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66 of 71 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Skillful blending of genres into something truly original!, September 28, 2003
I loved this book! There is something in it to appeal to every reader. A little horror, a little SF, a little mysticism, even a touch of romance. The main character, David Valentine, is an elite soldier on a near future earth that has been turned on its ear. Man is no longer at the top of the food chain--he has become prey to turncoat humans, genetically created monsters called grogs, the menacing, vampiric Reapers and the alien Kurian masters. He is of the first generation never to have known life without the fear of the Reapers. The book shows his development from childhood, through his training, and into young adulthood. He is chosen by a good Kurian, a Lifeweaver, to become a Wolf, an elite warrior with the finely honed senses and strength of a wolf. His job--to help destroy the minions of the Kurians and protect the safety of the Free Territory. The post-apocalyptic world and the characters of this book ring true. You see the best and worst of human nature close up. And although the world under the Kurians is a violent and unpredictable place, there are still flashes of happiness and humor and love as humanity survives and adapts to life under the world's new masters. And David is a true hero that anchors this at times grim and violent book with a human heart. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a well-spun, fast-paced adventure tale!
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35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An awe-inspiring, truly impressive debut novel, February 16, 2004
E. E. Knight's Way of the Wolf: Book One of The Vampire Earth is one of the most impressive debut novels I have ever read. I'm not sure why the author uses a pen name; if I had written a novel this original and absorbing, I would want my real name plastered across it in gigantic letters. Roc has released the book in its science fiction line, but the story strikes me as dark fantasy with militaristic overtones. Proudly drawing on the work of many great authors of the past - men such as Robert Howard, C.S. Forester, and Louis L'Amour - Knight creates a wholly original world that lives and breathes in the imagination of the reader. Readers should not see the reference to vampires in the title and simply dismiss this book as "yet another vampire novel." The vampires in command of Earth in the year 2065 are like no vampires you have ever encountered, and they do not even take an active part in the proceedings recorded in this first volume of a truly noteworthy new series. Way of the Wolf introduces us to David Valentine, a young Lieutenant in the Southern Command and an extraordinarily human and likeable hero in a post-apocalyptic world. The mythology Knight constructs for this series is rather complex, but basically the earth is, in 2065, under the control of vicious minions from the planet Kur. Long before civilization was borne on the planet, a race of pre-Entities discovered the means for traveling between worlds, arriving on Earth but dying out before the dawn of human history. Another race eventually discovered the secrets of the Interworld Tree, and creatures from the planet Kur invaded and took over the earth after discovering they could essentially live forever by feeding on the auras of other living creatures (namely, human beings). Lifeweavers have long opposed the Kurians, but they exist on earth in numbers insufficient to challenge the Kurian New World Order directly. Their knowledge is passed on to human heroes such as the Wolves, however, men and women who patrol the boundaries of humanity's threatened refuge in the middle of what used to be America. The Kurians have created the ever-dangerous Grogs to help enforce their rule, and some humans (Quislings) have chosen to serve the New World Order rather than perish. It is the Reapers, however, who pose the greatest threat to mankind. Reapers are brutish vampiric creatures able to detect and hunt down human beings; they feed on the blood of their victims while also serving as the conduit for their Overlords' absorption of human auras. This book basically describes David's life from the time in which his family is killed up through his first year of service in the Wolves. We follow his career from his induction into the order through a number of scouting missions, mourn alongside him the terrible loss of several good comrades, and marvel at his ingenuity, instinct for self-preservation, and innovative offensive skills in a number of deadly situations. Eventually, fate leads him to a farm in a Kurian-controlled zone, and here he experiences "normal" life to a degree he has not known since the time before his parents' deaths. Love now enters the mix alongside bravery, duty, and honor, making this an even more poignantly human tale. All of this leads up to a riveting conclusion, one which satisfies the reader while setting the stage for what is to come next in the series. I can't wait to rejoin David Valentine in the forthcoming second volume of The Vampire Earth.
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28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Debut that reads like an old pro at the top of his game, October 1, 2003
This book caught my eye from the cover blurb - "Welcome to the year 2065 - Earth is under new management." And indeed it is. Combining sf and horror, Mr. Knight postulates a post-apocalyptic America controlled by a species of interstellar vampires. The book is reminiscent of early Heinlein, with a young heroic protagonist and some clever use of didactics in describing how the few surviving and rebellious humans form various primitive societies to fight back. It has the atmosphere and style of a book like Tunnel in the Sky, but is more graphic in its depiction of sex and violence, as befits its theme. Knight's strengths are his world-building and characterization. The reader becomes immersed in this world, and given the basic concept of invading vampire-like creatures, it's extrapolation from that point is both believable and chilling. At the same time, the protagonist David Valentine is a very likable hero with a tragic background, who has to make some difficult choices. There are many people who have decided that cooperating with the vampire-like Kurians is the only way to get along. Valentine isn't one of these people. Much of the action takes place in the midwest, particularly what is known as the Ozark Free Territory. As a life-long Missourian, I felt that Knight's descriptions were very apt and he seemed to capture this area of America very well. Knight's writing is assured and detailed, the pacing excellent. This does not read like a first effort. Do yourself a favor and give this new kid on the block a try. You won't be sorry. Way of the Wolf is the opening novel of what's being billed as the Vampire Earth series. I can't wait for the sequel, Choice of the Cat, due out in May of 2004.
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