The House of Night and Chain: Warhammer Horror

It is rare that a Warhammer property goes beyond the characteristic colossal spectacle. Entire worlds swallowed by war and death. Massive unknowable hosts sworn to eternal conflict. It is the draw of the setting for some, that comical scale beyond reason or scope.The House Of Night And Chains is different. Were you to take the Warhammer aspect from it, it would still be an excellent story, well worth the read. It is a psychological horror novel, focusing on a single individual as their mind and their past comes to haunt them. It has an incredibly suspenseful tone, with evocative and emotive imagery that makes you, for lack of a better term, "feel" the novel. It is very hard to write a compelling long horror novel from a property such as Warhammer, hence why the majority of Warhammer Horror books are collections of smaller stories.The writing mimics the story and tone perfectly, as it is told from a first person perspective. It uses the confusion and dread as more than just a plot but as a style, to make certain that the reader follows in the character's logic and experiences. I have read novels which fail to do this, and to see it done in a property as famously unsubtle as Warhammer 40K is remarkable.Instead of relying upon names and characters of legend and merchandising, it uses the setting which 40K fans are familiar with as a backdrop to establish a vivid idea of the style and sensory details. Anyone who has taken a glance at Warhammer 40K knows how the setting feels, and this novel uses that with precision to make the setting pertinent but not overpowering. This is not a novel about a war on an alien planet, it is an all too familiar depiction of the tricks one's mind can play on itself.In conclusion, it is a great novel that is defined by its supremely engrossing narrative, and garnished with that 40K flare that we all know and love.

This is a well written Warhammer horror story. It fits in well with the universe, and is well done.Definitely recommend for a WH fan.

Read this story, holy crap. Very exciting, very creepy, very suspenseful. Keeps you wondering what is going to happen the whole story, and I don't want to spoil anything, so just get it and read it. Wild ride this one.

A very well-written horror story set in WH40K.

Great story. It's a slow burn but the end is worth it.

This is a fairly standard haunted house story set in the Warhammer 40K universe. Early on, an awful lot of time is spent on details of political maneuvering that is completely overshadowed and made largely irrelevant by the avalanche of events and revelations later in the book. The Warhammer 40K setting doesn’t contribute much to the story other than making local government into planetary government, substituting a cleric of the Emperor for a priest of God, and similar cosmetic tweaks. If you’re into haunted house stories you might enjoy it…I found it pretty “meh.”

If a sliced cover and smashed corner are considered "minimal signs of wear" I'd hate to see what they consider "bad" condition. This book is outright damaged.

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.

Great book and arrived earlier than expected too

Bought as a gift for my partner he loved it

The House of Night and Chain excellent tale of madness, growing paranoia and occult powers unfolding. Annandale has crafted a wonderful first person narrative whose unreliable narrator spins his circles like a maelstrom drawing the reader deeper into the mysteries of the haunted mansion. What is real, what a fantasy? As dream and reality blur together, the book becomes ever harder to put aside.David Annnadale has long been one of my favorite authors of horror in Black Library's stable, and you'll certainly find familiar themes of faith and madness here. The Warhammer Horror imprint appears to finally let him spread his wings to their full potential. The House of Night and Chain proves his talents yet again, and I'll eagerly anticipate his next Horror outing.A note on the print edition:As has been the case for previous Warhammer Horror prints, The House of Night and Chain also offers a premium look with its page edges painted green, fitting the cover design. Even though it won't be visible sitting comfortably on the shelf once finished, it certainly makes for a looker, especially in public. As with previous WHH books (which had its edges painted black or red), The House of Night and Chain also drew attention from strangers on the bus. It's not a feature you'll see all that often outside of expensive limited edition releases, but it does uplift the experience passively for sure.

Continuing my journey into the Warhammer world, this was a good, Gothic spook-fest. The protagonist was more sympathetic than those in "Dark Harvest" and "The Wicked & The Damned", so I felt more connection. As with those other books, the atmosphere builds well and you feel this constant sense of unease. It's unlikely to end well for all involved!Some of the horror scenes went a bit too OTT for my liking, but you could see it working well on screen. And the final third had me a little confused as to what was real, but I think this ties in with the state of mind of Maeson Strock.Definitely worth a read for horror aficionados and it's always a buzz for me to read about the world I used to just look at in White Dwarf magazine.

A thing that I both enjoy and think is bad about the 40k universe is the limits of what you can write about. When you have a horror story, it can be counted on that the bigger mystery is either Chaos/daemons/heretics, or aliens in the form of Tyranids and to a limited case Eldar. Trying to write a compelling story and keep the mystery is the bigger challenge for the author, and I think Annandale manages that quite well here.It follows a former Militarum Colonel returning back to his home to sort it out as the new governor. A bigger mysteri is connected to the home he lives in and the family of his. More than that I won't spoil. I like these pieces that are more character-driven and smaller in scale. Not everything has to be Black Crusade-big.