Customer Reviews

Valentine's Resolve [With Headphones] (Playaway Adult Fiction)

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Knight's superb post-apocalyptic science fiction series continues with this newest installment. For those readers who are wary of "horror" stories, keep in mind that the term Vampire Earth is somewhat misleading, as the story concerns humankind's attempts to fight back against an overwhelming alien invasion that has taken over our planet. The aliens exhibit certain vampire-like traits, but virtually all of the action takes place in a devastated America of the near future, and the tale stands firmly in the tradition of science fiction adventure, not Salem's Lot. This incidentally allows Knight to indulge in one of his many strengths, the detailed and quite plausible extrapolation of how society might evolve in the aftermath of intelligent but malevolent beings controlling us.

Valentine's Resolve continues protagonist David Valentine in exile from Southern Command, one of the main military resistance forces still functioning. The opening chapter, with Valentine completing a bloody vendetta for personal reasons, is some of Knight's most harrowing and graphic writing to date. He pulls no punches in this novel.

Despite Valentine's position as a military fugitive, he is tasked by some of his former comrades to undertake a very difficult mission to determine the strengths and intentions of another resistance movement in the Pacific Northwest. This forms the bulk of the plot, and to avoid spoilers, I won't elaborate.

Instead, I'll just point out two additional strengths of Knight's writing that keep impressing me book after book. First, despite this being the sixth entry in this series, the book never feels formulaic. Indeed, none of them do. Knight manages again and again to inject fresh concepts into his plotline, and develop Valentine in surprisingly clever and unexpected ways, without sacrificing the underlying story, which is how can humanity wrest its home back from the invaders, and at what cost will this struggle ultimately occur?

Second, Knight is an absolute master of that old adage, "show, don't tell." Every new culture, from the alien-supported Pyp's Flying Circus to the stunted political organization in Mt. Omega, to the twisted, savage resistance force around Seattle, is rendered brilliantly through the plausible actions and dialogue of the characters, not in stiff exposition like so many other writers of this sort of sci-fi fall prey to.

In other words, you live Valentine's discoveries, right along with him. It makes for a very immediate and exciting novel. Knight is crafting perhaps the best example of this sort of science fiction ever written. It ranks right up there with David Gerrold's unfinished War Against the Chtorr, but Knight has the advantage of publishing on a regular basis, with a clear long-range plan. You won't be waiting ten years or more between books. I can't recommend Vampire Earth highly enough, and Valentine's Resolve does not disappoint.

Reviewed by Vicky Burkholder
on 07/10/2008

Knight's post-apocalyptic science fiction series continues with this newest installment. David Valentine has left the Southern Command, one of the main sources of resistance against the Kur--the aliens who have invaded Earth. Knight's strength lies in his detailed and believable idea of how society could evolve after we've been taken over by intelligent but malevolent beings.

The opening chapter - and much of the book - is violently graphic, but that is the setting for the story. It is not gratuitous, but necessary to the plot and the development of the story. The character of Valentine undertakes a difficult mission to infiltrate the resistance in the Pacific Northwest, which he does. The story is about Valentine's struggles, but it is also about ourselves and how we would cope with invaders--and at what cost. Knight does this with a deft hand and amazing skill. His world building abilities are beyond scope.

I have to admit to not having read the other books in this series, but that is not an issue. This is an excellent stand-alone book. I read it and enjoyed it, and understood what was going on without feeling lost, like I often do with other series. I'm probably going to pick up the others to read just to find out what happened earlier. If I had any problems, it was possibly with the darkness of Valentine. He seemed almost too morose at times, though granted, with the story as it is, I'd be morose too. I also found I could not read the book in the evening as I became susceptible to frightening dreams, a weakness of mine that proves good story telling on the part of the author. The story stuck with me.

This is a terrifying, thrilling, at times graphically disgusting, but always interesting book that will not disappoint fans of the Vampire Earth series.

4.5 Books

E.E. Knight's "Valentine's Resolve" is the sixth installment in the Vampire Earth series. The series is set in post-apocalyptic Earth, in which an alien species at war with itself uses humanity as a pawn. The plot of the books, however, is not the strength; rather, Knight creates compelling and often believably conflicted characters. The protagonist, David Valentine, remains intriguing in this book, but with much less depth than in the first five. Knight seems to have tried to confer to Valentine the literary equivalent to the "10,000 yard stare"; he seems tired, somewhat bitter, and resigned to his lot, but it doesn't entirely work. Even the brief interludes with Valentine's old mentor and partner Duvalier are not enough rekindle the spark. I can't escape the feeling that Valentine is running out of steam.

While the series never was entirely plot driven, the flow of this book truly meanders across scenes that neither provide depth of character nor create an especially interesting story. Book six is driven purely out of the impressive momentum generated through the previous books. If you've read them, then without doubt you'll read this one. However weak the effort in book six, it can hardly derail the rest of the startlingly good Vampire Earth series. All of us who've read this series recognize E.E. Knight as a writer worth reading.

