This is a novel set in the expanded universe of a board game, and you can tell. The plot is transparently a series of fetch quests across which each character gets to demonstrate their unique skillset in combat. It absolutely feels like listening to a battle report of someone's playthrough, but that's kind of fun. I like board games and I am the kind of person who will happily watch other people playing them online, so that absolutely wasn't a problem for me.

The board game in question is Zombicide: Black Plague. I love Zombicide, but I haven't played any Black Plague, so I wondered if much of this novel set in the Z:BP universe would go over my head. Either it's a simple enough concept to grasp or the author manages to make it feel that way, because I had no trouble.

I'd say it's more of a fantasy novel than a horror, the same way that Zombicide: Planet Havoc was more sci-fi. It had more mythical creatures and medieval-style settings than you can shake a crossbow at. I liked Ratbag's Orcish dialect. I found myself much more attached to Malicious the little lizard creature than I expected to get.

It's not great, and I probably won't read it again, but this was a fun read and if you like spending time in the Zombicide universe then you'll definitely have a good time with it.