Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

Requiem Infernal is the latest novel in the Dark Coil Series from Warhammer 40,000. Peter Fehervari writes this novel, and it is so deliciously dark that you’re best advised not to read it in the dark. Seriously.

The Adepta Soroitas of the Last Candle are an isolated group, choosing to keep to their vigils over all else. Their island is remote and cannot be flown directly to, even with all the technology of the empire at hand.

And yet it is towards this island that Sister Hospitaller Asenath Hyades is taking her charges – a ship full of injured and dying Astra Military soldiers. It is a desperate move, but the Adepta Sororitas might be the only chance to save these men.

Unfortunately, this is one of those tales where nothing is quite like it seems. There is treachery and betrayal up ahead. And a world full of dark and corruption. This story will be perfect for fans looking for a gothic horror take on the world of 40K.

Writing

Requiem Infernal is a prime example of decadent writing in the horror genre. Peter Fahervari has put a whole new spin on this world, which will thrill you as much as it chills you. I, for one, was on the edge of my seat for nearly the entire novel.

Requiem Infernal merges the world of Warhammer 40,000 and a disturbing horror novel. The balance is a fine one, yet it is maintained nonetheless throughout the entire novel. It was so well done that I desperately hoped for more novels like this one.

This was, without a shadow of a doubt, one of the most intense novels I’ve read this year. And I mean that in all the best ways possible. The tale weaves together multiple characters with complex backstories. All of which work together to obfuscate the truth. It was brilliantly done.

There were three main characters in Requiem Infernal, leaving plenty of room for any reader to become attached to each one of them naturally, which went a long way in increasing the horror of the dilemma at hand.

Development

Requiem Infernal was not a story to be rushed. Instead, it went forward at a steady pace right up until all hell broke loose. And that was exactly what I wanted out of this story. The gradual building of the plot significantly increased the tension.

As did all the little hints about what was wrong in this world. Individually, any one of these clues could easily be overlooked. But together, they told a horrifying story that our three characters were rushing headlong towards.

Fahervari used subtlety to the best advantage within these pages, with writing that seemed to flow onto the page as naturally as water. It was not the sort of thing I expected from a horror novel, yet I found it to be exactly what I’d been looking for this whole time.

Conclusion

Requiem Infernal was a dark and foreboding read, one that took the best elements of horror and threw them into a world so many of us readers and games already know so well. It was a brilliant decision on more than one count.

Having finished Requiem Infernal, I can’t help but find myself wanting more novels along this sort of vein. Thankfully, there are plenty of other novels in the Warhammer Horror section.

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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