Valentine's Exile (Vampire Earth, Book 5) (Hardcover)

by E.E. Knight (Author) "Dallas, March, the fiftieth year of the Kurian Order: Four square miles of concrete and structural steel smoke and pop and sputter as the city..." (more)
Key Phrases: mule list, battle rifle, cargo hook, Southern Command, Kurian Zone, Fran Paoli (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Knight's fifth novel in his Vampire Earth series, the first in hardcover, has lost none of the compelling pulp-adventure flavor of its mass market predecessors (Valentine's Rising, etc.). Postapocalyptic Earth has been occupied for 50 years by alien Kurian invaders, who use their blood-drinking Reaper avatars to keep what's left of humanity in line. The Texas Republic and Ozark Free Territories have recently made some headway against the Kurians, and heroic resistance leader David Valentine continues his fight to save Earth by kicking Kurian tentacles whenever possible. Complications arise when Valentine tries to find out what happened to a wounded comrade's ex-wife, then is arrested on trumped up torture and murder charges connected with his handling of some prisoners. The sympathetic hero, fast-paced action and an intricately detailed milieu set in various well-imagined regions of 21st-century North America make for an entertaining read. (June)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
David Valentine, already a hero for his part in the uprising at Little Rock, plays the hero again in a major victory launched from the stronghold of Love Field in Fort Worth, Texas. Enlisted by an old friend and former Quisling to search for his wife, Valentine starts asking difficult questions. Before he can follow the tenuous leads on her fate, he is arrested for his treatment of the Quislings--Kurian collaborators--back in Little Rock. Finding himself a pawn in strategic negotiations between his commanders and the Quislings out west, he escapes, thanks to old friends, from the vagaries of politics and continues his quest north into the Kurian Order, that is, through Kentucky and into Ohio. He finally finds Gail Post in a mysterious, heavily guarded compound, in which he also discovers a secret that will shatter the foundations of his cause. Knight gives us a thrill ride through a world ruled by the vampiric Kurians and filled with engaging characters and grand schemes, and promises more to come. Regina Schroeder
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Roc Hardcover; First Edition edition (May 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451460871
• ISBN-13: 978-0451460875
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #266,860 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

• This is item 5 in The Vampire Earth Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How does he do it?, March 12, 2006

By	Gary (St. Louis, MO) - See all my reviews

I thought for sure that there would be no way for Knight to write a followup to Valentine's Rising that could compare with that book. That's what I get for thinking.

Not that I don't think that he's up to the task, it is just that I've found that most serial writers get locked into a predictable formula and/or get mired in minutia and backstory. And with him writing yet another original series as well (Age of Fire), I wasn't going to be disappointed if Valentine's Exile was of lesser quality than Valentine's Rising - I knew it would still be a great read.

Well, consider me overjoyed! Knight has succeeded in creating another absolutely wonderful story in the Vampire Earth setting. The story is thoroughly involved, challenging, and enthralling. I found it extremely difficult to put down as Knight gives the reader a continuously moving plot that keeps the reader guessing and entertained. He has a talent matched by few wherein he delivers enough description to give the reader a detailed image of the setting without detracting from or interrupting the pace of the storyline. His setting, though fantastic, is filled with characters and events that you can visualize without suspending logic or belief. His heroes are wonderfully drawn and complex without the need or want to make them unbelievable superheroes.

Valentine's Exile opens with David taking part in a major offensive against the Kur. The battle is long and costly, with his good friend Post being severely wounded. As a reward for their duty, David and company are given an undesired leave. David decides to use this time in search of Post's wife as a personal favor to him. Accompanied by Duvalier and Ahn-Kha, Valentine travels from one edge of the Midwest to the other discovering intrigue, betrayal, conspiracy, and slimy politics (is there any other kind?). I was pleasantly surprised every step of the way.

The story is gritty, produces a lot of emotion, and is completely entertaining. I rate it as Valentine's Rising's equal (my personal favorite of the series and one of my favorite books of all time).

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Improvement needed, June 13, 2007

By	Shea John Michael (Zurich, Switzerland) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I would have given this 3.5 stars, if I could. I chose 4 over 3 because the series as a whole is worth (I think) at least 4 stars.

General Feeling: Worth reading but unsatisfying in some ways.

I agree with what some of other dissapointed reviewers say, though I actually think the ending was good,it woke me up a bit.

There are a couple of continuity errors and (disagreeing with what someone above said) some plot recipes that reduce the quality of this novel, and the general overall story did not seem to make many advances.

First of all David seems to have lost some of his "Wolf" or "Cat" powers. Specifically the super speed, there were quite some occasions to use it, but he never did (for example in the competition with the worm riders).

The plot recipe (formula) I am referring to is the one where our hero is somehow brought into a "tribal" situation where he has to learn the customs of the new tribe and through his valorous actions becomes a valued member of that tribe. David already did with the Jamaicans, and now with the Worm riders. This formula gets old fast.

I am a fan of Knight but I really felt that not as much happened in this book as in the previous ones.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding, June 22, 2006

By	P. D Huang "happy reader" (chula vista, ca United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Valentine's Exile continues to follow the travels and tribulations of David Valentine and his fight against the Kurians on Vampire Earth.

This book is complete with action and suspense from cover to cover and in my opinion, the best of the series.

Past books in the series have disappointed me because of Knight's storyline with large scale battles and troop movements. You seemed to lose the personality of Valentine and his comrades especially in the "Tale of the Thunderbolt" and the last 1/5 of Valentine's Rising.

This book emphasizes Knight's strengths. Valentine and friends in a covert mission into the heart of the enemy's territory. It reflects what I loved about the series in the "Way of the Wolf" and the "Choice of the Cat" but even better.

The writing is crisp and the reading is very fast. The twists are pretty surprising and Knight leaves a serious cliffhanger that leads to all sorts of plot-lines. Phenomenal.

All in all, his best of the series, and well deserving of the hardcover book.

I will continue to buy this series as it is only getting better.