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Warhammer Horror #Anthology
The Wicked and the Damned
A Warhammer Horror portmanteau
Drawn together by mysterious circumstances, three strangers meet in the mists of a desolate cemetery world. As they relate their stories, the threads of fate are drawn around them, and destiny awaits…
READ IT BECAUSE
It's a classic horror portmanteau comprising three Warhammer 40,000 novellas, each with its own distinct feel – a ghost story, a monster saga and a psychological horror tale – that all draw together through the terrifying linking story.
THE STORY
On a misty cemetery world, three strangers are drawn together through mysterious circumstances. Each of them has a tale to tell of a narrow escape from death. Amid the toll of funerary bells and the creep and click of mortuary-servitors, the truth is confessed. But whose story can be trusted? Whose recollection is warped, even unto themselves? For these are strange stories of the uncanny, the irrational and the spine-chillingly frightening, where horrors abound and the dark depths of the human psyche is unearthed.
Written by Josh Reynolds, David Annandale and Phil Kelly
Drawn together by mysterious circumstances, three strangers meet in the mists of a desolate cemetery world. As they relate their stories, the threads of fate are drawn around them, and destiny awaits…
READ IT BECAUSE
It's a classic horror portmanteau comprising three Warhammer 40,000 novellas, each with its own distinct feel – a ghost story, a monster saga and a psychological horror tale – that all draw together through the terrifying linking story.
THE STORY
On a misty cemetery world, three strangers are drawn together through mysterious circumstances. Each of them has a tale to tell of a narrow escape from death. Amid the toll of funerary bells and the creep and click of mortuary-servitors, the truth is confessed. But whose story can be trusted? Whose recollection is warped, even unto themselves? For these are strange stories of the uncanny, the irrational and the spine-chillingly frightening, where horrors abound and the dark depths of the human psyche is unearthed.
Written by Josh Reynolds, David Annandale and Phil Kelly
400 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 30, 2019
69 people are currently reading
986 people want to read
About the author
Joshua Reynolds
313 books339 followersJosh Reynolds’ work has previously appeared in such anthologies as Historical Lovecraft from Innsmouth Free Press and Horror for the Holidays from Miskatonic River Press, and his novel, Knight of the Blazing Sun, is currently available from Black Library. He can be found at: http://joshuamreynolds.wordpress.com
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 71 reviews
October 14, 2022
Bastante más disfrutable esta segunda lectura, aunque siempre me da la sensación de que Warhammer Horror no termina de darme lo que busco en un horror.
April 1, 2019
Three stories, interconnected briefly - the first had a nice style akin to Poe's telltale heart, but the ruthlessness of the character felt gratuitous, same with the violence of the second story, though it did set it up for a chilling haunting-type tale. But it was edge third that really caught me, an everyman in the grimdark world of 40k, swept up in a profession he does not feel fit for and a duty so distant from him that still again and again imposes its destiny... This was the most real and haunting character, struggling with the flaws and failings and human needs for security and love and the madness that comes when you're just a cog in a relentless machine. This story was worth the book, for me.
June 17, 2020
There are three stories in this book, all kept together by an outside narrative.
They are all very good in my opinion but I liked the second and third stories better.
They are set in the Warhammer 40k universe which in my opinion is a great setting to create Horror stories.
A little summary of the stories:
They are all very good in my opinion but I liked the second and third stories better.
They are set in the Warhammer 40k universe which in my opinion is a great setting to create Horror stories.
A little summary of the stories:
April 13, 2019
What a disappointment! I was looking forward to the Warhammer Horror line, but wondered how it could be any more horror-esque than the normal 40k. In 40k I've encountered weird stories (The Strange Demise of Titus Endor) ghost stories (The Killing Ground) and zombies (anything with Papa Nurgle and his crew).
The stories are decent, particularly "The Beast in the Trenches" but it was ....nothing special. They were all very average 40k tales.
The stories are decent, particularly "The Beast in the Trenches" but it was ....nothing special. They were all very average 40k tales.
May 29, 2019
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/...
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/...
April 17, 2019
I did enjoy this but unfortunately like the Maledictions short story collection, it linked a lot to 4k warhammer universe, which I haven't read. So I think it would have enjoyed it more if I had read some of those books first.
However, fantasy and war isn't my thing. I much prefer classic horror but this wasn't that at all. It was nice to branch out into something different but ultimately it wasn't my cup of tea.
I liked how this book was set out, three separate stories which kind of linked together at the end.
If you've read some of the books from the 40k universe I think you will like this but if you're looking for some classic horror, I don't think this will do it for you.
However, fantasy and war isn't my thing. I much prefer classic horror but this wasn't that at all. It was nice to branch out into something different but ultimately it wasn't my cup of tea.
I liked how this book was set out, three separate stories which kind of linked together at the end.
If you've read some of the books from the 40k universe I think you will like this but if you're looking for some classic horror, I don't think this will do it for you.
July 29, 2019
Not a terrible book. The stories are interesting and curious, but I felt little connection to the characters which is important in a horror story.
In general, there's something about the style of writing in the Warhamner novels that make it difficult for me to get into. The authors try to write in an epic, grandiose style that feels thick and dense but isn't pleasurable to read. As neat as the stories are and how rich and deep the lore of the Warhammer world is, they end up feeling like a slog.....
In general, there's something about the style of writing in the Warhamner novels that make it difficult for me to get into. The authors try to write in an epic, grandiose style that feels thick and dense but isn't pleasurable to read. As neat as the stories are and how rich and deep the lore of the Warhammer world is, they end up feeling like a slog.....
