Requiem Infernal

Many years after leaving her birthplace, the austere home of the Adepta Sororitas of the Last Candle, Sister Asenath Hyades returns seeking answers, and aid for the few survivors of a once-proud Imperial Guard regiment. She finds the holy Candleworld much changed, its deepening darkness profoundly challenging her faith as she attempts to unravel its secrets while reluctantly facing up to her chequered past.

On the face of things this is an Adepta Sororitas story, but that doesn’t do justice to the introspective, horror-inflected complexity of the book. The absence of clear answers (a defining aspect of Fehervari’s intense and deeply considered style) is laid out right at the beginning – “…if you crave immaculate answers you’d best turn back now…” while characters are carefully, beautifully woven into a slow-burn plot dealing with typical Fehervari themes; damaged characters looking from the outside in, questions of purpose and belonging, sinister religious imagery and bleak explorations of faith, the metaphysics of 40k.

Fehervari has a unique perspective on the dark heart of the 40k setting, a mind-bending balancing act which takes familiar 40k elements and explores them in wildly different ways. For those looking for a story which goes way beyond the battlefield and explores Fehervari’s intriguing corner of the 40k universe, this is an incredibly rewarding read which starts to consolidate much of what’s been written before about the Dark Coil. It’s perhaps the most developed and fully-realised example of his writing yet, and feels like a distillation of everything that’s gone before.

This is definitely a worthy read for every fan of a dark, gothic stories. And of course of Warhammer world. This novel is clothed in beautiful words that from the start build this great atmosphere of horror I like so much. Good read.

There have been better reviews of this book than any I could write so suffice to say the ones that wax lyrical about the depth and quality of this book are most definitely correct, a jolly good read

WOW! Okay. After many deep meditative breathes, and a few meditative brownies, I finally feel ready to put thought to page. I have to start off by confessing that I was a bit out of my depths having no idea of the story's plot and never having read a Warhammer novel before. If you haven't either then the most important things for you to know are that this read is deep, eloquently written, (grim)dark, foreboding and creepy as all hell. Images were put in my mind and, for better or worse, they feel like they have put down roots and are here to stay.

Peter Fehervari's unique voice is distinct and cerebral. The prose read beautifully. It was expertly crafted but also a tad verbose. I don't mean that in a harsh way, I actually really enjoyed the sentence structures, but the body of work felt very full of itself. Although I did find myself utilizing my ereader's dictionary function more frequently than normal, it didn't detract from the overall experience. Beautiful sentence form aside, trying to figure out what was precisely going on was a true mind trip and then the gruesome imagery kicked in... here is where another admission is due you, I must admit that I am usually quite squeamish with the Horror genre as a whole. Thankfully this book wasn't rife with gore but its nasty bits leaned towards the macabre... definitely disturbing. There were memorable moments when I found myself reaching for a light (or 3)... suffice it to say, my hubby wasn't a fan of my late night reading sessions with this book.

Anyway...

In this Psychological/Horror/SciFi mashup, there were 2 main POVs but there were also a handful of secondary cast members (primarily from the remains of Darstar Company) that gave us access to their thoughts without preamble or introduction... you just had to go with it. Each narrator was as unreliable as the last, a trait that kept things murky, exciting and tenuous at all times. I really enjoyed watching Sister Asenath's entries at the start of each chapter, showing her slowly deteriorating mental state. She was a kick ass female MC that knew her way around a weapon or two and was ultimately ruled by her devout faith... or was she?!? Another favorite of mine was Jonah Tythe (our other main MC... it's a thing... at least now it is). Our introduction to him in the prologue was visceral and later on he was one giant (numb) ball of conflicted bad-ass-ery. On the whole, the characters were all complex and beautifully- humanly flawed. I love a motley crew colored in shades of grey and boy oh boy were these folks living it up in all sorts of greyscale. The co-mingling character arcs that intersected were intense and juggled masterfully. It was impressive how Peter Fehervari weaved each character's juxtaposed strings into a robust, vivid, cohesive tapestry. In my mind, Fehervari is the new master of Wrongness and Dread, he built those two up to a nail biting, tachycardia inducing, crescendo and didn't let up.

Overall:

I am amazed how much I enjoyed my mind being screwed with in a terror inducing manor. Requiem Infernal was a weird, twisty, wordy mind fuck and I mean that with as much reverence as possible.

If you:

- like your world building exquisitely detailed, unapologetically disturbing and lustrously portrayed.

- like your characters developed eloquently, and ambivalent... neither black nor white nor simply Good or Evil.

- like sentences so resplendent that you put the book aside to relish in their mastery.

- like not knowing where in the hell each character and plot devise is taking you.

- like your Psychological Horror genre with a side of SciFi.

If you answered YES to one or more of the criteria I listed above then....

THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU!!

