House of Open Wounds

The Tyrant Philosophers #2

by Adrian Tchaikovsky

City-by-city, kingdom-by-kingdom, the Palleseen have sworn to bring Perfection and Correctness to an imperfect world. As their legions scour the world of superstition with the bright flame of reason, so they deliver a mountain of ragged, holed and scorched flesh to the field hospital tents just behind the frontline.

Which is where Yasnic, one-time priest, healer and rebel, finds himself. Reprieved from the gallows and sent to war clutching a box of orphan Gods, he has been sequestered to a particularity unorthodox medical unit.

Led by 'the Butcher', an ogre of a man who's a dab hand with a bone-saw and an alchemical tincture, the unit's motley crew of conscripts, healers and orderlies are no strangers to the horrors of war. Their's is an unspeakable elbow-deep in gore they have a first-hand view of the suffering caused by flesh-rending monsters, arcane magical weaponry and embittered enemy soldiers.

Entrusted – for now – with saving lives deemed otherwise un-saveable, the field hospital's crew face a precarious existence. Their work with unapproved magic, necromancy, demonology and Yansic's thoroughly illicit Gods could lead to the unit being disbanded, arrested or worse.

Beset by enemies within and without, the last thing anyone needs is a miracle…

Reviews for City of Last Chances :

'Paints a vivid detailed backdrop' SF X
'Brilliant chaos ensues' Daily Mail
'Some of Tchaikovsky's best prose' SF Crowsnest
'An intriguing tangle… ingenious' Locus
'Endlessly creative' Patrick Ness
'Rich, inventive worldbuilding' Publishers Weekly
'Ilmar is vividly alive' David Towsey
'A master at the height of his powers' Ian Green
'An ambitious epic fantasy read' Grimdark Magazine

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Audiobook, Science Fiction, Dystopia, Magic, Epic Fantasy

633 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 7, 2023

About the author

ADRIAN TCHAIKOVSKY was born in Lincolnshire and studied zoology and psychology at Reading, before practising law in Leeds. He is a keen live role-player and occasional amateur actor and is trained in stage-fighting. His literary influences include Gene Wolfe, Mervyn Peake, China Miéville, Mary Gently, Steven Erikson, Naomi Novak, Scott Lynch and Alan Campbell.

Reviews

[Nataliya · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, although I do realize it will not be everyone’s cup of tea. It’s very long, and is not as much plot-driven as just structured episodically, with the point being the journey and not the destination, with heavy emphasis on characters. In the analogy where a regular book is a two-hour compact blockbuster, this is more of a measured multi-episode season of a TV series. And for me it was worth all the hours spent — and there were many of them, alternating between long walks with audio version and many pages of a (very belatedly started) ARC copy.

The setting changed from the first book. Instead of the streets of an occupied city-state, we get the days in the routine of the experimental field hospital in the middle of a war that is a blend of fantasy and World War I trench warfare. There’s no heroism, just the need to survive and in the process maybe do a little good in the times where everything seems hopelessly awful.

Only one character from the first book, City of Last Chances, makes it to this one. Formerly known as Yasnic, he now is Maric Jack, a foreigner forcibly taken into the occupier Palleseen army and assigned to an experimental field hospital where healing is done with magic, despite the supposed Palleseen rationality. Jack’s companion, willing or not, is his God, the diminished remnant of god of healing who will save you from your injuries by turning you into a determined pacifist or else — not great for the soldier trade as far as anyone in the army is concerned. Jack joins the ragtag bunch of the hospital attendants, but unlike the true ensemble cast of the first book in this one Jack takes most of the spotlight, streamlining the narrative.

“He suddenly understood the sentence of death that every one of God’s victims lived under.”

The daily life of the hospital is brutal, and even if we don’t see the war directly we get to see its fallout on the sidelines, a bit of realism among the magic. And it’s often grim and mostly dark — and yet not utterly depressing, peppered with (often darkish) humor and grey morality. The episodic day-to-day life of the hospital staffed with conquered people in the conqueror army is surprisingly fascinating and immersive, and even slower pace was captivating. Demons, necromancers, priests of formerly powerful gods, lost heirs to the throne, thieves, alchemists, poisoners, divine healers, golems, flying islands and all kinds of opportunists — it all mixes exceptionally well, written sharply, cleverly and with precise intent, leading to a book even better than its predecessor.

4.5 stars.

——————

Thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury USA | Head of Zeus for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Aidan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have no idea why* Adrian Tchaikovsky decided the obvious follow-up to a ​500-page riff on Les Miserables was​ a fantasy​ version of M*A*S*H​, but hey, it works. House of Open Wounds is tighter, more approachable, and even bleaker than its predecessor, ​and independent enough to almost work as a standalone.​ It's uncut catharsis, and if that's what you're looking for, this is the place. 4.5/5 rounded up.

