Customer Reviews

Hunters of the Shadows

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am a big fan of Anita Blake the Vampire Slayer. And this book by Mark Haeuser is right up there.The first page is exciting and it only gets better.I couldn't put the book down. I am hoping this is the beginning of a series of books with these great characters.

Grab this thriller by Mark Haeuser! A non-stop, action thriller involving Old World ideas about Vampires but with New World characters,new scenarios,almost visual,choreographed battles to the death. Will the Gypsy Hunter Prevail over the Lord Vampire? Why is an old enemy helping him? Is the Vampire World Council at all vulnerable? Is Shach Meril more than just a furry helper? Order this book now for a new look on a done-to-death subject. Well written ,of the kind you hate to put down because just a few pages on the are more thrills and chills. A good author who really knows his subjects. Best vampire story I ever read!

Well, I don't really _hate_ vampire books, but Anne Rice's "Interview with the Vampire" was enough for me. But my husband read this book and said, "You MUST read it." So I did. Wow! What a fun, exciting and interesting book! Yes, there is this handsome, sexy, Gypsy guy (woo-woo) who has been at war with this big cheese vampire (boo hiss) for ages, but they both band together to fight an even _more_ evil vampire. Now, here comes the even more terrific part. Their indispensible ally is ... a CAT! Yes, a regular alley cat, or so he does appear. Actually he is a king of cats, has a lot of wisdom, and I wish he had his own book series. Anyway, when the last great battle of the book takes place, the Gypsy hunk plus his former nemesis vampire against the Incredibly Evil Vampire, we get to see (in our mind's eye) a great sight: The Cat King, decked in his battle dress of the red cape with golden trim, his silver earrings and silver necklace, flanked by 40 of his mighty cat warriors similarly attired. Double wow! Who would not gladly go into battle with such blade-brothers at their side? All I will add is this is one heck of a book - there is _always_ something happening that you can't wait to find out the result of (scuse ending that with a preposition.)And that cat - oh me oh my. Reportedly there is a sequel to this book on its way. I can't wait. I hope it has a lot in it about the glorious Cat King. The Gypsy guy is okay, too.
-- Jean (Cat Fancier) Goldstrom

Haeusers story is a real page turner!The surprise twists and alot of action promise to keep you up reading all night! His characters are hard to resist, true to their great loyalties of their ancestors,and venturing into anything and everything and with great senses of humor that made me laugh out loud!"Creed", Jacob Reid and "Rasmere" are unforgettable characters that I would love to see in the next "Hunters" book! Sue

I must admit, it has been a long time since I was so enthralled reading a book. It has everything needed to keep one reading. Ancient evils, animal protectors, Hunter warriors. Shades of Buffy, Anita Blake, Highlander etc, all mixed together to create this book. I couldnt put it down. Finished reading it in one day. The action is well written and well paced. Romance is also well done. No part of the story was bogged down, as some books tend to do, by going on to long on one part of the story. The writing is rich in fantasy, and keeps ones intrest locked in, as it seems each page brings something new to the scene. The characters are well filled out, allowing one to relate to what is going on, and enabling an affection to grow for all of them, even some of the evil ones. It has everything you could hope for in a vampire-magic-monster-demon story. I am hoping and praying that there will be sequels to this story. There are so many directions this story could go, there could be several spin-offs. I cant say enough good things about this book, other than it is more than worth buying. I am planning on reading it a second time, and I rarely EVER do that!!

I am a huge vampire fan, the biggest. I am also a Bram Stoker fan and loved the way he was in the story. Mark brings out a vision in this book, a vision to be seen up on the big screen, I think it would make a wonderful horror flick. The story kept me on the edge of my seat all night, I read it in two nights. i just could not put it down! i could visualize all the characters, especially Darius himself. a wonderful book for any vampire and horror fan. Very much recommended!!

Mark Haeuser takes his training as a police officer, Swat team sniper, and martial arts
expert and turns it into a very exciting read. HUNTERS OF THE SHADOWS is about a
group of vampire hunters who literally decimate hundreds of evil vampires and their
human minions to save a young girl and prevent the fulfillment of an ancient prophecy.

Creed is a thousand year old Gypsy prince, his life extend by gypsy magic so that he
might fight the undead. For hundreds of years he has fought alone, but in this battle he
won't be alone. Selma is a gypsy witch, destined to be his mate and to bear the next
prince, if she survives. Jake is a martial arts expert and weapon collector who becomes
caught up in vampire hunting when he buys the wrong, or rather the right weapon, a
magical sword that turns him into a Vampire hunter. Then there is Taz, the alley cat, a
cat but not just any cat, but one of the ancient Trillii warrior princes, who from the time
of the Pharaohs have protected mankind from the undead. Then there is Father Joe,
not your ordinary Catholic priest, but trained in exorcism and other means for dealing
with Satan's minions.

And perhaps the oddest ally, Creed's long time enemy, Lord Rasmere, a 2000-year-old
True Blood vampire, who chooses to fight with Creed against the upstart Vampire lord
Pakur, the new breed of turned, not born vampires, who seek to destroy the old order
and take over power of not only the vampires, but the whole world.

This book is non-stop action. It reminded me of CAIN by James Byron Huggins, another
action / adventure story with lots and lots of fighting as the heros struggle to save the
world from Satan's power. What made this book for me was the richness of detail. Not
just the fight sequences, although they are very detailed and I am sure accurate. You
certainly could picture the action. But the backgrounds of the characters, their history,
their lives, and the use of legends. The characters are well defined and different from
each other. Jake is a wise-cracking modern man, Rasmere a likeable bad guy, Taz,
definitely the arrogant cat, and Creed is just tortured enough. It is in fact loaded with
interesting characters, men, ghosts, and demons.

Although it could have done with a better copyedting job, the writing is vivid and well
done. I enjoyed Hunters of the Shadows.

This book is full of action, drama and humor with differing personalities from the badest of bad a$$es in both heros and villains with uncommon twists and involved fight scenes that keep it a page turner.

First book I read from this author. Very interesting characters. A fast read. Lots of action. A page turner from start to finish. Not your usual vampire book. Really like the gypsy characters. Besides the vampires and werewolves you have gypsy magic and voodo magic. Hope this is a start to a series.

For as long as there have been men, there have been creatures who prey on them, vampires, werewolves and others of that ilk.

Darius Creed is a Hunter, a special breed of human charged with the protection of all humans from the darkness lurking everywhere. He is long-lived and comes from a long line of Gypsy Royalty.

In modern times, most humans have forgotten the old lore, how to protect themselves against the darkness, all those except the Gypsy people who follow the old ways. Hunters in modern times are hard to come by, but they are needed, for a great battle is about to commence and only the Hunters can stop the powers of Darkness from attempting the Dolmage - Armageddon...

This book had a bit of everything, romance, adventure, mystery, horror, action, it was a difficult book to put down. As I was about half way through, I was thinking to myself, "I wish Selena (Creed's lover) was more involved in the story," and shortly thereafter, my wish was granted, although not in the way I expected! Selena is pivotal to the plot, even though she is not involved so much in the action.

My one niggle, and it is a niggle, although the story more than makes up for it, is that the layout of the book was a little odd. There were no spaces or indents between paragraphs. I'm not sure if that's the way the author meant it to be, or if it was a mistake at the printers.

Even with that, it's a good book and an interesting read if you like vampire stories with a bit of magic and romance thrown in.