A review by omnombailey
Pariah by Dan Abnett

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I'm not a 40k fan and all I know about it is based on memes my bf (who is a 40k fan and bought me this book) has shared with me. I was able to follow the book mostly fine, but a ton of hyper-specific details and Easter Eggs went right over my head. It was still a fun read and I came to really enjoy Beta and Renner by the end. There were a few plot points I wasn't a fan of (

really didn't like how nothing was done with Judika and then he's killed off

) and I skimmed 80% of the fight scenes bc they dragged on too long and read like bad shonen anime action scenes. The story really shines with it's conversations and quieter moments. I couldn't put the book down during those bits. Definitely enjoyed it overall, but I also just... couldn't really say what it was about due to the details washing over and not sinking in. Just "local girl is on the run and bad shit happens, plus tired guy has to wrangle her like a cat and fails a lot - more at 11". Would probably rate higher if I actually understood and loved 40k, but it's still a decent book in general.