, Lott doesn’t shy away from exploring the darkest depths of the mind, tackling heavy topics of depression, addiction, grief, (war) trauma, and suicidal ideation. Even though I personally always felt a slight emotional disconnect from the characters, I did really enjoy how intimately familiar we got with both the bloody history of this world as well as with Cascius’ devastating personal backstory through flashbacks (Recalls) and metaphysical visits to the past (sceluspaces). Especially Cascius’ rough mental health struggles are almost too frighteningly well written, and I deeply appreciated the authentically messy depiction of his attempts at healing; the back and forth, the self-sabotaging, the desperate hope, the inevitable relapses… it all hit scarily close to home for me.
And yet, for all that this story is so dense, complex, bleak and heavy, I was surprised at how easily I found myself blazing through the pages. From the very first chapter, there’s just this alluring sense of mystery and intrigue, and Lott’s excitingly wild imagination immediately had me completely enthralled. A Dirge for Cascius is just exploding with inventive concepts, unique races, and shocking revelations, which is exactly what makes it such a dangerously addictive pageturner.
Moreover, I really enjoyed the unconventional and weirdly amusing dynamic between our main detective duo of Cascius and the Illuavan Kirella, who are both way too cunning and smart for their own good. In a way, they almost have a bit of a grumpy/sunshine vibe going on between them, and I loved how their culture clashing and razor-sharp snarky banter added some much welcomed levity into the narrative. Their slowly (and begrudgingly) developing friendship ends up becoming such a strong grounding force throughout this increasingly insane journey, which I personally really latched onto amidst all the chaos and destruction.
Though speaking of chaos, I do have to admit that there were points in A Dirge for Cascius where I almost lost the plot. This entire whirlwind of a story takes place over a day or two (though, there is some time fuckery because *sci-fi*), and sometimes the pacing and character/relationship development felt a bit off to me. Also, while I think it is incredibly admirable how Lott balanced and interwove the core murder mystery with all the inventive futuristic concepts and the intricate history of this galaxy, some of the revelations admittedly fell a bit flat for me because I couldn’t grasp the full implications.
All that said, there is no denying that A Dirge for Cascius is one of the most ambitious and impressive debuts I have ever read, and I think any struggles I had with it were more a case of ‘it’s not you, it’s me’. This is simply not an easy breezy popcorn read, but it absolutely shines in its bold uniqueness if you are dedicated to putting in the brain power, trust, and patience. And after that pulse-pounding and revelatory ending, I’ll bet you’ll feel utterly gratified and start desperately counting down the days for the conclusion to this insanely epic duology.
While A Dirge for Cascius: Part 1 is absolutely unlike anything I have encountered before, I think fans of Christopher Ruocchio, James S.A. Corey, Robert Jackson Bennett, and Pierce Brown (in the second era of Red Rising) will find much to love here. It has both exhilarating action and stirring emotion, it perfectly balances horror with heart, and the jaw-dropping cool-factor is truly out of this world; so yes, please go ahead and judge this book based on its cover, because I guarantee that the story inside is even better than its stunning outsides might have you believe.
Thank you to the author for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. A Dirge for Cascius: Part 1 is scheduled for release on August 2nd, 2024.
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