Warhammer Horror (v2)

[Red_Shift]

I agree Kilofex. Beast in the trenches was a good read but not particularly horrifying. The most recent haunts ghosts novel was more scary. It was a good read though and I'm on to the next short. Really looking forward to Requiem Infernal.

[DarkChaplain]

I'm on Annandale's story from The Wicked and the Damned, and enjoying it so far. It's pretty much his favorite subject matter again: Faith, in all its forms.

 

As for Maledictions, I'm on the fourth story. Stories 2 and 4 are AoS, and I'll say that the second was decent, if a bit cliched, and had a rather abrupt ending, where I expected something else to happen instead. It was pretty short, and I think a few pages to expand the horror of the end would have helped. Built up a decent mood, though.

 

No Good Deed by McNeill is the 3rd story, 40k, and pretty grim. You can spot the twist if you pay attention, but that did not detract from the effect it had. It does a good job setting up the scene before dropping the hammer.

 

One thing I noticed flipping back to the index: David Annandale's The Last Ascension of Dominic Seroff ties into his Yarrick works. Seroff appeared both in Imperial Creed and Pyres of Armageddon.

[Kilofix]

I liked Crimson Snow for the first person perspective. Oddly moreso than the Beast in the Trenches.

[Roomsky]

There was about 5 minutes of true, depthless horror when I thought Mcneill was going to reveal Oskyr was a certain well known character, very relieved when it was not the case. Still have yet to find anything too spooky in Maledictions, but the branding seems to incidentally bring about some decent pacing for these shorts. If nothing else, I like the stories as stories, if not as horror.

[Sandlemad]

Agreed, these are good evocative stories, covering a broader range of subjects than the usual BL work, if not exactly frightening as such. ‘The Marauder Lives’ by JC Stearns is very solid, one of the better takes on the trope of the dark eldar prisoner.

[DarkChaplain]

I think "Horror" as a genre descriptor is slightly misleading in modern days. It's now usually associated with pretty blunt scares, slasher pieces, gore and violence.... well, just take a look at hollywood. It's all about shock value.

Early horror novels were much more about building unsettling atmospheres, defying common sense, putting your understanding of the world on its head, and impressing doubts on you through suggestions.

 

Then again, it helps that I've never been much into modern horror to begin with. For me, it's all about the creeping dread, the unsettling atmosphere and the doubts characters experience as they are faced with strange phenomena.

 

I finished The Wicked and the Damned, anyhow. I enjoyed all three pieces about equally - even Phil Kelly's, to my amazement. All have their strengths and weaknesses. What I was a little disappointed with was the twist in the final part of Silence. I expected something more elaborate, some little reveal that made the characters pawns in a larger horror. A bit of a missed opportunity.

[Red_Shift]

I didn't enjoy the third story in wicked and the damned. Unlike the first two stories where the protagonist was clearly a bad person I felt like the last story featured someone who was more a victim of circumstance. I also feel that it could have done with a chapter to bring it all together at the end rather than a couple of pages. It felt very unsatisfying.

 

I will start Requiem Infernal tomorrow though. Really looking forward to that.

[Roomsky]

Quite a mixed bag, Maledictions. Despite my dislike for the setting, the AOS stories (sans Werner) were the better ones, I thought. The 40k stories tended toward being to "cute" with their reveals. It's hard to feel anything like dread when you know most all of the setting's most abominable factions in and out, but are still expected to find them unnerving in all but the most extreme circumstances, especially when the authors keep going "wink-wink, nudge-nudge, it's Chaos." Having no familiarity with AOS, they were much more effective for me.

 

Probably one of the few times Annandale was my favorite of a collection of 40k pieces, it was still a bit to over-the-top for me, but the things happening to people in that story were creative enough for it to be unnerving anyway.

 

Probably worth a read, but I hope for better in future.

 

EDIT: If I had to rank the stories I'd probably say:

A Darksome Place

Crimson Snow

The Last Ascension of Dominic Seroff

No Good Deed

The Widow Tide

Predation of the Eagle

Nepenthe

Triggers

The Maurader Lives

The Nothings

 

-Power Gap-

 

Last of the Blood

Edited April 22, 2019 by Roomsky

[Knockagh]

When Annandale is the best of the book I will give it a miss!

[Jareddm]

When Annandale is the best of the book I will give it a miss!

Now now, Horror is Annandale's specialty. Personally he should be writing horror and nothing else, as all his other attempts rather pale in comparison.

[Lord Marshal]

Well, Perdition's Flame started strong and then managed to blow it's own foot off by the end. I get the impression it was just another audio drama that was coming out anyway and they decided to slap 'Warhammer Horror' on there by virtue of the timing syncing up.

[DukeLeto69]

I think the wierdest thing/choice BL have made in relation to Warhammer Horror is to not include Peter Fehervari (to date).