September 6, 2023
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.
July 15, 2019
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.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 10, 2021
Three nice stories. Especially the first one.
A very anticlimactic and without any imagination ending.
The beginning and the 3 stories build up the reader's anticipation page by page. All this energy, though, remains stored. I feel cheated. It's as though some employee in Black Library decided to take 3 stories and put them in a book. But because this wasn't enough, he wrote an in-between story to bind them all. It had potential..but that's all it had! These stories would fit in an anthology.
3,5 stars only because the stories are well written and interesting.
A very anticlimactic and without any imagination ending.
The beginning and the 3 stories build up the reader's anticipation page by page. All this energy, though, remains stored. I feel cheated. It's as though some employee in Black Library decided to take 3 stories and put them in a book. But because this wasn't enough, he wrote an in-between story to bind them all. It had potential..but that's all it had! These stories would fit in an anthology.
3,5 stars only because the stories are well written and interesting.
August 14, 2025
The Wicked and the Damned is a collection of three interconnected stories, each following “normal” people living in a grim, dark future. While the first two stories were better than the third, it was still enjoyable. Overall, it’s a nice collection and a definite read for any Warhammer fans who enjoy a horror/spooky feel.
October 30, 2025
Opening hook is GREAT. First story is GREAT. Second story is GREAT. Really made me want to go back and continue my Rogue Trader playthrough.
Third story I found dull, and then holy shit… the entire (audio)book then has 3 MINUTES to wrap the whole 10 hour story up. Utterly disappointing and lowkey infuriating lmao.
I’ll still give this 4 stars because I loved the first two thirds. But tbh the rest just ain’t worth it
Third story I found dull, and then holy shit… the entire (audio)book then has 3 MINUTES to wrap the whole 10 hour story up. Utterly disappointing and lowkey infuriating lmao.
I’ll still give this 4 stars because I loved the first two thirds. But tbh the rest just ain’t worth it
May 28, 2019
I didn't feel frightened by the stories in the book. However that may be because I've experienced a lot of horror stories/movies. Overall, the stories felt very formulaic.
January 13, 2022
First story: 5/10
Second story: 6.5/10
Third story: 8/10
Second story: 6.5/10
Third story: 8/10
December 14, 2022
Overall i really enjoyed this book, the opening was very atmospheric and set up the plot nicely, the first story was by far my favourite, especially since i was listening to the audiobook version voiced by doug Bradley, it had a brilliant sense of the pointlessness of imperial wars and how the administratum is an overburdened bureaucracy that can destroy lives without even realising it, and the commissar as a character was so unlikeable and vicious he was a character i loved to hate, and his internal monologue was the most horrific thing in the book, like a glimpse into the mind of a serial killer.
The second story was a bit of a step down but still enjoyable, the descent into madness that the main character took was enthralling, seeing this self assured back stabbing hard nosed officer getting broken down until she's nothing more than a scared girl hiding beneath a duvet from the monsters out to get her.
The final story was very much a let down for me, i found the main character more unlikeable as it went on, he started fine, but his words and actions damned him as a coward, the other protagonists were killers and psychopaths but for some reason i still found them more likeable than the missionary
And the plot of his story as a whole felt a bit too derivative, it felt a bit too much like Alien, and a bit too much like from beyond. Overall it was just far too usual for Warhammer. Warhammer horror to me works better when it's mostly psychological and doesn't fall back on demons or xenos
And then there's the ending, i didn't really expect it cause I didn't think it would make sense with the usual logic of the Warhammer universe, i expected the characters were actually under inquisition interrogation, or were in the process of being mind wiped and turned into servitors, but no they were just ghosts, which i found odd, Cause as far as my understanding of Warhammer logic goes, ghosts need a psyker nearby to coalesce, or they need to have their corpse on a ship in the warp, i feel like it could have been set up better
Still though not a bad anthology overall
The second story was a bit of a step down but still enjoyable, the descent into madness that the main character took was enthralling, seeing this self assured back stabbing hard nosed officer getting broken down until she's nothing more than a scared girl hiding beneath a duvet from the monsters out to get her.
The final story was very much a let down for me, i found the main character more unlikeable as it went on, he started fine, but his words and actions damned him as a coward, the other protagonists were killers and psychopaths but for some reason i still found them more likeable than the missionary
And the plot of his story as a whole felt a bit too derivative, it felt a bit too much like Alien, and a bit too much like from beyond. Overall it was just far too usual for Warhammer. Warhammer horror to me works better when it's mostly psychological and doesn't fall back on demons or xenos
And then there's the ending, i didn't really expect it cause I didn't think it would make sense with the usual logic of the Warhammer universe, i expected the characters were actually under inquisition interrogation, or were in the process of being mind wiped and turned into servitors, but no they were just ghosts, which i found odd, Cause as far as my understanding of Warhammer logic goes, ghosts need a psyker nearby to coalesce, or they need to have their corpse on a ship in the warp, i feel like it could have been set up better
Still though not a bad anthology overall
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 1, 2021
This book was something of a mixed bag for me. The initial set-up is compelling, with the three protagonists brought to this grim world with no memory of how or why. The stories then start off equally strong, with the first being a story of insanity and the horrors of what is essentially daily life for the Astra Militarum. The second is again extremely strong, with it focussing on the schemes of a conniving Astra Militarum officer on-board a ship in Warp transit. Definitely my favourite of the three stories.
