Reviews

The Necromancer's House by Christopher Buehlman

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whattamess's review

5.0

I've never read a book where magic was done like this. Horrifying and creative. Christopher Buehlman twisted my mind and took me for a ride.

againanew's review against another edition

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dark tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I was planning on 3.75 stars here because I had a very difficult time understanding what was going on at the beginning of this book... but by the end of it/the big showdown I was thoroughly enjoying the action. Now anything less than 4 seems unfair. Very creative scenarios and world building, well written, and excellent character development. I find a storyline much more interesting when the main characters have both good and bad elements to them, flaws.... Just makes it all the more realistic.

Content Warnings

warwriter1939's review against another edition

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2.0

Weird. Didn't finish because the author did something in the middle of the book which I thought he shouldn't have done...and that made me throw it across the room. Well-written, enjoyed the use of omniscient POV.

mbpm's review against another edition

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4.0

A breath of brisk, refreshing air. Imaginative world-building and style elevate this book above the hordes of lesser urban fantasy.

fiatpeek's review against another edition

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dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

guido_the_nature_guide's review against another edition

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3.0

Pretty good, but back story is perfunctory. Also docked 1/2 star for disparaging Iowa not once, not twice, but thrice. If you grew up there, Christophe the Insultor*, you would have carte blanche, but otherwise you are allowed a maximum of two stereotype swipes per group per book. Feel free to slam Floridians** all you want, except that Carl Hiaasen has already cornered the market on that state's craziness.

* Buehlman's comedy club persona
** Buehlman is a Floridian [all of whom, unless Seminole, are transplants]

audklem's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional tense medium-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

dfgarrison's review against another edition

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4.0

Well I did not like this book to start with...the writing style bugged the hell out of me...I kept reading because I wanted to know more about the characters and the situation the book presented...glad I did the writing grew on me and I loved it.

diziet's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

t took me a couple of chapters to get into the story. I stated the book several months ago and stalled. So I tired again. Once I became familiar with the sometimes brusque narration style and characters I enjoyed the story.

All the characters are interesting and the main characters are complex, with both good and bad in personal history. Struggling with addiction and loss.

The baddie Baba Yaga is truly scary. The demon is kinda fun at times (the chapter when it shows up in group chat is a good chuckle). Salvador the dog is sweet and tragic - and his ending chapter is very touching.

Story develops with an initial slower pace so you get to know all the characters - and get invested in them. So the last action filled part is tense and exciting and you are not quite sure who will come out on top.

The world building is excellent, a bit like the John Wick universe - but with wizards and witches, who are kinda ordinary underneath it all and just muddling through like most of us. Story wrapped up nicely and with good ending.

And who would have thought a hut on chicken feet was so scary!

weirdow's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Fun story, interesting magic (more on the fun side than a full magic system), good writing and story progression, and Baba Yaga/Russian folklore. The characters having... unsavory...flaws does make some sense in context but I think the pedophilia backstory was unnecessary and didn't add to the character or plot; it would have still been inappropriate and added the same character depth if they were both adults in the same situation. I disliked the animal violence, but it was at least in theme with the book, characters, and situations.
Spoilers: I think the ending was grasping at something that could have been cool if the author had spent more time exploring concepts of gender, non standard/poly relationships, attraction, and sexuality. Without more depth it felt like it mostly invalidated the queer character. Plus more sort of pedophilia (bit of an immortal born pretty yesterday trope, with specific mention of looking underage) that felt unnecessary here too. Meh.
What I think was supposed to be a magic addiction analogy never quite got there for me with how it paired with alcoholism.

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