Publishing Information: Kindle
Publisher: Pyr 18 November 2010
ISBN 10: 1616142472
ISBN 13: 978-1616142476
ASIN: B004BA73LE
Series: Book 1 of the Vampire Empire
Copy: Out of Pocket
Reviewer: Tyson
Synopsis: "In the year 1870, a horrible plague of vampires swept over the northern regions of the world. Millions of humans were killed outright. Millions more died of disease and famine due to the havoc that followed. Within two years, once-great cities were shrouded by the gray empire of the vampire clans. Human refugees fled south to the tropics because vampires could not tolerate the constant heat there. They brought technology and a feverish drive to reestablish their shattered societies of steam and iron amid the mosques of Alexandria, the torrid quietude of Panama, or the green temples of Malaya.
It is now 2020 and a bloody reckoning is coming.
Princess Adele is heir to the Empire of Equatoria, a remnant of the old tropical British Empire. She is quick with her wit as well as with a sword or gun. She is eager for an adventure before she settles into a life of duty and political marriage to a man she does not know. But her quest turns black when she becomes the target of a merciless vampire clan. Her only protector is the Greyfriar, a mysterious hero who fights the vampires from deep within their territory. Their dangerous relationship plays out against an approaching war to the death between humankind and the vampire clans
Vampire Empire: The Greyfriar is the first book in a trilogy of high adventure and alternate history. Combining rousing pulp action with steampunk style, Vampire Empire brings epic political themes to life within a story of heartbreaking romance, sacrifice, and heroism.
There is a lot of positive buzz surrounding the Greyfriar, the first book in the Vampire Empire series, so it was only a matter of time before I found myself reading it to see what all the hype was. Greyfriar is a lot of fun to read and it does bring back some of the mythos that vampires used to exhibit before the time of teenage angst, glitter, and romance.
The first thing that I enjoyed about the novel was that our hero is actually a heroine. Princess Adele is a strong character and not a damsel in distress, she has a inner strength that is not seen in a lot of female characters in vampire novels. She also does not rattle when faced with a life or death situation and rolls with the punches. She also gives a few punches along the way. She is very capable and the fact that she is next in line for the throne leads me to a believe that if she survives until the end of the series the future will be very bright for her people.
There is also the vampire killer Greyfriar who begins the story very mysteriously and to some a legend or myth. However, as the story continues we soon learn most of who he is and why he fights, I thought that it was well done but I would have liked to have had the mystery stay around for a little longer. The other major characters are the two vampire princes who are as different as night and day and have a long history of love and hate between them. While one must kill the other to take the throne, the build up to the confrontation is exceptionally written and will be resolved in later editions in the series. We also have an American senator who has been chosen to wed the young princess. A bit of a rogue and rough rider rolled into one. His introduction in the story is typically American and his personality does not let up until the end of the book. Nearly all of the major players in the novel are well written and a lot of fun.
I think the major attraction to me was the world building. It is the future but a future in which steampunk has led the way to keeping humanity from being enslaved by the vampire empire. The empire has taken over all of the northern hemisphere. There are brief mentions of the Japanese invading their home country to rescue valuable relics. We do not know where the vampires came from and how large their numbers are. We also have very little information as to how they came to take over the hemisphere. There are a lot of unanswered questions and I like that. There are also a lot of clues that help you form the picture mentally. The fact that it is not spelled out for you was something that I enjoyed.
Greyfriar is a short novel which I think works to its advantage. The action is fast and frenzied and keeps moving right along. A great debut and a series with a lot of potential. Recommended.
Plot 7.5
Characters 8
Style 8
Overall 8/10
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