Unfortunately the third story starts off with a very compelling scenario but quickly turns into non-stop, repetitive action that I just tuned out of completely. After two other stories that focussed on slow, brooding horror it was very disappointing to get a story that felt so mindless. The conclusion of the book as a whole felt incredibly clichéd and rushed, to the point it really soured my opinion.
I'd still recommend this book to anyone interested in Warhammer Horror, but I'd definitely say to beware the lacklustre second half.
Unfortunately the third story starts off with a very compelling scenario but quickly turns into non-stop, repetitive action that I just tuned out of completely. After two other stories that focussed on slow, brooding horror it was very disappointing to get a story that felt so mindless. The conclusion of the book as a whole felt incredibly clichéd and rushed, to the point it really soured my opinion.
I'd still recommend this book to anyone interested in Warhammer Horror, but I'd definitely say to beware the lacklustre second half.
June 19, 2021
I bought this book based of the blurb; not realising it was a part of Warhammer (not something I'm a fan of). I thought I would still give it a shot but for me it had to many references in connection to Warhammer (which is to be expected) that I didn't understand and was having to Google. So unfortunately I didn't finish this one
June 29, 2025
This is Warhammer Horror and I didn’t know what the hell that was when I bought it😭 So, normally, I didn’t understand shit when started reading it, I even lost interest for a while😭🙏🏼 so sorry. And I guess there’s a lot of technical words I didn’t know or me being stupid would explain it better. So just Let the review begin!
This book consists of three stories of a commissar, an officer and a priest, who found themselves at Silence (a planet of death or some sort) without remembering why but honestly, I think everyone knows why, everyone can GUESS why, it’s pretty predictable.
My thoughts on the first story, The Beast in the Trenches. I was a little bored at first, by my need for Valemar to die was so strong I had to continue lol. He pissed off so much, I just kept wishing he would die. He’s a goddamn serial killer, kept saying he wasn’t a murderer but he fucking was. He deliberately used his belief in God-Emperor to execute his own people for his stupidity experiments and theories. Saying that the God-Emperor wanted him to do this, it’s his duty to help liberate these people just because he had a psychotic episode of one of his men he (kinda) tortured and killed, JUST FUCKING BLUE EYES. He is a religious, psychotic nuts who justifies all of his action by using the name of God-Emperor. Though, I was hoping the blue eyes would have a deeper meaning, apparently it didn’t? It would be cooler if it did.
The Woman in the Walls: Now, this one is my fav. There’s fucking gore in it. I hate gore, I fucking hate it, but it was so good I had to keep reading. So for Vandersen, 100% gay. Had too much tension with every girl she interacted with, even the one she hated, unexpectedly murdered. I enjoyed this one sooo much. How each of Savlars just went one by one gets on my nerves, very well too. The descriptions of each death though, NUTS, very detailed 🥹 and I was interested by Vandersen’s ambition, how far she would go. And this second part got me so paranoid! Like her, I had to tuck my feet under the sheet😭 I could barely breathe whenever the gore scenes came up, it was intense alright. Oh, and Marisel!!! Would like to know more about her and Vandersen. Also, a very vengeful person.
The Faith and the Flesh: I saw someone said Marrikus is a coward and that’s exactly my thought on my reading session. He, I would say, is the one with identity crisis perhaps? He is a missionary who is lost and basically has no faith in the God-Emperor. I think he didn’t want to admit it, but I’m kinda sure he couldn’t find his faith for his god. Instead, the presence of the dark god is there, more real than his god. though, he didn’t have faith in that dark god either. He abandoned his lover to death. I quote,
« I love her. She didn’t love her. Why, then, would I die for her? » that shit got me drop my jaws. Because his existence, in the book so far, mostly depends on her love, her being the world to him, her forgiveness to him for the disaster he has done, so I was shocked, of course. Also, the fact that him, a missionary, making people including his love of his life die because he couldn’t seem to find his own answer, faith is ironic, I enjoyed that. Doubting things when you are never supposed to, he was doomed in the first place honestly.
Also, it’s funny to me how Valemar clung onto the God-Emperor even more strictly than Marrikus, like it’s just interesting.
At the end, it’s not really surprising what actually happened haha. Like, we all can tell, but still, the journey has been enjoyable! I struggled (a lot) while reading it, seeing how English is not my native language and Warhammer is not my thing AT ALL, literally, AT ALL, and like I’m stupid. I mean, also its ability to keep my attention was up and down, I was interested, then I wasn’t, then I was again. But I’m the problem for that. Though, I just wish the Silence parts were longer, like I have sooooo many questions (what’s with the blue eyes, contrabands of Valemar, what’s the origin of the abomination in Marrikus’ story, Thorne and Vandersen before the incident etc.)
so that’s my take!
This book consists of three stories of a commissar, an officer and a priest, who found themselves at Silence (a planet of death or some sort) without remembering why but honestly, I think everyone knows why, everyone can GUESS why, it’s pretty predictable.
My thoughts on the first story, The Beast in the Trenches. I was a little bored at first, by my need for Valemar to die was so strong I had to continue lol. He pissed off so much, I just kept wishing he would die. He’s a goddamn serial killer, kept saying he wasn’t a murderer but he fucking was. He deliberately used his belief in God-Emperor to execute his own people for his stupidity experiments and theories. Saying that the God-Emperor wanted him to do this, it’s his duty to help liberate these people just because he had a psychotic episode of one of his men he (kinda) tortured and killed, JUST FUCKING BLUE EYES. He is a religious, psychotic nuts who justifies all of his action by using the name of God-Emperor. Though, I was hoping the blue eyes would have a deeper meaning, apparently it didn’t? It would be cooler if it did.