––––––––––––––

* Actually, there's a really obvious explanation for why Tchaikovsky has taken this particular narrative detour: *gestures at the world, especially Eastern Europe*. And it's hard not to notice that the narrative's switch from occupation to gory, inconclusive trench stalemate corresponds neatly to the state of the war in Ukraine. But even if it's an obvious parallel, he doesn't rub the reader's face in it, and helps that Tchaikovsky chooses to set the story in the camp (if not on the side of) the imperialist Palleseen aggressors.

This move really helps make the book for me, in part because it lets the story humanize a whole host characters who could be easily be written off as villains. This goes beyond obvious anti-hero candidates like the comic relief trickster, Banders, or The Butcher — the chief medico, and a toned-down evocation of Blood Meridian's Judge — but extends to demons, dark gods, Pals pillaging the world of the divine to make more ammunition, mercenary magicians, necromancers, and petty criminals besides. This isn't to say that there are no villains (what would be the fun in that?) or no more-or-less-heroes, but that morality in House lives more in characters' specific actions and attitudes than in fixed identities of "good" and "evil". Perhaps the only unambiguous evil is the war itself, a tremendous, wasteful fire fuelled by life and beauty that leaves behind only mud and bones.

Of course, this is only just one cut through the book, and there's more to House than a reasonable review can cover; I'm still trying to sort out what I think about the story's various call-outs to all three Abrahamic religions, the Catch-22 references, what to make of a slightly saggy patch when the crew changes theatres, or a few somewhat predictable twists at the end. And some of it is unquestionably hard going, even for readers with a tolerance for the literary equivalent of 90% dark chocolate.

But in the end House is a book that's willing to try to break things in the reader in order to set them right, and the world probably needs more of that, when so many things are already broken.

[Allen Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely tremendous.

One of the best examples of found family I've read recently. Themes about the horrors of war, the purpose of war, the purpose of life and who deserves it, what is faith and what does faith require from us, and, of course, one of my favorite themes: loyalty.

A fascinating cast of characters (oddly enough, my least favorite being the returning character from CITY), but I think I enjoyed the narrower focus even more than CITY. Tchaikovsky's writing is at its most elegant here, and I can't recommend this series enough. Excited to read SHATTERED FAITH soon.

[Read By Kyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of Tchaikovsky's best. He takes everything great in City of Last Chances and refines it here, making the story more focused and thematic depth more poignant. It's also funnier and just as inventive, featuring necromancers and demons as well as some fun magic. The prose is maybe the best I've seen from Tchaikovksy. I wish the ending had built to a more bombastic conclusion, but the story was always going to be a bit smaller, following chiefly a medical tent during a war. Loved it though and can't wait for the next one.

[Rachel (TheShadesofOrange) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars
Video Review: https://youtu.be/OqKPLv-OPAc

Adrian Tchaikovsky is a solidly good writer. For a piece of genre fiction, this one has such nice prose.

As I have previously mentioned, I find this author to be technically strong but does not entirely click with me on an emotional level. There is an element of precision to this author's style that keeps me from getting attached to the characters.

Likewise, for being in the second book, I don't find myself overly invested on the storyline. This is very much a series I appreciate more than I actually enjoy.

I would recommend this one to fans of this author's narrative style that are looking for a lesser known new fantasy series.

Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

[Gyalten Lekden · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an incredible ride. Tchaikovsky manages to not only introduce an almost entirely new cast or characters but also put the action within a Pal battalion, in the heart of the army who was the main antagonist of the first book, and yet I was rooting for every character in pretty short order. His character work is excellent, as usual. Even though we move across a dozen different POVs across chapters you still get complicated, rounded, engaging understandings of all of the characters. None of them are simple or archetypes or space-fillers. The world building is great, expanding on the first book in wonderful ways. Following a ragtag group of experimental medics, most of whom repairing soldiers who fight for an army that has destroyed their countries, is a stroke of genius. It serves as a great opportunity to look at the senselessness of war and violence from a different angle, reminding us of the frailty inherent in any authoritarian enterprise, a frailty that is masked by bravado and blood. But it also provides the setting for some really incredible action scenes. The battle scenes in this novel are incredible exciting and moving, scenes which all take place in this medical tent away from the frontline.

In addition to great characters, exciting and heart-wrenching scenes full of action and empathy, and a expansive yet easy-to-access world, the plotting and writing are both great. This novel is funny. There is line after line of dry wit, and it really lightens the mood, it lets Tchaikovsky explore heavy themes and ideas without totally overloading the audience. The plotting is also smart and tight, not trying to be too much bigger than it needs to be. I will say that I anticipated some of the events in the final chapters, because Tchaikovsky had too many really interesting threads to just leave them dangling. So I anticipated that certain ideas or plots deserved a payoff. Yet even guessing about some of the plot turns and resolutions didn’t ever spoil the fun of the journey, because they were inventive and the journey itself, the route taken, always kept me on my toes. Plus, he just built such beautiful ideas and scenes that seeing all of the pieces fall into place was incredibly fulfilling.

