itcamefromthepage's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Listened to the audio for this and I absolutely LOVED IT.
This is framed like an old Hammer horror film with a group of people meeting in a creepy place and then telling the stories of how they got there.
The first story is a masterpiece that worked even better because it was narrated by Doug Bradley. The other two are a ton of fun and would be totally appropriate for a classic horror anthology.
Great fun, Warhammer Horror continues to surprise.
This is framed like an old Hammer horror film with a group of people meeting in a creepy place and then telling the stories of how they got there.
The first story is a masterpiece that worked even better because it was narrated by Doug Bradley. The other two are a ton of fun and would be totally appropriate for a classic horror anthology.
Great fun, Warhammer Horror continues to surprise.
trowellingbadger's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
nightshade_novels's review against another edition
4.0
The Beast in the Trenches - Once again Reynolds does a brilliant job at world-building. He builds up a really good atmosphere without relying on lengthy descriptions. I did struggle with the start of this story as it follows Commissar Valemar, who is very strict in his role, and I just kept comparing him unfavourably to Commissar Cain. But soon enough the intrigue builds and you want to find out what is actually going on. This story shows how the mind can twist any action into the right one when it is done as part of your duty.
The Woman in the Walls - Despite initially finding the main character, Vendersen, unlikable, I was soon routing for her to survive, despite being certain she wouldn't. I enjoyed this story, it is a spooky, tense mystery, but with a fair few gruesome descriptions.
The Faith and the Flesh - I found this story genuinely creepy, I loved it! There's something about being trapped on a spacecraft with no escape, and no real hope of rescue, that gets to me. Marrikus makes some divisive decisions, but as he keeps pointing out, would anyone actually chose differently or any better in his position?
Silence - All three of the characters come together on Silence and recount their stories to try and work out why they have been sent to this death planet.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and it has made me want to read even more Warhammer horror in the future. The only reason it looses a star is the slow start with Valemar's story, which I struggled to get into. The rest of the book was a five star read.
The Woman in the Walls - Despite initially finding the main character, Vendersen, unlikable, I was soon routing for her to survive, despite being certain she wouldn't. I enjoyed this story, it is a spooky, tense mystery, but with a fair few gruesome descriptions.
The Faith and the Flesh - I found this story genuinely creepy, I loved it! There's something about being trapped on a spacecraft with no escape, and no real hope of rescue, that gets to me. Marrikus makes some divisive decisions, but as he keeps pointing out, would anyone actually chose differently or any better in his position?
Silence - All three of the characters come together on Silence and recount their stories to try and work out why they have been sent to this death planet.
Spoiler
As soon as it was mentioned that the three of them were stood next to some bodies under sheets, I guessed that those were their bodies and that maybe they hadn't survived their experiences after all. Despite knowing this I was still routing for Vendersen and Marrikus through their stories. It was interesting to figure out at which point in their stories each of them had actually died.Overall, I really enjoyed this book and it has made me want to read even more Warhammer horror in the future. The only reason it looses a star is the slow start with Valemar's story, which I struggled to get into. The rest of the book was a five star read.
scout_kmh's review against another edition
This isn't a bad book. By any means. But somehow I managed to buy it without realising it was a Warhammer book. I know absolutely nothing about Warhammer, so I spent most of my time with this book feeling confused, and more than a bit lost.
I didn't initially want to DNF, even once I realised I wasn't going to have a clue what was going on. I'm normally a big sci-fi/fantasy reader, so I figured I'd at least be able to get something out of it. And I guess I did.
In terms of the actual writing, I definitely enjoyed it. I managed to make it over halfways through before the lore stuff just got way too much for me to take in anymore. Each of the short stories were engaging, particularly with their horror aspects, but this book definitely isn't super outsider-friendly. And there's nothing wrong with that. For people who know Warhammer, this is probably a great read. I just managed to miss all the signs until I actually sat down to read the thing.
I might well come back to this at a later date, possibly after some research on Warhammer. I'm definitely interested in how the final short story pans out. I did, however, skim read the connecting sections to see how the overall plot resolved and, if I'm honest, I don't really think it was resolved. If the book actually gave any answers as to why the characters were all on this cemetary planet, then I didn't notice it. Maybe it's in the final short story. Maybe I just missed it. Who knows? But if I find myself really wanting more, I might come back for a second go.
I didn't initially want to DNF, even once I realised I wasn't going to have a clue what was going on. I'm normally a big sci-fi/fantasy reader, so I figured I'd at least be able to get something out of it. And I guess I did.