The Woman in the Walls: Now, this one is my fav. There’s fucking gore in it. I hate gore, I fucking hate it, but it was so good I had to keep reading. So for Vandersen, 100% gay. Had too much tension with every girl she interacted with, even the one she hated, unexpectedly murdered. I enjoyed this one sooo much. How each of Savlars just went one by one gets on my nerves, very well too. The descriptions of each death though, NUTS, very detailed 🥹 and I was interested by Vandersen’s ambition, how far she would go. And this second part got me so paranoid! Like her, I had to tuck my feet under the sheet😭 I could barely breathe whenever the gore scenes came up, it was intense alright. Oh, and Marisel!!! Would like to know more about her and Vandersen. Also, a very vengeful person.
The Faith and the Flesh: I saw someone said Marrikus is a coward and that’s exactly my thought on my reading session. He, I would say, is the one with identity crisis perhaps? He is a missionary who is lost and basically has no faith in the God-Emperor. I think he didn’t want to admit it, but I’m kinda sure he couldn’t find his faith for his god. Instead, the presence of the dark god is there, more real than his god. though, he didn’t have faith in that dark god either. He abandoned his lover to death. I quote,
« I love her. She didn’t love her. Why, then, would I die for her? » that shit got me drop my jaws. Because his existence, in the book so far, mostly depends on her love, her being the world to him, her forgiveness to him for the disaster he has done, so I was shocked, of course. Also, the fact that him, a missionary, making people including his love of his life die because he couldn’t seem to find his own answer, faith is ironic, I enjoyed that. Doubting things when you are never supposed to, he was doomed in the first place honestly.
Also, it’s funny to me how Valemar clung onto the God-Emperor even more strictly than Marrikus, like it’s just interesting.
At the end, it’s not really surprising what actually happened haha. Like, we all can tell, but still, the journey has been enjoyable! I struggled (a lot) while reading it, seeing how English is not my native language and Warhammer is not my thing AT ALL, literally, AT ALL, and like I’m stupid. I mean, also its ability to keep my attention was up and down, I was interested, then I wasn’t, then I was again. But I’m the problem for that. Though, I just wish the Silence parts were longer, like I have sooooo many questions (what’s with the blue eyes, contrabands of Valemar, what’s the origin of the abomination in Marrikus’ story, Thorne and Vandersen before the incident etc.)
so that’s my take!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 27, 2025
This has been my first proper foray into Warhammer Horror, so I have a lot of thoughts. The setting as a whole is no stranger to horror-themes and tragedies, but these stories turned these elements up to 11. Before I get into potential spoiler territory, I can say wholeheartedly that I need at least a couple of days to emotionally recover from this, and that the writing quality is extremely high. For anyone on the fence, I highly recommend it.
The book is made up of three loosely connected stories, all of which are quite different, so I'll talk about each of them separately.
The Beast in the Trenches, by Josh Reynolds
The Woman in the Walls, by Phil Kelly
The Faith and the Flesh by David Annandale
Overall, this is high quality horror. I also have to mention the audiobook, because it is absolutely brilliant, and I cannot recommend enough that you listen to it if you have any inkling of doing so. It's probably the best voice acted Warhammer audiobook I've listened to, right after the Caiaphas Cain series.
The book is made up of three loosely connected stories, all of which are quite different, so I'll talk about each of them separately.
The Beast in the Trenches, by Josh Reynolds
The Woman in the Walls, by Phil Kelly
The Faith and the Flesh by David Annandale
Overall, this is high quality horror. I also have to mention the audiobook, because it is absolutely brilliant, and I cannot recommend enough that you listen to it if you have any inkling of doing so. It's probably the best voice acted Warhammer audiobook I've listened to, right after the Caiaphas Cain series.
April 3, 2019
So a priest, a soldier, and a commissar walk into a cemetery.....no really! This may sound like the opening of a joke but this is actually one of the flagship novels in the new Warhammer horror universe and if you are anything like me you have be anticipating this for awhile. I will try and keep my review light on spoilers but be forewarned.
The novel features three characters meeting on a cemetery world with no knowledge of each other, how they got there, or even why they are there. This is all a pretense to introduce 3 short stories in the universe. Each takes a turn telling their story so that they might piece together why they are there. The stories are...
The commissar chases a phantom enemy hiding among his troops
The soldier is haunted by a recently deceased rival
The priest struggles with his faith and self identity when confronted with an unholy horror
Right off the bat this will be a tough sell for varied readers. While all within the horror genre they each represent very different sub-genres namely slasher, lovecraftish horror, and supernatural haunting. For the most part the stories pull it off
Pros
Fast paced
easy to follow (few events and characters)
engrossing
truly horrific in some cases
Cons
The ending suffers
since it is fast paced it is easy to miss fast sequences
The writing is cramped and breaks are few (no chapters or page breaks)
So the pros are pretty self explanatory. I liked the stories. The soldiers was the best followed by the priest and last the commissars. I looked forward to this for so long because the Warhammer universe is just perfect for the genre. Sure there's great action but just the basic elements of the universe lends itself to any type of horror and even has made showings in other novels like Eisenhorn's.
