The Necromancer's House

By: Christopher Buehlman

Narrated by: Todd Haberkorn

Length: 11 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's Summary

"You think you got away with something, don't you? But your time has run out. We know where you are. And we are coming." The man on the screen says this in Russian. "Who are you?" The man smiles, but it's not a pleasant smile. The image freezes. The celluloid burns exactly where his mouth is, burns in the nearly flat U of his smile. His eyes burn, too. The man fades, leaving the burning smiley face smoldering on the screen. "Oh Christ," Andrew says. The television catches fire.

Andrew Ranulf Blankenship is a handsome, stylish nonconformist with wry wit, a classic Mustang, and a massive library. He is also a recovering alcoholic and a practicing warlock, able to speak with the dead through film. His house is a maze of sorcerous booby traps and escape tunnels, as yours might be if you were sitting on a treasury of Russian magic stolen from the Soviet Union thirty years ago. Andrew has long known that magic was a brutal game requiring blood sacrifice and a willingness to confront death, but his many years of peace and comfort have left him soft, more concerned with maintaining false youth than with seeing to his own defense. Now a monster straight from the pages of Russian folklore is coming for him, and frost and death are coming with her.

©2013 Christopher Buehlman (P)2013 Tantor

Critic Reviews

"The logic of the plot is eclipsed by the eruption of characters who evoke Dickensian whimsy and range from the merely unusual to the bizarrely imaginative. Within this magical universe, rivalries, revenge, and self-seeking contend with the willingness to sacrifice." ( Publishers Weekly)

Finally - Magic / Fantasy Novel for adults.

I don't know about you but I've grown so very tired of looking for magic and fantasy novels. It seems like i'm always Pawing through trite, whiny tween books, and the predictable female power/porn/romance fantasy novels. Blargh.

Finally! A really good magic/fantasy novel written for adults. The main characters are dysfunctional, sometimes distasteful, but in the end realistic and ultimately interesting. There's real danger and they make mistakes. The writing isn't for kids, and its not all about romance/fantasy daydreams. It feels a lot like Peter Clines "14" with modern characters and classic fantasy mixed.

7 of 7 people found this review helpful

Decidedly Worth It!!!

Having read his previous two books, I was eager to hear what Christopher Buehlman had in store for his readers in this, his third, novel. A story about witches and warlocks engaged in decidedly human bad behavior but on a scale that make the failings of mere mortals seem trivial.

I must admit that the style, pacing, and perspective of this story are unlike his other two. This style was off-putting to me at first. I couldn't find the story's rhythm. It had a way of jumping around in perspective, partially introducing things in short bursts – for example like the dialogue from a chat session or a dream. It made me feel like I was missing something, and I had to force myself not to put it down all together. I stuck with it, and I am so glad. There is so much payoff in the second half of this book! Things really get good!

The Necromancer's House is totally unique and is why I think that Christopher Buehlman is one of the great horror writers of our time. He brings deep thought to the genre and is one of my favorites. I can’t wait for his next book.

The narrator, Haberkorn, did an excellent job with this book considering the style and the Russian accents. His reading definitely brought the story to life.

This is book may be an acquired taste but it is taste that will leave you craving more once it gets under your skin.

6 of 6 people found this review helpful

Creative and engaging

Would you consider the audio edition of The Necromancer's House to be better than the print version?

Having read all three of Christopher Buehlman's published horror novels now, I can say that it has been a treat following his success. I know the author from his Renaissance Faire performances and have been a huge fan of his work there for years. I have to say that this book begins much like his performance work at Faire. "Unapologetic-ally Descriptive" was what a friend of mine and I came up with when we discussed the book over a few beers when we were both finished with it. Christopher Buehlman has a knack for painting a very detailed picture with his words. And that's how he hooks you!

In addition to his descriptive prowess, he is not afraid to delve into psychology and personal stories with his characters. And in this way, side characters who may not begin as characters you care about become Very important to you throughout the story.

The narrator on this work was great overall. The pacing and performance aided in a couple of "driveway moments" for me. However, I could not give the narrator a full 5 star rating like I wanted to because he MISPRONOUNCED the author's name. How does one mispronounce an author's name that they are narrating??? I am shocked that the narrator was not asked to re-record that one piece or that another voice was not hired to provide a recording of the book credentials.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Inventive world building

I liked this book to start with. The characters are well developed and while the plot is somewhat complex and tends to wander, it doesn't lose you. For me the book droned on too long, too many flashbacks and there seemed to be no real limit to what magic the main character could use. Great book for an epic road trip.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

You won't be disappointed!!

As I've come to expect, an excellent book!! The only regret is that it's over.

Well performed, not ideal for audio.

The reading performance was excellent. It included multiple accents and easily distinguishable male and female voices. I would definitely check out more from the reader.

I am a fan of the author's other works, and it seems like this was the hardest of his novels to adapt to audio.

Unlike "Between two fires" or "Those across the river", this story bounces around to different locations and timelines, which makes it difficult to follow in an audio version.

I love the author, and the reader was excellent. I would still, however, recommend listening to one of the author's other books first, or just physically reading this one.

Trldr...good story, good reading, but the two don't match up well.

The Looney Bin

What awell rounded,crazy roller coaster ride of a story.I found that was a bit difficult to follow at times but if you can stick with it,I believe it's an awesome story.The narrator (Todd Haberkorn)did a great job identifying each character and there were lots.This book would make an awesome fantasy movie,be right up there with Harry Potter,but more an adult book,more dark.Demons,Sirens and Wizards along with Voodoo Priests,the monkeys paw and all around crazily weird things make this story a full blown,magically chaotic hot mess of fun,suspense and bewilderment.I really,highly recommend listening to this book.You wont regret it.

Excellent tale well told

Would you listen to The Necromancer's House again? Why?

The plotting is quite subtle, with the backstory woven into the narrative in casual asides that sometimes don't connect up until later in the book, and it has an ending both surprising and inevitable, so I might well listen to it again, or actually read it. I haven't read/heard any of his other work, so no opinion on the author's literary development, but I'd probably go with one of his other books and come back to this one later.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Andrew, the protagonist, is utterly human despite his magical powers, and struggles with the same challenges we all face in life, but with vastly magnified stakes and consequences. He can be charming and bratty and annoying and funny and selfish, and I'd have him over for dinner anytime.

What does Todd Haberkorn bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Todd's performance is as good as any audio-book I've heard. His voices are distinct and appropriate to the character, his comic timing is excellent, and his droll delivery does justice to the author's wit. His voice doesn't distract from the writing, which I think is imperative.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I laughed out loud at a few points, but more importantly, it made me think, which I find far preferable.

Any additional comments?

Not recommended for the devout evangelical.

I'll stick with Dresden

Would you try another book from Christopher Buehlman and/or Todd Haberkorn?

Probably Todd Haberkorn

What could Christopher Buehlman have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

I am not sure because his writing style is good. I just could not get into the characters and found that I did not care what happened to them so I stopped halfway through the book

What does Todd Haberkorn bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He did a pretty good at giving the characters their own voice.

0 of 1 people found this review helpful

Very vulgar and directionless

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

NOTHING!

What could Christopher Buehlman have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Never written it!

Would you be willing to try another one of Todd Haberkorn’s performances?

Depends upon the text/story

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from The Necromancer's House?

I would send the writer back to try and write a completely different book.

Any additional comments?

Avoid it!

1 of 25 people found this review helpful