The House of Night and Chain

Despite the fantastic writing the author was able to showcase with this horror and supernatural read, there just something about this novel that was hard to indulge myself in thus my lack of connection to the story. There wasn't anything horrid about it and could easily see how some readers would flock to it but this just wasn't for me.

This was very hard to get into and it could just be that the style of writing wasn’t for me although it is very beautiful. It reminds me of a very grandiose Castlevania. It’s fascinating but also confusing but I can see it doing very well with a certain crowd.

Thank you very much to Netgalley and the publisher.

This book was by no means bad, I mostly enjoyed reading it. It just wasn't special or memorable in any real way. I was in no way ever scared when reading this, even though its marketed as a horror novel. I always felt disconnected and distant from the characters when I would have liked to feel like I'm a part of his insanity instead of a disconnected observer. The only thing I was really bothered by was the authors overuse of similes, I would have liked to know what something is instead of what its like.

I'm also not very familiar with the warhammer universe. You don't need to be in order to read this book but it might help.

I received a digital advanced reader copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was just okay in my opinion. I felt like I had a hard time connecting to it even though I so desperately wanted to dive right in.

David Annandale has a wonderful and unique writing style but I just really couldn't get into this story. I felt like an outsider reading a story that was being read by someone else (if that makes any sense).

The plot was very confusing, but I powered through it anyway and everything seemed to explain itself later on. I was by no means a bad book I enjoyed my time with it, it just wasnt a story that really hit a home run for me. I can understand why other people really loved it thought.

This review will be posted on www.featheredfables.wordpress.com closer to the publication date.

Even if I found hard to connect to the book it's well written. Unfortunately it's not my cup of tea and it didn't keep my attention.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

I received this from Netgalley for review, and WOW!!! I am a HUGE Warhammer 40k fan, and I am thrilled now for the Horror line. This book did not disappoint let me say from the get go. Extremely well written, with that amazing Warhammer feel and engulfing story line. The characters are excellently developed. The storyline is absolutely riveting and engrossing and very well paced.
This is a must have for all Warhammer 40k fans, and especially the Warhammer Horror fans! Am so glad I got to review the ARC of this, I can not wait to see more in this horror line.

The House of Night and Chain by David Annandale is the latest in the Warhammer Horror series, and it seriously nails that core concept. This is a tale that will give you chills and thrills. Perfect for this time of the year, no?
The House of Malveil must always have a master. And there is always a Strock to fill the position. Colonel Maeson Strock was of the Astra Militarum, until he was given orders to come back home and put his home planet, Valgaast back into order. Little did he know the chain of events his homecoming would begin.
The House of Night and Chain reads like a Lovecraftian horror set within the realm of Warhammer. It made for a uniquely enthralling tale, set in a universe full of lore and curiosity.

“There was no mercy to be had here, no concessions.”

The House of Night and Chain was a dark and delicious read. Set on a bleak planet, this tale unravels steadily, revealing the true horror of the House of Malveil, and all within it. Like any Warhammer tale, there is more than meets the eye.
The mystery of the House of Malveil was immediately hinted at within these pages, but it took much longer to get a full understanding of what was truly happening. And that sort of writing makes for the best of horror tales, I think we can all agree.
Colonel Maeson Strock was an interesting main perspective. He had a tortured history, even if he would never put it in those words. He survived something that many others didn't, and was clearly suffering from survivors guilt thanks to it. That coupled with his family history, the loss of his wife, and so much more...and it's no wonder he's got a complex relationship with his home and everything that stands as a reminder to his past life.
A good psychological horror leaves breadcrumbs for the readers – chances for us to see behind the curtain, so to speak. And The House of Night and Chain wasn't afraid to leave a glimpse or two, as needed. It was never too much...just enough to let us know that our protagonist was a less than reliable avenue of information.
On the whole, I really enjoyed reading the House of Night and Chain. I'm starting to think that the horror side of Warhammer is my favorite, but that might just be my bias thanks to what time of year it is (who doesn't love a horror novel around Halloween?).
I'm looking forward to seeing what the next novel in this collection will be. I think no matter what planet they choose to visit next, I'm going to end up enjoying it.

