Action & Adventure
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Empire of the Vampire (Empire of the Vampire, 1)
THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES, USA TODAY, AND WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER
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.
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.
Editorial Reviews
Praise for Empire of the Vampire:
"Brilliant and unputdownable, with tenderness and light bound into the bitterdark of a grim and fascinating world." ―Laini Taylor, New York Times bestselling author of Strange the Dreamer
"This book is bloody brilliant." ―V. E. Schwab, New York Times bestselling author of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
"Kristoff's Empire of the Vampire is a wonderfully crafted tale, the pieces as meticulously interlocked as fine woodwork." ―Robin Hobb, New York Times bestselling author
"Jay Kristoff's latest dark fantasy, Empire of the Vampire, is a gothic bloodbath that will leave any reader―including this one―breathless. The story is a vast apocalyptic canvas, reminiscent of Justin Cronin's The Passage, even Stephen King's The Stand, yet Kristoff's work stands on its own ruthless merit as the opening gambit of a richer tale yet to unfold. I can't wait to return again to this rich, lush, and bloody world. Until then, read this book now!" ―James Rollins, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Last Odyssey and The Starless Crown
"With Empire of the Vampire, Jay Kristoff has once again shown why he is a master storyteller. Gabriel de León is a complex and complicated new hero for Jay's legion of fans, and soon-to-be fans… I absolutely cannot wait to share this book with my friends and fellow book lovers." ―Sarah Danforth, Towne Book Center (Collegeville, PA)
"Empire of the Vampire is an epic marvel! …This is the best book that Jay Kristoff has written. He is a master storyteller …This is a story of vampires and heroes, of love and sorrow, of friendship and loss, of joy and devastation. It is a story of death and darkness, but if you look closely you will find a thread of hope that shines brighter than the sun." ―Meghan Vanderlee, Schuler Books (Grand Rapids, MI)
"Kristoff's multifaceted exploration of morality is enticing and complex." ―Publishers Weekly
"Simply put,
"Brilliant and unputdownable, with tenderness and light bound into the bitterdark of a grim and fascinating world." ―Laini Taylor, New York Times bestselling author of Strange the Dreamer
"This book is bloody brilliant." ―V. E. Schwab, New York Times bestselling author of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
"Kristoff's Empire of the Vampire is a wonderfully crafted tale, the pieces as meticulously interlocked as fine woodwork." ―Robin Hobb, New York Times bestselling author
"Jay Kristoff's latest dark fantasy, Empire of the Vampire, is a gothic bloodbath that will leave any reader―including this one―breathless. The story is a vast apocalyptic canvas, reminiscent of Justin Cronin's The Passage, even Stephen King's The Stand, yet Kristoff's work stands on its own ruthless merit as the opening gambit of a richer tale yet to unfold. I can't wait to return again to this rich, lush, and bloody world. Until then, read this book now!" ―James Rollins, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Last Odyssey and The Starless Crown
"With Empire of the Vampire, Jay Kristoff has once again shown why he is a master storyteller. Gabriel de León is a complex and complicated new hero for Jay's legion of fans, and soon-to-be fans… I absolutely cannot wait to share this book with my friends and fellow book lovers." ―Sarah Danforth, Towne Book Center (Collegeville, PA)
"Empire of the Vampire is an epic marvel! …This is the best book that Jay Kristoff has written. He is a master storyteller …This is a story of vampires and heroes, of love and sorrow, of friendship and loss, of joy and devastation. It is a story of death and darkness, but if you look closely you will find a thread of hope that shines brighter than the sun." ―Meghan Vanderlee, Schuler Books (Grand Rapids, MI)
"Kristoff's multifaceted exploration of morality is enticing and complex." ―Publishers Weekly
"Simply put,
Readers Top Reviews
TessibRussKayleig
I have no idea how to feel what I read. This book definitely sent me through a spiral. All I can say is brilliant. It was un like any vampire story I ever read. I was invested with all the charac ters. The way it ended? All I can say.. where is book 2! Phenomenal world and story building
Jodi L. MonroeTes
This book made vampires mean again. Telling it from the hunters perspective is awesome!
Kristopher R Este
On a recommendation from someone who reads to escape reality, I picked this up about 3 weeks ago. I don’t get a ton of time to sit down and read, but what time I had I spent with this in my hands. It’s Blade meets Interview With the Vampire meets a D&D campaign run by a sadistic DM. Every chapter leaves you hopeful and sorely disappointed in all the right ways. Not for the feint of heart.
Mark Harrisjohnny
Main character is a standard foul mouthed “lost faith” pretend badass. But sheesh do we go hard on the cliche argumentation and somehow (?!) tattoo porn. Characters in general lack depth and any sort of wisdom or self awareness. There’s a lot of opportunity here for nuance that isn’t realized. Granted, it’s book one so very possible we get that later. Other work by this author is quite good, so it may just be that most of the character arc is longer than a single book. Will give book 2 a chance to see how it develops. To give credit where it is due, the world building and setting are fantastic. Very interesting take on the vampire genre, some creative quirks and whatnot. Lots of mysteries to unveil, although a little slow doling those out at this point. Pacing is a bit off because of it. But overall really creative in design from my perspective. Many kudos here. The big cringe though is a classic artistic fault, which is to wallow in one’s own self importance. Authors extolling how “magical”, “important”, and “immortal” books are in their own work is about as pretentious as can be. We get it, you write stuff so you think it’s important. But really, there’s nothing more special about a book than a loaf of bread, or an author more than a baker. It’s the product of a craft, pure and simple. Coming from someone who loves books and reads a ton of them, get over yourself and write your stories. Overall, decent book with a great setting and middling characters. Personally I think the setting and world building make it worth a read, and there’s plenty of potential for further books to add depth of character and continue what I assume is an extended arc. Hard to go into detail without spoilers but as I said, lots of potential. Give it a go if you like dark vampire stories and have Patience for slow character development.
aizietaizietMark
"There’s no misery so deep as one you face by yourself. No nights darker than ones you spend alone. But you can learn to live with any weight. Your scars grow thick enough, they become armour." What a masterpiece! This is not your typical quick read. I did struggle a bit with the pacing in the beginning, but it was so very worth it. Like a well aged wine, that waits for your parched lips. The vast world-building, lore, faith, symbolisms and complex characters - they need to be told properly. And it takes time. It was an interesting take on how this story was told. It was like getting the puzzle pieces together and making a bigger picture. Back and forth. Twists and turns. And the emotions - oh God the emotions! This was my first book by Jay Kristoff and it will not be the last. The gift this man has for creating such memorable and diverse characters amazes me. You get to experience so, so many emotions throughout Gabriel's story. Journey filled with battles, death, sacrifices and betrayels. Journey of love, friendships, small hope and cherished peaceful moments. And rage. Revenge. A vow. I can't wait to read what will come next after 27th daysdeath.