There are a lot of ideas in this story. I think what stands out the most for me is the importance of found family, especially in the face of trauma or difficulties. I suppose that isn’t an entirely new idea, and it isn’t new in a military/battlefield environment. But what Tchaikovsky does a great job of is showing how different characters may all be broken in their own ways, and yet find something together that is more than any of their trauma. Additionally the story has a lot to say about war, conquest, and violence, and as usual a good amount to say about religion and faith while he’s at it. Yet there is never any preaching in this story, it is simply a perfect combination of heart and action, with various gods, demons, and wild ghost armies as the cherries on top. I had a lot of fun with this novel. I came into with high expectations after the first novel, and it met all of them, very clearly being a sequel to that without ever feeling like it was treading the same ground. It has only made me more excited for the next book!

[aria ✧ · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Why must we fight?"

‘House of Open Wounds’ is the second entry in the Tyrant Philosophers series. While ‘City of Last Chances’ had a more omniscient narrator following the cast, this entry is more character focused.

The Loruthi never wanted a war with the Palleseen and, to their credit, the Palleseen didn't particularly want a war with them either. For some decades the two powers had tested the bounds of one another's political influence around the map while their merchant classes happily made deals across every table in every civilized port. The problem lay in both states having very definite and incompatible ideas about what to do with the rest of the world.

The Loruthi wanted to make it a part of their economic system and the Pals their ideological system. Both of which meant Who gets the money, just that the Loruthi took a higher percentage but the Pals also set fire to your church.

The Palleseen Sway has found itself to the mercantile state of Lor. Cities and Kingdoms burdened with superstitions have fallen to their superior reason and soon Lor will also be brought to Perfection and Correctness. Yet this group of economic giants prove to be a worthy rival. Both sides fight viciously with all their available resources (mercenaries, demons, magic and mechanical power) but while the war is the main story, we do not follow the Pal soldiers and officers nor the Lor rebels and mercenaries, we follow a medical tent.

Hell arrives like this. Every free hand working at the sides of the tent, bringing the canvas down. The end of one show, the beginning of a private performance. The porch outside becomes a tessellation of stretchers as the bearers drop their burdens. An early harvest clamouring for attention.

When Palleseen soldiers are injured in the field of battle, they are spirited away to the medical department where an ogre of a man, better known as a Butcher, assesses their injuries and hands them over to a motley group of healers. A relatively new department, they are tasked with dealing with simple to the most extreme injuries with the talents and science at their disposal. But when the crew receives a new member; a rebel whose mysterious gift of miraculous healing had him escape execution, problems soon follow.

"I don't care if they're Pals. I don't care if they're killers.They've sworn. You've got to give them the chance."

"You don't know." God playing the wounded card. "What it's like. Every time someone makes that oath and breaks it. It takes from me, Yasnic. It's the wound in me that I can't heal."

The new recruit is Maric Jack whose actual name has been ruined by the Pal language. He is Yasnic, a former priest, who has been smuggling gods away from the Pals. We were introduced to him in the first book but here, God’s healing isn’t a miracle. For His healing requires pacificism, a life of non-violence or face the death He saved you from. But here in the frontlines of a war, the only people who require healing are soldiers. Soldiers, who must get back to the fight.

Mazdek, the Cleansing Flame, doing battle with the stinking rot god Sturge of the Unclean Sacristy, the ancient struggle of destruction, growth, decay and renewal that was the order of the universe. Ancient enemies whose very enmity was the spine of creation. A thousand tales, a thousand-year body of knowledge and story and wisdom. All gone, all gone, and just one sad old woman and foolish old man left, and the tiny, guttering embers of their gods.

There is so much in this book to discuss especially as seen through the medical crew. Most of the members are of a people subjugated by the Pals. They have been reduced to mere tools for the war, their faiths and magics contorted and twisted into corrupt lesser versions of their former glory. Despite all this, because they are determined to survive, they find themselves complicit to their totalitarian oppressors. Wow. Adrian Tchaikovsky took everything he started talking about in book one and refined it. I absolutely cannot wait to read book three. I have absolute full confidence it will be another amazing entry. Also Yasnic and God, what an iconic duo.

The one lesson not taught in the Palleseen phalansteries, not acknowledged by their Commission of Ends and Means. That all things end.

[Phil · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Tchaikovsky and The House of Open Wounds exemplifies why. Much of Tchaikovsky's science fiction involves reinventing old tropes (and I mean that in a positive way), but with his fantasy, he breaks new ground, and in this series, a new page in the grimdark world. Like the previous volume in the series (City of Last Chances, which also has fabulous cover art BTW), this reads more episodic than linear, with constantly rotating POVs among the main characters animating the tale.

Only one character from the last volume returns here, Yasnic, the lonely priest of God; he eventually got captured and arrested by the Pelleseen for smuggling gods out of the city and sent to the Pelleseen army. Upon his arrival, not knowing what to do with him, since he embodies pacifism due to God, they send him to the 'special hospital unit' there, which 'employs' a range of people, mostly foreign conscripts, who use 'unorthodox' but powerful means to heal people. Then, something like M.A.S.H., the army goes to war and Yasnic, now known as Masic Jack (his real name being hard to pronounce in Pel) gets trial by fire dealing with the wounded; he does have a reputation for healing after all!

