Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

A Collection of Horror in Invocations

Invocations is a short story collection from the Warhammer Horror line, which should be self-explanatory. This novel contains twelve haunting and thrilling tales, all set within the Warhammer 40k universe – but with a dark twist.

To be fair, the world of Warhammer is very well suited to the horrors of the night. The Warp alone is host to plenty of those very nightmares, and they do a decent job of finding their way out. Truly, that is one of many reasons why horror works so well in this world. This collection does an excellent job of showcasing the variety and depth that can be found – in all of its disturbing clarity.

In this collection, you’ll find He Feasts Forever by Lora Gray, Flesh and Blood by Ray Cluley, The Growing Seasons by Richard Strachan, The Hunt by David Annandale, The Healer by Steven Sheil, Stitches by Nick Kyme, Blood Sacrifice by Peter McLean, Supplication by Jake Ozga, The Summons of Shadows by David Annandale, A Sending from the Grave C.L. Werner, From the Halls, the Silence by David Annandale, and The Confession of Convict Kline by Justin D. Hill.

Horrifying Tales

Invocations is an excellent collection of some of the shorter horror stories to come from this franchise. More importantly, some better-known authors from the Warhammer Horror line appear here.

Unsurprisingly, given that this is an anthology, the writing styles and subject matter are dramatically different from one to the next. Yet, thanks to that common theme, they all still flow together quite nicely.

In this instance, by quite nicely, I mean perfect to scare your socks off. It doesn’t matter if you want to read these all in one go or if you want to savor them and read one a night. Either way, the odds are good that the stories will linger with you. I know they did for me.

What impressed me about this anthology was how many stories could be turned into horror in this world – without any semblance of repetition. None of these stories overlap, either in location or theme. It’s impressive and just a little bit terrifying. Think about it – there are so many terrors in the Warhammer universe that this makes sense.

Horror Highlights

As with any anthology, there are short stories in Invocations that simply stood out in my mind. They’re the most haunting, the most graphic, or possibly even the best written. Starting with The Hunt, the first story in this collection. I loved this one for the Cask of Amontillado vibes it let off.

Meanwhile, Lora Gray’s writing is arguably the most brutal tale, and Nick Kyme’s works don’t shy away from the graphic nature either. Personally, the tale told within The Healer stuck out, not just for the horrifying implications but due to the unique tone of the story itself.

Other highlights included Supplication, the story of a man who gave everything to his empire, only to realize the true cost too late. Flesh and Blood is a graphic thriller tale that shows that what was left unsaid can sometimes be more horrifying than what can be spoken. And Stitches, the tale of one warped field doctor and his unfortunate patients.

Conclusion

All things considered, Invocations is the perfect short story collection for anybody hoping to dive right into the world of Warhammer Horror. It showcases a comprehensive example of what is out there while still providing all of the chills, thrills, and gore that fans could want, especially for this time of year.

This review was originally written for Word of the Nerd, but has been ported over to Quirky Cat’s Fat Stacks now that the site has shut down.

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