House of Night and Chain

[Roomsky]

The House of Night and Chain – David Annandale

 

Thanks Dark Chaplain for finally convincing me to read this.

 

Where has this Annandale been hiding, exactly? I haven’t seen him since Pythos. I’ve certainly enjoyed some of his works since then but damn, is this the same guy who wrote Warden of the Blade?

 

It’s no secret I enjoy personal, introspective stories, and in that The House of Night and Chain fires on all cylinders. The protagonist is relatable without being a blank slate for the audience, and he has a very 40k backstory that highlights many very human conflicts and insecurities. He’s a character built on perceived failure of duty, and you can see why he pushes through the apparently supernatural goings-on in the story; he’s desperate to right the wrongs of his past and the repeat hauntings seem to offer a slim hope of doing so. As with Annandale’s work in Ruinstorm and Pythos, Chaos here starts with enticement you can understand, apparently proving its value, before going full horror.

 

Speaking of horror, this probably does it the best out of what I’ve read in the line. I get strong Magnus Archives vibes from some of the scenes (of which I’m a huge fan,) excellent atmosphere. I’m partial to haunted house stories and this balances it well with the ongoing politicking, always alternating before either setting can become stale. The short length of this book is a real boon, the pacing is near perfect and I was never left wondering “why is this scene here?” The prose too is above what I’d call Annandale’s usual level, I hope this is a result of his passion for the material because it can only mean we’ll get more gems like this down the horror line.

 

I don’t really have any complaints about this, honestly. It’s Annandale’s perfect storm, I guess. If I had to nitpick, I’d say some of his descriptions of unfolding horror show his usual habit of a middle sentence or two descending into meaningless abstraction, a trend he’s hardly alone in. I can’t say it has the depth or subtlety present in my favourite works out of BL, but with it’s damn close.

 

Check this out even if you hate his other stuff, it’s on a different level entirely.

 

Must Read

9/10