So we follow the army, but the story focuses upon the hospital unit and the band of misfits working there; what unites them concerns how they use 'magic' or 'faith' if you will to heal; while completely at odds with the 'purification' of everything by the Pel, the unit gets results. One uses his god to carry away germs and infections from the patients; one uses her god to sterilize scalpels, the 'Chief', and alchemist, brews up all kinds of stuff and so it goes. Masic Jack, however, can only invoke his God's healing powers if the patient becomes a pacifist-- any resort to violence will undo the healing bestowed. Does not seem to be much good working for an army!

So what makes this so special? First, the awesome job worldbuilding, one of Tchaikovsky's strengths for sure. We get a much broader overview of the world here instead of focusing on the city like the first volume. The Pallessen wars of perfection range widely and we venture into certain hotspots; we also learn about other nations/peoples along the way. Second. I love grimdark and it does not get much grimmer than this. All the main characters have a story, and often it is not pretty. The Pallessen sweep the world under their sway, eradicating cultures until they are perfected; the survivors in the hospital unit are all products of this, one way or another. Third, the guy can really tell a story and immerse you into the world.

Tchaikovsky continues to utilize some unique literary techniques from the first volume, such as including several 'Mosaic' chapters along the way that give us a bird's eye view of the bigger picture. I have no idea where Tchaikovsky will be going with the next volume, but I cannot wait to go there. 4.5 wicked stars, rounding up!!

[Liene · Rating 2 out of 5]

my patrons forced me to read this, promising it was better than the first one, that I was certain to like this much better...
I was deceived.
This book is slower paced than the first (one of my complaints about the first was that it was very much a drinking-from-the-firehose pacing situation), but that did not turn it into an extremely character-driven narrative. On the contrary, now, while still sacrificing character development for plot and world-building, the story is told at a snail's pace, so there isn't even the onslaught of information to keep you hooked.
If you want a character-driven look at the horrors of war, explored in a speculative context, read The Heroes by Joe Abercrombie.

[Doomscribe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Same setting, general narrative style and even one same POV character as City of Last Chances, this book manages to be very different and probably better? (certainly likely to have a wider appeal).

The narrowed focus on a interesting cast of characters in a somewhat cramped and dangerous setting worked really well. I loved it. Longer review to come eventually.

[Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A dark, gritty and absolutely brilliantly written story, set on the ever-shifting front lines of a huge fantastical war front. More specifically, and more interestingly, the story centers itself around the experimental medical tent known locally (and appropriately) as Hell.

House of Open Wounds has a lot going for it. While this story is structurally a departure from the unique style of its predecessor, City of Last Chances, this follow-on is a lot tighter and more concentrated, focusing primarily on a small group of characters who form an untraditional found-family of sorts.
I won't say more to avoid giving things away, but this is easily some of Tchaikovsky's best character work to date - each of them so deep, distinct, intricate and well developed.

There are also multiple brilliantly used magic systems, superb interdepartmental politics, a couple of great twists and, of course, there is a whole tent-full of gruesome, visceral and truly ghastly injuries.
There are gods, demons, murder cults, floating islands, steampunk style mechs... This book has it all, I'm telling you.

All of this isn't even mentioning the incredible writing itself, it is honestly a marked step up from Tchaikovsky's already brilliant writing.
The imagery, the tone, the language... It is extraordinarily evocative, deeply immersive and darkly poetic at times without ever being flowery.

This was the book that I ended 2023 on and what a way to see out the year. It was phenomenal.

Another 5 stars for Tchaikovsky.

Much like the much-lauded Children of Time as well as his later title Dogs of War, I am very glad that City of Last Chances did not remain a standalone and became a series.
I very much look forward to seeing where it goes from here.

[Cathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

M*A*S*H in a Fantasy setting with Gods and magic. Slooow! I like the plot, what little there is of it. And the little gods are amusing enough. But I was really bored. 600+ pages, much too long. DNF at 49%.

What is it all about or rather, what does it start off with? A priest is captured and pressed into service in a field hospital during a prolonged war. Fantasy setting, a magical world with conjurers, necromancers and incantations. Magical energy is stored in small tablets for later use and people with magical abilities are „decanted“ to harvest that energy. There are torturers as well. Our field hospital belongs to the oppressors.
Our priest carries a wooden box on his back with something mysterious inside. The world and the war feel like a mix of not-really-steampunk with the trench war of WWI. Try to picture the first Hellboy movie for a stage setting.

Very deeply odd. It took me a week to get past my magical 20%-threshold of keep-it-or-toss-it. Something interesting happened and I decided to keep going. But the story moves at an absolutely glacial pace. I started some light skimming and made it to the halfway point. Yes, interesting plot and great characters, but it all seems so pointless and it‘s much too slow for my taste. I wouldn‘t have minded to find out what happens in the second half of the book, but this is just so boooring.

What does this tell me? Any kind of novella by Tchaikovsky, yes please. Sci Fi, mostly great stuff. Lengthy fantasy? Really not for me. Adrian Tchaikovsky the fantasy author and I don‘t mix well.

