The Palleseen army are dominating the world with their perfectionist doctrine. The injured and dying are brought from the front line to field hospitals where a motley crew attempt to patch them up by any means possible.
Entrusted with saving the damned, the unit work with unauthorised magic, necromancy demonology and banned Gods to save and repurpose souls. If discovered, their unethical actions could lead to harrowing consequences.
The Palleseen army are ravaging the world with war, desperate to correct a perceived imperfect world.
Behind the front lines, field hospital tents attempt to save the damaged and damned by any means possible.
Yasnic, a former priest turned rebel, finds himself stationed within the hospital. Miraculously saved from the gallows, he clings to faith literally, carting around a box of orphaned Gods wherever he goes.
This unorthodox hospital is commanded by the Butcher, a man who has no fear of the horrors of war. The crew deal with unspeakable gore caused by horrific monsters, magical weapons and relentless enemy attacks.
Tasked with saving and reutilising the fallen, they must be mindful to keep their unethical practices under the radar. Practices that include the use of banned magic, necromancy, demonology and ‘false’ Gods. If not, they could face dire consequences.
A gory field hospital comes alive with dark magic
House of Open Wounds by Adrian Tchaikovsky offers spectacular and vivid worldbuilding with beautifully detailed prose that transports you into a gruesome war. It fantastically explores difficult topics including colonialism, politics, fascism, religion, war and poverty.
The story is told from many character’s perspectives with each chapter focused on a different person. At times, this makes it harder to connect and truly get to know them with any true depth.
With all these points of view, the pacing felt slow at times. I often found myself confused as to who was the focus within the narrative and how it was progressing.
Although interesting to have many viewpoints, I do wonder if the cast had been smaller, the novel may have been easier to follow and enjoy.
House of the Open Wounds by Adrian Tchaikovsky was released on December 7 2023 via Head of Zeus.
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I personally have read House of Open Wounds. However, I did receive a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley and this post does contain affiliate links.
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