The cons come from a design aspect. The ending twist was lackluster and lazy. Vague endings leave it to the reader to fill in and there are cases where this may work, but this isn't it. I for one didn't see the twist coming. This is entirely because I expected more from it than this "simple" tie together. The commissars tie makes sense the others.... I mean I can fill it in but they're less direct and the more you try to find the "jump off" point (i.e. the point where the characters imagine endings instead of what actually happened) the more you come to the realization that... well... yea this can work but then really ANY story can be tied in and it ends up being lazy. I said this was due to design because each story is penned by a different author. What likely happened is each was had notional ideas of their stories and told Josh the basics and he wrote it in vaguely so that no matter what it would work. This could have been solved by having just a basic 4th character come in and perform some sort of investigative wrap up so that you the reader could know the story and not feel as cheated.
All that being said though I still like it. The tie in issue is small relative to the rest of the novel. Each story is roughly a third of the book so this over arcing connection takes up all of like 10 pages. This is a good opening for the universe and I would recommend it for cross over horror warhammer fans.
The novel features three characters meeting on a cemetery world with no knowledge of each other, how they got there, or even why they are there. This is all a pretense to introduce 3 short stories in the universe. Each takes a turn telling their story so that they might piece together why they are there. The stories are...
The commissar chases a phantom enemy hiding among his troops
The soldier is haunted by a recently deceased rival
The priest struggles with his faith and self identity when confronted with an unholy horror
Right off the bat this will be a tough sell for varied readers. While all within the horror genre they each represent very different sub-genres namely slasher, lovecraftish horror, and supernatural haunting. For the most part the stories pull it off
Pros
Fast paced
easy to follow (few events and characters)
engrossing
truly horrific in some cases
Cons
The ending suffers
since it is fast paced it is easy to miss fast sequences
The writing is cramped and breaks are few (no chapters or page breaks)
So the pros are pretty self explanatory. I liked the stories. The soldiers was the best followed by the priest and last the commissars. I looked forward to this for so long because the Warhammer universe is just perfect for the genre. Sure there's great action but just the basic elements of the universe lends itself to any type of horror and even has made showings in other novels like Eisenhorn's.
The cons come from a design aspect. The ending twist was lackluster and lazy. Vague endings leave it to the reader to fill in and there are cases where this may work, but this isn't it. I for one didn't see the twist coming. This is entirely because I expected more from it than this "simple" tie together. The commissars tie makes sense the others.... I mean I can fill it in but they're less direct and the more you try to find the "jump off" point (i.e. the point where the characters imagine endings instead of what actually happened) the more you come to the realization that... well... yea this can work but then really ANY story can be tied in and it ends up being lazy. I said this was due to design because each story is penned by a different author. What likely happened is each was had notional ideas of their stories and told Josh the basics and he wrote it in vaguely so that no matter what it would work. This could have been solved by having just a basic 4th character come in and perform some sort of investigative wrap up so that you the reader could know the story and not feel as cheated.
All that being said though I still like it. The tie in issue is small relative to the rest of the novel. Each story is roughly a third of the book so this over arcing connection takes up all of like 10 pages. This is a good opening for the universe and I would recommend it for cross over horror warhammer fans.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 18, 2024
If you asked what I expected from a horror Warhammer 40k book before I listened to this I would have said words like gruesome, dark, murderous, crazy, and lack of hope feeling in the world. Now after listening to this book I can say that all those words are correct but more on the side of insanity, but overall close to what I had expected. This book contained three different stories of diverse characters from factions that side with the god emperor. Personally I tend to favor lore from the heretic or xenos side of things, so these characters weren't my favorite but oh my their stories were crazy. Some of the things I heard these characters say or do made me realize that the Drukhari are not as cruel as the galaxy tends to paint them. There were some GNARLY quotes and jaw dropping moments to occur through each of the stories, and it would be strange to say that I enjoyed them for how gory they were but they drove home the eerie effect needed in each moment. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed at the 'lack' of horror in the stories. The universe of Warhammer 40k is dark and I mean dark dark, lacks hope, there is no good guy, and there is no light at the end of the tunnel in this world. Therefore, you can understand why as someone who knows this and the world a bit already that I wanted to be practically scared and cringing from the horror within this audiobook. This book needed to go further into the dark craziness of 40k to truly standout from any other 40k book in my opinion. I believe that if the order of the stories was rearranged to where the second story was first, the third was second and the first was last that it would been able to build on itself more and be more impactful in a horror sense. That was the most gruesome and most horrifying of the three would have been last and most memorable/impactful.
2.75/5 Servo Skulls ~ disclaimer other than 40k books I don't read/listen to horror much at all so read my review with that in mind
2.75/5 Servo Skulls ~ disclaimer other than 40k books I don't read/listen to horror much at all so read my review with that in mind
May 1, 2019
As stories set in the warhammer 40k universe they work well enough. Interesting settings, little snips and bits of the lives of everyday people in the 40k universe. as horror stories tough....
The problem I have with them is that I don't really feel that much difference with other supposedly non horror warhammer 40k stories. That is because warhammer 40k is an inherently horrific universe with chaos as a lovecraftian cosmic terror looming over all humans in the uncaring universe but that is not all; warhammer also has the necrons and the dark eldar to add to its spectacle of mind-shattering madness or let alone the genestealers and tyranids in general. For emperor's sake we have entire chaos legion founded on the principle of terror and horror with a primach modeled after a psychotic version of batman.
So are they bad stories? Again no and I appreciate the endings with all three of them though I would have switched stories 2 and 3 (no spoiler but you will get what I mean when you read them) I think it would have made a better ending for the overarching story on the cemetery world.