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher or author through NetGalley. All opinions are my own and I was not required to give a positive review.

[Ints · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dievu kontrabanda nekad nav bijis drošs amats un Mariks Džeks to izbauda uz savas ādas. Ilmāras bēglis ar trīs bezsaimnieka diviem viņš nonāk Pall armijas rindās un tiek nozīmēts hospitāļa darbos.

jau no pirmās šīs sērijas grāmatas sapratu, ka autors māk rakstīt ne tikai zinātniskās fantastikas darbus. Fantasy viņam padodas tikpat labi. Centrālā grāmatas tēma ir dievi, to pielūdzēji un pasaules racionalizācija. Pasaules vadošā impērija ir nolēmusi visu ielikt zinātnes rāmjos, dievi ir tikai enerģija, kuru var izdestilēt un piepildīt akumulatorus. Artilērijas zalve, to var nodrošināt aptuveni viena aizmirsta dieva atlikušais spēks. Dievu paliek arvien mazāk, bet tā jau ir arī visas pārējās pasaules problēma.

Marika problēma ir tā, ka viņš vairs nav priesteris un kaut kādā veidā ir ieguvis spēju redzēt ne vien savu ex-dievu, bet arī visus pārējos. Tad nu viņš tos vāc pa pasauli kā tādus noklīdušus mājdzīvniekus, bet īsti nezina ko ar tiem pasākt. Arī pašiem dieviem ir personības krīze, vienudien tu esi varens kalnu bīdītājs, bet nākamajā skaties, lai tevi neizdestilē tīrā enerģijā.

Un tam visam pa vidu, armija iekarotāja, kas pārdala pasauli racionālajā un neracionālajā. Sāka viņi kā maza arhipelāgu valsts, bet lēnām tā ir izaugusi par pati sevi uzturošu militāru mašīnu, kuras uzdevums ir sakārtot pasauli. Neizprotamo iznīcināt un sistematizējamo pakļaut.

Laba grāmata, spilgti varoņu 10 no 10 ballēm.

[Patrycja · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can’t say it was an enjoyable read as this is not a pleasant book. However, very much appreciated.

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

House of Open Wounds somehow manages to be even better than City of Last Chances, and that was the best fantasy book I had read since the last installment by Joe Abercrombie. That first book had more characters to follow and a plot that bounced around so much that it almost felt like a Guy Ritchie movie. There was so much to follow and I loved every page of it, as bonkers and slightly scattered an experience as it was. This sequel, while still having a large cast, doesn't have QUITE as many characters and the story has a more narrow focus, which made it a tighter and poignant reading experience for me. There is so much to love in this book.
The cast for Open Wounds is almost entirely new, with the exception of two very recognizable faces from book one, my favorite two, as it happens. Yasnic and "God" are definitely on the top of my list for absolute favorite literary duos. Maybe on top for favorite characters in all of fiction. The bizarre relationship between them and their bantering, along with all the weird god and follower dynamics, provides endless entertainment. While Yasnic's part in the first book was just as small as the other ten or so characters he shared page time with, he is arguably the main character of Open Wounds and I couldn't be happier about that. I would read about the two of them tramping through any fantasy world, from Abercrombie's bleak First Law world to Terry Pratchett's Discworld. Somehow, they would fit in both places.
Yasnic's new counterparts are a delightful cast of misfits that all mesh so well together. Each one of them brings some strange talent or ability that makes them equally suited to the Experimental Field Hospital of the Pals that they've found themselves serving in and that serves as the focal point for this story. Yasnic and his bizarre relationship with his tiny god are just part of the overall freak show and all of it is just so delightful. The whole thing gives me MASH vibes with a smidgen of Catch 22, but fantasy.
Did I mention that I love this book?
If you enjoyed the first one, you may love this even more. I would say this one manages to be more funny and yet more heartfelt than the first book. There are some genuinely touching moments here, along with many scenes of outright laughter. I'm not sure I've laughed this much with another book outside of Discworld and Christopher Moore. And Tchaikovsky has a serious way with clever and quotable dialogue and prose. There are so many great lines in this book.
I absolutely recommend this series. I need more fantasy like this in my life
A very emphatic 5/5.

[Bee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the best book I've read this year. Without a doubt. City of Last Chances was utterly enjoyable, but DAMN this book went all in. It's dark and gory and beaitful and sad, but ultimately triumphant.

So something that has crept into my mind while reading this series is that Tchaikovsky certainly grew up reading Terry Pratchett, I feel like he is telling the same moral tales as Pratchett. Different humour, different touch, but the same morality that Granny Weatehrwax and Sam Vimes represent, is here in the heart of Maric Jack's story.

I love a military camp follower story, it's such a weird world of chaos and death, but also regimented order and viciously applied rule. Add an experimental field hospital full of rediculous characters, gods, magic and more. And all the while his effortless world building digs the whole deeper, wider. Adding colour and culture as easily as witty conversations.

This is the best thing Tchaikovsky has written in my opinion, and I am SO sad to realize i still have to wati MONTHS for the next (hopefully not last) installement.

