Empire of the Vampire

I have been sitting on some book reviews for the last couple of months that I want to start putting out into the world. My luck has turned, and after a successful completion rate of maybe 20% in the previous dozen travesties that were bound between covers, (I’m new to DNFs) I have hit a smooth road of truly outstanding books with 100 % completion. 😊

Out the gate today, I am going to recommend with a solid 4.8/5.0, about as much fun as I’ve had reading a book in a long time that wasn’t a reread, Empire of the Vampire, by Jay Kristoff. I have seen reviews that damn this book (pun intended), and if I stood it side by side with Tolkien or Rothfuss, I would have to judge it differently. Not worse, just differently. Empire of the Vampire is pure fun.

A fun ride of a book

It is well written, but it is not aiming to be high literature. It shouldn’t be compared to those pieces. It served to remind me reading is supposed to be fun.

Basics: the world is our world, more or less. The exact place is not “France,” but it’s French. The exact time is not pre-medieval, but it has 1200s trappings. It isn’t a Christian world, but well... yes, it is, with a few new overlays. It is familiar in a way that I took as wonderful shorthand for understanding something different with the scent of the accustomed.

In this not-France, not-1200, not-Judeo-Christian world, there are vampires. More or less as we understand them. Super-fast, super-strong, telepathy and such, but broken down into different families of powers, almost in a way that my brain was able to see video game classes overlaid on them. The good guys are like Blade, or the Marvel universe; day-walking half-breeds who need an elixir to not eat us and turn evil.

Daysdeath happens. For some unexplained (and better for not being explained) reason, the sun is blocked and vampires lose their greatest weakness and start to take over the world. The problem becomes all the undead they created along the way. They lose control over them, and now... their food source (us) is in danger.

Basic out of the way, the main cast consists of some expected fare: knights who are half-breeds, nuns and prioresses, a grail-seeking team wanting to save the world. I’d give more characters, but it’s a little spoiler to explain. We follow Gabriel de Leon, and in the first few pages, we’re given a frame story I deeply love. He is the last living vampire hunter, who won by killing the most powerful vampire lord, the Forever King—but... he is captured and telling his tale while awaiting execution. Did we all win? Did just he win? We aren’t told. (Hence you must read to find out.)

Told through flashbacks, the story is a 70/30 mix of familiar/inventive and hits all the notes of exciting fantasy, with powerful magic, swordplay, and antiheroes to boot. I have ordered book 2, preordered book 3, and must say: if you are looking for a light read, a fun read, and a thing to do this weekend, grab this one now.