From best-selling author Jay Kristoff, comes Empire of the Vampire—a new epic that is set to ignite the minds of readers across the globe.
Set in a world where the sun hasn’t risen for 27 years, and vampires are no longer confined to the shadows, Empire of the Vampire is a must-have for any adult fantasy reader. As different vampire factions fight for control over the remaining human territories, and the future of humanity appears bleaker than ever, our main character Gabriel de León must recount the tale of his illustrious life to his vampire captor. De León is one of the last of his kind, a silversaint from the holy Silver Order, and he may or may not have information on the myth surrounding the Holy Grail—the last hope for humanity, and the one threat to the empire of the vampire.
The first in a new series, and accompanied by beautiful illustrations from Bon Orthwick (@monolimeart), Empire promises to be a new cult classic with its gothic inspired take on vampires. It is action-packed from start to finish, introduces an immersive (and terrifying) world that can be further explored in later books, and delves into deeper discussions on topics such as belief, hope, the making of a monster, and more.
Timeline wise, this story does jump around quite a bit—something which even the author makes fun of a few times within the novel—but overall, this adds to the book’s mode of storytelling, and also helps to develop our main character, Gabriel. There’s a nod to Interview with a Vampire in the way this story is framed, as we see Gabriel recount his highs and lows to Jean-Francois, a vampire historian set on chronicling the silversaint’s life. Expertly, the author keeps the reader entertained throughout and continually builds an ominous tone, even though, in some instances, we know Gabriel must have survived in order to live to tell his tale. We see Gabriel as a young initiate of the Silver Order, filled with belief and bursting to become a hero, and then we are slammed back into the present with the very weary, jaded Gabriel who constantly questions his faith.
As Gabriel’s journey with his faith is explored, it becomes clear that he is a man pushed to the brink. He reflects on battles won and sacrifices made, of powerful enemies and tantalisingly forbidden love, and of situations where there is no right way forward. Bit by bit, the erosion of Gabriel’s faith becomes evident. But the author takes this one step further, and instead of only including the viewpoint of the destruction of faith, he instead opens up the conversation on the complex nature of belief, and what belief can look like to different people.
Kristoff also explores what it would mean to have consequences removed from the equation, as he depicts his vampires in all their bloodlust finery. When you consider what it means to be eternal, and to have the promise of forever, there are going to be changes to one’s psyche. Kristoff explores this concept head-on, portraying exactly what that would look like. His vampires are deadly, showing their lack of conscience in the darkest of deeds, and, compared to the modern-day vampire, they’re not always beautiful. Most importantly, they do not care for human life. But even though the author includes so much darkness with the representation of these monster freed from consequence, there is a thread of hope throughout Empire that pulls it all together.
It’s this underlying tone of hope that keeps the novel from becoming too bleak. Through a hearty dose of humour, sarcasm, and play between characters, Empire proves entertaining while also fearsome, and pays off a lot of great moments. Factor in a diverse cast of characters to offset Gabriel’s surliness, a slightly insane talking sword, and some thought-provoking discussions on humanity, and this novel proves to have it all. Oh, and there’s a sprinkling of smut in there, too.
Simply put, Empire of the Vampire is an impressively built beast, bursting with supernatural lore and promise. With plenty of detail and twists to keep the reader intrigued, we’re predicting this to be a new favourite of the genre.
Empire of the Vampire is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of September 14th in the US and September 7th in the UK and Australia.
Will you be picking up Empire of the Vampire? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
From New York Times bestselling author Jay Kristoff comes Empire of the Vampire, the first illustrated volume of an astonishing new dark fantasy saga.
From holy cup comes holy light;
The faithful hand sets world aright.
And in the Seven Martyrs’ sight,
Mere man shall end this endless night.
It has been twenty-seven long years since the last sunrise. For nearly three decades, vampires have waged war against humanity; building their eternal empire even as they tear down our own. Now, only a few tiny sparks of light endure in a sea of darkness.
Gabriel de León is a silversaint: a member of a holy brotherhood dedicated to defending realm and church from the creatures of the night. But even the Silver Order could not stem the tide once daylight failed us, and now, only Gabriel remains.
Imprisoned by the very monsters he vowed to destroy, the last silversaint is forced to tell his story. A story of legendary battles and forbidden love, of faith lost and friendships won, of the Wars of the Blood and the Forever King and the quest for humanity’s last remaining hope:
The Holy Grail.
I absolutely cannot wait for this!! Great review, makes my patience waning. I really am looking forward to this one.