Thank you Adrian Tchaikovsky. That was a superb story taht will live in my heart rent free.

[Gabi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best Fantasy book of the year. A fantastic way to finish 2023.
RTC

[Gabrielle (Reading Rampage) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sigh. “City of Last Chances” was supposed to be a stand alone and now there’s a whole trilogy. Damn it, Tchaikovsky, this wasn’t what I signed up for! But I loved the first book, so yeah, obviously, I was going to get my hands on the sequel and get caught up in yet another series. Sigh.

Other reviewers have pointed out that we are stepping away from the “Les Misérables” structure and ideas of civil resistance of the first book into what can best be described as epic fantasy “M.A.S.H.” and I think that this is an apt analogy: Yasnic, now knows as Jack, is the only character from the previous book to have made it into this one, and his special talent for healing (or rather his God’s special talent for healing) has gotten him a special spot in an experimental field hospital in the middle of a gruesome trench war. The experiment? A few healers who use magic to heal the wounded, despite the Pel’s rational and anti-magic philosophy.

Fewer characters make this book a bit tighter than its predecessor, as the action feels more localized – Yasnic and his fellow healers are really the core of this story, which, given the context of the war theatre, made me think of “Catch 22” rather frequently. I really enjoyed the format, the rotating POVs that draw an impressively detailed portrait of Jack, the Butcher, other healers, soldiers and bureaucrats who hang around the field hospital. If anything, I found this book even more engaging than its predecessor, and I was always quite frustrated to have to put it down to go to work or to be social (ew), because I wanted to know what the hell was going to happen next! I also really enjoy Tchaikovsky’s sense of humor, which shines through and keeps this otherwise grimdark fantasy from becoming misery porn.

One of the things I am struck by reading this book is how much I love the fact that Yasnic’s God is a absolute dick. He’s mean, vengeful, petty and abusive – and as a lapsed Catholic, I find this very entertaining and noteworthy. I’m not sure if Tchaikovsky was trying to convey some of his own ideas about religion or if he was just having fun, but I think it’s a stroke of genius to pain this diminished divinity as the most unpleasant being you’ll encounter in this book – and there are quite a few unpleasant characters in these pages!

So yeah, I was annoyed at this sequel, but it turned out I enjoyed it even more than the first book, and I am now really excited about the third book (and apparently there will be more! I am so screwed!)! An easy 5 star, highly recommended if you like high fantasy and war stories. You got me, Adrian. I surrender!

[Melinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free review copy of this book from the publisher.

CHARACTERS
🔲 mary-sue party
🔲 mostly 2D
🔲 great main cast, forgettable side characters
🔲 well-written
🔲 complex and fascinating
✅ hard to believe they are fictional

PLOT
🔲 you've already heard this exact story a thousand times
🔲 nothing memorable
✅ gripping
🔲 exceptional
🔲 mind=blown

WORLDBUILDING
🔲 takes place in our world
🔲 incoherent
🔲 OK
🔲 nicely detailed
✅ meticulous
🔲 even the last tree in the forest has its own story

ATMOSPHERE
🔲 nonexistent
🔲 fine
🔲 immersive
✅ you forget you are reading a book

PACING
🔲 dragging
🔲 inconsistent
✅ picks up with time
🔲 page-turner
🔲 impossible to put down

Similar to the first in this series, I liked this book but it was so very slow.

[Runalong · Rating 5 out of 5]

A ingenious way examination of war in a fantasy world that focuses less on battle itself and instead an army field hospital. A cunning mix of drama and comedy to show us how magic could aid medicine and fighting as well as the wider morality of war

Full review - https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/bl...

[Emily Jo Donovan · Rating 4 out of 5]

After the ending of City of Last Chances, Yasnic finds himself on a pilgrimage of saving lost Gods, building his own little colony of obsolete deities, when he is captured by the Palleseen and taken as a prisoner of war. The Palleseen, on their journey to conquering and bringing Perfection and Correctness to the rest of the world, has gathered a group of prisoners with uncanny abilities, all of which are forced into the labor of saving Palleseen soldiers' lives on the battlefield. The war is brutal and bloody, leading the Palleseen to conjure new and horrific weapons - including demons and reanimated corpses - in hopes of securing their victory and continuing their oppressive violence. Yasnic and his new friends must find a way to survive while surrounded by their enemies, working for the very ones who wish them dead, and fighting to thwart the Palleseen and the horrors they've invented.

The first book in this series, City of Last Chances, really blew my mind, so I was extremely excited to read this sequel. Personally, I enjoyed House of Open Wounds even more than its predecessor, which really surprised me. This story takes place an indeterminate amount of time after the finale of the first book, but you don't necessarily need to read them in order, as both plots are very much unrelated. Yasnic was also one of my favorite characters from the first book, so him being the star of this story made me very happy. House of Open Wounds is (essentially) a very dark, totalitarian take on M.A.S.H. and I loved every single page of it.

