By Christopher BuehlmanAvailable now from Ace (Penguin Random House)
Review copy
THE NECROMANCER'S HOUSE wasn't what I was expecting. It's more of a revenge thriller with magic than a horror novel. It's a great success on that front, with two opposing forces with great reason to hate each other. It keeps picking up steam as it goes, until it reaches a unique and intriguing ending.
That's the best thing about THE NECROMANCER'S HOUSE, I think. It's unafraid to take strange turns and reveal unexpected information. The protagonist, Andrew Ranulf Blankenship, is the eponymous necromancer. He might be the good guy, but he's no stand up moral citizen. But no one would protest that Baba Yaga is not the consummate bad guy. (Baba Yaga is having a real year in literary fiction, isn't she?) These are two people willing to go to bizarre lengths to end the other.
But I'm not totally in love with THE NECROMANCER'S HOUSE. The story continually emphasizes that Anneke is a lesbian but Andrew is totally in love with her, which is weird, and also Andrew is still as pretty as a girl and super vain, and I got it the first ten times. Then there's the two moments of true horror in the novel, used to emphasize that anyone can die. The longer one tends to veer into silly, particularly because it violates a couple of magic rules the story mentions before and (immediately) after the scene. It ends with an indelible image, but not before the bad guy thinks about the incredibly easy way the good guy could have won the fight. Maybe it's just me, but it doesn't make things scarier for people to die in stupid ways.
Mostly, I just wish THE NECROMANCER'S HOUSE got to the final battle faster. The magic is inventive and it's fun to watch a bunch of tough characters battle it out. If only there were less interminable passages spent with Andrew lusting after someone who isn't interested. Anneke is also Andrew's student and fellow former alcoholic; isn't that enough of an emotional relationship to explore? As it was, I ended up caring more about the relationship between Andrew and his dog-turned-wooden-manservant. (To be fair, it is a touching relationship.)
That being said, I'd happily read a sequel. The epilogue of THE NECROMANCER'S HOUSE is fascinating, an unexpected group left together to go on and enjoy their lives. THE NECROMANCER'S HOUSE was fun enough, but it's nothing I'm going to reread. The weird bits that don't work aren't much, but they left a sour taste in my mouth.
The repetitive nature of the fact that Anneke is a lesbian and Andrew is pretty would definitely grate on my nerves after a while, and would certainly slow the plot down. I'd be tempted to just skim those sections and move on, but the fact that you would happily pick up a sequel is a good sign! I'm glad that despite the things that bothered you, you still enjoyed it overall. Lovely review Liviania!
ReplyDelete(I must admit, I probably did start skimming those bits.)
DeleteI agree that it doesn't make things scarier for people to die in stupid ways, it actually makes me stop caring, because it starts to feel senseless after awhile. I think I'd get sick of Andrew crushing on Anneke, but I'm definitely down for reading about his relationship with dog/wooden manservant. :-) Great review! Glad you liked it enough to keep going with the next book, even if this one didn't blow you away.
ReplyDeleteThe dog/wooden manservant is terrific. A little uncanny, a little sweet, a little sad.
DeleteSounds like an intriguing premise, and I'm glad you liked it enough to warrant reading a sequel, but it does sound like it gets a bit too repetitive and ridiculous. I think it would tire me out reading it after awhile. haha
ReplyDeleteAfter awhile it did get better.
DeleteI like the imaginative parts you describe. I'm curious about the dog/wooden manservant. I do think, however, the parts that bug you would bother me in the same way. Not sure why he would be crushing on the unattainable unless that was the point? Still, to pick up the sequel after this one does speak more to the positive side. Great review!
ReplyDeleteThere's a bit of a point - apparently if he falls in requited romantic love the woman will die - but that plot gets dropped, so it goes nowhere. Now, there's an interesting twist at the end, but there's no time left for the author to do anything with it and it doesn't get mentioned in the epilogue after being hammered in the whole book.
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