For the future I hope they stay away from the known horror such as the mentioned genestealers and or mutants. I would really like to see a story involving a slaught conspiracy
( https://warhammer40k.fandom.com/wiki/... ) or the Rak'Gol ( https://warhammer40k.fandom.com/wiki/... ) I believe warhammer horror has potential and they should use it as a way to tell stories not involving the common stuff but really elaborate on the whole myriad of aliens and events that plague the galaxy beyond the big threats.
Perhaps that is the extra spice of horror that can be added as they did here by zooming in away from the big cosmic terrors.
Wait and see.
The problem I have with them is that I don't really feel that much difference with other supposedly non horror warhammer 40k stories. That is because warhammer 40k is an inherently horrific universe with chaos as a lovecraftian cosmic terror looming over all humans in the uncaring universe but that is not all; warhammer also has the necrons and the dark eldar to add to its spectacle of mind-shattering madness or let alone the genestealers and tyranids in general. For emperor's sake we have entire chaos legion founded on the principle of terror and horror with a primach modeled after a psychotic version of batman.
So are they bad stories? Again no and I appreciate the endings with all three of them though I would have switched stories 2 and 3 (no spoiler but you will get what I mean when you read them) I think it would have made a better ending for the overarching story on the cemetery world.
For the future I hope they stay away from the known horror such as the mentioned genestealers and or mutants. I would really like to see a story involving a slaught conspiracy
( https://warhammer40k.fandom.com/wiki/... ) or the Rak'Gol ( https://warhammer40k.fandom.com/wiki/... ) I believe warhammer horror has potential and they should use it as a way to tell stories not involving the common stuff but really elaborate on the whole myriad of aliens and events that plague the galaxy beyond the big threats.
Perhaps that is the extra spice of horror that can be added as they did here by zooming in away from the big cosmic terrors.
Wait and see.
July 12, 2019
A portmanteau composed of three separate tales of space horror, each making their horrific locations feel vividly real, as the writers take on a different subgenre with intriguing elements and genuinely chilling segments.
The Beast in The Trenches, by Josh Reynolds, is a descent into madness excused by this lead as blind loyalty, expressed in the most extreme of fashions. It feels overlong, dragging throughout, but was a very intriguing tale which gripped me more than it didn't.
Next was The Woman In The Walls, by Phil Kelly. This was my favourite tale, carrying the best protagonist, as this horrifying tale of a space-set haunting left me unnerved and unable to put the book down. I wanted to see where it would go next, and was more than eager to follow it on.
Lastly is The Faith and The Flesh, by David Annandale. My least favourite of the trio, due to some dull stretches, but this story of a crisis of faith still held my attention, and left me engaged as this Alien style horror had me hoping things would turn out alright.
As for the wraparound tale, this is where I was most let down. It begins with promise, setting up the horrific scenario very well, and gives off very good character interactions between our leads, but ends up taking the route one could guess from the first part of it, before ending with a rushed wrap up.
A shame, because I feel the book is worth it overall, especially for the middle story.
The Beast in The Trenches, by Josh Reynolds, is a descent into madness excused by this lead as blind loyalty, expressed in the most extreme of fashions. It feels overlong, dragging throughout, but was a very intriguing tale which gripped me more than it didn't.
Next was The Woman In The Walls, by Phil Kelly. This was my favourite tale, carrying the best protagonist, as this horrifying tale of a space-set haunting left me unnerved and unable to put the book down. I wanted to see where it would go next, and was more than eager to follow it on.
Lastly is The Faith and The Flesh, by David Annandale. My least favourite of the trio, due to some dull stretches, but this story of a crisis of faith still held my attention, and left me engaged as this Alien style horror had me hoping things would turn out alright.
As for the wraparound tale, this is where I was most let down. It begins with promise, setting up the horrific scenario very well, and gives off very good character interactions between our leads, but ends up taking the route one could guess from the first part of it, before ending with a rushed wrap up.
A shame, because I feel the book is worth it overall, especially for the middle story.
December 1, 2019
I must admit that I struggled through the first half of the book. Overall I'd give it a 2.5, but since there is no that option I rounded it up to 3.
First story almost made me give up on the book. First one is definitively the worst one of the three offered in this collection. Second one is not much better but at least it felt more readable and it did at least feel scary and had some of horror elements. My biggest gripe with those first two stories that I didn't feel at all that they were happening in Warhammer 40k universe, yes there were some things that obviously belong to it, but you could easily put them in any other SF/military universe and they would fit into it. Third one I liked, and only because of it I gave it this score. It is your run of the mill monster story happening in a remote area. To me this one did have a bit more of connection to the Warhammer 40k lore and setting.
Of all three main character in this collection the only one was somewhat believable was a main character in the third one, he felt human. Commissar and commander were completely unrelatable and unlikable characters to me, and I just wanted them to die so that their stories are over. Also there is a nice twist at the end that I thought was nice, but still felt somewhat rushed and I have feeling there just to add a bit more of horror to all three stories since it is used to connect them all together and the way all three of them end.
First story almost made me give up on the book. First one is definitively the worst one of the three offered in this collection. Second one is not much better but at least it felt more readable and it did at least feel scary and had some of horror elements. My biggest gripe with those first two stories that I didn't feel at all that they were happening in Warhammer 40k universe, yes there were some things that obviously belong to it, but you could easily put them in any other SF/military universe and they would fit into it. Third one I liked, and only because of it I gave it this score. It is your run of the mill monster story happening in a remote area. To me this one did have a bit more of connection to the Warhammer 40k lore and setting.
