The Necromancer's House

Written by Christopher Buehlman

Narrated by Todd Haberkorn

"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.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Oct 28, 2013
• ISBN: 9781452687155

Christopher Buehlman

CHRISTOPHER BUEHLMAN (he/him) is an author, comedian, and screenwriter from St. Petersburg, Florida, whose books include The Blacktongue Thief, The Daughters' War, and Between Two Fires. He spent his youth touring renaissance festivals in the US, performing his cult-favorite comedy act, Christophe the Insultor. As of this writing he lives in Ohio with his aerialist wife, Jennifer, an ancient rescue dog named Duck, and two cats who just showed up, as they do.

Reviews for The Necromancer's House

[Lauren Anguiano · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this one. The narrator was great and really brought you into the story. Highly recommended for anyone who is looking for a more adult fantasy magic book.

[lisally_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Andrew Blankenship is an eccentric recovering alcoholic living near Lake Ontario in Upstate New York. He also happens to be a wizard (although he prefers “magus”) who specializes in communicating with the dead through film, and who also tends to attract “weird shit.”This is a hard book to review without giving away too much, but it’s definitely worth reading. The story is very meandering and stream-of-consciousness at first, and it takes a while before the actual plot becomes clear. Although some of the crude language used by the characters may be off-putting at first, there’s a lot of intriguing things to keep you reading. Andrew’s titular house is loaded with old books and copious boobytraps, and it soon becomes clear that he’s hiding from someone or something.The story is full of great ideas and neat uses for magic, many of which tie into the main story. The mix of magic and technology is really neat, including a demonic “entity” able to invade message boards, Andrew’s video necromancy, and the ability to cast spells through the internet. There are some fun, legitimately creepy scenes too. Stick past the first part for a really cool read.

[kraaivrouw · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Billed as a horror novel, but really a fairy tale, The Necromancer's House/i> is a lovely long fever dream of bespelled vacuum cleaner protectors, hands of glory, and one very nasty Russian witch come down from the steppes on her house with chicken feet to exact revenge.Andrew Blankenship is a recovering alcoholic and warlock with connections across the magical divides - a stoneworker, a hacker, and a rusalka - all butting heads against the day to day world they all must live in. Magic is costly and carefully considered (so are relationships). When a neighbor dies at the hands of Andrew's rusalka things get complicated and Baba Yaga comes to town or maybe she dies and sends someone else or maybe it's all one long dry drunk hallucination. Unexpected and highly entertaining, The Necromancer's House is joy throughout with its complex world building and interwoven threads of deeply realized characters. A great read - like all good fairy tales. Recommended.

[whitewavedarling · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Built from powerful and believable characters, frightening magic, and day-to-day struggles such as love and addiction, this is one of those books that surprises readers at regular turns and still packs a surprising amount of emotion...far more than you'd expect from suspense or horror.At the center of this book is Andrew Blankenship--a recovering alcoholic, a man just past(?) mourning, and a recluse...who also happens to be a powerful necromancer. Making the book what it is, there are other witches (one of whom Andrew is falling slightly in lust with, even if she doesn't care for men), villains to haunt readers as well as witches, and scenes that will make you cringe with nearly every word. There are also moments of heartbreak and regret drawn from the obstacles we all face in moving forward with our lives, and monsters who you'll be torn between hating and adoring.And somehow, Buehlman pulls all of this into a solid and coherent novel, all of it unique and masterful. You can call this horror or suspense, or simply take it for what it is--a unique and creepy adventure of a novel, perfectly envisioned and wonderfully original.This will be too strong and violent for some readers, and give others nightmares...but for many, it will be a horribly perfect story.Absolutely recommended.

[patsaintsfan · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Man, I was so glad when I made it to Part 2 of this book. I almost called it quits. So glad I didn't. This was quite an interesting read. Very hard to review, but I'd just say, "give it a shot!"

[voodooyeager · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

An amazing book by a fantastic author. Christopher Buehlman's The Necormancer's House is an amazing story about a magus who is struggling to overcome his addiction to alcohol all while saving his own soul and the lives of those he loves from an evil, Russian witch. A truly magical story. The book starts slowly, but gives you the background to every character before hurling you through a magical, fast-paced battle that your imagination can barely keep up with.