A Dirge For Cascius: Part 1 marks the start to the eponymous science fantasy duology, an imaginative novel written by the Aussie author Calum Lott. With a story that could be pitched as a blend between True Detective and Hyperion, we can dive deep into one of the most original worldbuildings I've recently read while becoming spectators of a masterclass on breaking down a character.

200-year-old Cascius Carcyde is stricken with grief and self-pity, in the grip of the addiction to relieve his trauma; he's definitely far from the scrutineer he was. When a string of murders starts happening, threatening to subsume the whole Valsollas galaxy in chaos, he doesn't have an alternative than taking the call to action and hopefully, goes far from those sinister thoughts that are constantly with him. As he's not the one he used to be, a new partner is assigned to him to be the counterpart in this journey that will take Cascius to discover ancient schemes and harrowing revelations for Valsollas.

Despite this being a murder mystery story, Lott decides to play in a similar way to Disco Elysium, making a really extensive exploration through Cascius' mind at the same time the plot is being developed. He's not afraid of touching the darkest parts of the mind, especially related to depression and trauma, and how those factors can be the entrance door to self-destructive patterns, such as the addiction that the main character has.
In that regard, we can consider Cascius' partner as a counterpart, and most importantly, the way to project a different light over what's happening with Cascius. Coming from a totally different cultural background, it puts another point of view into the case and some of Cascius' problems, developing a big bond with him, and fighting for his life.

Apart from the own exploration of characters, the other aspect that out stands in Lott's novel is how original is the worldbuilding. At some point, I thought about describing it like a galaxy whose design was made under a hallucinogenic fungi effect, but to be fair, that wouldn't make it justice. You will find yourself confused at the start, and at many points, you just need to trust the author and continue reading, as most of the things end being explained in the way science-fantasy does sometimes; pretty much a "find, I left many hints" process.
While I love many of those characteristics, it is true that the pacing is quite irregular at points, especially due to how timeline is built; you can feel it drags a bit, but I can see that as a first novel thing.

If you are looking for a science fantasy which goes deep into the murder mystery while working on its characters in the style of Disco Elysium, A Dirge for Cascius: Part 1 is an excellent choice. A bold debut, which makes me wonder what Lott has still under the sleeve for the final Part 2.