Of all three main character in this collection the only one was somewhat believable was a main character in the third one, he felt human. Commissar and commander were completely unrelatable and unlikable characters to me, and I just wanted them to die so that their stories are over. Also there is a nice twist at the end that I thought was nice, but still felt somewhat rushed and I have feeling there just to add a bit more of horror to all three stories since it is used to connect them all together and the way all three of them end.
June 27, 2019
The overall story starts with 3 people on a cemetery world. They are not sure why they are there, so they decide to tell stories about the last thing they remember. The three short stories that make up this book are their stories.
The first story is “The Beast in the Trenches” by Josh Reynolds. This tale is the Commissar’s story. It’s kind of a paranoia, psychological horror story.
The second story is the Field Commander’s story. Her tale is a gruesome ghost story. It’s called “The Woman in the Walls” by Phil Kelly.
The third story belongs to a missionary. It’s “The Faith and the Flesh” by David Annandale. This short story is more of a monster tale.
I found all 3 stories enjoyable. The first tale was kind of saddening. The second story felt a little drawn out, but was the creepiest. It was also the goriest. The third story seemed to have the fastest pace. None of the main characters are really likable. All 3 are deeply flawed and these flaws tend to be their downfall.
I wasn’t sure what to expect from a Warhammer 40K horror story. The regular 40K stories can be fairly gruesome, disturbing, and frightening. I definitely enjoyed them and would recommend them to any Warhammer 40K fans.
The first story is “The Beast in the Trenches” by Josh Reynolds. This tale is the Commissar’s story. It’s kind of a paranoia, psychological horror story.
The second story is the Field Commander’s story. Her tale is a gruesome ghost story. It’s called “The Woman in the Walls” by Phil Kelly.
The third story belongs to a missionary. It’s “The Faith and the Flesh” by David Annandale. This short story is more of a monster tale.
I found all 3 stories enjoyable. The first tale was kind of saddening. The second story felt a little drawn out, but was the creepiest. It was also the goriest. The third story seemed to have the fastest pace. None of the main characters are really likable. All 3 are deeply flawed and these flaws tend to be their downfall.
I wasn’t sure what to expect from a Warhammer 40K horror story. The regular 40K stories can be fairly gruesome, disturbing, and frightening. I definitely enjoyed them and would recommend them to any Warhammer 40K fans.
October 25, 2020
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.
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.
November 5, 2024
Decent short stories of 3 very different types of characters in horrifying scenerios.
Biggest trend between all 3 stories though that holds it back is the lack of creativity after setting up the premise.
The premise of each story is done really well but then after that is built up, in all 3 stories, all 3 characters remain engaging with the same scenerio like 5 times with very little difference between each engagement other then a reaction or avoidant behavior. Like..... something different please happen, I've seen this before, although interesting surely there has to be something in there to mix it up a bit. It's not until the very end of each story does anything finally happen that mixes things up leading to a rapid stop to what they each were engaging with.
It's very easy to talk about all 3 books like this as a lump because all 3 fall into the same routine, not intentionally, as you can tell the themes are intentional but this part was definetly not intentional as I feel like it speaks more to lack of creativity.
I really enjoyed how human the characters were written though, even if the same engagement with their scenerios got repetetive the character writing was really good for all 3. So i enjoyed myself as the characters were interesting.
Biggest trend between all 3 stories though that holds it back is the lack of creativity after setting up the premise.
The premise of each story is done really well but then after that is built up, in all 3 stories, all 3 characters remain engaging with the same scenerio like 5 times with very little difference between each engagement other then a reaction or avoidant behavior. Like..... something different please happen, I've seen this before, although interesting surely there has to be something in there to mix it up a bit. It's not until the very end of each story does anything finally happen that mixes things up leading to a rapid stop to what they each were engaging with.
It's very easy to talk about all 3 books like this as a lump because all 3 fall into the same routine, not intentionally, as you can tell the themes are intentional but this part was definetly not intentional as I feel like it speaks more to lack of creativity.
I really enjoyed how human the characters were written though, even if the same engagement with their scenerios got repetetive the character writing was really good for all 3. So i enjoyed myself as the characters were interesting.
July 5, 2023
Treffen sich drei Warhammer-Autoren. Was passiert? Ein grossartiges Buch, das passiert.
Drei Autoren, drei Geschichten. Drei Mal Horror, drei Mal Warhammer.
Die drei Geschichten, für welche sich jeweils ein Autor verantwortlich zeigt, hängen zusammen, jedoch erzählt jede Figur für sich, wie sie an diesen seltsamen Ort gelangt sind, an welchem sie sich getroffen haben.
Die zwei ersten Texte gehen in Richtung psychologischer Horror, während wir uns am Schluss fast schon im Setting von "Alien" wähnen. Passend für Warhammer 40K, würde ich sagen. Auf jeden Fall sind alle drei Geschichten, und somit das ganze Buch, richtig schöner Horror zum Mitfiebern.
Die Figuren sind selbstverständlich alle unglaubwürdige Erzähler, passend zum Universum, passend zu ihren Charakteren. Auch dies macht dieses Buch so faszinierend. Wir sind mitten drin in den Köpfen der Soldaten und religiösen Eiferer. Hier wird nichts gerechtfertigt, weil alle drei völlig von sich und ihren Taten überzeugt sind.
