Galactic goth space fantasy - the Emperor is trying to train up a few new lictors while a hiedous beast created from a murdered planet hunts them. One of them isn't a proper lictor, is having memories that do not match volume one, and one of the other, older, lictors is trying to murder her. A clever, violent, gothy, tricksy puzzle box of a narrative that pays off in terms of plot, character and world-building at the end, and it's drenched in atmosphere and spectacularly gory.

On relisten - what an ambitious and daring headwrecker of a sequel.