Empire of the Vampire - By Jay Kristoff

Overview of Empire of The Vampire - by Kristoff

"Empire of the Vampire" is a 2021 illustrated-novel written by author, Jay Kristoff. The story begins nearly three decades after "daysdeath," an event that saw the sun obscured in the sky, creating a permanence of darkness, allowing for legions of vampires to overthrow humanity and establish an endless empire. The chronicle follows protagonist, Gabriel De Leon, a "Paleblood" member of the ordained brotherhood, the order of San Michon, commonly referred to as "Silversaints," a group of tattooed, half-breed vampire hunters seeking to remedy the sin of their creation through pious extermination of all vampires. We find Gabriel held prisoner, awaiting execution, for the killing of the "forever king," Fabien Voss, an ancient vampire whom is one the four progenitors of all other "leeches." Whilst awaiting his capital punishment, Gabriel is ordered by Jean-Francois Chastain, historian of empress, Margot Chastain, to recount the tale of his life, about how the bastard-son of a drunkard blacksmith came to become a legend known to all remnants of humanity.

Cover for Empire of The Vampire




 Review on Empire of The Vampire

Positives

  • The novel draws upon traditional vampire lore, whilst also introducing some of its own. The idea that vampires can be sentient or feral based upon if decomposition has set in is a way to distinguish mindless monsters from the typical forever young vampires you see in mass media, incorporating zombie-like creatures, heedless in their pursuit of blood,  which adds elements of other horror genres.
  • The concept that vampiric half-breeds smoke the powdered essence of vampires to unlock and enhance their paternal power is something new and different that hasn't appeared in gothic storylines before.
  • There are subtle homages to classic vampire tales throughout the book, most apparent being "Interview With The Vampire," by Anne Rice. Moreover, there are references indicative of other works, like "Salemn's lot" by Stephen King, and "Dracula" by Bram Stoker.
  • The gothic illustrations throughout the book help the reader to picture what is actually being described. Accompanied with Kristoff's amazing ability to build characters and scenes, you get a real sense of what is happening in the novel. The pictures also make sense within  the story, with Jean-Francois being the artist in the context of the book.
  • Establishing the different vampiric bloodlines, with Gabriel himself being part of an "extinct" race, the "Esani" or faithless, is a unique way to differentiate the "Coldbloods", "Palebloods" and "Highbloods" in terms of key attributes and characteristics. 
  • The critique on the religion present holds value in the real world, with both pious and secular arguments being made to good effect, pertinent in society as a whole.

Negatives

  • The only negative thought I have regarding the book is that the religious references; "the great redeemer" who died for humanity, crucified on a wheel, son of God, religious followers doing the "sign of the wheel", etc, are too on the nose and similar to Christianity, and could've been interesting if Kristoff introduced elements that weren't so derivative. Having said that, it adds a familiar layer of lore that people are comfortable with, without having to overly explicate the nature of certain objects and symbols as they pertain to the unholy masses in the book.

Overall

Overall the book is extremely well crafted and is a must read for any fan of the genre, with twists and turns, call backs and running motifs that show the thought behind every sentence. Seeing Gabriel at the different stages of his life, seeing him grow from a devout young follower, to a Godless heathen, then to something in between is a tremendous character arc and adds a quasi tangible progression to the protagonist. The second instalment, "Empire of the Damned," is set to be released in February of next year, and will presumably resume with Gabriel in his towered cell.







Comments

  1. Anonymous30 October 2023 at 01:28

    Good read.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous7 November 2023 at 07:20

    Good review and really handy having the direct links to purchase the different novels. General usability of the website is great too.👍

    ReplyDelete

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