~ Enjoy (I did)

*** I was given a copy of this book by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review ***

Requiem Infernal is part of the Dark Coil series, which will hopefully have more books added to it in the near future. Written by Peter Fehervari, the novel fits in with the world of 40K, with a delightful focus on the Adepta Sororitas.
If you've read any other 40K novels, let me just say that you need to lay down all of your expectations before picking up Requiem Infernal. This book reads nothing like all of the others – and that's not a bad thing.
This novel read as a blend between 40K lore and a disturbing and disquieting horror novel. It had the best of both worlds, and told a tale unlike any other. The world and characters are captivating – even as their quest and the mysteries surrounding them give readers chills down their spines.
The Adepta Sororitas of the Last Candle live on an isolated island, on an isolated planet. And they like it that way. But that's all about to change, as a desperate group of survivors are seeking their medical aid.
Sister Hospitaller Asenath Hyades is one of the Adepta Sororitas. But there's so much more to her than meets the eye – though she would prefer that nobody else knows or recalls everything that she has seen or done.
Commissar Ichukwu Lemarch is one of the few surviving members of his company – The Exordio Void Breachers. They are his brothers. Even if they see him as an outsider, he'll always consider himself part of their group. They are the family he has always sought.
Jonah Tythe is an Imperial Preacher. But like many others in this world, he is nothing and everything that he appears to be. His mission is his world, though it is one that he keeps close to his chest.

“'Truth is our first and lasting light' Asenath recited. 'Speak only as you see and seek to be, for all else is darkness.'”

Requiem Infernal was a seriously intense novel – but in the best of ways. Peter Fehervari's writing style perfectly complemented the dark and disturbing tale, with events unfolding in the eeriest ways possible.
It's so easy and tempting to walk into a novel like this and expect it to follow a specific formula. But Fehervari quickly destroyed that preconception. It was fascinating seeing what elements of the larger world were included here, and he left more than one false trail for readers to follow. It was thrilling, trying to put together the pieces of the puzzle before it was too late.
I'll confess that part of me wanted to be frustrated that only one of the perspectives given to us was an Adepta Sororitas. But honestly? Requiem Infernal was so brilliantly written that I couldn't even hold a grudge if I wanted to. Instead, I find myself hoping for more works like this.
There was something so florid about the way in which Requiem Infernal was written. The words seem to just flow off the paper – getting immediately trapped inside my head. The world – as creepy as it was – came to life with the descriptions given.
I was shocked by how intricate and disturbing parts of this novel was. It was perfect, and should be included in anybody's thrilling reads list. And best of all, this book comes out just in time for Halloween!
This was my first piece of work written by Fehervari, but I can assure you that it won't be my last. He has officially made my list of authors to watch, not to mention that I will absolutely be checking out his backlog of works.

Purgatory? Hell? Who knows..?. This tale is as dark and distrubing as Warhammer gets. Beautifully crafted and keeps you hooked to the very last stomach churning rancid page.

Requiem Infernal was a dark and intense, chaotic and complex read and i loved every moment! This is the first novel I’ve read by Peter Fehervari and i’m definitely interested in checking out more of his work!

This book is outstanding! If you like books that have gore and horror alongside an excellent plot with great characters look no further. This Warhammer novel encompasses all the things that I want in a horror novel in the Warhammer realm - this is a huge win for me!

I received this novel from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I received this from Netgalley for review. This is the truest yet horror novel Warhammer Horror has released. Gruesome, dark, terror inspiring, cryptic, book. This absolutely blew me away. Excellent characters, excellent storyline, excellent amount of gore and horror. A job well done on this book. This will definitely be a hard copy order for my collection!

REQUIEM INFERNAL / AUTHOR: PETER FEHERVARI / PUBLISHER: GAMES WORKSHOP / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

Warhammer 40,000 is one of those popular franchises that can be rather intimidating for new readers. Given that the setting is 10,000 years long and a galaxy wide, it’s no surprise that many get a little lost, especially with the wide range of potential stories on offer.

Requiem Infernal is a good place to start. It’s a horror-thriller which focuses on the Adepta Sororitas, Warhammer 40,000’s militant cult of battle nuns who fight demonic and alien forces with their unshakable faith, powered armour and powerful weapons. The author eschews much of the usual features of a Warhammer book. This is not a tale of epic space battles where male power fantasies take on impossible monsters and succeed despite the depressingly low odds. Instead, it’s a slow-burn psychological horror, one that owes more to the likes of Alien and The Thing than The Horus Heresy.

We open with an ominous prologue, where we learn that heresy and the road to hell is paved with all sort of intentions. It’s also clear from the start that this will not be a straightforward adventure. We then cut to the journey of doomed soldiers seeking refuge in a distant hospital, manned by the Sororitas. We are introduced to a dedicated Commissar and his unit, the Void Breachers, as well as various Sisters of Battle and Sister Asenath Hyades, a woman with a past who seeks answers in the most dangerous possible way.

Fehervari’s writing style is appropriately dense, gothic and flows in a smooth, lyrical way. This is a tale of horror during a futuristic dark age, and the language is both flowery and sombre. It will take most readers a while to get hooked; there are a lot of characters and there’s a lot going on here. Pretty much everyone has something to hide (or something they’re avoiding) and, by the time you’ve gotten the hang of these tangled lives, you’re a third of the way through the book.

Though this is a standalone novel, those familiar with Fehervari’s previous books will recognise themes and characters throughout. There’s plenty of action and some very memorable ‘horrors of war’ scenes that hammer home the ‘grim dark’ themes of the Warhammer world. This book nails one of the core themes of Warhammer 40,000 - there is only war because mankind can’t stop fighting its own darkness.

If you have no interest in the toys and games produced for Warhammer 40,000 but you really want to understand what the appeal is, check this out. Or take a look at Fehervari’s other books, such as Fire Caste or Cult of the Spiral Dawn.

Great book! I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.
Thanks to the Publisher for giving me the opportunity to read it in advance