Ich gehe so weit zu behaupten, dass "Frevler und Verdammte" trotz der Unterreihe "Warhammer Horror" ein guter Einstieg in das Universum darstellt. So bekommt mensch gleich mit, wie die Welt tickt, ohne mit allzu komplizierten Begriffen konfrontiert zu werden. Auch von den jeweiligen Elitetruppen etc. muss mensch noch kein Vorwissen mitbringen.
Was Kampfgetümmel, Blutvergiessen und religiöse Überzeugungen betrifft weiss die lesende Person nach dieser Lektüre definitiv, womit mensch es in der Welt von Warhammer zu tun bekommt.
Für jene, die sich hier bereits wohlfühlen (soweit das bei Warhammer geht), bietet dieses Buch eine Abwechslung zu den üblichen Schlachten, aber mit 100% Warhammer-Feeling. Plus: Extra-Grusel.
Drei Autoren, drei Geschichten. Drei Mal Horror, drei Mal Warhammer.
Die drei Geschichten, für welche sich jeweils ein Autor verantwortlich zeigt, hängen zusammen, jedoch erzählt jede Figur für sich, wie sie an diesen seltsamen Ort gelangt sind, an welchem sie sich getroffen haben.
Die zwei ersten Texte gehen in Richtung psychologischer Horror, während wir uns am Schluss fast schon im Setting von "Alien" wähnen. Passend für Warhammer 40K, würde ich sagen. Auf jeden Fall sind alle drei Geschichten, und somit das ganze Buch, richtig schöner Horror zum Mitfiebern.
Die Figuren sind selbstverständlich alle unglaubwürdige Erzähler, passend zum Universum, passend zu ihren Charakteren. Auch dies macht dieses Buch so faszinierend. Wir sind mitten drin in den Köpfen der Soldaten und religiösen Eiferer. Hier wird nichts gerechtfertigt, weil alle drei völlig von sich und ihren Taten überzeugt sind.
Ich gehe so weit zu behaupten, dass "Frevler und Verdammte" trotz der Unterreihe "Warhammer Horror" ein guter Einstieg in das Universum darstellt. So bekommt mensch gleich mit, wie die Welt tickt, ohne mit allzu komplizierten Begriffen konfrontiert zu werden. Auch von den jeweiligen Elitetruppen etc. muss mensch noch kein Vorwissen mitbringen.
Was Kampfgetümmel, Blutvergiessen und religiöse Überzeugungen betrifft weiss die lesende Person nach dieser Lektüre definitiv, womit mensch es in der Welt von Warhammer zu tun bekommt.
Für jene, die sich hier bereits wohlfühlen (soweit das bei Warhammer geht), bietet dieses Buch eine Abwechslung zu den üblichen Schlachten, aber mit 100% Warhammer-Feeling. Plus: Extra-Grusel.
December 25, 2019
Своеобразный Декамерон сороковника. Или Байки из склепа, как посмотреть.
Книга бодрая, истории интересные, читается легко и быстро. За счет того, что у каждой истории свой автор, конечный результат не кажется таким однообразным, каким мог бы быть - при том, что сами внутренние рассказы довольно близкие по стилю и содержанию.
Но есть три существенных минуса:
1. Герои. Понятно, что, оправдывая название книги, они должны быть плохишами. Но плохиш плохишу рознь. Симпатии и сочувствия не вызывает практически никто из них.
2. Интрига. Или ее отсутствие. Уже после пролога читатель догадывается, чем все кончится. А после первого же рассказа для догадок места не остается - все становится очевидно.
3. Финал. И вот, перед нами - наконец-то! - раскрывают все карты. О которых мы и так давно знали. И как же авторы ими сыграют?
Книга бодрая, истории интересные, читается легко и быстро. За счет того, что у каждой истории свой автор, конечный результат не кажется таким однообразным, каким мог бы быть - при том, что сами внутренние рассказы довольно близкие по стилю и содержанию.
Но есть три существенных минуса:
1. Герои. Понятно, что, оправдывая название книги, они должны быть плохишами. Но плохиш плохишу рознь. Симпатии и сочувствия не вызывает практически никто из них.
2. Интрига. Или ее отсутствие. Уже после пролога читатель догадывается, чем все кончится. А после первого же рассказа для догадок места не остается - все становится очевидно.
3. Финал. И вот, перед нами - наконец-то! - раскрывают все карты. О которых мы и так давно знали. И как же авторы ими сыграют?
April 4, 2021
Dark, dark, and dark again. A trio of tales told by three characters (and written by three authors) set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. I'll firstly say that I wish I had more knowledge about said universe as I think it would have enhanced my enjoyment. The third story had the most familiar elements and was definitely my favourite.
The stories are well-written and, as I said, dark! I wouldn't say they were scary but many scenes were tense. The first story had the nastiest protagonist, the second's MC was one I rooted for (surprising myself), and the third had an exciting plot (fans of a certain film will get a kick out of it, I reckon).
As with other Warhammer novels I've read, the writing, editing and presentation (love the black edge to the paper) are all slick and easy to get stuck into.
The stories are well-written and, as I said, dark! I wouldn't say they were scary but many scenes were tense. The first story had the nastiest protagonist, the second's MC was one I rooted for (surprising myself), and the third had an exciting plot (fans of a certain film will get a kick out of it, I reckon).
As with other Warhammer novels I've read, the writing, editing and presentation (love the black edge to the paper) are all slick and easy to get stuck into.
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