 

Thirteenth Psalm would have been a perfect fit on Maledictions (rather than Inferno 2). And by all accounts (not started it yet as have to finish Maledictions) Requiem Infernal is really a horror story!

[DukeLeto69]

Update: Requiem Infernal is most definitely a horror story. An absolutely excellent horror story!

[Jareddm]

Haven't seen it posted elsewhere, so I thought I'd bring to attention there are a boatload of new Warhammer Horror stories released as part of "Digital Horror Week 2019".

 

The Hunt, by David Annandale: Age of Sigmar

 

He Feasts Forever, by Lora Grey: Age of Sigmar

 

Stiches, by Nick Kyme:

In the aftermath of battle, Bucher, a medicae of the Astra Militarum, tends to the victims of war. Grievous wounds, vile contagions and more come his way, and he is ground down by his inability to save young Guardsmen from the horrors of battle. So when a miracle occurs, surely a gift from the Emperor Himself, Bucher grabs it… but what if the incredible events that occur are the work of other powers entirely, leading Bucher into a darkness from which he can never escape?

 

The Way Out, parts 1, 2, and 3, by Rachel Harrison:

When the Fortune's Favour drops from the warp with no warning, its captain, Karina Arq, wants to know why. Devoid of answers, and unable to return to the immaterium, she and her crew seek a port at which to make repairs – so the aptly named watch station Refuge seems sent by the Emperor Himself… But things are never so simple…

 

Blood Sacrifice, by Peter McLean:

Corporal Cully of the Reslian 45th is bored. Three months on the hive world of Voltoth, waiting for an enemy to fight, have shredded his nerves. Little does he know that what is to come will make him crave those times… After two decades of battle and facing horrors that would leave many minds broken, Cully thinks he's seen it all – but an unsanctioned mission into a seemingly abandoned medicae facility will test him to his very limits… and beyond.

[DarkChaplain]

Corporal Cully has featured in other shorts by McLean before, as far as I remember. Baphomet by Night, for one, but I think there was also a story in Inferno!, though I may have it mixed up.

[Slave to Darkness]

As Horror is a major part of my life and most GW authors cant write a good story for :cuss I will ask people I trust if these 'horror' books are worth my time.

 

So guys, are these horror books worth my time?? Funds are low and I dont have the cash to throw about to give them a try. 

[caladancid]

As Horror is a major part of my life and most GW authors cant write a good story for I will ask people I trust if these 'horror' books are worth my time.

 

So guys, are these horror books worth my time?? Funds are low and I dont have the cash to throw about to give them a try. 

 

I am not sure if these will be your thing if you are a huge horror afficianado.  Kim Newman is, of course, really good but his Vampire Genevieve stuff is not all that much like the horror he writes now.

 

I personally enjoyed The Wicked and the Damned, so maybe I can recommend that one to you? It was substantially darker than typical Warhammer stuff and might be a good combo of two things you like.

 

The anthology is not all that impressive. The stories are fine, but many are pure 40k stories that did not stand out to me as any more horrible than normal.

[Knockagh]

As Horror is a major part of my life and most GW authors cant write a good story for I will ask people I trust if these 'horror' books are worth my time.

 

So guys, are these horror books worth my time?? Funds are low and I dont have the cash to throw about to give them a try.

I think thats a fairly harsh approach. Especially in this thread, we lurk here mate because we spend most of our reading time enjoying those authors, so while there certainly is a variety of flavours and level of talents out there BL has in my opinion produced some wonderful authors.

I’m not a modern horror fan and truthfully detest what the genre has become, BL is new at it so I we will see where it goes. But coming here and pronouncing to a bunch of fans that their beloved authors can’t write for :cuss is a tad condescending buddy.

Edited May 29, 2019 by Brother Tyler
Profanity, even through substitution, isn't allowed except via the emoticon

[Slave to Darkness]

Due to a lot of personal stuff going on in my life that I aint exactly coping with very well on top of mental health issues sometimes means I dont word things very well... I never meant to come across as condescending and apologise for any offence. I never said I was an aficionado or connoisseur of the Horror genre, just stated that it is a major part of my life. Though in my defence I said most, not all authors. I agree they have produced some amazing authors, A-DB can literally polish a turd and it will be a work of art. 

 

So Ill re word my question, as I find a lot of BL stuff hit or miss recently and cant afford to throw money at GW would these be worth reading? 

 

 

 

 

@Caladancid I loved reading the Genevieve novels, how has Kims work changed since then? What kind of stuff is he doing now??

 

Ill check out The Wicked and the Damned, thanks for taking the time to reply constructively to my question :tu:

Edited May 29, 2019 by Slave to Darkness

[Roomsky]

 

Due to a lot of personal stuff going on in my life that I aint exactly coping with very well on top of mental health issues sometimes means I dont word things very well... I never meant to come across as condescending and apologise for any offence. I never said I was an aficionado or connoisseur of the Horror genre, just stated that it is a major part of my life. Though in my defence I said most, not all authors. I agree they have produced some amazing authors, A-DB can literally polish a turd and it will be a work of art. 