In terms of the actual writing, I definitely enjoyed it. I managed to make it over halfways through before the lore stuff just got way too much for me to take in anymore. Each of the short stories were engaging, particularly with their horror aspects, but this book definitely isn't super outsider-friendly. And there's nothing wrong with that. For people who know Warhammer, this is probably a great read. I just managed to miss all the signs until I actually sat down to read the thing.
I might well come back to this at a later date, possibly after some research on Warhammer. I'm definitely interested in how the final short story pans out. I did, however, skim read the connecting sections to see how the overall plot resolved and, if I'm honest, I don't really think it was resolved. If the book actually gave any answers as to why the characters were all on this cemetary planet, then I didn't notice it. Maybe it's in the final short story. Maybe I just missed it. Who knows? But if I find myself really wanting more, I might come back for a second go.
majorrawne's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
arthurbdd's review against another edition
4.0
Essentially a short story collection, though enhanced by each story being novella-length and therefore having more time to establish itself. Full review: https://fakegeekboy.wordpress.com/2019/04/11/wickedly-fun-and-damnably-entertaining/
paulopaperbooksonly's review against another edition
4.0
This is a compilation of three horror stories. The first deals with a commissar and the horrors of the a trench war where lack of communication between HQ and the real fighting man in the thick of it can result of something strange. Spoiler alert...
Yeah the enemy army was vanquished and that comissar and army were still fighting their allies due to lack of communication... Pretty interesting. Good character driven tale.
The second story has less horror right until the end. A military woman will do anything to rise up even by unconventional means. A interesting mystery tale while the last 15 or 20 pages turn into horror.
The last story and to me the weakest is about a priest and faith while mixing with romance give bad choices. More horroresque than the previous. A bit of lovecraftian horror with the changer of ways or to friends know as Tché.
Overall there is a intermix story connecting them all but felt flat because the premises was someone was hiding something but of course was the last story that connect the dots...
Overall good but to me failed in horror department and mystery.
Yeah the enemy army was vanquished and that comissar and army were still fighting their allies due to lack of communication... Pretty interesting. Good character driven tale.
The second story has less horror right until the end. A military woman will do anything to rise up even by unconventional means. A interesting mystery tale while the last 15 or 20 pages turn into horror.
The last story and to me the weakest is about a priest and faith while mixing with romance give bad choices. More horroresque than the previous. A bit of lovecraftian horror with the changer of ways or to friends know as Tché.
Overall there is a intermix story connecting them all but felt flat because the premises was someone was hiding something but of course was the last story that connect the dots...
Overall good but to me failed in horror department and mystery.
trackofwords's review against another edition
4.0
One of the first batch of releases published by Black Library under the Warhammer Horror label, the Wicked and the Damned is a portmanteau story – a collection of three loosely linked novellas, by David Annandale, Phil Kelly and Josh Reynolds. On the mist-shrouded cemetery world of Silence, three strangers – a commissar, an officer and a priest – are brought together seemingly by random, surrounded by the dead with only each other and the sinister mortuary-servitors for company. Confused and unsettled, to try and understand what’s going on and why they’ve been gathered together they each tell the story of what they remember last, and what led them to Silence.
All three are told in direct, no-nonsense first person, with a distinct and honest voice coming through for each one which really draws you into these characters and their stories. That individuality, along with each author’s writing style and narrative choice, provides an enjoyable variety across the book to balance out the unrelenting darkness while maintaining a sense that these stories do work together. They’re all familiarly 40k, but go deeper into the visceral, genuinely unpleasant nature of the setting than usual, showing a little more of the gore, the dirt and, yes, the horror of the Imperium than most Black Library books reveal. Overall this is a clever concept, which might not have quite the depth of narrative and character development of a standard novel but which trades that for variety and invention to provide an interesting introduction to what Warhammer Horror can be.
Read the full review at https://www.trackofwords.com/2019/05/29/the-wicked-and-the-damned-david-annandale-phil-kelly-and-josh-reynolds/
All three are told in direct, no-nonsense first person, with a distinct and honest voice coming through for each one which really draws you into these characters and their stories. That individuality, along with each author’s writing style and narrative choice, provides an enjoyable variety across the book to balance out the unrelenting darkness while maintaining a sense that these stories do work together. They’re all familiarly 40k, but go deeper into the visceral, genuinely unpleasant nature of the setting than usual, showing a little more of the gore, the dirt and, yes, the horror of the Imperium than most Black Library books reveal. Overall this is a clever concept, which might not have quite the depth of narrative and character development of a standard novel but which trades that for variety and invention to provide an interesting introduction to what Warhammer Horror can be.
Read the full review at https://www.trackofwords.com/2019/05/29/the-wicked-and-the-damned-david-annandale-phil-kelly-and-josh-reynolds/