Vampires aside, this is my favorite Gotrek & Felix novel in the series thus far. Slower paced, but all the elements and arcs felt balanced and well utilized. A grimdark adventure that appreciaties its themes enough to maintain a sense of gravity, but not so serious as to shy away from cheese. A few of the dialogues and monologues are a bit long winded, but they are engaging enough to bring a bit of life, or unlife, to both the characters and setting. The romance is still lacking, and Ulrika continues to spend much of the story sleeping, but at least there is a romance or two.
I rather enjoyed King's vampires, though they land flatter than they deserve. I wish Felix were more reflective in this novel, as he as he used to be in earlier in the series. There are some meaningful conversations to be had here, but Felix proves about as shallow and dense as he deems his Slayer companions to be.
At times, the vampire narratives approach telling surprisingly engaging queer narratives. Almost.