 

So Ill re word my question, as I find a lot of BL stuff hit or miss recently and cant afford to throw money at GW would these be worth reading? 

 

 

 

 

@Caladancid I loved reading the Genevieve novels, how has Kims work changed since then? What kind of stuff is he doing now??

 

Ill check out The Wicked and the Damned, thanks for taking the time to reply constructively to my question

 

 

 

I'll echo Wicked and the Damned. I don't know if the quality of writing really goes above and beyond, but if you're tired of big cardboard cutouts screaming about honour at each other its a refreshing change. The issues are very personal, and we get an exploration of self-delusion, paranoia, and more human affection usually absent from other BL novels. And while there's certainly a lot of violence on display, its very one-sided and thus not really "action." In my experience, it makes things much more readable. It's also one of the few times Annandale going large-scale with his creatures is unsettling rather than silly. 

 

It's one of the few books that broke my usual author allegiances. Reynolds is always good but Kelly and Annandale are much better than usual.

[caladancid]

 

Due to a lot of personal stuff going on in my life that I aint exactly coping with very well on top of mental health issues sometimes means I dont word things very well... I never meant to come across as condescending and apologise for any offence. I never said I was an aficionado or connoisseur of the Horror genre, just stated that it is a major part of my life. Though in my defence I said most, not all authors. I agree they have produced some amazing authors, A-DB can literally polish a turd and it will be a work of art. 

 

So Ill re word my question, as I find a lot of BL stuff hit or miss recently and cant afford to throw money at GW would these be worth reading? 

 

 

 

 

@Caladancid I loved reading the Genevieve novels, how has Kims work changed since then? What kind of stuff is he doing now??

 

Ill check out The Wicked and the Damned, thanks for taking the time to reply constructively to my question

 

 

I think Newman's writing has improved over time (and I liked the Genevieve stuff also), his dialogue is funnier (in both a witty way and amusing at times) and the characters just seem to have more to them.  Also the Anno Dracula stuff is definitely horror, but in a dark humor way usually.  I would HIGHLY recommend any of his Anno Dracula novels (I have read the first three, reading One Thousand Monsters now).

[DukeLeto69]

 

Due to a lot of personal stuff going on in my life that I aint exactly coping with very well on top of mental health issues sometimes means I dont word things very well... I never meant to come across as condescending and apologise for any offence. I never said I was an aficionado or connoisseur of the Horror genre, just stated that it is a major part of my life. Though in my defence I said most, not all authors. I agree they have produced some amazing authors, A-DB can literally polish a turd and it will be a work of art.

 

So Ill re word my question, as I find a lot of BL stuff hit or miss recently and cant afford to throw money at GW would these be worth reading?

 

 

 

 

@Caladancid I loved reading the Genevieve novels, how has Kims work changed since then? What kind of stuff is he doing now??

 

Ill check out The Wicked and the Damned, thanks for taking the time to reply constructively to my question :tu:

Horror has such a wide range if styles that liking something labelled “horror” will depend on personal preference still.

 

If you like lovecraftian gothic horror the I would VERY STRONGLY RECOMMEND Peter Fehervari’s REQUIEM INFERNAL.

 

It is not labelled Warhammer Horror but boy-oh-boy it should be!

[caladancid]

 

Due to a lot of personal stuff going on in my life that I aint exactly coping with very well on top of mental health issues sometimes means I dont word things very well... I never meant to come across as condescending and apologise for any offence. I never said I was an aficionado or connoisseur of the Horror genre, just stated that it is a major part of my life. Though in my defence I said most, not all authors. I agree they have produced some amazing authors, A-DB can literally polish a turd and it will be a work of art.

 

So Ill re word my question, as I find a lot of BL stuff hit or miss recently and cant afford to throw money at GW would these be worth reading?

 

 

 

 

 

@Caladancid I loved reading the Genevieve novels, how has Kims work changed since then? What kind of stuff is he doing now??

 

Ill check out The Wicked and the Damned, thanks for taking the time to reply constructively to my question

Horror has such a wide range if styles that liking something labelled “horror” will depend on personal preference still.

 

If you like lovecraftian gothic horror the I would VERY STRONGLY RECOMMEND Peter Fehervari’s REQUIEM INFERNAL.

 

It is not labelled Warhammer Horror but boy-oh-boy it should be!

 

 

Concur with this 100 percent.

[Slave to Darkness]

Cheers guys, Ill check the books out you mentioned, if Newmans work has got better (and funnier) it would be rude to not have a looksie. 

[Nineswords]

Just finished Perdition's Flame, quite enjoyed it!