The Queen of Wolves: The Vampyricon, Book III [Hardcover]

Douglas Clegg (Author)

Book Description

Series: Vampyricon | Publication Date: September 4, 2007

After rescuing Pythia, the creature who turned him into a vampire, Aleric follows her back to the land of the Saracens. There, they must raise an army, for Aleric's lost love, Enora, has become the Queen of the Wastelands. Aided by her minions and her legions of wolves, she has begun the quest to call the Dark Madonna from beyond the Veil into the world of man. To stop the end of all, Aleric must become what he was destined to be-the Messiah of the Damned-and lead the undead in a final battle against the Mother of Darkness.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A titanic battle that pits vampyre against vampyre in a war that will determine for eternity whether the undead will coexist with the living caps the conclusion to Clegg's majestic Vampyricon trilogy (after The Priest of Blood and The Queen of Serpents). Aleric, the foreordained Priest of Blood, recounts his escape from the gladiatorial penal colony Aztlanteum with his lover, Pythia, and their efforts to find a haven where they can safely indulge their vampyre needs. Fate draws Aleric inexorably to Myrryd, the former home of Medhya, Queen of Serpents, who was banished beyond the Veil for her overreaching ambitions but who schemes to sneak back and enslave the world under vampyre dominion. Empowered by Merod, the Great Serpent who spawned the vampyre civilization, Aleric raises an army of vamps and mortals for a cataclysmic clash described with the vivid color and intense imagination that have been the saga's hallmarks. Clegg crafts a fitting finale ornamented with prose that modulates between the sensual and regal and that distinguishes his series as one of the more memorable modern vampire epics. (Sept.)
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From Booklist

Former falconer and vampyre messiah Aleric flees with Pythia, who made him a vampyre, trailed by assorted enemies, the most dangerous of them Enora, queen of the Wastelands, who wants to call the Dark Mother into the world to destroy or enslave living and undead alike. Aleric must now prove himself the true messiah by raising and leading a vampyre army and persuading the undead that their true task is to protect, not merely use, the living, which proves hard to sell. Not quite as exciting as The Lady of Serpents (2006), the Vampyricon trilogy's conclusion still should satisfy fans. Murray, Frieda

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Ace Hardcover (September 4, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0441015239
• ISBN-13: 978-0441015238
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #511,648 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

For all kinds of treats, subscribe to my free newsletter at:

DouglasClegg.com

When you subscribe, you'll get updates and extras from me (including excerpts, short stories, screensavers, ebooks, and more).

I'm a novelist living on the New England coast. My first novel, Goat Dance, came out in 1989, and since then, more than 20 of my novels have been published.

I'd recommend: Neverland, Isis, Afterlife, The Words, Purity, or The Priest of Blood (and the entire vampire trilogy, The Vampyricon) if you're new to my fiction.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars LOVE this series and want more from "Aleric the Falconer!!, January 25, 2010

By 

J. Resnick (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Queen of Wolves: The Vampyricon, Book III (Paperback)

All in all a great series and completely enjoyed each book...The Queen of Wolves does a great job of bringing it all together - Aleric and his journey as the "anointed one", Pythia and all the rest...this is what a good vampire/horror series is all about - no fluff, gritty, gory, mythology and history woven in, immortal creatures battling it out, etc...I'd love to see Mr. Clegg revisit this world he created, as I think there is plenty more to share!! Highly recommended to any dark fantasy, horror, vampire fans!!!!

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Trilogy for the ages, September 8, 2007

By 

M.J. Rose (CT) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Queen of Wolves: The Vampyricon, Book III (Hardcover)

Clegg has created a classic with this trilogy and this last book is stunning. This author's imagination is on fire and its a real treat to read book after book that is as creative as these are. Mythology, archetypes, grand themes and dark passions... this is Clegg at his best and the genre at its best.

2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars strong finish, September 3, 2007

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Queen of Wolves: The Vampyricon, Book III (Hardcover)

He is called the "Anointed One", the Maz-Sherah, named so by Merod the Priest of the Blood. He feels no different than any other vampyre as he flees with Pythia, a mortal vampire since she put on the Gorgon Mask, from a land torn apart from feuding vampires who want to take over another vampyre's land and believe they have the right to do so. Although Aleric doesn't trust Pythia, she is carrying his child and so he keeps an eye on her knowing she can turn on him at any second.

The veil between the worlds is thinning, and Medya, The Dark Mother, is trying to return to the realm she was exiled from and lay waste to all that opposed her. On the battlefield where the sorcerers fight the crusaders, Pythia and Aleric raise an army from the dying who choose to accept the Sacred Kiss. Aleric, with another vampire, travels to the city of Myrrad. There the serpent God gives him the weapons needed in the upcoming battle against Medya and the Myrrydanai priests at Taranis-H, also called White Robes. Inside the city are Pythia and his two mortal children. If Aleric loses the war, all he loves will be destroyed.

This is the last book in the Vampyricon Trilogy and it ties up all the loose ends and ensures all the key questions not addressed in the previous two books are answered. Although more action oriented than the first two books (see THE PRIEST OF BLOOD and THE LADY OF SERPENTS) in this fabulous series, the characters are fully developed and readers get a better understanding of what motivates them. Douglas Clegg is equally a good storyteller in the horror realm as he is the fantasy area and readers who like him in one genre will also like him in the others. His world-building is so magical that spellbound readers find themselves transported into the Clegg realm to trek alongside Aleric.

Harriet Klausner