Valentine's Resolve is the best Vampire Earth book yet. The story has become even more unpredictable and this is book SIX! You'd better find a comfortable place to sit when you pick this one up, because you won't be able to lay it down until the very last page. Even if you haven't read the others before it, you will have no trouble losing yourself in the story. I love this world and the characters in it. Even the evil Kurians!

It is the fifty second year since the Kurians divided up the earth into zones with a Kur as lord of his zone. They look upon humans as cattle because through their avatars the Reapers that they animate, they siphon off the life energy of a person leaving a dead host. The resistance has made some inroads, taking back land from the Kur by accepting the help of the Lightweavers. These beings are the same species as the Kurians but turned against their race and changed the physiology of certain people so they have much needed powers to help win the battles against the alien occupiers.

David Valentine, formerly of Southern Command, is brought in from the cold when the Lightweavers disappear. If they don't return, the southern command will collapse and all that was regained will be lost. Valentine is told that some Lightweavers are in Seattle held by a powerful Kurian lord but the resistance there led by Adler won't help Southern Command. David is told to infiltrate Adler's resistance, dodging quislings, Reapers and other alien species called grubs. During his travels David discovers something so horrific that he does something he never thought he would do and if his agenda does not go exactly to plan, he will be killed in a very ghastly manner.

E.E. Knight brings excitement and interest to his Vampire Earth series as readers get a close look at a Kur and know despite the media spin of being saviors they put on their occupation they are evil beyond imagination. David makes a good guerilla fighter who is at his best when he acts on his own as he doesn't trust orders that might contain a personal agenda. This makes him dangerous and there is a bounty on his head from aliens and humans. He also is raising a baby Reaper to see if scientists can find a way to use them against the Kur but he treats the alien child with love and kindness. He is an extraordinary character who turns the Vampire Earth war into a compelling tale.

Harriet Klausner

"Valentine's Resolve" is the sixth volume of the Vampire Earth series; I strongly recommend reading the preceding volumes or at least "Valentine's Exile" before reading this one.
E. E. Knight (b. 1965) has developed a thrilling saga, where the writer mixes different genres fluently: sci-fi, fantasy, terror, military & thriller giving way to vibrant & gripping tales.
In this book the author recovers the series élan somewhat diluted in the preceding volume.
The whole series is placed in post-apocalyptic scenery where an alien race, the Kur, has subdued all Earth powers installing a reign of terror & servitude over humankind.
Some human enclaves still resist and confront Kurian Order. They are backwater regions that stubbornly fight to remain free.
These free communes are aided by other ancient aliens the Lifeweavers that train humans and develop latent potentialities within them creating Wolves, Cats and Bears to fight the Kurian & Kurian Reapers with some chances to succeed. Wolves work in packs with military organization similar to commandos. Cats are loners that work behind enemy lines as spies, saboteurs or assassins. Bears are dangerous berserks able to kill Reapers & Kurians almost singlehanded and operate in small teams.

The main character is David Valentine. He has been a Wolf (see "Way of the Wolf") afterwards a trainee Cat (see "Choice of the Cat") and an autonomous Cat fulfilling his own mission (see "Tale of the Thunderbolt"). His most resounding mission has been to create havoc behind Kurian lines and lead the resistance in a fateful siege (see "Valentine's Rising"). Afterwards he is prosecuted and evades death penalty by a forced exile (see "Valentine's Exile").

While Valentine is wandering in his exile, he is secretly retrieved by top officers of Southern Command and sent north in search of Lifeweavers that had suddenly vanished from the southern enclaves.
Valentine starts his dangerous trip and en route meets different friends & foes. When he finally arrives to Pacific Command and finds a dreadful situation giving way to new and exciting adventures.

The author explores in depth the feelings and emotions of Valentine forced to act ruthlessly and cruelly. How can he reconcile this with his natural humanitarian self? Is he justified? The reader will decide, Valentine can't and his conscience tortures him relentlessly.

Another interesting issue of this series is that Valentine is not immune to his hazardous life, he bore scars all over his body and one of his legs gives him permanently trouble. This adds to flesh a real person and not a stainless iron hero.

This is a book that may be enjoyed by sci-fi, fantasy and action adepts as well as general public too.
Only one caution (applicable to the whole series): some scenes are really truculent, be warned.
Reviewed by Max Yofre.

After reading one of E. E. Knights "Vampire Earth" novels I HAD TO read the rest. This was another great one. The ones not available in my local library were immediately ordered from Amazon and devoured upon receipt. David Valentine is one of the best characters to come along in a long time and you just have to root for him. Lot's of action and real neat little plot twist toward the end. Anxiously awaiting the next one!