House of Open Wounds has a similar vibe to the first book, but this story is completely different from the first - as I was reading, I was continually impressed with Tchaikovsky's skill. Not only is this sequel such a departure from its predecessor, but he flawlessly wrote a story that feels similar to the first, despite its differences. There was so much more fantasy and magical realism in this story, with gods, demons, cults, floating islands, and supernatural abilities threaded all throughout the narrative. These supernatural abilities are also the driving force behind the Palleseen collecting our main characters and turning them into prisoners of war.

Violent, gritty, brutal, and barbaric at times, this story had me on the edge of my seat. House of Open Wounds is tense, thrilling, devastating, and emotionally compelling, whilst also being poetic, impactful, politically and socially relevant, immersive, visceral, entertaining, and haunting. Despite the fantasy and magical realism, Tchaikovsky, similarly to his previous book, centralizes important topics such as war, slavery, oppression, fascism, corruption of power, genocide, and classism, with even more focus on themes such as misogyny, racism, ableism, bigotry, interdepartmental politics, rationalization, ideology, totalitarianism, and subjugation. There is also a very interesting and philosophical discussion on the human soul and the (scientific/medical) use of human bodies post-death.

I loved every character in this book, too, which really surprised me. When I started the story, there were a few characters I was on the fence about, but as the narrative progressed, I ended up falling in love with all of the members of Yasnic's group. Much like City of Last Chances, our characters are muddy antiheroes. They seem (or desire) to be good at heart, but they are forced into positions where they must do terrible things in order to survive. Some characters even begin as bad people but, as the story progresses, they find redemption in their new roles as saviors. It is very rare for me, but I found every single character highly likable and easy to empathize with; Tchaikovsky does a brilliant job of humanizing our characters and I love all of the depth and detail he gives to their thoughts, emotions, and actions. They each are distinct, interesting, and detailed with unique motivations, beliefs, and histories. I was entirely compelled by this group of very different individuals, all of whom are trapped in a dangerous, tiny environment (specifically a makeshift medical tent) and are forced to get along. As time goes on, their camaraderie and love for one another trumps all of their differences.

I also adored the deeper insight into the relationship between God and Yasnic (or, as he is called in this book - Maric Jack). I loved the pockets of humor we are given throughout this story, as well. The first book also had moments of reprieve from the dark plot, but I felt (with this particular combination of characters) there were more opportunities for humor and lightheartedness, which also helps emphasize the brutality of the rest of the plot. In addition to this, I really enjoyed that the focus of the narrative is centered on our characters, their oppression, and their forced servitude instead of on the war itself as a whole. There was a really great balance between characterization, war, world-building, and politics. House of Open Wounds also explores the sacrifice of ideology for the sake of victory - the Palleseen actively use tactics that they condemn to increase the chance of their own advancement, highlighting the hypocrisy of government agencies.

The only reason this is rated 4 stars is primarily because of the ending. It was a good conclusion, but I just wanted a bit more. An epilogue would have been nice, but maybe the next book will give us some insight about what the future holds for the characters in this book. Generally speaking, however, that is the only thing I can criticize about House of Open Wounds - I literally loved every page of it.

Overall, this is such a fantastic sequel! I even liked House of Open Wounds more than its predecessor, which is so, so rare. I highly recommend this series - it's thought-provoking, politically relevant, poetic, fantastical, intellectually stimulating, entertaining, and intense, which is a great combination of traits that is very hard to achieve. I can't wait for the next book in this sequel!

"'You wouldn’t,' the Maric whispers and God lifts an eyebrow because the one thing every man of faith should know is that you don’t tempt the divine.”

TRIGGER WARNINGS gore, violence, medical content, war, body horror, death, torture, xenophobia, religious bigotry, murder, colonization, emotional abuse, slavery, police brutality, genocide, grief, surgical content, child cruelty and abuse, animal cruelty and death, ableism, ageism, racism, classism, kidnapping, forced institutionalization

[Craig Bookwyrm · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of Tchaikovsky's very best. I had a great time with this. Fantastic characters that made me laugh out loud.

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked City of Last Chances a lot, which this is a loose sequel to, and I think this book might be even better. There are a lot of fantasy stories which focus on wars and battles (such as Tchaikovsky's own Guns of the Dawn), this is a bit different to most of them because while it is set in an army during a war we see very little of the fighting and often the characters have only a vague idea about how the war is progressing. The setting is an experimental field hospital where a motley bunch of outcasts, magicians and priests are applying their varied talents to saving the lives of wounded soldiers who might not survive with conventional medicine. Their existence is complicated because the country whose army they are serving is has very strict rules against outcasts, magicians and priests and would normally be hanging most of them rather than employing them. This is particularly true of their newest recruit Yasnic (previously seen in City of Last Chances) whose speciality is divine healing which can cure any wound as long as the person being cured commits to a life of pacifism, which is not a good fit for someone healing soldiers. It features a last cast of characters, many of them get chapters told from their own perspective, and I thought they were all interesting and the way their backstories are gradually revealed is very effective. The tension builds as the story goes along and the hospital's continued existence gets increasingly tenuous and the story has a great ending. There's also a good amount of (often dark) comedy to lighten the mood a bit, particularly in the interactions between Yasnic and his irritable God who is continuing to have trouble adjusting to only having a single follower.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thank the publisher and NetGalley for an advance review copy of this book in return for a fair review. I took a long time to finish this book, but there were extreme mitigating circumstances that caused the delay, but suffice to say it did not grab my attention even when I had the time.
Like other reviewers I saw the parallels with MASH but I also felt echoes of Catch 22 and The Forever War. I enjoyed the world building but i felt there was rather too much blood and gore, albeit that it was about a war. I empathised with Jack and liked some of the other characters, but I felt the structure rather too loose, disrupting the storytelling.
I have several of the author's other books on my "Acquired, waiting to read" shelf and I will not accelerate nor put back their place in the reading order after this.