Horrific influences and elements permeate every facet of the Warhammer Universe–from the old World of Warhammer Fantasy, to the Realms of Age of Sigmar, and on to the grimdark future of Warhammer 40,000. From the terrifying machinations of Chaos gods, to the ravenous chitterings of Warp creatures ready to feast on febrile minds, terror is everywhere. So, it was only natural that The Black Library launch its own Horror line (an umbrella under which stories which transpire in the multitudinous Warhammer settings can be told). One of the first full-length novels released under this imprint is The House of Night and Chain, by David Annandale; which I’ll be reviewing today.

The House of Night and Chain takes the standard ‘haunted, sentient house’ template, and customizes it for the 40K universe. It follows an Astra Militarum colonel named Maeson Strock, who is ‘put out to pasture’ following a horrifyingly pyrrhic victory against the endless swarms of the Tyranids on a planet called Clostrum. Being a descendent of the ruling family on his home planet of Solus, Strock is charged with assuming the Lord-Governorship. Through this position, Strock is to quell the rampant corruption festering on Solus, perpetuated by the other ruling families.

The heart of the Strock fortune is a mineral-rich hill; whose deposits granted the family their ascendency. At the center of this property is the imposing estate of Malveil. Within Malveil’s foreboding walls, Maeson’s predecessor lost his mind. And, it was from Malveil’s heights that Maeson’s wife, Eliana, leapt to her death.

See, as in all good haunted house stories, Malveil has a malevolent sentience all its own. It calls the Strock’s home, to fulfill their obligations as stewards of Solus; and then, it slowly asserts its dominance over them.


Characters
The House of Night and Chain is told in the first-person POV of our protagonist, Maeson Strock. Annandale’s core focus with the books is on Maeson, and his slow, deliberate decline into madness. Considering this, he’s done a commendable job fleshing out this character. Maeson is haunted by his past ‘failures’ (the pyrrhic win at Clostrum, the loss of his wife, his estrangement from his children), and yet he approaches his new duties on Solus with the consummate professionalism of a lifelong military man.

Annandale does a masterful job charting Strock’s decline. We go from watching his successful attempts to combat and stamp out the embedded corruption, dodging assassination attempts, and trying to reconcile with his children, to bearing witness to his grasp on sanity become more and more tenuous as Malveil asserts its devious nature. Whispers, and laughter of children long gone are heard around every corner. Glimpses of things which should not appear. Endless passages, and a constant sense of foreboding.

A major catalyst in Strock’s mental decline is his wife, Eliana; who is fleshed out primarily in epistolary format via a discovered journal. Through its entries, which depict a woman becoming increasingly unhinged by Malveil’s machinations, we can chart a distinct parallel with Strock’s experience. Malveil calls, claims, then owns.

Eliana’s story is another tragedy; a formidable woman, she did what she felt was right, serving as her husband’s political proxy in his absence, paying the ultimate price.

Secondary characters include Strock’s now adult children, two close friends/confidants, and a primary rival among the ruling families. All of these characters are compelling; just I wish we could have seen more of them. This is understandably difficult; as the story is told from Strock’s point of view, and said viewpoint becomes increasingly myopic as Malveil’s tendrils tighten.

Finally, the primary antagonist of the story is Malveil itself. In Malveil, Annandale has created a delightfully diabolical entity. While the causal factors of Malveil’s evil are easy to predict, the execution is spot-on, keeping the reader invested.

Action
When one thinks of haunted house yarns, the term ‘action-packed’ rarely comes to mind. With that in mind; I must say that Annandale does an exemplary job of integrating blistering 40K elements with traditional haunted house proceedings. The Clostrum flashbacks are insanely frantic, urgent, and terrifying. Annandale, a longtime kaiju fan, is excellent at depicting the truly monstrous aspects of the Tyranids.

There are also a few setpieces; attempts on Strock’s life, which are presented quite well. Particularly of note is one involving a bridge collapse; the magnitude of which is conveyed so convincingly that I felt it was transpiring before my eyes.

