Hell House by narukyu (NC-17)
Title: Hell House
Fandom: Supernatural
Pairing: Mostly gen but some Sam/Gabriel and one-sided Sam/Andy
Categories: Horror, mystery, pre-series, AU, pre-canon
Length: Epic (about 60,000 words)
Warnings: Violence, gore, religious themes, character deaths (OC’s and minor characters), open ending
Author on LJ: narukyu_fic
Author Website: Author profile at AO3
Summary:
A devotedly unreligious man sends his youngest son to a private religious school. If that wasn't suspicious enough, Sam can't get a hold of John or Dean, people are disappearing right and left, and, in the night, something whispers in the silence of the old chapel. Soon enough, Sam discovers that something terrible lingers behind the doors to the sacristy--something that sheds a light on the secret holy mission of the Soldiers of Christ as well what happened to his family so many years ago.
Review:
This has long been a favorite Supernatural fic of mine because of the way the author takes canon and spins it around, presenting another way it could have gone. The story is, at heart, a mystery but there’s a wonderfully suspenseful and utterly creepy feel that is woven throughout the entire story that continues up until the final, horrible, conclusion.
The Sam characterization here is strong and compelling. He’s taken from his family at the height of his teenaged rebellion stage, something we never saw in the series, and swings between believable anger that John sent him away and confusion and hurt when Dean misses Christmases and birthdays. The back and forth feelings of hurt and anger mixed with loneliness and sadness as he misses both Dean and John are poignant and spot on for teenaged Sam. One of my favorite parts was in the final confrontation where everything is going to hell and Sam wants, with an almost visceral feeling, for John to be there to make everything better because no matter their complicated relationship, Sam still believed John could help him.
The inclusion of Gabriel, who is both Trickster and archangel is wonderfully done. I particularly loved all of Gabriel and Sam’s interactions and how much the author pulled canon references into them. There is a brief relationship between the two but it’s after Sam is of age, and while an important part of the story, it is not the focus of it.
The ending is open to some extent, yet it feels like a natural conclusion to the story. You’re definitely left with a strong feeling of “What happens next?” but the story itself is complete. The epilogue is a fabulous outsider POV detailing the horrors of what happened at Hell House and the last few paragraphs are like a punch to the gut, but in the very best way.
There are some instances of minor spelling errors and missing words in a few places. They were enough to note and point out, but other than jarring for a moment, the story itself is well paced and plotted, and I don’t feel they ultimately took away from that.
Fic Master Post @ LJ
Link to PDF of fic
First 5 chapters posted at AO3
Fandom: Supernatural
Pairing: Mostly gen but some Sam/Gabriel and one-sided Sam/Andy
Categories: Horror, mystery, pre-series, AU, pre-canon
Length: Epic (about 60,000 words)
Warnings: Violence, gore, religious themes, character deaths (OC’s and minor characters), open ending
Author on LJ: narukyu_fic
Author Website: Author profile at AO3
Summary:
A devotedly unreligious man sends his youngest son to a private religious school. If that wasn't suspicious enough, Sam can't get a hold of John or Dean, people are disappearing right and left, and, in the night, something whispers in the silence of the old chapel. Soon enough, Sam discovers that something terrible lingers behind the doors to the sacristy--something that sheds a light on the secret holy mission of the Soldiers of Christ as well what happened to his family so many years ago.
Review:
This has long been a favorite Supernatural fic of mine because of the way the author takes canon and spins it around, presenting another way it could have gone. The story is, at heart, a mystery but there’s a wonderfully suspenseful and utterly creepy feel that is woven throughout the entire story that continues up until the final, horrible, conclusion.
The Sam characterization here is strong and compelling. He’s taken from his family at the height of his teenaged rebellion stage, something we never saw in the series, and swings between believable anger that John sent him away and confusion and hurt when Dean misses Christmases and birthdays. The back and forth feelings of hurt and anger mixed with loneliness and sadness as he misses both Dean and John are poignant and spot on for teenaged Sam. One of my favorite parts was in the final confrontation where everything is going to hell and Sam wants, with an almost visceral feeling, for John to be there to make everything better because no matter their complicated relationship, Sam still believed John could help him.
The inclusion of Gabriel, who is both Trickster and archangel is wonderfully done. I particularly loved all of Gabriel and Sam’s interactions and how much the author pulled canon references into them. There is a brief relationship between the two but it’s after Sam is of age, and while an important part of the story, it is not the focus of it.
The ending is open to some extent, yet it feels like a natural conclusion to the story. You’re definitely left with a strong feeling of “What happens next?” but the story itself is complete. The epilogue is a fabulous outsider POV detailing the horrors of what happened at Hell House and the last few paragraphs are like a punch to the gut, but in the very best way.
There are some instances of minor spelling errors and missing words in a few places. They were enough to note and point out, but other than jarring for a moment, the story itself is well paced and plotted, and I don’t feel they ultimately took away from that.
Fic Master Post @ LJ
Link to PDF of fic
First 5 chapters posted at AO3