I just discovered E.E. Knight with this book. I'd noticed his novels on the bookstore shelves before but I thought this was just another 'me too' vampire series. You know the ones. They try to be to hip and clever and kind of all read alike. Not this. The world that Knight builds is consistent, peopled with complex characters and the alien invasion premise is original and thought through.

While there's plenty of action the story is basically character driven. David Valentine is a great hero. He's a full and believable person. He's tough but gets results mostly because he works harder and pays more attention.

The story is well plotted and the bad guys (Kurians) are truly evil. Secondary characters are fleshed out and act from credible motives. They're not just cardboard pieces thrown in to move the plot.

When I finished this book I immediately hit the library to reserve the first books in the series. It compares favorably with any SF series in active publication.

I love this fresh and imaginative series. It is intelligent and a joy to read. I discovered it a few weeks ago and have raced through all 6 books. I am so sorry I have to wait a year or so until the next one.

This world and its characters come alive with Knight's excellent prose. (Unlike the stilted language, and cardboard characters in other alternate history and post apocalyptic novels that will remain nameless.) Val is a hero's hero, but doesn't take himself all that seriously. I love the humor, as well as the dark reflections into the best and the worst of human - and alien - nature. That is the draw of science fiction. We see ourselves more clearly through the lens of altered time and space. "The more things change, the more they remain the same" and all that. But the eternal fight of light against dark, within and without, will always be compelling.

SPOILER ALERT FOR THOSE WHO HAVEN'T READ THROUGH "VALENTINE'S EXILE"
One shallow gripe, though. As a female reader who has been a bit in love with handsome, noble, yet oh so manly Val, I was able to handle the thin dueling type scar and the lower back burns, but the slightly off-kilter jaw was entirely unnecessary. (Humorous smile aspect aside.) I hope Knight doesn't have him lose an eye next! (Snake Larsen has already been done.) At any rate, poor Val doesn't have to look like a battered pug boxer to convince the reader he is battle hardened and macho. I mean, if the author was afraid of his being seen as a pretty boy, why start out with hookers wanting to do him for free? At least they seem to be healing his bad leg. No more spoilers on how, though. Maybe that would work on the jaw too. The scar can stay. It's kind of sexy. And Val has been through a lot over the past 15 years.

At any rate, I still love Val and am impressed on how the Vampire Earth story keeps evolving. And a big kudo on starting the hero out at 18, albeit with extraordinary maturity and leadership skills. That gave him the chance to have many adventures and still end up only 32 after 6 books. There is much more to learn about Val and this world, and I can't wait for new adventures in the next installment. I am sure I won't be disappointed.

Series frustrate me. Typically, when you get to the fifth or sixth installment of a series, you want to bang your head against the wall. Either, you're basically, going on the same trip, yet this time you're heading north instead of south, or your fighting an even "eviler" bad guy, the way you fought the less evil bad guy. Then there is the attempt to breathe new life into the series, basically, by throwing out everything fans loved about the series, and just writing a new book, which happens to take place in the same world, with a few cameo appearances from lesser known characters.

So, when I plunked down my 20 some odd dollars, and bought Valentine's Resolve, I was worried. Not only was this the sixth book in the series, but after the events, and excellent ending to Valentine's Exile, I was worried about the series and our main character. I mean, his best friend was missing, he's been beat down repeatedly by those who he was fighting for, and he now had a whole new added responsibility of having to care for a very strange child. This could be a recipe for disaster.

So, when I tore through the pages and got to the end, all I could think of was, "Thank God for Mr. Knight." Ok, maybe I am stretching it, but, Valentine's Resolve was, for me at least, the perfect next chapter in Valentine's saga. Instead of prettying our hero up, and glossing over all the ways our hero has been screwed with, Knight piles the bad times on. From the opening moments of the book, we see Val in a downward spiral, falling apart in many levels, fighting a campaign steeped in moral ambiguities, and when that is finished, we are left barely more than an empty shell. So, when someone was needed for what could very well be a suicide missions, well, Val's the man.

Once again having a mission, Val heads off, in search of earth's most important allies. Along the way, he meets people on the other side that remind him of what he is fighting for. A hero pilot, even if he is an enemy pilot, shows him there is courage on both sides, and also a devaluing of life. A sultry singer/hooker who may is an example of the untapped potential of devalued humanity. All this leads him to another resistance group, being leads by a man, whose own moral ambiguity shows that both sides of the good/evil of this series, has serious issues.

While Knight excels in the action sequences and dark moments of conflict, what I enjoy is the black comedy and frustrations of the political side to the series. Val trip to the isolated remnants of the American Government is a comic highpoint in the book, and compliments instead of distracts from the overall story.

With a lot of terrifying moments and a thrilling ending, Valentine's Resolve is a great action book. Yet, even more so, Valentine's Resolve shows is that the human spirit can not be restored through faith in institutions, but through the value of personal interactions. In this way, one person can make a difference.