Also, when House of Night and Chain reaches its climax, there are a few brutal action scenes as well; bloody, brutal, and horrifyingly satisfying.

Overall Writing Style
In the past, Annandale has been a bit hit or miss for me. I’ve always said; there’s three topics he excels at: Faith (or crises thereof), Horror, and Kaiju/Monsters (for an excellent story which combines all three masterfully, I’ll always recommend his story The Conversion, from the Kaiju Rising anthology).

That being said, because of his passion for horror, Annandale is one of the few Black Library authors that I was truly looking forward to a Warhammer Horror entry from. And, I’m happy to say, he does not disappoint at all. The mechanics for a solid haunted house yarn are here. Annandale knows how to plant, and cultivate fear, unease, and terror. There is no sense of safety. Hell, there is no sense of sanity. We, the audience, are kept in the dark just as much as Maeson Strock is, and this guarantees a bizarre, discomfiting ride in the latter portions of the book.

Annandale knows when to keep the terror subtle, and when to showcase the blood-soaked, the gruesome. This is an extremely tough balance to strike, so kudos to Annandale on doing it proficiently.

There are, however, a few quibbles that I have with The House of Night and Chain. The first has to do with some of the character descriptions. Many of the characters are initially described in ways to portray them as either horrifying or bizarre; i.e. a personal driver/guard whose lower body is a continuous track system, the full back brace which restricts his daughter to a severe rigidity, his son’s slovenly figure, molded by a life of decadence. Of particular note is Montfor, Strock’s archenemy on the Council, who has a face which is literally rotting away.

My point is that these physical aspects should have been played upon in every encounter Strock has with these characters. So much in horror is predicated upon what generates unease; especially in everyday situations. Physical appearances (especially the hideously warped), reinforce this motif. They were introduced for a reason; ergo, they should have been utilized more.

Another (very minor) issue is with a sense of scale. To be fair, this affects a lot of sci-fi works, so it’s not limited to this book. Everything in this book has a very ‘local’ feel, although the events are supposed to have global ramifications. And yet, all of the critical decisions of a mineral-rich world transpire within a close, ramshackle area. It doesn’t feel right. In the end, it feels as though Strock is less a planetary governor, and more the governor of Valgaast (the region where the story takes place) alone.

Again, a minor complaint, but still.

Final Thoughts
Simply put, Annandale hit it out of the park with The House of Night and Chain. This is a story which is, in turns, exhilarating, terrifying, and heart-wrenching. Annandale marries campfire horror with grimdark military sci-fi to yield a blood-curdling tale of consummate terror.

Highly recommended.

Wounded, traumatised, widowed and grieving, Colonel Maeson Strock returns to the agri-world of Solus to take up the governorship, and the city of Valgaast to take up residence in his family’s ancestral seat, Malveil. Duty-bound to stamp out the growing corruption in the ruling council and determined to rebuild his fragmented family upon Solus, Maeson soon finds himself drawn into a sinister mystery with Malveil at its heart.

It’s a story rooted in the Imperium and which couldn’t quite exist outside of 40k, but that quintessential 40k-ness works best when it’s providing the backdrop, not front and centre. For as long as Maeson questions what he’s seeing and Annandale focuses on what-ifs, this remains if not jump-scary then delightfully creepy and enjoyably ambiguous. The ghosts of Maeson’s past and the ensnaring presence of Malveil combine to great effect, and the personal, everyday nature of the characters gives proceedings an emotional weight that’s often lacking from Warhammer stories. It’s a breath of fresh air for 40k, an atmospheric story which plays to Annandale’s strengths and captures the essential darkness of the setting, leaving the reader suitably, satisfyingly unsettled.

The House of Night and Chain is the type of book you will either love or just find decent. There isn't anything horrid about the book, it is just the style of writing that you will like it not.

The first time I have read 40K horror in novella form. The book starts of with a feeling of foreboding and we get to see a character dealing with elements that can at times be so relatable as well as relevant even in one’s own life. Good writing in my opinion. Thank you Net Galley for accepting my request to read this. It was great.