[T Davidovsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

A darkly clever exploration of faith and power, set against the backdrop of a brutal war and its magical field hospitals. There's expansive and vivid worldbuilding, a fun plot, and interesting ideas about belief and religion and healing. The highlight, though, is the character work. Maric Jack (Yasnic) is so funny, usually by accident. The other characters are also great. They're layered and compelling with distinct voices and clear motivations. Each perspective adds another facet to the central thematic questions about faith, who (or what) we put it in, and why. And each central question adds another facet to the different characters contending directly with those issues.

My one gripe is that the prose has tons of sentence fragments, and it took some time to get used to the style. After a hundred pages, it thankfully stopped bothering me.

[Luke Burrage · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is great! More focused than book one in the series, and a deeper dive into how hard it is to protest against or work against a system once you have been subsumed into it.

Full review on my podcast, SFBRP episode #575 where we discuss it along with book one.



Luke talks to Juliane about the first two novels in Adrian Tchaikovsky's Tyrant Philosophers fantasy series, City of Last Chances and House of Open Wounds.

https://www.sfbrp.com/archives/2387

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't been this attached to a group of soldiers since the Bonehunters

[Tom the Guvnor · Rating 5 out of 5]

House of Open Wounds
Adrian Tchaikovsky

[complimentary pre release review copy from NetGalley]

The Butcher in Hell.
The Necromancer in Grey.
For atheists the Palleseen sure dabble in the darkest of occult to strive toward Perfection.

This is the second volume in Adrian Tchaikovsky's most recent fantasy series. It's one where an atheist empire strives to achieve Perfection and to bring everyone else with them, like it or not. After all, the Ends justify the Means, don't they?

This book and the book before are modern books. I don't mean modern as in mundane today. They are fantastical, dripping with magic and ghosts and gods. However they are modern in the sense that they are about rationalism, ideology, the intersection between ideology, totalitarianism, idealism and corruption. It's 19th Century Europe, the French Revolution takes on a wizardly ancien regime and inevitably becomes a proto Soviet state. In this sense Tchaikovsky is treading a similar Eastern European vibe as Sapowski does in his Witcher books, the decay of idealism into crushing military force weakened by internal corruption.

Now that does sound heavy, doesn't it?

It's not, Tchaikovsky writes beautifully with wit and humour not unremiscent of Pratchett or Gaiman and plots are as inventive and satisfying as either. You laugh at and with unsavoury characters who are both petty, human, awful and with which you have to admit one has a lot of empathy. For example the necromancer who hates the dead and just wants a good cup of tea.

The story is about the Palleseen army at war, an army and war rather like the Great War but also maybe the Great Patriotic War or Desert Storm. It's about the compromises that ideology makes in the face of the unutterable savagery of war; compromises that allow all that the state denounces to exist and be tolerated as long as it advances the cause.

In this bubble exist magisters, necromancers, demonologists, sonorists from all the cultures of this broad canvas Tchaikovsky has prepared for these sagas. Amongst them is Maric Jack, late of Ilmar, and the little dovecote he wears on his back.

This was a great read.

[Trent · Rating 5 out of 5]

While Children of Time will likely always be Tchaikovksy's best-known book (for good reason), and Shadows of the Apt is an excellent Epic Fantasy - for my money The Tyrant Philosophers is his best work.

Through two (loosely connected) books, we have:

1) Absolutely gorgeous prose, easily Tchaikovsky's best

2) Dozens of wonderfully bizarre characters that I will always love and never forget

3) The most original and fascinating Fantasy world I have read since Malazan

In this 'episode' (again, these books are only loosely connected), we follow the medical unit of the Palleseen Army. This unit is mostly made up of non-Pals, each with their own unique background, and now forced to serve their conquerors as they continue to conquer. As I said before, each of these characters are so different, but fully fleshed out and so likable.

The pacing of this novel was perfect. We learn about each character, we get plenty of action, and we also (very subtly) learn more and more about this world.

I get that it may never be Adrian's most popular work, but this is his best and it's not close. Highly, HIGHLY recommended and I cannot wait for Book 3!

[nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

my favourite trend in fantasy books is when the first book sets down a really interesting and well crafted world, but with enough guidelines and rules and conventions that you read it and aren't too overwhelmed, and finish thinking you understand the world you were just immersed in for 300+ pages.

and then the second book is just entirely off the shits.